Tales of Interest

[indyfan31]

I'm getting out of the country before they put me on trial for not buying enough gelato to prevent the country from going bankrupt. :cool:

[Insomniac]

It's more than likely a quality issue that affects the longevity, but who in their right mind who is going to save the packaging, receipts, etc. for an advertised ~7-year warranty replacement over a ~$3 bulb? Secondly you mentioned the warm up issues, and then there are disposal issues, and they aren't compatible with dimmer and many timed fixtures. Solve one problem, create another.

-Kevin

Disposal? We left them behind in the house when we moved. :D

[nrc]

A guy goes drives over a cliff into a ravine and survives there for six days until his family finds him. He ends up next to the wreckage of a fatal accident from three weeks earlier where the driver was considered missing.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1001-missing-motorist-20111002,0,4613935.story

[cameraman]

Keeping the CFL rant alive, they suck. I just had one fail (and it wasn't a generic) after less than a month. :flame:

[nrc]

Keeping the CFL rant alive, they suck. I just had one fail (and it wasn't a generic) after less than a month. :flame:

We have about half a dozen floods in our kitchen that seem to go out a lot and are a pain to replace so I'm going to experiment with them. As they go out I'll replace them with CFLs floods. We'll see if we get all the old ones replaced before one of these "7 year" CFLs dies.

These floods don't look too bad because the swirley is hidden in the housing, but what are you supposed to do for decorative lighting in the long run?

[TKGAngel]

I have no idea why this keeps happening, but since August 26th, 13 people have driven their cars into buildings in the Buffalo area.

[Andrew Longman]

I have no idea why this keeps happening, but since August 26th, 13 people have driven their cars into buildings in the Buffalo area.Probably linked to birds falling en mass out of the sky and fish dying off in places like Arkansas and legalized same sex marriage in NY State.

Or something. There is this lady in Texas who will explain it to you. Maybe Ank knows her.

[gerhard911]

I have no idea why this keeps happening, but since August 26th, 13 people have driven their cars into buildings in the Buffalo area.

Simple, stupid people using smart phones :shakehead

[cameraman]

I have no idea why this keeps happening, but since August 26th, 13 people have driven their cars into buildings in the Buffalo area.

I damn near got collected by some stupid ***** in her X7 while I was walking through the parking lot at the Medical Center. I'm just watching her holding her ****ing phone directly in front of her nose while she veers towards me. I quite literally had to run up the berm to avoid getting killed as she was off the road before she realized she was heading up the damned mountain. If I had been walking the other way she would have run me down.

There are no curbs there, the asphalt ends and the Wasatch Mountains begin...

[Ankf00]

I have no idea why this keeps happening, but since August 26th, 13 people have driven their cars into buildings in the Buffalo area.

stop huffing glue?

[dando]

I have no idea why this keeps happening, but since August 26th, 13 people have driven their cars into buildings in the Buffalo area.

It's the CFLs. :gomer:

-Kevin

[TKGAngel]

stop huffing glue?

I picked a bad day to stop doing that. :)

Seriously though, the worst part is that two people died in front of their 13-year-old son after a car crashed into the restaurant they were dining at.

Most of the crashes have been a mixup of brake & gas pedals or some other technical oopsie. My favorite was the driver that crashed into the liquor store and then was found to be DWI.

[dando]

I picked a bad day to stop doing that. :)

Seriously though, the worst part is that two people died in front of their 13-year-old son after a car crashed into the restaurant they were dining at.

Most of the crashes have been a mixup of brake & gas pedals or some other technical oopsie. My favorite was the driver that crashed into the liquor store and then was found to be DWI.

Truly sad. :( Several years ago we had a rash of wrong way drivers here in Cbus. Nothing had changed due to construction, etc., but suddenly peeps couldn't read the Do Not Enter or Wrong Way signs....and it was happening in several areas of the city. It was like the scene out of Plains, Trains and Automobiles with John Candy (RIP) driving the wrong way with Steve Martin. :saywhat: Everyday I see a face palm moment on the local roads...especially with all of the needless roundabouts they are installing around here (in NW Cbus). :irked: I wish I had one of these on my car ==> :shakehead

-Kevin

[Napoleon]

The winners of Google's science fair. Yes the trophies are made out of Legos.

http://obamadiary.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/p100311ps-0481.jpg?w=776&h=436

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/science/19google.html

[Gnam]

Lauren Hodge of Dallastown, Pa., won the age 13-14 category for research on whether marinades reduce the amount of cancer-causing compounds produced by the grilling of meat. She found that lemon juice and brown sugar cut the level of carcinogens sharply, while soy sauce increased them.

