Friday, December 28, 2007

Search and Destroy: Plus Ultra Presents: The Iggy Pop Story Part 1


Iggy Pop the true motor city madman was born James Jewell Osterberg on April 21, in Muskegon, Michigan, his father Newell Sr. was an English teacher and his mother was Louella Christensen. Young Jim grew up in a trailer park in Yipsilanti, near Ann Arbor. In 1962 Jim formed a high school band called the Iguanas, where he played the drums and acquired the name Iggy. Between 1966-67 Iggy spent 8 months in Chicago, playing drums in various blues bands, soon returning to Ann Arbor. In 1966, rock legend has Iggy meeting Andy Warhol, John Cale, and Nico, at a party thrown by mutual friend Anne Wehrer. In 1967 Iggy formed "The Psychedelic Stooges" and called himself Iggy Stooge, the Stooges included Iggy's old friends Ron and Scott Asheton, bassist Dave Alexander, who had played bass for the Dirty Shames and Iggy Stooge on vocals.


The bands first gig was held on Halloween, 1967 at the University of Michigan. The three other Psychedelic Stooges nicknamed Iggy "Pop" after a local character who he resembled. In October 1968, the Stooges signed with Elektra Records, The Doors label, which must have been cool for Iggy who was influenced by seeing The Doors perform in 1967 at the University of Michigan. Shortly after the Stooges got signed, Iggy got married to Wendy Weisberg, the marriage lasted one month.


In 1969 the band wisely chose John Cale (from the Velvet Underground) as their producer on their first album. In June, they recorded their debut album at the "Hit Factory", in New York City. Since they only had five songs to record when they went to NY, they wrote much of it on the fly, Ron Asheton is said to have composed "Not Right" & "Little Doll" in just one hour. The band released their self-titled debut "The Stooges" at the end of August 1969, removing "Psychedelic" from their name at the same time, and the rest as they say is rock n' roll history!


For more information on this important issue please visit:

The Stooges

Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop Interview by Bret Gladstone

Elijah Wood To Play Iggy Pop In Movie












Sunday, December 23, 2007

Top 10 9/11 Videos



9/11 Revisited

Loose Change 2nd Edition Recut

Reichstag 9/11

The Great Conspiracy

David Ray Griffin - 9/11 Commission Report: Ommissions and Distortions

9/11: Press for Truth

9/11 Mysteries

Dust to Dust: The Health Effects of 9/11

Perspective on 9/11 Video Collection

9/11 and the British Broadcasting Conspiracy

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Peak Oil Shmeak Oil!


This pie chart (from The National Ocean Service) represents the worldwide uses of oil resources, as you can see, about half of the world's oil supply is used for transportation.

If only there was some way to power vehicles without burning fossil fuels. Here are a couple of videos that have an idea for just that. Electric cars! They work, and they are faster than you think. According to About.com, in '99 a Belgian built electric racing car designed by Camille Jénatzy called "La Jamais Contente" was clocked at 68 mph, not bad, even better when you consider it was 1899.

As for heating and creating electricity the next most prevalent uses of oil, alternatives include; solar, wind, hydro, and tidal to name a few.




Electric car vs Ferrari

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Fallen Art


CGNetworks Feature::Tomek Baginski Interview (Excerpt)

By Paul Hellard
From
CGSociety

Credited as the name behind ‘The Cathedral', Tomek Baginski is now on the verge of releasing the new Platige short film ‘Fallen Art', a very different, very black comedy.

Tomek Baginski has been working at Platige for seven years now, but he was only ten when he realized that making computer animation was the cheapest way of making films. “I wanted to make films for as long as I can remember so the choice was natural”, says Baginski. “I started with an Amiga computer. I've gone through many different programs and platforms and then finally landed with 3D.” Baginski's first 3D student film ‘Rain' was good enough to land him a job in Platige Image and straight after the appointment, he quit college where he was studying architecture. “I didn't really like architecture,” Baginski muses, “but in Poland studying something was the only way to avoid the army.”

While working on ‘The Cathedral', Baginski was thinking about film ideas he'd like to produce afterwards. A folder slowly filled with photos, stories and sketches so he wouldn't forget them. He couldn't work on them but he could save them for later. “I chose ‘Fallen Art' because it was very different to Cathedral and I was sure that I had to make a different film to avoid comparisons. ‘The Cathedral' was quite successful and making a short with a similar kind of mood could have been a dangerous trap. I decided to go the other way.”

