not the nightly news

4.2 patch interview with Tom Chilton

2011-04-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

a great insight into the mind of a game director and his team enjoy

world of warcraft pvp mage build part 2

2011-04-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

6. Macros

Freeze on your Frostbolt

#showtooltip Frostbolt
/cast frostbolt
/click PetActionButton4

Summon your pet if you don't have one or cast freeze

#showtooltip Summon Water Elemental
/cast [nopet] Summon Water Elemental
/cast !Freeze

Cast Ice block or cancel it, spam it for a debuff remover.

#showtooltip Ice Block
/stopcasting
/cancelaura Ice Block
/cast Ice Block

Sheep your focus if you have one, else it will cast on your target.

#showtooltip Polymorph
/cast [target=focus, exists, harm] Polymorph; Polymorph

And the same for Counterspell

#showtooltip Counterspell
/stopcasting
/cast [target=focus, exists, harm] Counterspell; Counterspell

7. Addons

Gladius - Arena unit frames -
http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/gladius.aspx

Gnomish interrupter - Party chat info about your CC -
http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/gnomish-interrupter.aspx

Quartz - Must have castbar -
http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/quartz.aspx

OmniCC - Timers of cooldowns on your action bars -
http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wow-addons/details/omni-cc.aspx

8. Tips

Practice alot. All good mages started with killing boars. A good way to practice is dueling.
Don't be scared outside the gates of Orgrimmar or Stormwind. Find someone of your skill
level and duel with him, get revenge if you lose so that eventually you let him bite the dust.

Another way to train your skills for arena is... arena! Find someone to play 2v2 for fun,
you will learn your own class but other classes too + you get the conquest points cap!

Watch Mage PvP videos. Vanilla WoW or not, skills are skills. You can still learn from
old movies because killing is for the most part kiting/position work.
You can find some here or choose one down: http://warcraftmovies.com/movies.php?
class=4&category=1&tab=dls

Vurtne - Probably the best mage ever. He doesn't play anymore so the movie is a bit old.
http://warcraftmovies.com/movieview.php?id=39506

Noone - Movie captured in TBC.
http://warcraftmovies.com/movieview.php?id=70655

Saru & Tharbad - 2v2 with double Frost Mage
http://warcraftmovies.com/movieview.php?id=55762

Gameking - Arena in WOTLK, 2v2 and 3v3
http://warcraftmovies.com/movieview.php?id=131789

There aren't much good Cataclysm videos because the expansion is young and it takes
loads of time to make one.

Copied from http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/1710233539 :

Always CS a lock on Hand of Gul'dan. It will lock his fire and shadow school.
The same counts for a druids Starsurge and Frostfire Bolt from a mage.

If a warrior uses Spell Reflect, cast fire blast to take it away. If you're low you can use
Polymorph to get yourself up again.

If you spellsteal Hand of Sacrifice, 30% of the damage you take will still go to the paladin.

You can cast out of a rogues smoke bomb, you can't cast into it.

Spamming pet follow will stop your images to attack someone.

Flame orb hits rogues in stealth and brings them out, despite no animation of it hitting.

Save up 2 finger of frost procs, icelance twice, then pet nova and icelance twice more,
potentially 4 gamebreaking crits.

You can use Blink to avoid fall damage, just cast it when you're almost about to hit
the ground.

When defending a base in BG, position your pet twenty yards in front of you, you
can use its freeze spell to stop horde

in their tracks which lets the defence guys get the first hit in.

Critism is welcome as long as it's constructive.

#2

These are excerpts from world of warcraft armoury forum

world of warcraft pvp mage build part 1

2011-04-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

1. Spec
2. Glyphs
3. Stats
4. Gear
5. Gems & Enchants

1. Spec

At the moment there are 3 different builds viable.

Frost with middle burst, and passive oriented talents.
7/3/31
http://wowtal.com/#k=kqbKKsHC.aei.mage.

Frost with middle burst but alot of stuns due Impact.
2/8/31
http://wowtal.com/#k=SHRH95L6.aei.mage.

Frost with high burst, i recommend this one.
9/0/31
http://www.wowhead.com/talent#oMhbbZZffdhsusd0o

You can change the spec if you're feeling that something is not right.

2. Glyphs

Prime:

Glyph of Frostbolt - Increases the critical strike chance of your Frostbolt spell by 5%.
Glyph of Frostfire - Increases the damage done by your Frostfire Bolt by 15% and your Frostfire Bolt now
deals 3% additional damage over 12 sec, stacking up to 3 times, but no longer reduces the victim's movement speed.
Glyph of Ice Lance - Increases the damage of your Ice Lance spell by 5%.

Major:

Glyph of Evocation - Your Evocation ability also causes you to regain 40% of your health over its duration.
Glyph of Polymorph - Your Polymorph spell also removes all damage over time effects from the target.