Someone get that kid a scholarship. She's tackling the important questions. :thumbup:

[Gnam]

Story about the Air Force Drone program and the virus that won't go away.

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/virus-hits-drone-fleet/

For a story the DoD won't comment on there seemed to be a lot of detail about the commands operations and the steps they've taken so far.

[Napoleon]

Story about the Air Force Drone program and the virus that won't go away.

What could possible go wrong with a drone circling with a Hellfire missle and a virus in its software.

[Elmo T]

For a story the DoD won't comment on there seemed to be a lot of detail about the commands operations and the steps they've taken so far.

http://i55.tinypic.com/2zggahh.jpg

It is only a keylogger - nothing to really worry about. :saywhat:

[Indy]

Ummm, that's a little too Skynet-ish for me. :eek:

[TravelGal]

And we thought Ryanair was bad. From today's ARTA briefing:

Dutch Railway Offers Plastic Bags Instead Of Bathrooms
The Dutch national railway has an unusual solution for passengers who need the bathroom on a train line designed without them: plastic bags. The rail operator underlined that the bags, introduced Friday, are for use in emergencies only, when a train has stopped and passengers can't be evacuated. The idea has been met with incredulity by politicians and the general public already unhappy with the short-haul "Sprinter" trains' bathroomless design. A spokesman, Eric Trinthamer, confirmed Friday the "pee-bag" plan is not a joke. The bags are kept out of sight in the conductor's booth.

[TravelGal]

On the plus side:

Virgin Claims A Breakthrough In Low-Carbon Jet Fuel
Virgin Atlantic announced it had developed a fuel that has half of the carbon
footprint of standard jet fuel. The fuel is produced from reprocessed waste gases from industrial steel production. It has been developed in partnership with energy company LanzaTech. The gases are captured, fermented and chemically converted for use as a jet fuel using Swedish Biofuels technology. The waste gases would normally be burnt into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Virgin Atlantic plans to operate flights using the fuel on routes from Shanghai and Delhi to Heathrow within two to three years. The fuel will be produced in China and India and the technology is currently being tested in New Zealand. A demonstration facility is due to be commissioned in Shanghai this year and the first commercial operation should begin in China by 2014. LanzaTech suggests the process could be applied to 65 % of the world's steel mills, allowing the fuel to be developed for worldwide commercial use. The company believes the process could also apply to metals processing and chemical industries. Virgin Atlantic will be the first airline to use the fuel and will work with LanzaTech, Boeing and Swedish Biofuels towards achieving the technical approval required. A 'demo' flight with the new fuel is planned in 12-18 months.

[Gnam]

Chinese Jet Fuel from Chinese steel mills?

What could go wrong? :gomer:

[Napoleon]

What could go wrong? :gomer:

Other then having anti-freeze and lead mixed in with it, nothing, of course.

[dando]

Chinese Jet Fuel from Chinese steel mills?

What could go wrong? :gomer:

http://i.infopls.com/images/home/hindenburg.jpg

:gomer:

-Kevin

[Gangrel]

Truly sad. :( Several years ago we had a rash of wrong way drivers here in Cbus. Nothing had changed due to construction, etc., but suddenly peeps couldn't read the Do Not Enter or Wrong Way signs....and it was happening in several areas of the city. It was like the scene out of Plains, Trains and Automobiles with John Candy (RIP) driving the wrong way with Steve Martin. :saywhat: Everyday I see a face palm moment on the local roads...especially with all of the needless roundabouts they are installing around here (in NW Cbus). :irked: I wish I had one of these on my car ==> :shakehead

-Kevin

A few years back in Chitown, I was driving home from the zoo with the wife riding shotgun and the two kids in the back seat, on a ramp between two expressways. The ramp was about .75 miles long. As we were cruising along the ramp at about 55 mph, I noticed someone comming TOWARD us from the other end of the ramp. I slowed down and moved toward the shoulder, watching in disbeleif as this putz drove past us going the wrong way! There were other members of our party in another vehicle behind us traveling the same route. I asked them after we got to our destination, and they told us the guy was pulled over with a cop at the other (read: ENTERANCE) end of the ramp by the time they got there. Thankfully, the guy didn't take himself or anyone else out. On Chicagoland expressways, I would say that was a minor miracle!

