Mobile cranes
Saturday, November 27, 2004, 16:55 - Personal

For some reason I have an incredible fascination with mobile cranes. Yesterday I came across "Giant Cranes" on Discovery Channel, and I was hooked right again. Especially the Spierings Folding Cranes are absolutely totally awesome!
I started looking for some miniatures on the internet. Apparently they are called diecast models and with that search term I found some models. The most interesting one is this one. But I'm yet undecided whether I am really interested in buying a diecast model. The real life ones are so much more impressive!

Virtual Bartender Game
Wednesday, November 24, 2004, 21:25 - Humor
Here is a funny Virtual Bartender. You can give her commands that she then will perform. Not all commands are beer related...
Some examples: phone / play / dance / shoot / hold / love / jump / serve / crush / flash / sing / fight / kick / swirl / handstand / push up

Spoiler: overview of all commands that are implemented :)


Exit VCR - enter DVD and harddisk
Tuesday, November 23, 2004, 23:46 - The News
Due to lack of demand, the Dixons chain has decided to stop selling VCRs. Here is a nice story about the history of the VCR.

While the film industry in the sixties feared the recorder (like they now fear the internet...) it turned out that in the end they made more money out of selling tapes then the made in movie theaters.
The recorder also improved the quality of late night programs, as there now was a larger potential audience.

Nowadays, DVD and harddisk recorders are extremely popular. I myself am still undecided on what exact solution I want for harddisk recording. I'm not really keen on introducing a PC in the living room, as I am afraid the noise will annoy me, even with the silent solutions that are available nowadays.


When money plays no role...
Friday, November 19, 2004, 03:44 - Humor
A couple of men are at the golfclub preparing for a round of golf, when a mobile rings. One of them answers the phone and the others cannot help but overhear the conversation, which goes as follows:

HE: Hello?
SHE: Hey honey, it's me... Are you at the golfclub?
HE: Yes, I am.
SHE: I went shopping and saw a great leather coat, but it costs $4000.
HE: Well, if you really like it you should buy it whatever the price is.
SHE: Great! Thanks. By the way, when I passed the Mercedes dealer I saw a great car! But it costs $80,000
HE: Well, it's fine with me. But for that price I want all accessories included.
SHE: All right! And you know, that great house we were looking at? It's back on the market and now they are asking $950,000
HE: OK, put in an offer of 900,000. But now I gotta go tee off.
SHE: Oh thanks, you're the best!

The man hangs up the phone. As he sees the bewildered looks on the faces of the others, he asks "Does anyone know who's mobile this is?"


2.5 Gigapixel image !?
Tuesday, November 16, 2004, 04:16 - Miscellaneous
TNO (the Dutch applied physics research institute) has created what they call a 2.5 gigapixel zoomable picture of Delft (where I live) and The Hague in the background (where I work). It's a panorama photo created from 600 regular digital pictures that they took from the tallest building in Delft: the faculty of Electrical Engineering (where I got my MSc) of the Delft University of Technology.

They created an automated setup that took the pictures in 1 hour and 20 minutes. It then took 20 hours to fit them together, and 3 days on 5 high-end computers to create the composite.

I think it's a really cool picture, especially because it's all known territory to me.

(If the zoomable image on above link is not loading, use this mirror.)


Cuddle Party
Monday, November 15, 2004, 02:48 - Miscellaneous
I just read an article about Cuddle Parties. Apparently this is the trendy response to a world getting colder and harder.

At a cuddle party, people get together in their pajamas and lie against and on top of each other in a puppy pile, caressing, massaging and kissing each other. There are a few ground rules one should obey and therefore there even is a cuddle lifeguard on duty. Sex is strictly forbidden and I especially like Rule #7: "No Dry Humping" :)

It seems to be very big already in New York City and is spreading around the world. I myself have never been to such a party and I doubt that I ever will. I'm just not a very cuddly person myself. But we'll see....


Keep Smilin'
Sunday, November 14, 2004, 22:16 - Humor


Had to include this one.... I don't recall where I got this, as it is a couple of years old. If you are the copyright holder, please contact me.



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