Posts Tagged ‘cool stuff’

World’s most expensive piece of junk?

// January 27th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

p2pnet view Cool:- The Bugatti Veyron on the right has been called the most expensive car in the world. At close to $2,000,000 per, that’s probably pretty accurate. That being so, the Bugatti on  the left might be described at the most expensive piece of junk in the world. Because after spending 73 years at the bottom of Lake Maggiore in Switzerland, it was auctioned off in Paris, the weekend gone, for €260,500 (about $390,254 CAD). But the money is for a good cause. Jens Boerlin and other members of the Ascona sub-aqua club retrieved it in July, 2009, “prompted by the murder of a member of the diving club, one Damiano Tamagi, who was attacked by three youths in February 2008″, says the Independent . The proceeds will go to the Damiano Tamagi Foundation, a charity dedicated to the prevention of youth violence, it says. - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi Independent – Money to go to foundation against youth violence, January 28, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? -

Doomsday Clock changes Doom Time

// January 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

- | Cool:- Now we know. Will the Doomsday Clock be turned back? – p2pnet asked yesterday, posting: “The symbolic Doomsday Clock started ticking in 1947, wound up by the board of directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago. The time is in minutes to midnight, “wherein midnight represents ‘catastrophic destruction’,” explains the Wikipedia . The clock was to be  changed, but forward or backward? “Citing a more ‘hopeful state of world affairs’ in relation to the twin threats posed by nuclear weapons and climate change, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) is moving the minute hand of its famous Doomsday Clock one minute away from midnight. It is now 6 minutes to midnight,” says a statement . “The decision by the BAS Science and Security Board was made in consultation with the Bulletin’s Board of Sponsors, which includes 19 Nobel Laureates.” At 6 minutes to midnight, “ We are poised to bend the arc of history toward a world free of nuclear weapons,” says BAS, going on > > > For the first time since atomic bombs were dropped in 1945, leaders of nuclear weapons states are cooperating to vastly reduce their arsenals and secure all nuclear bomb-making material.  And for the first time ever, industrialized and developing countries alike are pledging to limit climate-changing gas emissions that could render our planet nearly uninhabitable.  These unprecedented steps are signs of a growing political will to tackle the two gravest threats to civilization — the terror of nuclear weapons and runaway climate change.” Next steps? The BAS says > > > Developing new nuclear doctrines that disavow the use of existing nuclear weapons, reduce the launch readiness of U.S. and Russian nuclear forces, and remove them from the day-to-day operations of their militaries; Finishing the job of consolidating and securing military and civilian nuclear material in Russia, the United States, and elsewhere and continuing to eliminate the excess; Completing negotiations, signing and ratifying as soon as possible the new U.S.-Russia treaty providing for reductions in deployed nuclear warheads and delivery systems; Upon signing of the treaty, immediately embarking upon new talks to further reduce the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States; Completing the next review of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in May 2010 with commitments to weapons reduction and nuclear nonproliferation by both the nuclear haves and have-nots; Implementing multinational management of the civilian nuclear energy fuel cycle with strict standards for safety, security, and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, including eliminating reprocessing for plutonium separation; Strengthening the International Atomic Energy Agency’s capacity to oversee nuclear materials and technology development and transfer; Adopting and fulfilling climate change agreements to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through tax incentives, harmonized domestic regulation and practice; Transforming the coal power sector of the world economy to retire older plants; and Vastly increasing public and private investments in alternatives to carbon-emitting energy sources, such as solar and wind, and in technologies for energy storage, and sharing the results worldwide. Stay tuned. Clock Announcement 2010 from TurnBackTheClock.org on Vimeo . - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi p2pnet – Will the Doomsday Clock be turned back?, January 13, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? -

TorrentFactory stops serving

// January 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

- Freedom | P2P:- It’s day three of the TorrentFactory story under which Pablo, a 15-year-old Swiss programmer , takes on the might of the entertainment cartels represented, in this instance, by Holland’s BREIN, a kind of RIAA/MPAA combo. Now, “Torrent downloading currently unavailable,” says Pablo. “By following the BREIN instruction, we had to close all torrent download pages. I’m still gathering torrents on the developement environement. If you want to stay informed, join our Facebook page.” The story so far: Pablo creates an algorithm to “index web pages like  Google’s”. But  stresses he’s not making any money out of it. ‘Distributing torrents isn’t my main purpose, he says. I’ll keep improving the engine and serve other kind of data like pictures, videos, links or whatever — maybe an archive service — but I haven’t got that far yet.” Then along comes BREIN with with, “In the interest of and on behalf of the rights holders represented by BREIN we request that you cease and desist the abovementioned unlawful activities within the next 24 hours.” On Facebook , “Since distributing torrents in the Netherlands is considered as Illegal, I had to close the torrent distribution,” Pablo writes, addding: “I’ll take a server somewhere else, remove some illegal torrents and keep everything running up.” Shades of MiniNova, suggests Andrew aka Comeonecomcast. Stay tuned. - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi 15-year-old Swiss programmer – BREIN goes after TorrentFactory, January 3, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? -

We need your help for an online poll !