[G.]

Newest celebrity to pitch pistachios is the Honey Badger.:laugh:

you can find it here (http://getcrackin.com/videos/)

If by some odd chance you've never seen the honey badger, he's pretty bad ass. He just doesn't give a sh**.

Bad words and stuff.

4r7wHMg5Yjg

[KLang]

I suppose this is as good a place as any..

Article here (http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Terror-suspect-known-as-scatterbrained-2216054.php) in today's Houston newspaper about the Iranian guy accused in the terror plot the other day. The content makes me wonder what is really going on but this quote caught my attention:


They said it appeared that as many as 10 people were living in the house, and lately there had been some signs of suspicious activity: When residents looked for available Wi-Fi networks, networks with names like "FBI Van 1" would pop up.

So, the FBI are on a stakeout sitting in a van broadcasting a Wi-Fi network for anyone to see. :laugh:

[Napoleon]

So, the FBI are on a stakeout sitting in a van broadcasting a Wi-Fi network for anyone to see. :laugh:

Sweet Jesus, why not just slap a bumpersticker on the van that says "I (heart) J. Edgar Hoover".

As to that guy they picked up he sounds like a complete clown.

[TravelGal]

Sweet Jesus, why not just slap a bumpersticker on the van that says "I (heart) J. Edgar Hoover".



Because they weren't in San Francisco?

[cameraman]

I find it to be more that a bit disconcerting that the FBI would be that operationally inept.

I live under this strange delusion that highly paid professionals are competent at what they are paid to do. That mindset has been taking one hell of a beating lately...

[datachicane]

Because they weren't in San Francisco?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.
:rofl:

http://www.movie666.com/images/j-edgar-hoover-gay.jpg

[G.]

If something seems to be just a bit too preposterous, it probably is.



Back about a year or so (and many other times before and after) a thread at reddit.com was started asking what do you name your network to troll your neighbors. One of the clear favorites was "FBI Surveillance van #6".

I liked that one. :laugh:

Seems like it's a troll that can't spell "surveillance".

[Insomniac]

I suppose this is as good a place as any..

Article here (http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Terror-suspect-known-as-scatterbrained-2216054.php) in today's Houston newspaper about the Iranian guy accused in the terror plot the other day. The content makes me wonder what is really going on but this quote caught my attention:



So, the FBI are on a stakeout sitting in a van broadcasting a Wi-Fi network for anyone to see. :laugh:

My WiFi network is named FBI Mobile...

[Andrew Longman]

My WiFi network is named FBI Mobile...Mine is LeaveUsAlone -- named by the NJ State Trooper Cybercrime detective neighbor friend of mine who set up our network. :)

[racer2c]

Senna's McLaren MP4/6 found in a Salt Lake City warehouse covered in dust?

http://jalopnik.com/5852873/how-i-nearly-made-the-most-important-barn-find-in-motorsports-history

[Napoleon]

During that recent mass exodic animal excape in Ohio someone had a fake twitter feed for the monkey that was thought to be avoiding capture:

http://twitter.com/#!/herpesmonkey

[Elmo T]

Giant Lego Man Washes up on FL Beach (http://www.wfmz.com/news/Giant-Lego-man-washes-up-on-Fla-beach/-/121458/4014850/-/pgtc7vz/-/index.html)

[dando]

During that recent mass exodic animal excape in Ohio someone had a fake twitter feed for the monkey that was thought to be avoiding capture:

http://twitter.com/#!/herpesmonkey

Thompson's widow took the remaining animals back from the Cbus Zoo today. :saywhat: :shakehead

-Kevin

[Napoleon]

Thompson's widow took the remaining animals back from the Cbus Zoo today. :saywhat: :shakehead

-Kevin

No she didn't - she was blocked. (http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/10/widow_blocked_from_reclaiming.html)

[TravelGal]

No she didn't - she was blocked. (http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/10/widow_blocked_from_reclaiming.html)

Well that's good news. What a travesty. Ohio is one of the five worst states regarding animal regulation according to an article on the front page of our Valley newspaper last Sunday. It showed Martine Colette, the founder of the Wildlife Waystation. She literally cried because she has taken in all sorts of these types of animals from distant states when the need arose.

Now she's embroiled with government red tape so the article said she cannot currently accept any more although she still houses, cares for, and loves lots of lions and tigers and moneys, oh my--all on private donations.