The third one depends on your playstyle as there are 3 options available.
Alot of mages switched from Ice Barrier to Icy Veins or Blink because Ice Barrier is in a really bad state now.
Glyph of Ice Barrier - Increases the amount of damage absorbed by your Ice Barrier by 30%.
Glyph of Icy Veins - Your Icy Veins ability also removes all movement slowing and cast time slowing effects.
Glyph of Blink - Increases the distance you travel with the Blink spell by 5 yards.

Minor:

Here again it depends on your style, choose what you like.
Glyph of Conjuring - Reduces the mana cost of your Conjuring spells by 50%.
Glyph of Armors - Increases the duration of your Armor spells by 30 min.
Glyph of Slow Fall - Your Slow Fall spell no longer requires a reagent.
Glyph of Arcane Brilliance - Reduces the mana cost of your Arcane Brilliance spell by 50%.

3. Stats

First of all, get the hitcap. You don't want to lose an arena because you're Polymorph missed. The hitcap
for mages is 4% and it isn't really hard to get it, if you're full PvP Gear you'll need probably 1 hit gem.
The Spell Penetration cap is 240, you have two options to get the cap:

Bloodthirsty cloak with 70 Spell Penetration enchant = 248
Vicious cloak with a hit gem = 251

Also, you need about 17% crit, otherwise youre shatters will never come off.

If you have these 3 stats it's: Int > Crit > Haste/Mastery.

4. Gear

PvE gear isn't viable in PvP anymore so i suggest to go full PvP gear. With Ice Barrier in this state you
really need loads of resilience to stay alive. Most Mages are running with 3000-3400 resilience these days.
NEVER gem for resilience because it isn't worth it. When you reached ~3300 you can choose to use Crit
trinkets instead of resilience, but that's your choice.

If you have Engineering, make sure that you get Lightweight Bio-Optic Killshades with a +Crit and
a +Resi cogwheel.

5. Gems & Enchants

Head - 60 Intellect and 35 Resilience rating
Shoulder - 50 Intellect and 25 Resilience rating
Cloak - 70 Spell Peneration/50 Critical Strike rating
Chest - 40 Resilience rating
Wrists - 50 Critical Strike rating
Hands - 50 Haste rating
Belt - Belt buckle
Legs - 95 Intellect and 80 Stamina
Feet - 30 Stamina and Minor Movement Speed
Main Hand - Power torrent or if you don't have the money Hurricane
Off Hand - 40 Intellect

Meta gem - Chaotic Shadowspirit Diamond
Red gem - 40 Intellect
Yellow gem - 40 Critical Strike rating or 67 Critical Strike rating if you have Jewelcrafting
Blue gem - 20 Critical Strike rating and 20 Hit rating or 50 Spell penetration
#1

so in the next post I will cover:
6. Macros
7. Addons

These are excerpts from world of warcraft armoury forum

Near miss in Adelaide for quantas

2010-08-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

THE Victorian cricket team and Australian band the John Butler Trio were involved in a tense near-miss in Adelaide when the landing gear of their plane appeared to fail

Cricket Victoria spokeswoman Jessica Cook said the entire squad of 17 - including Australian team members Cameron White and Peter Siddle - and sports staff were on the plane from Darwin to Adelaide last night.

Ms Cook, who was travelling with the team, said after circling the airport several times, the Qantas crew advised passengers a cockpit light indicated a problem with the landing gear, particularly the front wheel.

After a tense 45 minutes, passengers were advised to prepare for a crash landing and get into a brace position.

"Every big name that we have was on the plane," she told AAP.

"There was certainly a bit of angst and we were very happy to get off the plane."

Ms Cook said the John Butler Trio was at the front of the plane and, like everyone else on board, was shaken by the ordeal.

Despite a "bumpy" touchdown, the plane landed safely, she said.

Apple can take your photo and shut down your jailbroken iPhone, iPad

2010-08-27T04:05:00.000-07:00

APPLE has been accused of creating "traitorware" for trying to patent security software that tracks down people who jailbreak their iPhones and iPads and locks them out of their devices.
Jailbreaking allows users to access software and features for their devices that have not been sanctioned by Apple.
The process was declared legitimate by a US court earlier this month, but Apple said any such interference in their device will void its warranty.
Apple's patent, which went before the US Patent and Trademark Office earlier this week, is for "systems and methods for identifying unauthorised users of an electronic device".
Using the software, Apple can remotely access your sensitive information and data, ostensibly to determine if you are an “authorised user”.

