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The Usual Friday Crud

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Friday, 31 March 2006

Xbox360 Official Launch Bus

At the beginning of March I checked out the XBox360 official tour bus. This basically meant playing XBox360 for about 3 hours one afternoon...


Here's a pic of the outside of the bus, with a bunch of huge LCD/Plasma TVs on it.










Here's some pics of some of the games:



First Person Combat Sim (Ghost Recon? I don't know, it was horrible using the controller!)



One of those "Street Fighter" type games. Those two girls are about to beat each other to a pulp...



Another fighting game I think...



A shot of inside the bus. Must have been about 16 consoles I guess










Here's some shots of the "poster girl" (closest thing to a booth-babe that day) for one of the games...






















I also clocked some video on my phone HERE and HERE

The Singhsons

Badmash [flash]

As if the recent spate of Simpsons items wasn't enough....

[Thanks Nizza]

100% FREE WoW Simulator

100% FREE WoW Simulator [contains audio]

WoW (World of WarCraft - Massive Online Multiplayer game) was recently offline apparently...

Play Time - NoName Game #1

NoName Game #1 at freshblood.zic.pl [flash]

You'll need a steady hand and a great mouse to play this one!

Wednesday, 29 March 2006

A bit naughty

A major earthquake, measuring 9.1 on the Richter Scale, has hit New Zealand this morning.

350,000 New Zealanders are missing, and over 100,000 have been reported injured.The country is totally ruined and the government is so overwhelmed that itdoesn't know where to start with providing assistance. The rest of the world is in shock.

Canada is sending troops to assist the country.
The USA is sending food, medical aid and money.
France is sending doctors, nurses and medical supplies .
Russia is sending tents and warm clothing.

Australia is sending 350,000 replacement Kiwis.

[Thanks Nizza]

Tuesday, 28 March 2006

Triumph vs Star Wars Geeks

DevilDucky - Triumph vs Star Wars Geeks [quicktime]

Triumph (Saturday Night Live?) hassles the fanboys... Hillarious...

Family Guy: Take On Me

DevilDucky - Family Guy: Take On Me [windows media]


Chris from Family Guy gets stuck in an A-ha video while reaching for milk at the grocery store.

Topless Carwash Prank

Topless Carwash Prank on StupidVideos [quicktime]

Too good to be true...

Monty Python Madness

Monty Python's Silly Walks Generator [flash]

Rare Village Idiot Interview [flash video]

Reminds me of when I belonged to the Monty Python club at university... $5/year to watch Monty Python videos each week... sweeeeeet!

Is it possible to get DNA from dinosaurs like in ''Jurassic Park" and clone a whole dinosaur like they did?

Is it possible to get DNA from dinosaurs like in ''Jurassic Park" and clone a whole dinosaur like they did? - The Boston Globe


[spoiler]
The votes are in and the consensus is:

"... so who knows?"

Here comes the Simpsons movie!

New York Post Online Edition: entertainment

Play Time - Fancy Pants Adventure

HallPass Presents - Fancy Pants Adventure [flash]

More fun than you can throw a stick at...

New Ways to Call Over the Internet Debut

New Ways to Call Over the Internet Debut - Yahoo! News

Skype and the likes of Yahoo Messenger might be the big players currently, but it looks like there's some new kids on the block, even a new idea completely (use a website to call them, and then call you, but still be cheaper than calling them directly!)

Heads Roll As Microsoft Misses Vista Target

InformationWeek Windows Vista Heads Roll As Microsoft Misses Vista Target March 27, 2006

Ooppss... Microsoft, which was getting so good at meeting deadlines... is still going to miss the already much delayed release date for the home versions of Vista...

Thursday, 23 March 2006

Fight for your right to keitai: geeks in Japan protest anti-vintage-tech ban

Boing Boing: Fight for your right to keitai: geeks in Japan protest anti-vintage-tech ban

I know Japan is a leading force in technology and modernisation... And tends to drive things by throwing out the old (or not so old, like five year old cars), but I think this might be going one step too far... Though I'm sure it was backed by the Tech firms, since it will presumably drive up sales of current generation tech...

Brokeback Mountain 2


Hrrrrrr....

[Thanks Con]

Wednesday, 22 March 2006

Game abuse strikes back

YouTube - Game abuse strikes back [flash video]

Heh heh, when violent video games fight back...

The Simpsons Theme Performed on Single Acoustic Guitar

The Simpsons Theme Performed on Single Acoustic Guitar VideoSift [flash video]

Just because you can't get enough Simpsons in one day...

Play Time - Hydro Racer Game

Free Hydro Racer Game [shockwave]

There's plenty of radio controlled car type games out there, so how about boats?

