It was John Lennon who came up with the name of the most successful musical group of all time. Actually, Lennon was inspired by Buddy Holly's The Crickets. He considered the names of many insects, and had put in the "a" in place of the "e" for the "Beat-" pun. Before settling for the name The Beatles, Lennon's combo took on such tags as The Quarrymen, Johnny and the Moondogs, Silver Beatles and The Rainbow.
Trivia Blitz: Toyota
September 27, 2008
The Toyota Motor Corporation was founded by the Toyoda family in 1937. In Japanese, the name Toyoda takes 10 strokes to write, while the name Toyota takes 8. Because it is firmly believed that 8 is luckier than 10 we now drive Toyotas and not Toyodas.
Scientists seek volunteers to monitor for quakes
September 25, 2008
LOS ANGELES - Earthquake scientists want to borrow your laptop or maybe a little space in your basement or garage. Researchers don't have enough high-tech monitoring stations to track every instance of ground shaking, so they are enlisting help from ordinary people to document quakes and pinpoint areas of possible damage.
Almost anyone can participate by equipping laptop computers with special software or installing quake sensors at home.
"If they can provide scientific data that can prepare us for events in the future, then that's extremely important," said Tom Jordan of the Southern California Earthquake Center at the University of Southern California.
The epicenter of the movement is in California, the most quake-prone state in the continental United States. Each year, some 10,000 temblors rattle Southern California alone, though most are too small to be felt.
The Quake-Catcher Network was launched earlier this year to tap into the computing power of some 300 participants worldwide, including 50 volunteers in California.
The network relies on a sensor called an accelerometer that is built into many newer laptops to detect sudden motion. If the computer is dropped, for instance, the sensor can alert the hard drive, shielding it from potential damage and preventing data from being lost.
Volunteers download software that links their computers to others in the network and sends information about shaking to scientists through the Internet.
Since any movement — passing trucks, neighbors moving furniture or a pet jumping on the desk — can trigger a laptop's internal sensor, scientists scan incoming data only when the U.S. Geological Survey determines that an actual quake has occurred, based on readings from its field stations.
"If there's a bunch of laptops that trigger in one location, there's probably an earthquake," said seismologist Elizabeth Cochran of the University of California, Riverside, who is a leader of the project.
Almost anyone can participate by equipping laptop computers with special software or installing quake sensors at home.
"If they can provide scientific data that can prepare us for events in the future, then that's extremely important," said Tom Jordan of the Southern California Earthquake Center at the University of Southern California.
The epicenter of the movement is in California, the most quake-prone state in the continental United States. Each year, some 10,000 temblors rattle Southern California alone, though most are too small to be felt.
The Quake-Catcher Network was launched earlier this year to tap into the computing power of some 300 participants worldwide, including 50 volunteers in California.
The network relies on a sensor called an accelerometer that is built into many newer laptops to detect sudden motion. If the computer is dropped, for instance, the sensor can alert the hard drive, shielding it from potential damage and preventing data from being lost.
Volunteers download software that links their computers to others in the network and sends information about shaking to scientists through the Internet.
Since any movement — passing trucks, neighbors moving furniture or a pet jumping on the desk — can trigger a laptop's internal sensor, scientists scan incoming data only when the U.S. Geological Survey determines that an actual quake has occurred, based on readings from its field stations.
"If there's a bunch of laptops that trigger in one location, there's probably an earthquake," said seismologist Elizabeth Cochran of the University of California, Riverside, who is a leader of the project.
New mobile phone can unlock car, start engine
September 24, 2008
Nissan's Intelligent key
TOKYO - A new Japanese mobile phone will automatically unlock the doors of its owners' cars and let drivers start their engines without using an ignition key.
The phone, built by Sharp Corp., uses a technology previously developed by Nissan Motor Co. called "Intelligent Key" that allows drivers enter and start their cars without removing their keys from their pockets or bags.
Cars equipped with the system sense when the correct key is nearby, automatically unlocking their car doors, and allow the engine to be started once the key is brought inside the car. Nissan said it has shipped about a million cars with the technology in Japan since 2002.
The new twist on this technology is that it is loaded in a phone. The service will work on the mobile network operated by NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan's largest mobile operator.
Rare Viking-era shield found in Denmark
September 18, 2008
COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Danish archaeologists say they have found a well-preserved Viking shield that is more than 1,000 years old.