Among the information they can access, the system can take a flashless, undetectable photo of the users' face (with the iPhone 4's front-facing camera) and multiple photos of the surrounding location.
It can also record the users' voice regardless of whether they are making a phone call, monitor their internet usage and record the heartbeat and “vibration signature” of the user.
According to the patent application, if these identifiers do not match the "authorised" user, the system then determines if there is "suspicious behaviour".
Suspicious behaviour, says the application "comprises one or more of hacking the electronic device, jailbreaking the electronic device, unlocking the electronic device, removing a SIM card from the electronic device, and moving at least a predetermined distance away from a synced device".
If Apple decides that all this adds up to unauthorised use they will remotely lock or shut down the offending iPhone or iPad, making it unusable.
It's been labelled by watchdog organisations as dangerous spyware. They even invented a new word for it – “traitorware”.
US civil liberties group, Electronic Frontier Foundation, has called the patent "downright creepy and invasive" and overkill for technology that is to track down a lost or stolen phone - something already possible with the "Mobile Me" app.
"This patented process could be used to retaliate against you if you jailbreak or tinker with your device in ways that Apple views as 'unauthorised' even if it is perfectly legal," it said.
There are obvious financial incentives for Apple putting an end to the legal process and the Electronic Frontier Foundation believe this could be the greater motive behind the software.
“This patent application does nothing short of providing a roadmap for how Apple can - and presumably will - spy on its customers and control the way its customers use Apple products.”
Electronic Frontiers Australia shares their concerns.

“There are huge privacy implications.” Colin Jacobs, chair of EFA told news.com.au
“It raises the risk of what happens if someone gains unauthorised access to the information… if this information is stored then it's pretty clear that someone will come looking for it.”

US military's top secret X-37B shuttle 'disappears' for two weeks, changes orbit

2010-08-27T02:38:00.000-07:00

AMATEUR astronomers are enjoying a cat-and-mouse game with the US military in keeping track of its secret space plane, the X-37B.
The X-37B was launched in April amid much publicity, but scant detail about its true use.
Built by Boeing's Phantom Works division, the X-37B program was originally headed by NASA.
It was later turned over to the Pentagon's research and development arm and then to a secretive Air Force unit.

Only a very select few in the US military know what it's for, but observers on Earth believe they're putting together the puzzle piece by piece.
Several sources claim quote arms control advocates who say it's clearly the beginning of the "weaponisation of space".
In May, avid skywatcher Ted Molczan studied the X-37B's orbit from his home in Toronto and said its behaviour suggested it was testing sensors for a range of new spy satellites.
Since then, the X-37B been arguably the least-secret secret project on the planet, as fellow backyard astronomers joined in the scrutiny, aided by how-to video guides and apps such as the Simple Satellite Tracker.
That is, they did until July 29, when the shuttle disappeared, causing all kinds of consternation and conspiracy theories about its fate.
It took amateur skywatcher Greg Roberts of Cape Town, South Africa, who noticed that it failed to appear as scheduled above his base on August 14, another five days to find it.
When he did, he noticed it was some 30km higher and on a different trajectory, according to calculations from other colleagues in Rome and Oklahoma.
The X-37B's new track means it takes six days to pass the same spot on Earth, as opposed to its original four-day track.
Mr Molczan believes this may be another small piece to the puzzle about what role the shuttle may play in US military operations.
"This small change of orbit may have been a test of OTV-1's manoeuvring system, or a requirement of whatever payload may be aboard, or both," he said in a release paper about Roberts' X-37B find.
The shuttle has been in orbit now for 124 days. It uses a solar array once in space for power, which theoretically will allow it to stay airborne for up to 270 days.
But the additional presence of large fuel tanks and a rocket motor allows it to change orbit, as evidenced by the latest sudden change of course.
According to the The Register, this is a key component of its surveillance-related capabilities, along with the fact it can land in a much more versatile fashion than other shuttles.
Using its "cross-range" wings, it can duck off elsewhere once its entered the Earth's atmosphere rather than follow its oribital track to a pre-specified landing pad.
This means the X-37B can get up and down from space in one orbit, as its wings allow it to compensate for the slight turn in the Earth and bend it back to its original launch pad.
The Register says that capability would make it difficult to track, as it would only pass over a region once.
Theoretically, it could drop a spy satellite on one run, then pick it up on the next without the satellite having ever been detected.
Other observers claim the X-37B can carry a payload roughly the size of a medium-sized truck bed, or enough to hold a spy satellite.
According to the Pentagon, a second X-37B is under construction, so expect the guessing game to continue for some time about what the US military is really up to in space.
Until now, all that remains known about the X-37B is that is it has at least one trick - the ability to hide from skywatchers for two weeks

New Kindle 3 'everything the iPad isn't'

2010-08-27T02:08:00.000-07:00

EARLY reviews for the new Kindle 3 are calling the e-reader "everything the iPad will never be".
Amazon's new device was this week shipped out to North American and UK customers who had been among the first to order the device.
Amazon has been offering its Kindle devices since 2007 and has managed to hold onto a large portion of the e-reader market despite increasing competition.
On the day it began shipping the newest devices, Amazon announced that the Kindle 3 was its fastest-selling device yet - a feat likely due in part to a rise in digital reading driven mainly by the Kindle itself.
The third-generation Kindle is smaller, lighter, and available in both Wi-Fi/3G and Wi-Fi-only versions.
Among reviews, PC World calls it "the first e-reader in months that's left me wanting to read more" and "a winner that shoots to the head of the pack", while PC Advisor says its set of upgrades "vaults it to the top of the e-book reader category".