// January 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

- | P2P | Music:- We’d like to hijack you for a couple of minutes to complete an extended poll run by David Lessard on a2f2a.com , a site recently started by music fans and musicians to put the two communities together to their mutual advantage. ‘Start your own revolution!” is its slogan. “Cut out the middleman!” Actually it should have been ‘middlemen’. And you know who they are . Just being on a2f2a.com “means being part of the solution, and while it may seem intractable at times, we’ve kept a civil discussion going for several months, which is an accomplishment in itself,” said David, summing up the results of his survey . “It shows a commitment to the issue and that we all do want to find solutions.” He went on, “One step in that is to form a consensus on a statement, so that we have a position going forward into more public venues and can join the larger debate as a group. “Since there was so much good discussion in this thread about possible statements but no way to find out if we had a consensus, I created a survey to get some hard numbers on the issue.” You’ll find the results here . Now it’s your turn. If you’re reading this, it’s a pretty sure bet you’re among those who believe musicians should be paid for their work, and fans actively want to help make that happen. As I write this, with the UK as the focal point , Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music, and Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures are at the end of the line, betting everything they have they can regain control of ‘consumers’ through ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. If it’s ever formulated as law around the world,  “every man, woman and child on the planet will in one stroke lose their freedom of speech to fall under the thrall of companies and politicians who answer only to one small feral group,  corporate shareholders,” I said here . On top of that, musicians will continue to be totally dominated by the corporate music industry, as they’ve been for decades. At the moment, all the running is being made by the cartels and musicians who side with them. But for the first time in history, thanks to the net, the people now have a voice and we want to get them into the discussion. Now it’s time to show the entertainment cartels, and their bought-and-paid-for politicians, we, and not they, are in charge. A consensus statement is vital and data from across the board is needed to create it. Please take the time to complete it , and please tell everyone you know on every forum and site you visit to do the same. Cheers! And thanks … Jon Newton – p2pnet - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi January, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? -

Will the Doomsday Clock be turned back?

// January 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

- | Cool:- The symbolic Doomsday Clock started ticking in 1947, wound up by the board of directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago. The time is in minutes to midnight, “wherein midnight represents ‘catastrophic destruction’,” explains the Wikipedia , going on: “Originally, the analogy represented the threat of global nuclear war, but since includes climate-changing technologies and ‘new developments in the life sciences and nanotechnology that could inflict irrevocable harm’.The closer the clock is to midnight, the closer the world is estimated to be to global disaster.” Now “The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) have announced they will move the minute hand of its famous ‘Doomsday Clock’ at 10 a.m. EST/1500 GMT on January 14 in New York City,” says Newsroom America , going on > > > For the first time ever, the event will be opened up to the general public via a live Web feed at http://www.turnbacktheclock.org/ . The last time the Doomsday Clock minute hand moved was in January 2007, when the Clock’s minute hand was pushed forward by two minutes from seven to five minutes before midnight. BAS says the precise time to be shown on the updated Doomsday Clock will not be announced until the live news conference in New York City takes place on January 14, 2010. It says factors influencing the latest Doomsday Clock change include international negotiations on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, expansion of civilian nuclear power, the possibilities of nuclear terrorism, and climate change. Tick tock, tick tock … - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi January, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? -