Concept design
The message behind ‘Fallen Art' changed during production. At the beginning Baginski wanted to make just a funny film about the army, but many things happened in the world while the crew was fine-tuning the storyboards. The army topic has became much more stark, and much more serious.

“Consequently, we decided to make the story darker than in the beginning”, says Baginski. “It wasn't only my idea. The music my brother found was much more insane than I've expected. The character design done by the very talented young painter, Rafal Wojtunik was also much more wicked that I though it would be. Of course it is still a comedy, but it is very dark comedy.”

Very rough sketches and some written characteristics were handed to Wojtunik and that was all. Baginski admits he wasn't really paying any attention to the design process and the characters and set design have become crazier than he expected. Wojtunik based his drawings on the paintings of the Polish painter Jerzy Duda-Gracz, but most of the ideas were born inside his head. “When I saw the first designs I was quite surprised”, says Baginski, “but at the same time I was really impressed. Giving the designing part to Wojtunik was one of the best decisions I've made during the project.”

Fallen Art

The Cathedral

Friday, December 14, 2007

3 lonelyTylenol 3

Like all great spy novels, this one begins at the end.
The End. I would like to thank Gustave Verbeek and James Joyce, "riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs."

By now you may have realized I am in a lot of pain. The pain is in my lower back. I have been medicating myself for the last week with heavy doses of painkillers, 3 more tylenol 3's please.3 more tylenol 3's please.3 more tylenol 3's please is my Mantra.

I have barked all of my family and friends away for the holidays. I am an angry man. Christmas don't mean shit to me. My name is Stu and I'm an asshat.
I am not normally like this.
I remember a time when I enjoyed Christmas as much as you.
But,
now...
all i know is hate.

I wish I could tell you more about what happened in the beginning. I would tell you how it was, "a cold winter day like today is." But I can not tell you anymore about the beginning until the end is nearer.

What you need to know right now is that it could happen to you!
That's right. You heard me, and worse.
How can you prevent yourself from these types of tragedies?
Read more. I will explain in an easy to understand way backwards.
I've even heard some people have turned gay by not reading this story I am writing.
So, it is very important you follow me by staying ahead of me.(At least one step)
It is time I introduce you to my butler. His name is Gary Curlybun. He has commited several unsolved murders in future novels of mine. He paces when he is nervous and he is pacing right now. I pull my hair when I am nervous, but I am innocent and even if I weren't I would never tell you if I were playing with my hair right now or not because it may incriminate me later. Did I mention there was a murder. I don't think so. But there was. Can you guess who did it?
Let me tell you it was not you, me or my butler. I am also prepared to let you know it was a cold winter day like today is.
That is all for now, I will tell you more later.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Here's to (Ever) Higher Education!


Here at Plus Ultra, we are aware that many young people out there look to us not just for laughs but also for insightful commentary on national and international affairs. That's why we are proud to bring you videos from both Comedy Central and Fox News, the only trouble is that it is tough to tell which are the joke videos and which is the insightful commentary! I guess you'll have to judge for your selves...good luck!

SURVEY: Daily Show/Colbert Viewers Most Knowledgable, Fox News Viewers Rank Lowest

From Think Progress

A new study by the Pew Research Study shows that viewers of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report have the highest knowledge of national and international affairs, while Fox News viewers rank nearly dead last.

Despite significant technology shifts, however, Pew found that “today’s citizens are about as able to name their leaders, and are about as aware of major news events, as was the public nearly 20 years ago.”

The results about Fox News echo findings of previous surveys. In 2003, University of Maryland researchers studied the public’s belief in three false claims — that Iraq possessed WMD, that Iraq was involved in 9/11, and that there was international support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

The researchers stated, “The extent of Americans’ misperceptions vary significantly depending on their source of news. Those who receive most of their news from Fox News are more likely than average to have misperceptions.” Fox News viewers were “three times more likely than the next nearest network to hold all three misperceptions.”
















Monday, November 26, 2007

Plus Ultra Meets Rube Goldberg!!


Some of our readers out there have been wondering what happened to Plus Ultra? Has he given up the struggle to get higher, farther and better?

