Topic: NEWS - on November 11, 2007 at 1:10:00 PM CET
Two guns owned by Mexican folk hero Pancho Villa up for auction
Whether or not Pancho Villa is remembered as an infamous outlaw or a revolutionary hero, everyone agrees that the folk hero of the 1910 Mexican Revolution always carried guns.
Now two of those firearms, and one that belonged to frontierswoman "Calamity Jane," will be up for bidding in an auction beginning Saturday in Fredericksburg.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: ART - on November 11, 2007 at 12:03:00 PM CET
Banksy und die Preisspirale
Zehn Werke des britischen "Guerillakünstlers" Banksy sind bei einer Auktion in London jüngst für fast das Doppelte des Schätzpreises versteigert worden.
Bieter zahlten 546.000 Pfund (785.500 Euro), wie das Auktionshaus Bonhams mitteilte. Das Unternehmen hatte bei der bisher größten Auktion von Werken des Sprayers rund 300 000 Pfund erwartet.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: ROBOT - on November 11, 2007 at 11:41:00 AM CET
DelFly MAV Does It All In Only 16 Grams
The DelFly II, developed by the Delft University of Technology, is one of those miracles of construction that, at first glance, doesn’t seem to be physically possible. In a 16 gram package, this ornithopter can fly for at least 15 minutes (at a maximum speed of 30mph) or hover in place for 8. It can take off and land vertically, and can even fly backwards. It’s fully out of sight controllable thanks to realtime onboard streaming video (!). Since it uses flapping wings, it’s quiet, efficient, and robust enough to fly comfortably in wind and survive collisions with objects.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: FUN - on November 11, 2007 at 11:39:00 AM CET
Soda-Maker: Ham Flavor Will Be Kosher
It's rare to find kosher ham. Rarer still to find it carbonated and bottled. Jones Soda Co., the Seattle-based purveyor of offbeat fizzy water, said Friday that it was shelving its traditional seasonal flavors of turkey and gravy this year to produce limited-edition theme packs for Christmas and Hanukkah.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: POLICE REPORT - on November 11, 2007 at 11:36:00 AM CET
Man who left 10m yen lottery ticket without claiming prize found
A man who left a winning lottery ticket worth 10 million yen at a lottery booth at the shopping center PIA Town in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture without claiming the prize last Sunday has been found, local police announced Saturday, the Asahi Shimbun reports.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: food - on November 11, 2007 at 11:34:00 AM CET
Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac?
The Farm Bill, a massive piece of federal legislation making its way through Congress, governs what children are fed in schools and what food assistance programs can distribute to recipients. The bill provides billions of dollars in subsidies, much of which goes to huge agribusinesses producing feed crops, such as corn and soy, which are then fed to animals. By funding these crops, the government supports the production of meat and dairy products—the same products that contribute to our growing rates of obesity and chronic disease. Fruit and vegetable farmers, on the other hand, receive less than 1 percent of government subsidies.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: POLITIK - on November 11, 2007 at 11:32:00 AM CET
Chavez zum Schweigen aufgefordert
Ganz und gar undiplomatisch ist am Samstag der 17. Iberoamerika-Gipfel in Santiago de Chile zu Ende gegangen. Als Venezuelas Präsident Chavez sich nicht von seinen Hasstiraden gegen den spanischen Ex-Premier Aznar abbringen lassen wollte, fiel ihm Spaniens König Juan Carlos ins Wort und forderte Chavez vor laufender Kamera auf, doch endlich zu schweigen. Sichtlich verärgert verließ der Monarch schließlich die Abschlusssitzung des von einer "Atmosphäre der Differenzen" gekennzeichneten Gipfels.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: POLITIK - on November 11, 2007 at 11:30:00 AM CET
King Juan Carlos tells Hugo Chávez to shut up during the closure of the Latin American summit
‘Why don’t you shut up!’ The words of King Juan Carlos 1 of Spain to the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, in the closing session of the Latin American summit today.
The Spanish monarch lost his cool when Chávez called the ex Spanish Prime Minister, José María Aznar, a fascist on several occasions. King Juan Carlos then got up and walked out of the session in a gesture without precedent, and just in time to hear the Nicaraguan President, Daniel Ortega, criticising Spanish businesses and the role of Union Fenosa in Nicaragua in particular. The King was to return later, but was not present for the singing of the Chilean hymn which closed the debates.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: NASA - on November 11, 2007 at 11:28:00 AM CET
NASA’S Luxury, At Your Expense
What is the cost? Counting the reception ($64,000), dinner ($35,000), awards ($28,000), ground transportation (tour: $7,700; launch: $20,200), airfare ($105,000), hotel and food ($135,000 together), you’re talking $400,000 to $500,000.
If you think that's pricey, consider this: the NASA holds its big awards every time there's a shuttle launch. December's extravaganza will be the third one in 2007. Honoring all those people is costing you about $4 million a year.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: CARS - on November 11, 2007 at 11:25:00 AM CET
Is a Flying Car About to Take Off?
It might sound like a scene straight out of the Jetsons, but a Massachusetts company is developing a small airplane that can land, fold up its wings and drive down the highway.
Terrafugia Inc., a company founded three years ago by graduates from the Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT), is in the process of building a prototype of The Transition, a 19-foot, two-seater the company describes as a roadable light-sport aircraft. And it's focused on building something that can take to the roads as easily as it takes to the skies.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: ART - on November 11, 2007 at 11:23:00 AM CET
Italian musician uncovers hidden music in Da Vinci's 'Last Supper'
An Italian musician and computer technician claims to have uncovered musical notes encoded in Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper," raising the possibility that the Renaissance genius might have left behind a somber composition to accompany the scene depicted in the 15th-century wall painting.
"It sounds like a requiem," Giovanni Maria Pala said. "It's like a soundtrack that emphasizes the passion of Jesus."
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: WEB - on November 11, 2007 at 11:20:00 AM CET
WikipediaVision
Anonymous edits to Wikipedia (almost) in real-time.
WikipediaVision is a visualization of edits to the English (and the German, French, Spanish) Wikipedia, almost the same time as they happen. The idea came after seeing flickervision and twittervision, both created by David Troy. WikipediaVision, however, was designed and implemented by me alone.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
