Random Heaven

TOP TEN PLACES TO GO FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE

2010-12-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

Countries around the world will be ringing in the new year soon with fireworks, festivals, parties, and, of course, kisses. It is an exciting time and a holiday that knows no nationality. For those still looking for some place to go and want the best of the best, here are the top ten places to go on New Year’s Eve.

New York City

Times Square has been a focal point of New Year’s activity for more than a hundred years. Millions come in the square to watch the famed ball drop. Millions more around the world hold their breath watching Times Square on New Years Eve as New Year’s Eve Ball drops. If you want to be at Times Square, dress warm and arrive early – people start gathering around 3pm on New Years Eve. The festivities continue after midnight with remarkable fireworks around the city and lots of late night drinking at the bars and clubs.

Sydney

Sydney is the first major city in the world to greet a new year (sorry New Zealand, you aren’t as big!), and they know how to do it right with the largest firework celebrations in the world. The fireworks end at 12:15, but the celebrations last until dawn. You can witness absolutely stunning firework over the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge from many vantage points around the harbor, but the best views come from a boat in the harbor. After the celebrations, the city stays up until late.

London

London has astonishing fireworks launched into the sky from the London Eye. The fireworks can be seen from rooftops and balconies all across London, but best views are from Westminster Bridge and the north embankment of the River Thames, opposite the London Eye. The show starts after Big Ben chimes midnight and lasts for 15 minutes. Endless numbers of London pubs, clubs, and restaurant are open well into New Years night, as would be expected since the British love any excuse to have a pint.

Paris

Paris has great festivities- from high class dining to clubbing to fantastic fireworks to Champagne on the Champs-Elysees. The place to be is the Champs-Elysees. Around 9pm, people gather at the famous street and start to count down to the new year. Around midnight here, you can watch the Eiffel Tower’s light show. Montmartre is another fantastic place to ring in the New Year as its elevated and has spectacular views of the entire Paris skyline. While Paris doesn’t typically have a fireworks show, there are till great parties and many people light them off from the Champs-Elysees.

Ko Phanagn, Thailand

Over twenty thousand young people cram on Haat Rin beach to celebrate the new year. People from around the world dance, paint themselves up, and drink buckets until the sun rises. It may not be as large as New York or Sydney or Tokyo, but for those who want to spend their new year on the beach, this place in Thailand is the only destination that should be on your mind.

Kiribati

What better way to ring in the new year than be the first people to do it? This spot in the Pacific is officially the first place in the world to see 2011. Tourism here has picked up in recent years as the locals have tried to capitalize on that interesting fact. And regardless of this fact, what better way to spend the New Year than on an island in the South Pacific?

Tokyo

If you want to start celebrating early, head to Tokyo, where the celebration starts on the 29th of December. Here, you also have a chance to prolong your New Years celebration up to January 4th. Even though most of the major tourist sites are closed, the streets of Tokyo, as well as all restaurants and clubs, are packed with people. The city is jumping with loads of fireworks, dancing, and singing. On January 1st, the Imperial Palace opens to the public.

Las Vegas

The city that parties every night throughout the year certainly knows how to throw a New Year’s Eve bash to remember. There are so many clubs, hotels, bars, and casinos to choose from in Las Vegas, Nevada, that it’s almost impossible to not celebrate in style. Outdoors, the Strip is closed to traffic so everyone can watch the grand fireworks displays high above the city’s neon lights. If you can wade through the crowds, make your way downtown to the Fremont Street Experience and join the massive block party, complete with confetti, a massive wine toast, concerts by big-name rockers, and a five-block-long illuminated canopy 90 feet overhead, on which state-of-the-art sound and light shows are shown.

Boston

Boston’s First Night celebrations are very famous for its fireworks and ice sculptures. The fireworks take place around midnight over the river, but festivities begin days before. First Night Boston is the country’s oldest and largest New Year’s arts celebration. From 1pm to midnight, First Night presents a day-long festival of art, music, dance, ice sculpture, and fireworks. First Night is an alcohol-free event that welcomes children, families, and revelers of all ages.