Archaeologist Kirsten Christensen says the wooden shield has a diameter of 32 inches. It was found Tuesday during excavations near Viking-age castles, some 60 miles west of Copenhagen.
Christensen said Thursday it is the first time such a shield has been found in Denmark. She said the moist soil in the area is "ideal to preserve wood."
The fir shield is believed to date from the late 10th century.
Danish Vikings launched bloody raids along the coasts of Western Europe about 1,000 years ago and even occupied parts of England. - AP
Archaeologist Kirsten Christensen says the wooden shield has a diameter of 32 inches. It was found Tuesday during excavations near Viking-age castles, some 60 miles west of Copenhagen.
Christensen said Thursday it is the first time such a shield has been found in Denmark. She said the moist soil in the area is "ideal to preserve wood."
The fir shield is believed to date from the late 10th century.
Danish Vikings launched bloody raids along the coasts of Western Europe about 1,000 years ago and even occupied parts of England. - AP
Rover, call an ambulance — dog calls 911
September 14, 2008
PHOENIX - "Man's best friend" doesn't go far enough for Buddy — a German shepherd who remembered his training and saved his owner's life by calling 911 when the man had a seizure.
And it's not the first time Buddy has been there for owner Joe Stalnaker, a police officer said Sunday.
On a recording of the 911 call Wednesday, Buddy is heard whimpering and barking after the dispatcher answers and repeatedly asks if the caller needs help.
"Hello, this is 911. Hello ... Can you hear me? Is there somebody there you can give the phone to," says the dispatcher, Chris Trott.
Police were sent to Stalnaker's home, and after about three minutes Buddy is heard barking loudly when the officers arrived.
Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said Stalnaker spent two days in a hospital and recovered from the seizure.
"It's pretty incredible," Clark said. "Even the veteran dispatchers — they haven't heard of anything like this."
And it's not the first time Buddy has been there for owner Joe Stalnaker, a police officer said Sunday.
On a recording of the 911 call Wednesday, Buddy is heard whimpering and barking after the dispatcher answers and repeatedly asks if the caller needs help.
"Hello, this is 911. Hello ... Can you hear me? Is there somebody there you can give the phone to," says the dispatcher, Chris Trott.
Police were sent to Stalnaker's home, and after about three minutes Buddy is heard barking loudly when the officers arrived.
Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said Stalnaker spent two days in a hospital and recovered from the seizure.
"It's pretty incredible," Clark said. "Even the veteran dispatchers — they haven't heard of anything like this."
US charity turns down share of $3M lottery jackpot
September 13, 2008
PATCHOGUE, New York — A New York charity says it has turned down a share of a $3 million lottery jackpot because accepting the money could send the wrong message to gambling addicts.
The Lighthouse Mission, which helps feed 3,000 hungry Long Island residents a week, had been chosen to share an anonymous donor's jackpot last month. The donor gave the winning ticket to the True North Community Church, which said it would share the money with other charities.
The mission's pastor, James Ryan, says he appreciates the offer but had to turn it down because his organization counsels against addictions, including gambling. He did not say what the mission's share of the prize would have been. AP
The Lighthouse Mission, which helps feed 3,000 hungry Long Island residents a week, had been chosen to share an anonymous donor's jackpot last month. The donor gave the winning ticket to the True North Community Church, which said it would share the money with other charities.
The mission's pastor, James Ryan, says he appreciates the offer but had to turn it down because his organization counsels against addictions, including gambling. He did not say what the mission's share of the prize would have been. AP
Man says he's eaten 23K Big Macs since 1972
September 9, 2008
FOND DU LAC, Wis. - A 54-year-old man says his obsessive-compulsive disorder drove him to eat 23,000 Big Macs in 36 years. Fifty-four-year-old Don Gorske says he hit the milestone last month, continuing a pleasurable obsession that began May 17, 1972 when he got his first car.
Gorske has kept every burger receipt in a box. He says he was always fascinated with numbers, and watching McDonald's track its number of customers motivated him to track his own consumption.
The only day he skipped a Big Mac was the day his mother died, to respect her request.
The correctional-institution employee says he doesn't care when people call his Big Mac obsession crazy. He says he's in love with the burgers, which are the highlights of his days. - AP
Gorske has kept every burger receipt in a box. He says he was always fascinated with numbers, and watching McDonald's track its number of customers motivated him to track his own consumption.