Of course not! Plus Ultra is merely streamlining his operation with the help of a Rube Goldberg machine! Soon the posts you read on Blog Plus Ultra will be automated thanks to this incredible time saving invention! Unfortunately we are experiencing a few snags along the way, so here are a few videos to demonstrate the type of simple straightforward improvements Plus Ultra is making.


Rube Goldberg Machine

From
Wikipedia

A Rube Goldberg machine is an exceedingly complex apparatus that performs a very simple task in a very indirect and convoluted way. It first appeared in Webster's Third New International Dictionary with the definition, "accomplishing by extremely complex roundabout means what actually or seemingly could be done simply." The expression has been dated as originating in the US around 1930 to describe Rube Goldberg's illustrations of "absurdly-connected machines".

Since then, the expression's meaning has expanded to denote any form of overly confusing or complicated system. For example, recent news headlines include "Is Rep. Bill Thomas the Rube Goldberg of Legislative Reform?", and "Retirement 'insurance' as a Rube Goldberg machine". It has been argued that fissioning uranium to boil water under tremendous temperature and pressure renders nuclear power a Rube Goldberg machine.

Similar expressions internationally
The expression "Heath Robinson contraption", named after the fantastical comic machinery illustrated by British cartoonist W. Heath Robinson, shares a similar meaning but predates the Rube Goldberg machine, originating in the UK in 1912.

In Denmark, they are called Storm P maskiner (Storm P machines), after the Danish cartoonist Robert Storm Petersen.

In Bengal, the humorist and children's author Sukumar Ray in his nonsense poem Abol tabol had a character ('Uncle') with a Rube Goldberg like machine called 'Uncle's contraption'. This word is used colloquially in Bengali to mean a complex and useless machine.

In Spain, devices akin to Goldberg's machines are known as Inventos del TBO (tebeo) named after those which cartoonist Ramón Sabatés made up and drew for a section in the TBO magazine, allegedly designed by some Professor Franz from Copenhagen.

The Norwegian cartoonist and storyteller Kjell Aukrust created a cartoon character named Reodor Felgen who constantly invented complex machinery. Though it was often built out of unlikely parts, it always performed very well. Felgen stars as the inventor of an extremely powerful but overly complex car Il Tempo Gigante in the Ivo Caprino animated puppet-film Flåklypa Grand Prix (1975).

In Turkey, such devices are known as Zihni Sinir Proceleri, allegedly invented by a certain Prof. Zihni Sinir (Crabby Mind), a curious "scientist" character created by İrfan Sayar in 1977 for the cartoon magazine Gırgır. The cartoonist later went on to open a studio selling actual working implementations of his designs.

Another related phenomenon is the Japanese art of useful but unusable contraptions called chindōgu.

In the famous Tamil movie Aboorva Sagotharargal Kamal Hasan (Being a Circus clown) uses a 'Rube Goldberg Machine' made out of circus components to kill a villan.

In Austria, Franz Gsellmann had built for decades on a machine that he named the "Weltmaschine" (world-machine) it has many similarities to a Rube Goldberg machine.Some have compared machines of this nature in a very general way to the old adage of reinventing the wheel.

Machine contest
Many Designers of Rube Goldberg machines participate in competitions, such as this one in New Mexico.In early 1987, Purdue University in Indiana started the annual National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, organized by the Phi Chapter of Theta Tau, the National Professional Engineering Fraternity. The contest is sponsored by the Theta Tau Educational Foundation. It features US college and university teams building machines inspired by Rube Goldberg's cartoon. Judging is based on the ability of the machine to complete the tasks specified by the challenge using as many steps as possible without a single failure, while making the machines themselves fitting into certain themes.





Monday, November 12, 2007

Propaganda by Brent Erickson

An open source video compilation, Propaganda offers a critical look at the "mainstream" media, featuring interviews and lectures by Noam Chomsky, Bell Hooks, John Pilger, Amy Goodman, music by Dead Prez and much more!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Today's Hottest searches on Blog Plus Ultra Ever Higher Ever Farther Ever Better


1. ophiuchus 2. lonestar 3. elmer gantry 4. i am legend 5. bigfoot research organization 6. guitar hero 3 cheats 7. jon lester 8. nostradamus lost book 9. penny dreadful 10. bourne supremacy
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Marlon Asher Love of Jah


Marlon Asher is a Trinidadian reggae singer from Enterprise, Chaguanas. His first hit was "Ganja Farmer"



Marlon Asher grew up in Enterprise Street, Chaguanas. He was a member of the Mount Ararat Spiritual Baptist Church Choir and later converted to Rastafari.