Anywhere your friends are

No matter where you are, this holiday is about celebrating with friends and family. Wherever they are will be a great place to celebrate. Celebrate the end of one year and a set of new beginnings. Paris, London, New York- it doesn’t matter. As long as you are with those you like and love, it will be the best New Year’s party in the world.

English is a weird language!!

2010-12-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice;
yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet,
and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
but though we say mother we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.
Anonymous

Some reasons to be grateful if you grew up speaking English;
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) There is no time like the present, he said it was time to present the present.
8)At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
22) I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

Let’s face it – English is a crazy language.

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine In pineapple.

English muffins weren’t invented in England.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham?

Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?

Have noses that run and feet that smell?

Angry TV Buyer

2010-11-30T22:51:00.000-08:00

E-mails from an Asshole
is a collection of e-mails that have been sent by "Mike" to people who post classified ads. The goal here is to mess with them, confuse them, and/or piss them off. I will post a few of my favourites ones starting with "The Angry TV Buyer".

Original ad:
i want a flatscreen tv. at least 40 inches and under $500. hit me up if you got what i want

From Me to ***********@**********.org:

Hey,

I am selling my 42" Westinghouse plasma TV for $400. It is in excellent condition. I'm just selling it because I got a bigger one and don't need this one anymore. Let me know if you are interested.

Mike

From jim ****** to Me:

yeah man thats perfect. ill buy that as soon as possible. would you be able to bring it to my house? i dont have a car. im home pretty much all day every day

you can call me if you want 610-***-****

From me to jim ******:

No problem, Jim. I could bring it by tomorrow after work. Are you sure you want to buy it though? I don't want to bring it there and have you decide you don't want to buy it.

Mike

From jim ****** to Me:

no i definitely want it. just bring it over man

my address is 415 ********* rd, ******, PA
just call me if you have any trouble

From me to jim ******:

Okay, I'll be over tomorrow.

From me to jim ******:

Jim,

I'm very sorry I was unable to make it to your house today. I had the TV loaded in the back of my pickup truck, and I was all set to go to your house. I just decided to make a quick stop in Chester to buy some stuff from a friend, and when I got back to my truck, the TV was gone. I can't figure out what the hell happened to it. I'm thinking maybe I hit a bump and it slid out of the truck, because I do forget to close my tailgate sometimes. I don't really remember if it was in the truck when I parked it, so I am baffled.

Anyway, this is totally my fault. Seeing as how I promised you a TV and lost it, I am going to help you out. I signed you up for a 2 year subscription to Plasma TV Enthusiasts Weekly. It is an excellent magazine that will give you a lot of information on plasma TVs to help you make the right decision when buying one. It is normally $84.99 a year, but I hooked you up with my referrer discount so it will only cost you $63.50 a year. I had it sent and billed to the address you gave me, and you should get your first one in a week or two.

Once again, I am very sorry that I lost the TV that I was going to sell you, but hopefully this magazine can help you out.

Mike

From jim ****** to Me:

are you out of your fuckin mind i dont want any fuckin magazines!!! what the fuck.. you better fuckin cancel that shit. what the fuck were you thinking dude, im not paying for that you fuckin dumbass

From jim ****** to Me:

and its obvious YOUR TV WAS STOLEN YOU FUCKIN RETARD. why the FUCK would you leave a tv in the back of your truck in chester?

cancel the fuckin magazines..NOW.

From me to jim ******:

Jim,

Why do you want me to cancel the magazines? It is a great magazine and I got you a great deal for it. You won't find it cheaper anywhere else. Also, to put it frankly, if you were going to buy a Westinghouse plasma TV from me without even looking at it, then it is clear you still have a lot to learn about plasma TVs. Reading this magazine will make you an expert in no time.