The only day he skipped a Big Mac was the day his mother died, to respect her request.
The correctional-institution employee says he doesn't care when people call his Big Mac obsession crazy. He says he's in love with the burgers, which are the highlights of his days. - AP
San Antonio to convert human waste to energy
Reuters Photo: Pipes that extract methane gas generated by waste decomposition are seen at the Simi Valley...
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The U.S. city of San Antonio unveiled a deal on Tuesday that will make it the first U.S. city to harvest methane gas from human waste on a commercial scale and turn it into clean-burning fuel.
San Antonio residents produce about 140,000 tons a year of a substance gently referred to as "biosolids," which can be reprocessed into natural gas, said Steve Clouse, chief operating officer of the city's water system.
"You may call it something else," Clouse said, but for area utilities, the main byproduct of human waste - methane gas - will soon be converted into natural gas to burn in their power plants.
The city approved a deal where Massachusetts-based Ameresco Inc will convert the city's biosolids into natural gas, which could generate about 1.5 million cubic feet per day, he said.
Methane gas, which is a byproduct of human and organic waste, is a principal component of the natural gas used to fuel furnaces, power plants, and other combustion-based generators.
HP unveils Notebook that runs 24-hour one charge
Hewlett-Packard says it has achieved a mobile-computing milestone by getting the HP EliteBook 6930p to operate continuously for 24 hours on a single battery charge. The laptop used in the test is, however, rather different from those consumers would pick up at the store, at least for now.
The machine's equipped with high-end components including Intel solid-state hard drives (SSDs), a mercury-free LED display, and an optional ultra-capacity battery.
The cream-of-the-crop components played a crucial role in making the 24-hour battery life possible. HP says the Illumi-Lite LED display, by itself, boosts battery run time by up to four hours compared with traditional LCD displays, and the Intel SSD provides up to a 7 percent increase in battery life compared with traditional hard drives.
The machine's equipped with high-end components including Intel solid-state hard drives (SSDs), a mercury-free LED display, and an optional ultra-capacity battery.
The cream-of-the-crop components played a crucial role in making the 24-hour battery life possible. HP says the Illumi-Lite LED display, by itself, boosts battery run time by up to four hours compared with traditional LCD displays, and the Intel SSD provides up to a 7 percent increase in battery life compared with traditional hard drives.
Black bear busts secret marijuana farm
September 6, 2008
PANGUITCH, Utah — Investigators say a large black bear raided a clandestine marijuana growing operation so often that it chased the grower away.
Deputies found food containers ripped apart and strewn everywhere, cans with bear teeth marks, claw marks and bear prints across the camp in Garfield County, Utah, on Tuesday.
"This bear is definitely law-enforcement minded," said Garfield County Sheriff Danny Perkins. "If I can find this bear I'm going to deputize him."
Perkins said the operation on Boulder Mountain included 4,000 "starter" sacks of pot and 888 young plants.
"This particular bear apparently was not going to give up and basically chased these marijuana farmers away," Perkins said. "Our county is so tough on drugs that even the wildlife are getting in on the action." AP
Deputies found food containers ripped apart and strewn everywhere, cans with bear teeth marks, claw marks and bear prints across the camp in Garfield County, Utah, on Tuesday.
"This bear is definitely law-enforcement minded," said Garfield County Sheriff Danny Perkins. "If I can find this bear I'm going to deputize him."
Perkins said the operation on Boulder Mountain included 4,000 "starter" sacks of pot and 888 young plants.
"This particular bear apparently was not going to give up and basically chased these marijuana farmers away," Perkins said. "Our county is so tough on drugs that even the wildlife are getting in on the action." AP
UPS driver surpasses 1 million miles in his truck
September 4, 2008
PALESTINE, Texas - A routine package delivery turned into a milestone for a UPS driver in East Texas. Brent Boyd, 51, on Thursday surpassed one million miles on his UPS delivery truck, the same vehicle he's driven for 22 years with the company.
The odometer on Boyd's 1987 GMC truck rolled over to all zeros as he began his delivery route near Palestine. He said he's never had an accident with his company vehicle.
Boyd told The Associated Press that his truck's gone through at least three engines and been repainted several times.
But he's resisted offers for a new van. Boyd says the truck is "like home" and feels like "sitting in the recliner in your house."
Palestine is 105 miles southwest of Dallas. - AP
The odometer on Boyd's 1987 GMC truck rolled over to all zeros as he began his delivery route near Palestine. He said he's never had an accident with his company vehicle.