Asher was a pioneer of the Trinidadian reggae movement and his first song Ganja Farmer sparked controversy in his country despite being a run away hit. In an exclusive interview with the Trinidad and Tobago Express, he answered his critics by explaining what the song meant to him.

"I was never a farmer, but I have friends who are and seeing what they have to go through when police burn their fields inspired me to create the song. People must understand that planters have mouths to feed and this is how they earn a living to do so. Putting aside the fact that herb is life and everything else about that, when you think about the work and money a man puts into his field and then see it being burnt, it's not easy,"

"Herb is not for everyone. It have people who will smoke and trip. My music is not about promoting hate and violence, it's about uplifting people. I may not be able to change the world, but I can lead people into thinking differently about life and living with each other. Also, the lyrics in the song that tell about the rocket launcher, does not mean that people should kill police. I am showing the anger that a farmer has inside when he sees his field being burnt. That anger and frustration is real,"

Asher was once a joiner and a mason but left the trade due to allergies. His left index finger was lost in a sawing accident. He is currently a member of a pan side led by his father Glenford Sobers.

Asher has toured together with the stars such as Beenie Man, Sizzla, Maxi Priest and even the American R&B Group Boyz II Men. He has toured Boston, Virginia, Miami, Baltimore and Toronto, and later plans to tour Germany, the United Kingdom as well as other parts of Europe.

He has since paved the way for other local reggae stars such as Prophet Benjamin, Isasha, Jah Bami, Xebulon, King David and so many more.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Spiders on drugs

In a previous post titled Ziggy Stardust and the spiders on drugs
I reported that, "NASA experiments have shown that common house spiders spin their webs in different ways according to the psychotropic drug they have been given." This is a true story. I am not sure of the truth in this next video however, I am certain you will find it ultra intersesting.


Monday, October 22, 2007

Marie Osmond sees stars on dancing with the stars


This is just some of the Buzz I am hearing, "Marie Osmond passed out, Marie Osmond pass out, Marie Osmond dancing, Marie Osmond faint, Marie osmond fainted"

After performing a Samba on the popular T.V. show "Dancing with the stars" former childhood star, Marie Osmond was waiting anxiously for her score and in front of millions of viewers she fainted. She recovered quickly(During a commercial break) and is reportedly doing fine. Osmond explained on-air that "once in a while that happens to me when I get winded. I stop breathing." She was expected to undergo a medical examination as a precaution, ABC's Astley said.

Check the Video out here


Thursday, October 18, 2007

What is the Most Od Nut Ever?


Is it this one?
The Industrial-Strength Play
SCREW AND NUT CHEW TOY SET

These super tough chew toys will drive your furry friend "nuts", in a good way. The nut and bolt are super-tough, completely non-toxic, and clean easily. The fully functional nuts and bolts will develop your canine's cognition while cleaning his chompers. They're more fun than you'd imagine, made with a pleasing texture and bouncy material, and minty flavor to aid in the age old problem of dog breath.

Is Mr. Peanut the most od nut ever?

'Mr. Peanut is the advertising logo and mascot of Planters, an American snack-food company and division of Kraft Foods. He consists of a drawing of an anthropomorphic peanut in its shell dressed in the formal clothing of an old-fashioned gentleman: a top hat, monocle, white gloves, spats, and a cane.

Mr. Peanut is based on a drawing by a Virginia schoolboy, Antonio Gentile, a Italian-American who won a $5 prize in a 1916 contest for his "little peanut person." The mascot made its debut in 1918 in The Saturday Evening Post.

According to the company, Mr. Peanut's hat, shoes, cane, and monocle symbolize fresh taste. The gloves do not symbolize anything; Mr. Peanut simply likes them.

Since his conception, Mr. Peanut has appeared in many TV commercials as an animated cartoon character. More recent commercials have shown him computer animated in a real-world setting. His appearances are often accompanied by an elegant accented narrator, and throughout his extensive television life, Mr. Peanut has rarely, if ever, spoken.