While the Kindle is competing with a variety of other readers, including major contenders such as the Nook, Kobo, and Sony e-readers, the device's stiffest competition may come in the form of the iPad, Apple's tablet computer.
Wired, however, remarked that Kindle's "continued popularity bodes well for the future of single-purpose long-form reading devices," while The New York Times says "(The Kindle 3) is ingeniously designed to be everything the iPad will never be: small, light and inexpensive."
Among negative points, CNET notes the device's lack of support for ePub files.
All books in the Kindle Store are available exclusively in Amazon's proprietary format, a feature that is frequently cited by reviewers as one of its biggest drawbacks.
The Kindle 3 has a 6-inch-size reading area, measures 7.5 by 4.8 by 0.3 inches and weighs about 245g.
Other small, lightweight e-reading devices include dedicated readers such as the Sony Reader Pocket Edition and the COOL-ER e-reader, as well multi-fictional devices such as the Blackberry, Android phones, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

Motorcyclist Michael Wiles fined after nabbed carrying a barbecue on freeway

2010-08-27T02:02:00.000-07:00

A MOTORCYCLIST who was photographed on a freeway with a barbecue strapped to his body has hit a snag.
A magistrate has described Michael Wiles' behaviour as ridiculous and fined him $800 for careless riding.
Mr Wiles, 29, has pleaded guilty to the charge.
The court heard the rider was heading home on the Eastern Freeway in January 2008, when he was spotted carrying a barbecue that had been put out for hard waste collection.
He was effectively “wearing” the barbecue in order to carry it home, and his vision was partly obscured by a steel grate.
Police investigated the bizarre incident after the Herald Sun published a photo of Mr Wiles was taken by a passing motorist.

Mr Wiles' barrister Paul McClure told the Melbourne Magistrates Court today that his client's excuse was “lack of thought processes'' and poverty.
“He was financially a bit under the pump,'' he said.
“It turned out the barbecue was a dud and did not work and that's probably why it was at the side of the road.
“This is stupid behaviour and nobody should do it.''
Mr McClure said that Mr Wiles suffered ridicule from friends and work mates when his identity was revealed in a follow-up article and he was approached by Barbeques Galore to do an ad.
But he refused to glorify his behaviour and instead used the media to promote a road safety message.
Magistrate Lionel Winton-Smith said he couldn't recall seeing anything like it in his years on the bench.
However, he downgraded the charge from dangerous to careless driving.
Mr Wiles also lost his licence for a month.

Man shot in head notices five years later

2010-08-27T01:55:00.000-07:00

A MAN living in Germany was shot in the back of his head, but it took him five years to realise it, police say.
The 35-year-old man was hit by a .22-calibre bullet in the town of Herne as he was out in the street partying and drunk on New Year's Eve five years ago, police said overnight.
They say the man recalled receiving a blow to the head, but told them he didn't seek medical assistance at the time.
The bullet did not penetrate the skull, and police say the Polish man only went to see a doctor recently when he felt a lump on the back of his head.
An X-ray showed an object under his skin, and doctors operated and found the projectile.
Police say it may have been a stray bullet fired by a reveller in celebration.

the stig's identity revealed

2010-08-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

NEW evidence has reportedly unmasked the mystery racing driver known as The Stig who appears in "Top Gear" disguised in a white helmet and black visor.
Documents naming a former Formula Three driver called Ben Collins, 35, point to his being the famous anonymous figure, NewsCore reports.
Though his name has been suggested before, this is the first time evidence has apparently linked Collins to the arrival of the white-clad Stig on Top Gear in 2003 - replacing the previous “black” Stig.
The accounts of the driver's company, Collins Autosport, show he established an important commercial relationship with Top Gear just as the new Stig appeared.
In December 2003, a month after the new Stig’s first appearance, the firm recorded a “cornerstone year".

This was partly down to "driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear program".

Reader's Comments: The Stig finally unmasked - The Daily Telegraph
Daily Telegraph,
The directors described it as offering “good long-term prospects for continuing income”. The only convincing explanation for such a view is that Collins had become The Stig, NewsCore reports.
On Saturday, Collins was racing in Hungary. Contacted by telephone, he said: “I can’t speak to you. I’m going into a tunnel.”
The news comes only days after it was revealed The Stig was in dispute with the BBC over a planned autobiography. The broadcaster's lawyers are opposing the book because it would necessarily reveal his identity.
Top Gear, currently presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, is estimated to have 350 million viewers worldwide.

