OtherSides 2012 Diary

Jesus did not die on cross, says scholar

2012-02-08T18:14:00.001+01:00

Jesus may not have died nailed to the cross because there is no evidence that the Romans crucified prisoners two thousand years ago, a scholar has claimed.

The legend of his execution is based on the traditions of the Christian church and artistic illustrations rather than antique texts, according to theologian Gunnar Samuelsson.

He claims the Bible has been misinterpreted as there are no explicit references the use of nails or to crucifixion - only that Jesus bore a "staurus" towards Calvary which is not necessarily a cross but can also mean a "pole".

Mr Samuelsson, who has written a 400-page thesis after studying the original texts, said: "The problem is descriptions of crucifixions are remarkably absent in the antique literature.

"The sources where you would expect to find support for the established understanding of the event really don't say anything."

The ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew literature from Homer to the first century AD describe an arsenal of suspension punishments but none mention "crosses" or "crucifixion."

more - telegraph.co.uk

Guggenheim Art Books for free!

2012-02-07T17:18:00.001+01:00

Guggenheim Museum offers various art books and catalogues online for free. You can browse more than 40 items and view them in online viewer. You can find various art styles from chinese art to american landscape paintings. My very favourites are these two. So click and enjoy!

Paul Klee 1879-1940: A Retrospective Exhibition

Contributions by Will Grohmann, Felix Klee, and Thomas M. Messer
Published in 1967
148 pages, fully illustrated
Softcover

and

Oskar Kokoschka, Works on Paper: The Early Years, 1897–1917

Contributions by Alice Strobl and Alfred Weidinger
Published in 1994
248 pages, fully illustrated
Hardcover

Many more - From the Archives

Super Bowl 2012 Commercials

2012-02-06T15:53:00.001+01:00

Everybody knows the best thing about the Super Bowl is the commercials. So if you care less about the New England Patriots-New York Giants rematch than you do the commercials that accompany it, look no further—here are all of the Super Bowl XLVI television ads, uploaded in real time as they air. - BUZZ FEED

Watch Every Single TV Ad Here

Chevy Silverado "2012" | Super Bowl XLVI Ads | Chevrolet Commercial

2012-02-06T15:52:00.001+01:00

Politicky nekorektní pivo má v poslaneckém baru zákaz

2012-02-03T14:46:00.001+01:00

Britští poslanci už nebudou moci se svými hosty v parlamentním baru pít pivo značky Top Totty, které pivaře láká obrázkem spoře oděné blondýnky. Nelíbilo se to jedné labouristické poslankyni, uvedla na svých internetových stránkách BBC.

Stínová ministryně pro rovnoprávnost Kate Greenová tvrdí, že ji znepokojilo, když se dozvěděla o tom, že pivo Top Totty se prodává v baru Strangers', kam si poslanci mohou vodit hosty.

Top Totty slangový výraz pro pohlednou dívku. S názorem Greenové souhlasil šéf Dolní sněmovny George Young. "Bylo by mi moc líto, kdyby někde v prostorách parlamentu byly k vidění urážlivé obrázky," řekl.

O něco později pivo skutečně z baru zmizelo. Světlý mok Top Totty, který se prý vyznačuje "smyslnou vůní chmelu", se vyrábí v rodinném pivovaru Slater's ve Staffordu. Zákonodárci a jejich návštěvy jím mohli zahánět žízeň od roku 2007.

www.lidovky.cz

Earliest copy of Mona Lisa found in Prado

2012-02-02T16:49:00.002+01:00

Better version to look at? :)

"The final traces of overpaint are now being removed by Prado conservators, revealing the fine details of the delicate Tuscan landscape, which mirrors the background of Leonardo’s masterpiece. Darkened varnish is also being painstakingly stripped away from the face of the Mona Lisa, giving a much more vivid impression of her enticing eyes and enigmatic smile.

In the Louvre’s original, which will not be cleaned in the foreseeable future, Lisa’s face is obscured by old, cracked varnish, making her appear almost middle aged. In the Prado copy we see her as she would have looked at the time—as a radiant young woman in her early 20s...."

