forsv: potpourri of thoughts

Hi-tech workers make 'curry rock'

Hundreds of thousands of hi-tech workers from India have come to the US in the past decade.

Many of them arrived on the H-1B visa programme, which allows American companies to hire highly-skilled foreign workers.

For many Indians, getting a visa is a dream come true. But living and working in the US can be harder than expected and a group of Indian-born engineers has put the H-1B experience to music.

It all started, as these things often do, at a party. It was a house-warming party in the Washington DC area to be precise.

An Indian computer engineer with a yen for Jethro Tull was throwing the shindig. Among the guests were a couple of other Indian hi-tech workers with musical backgrounds.

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How smart are you?

Hardly a week passes without headlines about academic standards. Are exams getting easier? Are people getting smarter?

Well, here's a chance for Magazine readers to test themselves - first on English - then on maths.

Bill Gates meets Napolean Dynamite.

Bill Gates meets Napolean Dynamite. Microsoft has a history of doing little spoofs at their developer events (a couple years ago Gates and Ballmer did a send up of the GTI commercial and then there was The Matrix). While this one is a shaky camera capture (hopefully someone uploads the original), it's still pretty amusing and fun to watch Gates poke fun at himself. Of course, the unintended comedy videos involving Gates are often funnier.

Collect Britain: Accents & Dialects

In England alone, an intrepid traveler may overhear hundreds of dialects and accents. What's more extraordinary is how these brogues and drawls have evolved throughout the 20th century. Thanks to the British Library's Sound Archive, you can eavesdrop on English people from across the country without packing your bags. For instance, meet Dick Gilbert. In 1958, when he was 79 years old, he spoke about his experience as a young farm hand. The Sound Archive offers the lexis, phonology, and grammar break-down of Dick's commentary. But more importantly, it allows you to marvel at his voice. With recordings ranging from the 1950s to 1999, the site offers a wealth of samples. Some are downright incomprehensible, some are thoroughly entertaining,
but all are fascinating. So listen up; England is speaking to you

60 second story

This literary contest asks writers to compose a short story, then record themselves reading it (in roughly 60 seconds) with a digital camera. The resulting low-bandwidth video clips are then posted online, and they are generally pretty strange. Most contestants place their cameras on top of their computer monitors and read aloud, lending themselves a strange blue-green pallor. Some of the more tech-savvy have constructed short films, with quick cuts and zooms. While the rules state that the stories must be "complete" and have a beginning, a middle, and an end, a lot of them lean towards the abstract. Our favorite story is "Charles," about a fire-breathing Japanese monster with a Godzilla complex. We also really dug the auteurism of "Pillow, Pillow" by Jason Nelson. Decide for yourself.

eyesoflaura.org

Laura is a security guard at a large, unnamed facility, and she has some time on her hands. She writes about palindromes, time travel, and her dog Helen. She offers pithy observations on the various people she sees every day, like "The Sexy Lady" and "The Inspector." She records herself walking on tile floors, drinking glasses of water, and reciting the alphabet in a breathy voice. With plenty of pictures and a controllable webcam, she seems to be exploring ideas of surveillance and identity. But just who is Laura? In her first entry, she says that she's waiting for something to happen in her life. Does it? We don't know the answer -- or even if her world is real -- but we're strangely drawn to the view through Laura's eyes.

My favorite word

My favorite word. Add your own.

Threadbared

We never considered vintage sewing patterns to be creepy or uproarious -- until we stumbled upon Threadbared. It seems Mary and Kimberly, two nice girls from the South and the proud hosts of Threadbared, have this vast collection of old sewing patterns, and they like nothing better than to sit around and mock their acquisitions. For instance, they point out the modelesque woman from the 1940s who appears to have her hand trapped in a muff. Or the feather-haired couple in matching sweaters mugging happily in front of ... the apocalypse. And while we're willing to buy these three men hanging out in their pajamas, why is that guy brandishing a golf club? If you, like Mary and Kimberley, love all things vintage or all things snarky, this site may just leave you in stitches.

James Bond

James Bond fans will enjoy the James Bond Film Flowchart and the Opening Sequence Flowchart.

A new twist on an old myth

Watch and hear Sita singing the blues, by Nina Paley in Sitayana.

