Otters Holding Hands
Posted by MikeyMike at 01:59 PM on May 3, 2007 in Kawaii.
This is too cute!
Currently watching: Otters
Entries for May, 2007
May 3rd, 2007
May 7th, 2007
Cactus Blooms
Posted by MikeyMike at 07:27 PM on May 7, 2007 in Photography.
Some blooms from the front garden today. With all the extra rain we've had in San Diego this year, everything is blooming like crazy!
May 13th, 2007
Brave George gets a Medal
Posted by MikeyMike at 02:46 PM on May 13, 2007 in Geographica, Doggies.
I'd contribute to build a statue honoring him, like Hachiko has in Japan...
The previous post is HERE
WELLINGTON (AFP) - Nine-year-old Jack Russell terrier George is being honoured with a posthumous bravery medal for saving five New Zealand children from an attack by two pitbulls.
The medal from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) comes after US Vietnam veteran Jerrell Hudman said he was sending his Purple Heart medal to George's owner after hearing of the dog's bravery.
George, who had a heart problem, won fame after defending five children from the pitbulls in the small North Island town of Manaia a week and a half ago. The two pitbulls rushed at the five children on the street, prompting George to charge the much larger dogs as the children escaped.
The Jack Russell was badly mauled by the two pitbulls and later had to be put down because of his extensive injuries. The two pitbulls were also put down.
The SPCA medal is usually awarded to people for their bravery in defending animals.
"George was a very brave little dog who almost certainly prevented severe injury, if not death, to at least one of the children," SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger said.
"It's truly tragic that he paid with his own life for his instinctive act of courage."
Hudman, 58, of Austin, Texas was a US Marine for 30 years and said he decided to send his Purple Heart to George's owner Alan Gay after reading the news on the Internet because the dog was "a little warrior".
The Purple Heart is awarded to those killed or injured fighting for the US military.
Ding Xiang Hua
Posted by MikeyMike at 02:49 PM on May 13, 2007 in Geographica, Arts, Performers, Lyrics.
Also I found a video on Youtube with another version of the song...
Dave Zhang's Flash video Here
Ding Xiang Hua
Ni shuo ni zui ai ding xiang hua
Yin wei ni de ming zi jiu shi ta
Duo me you yu de hua
Duo chou shan gan de ren ah
Hua er ku wei de shi hou
Hua mian ding ge de shi hou
duo me jiao ao de hua
Que duo bu guo feng chui yu da
Piao ah yao ah de yi sheng
Duo shao mei li bian hua de meng ah
Jiu zhe yang cong cong de zou lai
Liu gei wo yi sheng qian gua
Na fen qian kai man xian hua shi ni duo me ke wang de mei ah
Ni kan na man shan bian yi, ni hai jue de gu dan ma?
Ni ting na you ren zai chang na shou ni zui ai de ge yao ah
Cheng shi jian duo shao fan nao, cong ci bu bi zai qian gua
Ri zi li zai man ding hua xiang, kai man zhi sheng mei li de xian hua
Wo zai zhe li pei zhe ta, yi sheng yi shi bao hu ta.
English translation by "Midori":
You said Ding Xiang Hua (Lilac) is your favourite
Because that's your name
How melancholy the flowers are
How sentimental the people are
When the flower withers time
When the picture freezes
How delicate the flowers are
Not able to survive the storms (Wind + rain)
Fluttering and swinging life
How many beautifully weaved dreams
You left in a hurry
Leaving me all the worries of a lifetime
Aren't those blooming flowers in front of the graveyard the beauty you longed for?
Looking all over the mountains and plains, do you still feel the loneliness?
Listen, someone is singing your favorite ballad
From now on, there's no need to worry about all the worries in this mortal world anymore
In the courtyard I plant lilacs - attractive purple flowers are blossoming
I'm accompanying her here, I protect her entire life..
May 22nd, 2007
Summer Reading List
Posted by MikeyMike at 04:21 PM on May 22, 2007 in Arts.
Books: Show us your summer reading list.
Submitted by marvel is my pen name.