The Art Newspaper

A Guide to Pairing Your Comics & Beer

2012-02-01T20:35:00.001+01:00

Throughout history, mankind has always found reasons to add booze to everything, under the auspices of somehow making it classier. Eventually, people figured out how to use these seemingly tangential excuses for drink as a means of complementing and enhancing their experiences. Drinking wine? For shame! Wine and cheese? Perhaps a side of delicious red steak? Now we’re talking! Drinking in the morning?
Forbidden! Orange juice in your cocktail at brunch? Fantastic and socially acceptable! Even in a recession, when people are cutting corners and forced to find new ways to be frugal – everyone still likes to drink.
The point is, drink pairings are classy. And in a world where comic books are finally seen as “cool,” why not add class it up some more? Comic books are an event, after all. I guess what I’m trying to say is this all just a clever ruse for me to combine two of my biggest passions into one delectable event. Comics and Beer – the perfect combination. But like wine and cheese, the real trick is in finding a brew that will somehow improve upon your comic book affair. One that accentuates the proper tones, and enriches the flavor – a beer that you can experience along with your comic book. A beer that betters your comic book, and a comic book that betters your beer, all at the same time.

let´s find out! - Quirk Books

Batman: Look for a sweet stout, something along the lines of Young’s Double Chocolate or Left Hand’s Milk Stout. A darker, richer beer –much like the Dark Knight himself – that still has a sweet spot, as Bruce does for young boys. (Not like, a sweet spot for young boys, like – whatever, you know what I mean, get your mind out of the gutter) The chocolate/sweetness is more of a mask – the face of Bruce Wayne, if you will – that plays up his exterior image as a decadent playboy, but really serves as an attempt to hide the burnt bitterness beneath. Of course, Batman is also a detective, and the thick, roasted, robust flavor of these stouts will encourage you to drink them more slowly, holding back the effects of intoxication and allowing you to keep up with the Great Gotham detective and solve the clues along with him.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Shoots Down Gingrich's Moon Base

2012-01-30T19:46:00.001+01:00

Neil DeGrasse Tyson—one of my favorite space people—was interviewed by MSNBC's Martin Bashir about Newt Gingrich's moon base plan by 2020. The short version: Newt got it wrong. The long version: watch the video.

I want the world to have a permanent base on the Moon. It will be great for the United States and humanity as a whole. Just setting up a liquid space telescope—hundreds of times more powerful than any telescope ever created—would justify it. The things we would learn as species would push civilization forward in a way we never imagined before.

But doing this by 2020 in the current situation is a pretty crazy idea... unless all the governments—US, Russia, Europe and China—put all their weight behind it. Like the US did with Apollo. Which is precisely what the Newtanaut—which his illegal idea of a US-only base funded by private companies—doesn't want to do.

video - gizmodo.com

Moleskine Lego Black Brick Ruled Large Black: Limited Edition

2012-01-29T17:19:00.001+01:00

LEGO Moleskin noteook! Must have I say!

buy here - Amazon.com

Attack Attack! - Stick Stickly (Offical Music Video)

2012-01-28T14:25:00.001+01:00

New Argus for US military

2012-01-27T17:35:00.001+01:00

WSGI has developed a new mid-altitude (10,000 to 20,000 foot) LTA UAV, the Argus One, which represents a new airship design and is equipped with our newly developed stabilization system that autonomously controls the level of rigidity of the airship in flight and an integrated payload bay capable of initially carrying up to approximately 30 pounds of high technology sensors, cameras or electronics packages. Argus One is an unmanned autonomous airship with automated control for individual body modules for improved flight stability and aerodynamic control. The design features the ability to control the rigidity between each module and the ability to pivot. The modules are operated by microcontrollers based on aerodynamic requirements. The airship’s altitude, overall response and handling characteristics and flight control utilizes a system of ballonets contained within each individual module, thereby creating a dynamically adjustable airship. The design of the Argus One differs significantly from many of the LTA rigid platforms that have been in operation for over a century.

more - World Surveillance Group Inc.

Star Wars Uncut: Director's Cut

2012-01-26T18:16:00.001+01:00

Pictures: America's "Lost" National Parks

2012-01-25T15:39:00.001+01:00

See U.S. national parks that are no more, including the second national park, a Trump pleasure palace, and more.

Pictures: America's "Lost" National Parks

Loňská pivní inventura

2012-01-25T15:35:00.001+01:00

Uplynulý rok uběhnul jako voda a je tedy na čase se ohlédnout po tom, co nám dal a vzal na poli pivním.

Nejvíce potěšitelným faktem je, že zatím neustává trend nastavený už v letech minulých a to vznik zatím rekordního počtu malých pivovárků (Horní Lomná, Jihlava, Šťáhlavy, Svitavy, Litoměřice, Mikulov, Dolní Bojanovice, Rokycany, Hradec Králové, Brno-Magistr, Brno-Líšeň, Ujkovice, Buštěhrad, Kvilda, Ždírec nad Doubravou, Želiv, Jeseník, Prostějov, Čižice, Krmelín, Bohumín a Žumberk), jenž v daných místech, kde byl před tím často jen pivní úhor, rozšiřují pivní nabídku byť třeba jen nefiltrovaným světlým ležákem, ale pokud je povedený, tak díky už jen za něj. Restaurační pivovar nerovná se samozřejmě automaticky vždy povedené pivo a tak až budoucnost ukáže, který z nových podniků vznikl jen v rámci módní vlny bez potřebných pivovarských zkušeností provozovatelů.