Mike

From jim ****** to Me:

you fuckin asshole i dont want to pay for some stupid magazine! i just want a goddamn tv. who the fuck would want to read a fuckin weekly magazine about tvs?! cancel it right now. im serious

From me to jim ******:

Jim,

I'm sorry you feel that way about the magazine. I was just trying to help. Unfortunately I cannot cancel the magazine. When I signed you up on the phone, they gave me a confirmation number I could use to cancel the subscription. I couldn't find a piece of paper to write it on, so I wrote the number on a napkin. I think I accidentally used the napkin to wipe my face after eating wings last night, and then threw it out. I'd look through the trash to find it for you, but the garbage truck already picked it up this morning. I think they take it to the dump/recycling center in Media if you want to go look for it. It was a napkin from Taco Bell, if that helps. I usually get all my napkins there.

If you think it would be easier, you could just cancel it once you get your first magazine in the mail. You'll probably be billed for the first month, plus a $75 cancellation fee because I didn't sign you up for cancellation insurance. I just assumed you would want to keep the magazine.

Mike

From jim ****** to Me:

i cant believe i just read all that shit because i should have known from the first few lines that you were a fuckin idiot

i dont care if you have to blow the fuckin editor, you better find a way to get it cancelled because i am not spending a goddamn nickel on that magazine!

From me to jim ******:

Jim,

If you don't pay for it, that may screw up your credit. I remember one time I forgot to pay my TV guide subscription for about 14 months, and that really messed up my credit. I had trouble buying a house because of that. You should be careful.

Since you seem to not know a lot about the importance of your credit, I signed you up for a year subscription of In Debt Weekly, a great magazine that can teach you a lot about credit. Don't worry, I got you the same discount as before, and this magazine is actually a little bit cheaper. It is only $34.99 a year. It came with a discounted subscription to Card Times, another magazine about credit cards. That one is only $25 per year, so I signed you up for that as well. It is a decent magazine for the price.

Mike

From jim ****** to Me:

GL4KJHSGSKFKJS YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE STOP SIGNING ME UP FOR FUCKING MAGAZINES!!!!

CANCEL THOSE RIGHT NOW MOTHERFUCKER!!!!

From me to jim ******:

Jim,

There is no need for that kind of language. Please do not talk to me anymore.

Unless you would be interested in a subscription to Anger Management Journal. I can sign you up for that if you want to learn how to control your temper.

Mike

From jim ****** to Me:

FUCK YOU

10 Most Expensive Music Videos

2010-11-29T17:59:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the lack of updates I have been overseas/extremely busy over the last week or so.

When MTV launched on August 1, 1981, the first music video it played was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. In those days, all a music video needed was jiggly girls in bikinis, big hair, fast cars, and if you were lucky, jiggly girls with big hair driving fast cars. No huge costs, just a little something to complement the listening experience.

Then came along Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in 1983. "Thriller" wasn't a music video, it was a full-fledged crotch-grabbing experience. At 14 minutes long, "Thriller" suddenly opened the doors of creativity, proving that a music video could be more about the video and less about the music. Today, companies will spend millions of dollars to make a 3-minute video (most of it spent on computer animation and huge sets).

Without further adieu I present a list of opulent indulgence: the 10 most expensive music videos of all time.

Scream: Michael Jackson’s Scream is rated as the top most expensive music videos. The cost spent by Michael Jackson for making this video is $7,000,000 +. Scream was first aired in June 1995.

Die Another Day: Madonna’s Die Another Day is the second most expensive music video. The production cost for this music video is $6,100,000+. Die Another Day was first aired on 22nd October 2002.

Victory: Puff Daddy’s Victory, a rap video is the third most expensive music video. The production cost for this video is $2,700,000+. The original airdate for this music video was 31st March 1998.

Heartbreaker: Mariah Carey’s Heartbreaker is the fourth most expensive music video. Heartbreaker directed by Brett Ratner was first aired on 16th August 1999. The production cost for this video is $2,500,000+.

What’s it gonna be: Busta Rhymes’s “What’s it gonna be” is a terrifically cool video with lots of special effects. The production cost involved for making this great music video is $2,400,000+. This music video was first aired on 12th March 1999. It is the fifth most expensive music video.

Larger Than Life: Backstreet Boys’ Larger than life is the sixth most expensive video. Joseph Kahn directed this music video and the production cost for this video is $2,100,000+. The space settings made for this music video was exclusive and the cost for this settings was exorbitant and it was first aired in September 1999.