[Elmo T]

Back from Mars: After 520 Days In Isolation, 'Astronauts' About To End Fake Mission To Mars (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/11/03/141987552/after-520-days-in-isolation-astronauts-about-to-end-fake-mission-to-mars?ft=1&f=1001)




"A previous 420-day experiment ended in drunken disaster in 2000, when two participants got into a fistfight and a third tried to forcibly kiss a female crew member."

OX6Uwqi57iw

[racer2c]

Murmuration (http://vimeo.com/31158841)

[racer2c]

Back from Mars: After 520 Days In Isolation, 'Astronauts' About To End Fake Mission To Mars (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/11/03/141987552/after-520-days-in-isolation-astronauts-about-to-end-fake-mission-to-mars?ft=1&f=1001)






I go through space drama movie phases every few years and 2009's 'Moon' is pretty good, for anyone into that sort of thing.

[Napoleon]

I go through space drama movie phases every few years and 2009's 'Moon' is pretty good, for anyone into that sort of thing.

I really liked that movie. Another independent type film from that year, District 9, is also good.

[SurfaceUnits]

The Better Business Bureau gets an F

The Better Business Bureau, as we now know it, is on the ropes.

As we have shown over the past 16 months, the BBB is not the place for consumers to start with trust and is not worthy of one penny of membership dues.

Thanks to actions taken by the Connecticut State Attorney General, the BBB no longer gives dues-paying businesses higher grades than non-paying businesses.

Virtually overnight, millions of US businesses received a higher grade, not because they were any more trustworthy than they were the day before, but because of an arbitrary stroke of a pen at BBB headquarters, a pen held by one man only--the now much humbled CBBB president, Steve Cox.

For about a year now, most BBB articles in the press, no matter how favorable they are to the BBB, are followed by far more negative reader comments than positive ones. The public is getting it. The BBB is not to be trusted.

I am sure good businesses join the BBB with good intent, but how can you tell the good ones from the bad ones that also join? For example, at least 22 banks held passing grades from the BBB when they were closed by the FDIC in 2010. Many failed banks were BBB members and rated A+. When failing businesses can get the highest grades from the BBB, why would any businessperson risk a good reputation by joining it?

In 2010, 20/20, an ABC network news magazine, reported in a segment titled 'The Best Ratings Money Can Buy' about the irregularities in BBB ratings. They reported that a man created two dummy companies which received A+ ratings as soon as he had paid the membership fee. They also reported that business owners were told that the only way to improve their rating was by paying the fee. In one case a C was turned to an A immediately after a payment and in another case a C- became an A+. Chef Wolfgang Puck said that some of his businesses receive Fs because he refuses to pay a fee. Ritz Carlton, which does not belong either, also receives Fs for not responding to its complaints.

In response, the president of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has stated the BBB ratings system will cease awarding points to businesses for being BBB members. The national BBB's executive committee took several steps to address the public’s perception of the ratings system. The BBB ratings system no longer gives additional points to businesses who pay accreditation fees. They also implemented a system to handle complaints about BBB sales practices and planned a review of their accreditation process.

In Canada, the CBC News reported in 2010, that Canadian BBBs were downgrading the ratings scores of businesses who stopped paying their dues. For example, a moving business who had an A rating and had been a BBB member for 20 years, dropped to a D-minus rating when they allegedly no longer wanted to pay dues.

BBBs have been accused of unduly protecting companies. The BBB responds by, at a minimum, notating complaints on the "Reliability Report" section of its web sites. If a branch does not act reasonably on behalf of a consumer, a complaint may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission. However, recent reports have suggested that the Austin chapter of the Better Business Bureau refused to resolve complaints against companies if customers do not pay a $70 "mediation fee"

[SurfaceUnits]

Claude Elwood Shannon (April 30, 1916 – February 24, 2001) was an American mathematician, electronic engineer, and cryptographer known as "the father of information theory".

Shannon is famous for having founded information theory with one landmark paper published in 1948. But he is also credited with founding both digital computer and digital circuit design theory in 1937, when, as a 21-year-old master's student at MIT, he wrote a thesis demonstrating that electrical application of Boolean algebra could construct and resolve any logical, numerical relationship. It has been claimed that this was the most important master's thesis of all time.[3] Shannon contributed to the field of cryptanalysis during World War II and afterwards, including basic work on code breaking.