Velkou událostí bylo obnovení hned dvou dříve zrušených pivovarů a to v Úněticích po 60 letech a v Podkováni po třech. V Úněticích se potkalo zajímavé místo se šikovností majitele a velkým umem sládka, výsledkem čehož je to, že pivovar bez nějakých velkých reklamních kampaní, čistě jen s podporou různých lokálních akcí zaváží po půl roce existence desítky hospod a to i bez nabídky nějakých pivních speciálů. Výborná desítka a dvanáctka, piva, která se velmi rychle zařadila k tomu nějlepšímu co českých pivní trh nabízí, k úspěchu zjevně můžou stačit. Příklad hodný následování, protože právě takovéto malé lokální průmyslové pivovary mnohde zoufale chybí. Podkováňský pivovar zůstává bohužel zatím oproti tomu daleko za očekáváním jak svým průměrným pivem, tak i prakticky neviditelnou obchodní aktivitou.

Nelze nezmínit i řadu malých pivovarů, u kterých zájem o jejich piva překračoval celkovou kapacitu a tak k výraznému rozšíření kapacit došlo v Permonu Sokolov, Dalešicích, v Tamboru ve Dvoře Králové, u Matušků v Boumech nebo v Chotěboři. Ze zaběhlých pivovarů trhaly rekordy výstavu piva již tradičně ve Svijanech nebo u Bernarda v Humpolci.

vice zde - Pivní Obzor

Why Tim Thomas’ White House snub was wrong

2012-01-24T18:51:00.001+01:00

By now you probably know that the Boston Bruins visited the White House on Monday, as the champions of all major sports do, and that their star goalie elected not to attend. Tim Thomas stated his reasons on his Facebook page and he’s been hailed by some as a hero for standing on principle. But, in a very important way, he was wrong — and hockey fans who applaud him for his principles are wrong to support him.

On his Facebook page, Thomas wrote on Monday evening, “I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.

“This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.

“Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.

“This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT”

Thomas was wrong not because he holds those particular views on the government. He is certainly entitled to them. That is his legal right — one of the things that is truly great about this country. Not every nation is so fortunate. But Thomas went wrong when he decided to use this particular time and place to exercise his right.

full here - Red Light

What Happened Before the Big Bang? The New Philosophy of Cosmology

2012-01-23T15:36:00.001+01:00

What existed before the big bang? What is the nature of time? Is our universe one of many? On the big questions science cannot (yet?) answer, a new crop of philosophers are trying to provide answers.

Last May, Stephen Hawking gave a talk at Google's Zeitgeist Conference in which he declared philosophy to be dead. In his book The Grand Design, Hawking went even further. "How can we understand the world in which we find ourselves? How does the universe behave? What is the nature of reality? Where did all this come from? Traditionally these were questions for philosophy, but philosophy is dead," Hawking wrote. "Philosophy has not kept up with modern developments in science, particularly physics."

In December, a group of professors from America's top philosophy departments, including Rutgers,* Columbia, Yale, and NYU, set out to establish the philosophy of cosmology as a new field of study within the philosophy of physics. The group aims to bring a philosophical approach to the basic questions at the heart of physics, including those concerning the nature, age and fate of the universe. This past week, a second group of scholars from Oxford and Cambridge announced their intention to launch a similar project in the United Kingdom.

One of the founding members of the American group, Tim Maudlin, was recently hired by New York University, the top ranked philosophy department in the English-speaking world. Maudlin is a philosopher of physics whose interests range from the foundations of physics, to topics more firmly within the domain of philosophy, like metaphysics and logic.

Yesterday I spoke with Maudlin by phone about cosmology, multiple universes, the nature of time, the odds of extraterrestrial life, and why Stephen Hawking is wrong about philosophy.

full interview - The Atlantic

Why Does Our Universe Have Three Dimensions?

2012-01-22T20:02:00.001+01:00

Why does our universe look the way it does? In particular, why do we only experience three spatial dimensions in our universe, when superstring theory, for instance, claims that there are ten dimensions — nine spatial dimensions and a tenth dimension of time?

Japanese scientists think they may have an explanation for how a three-dimensional universe emerged from the original nine dimensions of space. They describe their new supercomputer calculations simulating the birth of our universe in a forthcoming paper in Physical Review Letters.

full story - LiveScience

Tech Porn - BrickIt - Dynaway Sorting Plant

2012-01-22T20:00:00.001+01:00

Iron Sky Teaser 3 - We Come In Peace!