Books online

For all Alistair Maclean fans you can read his books online here.

My Days Are Numbered

I'm addicted to a Japanese logic puzzle. You will be, too.

Sudoku is a logic puzzle. You fill numbers into a grid, using deduction (or, failing that, plain old trial and error). Each row and column must contain the digits 1 through 9, with each digit used only once. The best way to understand is probably to visit Sudoku.com, where there are clear explanations and some sample games. It's incredibly easy to learn.

The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form

God we love limericks. 'There was a young man from Pawtucket, who's-" No wait, how about this? "There once was a girl from Balmoral-" Uh, scratch that. Wait, wait:

Limericks ought to be bawdy,
Failing that, their puns should be naughty.
They’re the absolute worst
Of all kinds of verse,
And their charms are often quite gaudy. - Judith Economos

0wned

You got owned ... an entertaining study of life's little mishaps on video. Some you've seen, some you may not have. (wmv)

But what about Clerks, Mallrats???

Time Mag's 100 All Time Best Flicks Compiled by their OWN critics, of course. Hence no Kevin Smith masterpieces mentioned. The List also fails to mention some of the most popular movies of all time. It can't be right if it doesn't include the Wizard of Oz.

Broadsword calling Danny Boy

Channel 4's 100 Greatest War Films as voted for by their (generally more clued-up than average) viewership has plenty for you to disagree with, but much to recommend. Filmsite.org has a history of war films (as does Berkeley) for the completists among you. There are more war films from and about Vietnam and Indochina than you can shake a bayonet at (see also the 1999 NYT article, Apocalypse Then: Vietnam Marketing War Films to learn a little about the Vietnamese government's 1960s and 70s archive of war film). The [British] national archives have archived film from pre-WWI to the Cold War.

sayings

There were twenty-five students in Mrs. Jane's class.

Jane, a Southern California elementary school teacher, presented each child with the first half of a proverb and asked them to finish the sentences. It's hard to believe these were actually done by average first graders. Their insights may surprise you. While reading these keep in mind that these are 6-year-olds, because the last one is classic!

Strike while the ............................. bug is close.
It's always darkest before ................ Daylight Saving Time.
Never underestimate the power of ........ termites.
You can lead a horse to water but ......... how?
Don't bite the hand that ................... looks dirty.
No news .................................... impossible.
A miss is as good as a ........................ Mr.
You can't teach an old dog new ........... math.
If you lie down with dogs, you'll ...... stink in the morning.
Love all, trust ................................ me.
The pen is mightier than the ............... pigs.
An idle mind is ...................... the best way to relax.
Where there's smoke there's ................. pollution.
Happy the bride who......................... gets all the presents.
A penny saved is ............................. not much.
Two's company, three's ...................... the Musketeers.
Don't put off till tomorrow what ............ you put on to go to bed.
Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and ........you have to blow your nose.
There are none so blind as .................... Stevie Wonder.
Children should be seen and not ............ spanked.
If at first you don't succeed ............... get new batteries.
You get out of something only what you .. see on the box.
When the blind lead the blind ................ get out of the way.

And the WINNER!

Better late than ............................... pregnant!

Vendee Globe

It's been called "the Everest of the sea," although that may seem like an understatement. A single-handed sailing race around the globe, without stops, without assistance. On November 7, 20 navigators set out on 20 single-hulls, in a race that will last more than 100 days and cross over 24,000 miles of open sea. Trace their route from France to the Cape of Good Hope, eastward to Cape Horn, and northward to the finish line. Onboard, the skippers capture their experiences on video, watch for changes in the weather, and plan their strategy for the win. You're invited to share their adventure and challenges as they try to conquer this watery Everest.

American Garden Museum

Some of us just love the smell of fresh compost and the feel of soil beneath our nails. And some of us don't. Regardless of which side of the fence you're on, you'll be inspired by the American Garden Museum. Take a virtual stroll through some of the country's most beautiful gardens. Swing open the gate and follow the path to gardens large and small, public and private. And when you're ready to create your own bit of paradise, the guide to the botanicals offers descriptions of 100 common and heritage species from African daisies to woodland ferns. You're even welcome to submit pictures of your Eden for inclusion in the "growing" archives.