Millions more for scratch-Lotto four-time winner Joan Ginther

2010-08-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

A US woman has continued an amazing run of luck after pocketing a fourth multi-million dollar payout from a scratchie ticket.
Joan Ginther's $US10 million ($14 million) win from a $US50 scratchie ticket last week was nothing out of the ordinary - it was the fourth time she has won a seven-figure sum through playing lottery.
Her win has US news networks calling her the world's luckiest ever lottery player.
ABC News said Ginther's first win came in 1993 when she won $US5.4 million. She won a further $US2 million from a $US30 scratchie ticket in 2006.
Ginther then won another $US3 million in 2008, again from a scratchie ticket.
ABC news reported the 63-year-old bought three of her winning tickets from a local Texas store.
The lucky winner requested minimal publicity, according to the Texas lottery commission, and has not given any interviews.

fighting for her life after being struck by a deadly flesh-eating bug

2010-08-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

A HONG Kong pensioner is fighting for her life after being struck by a deadly flesh-eating bug when she hurt her finger handling a fish.
The unnamed 68-year-old woman is in intensive care after what is thought to be the necrotising fasciitis bacteria - which can kill within 12 hours - devoured her left hand and ravaged her right leg, the health department said.

The woman, who was already suffering from ill health, injured her left index finger when handling the fish at home on August 18, the Centre for Health Protection at the Department of Health said in a statement.

"She developed fever and pain over left hand and right leg on August 19 and was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on the same day," the statement said.

"She later developed septic shock after admission.

"Operations were performed on August 20 to remove the dead tissues. She is currently in the intensive care unit in critical condition."

Lab tests showed Vibrio vulnificus, a type of bacteria causing necrotising fasciitis, in the patient's blood.

The necrotising fasciitis bacteria can enter the skin through the tiniest cut before releasing flesh and muscle-destroying toxins.

There are just 0.4 cases per 100,000 people worldwide annually, mainly among the over-60s, according to the Medscape online clinical information service. Quick treatment with antibiotics is the only known cure.

the real reason why Wirra left dancing with the stars

2010-08-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

FORMER West Coast star David Wirrpanda was fed up with his dance partner's jealous husband shortly before quitting hit TV show Dancing with the Stars.
The Sunday Times understands Liza Van Pelt's husband was seething about seeing his wife and the buff champion footballer together.
His jealousy was so out of control that he sat in on rehearsals at a Perth dance studio until Channel 7 told Van Pelt to tell him to hit the road.
A spokeswoman for Wirrpanda denied the husband's antics pushed the footballer to quit the show - a move which shocked fans last week - and said he left to make way for better dancers.
But she confirmed there had been tension about three weeks ago.
"He was just a pain in the arse," she said yesterday of Van Pelt's husband.
"At the time (David) said, 'I'm sick of it, I don't want to have to deal with the husband, what's he doing there?' He was hanging around.
"I said, 'Well, he shouldn't be, I'll call the show up, he shouldn't be there'.
"I got on to it that day. They solved it.
"They just told Liza that he wasn't allowed to come down and be in the studio - those two were the dance partners and that was it."
The spokeswoman said Wirrpanda was also frustrated that the husband was giving advice on the couple's dance steps.

" David said Liza was listening to what he's saying about their dance routines and he shouldn't have to deal with that," the spokeswoman said.
"He (Wirrpanda) was annoyed about the fact that he was being told by someone else what to do with his dance steps.
"He was just getting frustrated and he's allowed to, because no one else is meant to be giving any input into their dance routine.
"But what he said on the night (he quit) was 100 per cent true in regards to him leaving the show.
"He was getting through on popularity.
"It shouldn't be a popularity vote, it should be voted on skill . . . and it's exactly the reason why he said, 'I can't do it, it's not fair on the others, all these great people are being voted off'.
"And, let's be brutally honest, he can't dance. He was shocking and he realised that and (that's) why he made that decision."
Van Pelt would not comment in detail when contacted yesterday, but said: "I think it's a little bit blown out of proportion."
Read more at Perth Now.

