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last month I experienced a hard disk failure and bought a new machine. In the process I lost my copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking. I have purchased this software and have the CD somewhere, but we moved since I last installed it and I have no idea where the CD is. I like to use [...]
I know it’s silly to dub “Hanna” my favorite action film of 2011 on the strength of a two-minute trailer, but the story of a (barely) teenage assassin trained by her father to defeat the shadowy organization that may or may not have trained him seems too cool to pass up. This isn’t your average brainless shoot-em-up either: There are at least three Academy Award nominees involved in the project, including the director and two of the film’s stars. And did I see Adelle DeWitt in there?!
How to fix a smelly kitchen sink – clean the garbage disposal
by Marshall Brain | December 22, 2010
We’ve seen two other posts on smelly sinks: 1) Why does my bathroom stink? 2) Funny… and gross – a drain cleaner that actually works This one involves the kitchen. Here is how I discovered it… This weekend the kids and I were moving the fish to a new, bigger aquarium. And we needed to [...]
Who doesn’t love a good listicle? And now that 2010 has reached its final days, the Top 10/Best of… lists abound. Best Dressed Celebrities! Worst Political Scandals! Cutest Animal Babies That Will Grow Up Into Ferocious Beasts That Could Devour You! So in this holiday spirit of wrapping up the previous year’s events (and non-events) into lovely listicle packages, allow me to present my Best of the Best of Lists. The selection process was highly unscientific — some might even call it haphazard – and based purely on whether something tickled my fancy.
How to Ensure Unblinking Eyes in Christmas Photos
by Jessika Toothman | December 22, 2010
While researching for a recent blog post detailing the nomination process for the Ig Nobel Prizes, the research of two particular winners caught my eye. The scientists who received the 2006 prize in mathematics — Nic Svenson and Piers Barnes — studied how many photographs a person needs to take to ensure he or she will get at least one blink-free shot.
OK, this isn’t quite science, but I have to get this off my chest. I’ve been thinking a lot about popcorn.
Yes, popcorn.
As I was munching some of the fluffy stuff and contemplating my holiday to-do list the other day, it occurred to me that popcorn is the perfect packing material. It’s biodegradable, easily available and fairly cheap, and I finally learned how to cook it without standing sentry by the microwave. (Of course, corn is seriously in demand these day for the food and energy supplies, so the cheap part may not hold true.)
World Record #156 – The world’s longest snowmobile jump
by Marshall Brain | December 22, 2010
This is a rather amazing video showing famed snowmobiler Levi LaVallee jumping 361 feet through the air on a snowmobile: Given that this jump took place in San Diego – a place that never sees snow – how did they do it? Snowmobiles are very happy to ride on grass: By extension, therefore, they will [...]
Pick The Right HDMI Cables Without Getting Ripped Off – “Savvy Consumerist reader know that you don’t need to shell out big bucks for the monstrously expensive HDMI cables some blue-shirted guy is pushing on you in order to get a good hi-def video signal. In fact, as long as you need less than 50 [...]
The FCC issued it’s long-awaited Network Neutrality ruling today. Was it good or bad? Kind of mixed actually. Some articles looked poorly on it: Obama FCC Caves on Net Neutrality — Tuesday Betrayal Assured The rule is so riddled with loopholes that it’s become clear that this FCC chairman crafted it with the sole purpose [...]
This is funny… …but it leaves you wanting to know what Motorola will be announcing, and CES is about 2 weeks away. What can we expect? This post contains a video that is revealing: And this page offers some predicted specs: Here is what we know about it so far (according to rumor). It will [...]
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