FlashLadyBug.com

Yes…the title says it all. These are creepy guys….watch the video here

Yes you can solve a rubiks cube perfectly if you use the directions in this instructional video. That is, if you can follow them.

In other news, Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix will begin testing an x-ray system that captures images of the entire body from head to toe. This technology will capture any objects next to or attached to a person’s body, but will supposedly be able to blur certain areas. Passengers uncomfortable with this can opt for a pat-down instead. Read the article.
Be aware that there is a picture in the article that may be considered offensive.

This is a nifty little app that splits files into many segments. Its multi platform and free! HJSplit can split a large file, ex 10 gigs to 640 mb parts to be burned onto cd. Afterwards, HJSplit or HJJoin can combine them with a compare and checksum check. Very nice. Get it here
and never have to worry about over burning an 6 gig img onto a 4 gig dvd like i once tried.

Yes, this is a slightly cheezy song about the history of Pi, and the first 15 digits or so, done in song and video.  It’s worth a look.  A look.  Just one.  But it’s here anyway.

http://www.vvc.edu/ph/TonerS/mathpi.html

Remember the Optimus keyboard we blogged about waaay back in January, with the customizable color OLED keys that could show any icon on the key in full color?
http://www.flashladybug.com/wordpress/archives/64

Well, it’s finally out.  Minus a few features. Such as color.  And full key oled displays.  And the launcher keys, keys specifically included to start programs.  And the pricetag of this scaled down keyboard?  $1,200.  Not exactly cheap…..I mean, this is a great idea, and has potential, even in black and white, but the price has gotta come down first.

They do sell a very small 3-key customizable block for $121.  What would I do with those three keys?  Make it 6 or nine, and now you’re talking.  That’s enough keys for a hotkey pad for game playing or photoshop tools.

Sadly, this keyboard was overpromised, underdeveloped, and overpriced for now.  I actually wonder if they had done a full color model if they could have found buyers even at a really high price…..

Read the article/review here
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/index.php?p=168&tag=nl.e589

Okay, this is better than the last sleep-related post I made.  This lists some serious facts.

REM sleep occurs in bursts totalling about 2 hours a night, usually beginning
about 90 minutes after falling asleep  (Ed. note - REM is considered the deepest type of sleep)

REM dreams are characterised by bizarre plots, but non-REM dreams are repetitive
and thought-like, with little imagery - obsessively returning to a suspicion you
left your mobile phone somewhere, for example

The record for the longest period
without sleep is 18 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes during a rocking chair marathon.
The record holder reported hallucinations, paranoia, blurred vision, slurred
speech and memory and concentration lapses

Most of what we know about sleep we’ve learned in the past 25 years

Experts say one of the most alluring sleep distractions is the 24-hour
accessibility of the internet

And that’s just a few.  Read more here (unless it’s keeping you from a nice medium temperature bed)
http://abc.net.au/science/sleep/facts.htm

Staring December 4th, people in North america will be able to register for the opportunity to beta test Halo 3, sometime in spring 2007. The site is halo3.com, it aint up yet
Right now, i’m wondering how long it takes before the site goes down from lag

Info from here

Yes, microsoft has released a new version of remote desktop, it is the RD for Vista, but adapted for the other OS’s. I gotta tell ya, if its exactly what Vista has, which is what i’m running, its a pretty good upgrade. Check it out here

When I read this link, i’m still trying to figure out how its supposed to work. 

“After the Micro Windmill charger
here is another ingenious solution from India, the RVD (Rainbow
Versatile Disc) developed by Sainul Abideen studying computer
applications in the Southern Indian state of Kerala. He has termed his
invention Rainbow Technology using which discs can be developed from
paper or even plastic paper and they can hold upto 450 GB….”

“In Rainbow technology,
the data in any format termed ‘rainbow format’ has been designed in
such a way that it can be printed out in the form of images.
Trigonometric forms like circle or square, certain colour combinations
and certain other forms are being used. Each trigonometric form and
colour combination represents a complete pattern. Most modern
technologies like image processing,
pattern matching, etc. are used for the purpose. The data which gets
converted into an image form is then printed on paper or any other
thing. This is low the data storage is made possible. When the steps
are reversed, the rainbow picture is converted into data.”

So, if that didn’t make any sense, what this plans to do is take data normally stored on cd’s, in digital format, and convert it into very small shapes and images (think sort of a complex color barcode) that can be printed on paper.  Take this paper, mount it to a plastic disc, scan the images, and there’s your dvd holding readable data.  At least, thats what I think.  (Any enlightenment on the subject, Brian?)  It sounds like an interesting idea in theory, but in practice it seems like it would be time consuming, and i’d worry about the integrity of the data duplication.

From the limited amount of what i’ve read, the idea of storing data in the form of pictures of shapes actually holds up as a valid storage method, and adapting this to dvd’s might make an improvement, just not on recycled materials.

The article
http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/rvd_rainbow_versatile_disc_the_future_of_storage_.php

A little more about “rainbow printing” using images instead of standard digital data (Yes, it’s real, although maybe not quite practical, and definately not full production-ready.)
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=88962&d=18&m=11&y=2006

I found these instructions online that detail how to turn a cheap bic ballpoint pen into a little pocket rocket, complete with parachute.  It should fly 100-150 feet into the air (depending on wind, etc.)
I’d say that this looks fairly easy, just remember that in involves some work with a sharp knife, and this is a real rocket with a point on the end.

http://www.users.qwest.net/~jhove1/bicarcas.html