Wedge-tail eagle leaves nuptials in a flap

2010-08-22T04:36:00.000-07:00

Birds of prey used at weddings
Rings clipped to bird's legs

FORGET something borrowed and something blue, the latest accessory for the modern Gold Coast bride is a fearsome bird of prey.
A wedge-tailed eagle has been trained to swoop down the aisle over the heads of astonished guests to deliver the wedding rings to the best man or groom, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports.
"Ten years after you've been to a wedding you won't remember the food that you ate, but you will remember if an eagle flew in," said Zanna Carey from Broadwings Events.
The eagle can perform its fly-in trick at weddings in churches, on beaches or in garden locations.
At the right moment during the ceremony, the best man or groom raises a gloved hand with a scrap of meat in it and the handler releases the bird.
The rings are clipped to leather straps tied to the bird's legs

Duck! It's the Muhammad Ali of ancient predators

2010-08-21T23:39:00.000-07:00

-Prehistoric terror bird was quick and agile
-Bird ruled South America with fighting style
-Used hatchet-type jabs to take down prey
AN ANCIENT "terror bird" has been named the Muhammad Ali of predators, using the famed boxer's agile attack and retreat strategy while attacking prey.
Computer imaging and CT scans were used by an international team of scientists, including an expert from the University of NSW, to reveal the predatory behaviour of the andalgalornis.
Andalgalornis couldn't fly but the 1.4m tall bird, which lived in northwestern Argentina about six million years ago, weighed 40kg and had an unusually large, rigid skull and hawk-like hooked beak.
It would have avoided close combat and used hatchet-like jabs to take down its victims, according to the study published in the journal PLoS ONE.
"We found that this terror bird was well adapted to drive in its deep, narrow beak then pull back with that wickedly recurved tip," study co-author and NSW University School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences'

Computational Biomechanics research group director Dr Stephen Wroe said.
"As a heavyweight, its fighting style was more like that of a bobbing, weaving Muhammad Ali than a Joe Frazier wading into the fray and slugging it out."
Terror birds were carnivorous flightless birds up to almost 3m tall which were the dominant predators in ancient South America.
Researchers tested the mechanical performance of an andalgalornis skull under different simulated feeding behaviours, running computer simulations to model the biomechanics of three ways of attacking prey.
They were a vertical killing bite, pulling back with its neck to dismember prey and shaking the skull from side to side when dealing with struggling prey.
The computer images showed coloured images of the skull, which revealed blue cool areas depicting where stresses on the skull were low, and white hot areas where stresses were high.
"When we simulated shaking its head from side to side, its skull lights up like a Christmas tree," Dr Wroe said.
"It really does not handle that kind of stress well.
"If it was taking big prey it would have to use a very precise bite in a repeated attack-and-retreat strategy.

"Once killed, the prey would have then been ripped into bite-sized morsels or, if possible, swallowed whole."

Filming underway for first 3D porn

2010-08-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

Filming underway for first 3D porn
Story loosely based on Chinese classic
Movie likely blocked on mainland China
A GROUP of Hong Kong filmmakers have started shooting what they claim will be the world's first 3D pornographic film.
The US$3.2 million 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy, set for release in May, has already generated interest in a host of Asian film markets, as well as Europe and the US, the Sunday Morning Post reported.
Loosely based on a piece of classical Chinese erotic literature, The Carnal Prayer Mat, the movie will star Japanese adult actresses Yukiko Suo and Saori Hara, the Post said.
The film chronicles the story of a young man who, after being introduced to the erotic world of a duke, realises his ex-wife is the love of his life and features "orgies, swinging and some very graphic sex scenes", the paper said.
Producer Stephen Shiu acknowledged that censors would likely block the movie's screening in mainland China, a key market for Hong Kong filmmakers.
9
"(But) we are almost closing deals with some markets including Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and some pay TV channels in Hong Kong," Mr Shiu told the paper.
Italian director Tinto Brass has announced he would produce a 3D remake of his 1979 erotic film Caligula, while Hustler plans to release a pornographic spoof of 3D science fiction film Avatar, the top-grossing movie of all time which has earned about $US2.7 billion worldwide since its release.

Culling farting feral animals could curb carbon, Pew says

2010-08-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

Culling animals may help environment - Pew
"Wild animals produce too much methane"
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CULLING the feral animals that burp and fart their way around Australia's outback could eliminate billions of tonnes of carbon emissions, an environmental group says.
A study commissioned by the Nature Conservancy and the Pew Environment Group has found that 9.7 billion tonnes of carbon is stored in the nation's central forests, grass and woodlands.
But through better land management, such as culling wild animals, reducing wildfires, limiting tree clearing and allowing vegetation to regrow, another 1.3 billion tonnes of carbon could be stored by 2050 - the equivalent of taking 7.5 million cars off the road every year for the next 40.
Pew spokesman Barry Traill said a program of culling feral camels was already underway, but needed to be extended.
"When feral animals belch they release methane, a particularly noxious greenhouse gas, and every single camel or water buffalo releases the equivalent of around one tonne of carbon dioxide each year,'' he told reporters in Canberra.
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"When you've got hundreds of thousands, in some cases millions, of these feral animals, it's a very large amount of pollution each year.''
Dr Traill said the practical and inexpensive measures should be part of all political parties climate change policies.
"This is not theory, these are not some new ideas which need ... more science, this is work that is being done right now,'' he said.
"If we expand it across much greater areas of the country we will get those inexpensive savings.''
Australian Greens senator Christine Milne welcomed the study, which pointed to potential emissions reductions of 5 per cent by 2030.
"We need substantial investment in techniques to measure terrestrial carbon and in helping the stewards of our land - indigenous people, farmers, land care groups - to make the changes needed to tap the huge potential that is there,'' she said.