In 2006, Planters conducted an online poll to determine whether to add a bow tie, cufflinks, or a pocketwatch to Mr. Peanut. The public voted for no change.

Or Would You Believe Today's winner of the prestigious

Blog Plus Ultra's Most Od Nut Ever Award should be this Squirrel? Vote Below!







Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Dali Lama pics of Dali, Dalai Lama and Lama's and Dali and and

This Is Salvador Dali














This is The Dalai Lama












This is a surreal picture of a Dali Lama


Tuesday, October 16, 2007

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama not Dali Lama stupid!


Yesterday I saw Buddha Smoking a cigarette. Today I learned about the Dalai Lama's meeting with everybody's favorite good ole'boy, George Bush. The meeting is significant in that no other sitting president has met with his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama before. The move has the Chinese government angry who still consider him a separatist threat. The Chinese recently canceled three meetings with Germany after Chancellor Angela Merkel's meeting with the exiled Tibetan last month, and they have also already expressed displeasure with both President Bush's private meeting with the Dalai Lama on Tuesday and his receiving a Congressional Gold Medal - the nation's highest civilian honor - on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. For more information on the Dalai Lama click here

Monday, October 15, 2007

Holy Futalognkosaurus Batman!


Do the words titanosaur, futalognkosaurus dukei, puertasaurus reuili, megaraptor, mean anything to you? How about largest dinosaur?
Why do I ask you ask?

According to Reuters Canada,
"RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian and Argentine paleontologists have discovered the largely complete fossil of a new species of giant dinosaur which roamed what is now northern Patagonia about 80 million years ago.

The herbivorous Futalognkosaurus dukei measured between 105 and 112 feet from head to tail.

"It's a new species, it's a new group," Argentine paleontologist Juan Porfiri told a news conference in Rio de Janeiro.

The fossil was 70 percent preserved, which compares to about 10 percent for other giant dinosaur finds in the world.

Its name is derived from the indigenous Mapuche language meaning "giant chief of the lizards," and the name of U.S. power company Duke Energy Corp, which financed a large part of the excavation in Argentina.

The first fossils were found in 2000."



Sunday, October 14, 2007

What is the True Edict of Worms?


The Edict of Worms was the decree issued on May 25, 1521 at the Diet of Worms by the Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor Charles V, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw and a heretic and banning his literature. It also made it a crime for anyone in Germany to give Luther food or shelter.

The Papal nuncio at the Diet, Girolamo Aleandro, drew up and proposed the fierce denunciations of Luther that were embodied in the Edict of Worms, promulgated on May 25. These declared Luther to be an outlaw and banned the reading or possession of his writings. It permitted anyone to kill Luther without legal consequence. The Edict was a divisive move that distressed more moderate men, in particular Desiderius Erasmus.

Despite the agreement that he could return home safely, it was privately understood that Luther would soon be arrested and punished. To protect him from this fate, Prince Frederick seized him on his way home and hid him in Wartburg Castle. It was during his time in Wartburg that Luther began his German translation of the Bible. The edict was temporarily suspended at the Diet of Speyer in 1526 but then reinstated in 1529.

When Luther eventually came out of hiding, the Emperor was preoccupied with military concerns, and because of rising public support for Luther among the German people, the Edict of Worms was never enforced. Luther continued to call for reform until his death in 1546.

Blog Plus Ultra Has Learned, President Bush 'planted fake news stories on American TV'

Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news. Some of the fake news segments...

read more | digg story

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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Avrupa Yakasi 134 Bolum Fragman

yaprak dokumu 44, yaprak dokumu 44 bolum, sinema izleme, canlidizi.com, cinetr


Monday, October 8, 2007

The Fabulous Floating cigarette trick video

The Fabulous Furry Fantastically Famous Floating cigarette trick finally revealed.

Ever wonder how to make a cigarette float?
Here is how to do the floating cigarette trick!
wow! the floating cigarette is one of the best bar tricks ever!




But How does this guy do the Floating Cigarette trick?