2012-01-22T19:55:00.001+01:00

The top 10 beers I tried in 2010 & 2011 - No.10

2012-01-21T19:00:00.001+01:00

10. English Pale Ale (Pivovar Kocour - Varnsdorf - CZ)

Kocour brewery is my favourite brewery and it has three beers in my top 10. English Pale Ale is the number 10. I guess it was my first experience with this style and I totally loved it from the first sip. So let´s educate ourselves. Ask the brewmaster...

What is the distinction between English Bitter, Best Bitter and English Pale Ale?

Bitter, Best Bitter and English Pale Ale are the three styles of beer that make up Category 4, Light English Ale in the BJCP style guide. All three share common characteristics of significant bitterness, hard sulfate water and fairly light types of malt. They all have some amount of fruity ester, and may lave low levels of diacetyl. They all originated in England with the advent of lightly-kilned malt in the late1700's. The three styles don't have sharp boundaries, between them; the distinction is fairly arbitrary. The BJCP style guide separates them based on starting gravity.

English Bitter is the lowest-strength version of this beer. It is a session beer, with a starting gravity of 1.030 to 1.038. With an alcohol content of only about 3½%, you can start early on this one. The name bitter suggest a high hop level, but this is not necessarily the case. The name actually comes from a comparison to English Mild, a brown ale with only half of the bitterness. Bitters are generally made from pale malt, with a distinct contribution from caramelly crystal malt. English hops are featured, though usually the aroma is low. It is often found in pubs, with a very low carbonation level, served from hand-drawn beer engines. Boddington's Bitter represents the style fairly well, even up to the pub-draught style can.

Best Bitter, also called Special Bitter, starts off with an original gravity of 1.039 to 1.045. The malt profile is usually much more apparent in these beers. The bitterness level is a bit higher than bitter, though there is considerable overlap. Fuller's London Pride represents this style, though it is considerably maltier than most examples.

English Pale Ale is the strongest beer in the family. This beer is generally designated Extra Special Bitter when served on tap, or Pale Ale when served in bottles. Starting gravity ranges from 1.046 to 1.065. Both malt flavor and hop bitterness level considerably higher in this beer. Bass Ale is typical of this beer.

(text source - http://www.picobrewery.com/askarchive/englishale.htm)

Abandoned on Everest

2012-01-21T11:37:00.001+01:00

Awesome article!

"In 2006, a lone climber attempting the summit of Mount Everest for the third time was, purely by chance, caught in an amateur photograph taken by another climber of the scenic mountaintop ahead. The climber in the photograph was making his way up what is known as the Final Push of the Northeast ridge, between Camp VI at 8,230 m and the summit. It was late in the afternoon, a foolishly reckless time to undertake the lengthy and dangerous route.

It would be many hours before the the photographer and his climbing team saw the man again. Leaving the camp at the recommended time, shortly before midnight in order to reach the summit at daybreak, they were first in line of a total of roughly 40 climbers attempting the Final Push that day. A long train of men, all tethered to the lengths of rope permanently in place to keep climbers on the right track."

...

more and photos! a sea of lead, a sky of slate
ZFMA8JRKKXAW

The Barr Brothers - Lord I Just Can't Keep From Cryin'

2012-01-21T11:31:00.001+01:00

Famous Photogs Pose With Their Most Iconic Images

2012-01-20T16:44:00.001+01:00

Lyle Owerko: "No one knew such a beautiful warm day would serve as the backdrop to one of the most painful and confusing events to the heart of mankind. This picture is one small part of such a huge event that ties the threads of thousands of stories and millions of people together.
Written words will never convey the whole scope of the event, nor even summarize the sounds, the smells or even the voices that are frozen in my memory bank from that day. I did the best job I could in photographing 9/11 so that future generations would have an idea of the scope of what happened, to have the evidence of how innocence can so easily be snatched away in a razor's edged moment of time.

My hope is that in time the wounds and pain will heal and that wisdom and peace will prevail among the darkness of this event, so that humanity can move forward into a time of grace and understanding."

full gallery - Wired.com

UFO incoming on NASA Stereo B 1/1/2012

2012-01-20T16:41:00.001+01:00

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Rare Pictures: Scott's South Pole Expedition, 100 Years Later

2012-01-19T20:45:00.001+01:00

Moustache encrusted with ice, photographer Herbert Ponting stands on an iceberg near McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, in 1911. Ponting was part of the scientific staff on the 1910-1912 Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole.