Houston police eye spy in the sky

// January 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

- | Freedom:- “This looks like fun!” – says Boing Boing . “Houston Police using secret unmanned drone aircrafts to spy on folks.” The post points to a GooTube video showing “invite only” guests arriving at a demo of a drone. Not fun. Weapon-carrying, remotely c0ntrolled aircraft of one kind or another are standard gear for the military and agencies such as the CIA and it’s not in the least surprising to find this kind of  spy plane being eyed by a police force. The pic on the top is from a 2007 Defensetech post and shows an Insitu Inc ScanEagle launching. The one underneath is a clip from a Local2 TV news expose of the secret (or so local cops thought) Houston test. The frame used to launch both aircraft look similar, if not the same. Says the copy to the Defensetech item > > > Such a drone would take the fight to anti-​​Iraqi forces in areas where they currently perceive sanctuary, according to a briefing provided by one advisor, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. The concept is to take an existing Tier II medium-​​size drone in the vein of the 10-​​foot-​​wingspan Boeing/​InSitu Scan Eagle, and fit it with two 40-​​millimeter grenade launchers, two green-​​laser dazzlers and a focused sound device similar to the Long-​​Range Acoustic Device manufactured by American Technology Corporation. This suite would give Marine operators escalation of force options, according to the briefing. In other words, the drone would be able to first warn off suspected insurgents by beaming a verbal message in Arabic. If the suspects dont disperse, the drone can dial up the intensity of its sound broadcast, causing pain and disorientation. If that doesnt work, there are the laser dazzlers, which can cause temporary blindness from up to a mile away. If, after all of this, the suspects are still behaving threateningly, the drone can fire its grenade launchers. They can stay airborne for up to 24 hours. The first question is: how many of them are already in use, by whom, and where? And the second is: what else could/will they be used for — other than nabbing speeders from the sky? Police in Vancouver, BC, are already psyched up to deploy the Long Range Acoustic Device mentioned in the story. They “won’t rule out using a new crowd-control device as a weapon capable of emitting loud, painful blasts of sound that are potentially damaging to hearing,” says the Vancouver Sun , continuing: “But police spokesman Const. Lindsey Houghton insisted Tuesday that the Long Range Acoustical Device was bought principally to replace ‘antiquated hand-held megaphones’ as a tool to communicate in emergencies and for crowd control. Asked if police would ever use it for anything more than communication, Houghton said, “We can’t rule out anything.” There’s no way police (and other) forces will be able to resist a  spy eye in the sky that can be flown anywhere, even out of sight. George Orwell’s 1984 is starting to look like a walk in the park. Says Insitu blandly > > > Developed in partnership with The Boeing Company, ScanEagle stands above the competition with high stealthy levels at very low altitudes enabled by a low acoustic, visual, and infrared range signature, an advanced muffler, and a mature modular design that enables carriage of electro-optic or infrared imaging payloads. ScanEagle’s small operational footprint includes a pneumatic catapult and Insitu’s proprietary SkyHook retrieval system that offers true runway-independence. This permits launches and captures on small ships, unimproved terrain, and in to the wind for superior operating envelopes. ScanEagle’s retrieval system may also be used with other Insitu UAS. Differentiating characteristics including low personnel requirements, in-field component replaceability, inertially stabilized camera that can track fixed and moving objects for extended periods, and 24-hour flight endurance capability have made ScanEagle the UAS of choice for armed forces around the world. Stay  tuned. (Cheers, RW ) - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi Boing Boing – Video of Houston Police secret aerial drones, January 12, 2010 Defensetech – Laser Drone for the Corps, Juen 4, 2007 Long Range Acoustic Device – BC cops get ‘directed acoustic device’, November 14, 2009 Vancouver Sun – New hailer is a loudspeaker, not a crowd-control device, police say, November 11, 2009 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? -

Cellphone runs on soft-drink power!

// January 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // p2p

- | Cool:- At last! Someone’s found a truly creative way to use burp water! A cell phone powered by soft drinks. And it’s totally pollution free! “Bio battery is an ecologically-friendly energy that generates electricity from carbohydrates (currently sugar) and utilizes enzymes as the catalyst,” says Daizy Zheng from the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London. Her primary interest is in “designing everyday object that brings new experiences to people and make them rethink and question,” she says on her web page . “The concept is using bio battery technology as the power of the phone, says Daizi at CreativeSupermammals . “It only needs a pack of sugary drink and it generates water and oxygen while the battery dies out. Another of her innovative ideas is a “series of food packagings” created from “observations on personal behaviors”. Using “recognizable stereotyping packagings” the packages would “get people to realize their bad habits and encourage them to make a change for their everyday life,” she says. She created the BurpoPhone with Nokia in mind - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi January, 2010 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? -