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Sunday Morning on Blog Plus Ultra Underground


Sing along with:
The Velvet Underground-Sunday Morning

Sunday morning
Brings the dawn in
It's just a restless feeling by my side
Early dawning
Sunday morning
It's just the wasted years so close behind
Watch out the world's behind you
There's always someone around you who will call
It's nothing at all


Sunday morning
And I'm falling
I've got a feeling I don't want to know
Early dawning
Sunday morning
It's all the streets you crossed, not so long ago
Watch out the world's behind you
There's always someone around you who will call
It's nothing at all


Sunday morning
Sunday morning
Sunday morning

Friday, October 5, 2007

Ne Plus Ultra

Ne PlusUltra
Ne Plus Ultra
Ne Plus Ultra
Ne Plus Ultra
BLOG PLUS ULTRA IS NOW THE NE PLUS ULTRA OF BLOGS@!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Plus Ultra Shape Shifters



Is this a CIA effort to mind control us by the insertion of subliminal and hidden images in campaign ads or is this footage of Barbara shapeshifting?

Monday, October 1, 2007

Meet Ron Mueck the hyperrealist sculptor




Ron Mueck (born 1958) is an Australian hyperrealist sculptor working in Great Britain.




Mueck's early career was as a model maker and children's television and films, puppeteer for notably the film Labyrinth for which he also contributed the voice of Ludo.

Mueck moved on to establish his own company in London, making photo-realistic props and animatronics for the advertising industry. Although highly detailed, these props were usually designed to be photographed from one specific angle hiding the mess of construction seen from the other side. Mueck increasingly wanted to produce realistic sculptures which looked perfect from all angles.

In 1996 Mueck transitioned to fine art, collaborating with his mother-in-law, Paula Rego, to produce small figures as part of a tableau she was showing at the Hayward Gallery. Rego introduced him to Charles Saatchi who was immediately impressed and started to collect and commission work. This led to the piece which made Mueck's name, Dead Dad, being included in the Sensation show at the Royal Academy the following year. Dead Dad is a rather haunting silicone and mixed media sculpture of the corpse of Mueck's father reduced to about two thirds of its natural scale. It is the only work of Mueck's that uses his own hair for the finished product.

Mueck's sculptures faithfully reproduce the minute detail of the human body, but play with scale to produce disconcertingly jarring visual images. His five metre high sculpture Boy 1999 was a feature in the Millennium Dome and later exhibited in the Venice Biennale.

In 2002 his sculpture Pregnant Woman[1] was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia for AU$800,000.


A major exhibition of his work was shown in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Festival at the Royal Scottish Academy Building until October 1, 2006.[2] A solo exhibition of nine works by Ron Mueck was presented at the Brooklyn Museum from November 3, 2006 through February 4, 2007.[3]

An exhibit of his work was also on view at the National Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa from 2 March to 6 May 2007 organized by the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain (Paris), in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada, the Brooklyn Museum and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas is showing an exhibition of thirteen of Mueck's pieces from June 24, 2007 through October 21, 2007. The works in the show include Untitled (Seated Woman) (1999), Dead Dad (1996-97), In Bed (2005), Untitled (Big Man) (2000), Two Women (2005), Crouching Boy in Mirror (1999-2000), Spooning Couple (2005), Mask II (2001-02), Mask III (2005), Wild Man (2005), and A Girl (2006).[4]

Friday, September 28, 2007

Spudware, spudware everywhere spudware


Source Telegraph.co.Uk
Christopher Middleton is stirred by a spoon made of potato

No one particularly likes plastic cutlery, but for years we've all put up with it. Now its days could be numbered, thanks to the introduction of knives, forks and spoons made not out of polymers but potatoes.

One potato, two potato, three potato, fork: a spud is knifed by his starchy kin

Yes, say hello to SpudWare, the planet-saving alternative to traditional disposable cutlery. Made from hardened, moulded potato starch, it's as heat-resistant as plastic and every bit as strong: the fork can prong a hard carrot without snapping and the spoon can cope with the hardest block of ice cream.

"Synthetic materials tend to break more easily," says Joe Frankel of Edinburgh-based suppliers Vegware, the firm championing root-veg utensils in Britain. "Because our product is a natural one, it's got a bit more flexibility."

We subjected our samples to a series of experiments, during which we performed the equivalent of culinary cannibalism by plunging a SpudWare fork into the heart of a King Edward's without a hint of snappage.