Here's what I am reading/planning to read this summer... Got them here and coming from Amazon. I've found that cutting and pasting the ISBN 10 number to be the most sure way to bring the book in to VOX from Amazon.com...
Currently reading: After Dark
May 27th, 2007
New Nikon P5000 Digicam
Posted by MikeyMike at 03:01 PM on May 27, 2007 in Photography.
Been looking for a new digicam for a long time. I've already got a Nikon D70 DSLR and a Canon S1 10x Image stabilized digicam, so I had a lot of "coverage" already. But I wanted something really small and versatile - with the latest technology. Looks like Nikon as finally hit a home run after basically surrendering the high end "prosumer" market after the price of digital SLRs came way down. This one supports the new SD memory card standard to support more than 2gb and high speeds. Got a 4gb SDHC card coming too. Got both from Amazon for less than $400... It's so small!! But pretty ergonomic - and tada! it supports the full capabilities of my "light computer" SB800 electronic flash (though the flash is *way* bigger than the camera!) ^^
Nikon's P5000 Page HERE
| 10.0 Megapixels for stunning prints as large as 20 x 30 inches. |  | ||
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| 3.5x Optical Zoom-Nikkor Glass Lens provides exceptional pictures with incredible color and clarity. | | |
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| Optical Vibration Reduction Image Stabilization minimizes the effect of camera shake. | | |
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| Incredible, bright 2.5-inch high resolution LCD and Optical Viewfinder makes it easy to compose and share your pictures with friends and family. | | |
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| Program, Aperture, Shutter and Manual exposure modes gives you as much control over your pictures as you want. | | |
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| Auto adjusts up to ISO 3200 (5MP or lower) to keep shooting, even in lower light. | | |
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| Available Telephoto and Wide Angle adapters to expand the camera's capabilities along with your own. | | |
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| Hot Shoe for i-TTL-compatible Nikon Speedlights. | | |
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| Nikon In-Camera Innovations featuring: In-Camera Red-Eye Fix(TM) automatically fixes most instances of red-eye in the camera. You may never see red-eye again. Face-Priority AF - Nikon's face-finding technology that automatically focuses on faces, and D-Lighting that rescues dark or backlit images by improving brightness and detail where needed. | | |
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| MSRP: $ 399.95 | ||
First P5000 Pix
Posted by MikeyMike at 03:03 PM on May 27, 2007 in Photography.
Just messing around, but I am very pleased with my new Nikon P5000 digicam previously mentioned. It's small, but the ergonomics are great, making it easy to hold and manipulate. Dying to try the time lapse mode... maybe with flowers blooming? Anyway, here are some of the pictures (reduced, but they will give you an idea)
May 28th, 2007
Top 25 Web Hoaxes and Scams
Posted by MikeyMike at 02:35 PM on May 28, 2007 in Tech, Rants.
The top 25 Internet scams of all time, according to PC World magazine... Awww... the memories these bring back! And I'm still waiting for my 1 million dollars from that Nigerian bank! 
These online spoofs and shams have made the rounds on Web sites and through e-mail. Perhaps you even believed one or two of them yourself.
Steve Bass
Thursday, May 03, 2007 1:00 AM PDT
Hoaxes 1 Through 5
From the supposed last photo taken at the top of the World Trade Center to the endlessly revised request for assistance from a Nigerian functionary, here are our top five Web and e-mail hoaxes.
1. The Accidental Tourist (2001)
Quite possibly the most famous hoax picture ever, this gruesome idea of a joke traveled around the Web and made a grand tour of e-mail inboxes everywhere soon after the tragedy of September 11. It depicts a tourist standing on the observation deck of one of the World Trade Center towers, unknowingly posing for a picture as an American Airlines plane approaches in the background.
At first glance it appears to be real, but if you examine certain details, you'll see that it's a craftily modified image. For starters, the plane that struck the WTC was a wide-body Boeing 767; the one in the picture is a smaller 757. The approach of the plane in the picture is from the north, yet the building it would have hit--the North tower--didn't have an outdoor observation deck. Furthermore, the South tower's outdoor deck didn't open until 9:30 a.m. on weekdays, more than half an hour after the first plane struck the WTC. The picture is a hoax, through and through--and not a particularly amusing one, under the circumstances.