UofM, yo

[SurfaceUnits]

HAy Amiga fanboys


Commodore OS Vision. Commodore OS Vision is a 64-bit Linux distribution, based on Linux Mint, created for Commodore enthusiasts purchasing Commodore USA hardware, such as Commodore 64, VIC series and the upcoming high-performance line of Amiga computers. These are essentially restore disks for pre-installed Commodore systems. Commodore OS Vision uses the classic GNOME 2 interface and features extensive Compiz/Emerald desktop effects. It includes dozens of games of all genres (FPS, Racing, Retro etc), the Firefox and Chromium web browsers, LibreOffice, Scribus, GIMP, Blender, OpenShot and Cinellera, advanced software development tools and languages, sound editing through Ardour and Audacity, and music composition programs such as the Linux MultiMedia Studio. It has a classic Commodore slant with a selection of applications reminiscent of their classic Amiga counterparts.

http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20111114#new

[High Sided]

don't even know what to write about this late breaking story :rolleyes::shakehead:confused::eek::laugh:
http://www.kmov.com/news/health/On-line-talk-about-soaking-tampons-in-alcohol-to-drunk-faster-133856728.html

"A very important advisory to my teenage viewers: Do not do this. It is very dangerous. And for God's sake, if you soak your tampons in tequila, don't salt the rim."
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/402224/november-14-2011/vodka-tampons

http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/images/2011/11/ABSOLUT-TAMPAX-SMALL-3-1321302584.jpg

[nrc]

Are you sitting comfortably, children? Then I'll begin.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/sasha-gray-visits-compton-class.html?track=icymi

[Elmo T]

World's Most Expensive Photo (http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/11/15/142342119/meet-the-worlds-most-expensive-photo-part-ii?sc=fb&cc=fp)

:confused:

[TKGAngel]

don't even know what to write about this late breaking story

How about "Why" or "Ew"?

While we're on the subject, I have heard that Survivor had to write it into their participant contract that the contestants would not use the tampons in the off-camera supply box as fire starters.

[Andrew Longman]

World's Most Expensive Photo (http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/11/15/142342119/meet-the-worlds-most-expensive-photo-part-ii?sc=fb&cc=fp)

:confused:Sorry. I can see the Delaware from my living room, and your side of the river.

Almost every stinking day it is more interesting and beautiful than that.

But I am married to an artist. I'll ask her. I could be stupid, or at least she says so sometimes.

[indyfan31]

World's Most Expensive Photo (http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/11/15/142342119/meet-the-worlds-most-expensive-photo-part-ii?sc=fb&cc=fp)

:confused:


But Outred contends that this photo is exceptional: "One of the most powerful and profound depictions ever to be created of the Rhine, the photo's unique scale draws an ineffable link to the actual natural landscape, inviting the viewer to cross over into its vivid picture plane."
What a load of crap. I've taken better pictures by sticking a point-n-shoot out of a moving car.

[Ripped]

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/west-virginia/woman-utters-line-never-previously-recorded-police-report

Does this fit into this thread? :eek::eek:

[SteveH]

^ if that does, then this one belongs as well

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/oral-sex-in-police-car-986512

[BigIrlFan]

I would like to meet both of those womens. SOund liek a right good time to me. GEt them to come over to INdy for timetrials WHoo HOOo.

[TrueBrit]

the prosecutor should get stabbed in the face.

Amen.

[Napoleon]

Footage of the world's first mobile phone, from 1922.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/7764405/Footage-shows-worlds-first-mobile-phone.html

[trish]

A fish tale (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-catches-881-pound-tuna-seized-feds-194650751.html)

[Opposite Lock]

http://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/article/1092506--former-paralympian-joins-elite-cycling-team-after-miraculous-recovery?bn=1

X_zKYiNCLZk


Former Paralympian makes miraculous recovery to become pro cyclist

It’s a incredible story that even Monique van der Vorst has trouble believing — her transformation from Paralympic athlete to road racing cyclist on one of the world’s top teams following a recovery from paralysis.

The Dutch woman was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy as a 13-year-old and lost the use of her legs. She’s been in five accidents with cars while training during her Paralympic career — one left her in a coma and another in 2008 left her with an incomplete spinal cord injury (T4).

But after her latest accident last year, the 27-year-old began to feel a tingling in her legs while in hospital. Her recovery didn’t stop there and her remarkable progress saw her sign a pro contract on Friday to race for the vaunted Rabobank team.