Miami: Will Smith’s Miami ranked as the seventh most expensive music video as the production cost involved in making this video is around $2.000,000+. Wayne Isham directed this music video and it was first aired in December 1998.

She’s a Bitch: Missy Elliot’s She’s a Bitch is the eight most expensive music video. Hype Williams directed this music video, he gave special effects to this video and it was first aired in May 1999. The production cost for this video is $2,000,000+.

Unpretty: TLC’s Unpretty is ranked as the ninth most expensive video as the cost spent on making this video is around $1,600,000+. This music video was first aired in August 1999 and Paul Hunter directed this video.

November Rain: Guns N’ Roses “November Rain” is the last in the list of ten most expensive music videos. This music video was directed by Andy Morahan and was first aired in June 1992. The production cost for making this music video is $1,500,000+.

The Benefits of Different Colored Fruits & Vegetables

2010-11-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

A handy video showing the benefits of different fruits and vegetables, sorted by their colors.

http://www.universalhealthinfo.com/Fruit___Vegetable_Colors.html

5 Amazing Photo-realistic Pictures

2010-11-17T21:32:00.000-08:00

Photorealism is the genre of painting based on using the camera and photographs to gather information and then from this information, creating a painting that appears to be very realistic like a photograph. Below are 5 of my favorite. One could easily confuse these with actual photographs. The last one (Kate Beckinsale) is AMAZING and the best I have seen.

(link to full size http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs40/f/2009/021/c/4/Doubt_this_by_eileenirma.jpg)

Pure Nostalgia - The 28 Cartoon Intro Medley

2010-11-14T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hilarious WiFi Network Names

2010-11-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

You could label your WiFi network with something as simple as your address or last name. Or, like these people, you could use it to insult your neighbors, tell your customers to stop being so cheap, or get some rage off your chest!

"Watchin Porno In Here!"

"For-a-virus-connect-2-me"

"Deliver beer to room 306"

"Dang! I left my network open!"

Making noodles by hand

2010-11-09T20:12:00.000-08:00

How to tie your shoe laces

2010-11-08T22:46:00.001-08:00

DID YOU KNOW....

2010-11-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Whats your ISP like?

2010-10-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

Post the speeds you get from your ISP. Feel free to link images from speedtest or an image host.

Heres mine. Not that fast :(

P.s I'm going on holiday soon and wont be able to post for a bit.

The all new Apple MacBook Air

2010-10-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Apple have just announced the new MackBook Air. This bad boy is in essence a cross between the old Macbook Air and the iPad, taking the best of both worlds. Benefits from the iPad? Instant on... great battery life, amazing standby time... solid state storage... and it's thinner and lighter. It's 0.68-inches thick at its thickest, 0.11-inches at its thinnest, and weighs 2.9 pounds (Again its shockingly thinner than the the old MacBook Air which was 0.76-inches thick and weighed 3 pounds). Like previously the new MacBook Air has a unibody construction, but now comes with one of those big new glass trackpads. They're also sticking with a 13.3-inch screen, running at a 1440 x 900 resolution (with an 11.6-inch "little brother" to boot). There's SSD storage, a 1.86GHz or 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo processor (the same ones available on existing MacBook Airs), GeForce 320m graphics, and 2GB of RAM standard. Apple claims the battery life tests offer 7 hours of "wireless web" and 30 days of "standby." Prices start at $1,299 for 128GB and $1,599 for 256GB of storage; they're available today at Apple website.

Kitty Megapost!

2010-10-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Video of the Day

2010-10-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

A video of a C-17 Airdrop: 4 humvees and 50 paratroopers. Badass much!

Top 5 Unusual Uses For Beer

2010-10-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

Beer is one of the most sought after beverages in the modern world, after plain old water of course. However, beer is not just good for drinking, you can do so much with a good bottle of beer! Below are 5 alternative and unusual uses of beer, that is if you have any to spare!! If you have any other tips on other uses of beer, be sure to put it in the comments.

