Thanks to Anna for the link to this video, the furniture really seems quite amazing. This took a lot of engineering, I think.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Folding bottle
A man goes to the Patent Office with some of his new designs.
"I'd like to register my new invention," he said.
"OK," the clerk said. "What is it?"
"It's a folding bottle," the man replied.
"What do you call it?" asked the clerk.
"A fottle," the man replied.
"A fottle?" the clerk replied. "That's a stupid name! Can't you think of something else?"
"Maybe I could," the man said. "I've got another invention. It's a folding carton."
"And what do you call that?" asked the clerk.
"A farton," the man replied.
"That's rude!" the clerk replied. "You can't possibly call it that!"
The man said, "I guess I'll have to get back to you when I come up with a different name for my invention of the folding bucket!"
Make $$$$ - Guaranteed!
You too can make $$$$!
We are all interested in making $$$$, so here is a guaranteed way.
Caution: This is not for the clumsy.
Are you interested in making $$$$ fast?
Here's an incredibly simple way to do it.
There is nothing to buy, no investment to make, no money to lose!
Try it now!
Follow this simple procedure:
1) Hold down the shift key.
2) Hit the 4 key four times fast.
"I'd like to register my new invention," he said.
"OK," the clerk said. "What is it?"
"It's a folding bottle," the man replied.
"What do you call it?" asked the clerk.
"A fottle," the man replied.
"A fottle?" the clerk replied. "That's a stupid name! Can't you think of something else?"
"Maybe I could," the man said. "I've got another invention. It's a folding carton."
"And what do you call that?" asked the clerk.
"A farton," the man replied.
"That's rude!" the clerk replied. "You can't possibly call it that!"
The man said, "I guess I'll have to get back to you when I come up with a different name for my invention of the folding bucket!"
Make $$$$ - Guaranteed!
You too can make $$$$!
We are all interested in making $$$$, so here is a guaranteed way.
Caution: This is not for the clumsy.
Are you interested in making $$$$ fast?
Here's an incredibly simple way to do it.
There is nothing to buy, no investment to make, no money to lose!
Try it now!
Follow this simple procedure:
1) Hold down the shift key.
2) Hit the 4 key four times fast.
Macro (updated)
Andreas Weber has, amongst other things, some nice macro photos (super-closeup).
Normal cameras can only go so close, like maybe fill the frame with a book or so. Funny enough, many pocket cameras can do macro quite well.
Otherwise most system cameras have a dedicated macro lens. Not the cheapest lens in the range usually, of course, so one can use macro rings to put between the lens and camera*, or lenses to put in front (just a high-quality magnifying glass). But with lowered quality (less sharp), since most lenses are not optimized for very close range.
Macro lenses tend to be not very "fast" (not so big maximum aperture for the light), F:2.8 is typical. But they do tend to be excellent optically, both at close range and at far. Sometimes exceptionally excellent. Pentax' 35mm F:2.8 is a good example. It's unusual for a macro lens to be this wide (50mm-equivalent on a Digital Pentax SLR), but it has been called a "paragon" by lens connoisseur Mike Johnston. And Andreas has revealed that one of his lenses is the Leica 45mm F:2.8 for the Micro Four Thirds system (90mm-equivalent), this is an outstanding lens, which is reflected in the price, about $800.
*This is what the camera does usually to focus: move the lens away from the sensor.
Normal cameras can only go so close, like maybe fill the frame with a book or so. Funny enough, many pocket cameras can do macro quite well.
Otherwise most system cameras have a dedicated macro lens. Not the cheapest lens in the range usually, of course, so one can use macro rings to put between the lens and camera*, or lenses to put in front (just a high-quality magnifying glass). But with lowered quality (less sharp), since most lenses are not optimized for very close range.
Macro lenses tend to be not very "fast" (not so big maximum aperture for the light), F:2.8 is typical. But they do tend to be excellent optically, both at close range and at far. Sometimes exceptionally excellent. Pentax' 35mm F:2.8 is a good example. It's unusual for a macro lens to be this wide (50mm-equivalent on a Digital Pentax SLR), but it has been called a "paragon" by lens connoisseur Mike Johnston. And Andreas has revealed that one of his lenses is the Leica 45mm F:2.8 for the Micro Four Thirds system (90mm-equivalent), this is an outstanding lens, which is reflected in the price, about $800.
*This is what the camera does usually to focus: move the lens away from the sensor.
Monday, November 15, 2010
American housing market now
American housing market now. Article. Some foreigners are being sold on American real estate for what seems like very low prices. But don't buy anything you haven't seen and investigated. Some areas are so bad you can't even give away a house. Many properties are simply abandoned.
So much for the old line that real estate is the only "safe investment". Some say "they ain't making more of it". That may be right, but for a few generations yet, there's plenty. You can live in Death Valley or Siberia or Sahara for free. Meteorites fall on the Earth all the time, but how often does one hit a human?
What you pay for is not the space, but civilization.
So much for the old line that real estate is the only "safe investment". Some say "they ain't making more of it". That may be right, but for a few generations yet, there's plenty. You can live in Death Valley or Siberia or Sahara for free. Meteorites fall on the Earth all the time, but how often does one hit a human?
What you pay for is not the space, but civilization.
Plane ticket f sale
My friend Sally has a plane ticket (bought in a mess-up which happens when two people try to use a computer at the same time) from Manchester, UK, to Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday 21.11.2010, noon, direct. 110 GBP, half price. Put some sort of contact in the comments if interested.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Share and share alike
Look at this array of sharing networks I saw under an article:
That's ridic, methinks.
I am not sure I can pin down my unease about the explosion of Social Networks. After all I've always been a big proponent of communications.
