January 2007 Archives

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water (and Dom thought it was safe to go back to sleep), a marine park captures this rare species of shark:

A species of shark rarely seen alive because its natural habitat is 600 metres (2,000 ft) or more under the sea was captured on film by staff at a Japanese marine park this week.

...

Marine park staff caught the 1.6 metre (5 ft) long creature, which they identified as a female frilled shark, sometimes referred to as a "living fossil" because it is a primitive species that has changed little since prehistoric times.

As reported in the Daily Mail

Apparently, there's another good reason not to go skinny dipping in the Amazon ... and it's not because of the piranha:

[The candirú] is feared by the natives because it is attracted to urine or blood, and if the bather is nude it will swim into an orifice (the anus or vagina, or even in the case of smaller specimens the penis—and deep into the urethra). It then erects its spine and begins to feed on the blood and body tissue just as it would from the gills of a fish. The candiru is then almost impossible to remove except through surgery. As the fish locates its host by following the water flow from the gills to its source, urinating while bathing increases the chance of a candiru honing in on a human urethra.

See Candirú in Wikipedia for all the gruesome details.

I love throwing stuff out. Optimize the possessions. This weekend, Los Angeles was collecting hazardous waste so I stripped the hard drives and dropped these 3 boxes off. Out of the three, I only paid for one. One was massively infected and given to me (converted to a BSD box) and the other was an old computer from work. Now my closest contains one old computer ... the volleyball style iMac. One of these days, I'll set that up for the kids.

Looking for a prank. With just a few hours of time and 1,000s of Post-It Notes, you too can transform your co-worker's car.

Photo set

Taking a big test? Interviewing for a job? Put down that doughnut and go hungry.

Horvath says we can use the hormonal discoveries to our cognitive advantage. Facing the LSAT, a final exam or a half-day job interview? Go in mildly hungry, not carbo-loaded for endurance, and snack to maintain that edgy state. Such advice, applied on a national scale, might help save our schools. Since overweight kids have suppressed ghrelin levels, Horvath theorizes that perhaps the obesity epidemic has contributed to declining test scores and other American educational woes.

New York Times: Empty-Stomach Intelligence

After 2 ¹/₂ years of secretive development, Apple has announced their newest product: iPhone. The iPhone is a combination cell phone with camera, iPod (with Nano like capacity, 4GB or 8GB) and internet communicator with email and browser. While some other phones have these capabilities, none come anywhere near in matching the ease of use or wow factor. Almost all input comes from nature's pointing device, your finger.

But this all begs the question, what happens to the iPod? With the iPhone combining everything you need to a device that fits in the palm of your hand, does this end of life the iPod. What comes next for the iPod. Cause after all, some of us still want 80GB of music and video in our hand.

Take the new iPhone and strip off the phone and internet communicator. Add a HDD (hard disc drive). What are you left with? The new multi touch input, widescreen iPod. Now that would be cool. If my prediction is correct, we should see one by September 2007.

January has to be the best month of the year. With Christmas presents still shiny and new, my birthday looming, College Bowl Games and NFL Playoffs, what's not to love.

Football. Nothing like a playoff game with everything on the line. Lose and go home. Win, and you're alive one more week. Of couse, the current BCS Bowl system sucks. I want to see some more USC, LSU, Boise State and Florida.

C'est la vie.

Incidentally ... Troy Smith, the Heisman Committee called and they want their trophy back.

P.S.

Though I'm not an unbiased observer, what's up with ESPN? I go to check for some Bowl Game results and my browser is left hanging, downloading too much Web 2.0, I guess. So I made the switch to Yahoo! Sports. Unlike Yahoo's mail, the site sticks to the basics and gives you the information you want in a flash (pun intended).

Lately, I've been washing my hands with Warm Vanilla Sugar soap and noticed my fingers getting fatter. Is there a sugar free version?