“I never thought it would be possible,” she told the Star in a telephone interview. “The first years you try everything and then you get the same answers again and again. And then there’s a time you have to go on with your life. I did not think I would walk again. So my whole life was based on a wheelchair and looking for the opportunities I got. This was a really big present.”

Van der Vorst has a great appreciation for what she’s been through.

“It was a hard fight to get my body back, to be able to sit even in a wheelchair again,” she said. “And then when you achieve that goal, it’s a great step and it gives you motivation to continue with your recovery. Every day, I trained a lot and then suddenly I got the feeling in my legs. That was indescribable.”

Van der Vorst, who competed in wheelchair racing and hand cycling at the Paralympics, is eager for the new challenge ahead. Her ultimate goal is competing at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

“It’s great because I always try to push the limit,” she said. “I’m still at the bottom. But it’s good to have new opportunities against lots of able bodied cyclists. I’ll go for the highest goal as possible. I’ve almost won everything in the Paralympic sports. It’s a new goal and it’s the best goal I could ever wish.”


Wow. :eek: :thumbup:

[Opposite Lock]

World's Most Expensive Photo (http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/11/15/142342119/meet-the-worlds-most-expensive-photo-part-ii?sc=fb&cc=fp)

:confused:

How to raise its value to $4,340,000,019.95:

http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/675/andreasgurskyphotolooti.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/andreasgurskyphotolooti.jpg/)




:gomer:

[/recycle]

[SurfaceUnits]

Ex-N.Y. Mafia Boss Found Dead by River in Canada

MONTREAL November 25, 2011 (AP)

The body of an alleged Mafia boss, who U.S. authorities said once led New York's notorious Bonanno crime family, was fished out from a river north of Montreal on Thursday.

Reports identified the body as Salvatore Montagna, although police wouldn't immediately confirm or deny the identity.

The FBI once called him the acting boss of the Bonanno crime family — prompting one of New York's tabloids to call him the "Bambino Boss" because of his rise to power in his mid-30s. Nicknamed "Sal The Iron Worker," he owned and operated a successful steel business in the U.S.

[trish]

Ex-N.Y. Mafia Boss Found Dead by River in Canada

MONTREAL November 25, 2011 (AP)

The body of an alleged Mafia boss, who U.S. authorities said once led New York's notorious Bonanno crime family, was fished out from a river north of Montreal on Thursday.

Reports identified the body as Salvatore Montagna, although police wouldn't immediately confirm or deny the identity.

The FBI once called him the acting boss of the Bonanno crime family — prompting one of New York's tabloids to call him the "Bambino Boss" because of his rise to power in his mid-30s. Nicknamed "Sal The Iron Worker," he owned and operated a successful steel business in the U.S.How old was he?

[cameraman]

How old was he?

40

[trish]

40

Sounds suspicious.

[cameraman]

Sounds suspicious.

Especially those bullet holes.

[SurfaceUnits]

You ain't gay enough, boy

'Not gay enough' softball players settle suit
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Three members of an amateur San Francisco team who said they were branded "not gay enough" and stripped of their second-place finish at the Gay Softball World Series have settled their lawsuit against a national gay sports organization.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/28/BATO1M542N.DTL#ixzz1f7HwWJ00

[High Sided]

insurance fraud fail :laugh:

4NJmB1F2mdE

http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-bugatti-veyron-lagoon-crash-was-elaborate-fraud-insurance-company-cla/

[Gnam]

^ what a lousy way to make a buck. :shakehead

[SurfaceUnits]

Today, I got to see and play the Steinway Grand Piano that was used the very first time Tony Bennett sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

Tony Bennett notes in his autobiography that he first sang his signature hit “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” at the Vapors Club in Hot Springs. While rehearsing the song for a later appearance at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, California, Bennett sang the song through once and was told by the only audience member, a bartender setting up for the evening, “If you guys record that song, I’ll buy the first copy.”

It is a 1920 Model O Grand. They sell for $25,000 to $50,000 +

How cool is that?

[cameraman]

Where was it?

[SurfaceUnits]

dude, it's in a farm house at the end of a country road in the middle of nowhere. You wouldn't believe the story behind this piano; the people who have played it and sung with it... like Liberace, Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Shore, Phyllis Diller, Tiny Tim, the Smothers Brothers. Artists who have been on stage with Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. - Frank Sinatra.