Christmas gifts for bloggers

// December 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // p2p

- | Cool:- Jenna McWilliams says she spent quite a bit of time this week digging up lists of blogging-related holiday gifts. “This was partially motivated by selfish desires, since as a blogger myself I wanted to offer my family and friends a (hint hint) useful resource for finding gifts for the bloggers in their lives,” she told us. heh On sleeping alone and starting out early , “In case you’re looking for some last-minute gifts for the bloggers you know, I offer the following products designed to show how much you love and value their work in that nebulous place we call the blogosphere,” she says, going on > > > T-Shirts, stickers, and mugs I actually don’t know many bloggers who would wear T-shirts advertising their blogging practices. I’d probably be more likely to wear a T-shirt that advertises my blog’s URL than I would to wear any of the shirts below, but on the other hand, I’m a big fan of the last two designs. These are, respectively, from One Horse Shy , North Shore Shirts , Zazzle.com , and teezeria . Mugs for bloggers , by zazzle.com. At the risk of stereotyping: If there’s one thing bloggers use, it’s mugs. Cafe Press gifts: T-shirts, stickers, and mugs . These are fairly clip art-looking, but there are some gems in the pile. There are also some clunkers, exemplified by this kid’s hoodie encouraging caffeine addiction and antisocial behavior, if the imprinted message is to be believed: Happiness is… Your favorite pen a great plot line, a hot cup of coffee, and an entire day alone. Gift Lists from Elsewhere Ten Great Gifts for Bloggers and New Media Moguls , by Catherine-Gail Reinhard (Mashable.com). I offer this link even though I think only eight of the ten gift ideas proposed in this article are actually useful for your typical blogger / new media mogul. Idea #2, a laptop hideaway, is basically a $50 paperweight since no blogger worth her salt actually chooses to or even wants to stow her laptop out of sight. Suggestion #8, typewriter jewelry, is perhaps useful for some bloggers, but others of us spend so much time stuck to a laptop that we don’t have time for things like personal adornment and / or hygiene. 50 Perfect Gifts for Webophiles, Bloggers, and Internet Marketers , by SEOmozBlog. This list is fairly gadget-heavy, with several desktop toy-type items (including the Cranium Poindexter doll at right). In my experience, bloggers tend to lose / drop / break things with a fair amount of frequency, so exercise your good sense here. I do like the emphasis throughout this list on gadgets that can clean / feed / organize the typical webophile. Gadgets for Geeks , from Skimbaco Lifestyle. This list is exactly what the title suggests: a short list of a variety of geeky gadgets, including clocks, quirky USB drives, and the Kindle. HoMedics Shiatsu Back Massager This is a must-have for any blogger. Well, okay, it’s a must-have for this blogger. I tried one of these at a local pharmacy the other day and I almost slid out of the chair. I was JUST THAT RELAXED. Ho Ho Ho - . More sleeping alone and starting out early – Gifts for the blogger in your life, December 21, 2009 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It`s really easy! Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://-/index-wml.php -? -

Prince William: down and out in London

// December 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // p2p

- | Off Topic:- Britain’s prince William, 27, Number Two in line to the UK throne, now knows first-hand what it’s like to be hungry, cold and homeless during the season of goodwill. Last night he crashed near Blackfriars bridge in central London. “At a dinner Prince William attended in March 2009 to support Centrepoint , the Prince, our Patron, threw down the gauntlet for us to work towards ending youth homelessness by our 50th anniversary,” says Centrepoint CEO Seyi Obakin, going on: “I invited him to share, for one night, the experience a young person sleeping rough on the streets of London might have. It did not occur to me that he would pick up that gauntlet. But he did!” After almost run over by a road sweeper, “I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London’s streets night after night,” William is quoted as saying. “Poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol dependancy and family breakdown cause people to become and then stay homeless.” Meanwhile, over at Buck House … - . More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi Centrepoint – Prince William spent a night sleeping rough to experience homelessness, December 23, 2009 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It`s really easy! Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://-/index-wml.php -? -

Top 100 videos for 2009

// December 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // p2p

- | Cool:- These, according to Gawker , are the top 100 videos for 2009. And all in only three minutes! Top 10 > > > 1. The Amazing Beat-box Kid 2. Elephant Sneezing 3. Surprised Kitty 4. Weird Animal Gets Tickled 5. Cat Kicked By Breakdancer 6. Mambo Dog 7. Two Dogs, One Cockroach 8. So Your Cat Wants a Massage? 9. The Horrifying Sleeping Dog 10. Baby Does Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” Bottom 10 > > > 91. Fantasy Football Players Show Off 92. 9-Year-Old’s Amazing Hockey Goal 93. Oops, Wrong Tackle 94. Taco Explodes in Slow Motion 95. Crazy Soccer Girl Fight 96. Redhead Kid Dances 97. Strange Kid Sings 98. The Most Drunk Guy Ever 99. Risky Business Fail 100. Keyboard Cat Click here for the Gawker original. The GooTube version, which just went online, is below. Now you know. - . More If p2pnet has value for you, help me keep it online. Cheers! And thanks : ) (If you don’t fancy online payments, please email me at p2pnet @ shaw dot ca and I’ll send you my snail-mail address.) Gawker – The Top 100 Videos of 2009 in Less Than 3 Minutes, December 15, 2009 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It`s really easy! Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://-/index-wml.php -? -

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