Elephants do impressions

They say that elephants never forget. Now the creatures have shown that, when it comes to the fine art of vocal mimicry, they're not averse to learning new tricks either.

Researchers have recorded two African elephants (Loxodonta africana) that are adept mimics. One does a decent impression of an Asian elephant, and another is, remarkably, a dead ringer for a passing truck. The skilful impressions are far from the traditional grunts of an average African elephant.

The discovery adds elephants to a notably short roll call of animal mimics, which includes little more than humans, sea mammals, bats and birds. "The surprising thing is how few mammals show an ability to modulate their sounds," says Peter Tyack of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, who led the study.

Copycat time

The two elephants in question are Mlaika, an adolescent female living in a semi-captive group in Kenya, and Calimero, an adult male who lived for 18 years with two Asian elephants at a Swiss zoo. Calimero, perhaps unsurprisingly, mimics the typical chirp noises of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). "But Mlaika seemed to be making noises like a truck, of all things," Tyack recalls.

Click here to hear a recording of Mlaika's truck-like calls.

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bored in class

[Illustrated Notes from Computer Science:] [Tom Murphy VII] gets [more] [bored] [in] [class] [than] [you]. And thanks to his [free] [fonts], your boredom can look just as snazzy. (Previous Tom7-related action [here]. This guy [keeps] [busy]. I blame the [80/20 rule].)

Glassblowing galore

Fascinated by glassblowing? More video and info than you can shake a stick at. See also: Glassblowing in Antiquity as well as today. View the process via a mpeg video (or step through the pictures). See some old glass recipes and learn about what the individual ingredients do. Ever seen a Chihuly exhibition? (or via QuickTime (now in several locations). Wow. There is also a process for fusing, slumping and kiln-forming glass called "Warm Glass". Gallery here. If you are into this you may need to save this one for the weekend, but I couldn't wait.

School stories

School stories (long out of print in English) of Frigyes Karinthy. Short, funny, and occasionally bittersweet; favorites include The Good Student and The Bad Student Tested, and Hanging From the Apparatus.

Internet satire takes on mighty drug industry

Taking a page from the Internet bloggers' playbook, public policy advocates at Consumers Union this week are releasing an animated satire of the drug industry -- "The Drugs I Need" -- to get Americans' attention about the need for safer, more effective and affordable prescription drugs.

The satirical song is being released through the Internet and radio stations as the United States Senate holds hearings on the safety of prescription drugs.

The animated song, created by Texas bluegrass band the Austin Lounge Lizards, is a humorous take on drug companies' billion-dollar marketing budgets, the sometimes serious side effects associated with blockbuster drugs, and the high costs that Americans pay. Among the lyrics:

You've got a headache, I've got some strange disease
Don't worry about it, this pill will set your mind at ease
It's called Progenitorivox, it's made by SquabbMerlCo.
It's a life-enhancing miracle, but there are some things you should know...

It may cause agitation, palpitations, excessive salivation,
Constipation, male lactation, rust-colored urination
Hallucinations, bad vibrations, mild electric shock sensations.
But it's worth it for the drugs I need.

"Sometimes humor is the best way to focus attention on a serious problem," said said Rob Schneider, director of Consumers Union's www.PrescriptionforChange.org campaign. "The Internet is now the place where Americans can go to directly take action on issues that affect their lives. We know consumers can take on the powerful pharmaceutical industry and change the marketplace if they join together."

Click to listen:
Windows Computers:
Most Windows computers have Windows Media Player software to view the video. If that doesn't work, try one of the other players.
Select your Internet Speed to Watch the Video:
Windows Media Player: Modem or High-Speed Internet
QuickTime Player: Modem or High-Speed Internet
RealPlayer: Modem or High-Speed Internet

Apple Computers:Most Apple computers have Quicktime software to view the video. If that doesn't work, try the other player.
Select your Internet Speed to Watch the Video:
QuickTime Player: Modem or High-Speed Internet
RealPlayer: Modem or High-Speed Internet

memory champion

Once again Ram Kolli has won the National Memory Championship!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Prognosticate

Here's a fun little time waster for wordies and newshounds alike. Prognosticate is a word game that's literally ripped from the headlines. Here's the deal: You pick a current news article from CNN or the BBC. Then the article appears as a slowly scrolling series of words. Every few sentences the scrolling text stops, and it's up to you to supply a key missing word. For example, "Robert Blake testified in court today that he was BLANK." Playing at the Easy level, you have a list of words to choose from. On the Hard level, you get a dictionary definition of the missing word. Personally, we're not sure that Easy is any easier than Hard -- we would call them both Difficult. Regardless, this nifty word teaser is a fun way to pretend you're a harried journalist on a tight deadline.