POLICE officer leaving his beat to see a dwarf porn star.

2010-08-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

A POLICE officer resigned from the force after leaving his beat to see a dwarf porn star.
Officer Richard Bennett, 28, deserted his late night patrol to visit a gentleman's club where adult film star Bridget "The Midget" Powers - billed as "the world’s smallest porn star" - was performing last month.
The officer, who was serving in the Stoughton, Massachusetts patrol, resigned after leaving his beat to see the porn star, The Patriot Ledger reported.

He was in uniform at the time and was reported to authorities by at least five other officers, said Stoughton Police Chief Paul Shastany.
He then reportedly lied about the visit during an internal investigation into the incident.
“Mama told me there would be days like this,” Shastany said, on confirming Bennett's resignation. “We are not red-faced. In fact, I am pretty proud [other officers] stepped up.”
Bennett, who last month received a commendation for his work in a March murder case, resigned on June 30 rather than face disciplinary action, Shastany said.

Woman strips at restaurant during 'fist fight'

2010-08-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

Woman strips at restaurant during 'fist fight'
'Shocked customers rushed children inside'
Fight between women 'was over a man'
A WOMAN stripped off naked in front of dozens of people having breakfast at a popular Darwin restaurant yesterday.
Witnesses said the woman took off all her clothes after she and another woman had a full-on fist fight over a man, reported the Northern Territory News.
"That was just a shocker," eyewitness Fernando Dentes, 34, said. "People were trying to eat." Police said a 39-year-old woman had to be picked up from the median strip on Dick Ward Drive after she bared all in front of the Cool Spot Cafe in Fannie Bay.
Patrons were reportedly unimpressed.
Children were rushed inside the venue and police were called to escort the naked woman away.
The woman was lying naked on the ground smoking a cigarette in full view of customers at the restaurant.

Three uniformed officers, in a paddy wagon and a sedan, arrived at the scene before giving the woman an on-the-spot fine and taking her to her home to Moulden, in Palmerston.
It is unclear whether she was drunk.
Mr Dentes, who was the shift manager at the restaurant at the time, said that staff had alerted police after customers complained about the striptease.
"The two ladies were arguing about the fella they were there with," he said.
"It was pretty verbal. One had the other on the ground," he said.
"She was pretty much just defending herself and then she was lifting up her shirt and showing her breasts.
"She took off her clothes and then she walked to the median strip lid a cigarette and laid down.

92yo woodchopper sharpens axe for competition

2010-08-21T01:54:00.000-07:00

One of Australia's oldest and best woodchoppers, 92-year-old Vic Summers, will compete again at this weekend's Mary Valley Country Show at Imbil, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Mr Summers, an eight-time world tree-felling champion, briefly contemplated retiring from competitive woodchopping last year but dismissed the idea.

Longtime friend and fellow woodchopper Max Krogh says Mr Summers is an amazing man.

"Nothing worries him - he's still got nerves of steel, he's just incredible," he said.

"He was always noted as the best hardwood cutter that Australia ever produced.

"He didn't like the softwood so much, but [at] the hardwood he was just unreal - he used to make a hard block look soft."

Mr Krogh says he would not be placing any bets on Mr Summers "giving it away" anytime soon.

"People keep saying 'you're that old you ought to retire' but he just sort of feels like he'll just keep going," he said.

"[For] a man of 92, it's unbelievable."

French woman buries brother, discovers dead son

2010-08-21T01:46:00.000-07:00

- A French woman discovered her 42-year-old son had been buried in the same cemetery where she was attending her brother's funeral, after she had tried to invite him to the ceremony, a newspaper said on Friday.

The family were leaving the cemetery near Lille, about 220 kilometres north of Paris, on Wednesday when one of them noticed a temporary wooden gravestone bearing the son's name and date of birth in an area reserved for poor people.

"In two or three seconds, everybody started to scream," the man's father Elie Langlet told La Voix du Nord newspaper. "Josiane (the mother) collapsed. She buries her brother and finds her kid in a grave near him. It's unthinkable," he said.

The local council confirmed the father of one, Olivier, had died on July 5 from natural causes.

Josiane Vermeersch said she had tried to contact her son a few days before to invite him to his uncle's funeral, to no avail, and had thought he was ignoring her after a row.