Necker Cube Illusion

Necker Cube Illusion [java]

It'll do your head in...

Another two seasons for The Simpsons

Another two seasons for �The Simpsons� - TV COMEDY - MSNBC.com

Woop!

Lara Croft Gets Her X360 Date

IGN: Lara Croft Gets Her X360 Date

That's right, Lara's bouncing figure is coming to a HDTV near you soon! (If you can afford one, AND an XBox360, but then to you perverts, money is no obstacle...)

World's first completely transparent IC

World's first completely transparent IC

That's right, it's a "computer" that you can see right through!
Hmm... stick that in your perspex PC case... and bingo, you have Wonderwomans computer... (remember her plane?)

BTW the comments around this on Slashdot are worth a read...

Europe and Italy

Especial Bruno Bozzetto [flash]

I think I've seen the before, but it's still worth a gander...

[Thanks Con]

Making a difference

Texting overcomes drawbacks
By Louise WilliamsMarch 20, 2006 - 1:22PM
TEEN smoking has finally found a powerful opponent and it's not the graphic photos of mouth cancer among the new health warnings on Australian cigarette packs.
It's the mobile phone. It seems phones have it all: "maturity, individuality, sociability, peer-group bonding, rebellion and adult aspiration". In the teen rebellion stakes, smoking is starting to look like "old technology", according to the British anti-smoking group Action on Smoking.
Five years ago the group came up with an interesting hypothesis, an idea so intriguing that it was picked up and published by the prestigious British Medical Journal.
The group had noticed a correlation between a sharp rise in mobile phone ownership among teenagers in the mid-1990s - common to most industrial economies - and the first real decline in teen smoking, a downwards trend curiously pre-dating a major government anti-smoking campaign.
"Many aspects of mobile phone use provide teenagers with the same functions offered by smoking while offering an alternative for spending money," the group argued. "The mobile phone is an effective competitor to cigarettes in the market for products that offer teenagers adult-style."
Both cigarettes and mobile phones offer teenagers openings for conversations. Phones also offer adolescents "something to do with their hands, give them confidence, relieve boredom and fulfil social and fun needs in much the same way smoking does".
And phones, like smoking, can be used as a defence mechanism.
"When you are sitting by yourself, say on the bus ... just get your phone out and play a game or something," said one teenage girl.
But teenagers don't have endless supplies of money. So when it comes to a choice of where to put their cash, phones seem to be winning out.
"Mobile-phone use may act as an entry to a peer group and may be essential for membership of a peer group that arranges its social life on the move. The need to own a mobile phone will provide vigorous competition for the spare cash once spent on cigarettes, while meeting many of the same [image] needs."
In Japan last year health officials agreed. Teen smoking rates have plummeted, but mobile phone ownership among young people is close to 100 per cent. There was a high chance phone bills were being weighed up against the money they spent on cigarettes, said Kenji Hayashi, the head of research at the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry.
[Thanks Con - who works for a Mobile company...]

Dumb signs, for even dumber people...


[Thanks Con - not that you're dumb or anything...]

How many Auckland lawyers does it take to change a light bulb?

Russell McVeagh - 35. 34 hired bright-eyed and enthusiastic out of law school, simply to fall despairingly by the wayside. One to assist a partner changing the light bulb in her 6 th year of practice.

Bell Gully - 2. One to change the light bulb, one to make sure Russell McVeagh aren't taking a different approach.

Buddle Findlay - That matter is confidential to the partners, their bank, and the fixtures & fittings auctioneer.

Minter Ellison - None. Unless you count the 4 or 5 (would anyone really notice the difference?) offering encouragement and praise to the Russell McVeagh lawyer explaining over the speaker-phone that she's changed over 100 light bulbs in her 6 years of practice, and that if they don't get off their arses and change it right goddamn now, she'll come down there and change it for them.

Kensington Swan - We don't have any light bulbs. They're outmoded, old technology. That's why we have these huge windows in our new building. You've got to keep pace with change, you know. And the city IS drifting westward. Pretty soon it'll just be Russell McVeagh, Bell Gully, Simpson Grierson and Minter Ellison rattling around on Shortland Street by themselves. Watch out, dinosaurs!

Chapman Tripp - 3. One to argue for incremental change to the status quo, one to rail against such dangerous activism, and one to break the deadlock by proclaiming herself the champion of "common sense".

Simpson Grierson - You know, in the movie business, there's a guy whose job it is just to change the light bulbs.

[Thanks Nizza]

Souptoys - It's Time To Play

Souptoys - It's Time To Play�

Looks like a great time waster... Might be fun for the kids though...