Great Advertising

3M advertises for it's "Security Glass".

3M puts its money where its mouth is. Yes, that *is* real money ...

Einstein, the brainy bird

Einstein proves why she's a bird brain. Watch her winning moment.

Feline-powered screen clean utility

(click the image to see) As noted by Judith, the site now has a message:
there is always someone who pisses on the fire..... :( sorry, its not pozzible to show you this 'legally' anymore...thanks to all who have viewed and enjoyed this in the past few weeks and have sent such nice emails byee j
So please try this link, looks like a larger version of this thing which made the rounds heavily a few weeks ago. Flash required, as is patience with content load time. And if you're burned out on screenlicking kittens, try this excellent monkey chimpanzee version.

NEWTON is not Newton

All the scientists die and go to heaven.

They decide to play hide-n-seek. Unfortunately Einstein is the one who has the den. He is supposed to count up to 100, and then start searching.

Everyone starts hiding except Newton.

Newton just draws a square of 1 meter and stands in it right in front of Einstein. Einstein counts 1,2,3......97,98,99.....100.

He opens his eyes and finds Newton standing in front. Einstein says "Newton's out. Newton's....out....."

Newton denies and says Newton is not out.

He claims that he is not Newton.

All the scientists come out to see how he proves that he is not Newton.

Newton says "I am standing in a square of area 1m squared. That makes me Newton per meter squared since a Newton per meter squared is one Pascal, I'm Pascal, therefore Pascal is OUT!!!!!!!!!"

Fractal Maze

Fractal Maze, one of the most evil puzzles I have ever encountered. It's documented briefly at mathpuzzle.com (scroll down a bit), which also features a smaller fractal maze.

Jim Lewis: A hard, simple problem

If you are interested in sliding puzzles try this one

If you want to read about the puzzle: Has an inventor found the hardest possible simple sliding-block puzzle?

Not as simple as it looks

Below is my solution, you can see the blocks (that may help)

Can you solve this one in 5 tries?

You have to move all brown frogs to left and yellow to right.

'Harvard Sucks'

Yale Students Perform Prank of the Century, Almost

In a rivalry that is 121st old, students at Yale University successfully pulled off the most impressive prank in the history of rival pranks.

The students (in a video you can view here and Listen to "Harvard Sucks" the song) faked being members of the "Harvard Pep Squad," passing out pieces of paper to the Harvard side of the stadium.

These Harvard fans were told that the pieces of paper would join together to spell "GO HARVARD." Little did they know, when held up at just the right moment, the pieces actually spelled "WE SUCK."

While this was not an original idea, it was still a great feat in and of itself. The prank was reminiscent of the Great Rose Bowl Hoax on January 2, 1961.

Rate My Professor

Rate My Professor! A searchable database of student ratings of their college professors. In what must be a wonderful reflection of the current status of the American and Canadian higher education systems, the ratings include entries for how easy the professor is and, of course, how hot they are. So click around, visit your alma mater, and let that jerk who almost flunked you in freshman comp feel your wrath!

Matrix Reloaded

Matrix Ping pong

Enjoy,

Bonsai: Worlds Within Worlds

​​​It's not often that things found in nature are classified as fine art, but bonsai trees aren't your run-of-the-mill shrubs. If your knowledge of the little trees begins and ends with the "Karate Kid," do yourself a favor and take a walk through this site's luscious gardens. Can you feel the Zen? Photographs of the various types of bonsai serve as models for "Westerners aspiring toward bonsai art excellence." These beautiful photos certainly indicate an intense pride in craftsmanship and attention to detail. Even if you have no intention of growing and caring for your own bonsai, Worlds Within Worlds makes for a calming diversion during a hectic day.