SpudWare's crowning eco-glory is its biodegradability. While plastic sits unaltered in the earth for centuries, SpudWare decomposes within 180 days. Guaranteed.

So whereas future generations of archaeologists will be forever digging up plastic knives and forks from late 20th century birthday parties, they will be baffled at the abrupt absence of such artefacts in the early 21st century. It could become a mystery to rank with the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

Already corporate America is questioning the amount of disposable plastic cutlery it gets through (39 billion items per year at the last count), and among the institutions that have swapped from plastics to "bioplastics" is the staff canteen at Marin County Civic Centre in California. "If you want to walk the talk, you can't have a café filled with plastic," says canteen supervisor Charles McGlashan. "We took the view that using all that plastic was a violation of our values as a county."

So well has the SpudWare gone down that Marin County has now progressed to Tupperware-like containers made from fermented corn, and plates made of bagasse (a fibrous by-product of sugar cane). Now the idea is catching on in Britain (where two billion plastic items are used each year), with catering firms such as Rail Gourmet seriously considering taking the potato-instead-of-plastic route.

The only blemish on the SpudWare front is the way the cutlery gets a bit sticky and tacky if left in water overnight. There again, all it's doing is fulfilling its promise to biodegrade, water being a prime mover in getting the process started.

And do bioplastics really decompose when buried? You bet they do. Every SpudWare item comes complete with an ASTM D6400-99 (a Certification of Compostability from the American Society for Testing and Materials). And, when it comes to rot, those people know what they're talking about.
# Potato starch cutlery can be ordered from Vegware (0131 777 2562; www.vegware.co.uk). Knives, forks and spoons cost £3.19 per bag of 50 (reduced to £2.35 if you order 10 bags or more).

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Today is Thursday the Two Headed Turtle Day on Blog Plus Ultra

Coincidentally, it is also take your two headed turtle to work day today!


Two headed turtles are far less rare than Albino Rastafarian ratfish, but rare enough to warrant a special day here on my blog. That is why I would like all of you out there to share with us your favorite two headed turtle stories.

Tonites top ten 2 Headed Turtles are:


These are actual pictures of two headed turtles.

TURTLES TURTLES RA RA RA TURTLES TURTLES HA HA HA MMMMMMMMMMMM I LOVE TURTLES

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Lifestraw



According to Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen,
Chief Executive Officer, "Mobilising LifeStraw® offers relief from waterborne diseases of major public concern such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery and diarrhoea. As a personal and mobile water purification tool, LifeStraw® is designed to turn most of the surface water into drinking water, thus providing access to safe water wherever you are."

It sounds like a great idea, but like all great ideas their are critics. A good example is the following(Source Wikipedia),

"LifeStraw has generally been praised for its effective and instant method of bacteria removal. However, the device is ineffective at killing Giardia lamblia, an organism that is both resistant to iodine and smaller than 5 micrometers.[5] The device also causes higher-than-normal iodine levels in the drinkers' water, although this is countered by the iodine deficiency problem that exists in the third world. Paul Hetherington, of the charity WaterAid, has also criticised the LifeStraw for being too expensive and not solving the problem. He says that the price is expensive to those who would need it, and that it does not alleviate other problems in third world countries."

What do you think of Life Straw?

Monday, September 24, 2007

g4tv.com/halo press release

G4 DEPLOYS FOR “HALO 3 COUNTDOWN,” A GLOBAL MISSION TO CELEBRATE BIGGEST VIDEO GAME LAUNCH IN HISTORY, WITH LIVE, ON-LOCATION REPORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Wed. Sep. 12, 2007

G4 DEPLOYS FOR “HALO 3 COUNTDOWN,” A GLOBAL MISSION TO CELEBRATE BIGGEST VIDEO GAME LAUNCH IN HISTORY, WITH LIVE, ON-LOCATION REPORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD


More Than Five Hours of Coverage on Sept. 24 Includes Extensive Interactivity, Interviews, Reviews and History of Halo Franchise

G4 Cameras in Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, New York, Australia and Japan
to Track Halo 3’s International Release with Live News Updates

LOS ANGELES, September 12, 2007 – Vicious aliens will invade the evening of September 24 and throngs of video game fans couldn’t be happier – “Halo 3” is finally making its long-awaited debut. G4 is preparing the millions of excited virtual combatants for the most eagerly anticipated video game launch in history with “Halo 3 Countdown,” an entire night of exclusive Halo 3 news, reviews, interviews, history and humor that will give experienced fans and new enthusiasts alike a comprehensive look at the new game, along with interactive opportunities to actually become a part of the coverage.