British explorer and expedition leader Robert Falcon Scott reached the Pole on January 17, 1912. A hundred years later, Ponting's photographs—including many rarely seen copies housed in the National Geographic archives—offer an "incredibly rich visual record" of the expedition, according to historian Max Jones.

Though Ponting did not go all the way to the South Pole, he chronicled the Antarctic continent from a hut on the coast, capturing scientists at work, unusual wildlife, and "grand landscapes," said Jones, senior lecturer in modern history at the University of Manchester.

"These astonishing photographs he took really created a language of heroic Antarctic photography—of presenting the Antarctic as a natural fortress to be besieged and conquered by man," Jones said.
National Geographic

Scientists discover source of rock used in Stonehenge's first circle

2012-01-19T20:43:00.001+01:00

Scientists have succeeded in locating the exact source of some of the rock believed to have been used 5000 years ago to create Stonehenge's first stone circle.

By comparing fragments of stone found at and around Stonehenge with rocks in south-west Wales, they have been able to identify the original rock outcrop that some of the Stonehenge material came from.
The work - carried out by geologists Robert Ixer of the University of Leicester and Richard Bevins of the National Museum of Wales - has pinpointed the source as a 70 metre long rock outcrop called Craig Rhos-y-Felin, near Pont Saeson in north Pembrokeshire. It's the first time that an exact source has been found for any of the stones thought to have been used to build Stonehenge.

The discovery has re-invigorated one of academia's longest running debates - whether the smaller standing stones of Stonehenge were quarried and brought all the way there from Pembrokeshire by prehistoric humans or whether they had already been plucked out of ancient rock outcrops and carried all or part of the way to Wiltshire by glaciers hundreds of thousands of years earlier.

The Independent

Famous BW photos turn into colours.

2012-01-18T17:27:00.002+01:00

Much more in the gallery - Imgur

Co s Concordií? Sedm kroků, jak odstranit giganta

2012-01-18T17:24:00.001+01:00

Její cena činí 450 milionů eur, z poloviny je ponořená do vody a stále probíhají záchranné práce. Přesto odborníci již vymýšlejí postup, jak ztroskotanou loď Concordia vyprostit.

„Jen několik záchranných společností dokáže zvládnout tak velký úkol,“ řekl Mike Lacey z Mezinárodní záchranné unie.

„Něco podobného se děje neustále, jen o tom není tolik slyšet, neboť nejde o tak velkolepé akce jako v případě Concordie. Vždy se ale někde nějaká loď nachází v problémech,“ dodal. BBC detailně popsala, co by se v příštích týdnech a měsících mohlo s plavidlem dít.

www.lidovky.cz

Movies From An Alternate Universe

2012-01-17T17:39:00.001+01:00

"Awhile back a friend of mine forwarded me a site (http://hartter.blogspot.com/2009/11/misc.html)where an artist had made posters of films that, title wise, we were familiar with, but there was a slight difference; they were remade as if they belonged to a different era or a different genre, the name of the movie was there, but the actors were different, the style was different, and I loved the concept. So I went forward with this theme; what if movies we were all familiar with were made a different slice of time? Who would be in it? Who would direct it? So here we are..."

Behance Network

SNL Tim Tebow meets Jesus Christmas Dec 2011 Saturday Night Live

2012-01-16T21:14:00.001+01:00

Sunken treasure lies hidden at the bottom of New York Harbor

2012-01-16T21:07:00.001+01:00

"What, exactly, is down there?" the magazine asked, looking out at the urban waters. "For starters, a 350-foot steamship, 1,600 bars of silver, a freight train, and four-foot-long cement-eating worms." There are also the now submerged ruins of "Coney Island's great early theme parks," discarded in the waters after the fun ran out.

BLDGBLOG

9/11 Update 2012: Amusingly Explained!

2012-01-16T21:04:00.001+01:00

Hitler and his schoolgirls: Colour photos emerge of Nazi leader celebrating his 50th birthday

2012-01-15T20:22:00.001+01:00

The party atmosphere of the vivid, colourful photographs offer a chilling facade for the horrors perpetrated under the Nazis' monstrous regime.

The rare images were captured by German photographer Hugo Jaeger from the rise of fascism in Germany in the Thirties until the end of the Second World War.

He was given unique access to Adolf Hitler at massive, public rallies across Europe and also in more intimate moments with colleagues. The colour images bring Nazi Germany to life - in one image Hitler salutes crowds at a rally under a dazzling blue sky, while the backdrop is awash with the red of the swastika.

Mail Online

3 killed, scores missing after cruise ship runs aground off Italy

2012-01-14T18:04:00.001+01:00

At least three people were killed and scores remain unaccounted for as a giant cruise ship keeled onto its side after running aground near the Italian island of Giglio on Friday night, local emergency officials said Saturday.