Engineers' Lymerics

Condensed Story of Ms Farad by A. P. French
Miss Farad was pretty and sensual
And charged to a reckless potential;
But a rascal named Ohm
Conducted her home -
Her decline was, alas, exponential.

Cole's Lost Soul by A. P. French
There was a young fellow named Cole
Who ventured too near a black hole.
His dv by dt
Was quite wondrous to see
But now all that's left is his soul.

And Then There Were Photons by William Rolnick
An electron, while trav'ling in space,
Met a positron there "face-to-face."
The electron then sighed,
At the sight of his bride
And they "died" in a loving embrace.

Fussy Electrons by David Morin, Eric Zaslow, E'beth Haley, John Golden, and Nathan Salwen
An electron is sure hard to please.
When spread out, it sometimes will freeze.
Though agoraphobic,
It's still claustrophobic,
And runs off when put in a squeeze.

Maxwell By Amikam Aharoni
Maxwell had plenty of time to think
While dipping his pen in the ink.
Today's computations
With Maxwell's equations

The Children's Railway

The greatest children's toy in the world? A railway run largely by children aged 10-14 with full sized trains. The Hungarian one is perhaps the best known, but there are others in the former soviet republics.

Very many people, having heard the words "Children's Railway", immediately imagine a toy-railway with tiny locos and wagons, which they used to play with together with the daddy or elder brother. The railway which had been assembled on the floor in the room and on which the train had endlessly been travelling in a circle till the strict mum sent you to bed. Pleasant memories…

Actually, the Children's Railway is an absolutely different thing. It is a real railway, narrow-gauge though, with real wagons and locomotives. "Then, why is it "Children's?", you might ask. Because it is operated by the schoolchildren, 9-15 years old. The whole summer under the guidance of the grown-up instructors they drive trains, work as traffic controllers, assistants to station-masters, guards and conductors.

Steam-Powered Model Locomotive

(via TechTalk)

UK model train outfit Hornby has developed a locomotive engine that is powered by real steam, yet runs on standard '00' gauge, 12-volt track. After filling a small tank with distilled water, the locomotive slowly heats up over the next five to ten minutes, using power from the track
like a regular toy engine. Then, by sending pulsed signals down the track, an operator can open the steam valve to drive the pistons, which in turn power the wheels, just like a real steam train.

The ultimate in model train operation doesn't come cheap, though, with the starter kit (including the locomotive, control box, an oval track, and gloves to protect you when handling the steam-hot engine) priced around £500. Nevertheless, for the dedicated train modeler, a welcome addition of real, if small-scale drama and danger.

Why Study RPS?

Why should I study RPS? What will RPS do for me? As with any sport, the answer to these questions is “That depends on what you put into it.”

RPS is gaming at its most basic, its most fundamental. Take anything away, and it ceases to be a game at all. Every other game, at some level, contains RPS. Like chess or fencing, the rules are simple, but the game itself is as complex as the mind of your opponent.

Playing RPS probably won’t make you rich and famous. Chances are good you won’t win an Olympic gold medal. And it’s not likely to improve your physique, maximize your sex appeal, jump-start your career or expand your memory. Many players have found, however, that studying RPS gives them a greater understanding of how gaming relates to human behavior. In that sense, RPS can help you find success in other areas, but only if you have the determination to work hard and think hard – not just in RPS, but in every area of your life.

The Online Guide to Whistling Records

Do you like to whistle? Have a knack for it? Maybe you could join a select few who've made a profession out of it. For decades, whistlers graced vinyl with their own unique renditions and creations. Heck, even birds got themselves a record deal. And despite being an obscure musical niche, whistling still boasts an occasional tune that almost everyone knows. Brother Bones, a virtual unknown, recorded one of the most instantly recognizable songs of all time. Just go to a Globetrotters game and listen. So while it may be a dying art in the music biz, there's still a devoted faithful today who just aren't done puckering up.

The gobbledygook generator

Have you ever wanted to become a stereotypical consultant? Do you find yourself lost for meaningless, empty phrases that make you look 'in the know'?

Try the gobbledygook generator.