Windows Vista to Ship in 33 Different Versions

BBspot - Windows Vista to Ship in 33 Different Versions

So make sure when you upgrade you get the righ one!

[And it's not even 1 April yet!]

Monday, 20 March 2006

Would you like a bigger car?

Happened to be at Sky City Casino last night (having dinner with friends), when we bumped into a "poly" Wedding. This huge stretch Hummer pulls up and out pops the wedding party... first guy out is wearing suit, trainers and a beanie! Needless to say the welcoming party just cracked up...
Didn't get to see the bride/groom in the end.

Dribble-Drool - It's a new Alfa!




[Thanks Jan]

Darth Vader is on the prowl!

ImageShack - Hosting :: 100aq.jpg

And appears to have come under stringent budget cuts...

[Thanks Jan]

Isn't it amazing what you can get away with these days...

black cocks badminton new zealand - Google Search

Risque NZ supporters' shirts steal the show

[Thanks Con]

Friday, 17 March 2006

Play time - Race Driver 3 Etoy

Codemasters - Race Driver 3 Etoy [flash]

Pick your car and race around the track...

Thursday, 16 March 2006

Toothpick in a Microwave

Toothpick in a Microwave VideoSift [flash video]

The Hamster (Richard Hammond from TopGear) is back!
Lighting up a toothpick in a microwave, to generate balls of "plasma"!

1964 Rolling Stones Rice Krispy Commercial

1964 Rolling Stones Rice Krispy Commercial VideoSift [flash video]

Bet they didn't charge millions for this one....

Tooth Knockout

Tooth Knockout [windows media]


There's just too much violence in Cheerleading... My girls will have to stick to tiddly-winks....

Best home made lighsaber dual ever!

Best home made lighsaber dual ever! VideoSift [flash video]

Me thinks the current version of Adobe Premier and After Affects are just too good... Every man and his dog can do the lightsaber thing now....

Play time - Deal Gameshow

Deal Gameshow [flash]

I think this show is on Prime. Pretty mindless...
Kind of like The Price is Right, but not as smart...

Low Landing

Compfused.com - Low Landing [windows media]

Umm... yup, that's pretty low... Kinda like being at Wellington Airport, only, it's all rocks and dirt, rather than a nice beach...

Sega 's bizarre horse racing electrocution game?

HEXUS.gaming : Headline : Sega 's bizarre horse racing electrocution game? : Page - 1/1

Umm... Bizarre!

The Greatest Video Game Collection EVAR - Kotaku

The Greatest Video Game Collection EVAR - Kotaku

That's just far too many games...
I bet they work at a video rental store and just took home all the old games...

Schneier on Security: Basketball Prank

Schneier on Security: Basketball Prank

Heh heh, nothing like psyching out the opposition at a Basketball game... even if it was over a fake date...

Mozilla's Google millions - a tax dodge?

Mozilla's Google millions - a tax dodge? The Register

Turns out, Mozilla and Opera rely on revenue from Google (thanks to click-throughs) for funding, and then declare the revenue as tax excempt....

This is a poinient time to point out that just by viewing this blogg online, I earn hard cash from Google (thanks to the Google Ads) and I get even more if you actually click on the ads...

So far I have 10c US :( More clicks please...

Amazon's New Storage Service

Slashdot Amazon's New Storage Service

Need UNLIMITED storage capacity?
You can have it for just 15c(US) per Gig per month...
And in NZ, that's cheaper than what it cost you to get it there over your (Telecom monopolised) ADSL service...

thesentrygun.com

thesentrygun.com

For all you back-yard millitants....

[Thanks Gareth]

Exclusive Wayne Rooney first draft of autobiography


[Thanks Con]

Microsoft iPod

YouTube - Microsoft iPod [flash video]

Someone's done a great little video on what Microsoft would do to the iPod... All too true...

[Thanks Con]

Wednesday, 15 March 2006

Cool As Ice - starring Vanilla Ice! Movie review

I-Mockery.com Cool As Ice - starring Vanilla Ice! Movie review

Oh dear... far too much Vanilla Ice for my liking...

[Thanks Sarah]

An new standard in laying railway tracks...


[Thanks Jan]

Tuesday, 14 March 2006

Really Good Breakdancers

Really Good Breakdancers on StupidVideos [quicktime]

Just in case you'd like some more breakdancing... Good-ol' Old Skool styles...

Operation Flashpoint Breakdance

Operation Flashpoint Breakdance - Google Video [flash video]

I'm sorry, but Breakdancing, Beastie Boys and Operation Flashpoint! This is just too cool!