Rescue teams worked through the night to evacuate more than 4,000 people from the Costa Concordia, owned by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, after it ran aground off of Italy's western coast.

Giuseppe Orsina, a spokesman for the local civil protection agency, told CNN: "We are verifying the different lists of passengers and staff that have been given to us from Costa and at the moment from 43 to 51 people are missing.

"These people could be still on the island of Giglio, in private houses or in hospitals."

CNN.com

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Projections

2012-01-13T17:50:00.002+01:00

AAS Dispatch: An Encyclopedia of Alien Planets

2012-01-13T17:47:00.000+01:00

A team of astronomers has put together an online catalog of alien planets to help researchers and the public keep up with the intensifying flurry of exoplanet discoveries.

The so-called Habitable Zone Gallery also allows scientists to extract data on the habitability of exoplanets and the possible existence of alien moons, also known as exomoons.

"The characterization of exoplanets and their moons is becoming increasingly important," said Dawn Gelino, an astronomer at the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "We wanted an interactive table where you can sort on various parameters, which might be good for target selection for other projects."

Gelino presented the catalog Wednesday (Jan. 11) here at the 219th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

The Habitable Zone Gallery can be viewed at the following website: http://www.hzgallery.org/

Space.com

James Bond Film Titles in Pictograms

2012-01-12T18:05:00.001+01:00

Bryan Lenning made a poster of pictograms for the titles of each James Bond film.

neatorama.com

World Map of All Wars and Conflicts Happening In 2012

2012-01-12T18:01:00.001+01:00

Aviation Week's Defense Technology International has compiled a summary of all the current and probable conflicts of 2012, so I made this map. The only conflict that is not in this map is the incoming Obama-Romney nuclear war. The world doesn't seem like a very nice place right now.

gizmodo.com

NASA Rover Headed for Mars Takes Aim at August Landing Site Today

2012-01-11T15:57:00.001+01:00

A NASA rover on its way to Mars will make the biggest maneuver of its nearly nine-month journey through deep space today (Jan. 11).

The spacecraft carrying the 1-ton Curiosity rover, which launched toward the Red Planet on Nov. 26, will perform a three-hour series of engine burns beginning at 6:00 p.m. EST (2300 GMT) Wednesday. The maneuver will redirect the rover more precisely toward its landing site at Mars' Gale Crater, researchers said.
Space.com

Former Devils center Bobby Holik speaks his mind on new website

2012-01-10T17:01:00.001+01:00

Fans — and even non-fans — of former Devils center Bobby Holik will want to check out his new website and blog at holikonhockey.com.

Holik never lacked an opinion on any subject and this will be no different. He calls it "Hockey Opinion: Unfiltered."

His current entry is a nice piece about Patrik Elias playing in his 1,000th game and memories of when his fellow Czech broke into the NHL with the Devils.

NJ.com

Eric Cantona announces bid for French presidency

2012-01-10T16:55:00.003+01:00

Eric Cantona, the former Manchester United striker, has said he wants to run in this year's presidential election in France and is trying to gather the signatures needed to do so.

The footballer, who would need the backing of 500 elected officials by the end of February to run, has sent a letter to French mayors describing himself as an "engaged citizen" and asking for their support.

"This engagement obliges me to speak, more earnestly than usual, but also with a keen sense of my responsibility, at a time when our country faces difficult choices which will be decisive for its future," said the letter.

Telegraph

Broncos, Tim Tebow stun Steelers in OT, win 29-23 in NFL playoffs

2012-01-09T20:06:00.001+01:00

To begin what turned out to be the biggest week of his professional football life, Tim Tebow was down in the dumps.

All the Broncos were down.

By now, the country knows the Broncos would snap out of their doldrums in time to stun the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in overtime Sunday.

Tebow's exhilarating 80-yard dart-and-run pass play targeted Demaryius Thomas, who capped the game-winning touchdown on the first play in overtime by pulling a Bo Jackson and running straight into the tunnel that led to the victorious locker room.

"I was coming back out, and I got crushed," Thomas said of his celebrating teammates. "Everybody got me in the tunnel."

The sellout crowd of 75,970 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High erupted in celebration. Witnesses said that in Denver neighborhoods, delirious people were screaming from their balconies. Patrons at Denver-area bars were heard chanting, "Te-bow! Te-bow!"

