Dropsafe

[news.bbc.co.uk] Google has put the brakes on its programme to digitise the books in several major university libraries. In its blog, the search giant said it would temporarily stop scanning copyrighted texts until November to allay concerns about the plan. The company’s library project aims to put millions of volumes online and accessible everywhere via…

(more…)

[www.embeddedarm.com] It has long been regarded that the UNIX-like OS NetBSD is portable to every type of machine except perhaps your kitchen toaster. Technologic Systems, however, has conquered this last frontier. Using one of its rugged embedded TS-7200 single-board computers housed inside the empty space of a standard 2 slice toaster, Technologic Systems has designed…

(more…)

For reference by anyone who asks me in future: Up: for any point, the vector of maximal increase of gravitational potential energy per unit distance. I suppose that this could be rephrased as a differential, but I can’t be arsed since the above is actually quite comprehensible to normal people.

(more…)

Regarding: [cgi.ebay.com] NASA Satellite Space Flight Hardware Laser Link System This auction is for a lot of actual satellite flight hardware. We know that this item was surplus from Ball Areospace in Boulder Colorado, many of the individual pieces were manufactured by McDonnell-Douglas in St. Louis, MO. We believe that this is a Laser Crosslink…

(more…)

“Touched by his noodly appendage…” OPEN LETTER TO KANSAS SCHOOL BOARD I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to…

(more…)

Ok, so, this bike is a 100hp 1200cc two-cylinder; it has twin-lens headlights, a half-naked look, a tall seat and long travel suspension that’s tuned for rough conditions or offroading; alloy wheels, slightly knobbly tyres, and an enormous “beak” that projects out from under the headlights in a pseudo-mudguard role. Oh yes, and the flagship…

(more…)

This has probably been blogged to hell and back, but when I clicked on the link Marek sent me, I nearly creased myself laughing… this seemed completely random until i figured out that ‘jedi council’ was being translated into chinese then back to english as ‘the presbyterian church’. …I can only wonder how it avoided…

(more…)

I support having flexible opening hours; hence why I dislike scare-stories such as these: [news.bbc.co.uk] Rapes and serious assaults will soar if pubs are allowed to open longer, said the Council of Her Majesty’s Circuit Judges, which represents 600 judges. Police chiefs also warned the new drink laws, to start in November, will lead to…

(more…)

[www.washingtonpost.com] Among other things, al Qaeda and its offshoots are building a massive and dynamic online library of training materials — some supported by experts who answer questions on message boards or in chat rooms — covering such varied subjects as how to mix ricin poison, how to make a bomb from commercial chemicals, how…

(more…)

Well: Buster’s blood test results are back from the vet, and the short version is: the blood tests are clean and all well within normal bounds, in fact prettymuch straight down the middle. This sounds like good news, but it’s not, terrribly. It means that his weight loss remains unexplained, and leaves-open the possibilities of…

(more…)

Link courtesy of Chris: Art prankster sprays Israeli wall Secretive “guerrilla” artist Banksy has decorated Israel’s controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. The nine paintings were created on the Palestinian side of the barrier. One depicts a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows…

(more…)

[www.medicalnewstoday.com] A father’s nipple is perfectly suited to soothing a crying baby until it can be fed, according to a major report published for Fathers’ Day (June 19) on fatherhood across five continents, which identifies the world’s best dads. FatherWorld, published by Fathers Direct, the UK national information centre on fatherhood, details a worldwide increase…

(more…)