Ultimate Utopia XXIII

YouTube - Ultimate Utopia XXIII [flash video]

Yet another real-life version of a computer game...

Sidewalk Drawings

Compfused.com - Sidewalk Drawings

We've seen some of these before (plus there's someone doing them around NZ) but there's some new ones too.

Play time! Cave Escape

Cave Escape [flash]

Google Mars

Google Mars

Yup, not satisfied with mapping the earth... Google has mapped Mars...

I'm a little suspicious though... the terrain appears to repeat...

And just in case you thought they'd forgotten the moon... NOPE!

Weebls Stuff - Paper

Weebls Stuff - Paper [flash]

May contain gratuitous references to Aha....

[Thanks Catherine]

How Telecom won the broadband war

Computerworld > How Telecom won the broadband war

Looks like we're due to find out how much jelly is in the spine of the Telecommunications Minister...

Oh How True - Team Work


[Thanks Con]

It had to happen...




[Thanks Con]

Monday, 13 March 2006

Scanjet Plays Fur Elise VideoSift

Scanjet Plays Fur Elise VideoSift [flash video]

The comments are right... "Wow, the geek-o-meter just redlined."

Reminds me of the program I had to play music on my old 1541 disk drive for my Commodore 64. Hate to think what it did to the head alignment...

Most Emailed Photos on Yahoo! News Photos

Most Emailed Photos on Yahoo! News Photos

It's a "kiwi" but not as we know it!

knockoff*project

knockoff*project

Does that album cover look familiar? Looks like they're nearly all knokckoffs....

Is Google prepping an office suite? | News.blog | CNET News.com

Is Google prepping an office suite? News.blog CNET News.com

Coming to a webtop near you: Google Word, Google Excel, Google Office?

IBM breaks speed records with new version of file system

IBM breaks speed records with new version of file system

At last! I can "download the internet"! Or at least Google's copy of it...

i want to poop back and forth (from the movie "me and you and everyone we know")

i want to poop back and forth (from the movie "me and you and everyone we know") - video [flash video]

Ummm... "What the!"

Live Action Legend of Zelda

Live Action Legend of Zelda [flash video]

There seems to be a bit of trend to reproduce video game and cartoon scenes in "real life".

Osama bin Laden's niece to star in reality TV show

Osama bin Laden's niece to star in reality TV show - Yahoo! News

Tempting fate a bit, but she's a stunna!

Gadgets blur the line between telephony and Internet

Gadgets blur the line between telephony and Internet - Yahoo! News

Which all makes sense if your cellular internet is cheaper than making cellphone calls... Which in NZ it isn't, thanks to data charges and caps.

0 to 100 in 4 seconds...

The wife was very unhappy with her car and complained about it quite a lot to her husband...

'Buy me a surprise for my birthday!', she said. 'Something that accelerates from 0 to 100 in 4 seconds! And I would prefer a blue one!'

Happy and excited, she was counting down the days for her birthday.

Finally she got the beautiful present her husband thoughtfully bought.

Apparently he is dead now.


[Thanks Con]

Real Life Simpsons Intro

YouTube - Real Life Simpsons Intro [flash video]

But can you spot the one glaring difference between this very good "real" version of the Simpson's intro and the cartoon one.

Hint: it's to do with the Marge's car (but no Homers, funnily enough).

[Thanks Con]

Friday, 10 March 2006

The Bittorrent Song (with subtitles)

YouTube - The Bittorrent Song (with subtitles) [flash video]

Not just another big fat IT geek playing a keyboard.... well, OK, so it is...

Birthdays

An Englishman an Irishman and a Scotsman were in a pub, talking about their sons. "My son was born on St George's Day," commented the Englishman.

"So we obviously decided to call him George." "That's a real coincidence," remarked the Scot. "My son was born on St Andrew's Day, so obviously we decided to call him Andrew."

"That's incredible, what a coincidence," said the Irishman. "Exactly the same thing happened with my son Pancake."
[Thanks Con]

A tribute to the Olymics...

Olympics [flash]

Like you've never seen them before...

[Thanks Jan]

Wednesday, 8 March 2006

Too Much Boost

Planet Vids - Crazy Videos - Too Much Boost [windows media]

What happens when you apply over 1200bhp to a street-machine...

I think they forgot that since the car isn't actually moving, the radiators aren't really helping cool anything...

Cassini-Huygens

Cassini-Huygens: Multimedia-Images

NASA is getting pretty good at taking pictures while in space, these days....

Tuesday, 7 March 2006

British households to get 2 Gbps Internet connections

British households to get 2 Gbps Internet connections TG Daily

Hot Dam!