Tebowmania is once again inflated. It was the Broncos' first playoff victory in six yea

The Denver Post

Moderní brána do centra Prahy? Památkáři jsou proti

2012-01-09T19:50:00.002+01:00

Ostré spory mezi odborníky vyvolává projekt Novomlýnská brána, který architekti navrhují do centra Prahy na konec Revoluční ulice. Měl by zakončit ulici a stát se jakousi branou do středu města směrem od řeky. Podmínkou jeho vzniku je ale demolice starého domu. Projekt se nelíbí odborníkům z Národního památkového ústavu (NPÚ), ale městští památkáři mu již dali povolení.

Dům by měl mít více funkcí, zatím počítá především s obchody, kancelářemi a parkovacími místy, investor nevylučuje, že by v něm mohlo být i více bytů - záleží na poptávce. Projekt je podle něj v tomto smyslu vždy možné upravit.

www.lidovky.cz

Polish prosecutor 'shoots self after news conference'

2012-01-09T19:36:00.001+01:00

"Col Mikolaj Przybyl was defending a military investigation into media leaks related to the air crash that killed the Polish president in 2010.

He asked reporters to leave so that he could take "a break".

Upon hearing a loud thud, the reporters returned to find him on the floor with a pool of blood around his head.

Mr Przybyl, who was in his office in Poznan, western Poland, is now in hospital in stable condition. His life is not in danger, according to hospital officials."

BBC News

Top 5 iPad apps - January

2012-01-09T10:09:00.001+01:00

Where is My Water? - game - the most addictive and fun to play game in the market. Help poor croc to have its bath!

Springpad - office - better and nicer then Evernote. You can add and sync stuff through platforms. Easy to use and many different types of entries.

TuneIn Radio - music - the best radio app out there. Search by genre, city or location. Stream is partially downloaded so you can replay the song or pause the stream for a little while.

CityMaps2Go - navigation - download and use hundreds of vector maps from the whole world. Cities, areas or specific parts (national parks) are available for offline navigation. POI are included.

VLCStreamer - video - stream your movies from the home computer and watch them on iPad without a need of downloading them. Easy to use with some quality options.

Original Vintage Star Wars Notebooks

2012-01-08T13:36:00.001+01:00

Buy your own at Etsy.com

VintageStarWarsBooks

100 Years in 10 Minutes (1911 - 2011 in 10 Minutes)

2012-01-07T11:07:00.001+01:00

In Caffeine We Trust Poster

2012-01-06T14:55:00.001+01:00

The “In Caffeine We Trust Poster” lets you track your monthly coffee consumption on a beautifully designed print. The poster is offset printed on 18×24 Strathmore 140 lb. acid-free heavy weight cold press watercolor paper with black ink. A product by Column Five.

swissmiss

If Jesus were born in times of Google, Facebook and Twitter

2012-01-06T14:54:00.001+01:00

English Pronunciation by G. Nolst Trenité

2012-01-05T20:11:00.000+01:00

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Fe0ffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

source - thepoke.co.uk

Lost World Discovered Under Antarctica

2012-01-05T14:51:00.001+01:00

This discovery is amazing, straight out of a Jules Verne's novel: scientists from the University of Oxford, University of Southampton, the National Oceanography Centre, and the British Antarctic Survey have discovered a "lost world" thriving with unknown species under Antarctica, in the East Scotia Ridge.

gizmodo.com

Exoplanet Travel Posters

2012-01-05T14:50:00.001+01:00

Wouldn’t it be great if those extrasolar planets are not only big hunks of stone and ice with just here and there some bacterial live, but really beautiful planets. Where the nature is as pristine, like Earth was, before we left our Ecological footprint.

Full - gallery CHUNGKONGCHUNGKONG

Weetkovo pivní ohlédnutí

2012-01-05T14:47:00.002+01:00

Závěr starého a začátek nového roku vybízí k bilancování a výhledům. Dovolím si také nabídnout své pivní vzpomínky na něj - osobní, trochu nahodilé a zcela bez nároku na úplnost.

Pivní blogy

Pitchfork's Top 50 Tracks of 2011

2012-01-05T14:46:00.000+01:00

Listen here - 8tracks

Cello Wars (Star Wars Parody) Lightsaber Duel - Steven Sharp Nelson

2012-01-04T20:34:00.001+01:00

The Complete Video Guide to the 2012 End of the World Imbecility

2012-01-04T20:13:00.001+01:00

NASA has already spent some time explaining why all the 2012 End of the World theories are as stupid as those who postulate them. This video is not by NASA, but it summarizes things perfectly. Of course, the doomsday imbeciles will not care about reality the same way rapture imbeciles didn't care about reason and logic. But hey, if at least one of them realizes their stupidity after watching it, it would be worth it.

video - gizmodo.com

Rangers rally to beat Flyers 3-2 in Winter Classic

2012-01-03T20:40:00.003+01:00

Alone in the cold, it was up to Henrik Lundqvist to preserve a Classic comeback.

