Topic: MUSIK - on December 7, 2008 at 1:43:39 PM CET
10 Christmas Songs I’m Already Sick Of (and 10 Geeky Alternatives)
We are scarcely into the month of December, and I am already dreadfully tired of classic Christmas music and, for that matter, many of its more contemporary alternatives. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got Christmas Spirit™ to spare, but the relentless audio assault of this holiday-themed musical fare has long since crossed the threshold from seasonally appropriate and into the realm of the obnoxious. When I shop at my local department store, I am crushed by the melancholy weight of "Blue Christmas." While I wait on hold, "Little Drummer Boy" incessantly pounds his way into my skull. At night while I slumber, "Donde Esta Santa Claus" plays in an endless loop over my horrifying (and inexplicably bilingual) dreams.
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Topic: MUSIK - on December 7, 2008 at 1:36:47 PM CET
20 Best Vinyl Albums of 2008
A Nylvi listmania! We love lists. So in many ways December is our favorite time of the year, as pretty much everybody interested in music are putting together their best of the year lists. As an ongoing feature here on the blog we will, starting from today, present some of the best-of lists as we discover them. If you have a list you want featured let us know. However, we also love putting together lists ourselves so to start off, and put ourselves in the line of fire, here are our Top 20 vinyl albums of 2008!
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Topic: SCIENCE - on December 7, 2008 at 1:35:05 PM CET
Is Einstein the Last Great Genius?
Major breakthroughs in science have historically been the province of individuals, not institutes. Galileo and Copernicus, Edison and Einstein, toiling away in lonely labs or pondering the cosmos in private studies.
But in recent decades - especially since the Soviet success in launching the Sputnik satellite in 1957 - the trend has been to create massive institutions that foster more collaboration and garner big chunks of funding.
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Topic: Green - on December 7, 2008 at 1:30:56 PM CET
'Solar taxi' goes round the world
A solar-powered car has arrived at the UN climate change talks in the Polish city of Poznan after a round-the-world trip covering almost 40 countries.
At the wheel of the "solar taxi" was Swiss teacher Louis Palmer who made the 52,000km (32,000 mile) 17-month trip.
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Topic: Online-Fahndung - on December 7, 2008 at 11:39:46 AM CET
German police get powers to hack into home computers
Under a compromise between the hardline Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and dissenting MPs, Germany's Parliament is put unprecedented power in the hands of the Federal Criminal Police (BKA).
New laws, some of the toughest in Europe, will also allow police to bug and photograph suspect's homes, tap their phones and track the location of their mobile calls.
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Topic: Online-Fahndung - on December 7, 2008 at 11:38:35 AM CET
Eine verdächtige Mail reicht aus
Im Dienste der Terrorabwehr soll das BKA künftig Wohnungen und Computer heimlich ausspähen dürfen - noch vor Weihnachten stimmt der Bundesrat über das umstrittene Gesetz ab.
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Topic: WEB - on December 7, 2008 at 11:36:29 AM CET
German Gov't Donates 100,000 Images To Wikipedia
The German Federal Archive has agreed to donate 100,000 images to Wikipedia under the German version of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License. These pictures cover a period from 1860 to present. This is the largest picture donation ever to Wikipedia, and possibly the largest in the history of the free culture movement.
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Topic: DRUGS - on December 7, 2008 at 11:33:32 AM CET
Former drug officer launches 'KopBusters' TV show
Barry Cooper, a former Texas police officer with eight years of specialty in drug interdiction, first made waves when he released the film "Never Get Busted Again," a how-to guide for evading police drug seizures.
Austin, Texas-based Cooper's latest project is not nearly so benign, and will likely generate for the former drug warrior an army of enemies in law enforcement.
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Topic: STRANGE - on December 7, 2008 at 11:28:03 AM CET
Amsterdam to cut brothels by half
Dutch authorities have revealed details of their plans to clean up Amsterdam's famous red light district.
They say they will close half the city's brothels, sex shops and marijuana cafes in a bid to drive organised crime from the city centre.
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