Yahoo! News - Crazy Carp Invade Missouri's Rivers Crazy carp have invaded Missouri's rivers. Two species of nonnative carp have been jumping into boats, injuring occupants and damaging the watercraft.
A state fisheries biologist motoring near Columbia had a filling knocked out of his tooth by a high-flying fish that struck him on the side of the head. Another state biologist in the St. Charles area was seriously hurt when he was hit by a giant carp.
And who said fishing was boring?
Yahoo! News - Callers Vent to Artist Group's 'Swearline' So far, more than 500 callers have dialed "Swearline" to record their diatribes in answer to a year-long appeal by Lucky Pierre, a five-artist Chicago collective.
A selection of the recordings will end up on compact discs and put in a jukebox, possibly to be displayed in a willing art gallery or museum. Some examples, most laden with repeated variations on the f-word, are viewable on the group's Web site, www.luckypierre.org.
Swear to your art's content until Monday!
seattlepi.com: Airsickness bags double as mail-in film packet EasyJet PLC, Europe's largest low-cost airline, has teamed up with Klick Photopoint to offer passengers airsickness bags that also can be used to mail in photo film for developing.
EasyJet said the bags are a way to generate revenue and cut costs. The airline no longer needs to pay for its own sacks and gets money from Klick for distributing the bags.
"It's a good marketing opportunity," said Samantha Day, a spokeswoman for Luton, England-based EasyJet. "Klick gets their product in front of the customers and we're providing a free service. They are waterproof, so if needed, they won't leak." (via Magnetbox)
Gossip of the London Underground
My personal favourites: "Classical dressage is really the most interesting part of horsemanship." "If we don't get home soon, we're going to miss Quincy." "Stop! Enough knickerbocker wisecracks!" "Look. A canary. You don't see many of those on the tube." "She acts like being a lesbian gives her a special license to be rude to people." "Ben Affleck doesn't even have a face." "There are loads of commies in London." "Everything Morrissey predicted in the 80s is coming true." "I never trust milkmen." "I would like to kill everyone. Except you. Obviously." "Rufus! No! It's got germs on it." "I found him at about 2 am. He was trying to piss into a postbox." "My life is like a bad Daily Mail headline." "2003 is going to be a big year for Patrick Swayze." "Whenever the train is delayed, they claim it's a suspect package. It's not...it's just a points failure again." "Every year they say it could be Henman's year. Wake up! It's never Henman's year." "Look at that bloke's walkman. No-one has walkman's anymore. Look at him. I hate him." "It's the time of year when old men wear sandals. Lots of crushed, splintered toenails." "There are no parks." "Oh, we've had a lovely time. Jamie's spent the morning kicking pigeons." "Your bourgeoise sensibilities mean nothing to me."
Zombie Infection Simulation
This is kind of depressing.
People are likening it to the movie "28 Days Later". But I can say, having seen the movie, "28 Days Later" was not about zombies! The people were infected with a type of virus. That's not really the same as "Night of the Living Dead". Although the infected people did behave much like the zombies in "Night of the Living Dead". I think the confusion was caused by Mr. As Above calling it "infecting" when the "zombies" come in contact with "humans" and turn them into more "zombies". But wouldn't it either be they're the living dead or they're infected humans? Or maybe we need a specific definition of the term "zombie". Technically, it means a reanimated corpse... which is not the same as an infection.
It's all very depressing and creepy all the same, of course.
I don't have to envy Alison's light up pen anymore... Because I got my own. Whoo-hoo.
I actually called around a bunch of area office supply stores. Some offered ones that only light up in red. But I wanted one that lights up in different colours. I wanted one just like Alison's! Finally, it occurred to me... Spencer Gifts at the mall! And sure enough, I called, and they said, "We just got it in, so we haven't tried it yet, but it says it lights up in different colours."
So I got one. And now I'm "like a kid with a new toy". haha.
But really, it's a very practical pen! I think of all the times I was straining to see while writing in the dark. It's a brilliant idea! Plus, it looks darn nifty. hehe.
I took the photo a year & a half ago, in stealth, when I was on my 3rd floor back porch having a cigarette, and heard the clanking of metal, and then a young man's voice saying "Ouch!". I looked down into the driveway and witnessed my neighbor and one of his friends with actual swords, sparring right there in the driveway. I don't know if blood was drawn, but I felt compelled to sneak a photo. Obviously I wasn't going to go down and get close, or use a flash... thus the poor quality of the photo.