His signature moment came with 19.6 seconds left after New York defenseman Ryan McDonagh was whistled for covering the puck in the crease. Flyers center Danny Briere streaked down the ice - a replica of the Liberty Bell and bundled-up fans behind his back - trying to send this one into overtime.

Lundqvist dropped to his knees on top of a chilly baseball field and stoned Briere with his pads when the center tried to sneak it through his legs.

This made-for-TV showcase had found its brightest star.

Lundqvist stopped 34 shots, Brad Richards scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the New York Rangers rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in the Winter Classic on Monday at Citizens Bank Park.

"I was just trying to be patient and do my thing," Lundqvist said. "He's a sneaky guy, and there was a lot of pressure on me."

More pressure than any other regular-season games in January. While this game meant two points in the standings, like the four other NHL games set for Monday night, it received the kind of hype normally reserved for the Stanley Cup finals. NBC televised the game and HBO had 12 camera crews filming the game and behind-the-scenes action for its "24/7" series.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hockey/nhl/gameflash/2012/01/02/28911_recap.html?sct=hp_t2_a8&eref=sihp#ixzz1iQSwwn7P

NHL - Hockey - SI.com

Czech writer and publisher Josef Skvorecky dies in Toronto at age 87

2012-01-03T20:10:00.003+01:00

Josef Skvorecky, the Czech emigre writer and publisher, who fled to Canada after the Soviet invasion that crushed the Prague Spring of 1968, died of cancer early this morning in Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He was 87.

He and his wife, the writer and actress Zdena Salivarova, founded 68 Publishers in 1971. Over the next two decades they published banned Czech and Slovak books and became a vocal and important western outlet for dissident writers, including Vaclav Havel and Milan Kundera.

The Globe and Mail

Historik vzkřísil hrdinu. Padaly kolem něj hlavy Turků

2012-01-02T19:13:00.004+01:00

Bránil svou vlast a křesťanství do poslední kapky krve.

Patřil k největším vojevůdcům Jeho Veličenstva, císaře Rudolfa II. Proslul jako turkobijec.
Kdyby se jeho strhující život dostal do rukou hollywoodských scénáristů, mohla by vzniknout filmová sága, která by si v ničem nezadala s nejslavnějšími historickými thrillery.

Melchior z Redernu. Kdo z Vás zná toto jméno? Nenajdete ho v učebnicích dějepisu, jeho hrdinské skutky nejsou popsány v čítankách. Zmiňují se o něm pouze dávné české a německé pověsti. A odborná literatura.
Je tady ale něco, co by mohlo obnovit jeho zašlou slávu. Nová kniha libereckého historika Milana Svobody Redernové v Čechách.

Aktuálně.cz

Fukušima II v Ostravě? Filmařům vadí stavba v centru města

2012-01-02T16:26:00.004+01:00

iDNES

Na jednu stranu je to recese, na tu druhou ale chtějí filmaři upozornit na přístup úřadů k lidem. Parta Ostravanů v čele s Vladimírem Skórkou, známým třeba z moderování televizního pořadu Sabotáž, natočila fiktivní reportáž o tom, že se v centru Ostravy staví jaderná elektrárna.

"Napadlo nás to ve chvíli, kdy jsme se dozvěděli, že se mezi Ostravany začíná říkat betonovému monstru Fukušima," vysvětlil Skórka. Betonovým monstrem myslí projekt Nová Karolina, který měl být perlou architektury. Místo toho ale podle kritiků připomíná několik krabic budících dojem právě dalšího Temelína.

"Myslím, že je to v poslední době už klasika. Lidem se předhodí plán na krásné nové centrum postavené nejlepšími architekty. O tom, že se původní soutěž zrušila a vyhrál někdo úplně jiný, kdo to postaví jinak, se už lidé většinou nedozvědí," nastínil pak Skórka důvod, proč se pustil do natáčení reportáže o stavbě elektrárny.

Zdroj: http://zpravy.idnes.cz/video-fukusima-ii-v-ostrave-filmarum-vadi-stavba-v-centru-mesta-psg-/domaci.aspx?c=A120102_1709492_ostrava-zpravy_sot

iDNES.cz

NASA's second moon probe reaches lunar orbit

2012-01-02T13:38:00.004+01:00

(CNN) -- The second of two new research probes successfully entered the moon's orbit Sunday afternoon, a day after its companion, NASA announced.

CNN.com

Centre piece

2011-12-13T18:16:00.003+01:00

Coney Island

2011-12-13T18:04:00.004+01:00