Even Japan's prevalency of 100Mbit/s to the house can't compete with 2Gbit/s!

Though there is still the question of just how much bandwidth is actually usable/shared or even connected to the Internet... not just each other.

2Gbit/s shared amongst 20,000 households is actuallly only 200Kbit/s each if everyone downloads at once... I guess that's why they say burst...

New Jersey politician introduces state bill that would bar anonymous forum posts

New Jersey politician introduces state bill that would bar anonymous forum posts TG Daily

Prooving once again that politicians really have no clue...

Kenya: CCTV video of raid on media offices

Boing Boing: Kenya: CCTV video of raid on media offices -- MPEG file. [link through to flash video]

Inside The Gentlemen's Fight Club

CBS 5 - San Francisco Bay Area's source for news, weather, traffic and sports: Inside The Gentlemen's Fight Club [flash video]

A Geek's own Fight Club.... and as you would expect... they fight like girls pretty much...

Nasty Turn

Compfused.com - Nasty Turn [windows media]

How do you know when it's too wet to race?
When everyone goes off at the same corner...

Teens Place Bomb In McDonald's Toilet

10News.com - News - Police: Teens Place Bomb In McDonald's Toilet

Hence the saying "Let one off..."

Toaster t-shirt!

glarkware :: frakkin' toaster -- NoN -- ships late april

I know you can get pretty much anything on a t-shirt these days... but a toaster? Why?

Mac OS X hacked under 30 minutes

Mac OS X hacked under 30 minutes: ZDNet Australia: News: Security

Turns out that MacOS/X ain't quite so secure...
Thanks to a raft of unpublished bugs...

Bend it, stretch it, any way you want it...

Wired News:

The bean-counters are always talking about how far can you stretch your computer (budget), but this is taking it even further...

Home made zoo!








[Thanks Con]

Bird Flu

In an attempt to stop the spread of bird flu, the Irish Air Force has just bombed the Canary Islands and Turkey.

[Thanks Con]

What was the UK No 1 Song the day you were born?

UK number 1

Slade - Coz I Luv You
Jeepers, I'm showing my age...

[Thanks Con]

Monday, 6 March 2006

ghost rider - Google Video

ghost rider - Google Video

More high-speed motorbike chase videos...

Newspapers fooled by fake TOCA motorway screenshot - GameDev.Net Discussion Forums

Newspapers fooled by fake TOCA motorway screenshot - GameDev.Net Discussion Forums

Heh heh, sometimes the press are so dumb...

TOCA RD3 is on my "aquire" list...

Japanese Gameshow - meat eating lizard and pork chop headbands VideoSift

Japanese Gameshow - meat eating lizard and pork chop headbands VideoSift [flash video]

Gotta love Japanese game shows!

TopGear: Snowmobile goes off ski jump at full throttle VideoSift

TopGear: Snowmobile goes off ski jump at full throttle VideoSift

More TopGear making it online... Watch The Stig ride a snowmobile off a ski jump!

Digital Swag in the Oscar Gift Bag

ABC News: Digital Swag in the Oscar Gift Bag

Ever wanted to know what treats the Oscar nominees get? Here's the techy bits...

Play time! Star Chemistry Movie Game

Pizmo Games: Star Chemistry Movie Game [flash]

Can you pick which stars have appeared in the same films?

Friday, 3 March 2006

The Bunker

The Bunker Our Facilities Data Centre

We're looking to co-locate some of our servers at the moment, this might be overkill.

Coming soon: The 8-terabyte desktop

Coming soon: The 8-terabyte desktop - Hardware - News - ZDNet Asia

Now that's a lot of pr0n.... errr... data....

And yes, that's probably more diskspace than your current corporate datacenter!

Thursday, 2 March 2006

Kiwitub - New Zealands genuinely Portable hot tub!

Kiwitub - New Zealands genuinely Portable hot tub!

I want one of these!

Degrees of separation...

Kitset Showreel 06 [quicktime]

One of my friends [hi Cath], used to work here at CT and is in the performing arts. She and some mates have formed The Rebel Allience, who are basically a theatre company. And their design guy (Stafford) has quite a cool website called KitSet, which has the neat video above on it.

Check it out, afterall, if you're reading this, you've got nothing better to do :)

Wednesday, 1 March 2006

The Lion, the Bear and the Chicken

A bear, a lion and a chicken meet.

Bear says: "if I roar in the forest, the entire forest is shivering with fear."

Lion says: "if I roar in the desert, the entire desert is afraid of me."

Says the chicken: "big deal I only have to cough, and the entire planet s***'s itself."


[Thanks Con]