Image courtesy of Snopes.com.
2. Sick Kid Needs Your Help (1989)
This gem had its roots in reality. It all began in 1989, when nine-year-old cancer patient Craig Shergold thought of a way to achieve his dream of getting into the Guinness Book of World Records. Craig asked people to send greeting cards, and boy, did they. By 1991, 33 million greeting cards had been sent, far surpassing the prior record. Ironically, however, the Guinness World Records site doesn't contain any mention of Craig Sherwood or a "most greeting cards received" record, presumably because the fine folks at the site don't want to encourage anyone to try to break his mark. (Astonishingly, Guinness doesn't have an entry for world's stoutest person, either, but it does honor the World's Largest Tankard of Beer.)
Fortunately, doctors succeeded in removing the tumor, and Craig is now a healthy adult, but his appeal for cards has turned into the hoax that won't die. Variations on the theme include a sick girl dying of cancer, and a little boy with leukemia whose dying wish is to start an eternal chain letter. A recent iteration tells a tragic tale of a girl who supposedly was horribly burned in a fire at WalMart, and then claims that AOL will pay all of her medical bills if only if you forward this e-mail to EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!! Okay, enough already.
Image courtesy of Snopes.com.
3. Bill Gates Money Giveaway (1997)
No, it's true. I thought it was a scam, but it happened to a buddy of mine. It seems that Microsoft is testing some new program for tracing e-mail, and the company needs volunteers to help try the thing out. He forwarded me an e-mail that he received from Microsoft--and get this, from Bill Gates himself! Two weeks later, as a reward for participating, my pal received a check for thousands of dollars! Sure he did. Another version of this hoax claims that AOL's tracking service is offering a cash reward. Tell you what--when you get your check, send me 10 percent as a finder's fee, okay?
More scams HERE
Currently watching: for scams
May 29th, 2007
Computer Vision Syndrome and Computer Glasses
Posted by MikeyMike at 05:28 PM on May 29, 2007 in Tech.
This seemed timely, given Lauren's new job at Six-Apart and how much time most of us spend in front of computer monitors!
Computer Vision Syndrome and Computer Glasses
Who Is Affected by Computer Vision Syndrome?
More than 143 million Americans work on a computer each day, with 88% of them suffering from computer eyestrain, according to estimates. In addition, nearly 54 million children work at a computer each day either at home or in school.* Prolonged computer use can stress a child's eyes and impact his or her vision development.
What Are the Symptoms of CVS?
If you or your child spend more than two hours each day in front of a computer screen, you likely experience some degree of computer vision syndrome. CVS includes:
- Headaches
- Loss of focus
- Burning/tired eyes
- Double/blurred vision
- Neck and shoulder pains
What Causes Computer Vision Syndrome?
CVS is caused by our eyes and brain reacting differently to characters on the screen than they do to printed characters. Our eyes have little problem focusing on most printed material, which is characterized by dense black characters with well-defined edges. Healthy eyes can easily maintain focus on the printed page. Characters on a computer screen, however, don't have this contrast or well-defined edges. These characters (pixels) are brightest at the center and diminish in intensity toward their edges. This makes it very difficult for our eyes to maintain focus and remain fixed onto these images. Instead our eyes drift out to a point called the "resting point of accommodation" or RPA.
Our eyes involuntarily move to the RPA, and then strain to regain focus on the screen. This continuous flexing of the eyes' focusing muscles creates fatigue and the burning, tired-eyes feeling that is so common after long hours at the computer.
What Can I Do About It?
The solution is simple: see an eyecare professional that specializes in computer vision care. In most cases, standard reading glasses or over-the-counter readers are not accurate enough, because viewing a computer is usually at a different distance (18"-28" than reading distance (16"-21". Once an eye doctor accurately diagnoses your computer vision problem and determines your correct computer working distances, it's a simple matter to prescribe computer eyeglasses that will allow you to work comfortably and productively.
Also, please read about studies that show computer eyewear can increase computer worker productivity significantly, with cost savings for employers who provide the eyewear.
More HERE
Currently watching: My eye sight go bad