Boyd told The Associated Press that his truck's gone through at least three engines and been repainted several times.
But he's resisted offers for a new van. Boyd says the truck is "like home" and feels like "sitting in the recliner in your house."
Palestine is 105 miles southwest of Dallas. - AP
Scientists use particle accelerator to date wine
September 3, 2008
PARIS (Reuters) - French scientists have devised a way of using particle accelerators to authenticate vintage wines, one of France's top research bodies said this week.
The new method tests the age of the glass in wine bottles by analyzing X-rays emitted when the bottles are placed under ion beams produced by a particle accelerator, the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said in a statement.
"This enables the age of bottles and their origin to be verified and thus a vintage to be authenticated, a bit like the signature of a painter on a masterpiece, all without opening the bottle and without affecting in any way the content," it said.
By comparing the results with a database containing detailed information on 80 bottles from the Bordeaux region from the 19th century to the present day, the tests can help indicate the vintage of many wines.
"Authentication is possible due to the complexity of the processes of glass manufacture which have evolved over time and to the variety of production centers which give each object a characteristic 'signature' made up of many elements," the CNRS said.
Particle accelerators take a particle, such as an electron, speed it up to near the speed of light and smash it into an atom to discover its internal workings.
The new test extends existing radioactivity tests on the actual wine itself, which are currently incapable of identifying vintages prior to 1950.
The test was developed in cooperation with London-based wine dealer The Antique Wine Company.
The new method tests the age of the glass in wine bottles by analyzing X-rays emitted when the bottles are placed under ion beams produced by a particle accelerator, the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said in a statement.
"This enables the age of bottles and their origin to be verified and thus a vintage to be authenticated, a bit like the signature of a painter on a masterpiece, all without opening the bottle and without affecting in any way the content," it said.
By comparing the results with a database containing detailed information on 80 bottles from the Bordeaux region from the 19th century to the present day, the tests can help indicate the vintage of many wines.
"Authentication is possible due to the complexity of the processes of glass manufacture which have evolved over time and to the variety of production centers which give each object a characteristic 'signature' made up of many elements," the CNRS said.
Particle accelerators take a particle, such as an electron, speed it up to near the speed of light and smash it into an atom to discover its internal workings.
The new test extends existing radioactivity tests on the actual wine itself, which are currently incapable of identifying vintages prior to 1950.
The test was developed in cooperation with London-based wine dealer The Antique Wine Company.
Buy $169K doll house, get the real house for free
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - Like many homeowners around the country, Gerry and Cindy Mann have struggled to sell their house during the past year.
So they decided to use a more creative sales approach: Buy a miniature replica of the home for $169,000 and get the real thing thrown in for free.
"After a year I was thinking, 'I don't know, I have this dollhouse sitting in my basement; let me see if I can do some creative marketing,'" Gerry Mann, 60, told the Battle Creek Enquirer for a story Tuesday.
The Manns, who are planning to retire to Brighton, Mich., are caught in the national housing slump. Area home sales are at their lowest levels since 1991, according to the Michigan Association of Realtors.
Cindy Mann's father, the late Ron Caldwell, fashioned the dollhouse to resemble the home. Using a scale of 1 foot to 1 inch, he built the model about 15 years ago for the couple's three now-grown children to enjoy.
The retired engineer toiled for more than a year. He cut the wooden swinging closet doors, trimmed the sandpaper shingles and wired the electric fixtures himself.
The Manns estimate the dollhouse is worth a couple thousand dollars. They are hoping the addition of their digs will ease the pain of the $167,000 markup.
"I've seen funny signs, like, 'Hey, honey, stop the car,' but I haven't seen anything like this," said Matt Davis, president of the Battle Creek Area Association of Realtors' Board of Directors. "I mean, it's a pretty creative idea, and God bless 'em if it works." - AP
So they decided to use a more creative sales approach: Buy a miniature replica of the home for $169,000 and get the real thing thrown in for free.
"After a year I was thinking, 'I don't know, I have this dollhouse sitting in my basement; let me see if I can do some creative marketing,'" Gerry Mann, 60, told the Battle Creek Enquirer for a story Tuesday.
The Manns, who are planning to retire to Brighton, Mich., are caught in the national housing slump. Area home sales are at their lowest levels since 1991, according to the Michigan Association of Realtors.