1. Wash Your Hair

Beer “shampoo” can add luster and body to dull limp hair. It is also a much more natural alternative to store-bought shampoos which contain a lot of chemicals. Just mix one can of beer with a raw egg and use it as you would use a normal shampoo. It was quite common in days gone by to use raw eggs for shampoo – it even lathers up like the chemical stuff. Try it – I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised. Just keep in mind that the shampoo will go off if you don’t use it within a couple of days. This is probably best as a once-a-month special treatment. You can also use beer on its own as a conditioner – rinse your hair with it, let it dry off, then rinse it off.

2. Naturally Remove Slugs

Slugs are a terrible pest in a garden – particularly if you are growing for eating. Instead of using chemicals like DDT on your veges, bury a small saucer up to its lip in the garden and put fresh beer in it each day. The slugs will be attracted to the smell, get drunk and drown. Be sure to refresh the beer daily. With a little luck you should have a saucer full of slugs and healthy looking cabbages!

3. Marinate Meat

Beer makes an excellent marinade. It really doesn’t matter what meat you are preparing – it will benefit almost all types from a few hours (the longer the better) in a marinade of beer. You can get really adventurous too – add any flavors you like to the beer – even things like marmalade or jam. A more common addition would be soy sauce or other Asian sauces. If you are marinating pork, you might want to add some chunks of pineapple and pineapple juice with some ginger for a sweet and sour result.

4. Soak in it

Beer is an excellent skin conditioner. Next time you want to have a long soak in the bath, tip in a good can of dark beer before you hop in and just soak in it! This is a nice alternative to adding salt crystals (which soften water), but I see no reason that you couldn’t combine both for a super luxurious bath. Just don’t be tempted to drink the bathwater!

5. Make Beersicles for Summer

Hot blustery day outside? Never fear, beer is here! Instead of sickly sweet popsicles that won't really quench your thirst anyway, feel free to use the same popsicle maker for beersicles as the perfect accompaniment on a summer's day.

Trapped Chilean Miners

2010-10-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, 33 men have been trapped over two months down a mine in Chile. They have been trapped deep beneath the desert floor after a partial collapse that blocked the mine exit, surviving longer than anyone has before under similar circumstances.

For weeks the men were feared dead. But on August 22 they attached a note to a drill bit that had broken through to the chamber where they had taken shelter, saying they were all alive, well and awaiting rescue. That day is [finally] almost upon them. Below is an image that pretty much summarizes this unfortunate event, including the rescue plan. God bless them!

Click in the image to enlarge.

5 Web Alternatives to Popular Desktop Software + Video of the Day

2010-10-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting for the last couple of days!Firstly I will post about some useful web apps and then finish of with a video of the day.

Web apps these days have become so powerful and useful that in some cases, they’ve begun to replace desktop software.Desktop programs are great and all, but they don’t provide the same benefits as web apps that make use of cloud computing. With most web apps, you only need a browser and an internet connection to access all your data online. That beats having to install annoying programs any day. To give you a better sense of how useful web apps have become, below is a list of web tools and apps that can very well replace some desktop programs. As you will see web applications have come a long way, and hopefully you take the time to try them all out. You’ll be surprised how well they work. Without further ado, here are 5 great web alternatives to the popular desktop programs we all love.

P.S Is anyone else having problems with uploading images? I had to upload these pics through an imagehost...

Aviary

http://www.aviary.com/

The Aviary web suite offers powerful tools that allow you to edit images, vectors, and even audio! Take a look at the huge list of the tools included in their suite:

• Phoenix: Image Editor
• Toucan: Color Editor
• Myna: Audio Editor
• Peacock: Effects Editor
• Raven: Vector Editor
• Falcon: Image Markup
• Roc: Music Creator.

JayCut
http://jaycut.com/

JayCut is a very easy to use and powerful online video editor. With Jaycut, you can create videos with the same tools used in desktop programs. Add clips, transitions, audio, effects, and more with their simple UI. When you finish editing a video, you can choose to download it or export it directly to YouTube. Export up to 20 videos a month with 2GB of storage under a free plan, or pay monthly for a better plan.