(Apparently because of this photo, Ask Jeeves thinks I'm an expert on sword fighting.)
SFGate.com - Researcher confirms existence of 'earworms' / 98% of people have had songs stuck in their head "This summer, a community board in Brooklyn, N.Y., has called for a limit on the playing of the "Mr. Softee" jingle by ice-cream trucks -- a jingle that can be unbearably memorable for those subjected to it for extended periods."
The article goes on to very rudely list the most commonly mentioned tunes that people get stuck in their heads the most. I'm going to pass on this inconsiderate mention of the ones I think are the worst... such as, "Whoomp, There It Is", "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", and "It's a Small World After All".
They don't mention "Michelle, ma belle", but I'd put that up there high, since I know someone who's recently complained on several occasions about how the song got stuck in his head for an extended period of time over 20 years ago... and the experience is still remembered with ire apparently. I had the same problem with "Love Shack" about 12 years ago, when the song was on the radio all the time when I was at university. It became a hellish experience.
I've also been known to get Verdi's Dies Irae stuck in my head at times of stress... I actually made a sound file of what it sounds like in my head at those times. heh.
I also have a sound file of the ice cream truck music in my neighborhood. heh.
SMH.com.au - Power from blood could lead to 'human batteries' "A device that produces electricity from blood could be used to turn people into "human batteries". Researchers in Japan are developing a method of drawing power from blood glucose, mimicking the way the body generates energy from food. Theoretically, it could allow a person to pump out 100 watts - enough to illuminate a light bulb."
I don't even want to be poked & prodded for my blood when my life is at stake... never mind to be powering something with electric from my blood.
HoustonChronicle.com - Want to live 350 years? Experts say it's doable "Catapulted by advances in biotechnology, scores of researchers have begun to pinpoint genes that may prolong human life while delaying its late-stage diseases, frailties and maybe even gray hair and wrinkles. Their successes in laboratory animals -- like worms that live four times longer than normal -- have already germinated several drug companies. They hope to develop compounds to stretch healthy lifetimes beyond limits once presumed to be fixed."
I remember seeing the show on PBS hosted by Alan Alda that was all about how eating 30% less prolonged the lives of rats significantly. If I had a cook, that could prepare the proper diet for me, or I lived in a situation where I could prepare food for myself in such a manner, I could probably eat like the one guy Alda had interviewed. I probably wouldn't even mind that much. Give me enough spices, and I could eat sparsely. But in our society, in the life I have to lead... it'd be rough. However, I can imagine that if you could take a pill and get the same results, I'm sure everyone would be able to do it, provided they could afford it...
I'm envisioning a future where 50 year old sons of the rich still live with their parents and play tennis at the club all day. heh.
This is old news, but I saw it on Blogdex today... PubMed - Transnasal penetrating brain injury with a ball-pen "This is the first report of an attempted suicide by transnasal insertion of a ballpoint pen intracranially."
This person really couldn't think of an easier way to off himself?
It kind of reminds me of the nail gun story I heard awhile back. An accident, not a suicide attempt, but still weird... where the guy didn't realize that the nail went up his nose. I couldn't find the story though.
I put off doing my laundry until I just could not go another day. And man, it's not the greatest day to be doing laundry. It took me 4 quarters instead of 3 to dry my towels in the dryers at the laundromat, and it's going to take forever for my clothes on the line and racks to dry... Because of the damn humidity. It's about 75% humidity today here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. YICK.
At the laundromat there was this hoidy toidy woman bitching about the lack of air conditioning in the laundromat. I thought this was hysterical since um, laundromats are generally not upscale facilities. haha. In fact, I go to the one in Mill City because it is much nicer than most, being a rural town laundomat. But let's face it, it's not somewhere you would ordinarily find climate control. I wouldn't be surprised if there was no air conditioning in city laundromats in Tuscon Arizona.
There was another woman in the laundromat at that time who said nothing much at all. She sat on the bench in the corner reading The Jeffrey Dahmer Story of all things. I always wondered who'd read a book about that. heh.
superficiality >>If the facade is what's important to you, all you wind up with is an illusion. Disillusionment is the gift of substance.
-- Chloe<<
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