Cindy Mann's father, the late Ron Caldwell, fashioned the dollhouse to resemble the home. Using a scale of 1 foot to 1 inch, he built the model about 15 years ago for the couple's three now-grown children to enjoy.
The retired engineer toiled for more than a year. He cut the wooden swinging closet doors, trimmed the sandpaper shingles and wired the electric fixtures himself.
The Manns estimate the dollhouse is worth a couple thousand dollars. They are hoping the addition of their digs will ease the pain of the $167,000 markup.
"I've seen funny signs, like, 'Hey, honey, stop the car,' but I haven't seen anything like this," said Matt Davis, president of the Battle Creek Area Association of Realtors' Board of Directors. "I mean, it's a pretty creative idea, and God bless 'em if it works." - AP
Rat meat in demand as inflation bites
September 1, 2008
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The price of rat meat has quadrupled in Cambodia this year as inflation has put other meat beyond the reach of poor people, officials said on Wednesday.
With consumer price inflation at 37 percent according to the latest central bank estimate, demand has pushed a kilogram of rat meat up to around 5,000 riel ($1.28) from 1,200 riel last year.
Spicy field rat dishes with garlic thrown in have become particularly popular at a time when beef costs 20,000 riel a kg.
Officials said rats were fleeing to higher ground from flooded areas of the lower Mekong Delta, making it easier for villagers to catch them.
"Many children are happy making some money from selling the animals to the markets, but they keep some for their family," Ly Marong, an agriculture official, said by telephone from the Koh Thom district on the border with Vietnam.
"Not only are our poor eating it, but there is also demand from Vietnamese living on the border with us."
He estimated that Cambodia supplied more than a tonne of live rats a day to Vietnam.
Rats are also eaten widely in Thailand, while a state government in eastern India this month encouraged its people to eat rats in an effort to battle soaring food prices and save grain stocks.
($1 = 3,900 riel)
With consumer price inflation at 37 percent according to the latest central bank estimate, demand has pushed a kilogram of rat meat up to around 5,000 riel ($1.28) from 1,200 riel last year.
Spicy field rat dishes with garlic thrown in have become particularly popular at a time when beef costs 20,000 riel a kg.
Officials said rats were fleeing to higher ground from flooded areas of the lower Mekong Delta, making it easier for villagers to catch them.
"Many children are happy making some money from selling the animals to the markets, but they keep some for their family," Ly Marong, an agriculture official, said by telephone from the Koh Thom district on the border with Vietnam.
"Not only are our poor eating it, but there is also demand from Vietnamese living on the border with us."
He estimated that Cambodia supplied more than a tonne of live rats a day to Vietnam.
Rats are also eaten widely in Thailand, while a state government in eastern India this month encouraged its people to eat rats in an effort to battle soaring food prices and save grain stocks.
($1 = 3,900 riel)
Crumbs! Diana wedding cake slice sells for $1,830
CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - A piece of wedding cake from Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's wedding in 1981 was sold off for 1,000 pounds ($1,830) by a former royal servant, according to an auctioneer's sale listing.
The large, 23 cm (9 inch) slice of cake icing, with a marzipan base, came from one of 23 official wedding cakes and was given to Moyra Smith who worked for the Queen Mother at Clarence House.
It was kept wrapped in clingfilm in an attic for the past 27 years.
Auction house Dominic Winter Book Auctions, based in Gloucestershire, described the white icing as having a sugared onlay of the royal coat-of-arms colored in gold, red, blue and silver, a small silver horseshoe and leaf spray.
The cake was sold on Wednesday to an unnamed bidder along with a typed letter signed by "Charles and Diana" thanking Mrs Smith for her contribution towards a clock they were given as a wedding present.
The large, 23 cm (9 inch) slice of cake icing, with a marzipan base, came from one of 23 official wedding cakes and was given to Moyra Smith who worked for the Queen Mother at Clarence House.
It was kept wrapped in clingfilm in an attic for the past 27 years.
Auction house Dominic Winter Book Auctions, based in Gloucestershire, described the white icing as having a sugared onlay of the royal coat-of-arms colored in gold, red, blue and silver, a small silver horseshoe and leaf spray.
The cake was sold on Wednesday to an unnamed bidder along with a typed letter signed by "Charles and Diana" thanking Mrs Smith for her contribution towards a clock they were given as a wedding present.
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