[Ripped]

dude, it's in a farm house at the end of a country road in the middle of nowhere. You wouldn't believe the story behind this piano; the people who have played it and sung with it... like Liberace, Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Shore, Phyllis Diller, Tiny Tim, the Smothers Brothers. Artists who have been on stage with Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. - Frank Sinatra.

I bet that one is worth more than $50G.

[Napoleon]

I bet that one is worth more than $50G.

Only if Sammy Davis, Jr left his eyeball in it.

[nrc]

74YLwinLT7M

[Ripped]

^^^ That is exactly what I think of every time I see or hear of a Steinway.:rofl::rofl:

[cameraman]

I bet that one is worth more than $50G.

Only to a "collector". You can buy a really, really nice Model O for $30K. Much above that you're paying for ornate casework in mahogany or provenance. Strange thing is I have seen quite a few of these famous pianos played by all manner of folk at x, y or z theater. Often they have been pounded to death and don't play worth a damn because no one wants to rebuild them because of their history.

[SurfaceUnits]

this is who owned the club where the piano is from: Owen Vincent “Owney” Madden, owner of the Cotton Club in New York and a noted gangster, to build the Vapors nightclub

[Gnam]

Japan declares War on Ferrari.
A day that will live in Infamy!


http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/7669/medium32867e55afed17159.jpghttp://img848.imageshack.us/img848/8244/ferrarigroupns120511371.jpg



Some of the cars involved included two Ferrari F430s, two Ferrari 360 Modenas, two Ferrari F355s, a Ferrari Testarossa, a Lamborghini Diablo a Nissan GT-R - and a Toyota Prius hybrid.


http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/05/japanese-pileup-claims-eight-ferraris-a-lamborghini-and-three-b/

http://jalopnik.com/5865117/how-the-worlds-most-expensive-car-crash-happened?tag=ferrari-crash

http://www.whatsontianjin.com/news-2018-most-expensive-super-car-crash-8-ferraris-3-mercedes-1-lamborghini-in-japan-pile-up.html

[Andrew Longman]

Toyota Prius hybrid?

Which of these things is not like the other?

Clearly, it was the Prius' fault. Clearly.

[emjaya]

From Here; (http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/a-gathering-of-narcissists-police-hit-out-at-drivers-after-supercar-smash-20111206-1og1w.html)


"The accident occurred when the driver of a red Ferrari was switching from the right lane to the left and skidded," said Mitsuyoshi Isejima, executive officer for Yamaguchi Prefecture's Expressway Traffic Police unit.

"It was a gathering of narcissists."

:)

[Gnam]

Wasn't there an F1 race in the rain where cars kept spinning out in one corner and the wrecked cars were all parked together?

[High Sided]

prius came out of it pretty clean, he probably ended up giving a few of the ferrari owners a ride.

[Ankf00]

"12 extremely disappointing facts about popular music"

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/12-extremely-disappointing-facts-about-popular-mus

[datachicane]

"12 extremely disappointing facts about popular music"

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/12-extremely-disappointing-facts-about-popular-mus

Art isn't a popularity contest. Henry Cow, anyone?

[TravelGal]

For the first time, the International Civil Aviation Organization has posted its "State of Global Aviation Safety for 2011," online. It is a look at worldwide aviation safety performance and collaborative efforts among international air transport airlines to further improve safety in light of the sustained growth of the sector. Available at http://www.icao.int . Click the first "featured product." And, no, I haven't had time even to glance at it. :(

[Elmo T]

worldwide aviation safety performance

Only slightly related, but I love these quotes. I've referenced them more than once in work related documents.

Great Aviation Safety Quotes (http://www.skygod.com/quotes/safety.html)

A few favorites:

In flying I have learned that carelessness and overconfidence are usually far more dangerous than deliberately accepted risks.

— Wilbur Wright in a letter to his father, September 1900.


I learned that danger is relative, and the inexperience can be a magnifying glass.

— Charles A. Lindbergh


If the pilot survives the accident, you'll never find out what really happened.

— Doug Jeanes

[TravelGal]

I love the last one. :D

Further to aviation, from today's briefing.
I'm not sure I feel safer, as I don't trust a thing EasyJet does. And, I doubt it will be in use when Katia blows her lid.