Perhaps it's that when it gets popularized to this degree, communication and creations of real value and substance tend to drown in the overwhelming noise.
I have the same issue with parties. Unless you partition yourself off three or four people from the rest of the party, you have no choice to do any real communication. With dozens of people talking at once on top of music, they can't say three sentences in one connected thought, in fact often you're lucky to get one single sentence over clearly. It's gets all superficiality, no substance.
Update:
Anna said:
"Well, my perception of parties is different, but that's probably because I love to dance."
Ah yes, that's a different thing of course.
"For me, this blog is as if Eolake was sitting every day in a pub, and if you want to exchange a few words with him you can always drop by."
Let's make it a café (on general principles), and that's just it.
I've only once had a neighborhood café where it was actually like that (for a year or so, in Copenhagen), a group of regulars and owners and staff. I think it's rare, it takes a special balance of size and location and profitability.
Maybe it's more normal with pubs.
That's ridic, methinks.
I am not sure I can pin down my unease about the explosion of Social Networks. After all I've always been a big proponent of communications.
Perhaps it's that when it gets popularized to this degree, communication and creations of real value and substance tend to drown in the overwhelming noise.
I have the same issue with parties. Unless you partition yourself off three or four people from the rest of the party, you have no choice to do any real communication. With dozens of people talking at once on top of music, they can't say three sentences in one connected thought, in fact often you're lucky to get one single sentence over clearly. It's gets all superficiality, no substance.
Update:
Anna said:
"Well, my perception of parties is different, but that's probably because I love to dance."
Ah yes, that's a different thing of course.
"For me, this blog is as if Eolake was sitting every day in a pub, and if you want to exchange a few words with him you can always drop by."
Let's make it a café (on general principles), and that's just it.
I've only once had a neighborhood café where it was actually like that (for a year or so, in Copenhagen), a group of regulars and owners and staff. I think it's rare, it takes a special balance of size and location and profitability.
Maybe it's more normal with pubs.
PORN OR ART? NO BAN ON EXPLICIT NUDE PHOTO
PORN OR ART? NO BAN ON EXPLICIT NUDE PHOTO, article.
You can see the un-censored photo here. Very beautiful. It would have been too if she had been wearing knickers, but less honest and frank.
A spokeswoman for the National Portrait Gallery said competition judges chose the image for its 'artistic merit'.
She told Amateur Photographer: 'It is an intimate image but the gallery has decided it is suitable for this exhibition.
'A sign at the entrance indicates that there is nudity in the exhibition so that families and school groups can make their own decision about viewing.'
She told Amateur Photographer: 'It is an intimate image but the gallery has decided it is suitable for this exhibition.
'A sign at the entrance indicates that there is nudity in the exhibition so that families and school groups can make their own decision about viewing.'
I think that's a healthy attitude. Not forcing others to think what you think they should think.
You can see the un-censored photo here. Very beautiful. It would have been too if she had been wearing knickers, but less honest and frank.
It's just a hobby
[Update: It's probably quite few people who actually think it's "nuts", I think, upon reflection. Ah well.]
Some people think it's "nuts" to be as interested in and pleased by gadgets as I am. But for frig's sake, it's just a hobby.
And I'm nowhere near the cutting edge, look at this.
Me, I carry three or four gadgets (or often just my iPhone, it can do most of it after all). Of course I own rather more than that, but the thing is simply that I like them, they are fun for me. I've noticed that for many people they are scary, they are intimidated by gadgets. So I can see there is a cognitive break there.
I am aware that most people don't have strong interests. For them, their work five days a week, TV in the evening, and sleeping late in the weekends is enough. But some people need more. So they have hobbies. One guy likes gadgets. Another has ten aquariums. One has $70,000 worth of hi-fi gear. One likes climbing mountains, the steeper the better. One collects rare butterflies. One builds ship models.
Some people think it's "nuts" to be as interested in and pleased by gadgets as I am. But for frig's sake, it's just a hobby.
And I'm nowhere near the cutting edge, look at this.
"Mr. Libin, chief executive of Evernote Corp., a start-up that makes list-keeping software, carries around a backpack that weighs 26.2 pounds. Speaking of lists, the backpack contains: a 17-inch notebook computer, an iPad tablet, a Samsung tablet, two phones, an SLR camera, two lenses for the SLR, a headset for making Skype calls, an in-ear phone headset, a wi-fi router..." (it goes on)
Me, I carry three or four gadgets (or often just my iPhone, it can do most of it after all). Of course I own rather more than that, but the thing is simply that I like them, they are fun for me. I've noticed that for many people they are scary, they are intimidated by gadgets. So I can see there is a cognitive break there.
I am aware that most people don't have strong interests. For them, their work five days a week, TV in the evening, and sleeping late in the weekends is enough. But some people need more. So they have hobbies. One guy likes gadgets. Another has ten aquariums. One has $70,000 worth of hi-fi gear. One likes climbing mountains, the steeper the better. One collects rare butterflies. One builds ship models.
Quotes of the peak
I like coincidences. They make me wonder about destiny, and whether free will is an illusion or just a matter of perspective. They let me speculate on the idea of some master plan that, from time to time, we're allowed to see out of the corner of our eye.
-- Chuck Sigars
On a long enough timeline. The survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
-- Chuck Palahniuk
I simply cannot understand the passion that some people have for making themselves thoroughly uncomfortable and then boasting about it afterwards.
-- Patricia Moyes
Oh yes. I never got how "we use next months wages on drink, we got sick, John got hit by a cicycle messenger, we got thrown out twice, I pulled a blonde uggo but coudn't perform..." relates to "we had an awesome time"...?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)