"Someone hasn't done their job," she told news channel I-Tele. "I demand explanations," Vermeersch said, adding it was unbelievable in a time of modern technology that nobody had attempted to contact the family.

Citing the funeral parlour that buried the man, the newspaper said it was not uncommon for families not to be informed if there is no immediate contact address.

French law stipulates that a burial must take place within six days of a death.

Scottish scientists brew up whisky biofuel

2010-08-21T01:41:00.000-07:00

Scientists in Scotland have unveiled a new biofuel made from whisky by-products that they say can power ordinary cars more efficiently than ethanol.

A research team from Edinburgh's Napier University spent two years creating the biofuel butanol that can be used in gas tanks either as a stand-alone fuel or blended with petrol or diesel, they announced this week.

It is derived from distillation by-products pot ale (liquid from copper stills) and draff (the spent grains).

The method is based on an old process that was developed to produce butanol and acetone by fermenting sugar.

Is this the answer for critics of corn-based, energy-intensive ethanol?

"While some energy companies are growing crops specifically to generate biofuel, we are investigating excess materials such as whisky by-products to develop them," Professor Martin Tangey, director of Napier's Biofuel Research Centre told the Financial Times.

"This is a more environmentally sustainable option and potentially offers new revenue on the back of one of Scotland's biggest industries."

Global exports of Scotch whisky rose to a record $4.85 billion (3.11 billion pounds) last year. Exports of Scotch have risen about 45 percent in the past 10 years.

The biofuel project cost about $400,000 and was funded by the Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Programme. It is no joke, although the blogosphere is overflowing with the descriptions such as: "Whisky to go?" and "One for the road?"

The group has filed for a patent and plans to open a commercial venture to market the product.

Jakarta introduces women-only trains to avoid groping

2010-08-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

JAKARTA - Women-only train carriages were launched this week in Jakarta in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, in an attempt to avert groping and sexual harassment on packed commuter trains.

Women can choose to board the female-only, orange and pink-seated carriages at the front and rear of trains in Jakarta, the latest in a growing number of cities to offer women-only services.

The state-owned railway operator, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), said it had not received many complaints about sexual harassment but the company had noticed that many women avoided densely-packed trains.

"The women-only carriages are aimed to make women feel comfortable," an official at PT KAI told Reuters Television.

PT KAI is now providing 20 female-only carriages and plans to add more in the next three months.

One female commuter headed for Bogor city was pleased with the new carriages.

"I feel respected. As you may be aware, sexual harassment took place on packed trains," the commuter, giving her name just as Dennisa, told Reuters Television.

The trains, manufactured in Japan, are the only fast public transport service between the four city suburbs connecting Jakarta. Women account for almost half of the 500,000 commuters a day.

Female-only carriages on trains were first introduced in the festive, year-end season in Japan in 2000 as a way to stop sexual harassment. These carriages are now offered in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two biggest cities.

Since then the popularity of women-only carriages has spread internationally with countries including India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brazil also operating women-only carriages.

Greens reject ISP filter

2010-08-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

LABOR'S hopes of getting its internet filter plan through Federal Parliament look destined to fail, with the Australian Greens calling for a PC-based approach.
Greens communications spokesman Senator Scott Ludlam today released the party's cyber safety policy, opposing Labor's mandatory internet service provider (ISP) level filter.

The $40 million policy involves PC-based filtering, further research into cyber safety risks, strengthened law enforcement, and net literacy education.

"The Greens believe Australians need a world-class national broadband network but we don't need the Australian Government looking over our shoulder and filtering what we see," Senator Ludlam said.

"A voluntary filter at the household level would be more effective to protect kids."

He said an obligation should be placed on ISPs to offer PC-based filtering solutions that can be customised to block a broad range of content.

Police cyber crime units should also be better resourced, he said.

Polls show the Greens look poised to take a balance of power role in the Senate after the August 21 election.

A PRIVATE zoo in Taiwan has become the first on the island to see the birth of "ligers", hybrids of lions and tigresses

2010-08-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

A PRIVATE zoo in Taiwan has become the first on the island to see the birth of "ligers", hybrids of lions and tigresses, with the owner facing a fine for violating wildlife rules, officials said on Monday.
The three cubs were born on Sunday at the World Snake King Education Farm in the south, but one of them died almost immediately, the farm's owner Huang Kuo-nan said.

"The pregnancy of the tigress caught me totally unprepared," Mr Huang said.

"The lion and the tigress have been kept in the same cage since they were cubs more than six years ago, and nothing happened."

But the Tainan county government said Mr Huang will face a fine of up to 50,000 Taiwan dollars ($1760) for breeding wildlife without prior approval from the authorities.

According to the Taipei-based Apple Daily, there are only around 10 surviving ligers in the world, with adult ligers capable of growing much larger than average lions