More than five hours of live, international coverage will include live reports from locations around the world as the global Halo Nation prepares for the first midnight sales. An evening jam-packed with single-player campaigns and multi-player melees begins September 24th with a special Halo 3 episode of “Attack of the Show!” at 7 p.m. ET/PT, followed immediately by the “Halo 3 Countdown” from 8 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. ET/PT, only on G4.

G4’s “Halo 3 Countdown” will include:

• Halo 3 Review: The third installment in the Halo franchise has considerable buzz, but is it worth considerable cash? G4’s games experts will take a critical look at Halo 3’s single-player and multiplayer modes and let viewers know whether the latest adventures of Master Chief live up to the great expectations.

• Halo 3 Xbox Giveaway: Attentive viewers will be rewarded with an opportunity to win the brand-new Xbox 360™ Halo® 3 Special Edition Console, which boasts an exclusive "Spartan green and gold" finish and includes a full assortment of Xbox 360 accessories.

• International Fan Perspective: The release of Halo 3 is a global event. G4 will cross datelines for the player’s point-of-view across the United States (Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami, New York) and around the world (Australia, Japan).

• Get Inside the Countdown: The Halo 3 action continues online at http://www.g4tv.com/halo, where viewers will have a chance to stream an extensive assortment of Halo videos or even become a part of the live coverage. From personal Halo stories to footage of eager gamers waiting impatiently in line, viewers will be able to submit videos that provide additional perspective on what the game’s launch means to the biggest Halo fans. In addition, a unique virtual audience feature will offer Web cam owners direct interaction with the on-air hosts. Other interactive elements available online and through mobile devices include polling and live chat included within the on-air coverage.

• In-depth Interviews: In addition to behind-the-scenes interviews with the extraordinary humans responsible for creating the remarkable Halo franchise, G4 hosts will speak to a variety of Halo fans for their perspective on both the new game and the earlier installments. From conversations with the game’s developers to the Halo opinions from some of today’s hottest celebs, and even a trip to meet the world’s youngest Halo champion, the “Halo 3 Countdown” interviews will help explain on what makes the new game’s release a major event.

• History of Halo: Few games reach Halo’s level of ubiquity and far fewer achieve that status so quickly. A whirlwind trip through the game’s history will help explain how and why the Halo 3 release is anticipated to be one of the biggest media product launches in history.

• Real World Halo: The Halo universe has surged beyond its pixilated borders. The game’s fictional weaponry has inspired a handful of talented craftspeople to create their own Halo armaments. A trip to their workshop lets viewers see what it would really take to equip a Halo warrior.

• Red vs. Blue vs. G4: G4 tracked down the creators of the infamous online video series “Red vs. Blue” and coaxed them from their recent retirement to create a special Halo 3 installment especially for G4.

• Halo Lexicon: Throughout the night, G4 will give viewers a primer on the Halo-specific language used in the video game and among the millions of online players. Whether an experienced player wants a refresher in fragging or a new player wants to learn the lingo, G4’s will deliver an education in the intricacies of speaking like a Halo pro.

More information regarding “Halo 3 Countdown” is available at http://www.g4tv.com/halo.

About Comcast Entertainment Group
Based in Los Angeles, recently formed Comcast Entertainment Group operates E! Entertainment Television, the 24-hour network with programming dedicated to the world of entertainment, and E! Online; The Style Network, the destination for women 18-49 with a passion for the best in relatable and inspiring lifestyle programming; and G4 offering the last word on gaming, technology, animation, interactivity, and "Internet culture" for the male 18-34 demo. E! is currently available to nearly 92 million cable and direct broadcast satellite subscribers in the United States. In 2006, E! launched the E! Everywhere initiative underscoring the company's dedication to making E! content available on all new media platforms any time and anywhere -- from online to broadband at The Vine @E!Online to wireless to satellite radio to VOD. The Style Network currently counts 59 million cable and satellite subscribers and G4, the #1 podcasted cable network in America, is available in more than 65 million cable and satellite homes nationwide.