The new technology that can allow an aircraft to skirt around the thickest concentrations of ash has been tested by easyJet. Called Avoid, it allows a pilot to see an ash cloud ahead at altitudes between 5,000 and 50,000 feet. easyJet tested the system on a light aircraft over Mount Etna on Sicily, said the trials were successful and that it hoped to install the equipment on its fleet next year. EasyJet believes its technology will enable pilots to adjust their route and avoid the thickest concentrations. Experts are predicting that Iceland's Katla volcano will be the next to erupt, and that it will be on a scale far larger than Eyjafjallajokul.

[but at least it will be easier to spell and pronounce] :D

[Gnam]

Dang.

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/2282/katlaeyjafjallajokullic.jpg

[SteveH]

but it's pronounced 'Throatwobbler Mangrove'.

[datachicane]

but it's pronounced 'Throatwobbler Mangrove'.

:rofl::rofl:

That's odd, so is 'Raymond Luxury-Yacht'!

[SurfaceUnits]

On Tuesday, Carole Roberson's obituary appeared in the paper.

The obit described her as "an astute businesswoman, a rabid historian, a fascinating hostess and a boundless creative" person. She loved her family, horses, history, the arts and good gossip. Her e-mails to family, the obit stated, "were often unintentionally hilarious as her typing was spotty and her typos were legendary." She liked to write -short stories, mostly. She was said to be working on a screenplay. It sounded like she had a lot of energy and was deeply engaged in life.

Then there was this: "She was a difficult mother and a horrendous mother-in-law. She will STILL be missed."

"She was just horrible to my sisters-in-law," her daughter, Amy, who lives in Florida, said. "She'd say things and you'd just have to shake your head."

At family gatherings, she said, everybody had to fortify themselves with cocktails to prepare for the inevitable moment when "everything would go south."

Amy's husband Jeff said, "She was a cross between a flamboyant gay man - Nathan Lane perhaps - and the wicked witch of the west."

[SurfaceUnits]

A topless woman attacked a city worker at a storage facility in Heflin Thursday night. Heflin Police say the worker was feeding animals at a building used to house pets awaiting adoption. Anita Henderson Harris entered the building through a back door and apparently attacked the city worker.

Harris was nude from the waist up. After a brief struggle, the city worker was able to escape and call police. No motive for the attack has been determined. Harris is charged with assault third degree, burglary third degree, criminal mischief third degree and resisting arrest.


http://wbma.images.worldnow.com/images/16229861_BG1.jpg

[Gnam]

On Tuesday, Carole Roberson's obituary appeared in the paper.

http://www.ydr.com/mike/ci_19498276

Then there was this: "She was a difficult mother and a horrendous mother-in-law. She will STILL be missed."

:laugh:

[cameraman]

This is kind of cool. Not only are these the smallest frogs ever discovered, they are the smallest four-legged critter on the planet.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/Cynops/mini-frog.jpg

The story (http://blog.united-academics.org/3476/discovery-of-the-worlds-tiniest-frogs/)

The full scientific article, it is open access (http://www.pensoft.net/journals/zookeys/article/1963/abstract/at-the-lower-size-limit-for-tetrapods-two-new-species-of-the-miniaturized-frog-genus-paedophryne-anura-microhylidae-)

[Methanolandbrats]

This is kind of cool. Not only are these the smallest frogs ever discovered, they are the smallest four-legged critter on the planet.

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii35/Cynops/mini-frog.jpg

The story (http://blog.united-academics.org/3476/discovery-of-the-worlds-tiniest-frogs/)

The full scientific article, it is open access (http://www.pensoft.net/journals/zookeys/article/1963/abstract/at-the-lower-size-limit-for-tetrapods-two-new-species-of-the-miniaturized-frog-genus-paedophryne-anura-microhylidae-)

Better protect them right away. I'm sure there is some "gourmet chef" ******* considering serving the World's smallest frogs legs for $500 a plate.

[Don Quixote]

Better protect them right away. I'm sure there is some "gourmet chef" ******* considering serving the World's smallest frogs legs for $500 a plate. It takes a bunch of them to make a meal.

[SteveH]

Dy6uLfermPU

[cameraman]

Better protect them right away. I'm sure there is some "gourmet chef" ******* considering serving the World's smallest frogs legs for $500 a plate.

They have managed to find all of eight females and no males for one of the species. That's a whole lot of scraping around in a nasty jungle for what could at best be one amuse bouche.:laugh:

[Methanolandbrats]

They have managed to find all of eight females and no males for one of the species. That's a whole lot of scraping around in a nasty jungle for what could at best be one amuse bouche.:laugh:

Damn, price went up to $2,500 a plate :D