Zamzar
http://zamzar.com/

Instead of downloading dozens of different programs to convert a file, you can always use the Zamzar, the free online file conversion tool. Can’t open a crucial .docx or .pptx file and your boss is screaming in your ear? No problem, just upload and convert your files using Zamzar. Zamzar supports dozens of image, document, video, and music formats and is the only tool you will ever need to convert files.

WobZip

http://www.wobzip.org/

Have you ever tried to open a compressed file only to find out you don’t have the right unzipping software to do the job? In comes WobZip, an online tool that helps you uncompress your files. It supports a variety of compression formats, including the popular ZIP, RAR, and 7z formats. You can upload a zipped file from your computer or direct WobZip to a URL. The best part? WobZip will scan the files using BitDefender to make sure there isn’t a nasty virus lurking around.

Meebo

http://www.meebo.com/

With Meebo, you can chat with your friends from anywhere as long as you have a browser and an internet connection. Meebo is an online tool that allows you to login to any major IM network, including AIM, MSN, GTalk, and Facebook. You don’t even need to create an account, just input your IM information and you’re ready to go. If you take the 20 seconds to set up a Meebo account, you can login to multiple accounts at once. This sure beats downloading and managing three IM programs at once, doesn’t it?

Video of the Day

How to solve a Rubik's cube in 20 moves

2010-10-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

Heres are nice little infographic on solving a rubiks cube as well as some interesting info on the toy we have all come to love. It takes me far more than 20 moves to solve it :( Anyone able to solve rubiks cube and if so, any special technique?

Watching Other People Use a Computer

2010-10-04T23:38:00.000-07:00

The Mysterious Histories of Those @#$%ing Computer Symbols

2010-10-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Power

As far back back as WWII engineers used the binary system to label individual power buttons, toggles and rotary switches: a 1 meant "on," and a 0 meant off. In 1973, the International Electrotechnical Commission vaguely codified a broken circle with a line inside it as "standby power state," and sticks to that story even now. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, however, decided that was too vague, and altered the definition to simply mean power.

Bluetooth

You've probably heard the story of 10th Century Danish King, Harald Blåtand, as it relates to Bluetooth, right? He was renowned connoisseur of blueberries; at least one of this teeth was permanently stained blue; What you might not know is that the Bluetooth symbol is actually a combination of the two runes that represent Harald's initials. It just so happens the first Bluetooth receptor also had a "teeth-like" shape, and was-you guessed it-blue. But the symbolic interplay doesn't end there. As the Bluetooth SIG notes, Blåtand "was instrumental in uniting warring factions in parts of what are now Norway, Sweden, and Denmark - just as Bluetooth technology is designed to allow collaboration between differing industries such as the computing, mobile phone, and automotive markets."

USB

Created as part of the USB 1.0 spec, the USB icon was drawn to resemble Neptune's Trident, the mighty Dreizack. In lieu of the pointed triangles at the tip of the three-pronged spear, the USB Promoters decided to alter the shapes to a triangle, square and circle. This was done to signify all the different peripherals that could be attached using the standard.

Play

While the Play/Pause symbols aren't native to computers, they've made their way onto keyboards, media players (real and virtual), and every other device capable of playing audio or video. Unfortunately, neither the right-pointing triangle nor the double pause bars seem to have a definitive origin. They first appeared as tape transport symbols on reel-to-reel tape decks during the mid-1960s. In some cases, they were accompanied by the (double triangle) rewind and fast forward symbols. The direction of the play arrow indicated the direction the tape would move.

Pause

As far as the pause symbol goes, many have noted it resembles an the notation for an open connection on an electrical schematic. Some say it is simply a stop symbol with a chunk carved out of its center. In musical notation, the caesura indicates a pause.

At

The @ has been known by many names: the snail (France and Italy), the little mouse (China), the monkey's tail (Germany). In 1971, a Bolt, Beranek & Newman programmer Raymond Tomlinson decided to insert the symbol between computer network addresses to separate the user from the terminal. Prior to Tomlinson's use, the @ also graced the keyboard of the American Underwood in 1885 as an accounting shorthand symbol meaning "at the rate of." Go back even further and things start to get hazy. Some suggest that @ has its origins in the sixth century, when monks adopted it as a better way of wirting the word ad-Latin for "at" or "toward"-that was not so easily confused with AD, the designation for Anno Domini, or the the years after the death of Christ.

