I am pretty sure that my Valentine’s Day looks different that many women’s and that is fine with me! NerdDad and I tend to exchange rather, well, nerdy gifts. So I was stoked when NerdDad got me a new Microsoft Wireless Mouse
As you may guess, I am not a big fan of China and it’s policies against freedom. I will say that I have always been in the middle on the issue of us doing business with them. The idea that bringing a censored Internet to China is better than no Internet to China has always seemed to hold water with me. But it has always made me uneasy. While abstractly I understood, I knew that I couldn’t ever pander to China even for money.
Awesome isn’t it? There really is metal velcro or, without the trademark term, hook and loop fastener. It is so cool! From the press release:
Hook and loop fasteners made of spring steel have now been developed at the Institute of Metal Forming and Casting of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen. These fasteners are resistant to chemicals and can withstand a tensile load of up to 35 tonnes per square meter at temperatures as high as 800°C.
This is so cool! I love watching materials innovation. In the article it says that they were looking for automotive innovations and uses in construction. How neat!
(HT: Next Big Future)
I love gadgets and tech. But I don’t own a smartphone. Heck, I don’t even own a “real” phone plan. It is for a couple of reasons. First, I have 4 kids so if I am not home I probably am to busy to talk (ie out with the kiddos). But the second has to do with the costs. PC World has a great image that compares all the smartphone plans. The cheapest ends up being just over $100 a month. That is really pricey and they all go up from there. They seem to be fun toys but…I also find that I might as well just use my laptop because I can do more on it. Between Starbucks and my church I have great access to free wifi. How about you? Do you have a smartphone? Do you think they are worth the price?
Apparently Microsoft has come up with their own search engine. I really like Google but I am intrigued….
Yes, I said Viagra. It only took 4 Viagra to bribe an Afghan chieftain. I think we are all familiar with the fact that the CIA sends in agents to find informants. And the fact those “assets” aren’t giving us information out of the goodness of their hearts but due to some payoff be it money, women, or weapons. But that can have it’s downside.
The usual bribes of choice — cash and weapons — aren’t always the best options, Afghanistan veterans say. Guns too often fall into the wrong hands, they say, and showy gifts such as money, jewelry and cars tend to draw unwanted attention.
“If you give an asset $1,000, he’ll go out and buy the shiniest junk he can find, and it will be apparent that he has suddenly come into a lot of money from someone,” said Jamie Smith, a veteran of CIA covert operations in Afghanistan and now chief executive of SCG International, a private security and intelligence company. “Even if he doesn’t get killed, he becomes ineffective as an informant because everyone knows where he got it.”
The key, Smith said, is to find a way to meet the informant’s personal needs in a way that keeps him firmly on your side but leaves little or no visible trace.
In this case it was a 60 year old man with 4 wives. It took 4 little sample pills and he was ours. I am cool with this because they can’t shoot us with our own weapons or really do us any harm with bribes like this. And maybe they will share and the enemy will be, how do I say, otherwise engaged;)?
(HT: Neatorama)
For those of you who have been living under a rock and without a calendar….. Christmas is coming!!! In the spirit of Christmas I have a Nintendo Wii game to giveaway!
The Game Factory has published a great family friendly game called Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons. This is the perfect family game because it is for ages 3+ and can be for anywhere from 1 to 4 players. Build-A-Bear Workshop® entertainment experience allows up to four players to name, groom, feed and dress their bear using the revolutionary Wii™ remote. The game allows players to join their customized bear on adventures to explore islands, meet inhabitants and help furry friends.
Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons allows full interaction between the player and her/his furry friend in a variety of 20 fun mini-games, from throwing Frisbees to ice-skating. Four islands season-themed wait to be explored and six treasure spots hold magical chests! Developed for children and families, Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons packs fun for the whole family and allows players to take full advantage of the unique features of the Nintendo Wii™ game system. It is available at Amazon
Charity and Cool Stuff!
Build A Bear will be auctioning off celebrity-built Build-A-Bear Workshop bears, along with autographed copies of the Build-A-Bear Wii game. These bears and signed games will be on eBay’s Giving Works to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California. These one-of-a-kind bears were built by celebrities like Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott, the Jonas Brothers, James Gandolfini, Melissa Joan Hart, Bonnie Hunt, Mitchel Musso, Meaghan Jette Martin and more.
Win it!
How would you like to win a copy of Build A Bear Worshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons for your family? To enter:
* Stop by the Build A Bear Auction before Dec 3rd and check out the cool bears they have.
* Then come back and mention in comments which bear is your favorite. That’s it!
* A random winner will be selected and notified on Dec 7th.
* The winner will then have 3 days to claim their prize.
To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.
* Subscribe to my feed.
* Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to The Game Factory.
This giveaway is open to addresses within the US and Canada. Please leave a way to contact you in case you win.
(This is a FRN post)
I saw this advertised on Facebook and had to check it out. A bit kooky but if you are tough enough I guess it could be good. I do hate shaving my legs……
I think the new Microsoft commercials are a great comeback at all you Mac heads. I found this interview with the first “I’m a PC” guy and it is a little interesting. What do you all think about these commercials? I personally am tired of the idea that all the interesting and creative people are only on Macs. Now I am not interesting or creative but still;).