Sleep

People were confused by "the standby state." It seemed counter-intuitive for an electronic device to be neither on nor off. So, after the IEEE nicked the ICE's standby button, it decided some rechristening was in order. The governing body re-named standby mode "sleep," to invoke the state where humans are neither on nor off. Today, a crescent moon is the de facto sleep state symbol on devices in the US and Europe. Its metaphorical power is undeniable! Travel to Japan, though, and you'll probably see the occasional Zzzz button.

Ethernet

Despite being "invented" many years prior, the thing we now recognize as the Ethernet port symbol was actually designed by IBM's David Hill. According to Hill, the symbol was part of a set of symbols that were all meant to depict the various local area network connections available at the time. The array of blocks, which are purposefully non-hierarchical, each represent computers/terminals. While Hill makes no specific mention of Bob Metcalfe's earliest Ethernet sketches, it's easy to see how the modern symbol uses them for inspiration.

Firewire

Back in 1995, a small group at Apple-the main developer of FireWire-set about designing a symbol that could accurately reflect the new technology they were working on. Originally intended as serial alternative to SCSI, FireWire's main allure was that it promised high-speed connectivity for digital audio and video equipment. So designers opted for a symbol with three prongs, representing video, audio and data. Initially, the symbol was red, but was later altered to yellow for unknown reasons.

Command

What do Swedish campgrounds and overuse of the Apple logo have in common? A lot, according to Andy Hertzfeld of the original Mac development team. While working with other team members to translate menu commands directly to the keyboard, Hertzfeld and his team decided to add a special function key. The idea was simple: When pressed in combination with other keys, this "Apple key" would select the corresponding menu command. Jobs hated it-or more precisely the symbol used to represent the button-which was yet another picture of the Apple logo. Hertzfeld recalls his reaction: "There are too many Apples on the screen! It's ridiculous! We're taking the Apple logo in vain!" A hasty redesign followed, in which bitmap artist Susan Kare poured through in international symbol dictionary and settled on one floral symbol that in Sweden, indicated a noteworthy attraction in a campground. Alternately known as the Gorgon loop, the splat, the infinite loop, and, in the Unicode standard, a "place of interest sign," the command symbol has remained a mainstay on Apple keyboards to this day.

SBBOD

This terror is known by many names: the hypnowheel of doom, the spinning pizza, the pinwheel of death, the SBBOD (spinning beach ball of death). Apple officially calls it "spinning wait cursor," but most Mac users hail it with a simple expletive. It first appeared in Apple's OSX and continues to indicate that an application is not responding to system events. As many have noted, the SBBOD is actually an evolution of the wristwatch "wait" cursor that the company first used in early versions of the Mac OS. While its design origins remain mysterious, Apple likely dropped the watch as it reminded users of the time passing as the program remained perpetually hung up. Despite this, the modern iteration has proved only one thing though: it's entirely possible to despise a pretty, hypnotic spinning wheel. There is also word that it is linked the spinning magneto-optical disk from which NeXTstep OS and applications loaded.

Real Life Street Fighter Moves

2010-10-03T01:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday, got really caught up, with life!! Here's a little vid that just makes you go daym!

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

2010-09-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

Epic rage! Here are 10 that really made me lol!

[UPDATED] Sooo......WHAT IS IT???

2010-09-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what any of these three images are? More hints will be given if no one gets them. Be sure to check back for the answers!

IMAGE 1 FERRARI 456

Hint: It is a car! (You have to guess the model and brand)

IMAGE 2 HIV

Hint: It is REALLY small

IMAGE 3 PS3 CONTROLLER

Hint: Its loads of fun!

10 Funny Facebook Fails!!

2010-09-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Below is a selection of some hilarious Facebook fails! Any of these sound familiar? Better still do you recognize anyone! (Obviously the ones that aren't blurred)