This sounds weird in words – and even weirder in tones! Apparently the Battery Maritime Building in New York has been ‘wired for sound’ so that its effects can be ‘played’ like a musical instrument. In the cavernous, 9,000 square foot Great Hall of the former lower Manhattan ferry terminal, sits the man who once… Continue reading Playing a building???
Tag: The Mind Boggles
Things to remember when driving in Cyprus
A better title for this post might be: “Why you shouldn’t drive in Cyprus!” According to a Reuters report, the Cyprus highway code is being updated. Drivers in Cyprus have been told not to abandon their car in motion, or wave their hands and legs out of car windows. This piece of advice is given… Continue reading Things to remember when driving in Cyprus
Roadrunner – from fringe to mainstream
A few months ago, I posted here about a couple of scientists who’d adapted Playstation consoles to serve as computers – number-crunchers – for their work. Now we learn of Roadrunner, a new supercomputer that’s cracked the one-petaflop ‘boundary’ – over one thousand trillion calculations per second. For those interested in the supercomputing technicalities, there’s… Continue reading Roadrunner – from fringe to mainstream
Keep an eye on China’s ‘quake dams’
I’m sure many readers have heard of the dams formed by recent earthquakes in China. For those who may not have heard the full story, this report gives alarming details: One of the tragic ironies of the recent earthquake in China is that it has created numerous new, extremely dangerous dams in a country that… Continue reading Keep an eye on China’s ‘quake dams’
Oh, the nausea . . .
I try to avoid commenting on politics on this blog. There are more than enough bloggers doing that, and besides, I’m fairly centrist on many issues, so I tend to offend those on both extremes when I point out the follies that both sides perpetrate. However, there are times when I can’t restrain myself. A… Continue reading Oh, the nausea . . .
The great eccentrics
I’ve always enjoyed reading about eccentrics and their dotty ways. An article in the Daily Mail is chock-full of spicy details about them. A few examples: Where would we be without Jonas Hanway, the 18th-century philanthropist who first dared to walk the streets of London while holding a wooden stick which supported a canopy of… Continue reading The great eccentrics
A coffin bar???
And while on the subject of the undead (see the previous post), I’m somewhat at a loss to understand the latest idea to generate tourist traffic in Truskavets, Ukraine. Visitors to the Ukrainian resort town of Truskavets, already renowned for its life-preserving mineral springs, will soon be able to tempt fate by drinking in the… Continue reading A coffin bar???
Strange attraction
I’ve heard of unrequited love, where the object of one’s affections doesn’t return them . . . but this one is really, really weird. A man who claims to have had sex with 1,000 cars has defended his “romantic” feelings towards vehicles. Edward Smith, who lives with his current “girlfriend” – a white Volkswagen Beetle… Continue reading Strange attraction
The mouse that roared?
No, not the very funny 1955 film starring Peter Sellers (in three different roles). It seems that scientists are using mice as a ‘vehicle’ for gene transplants. In a world first, scientists have extracted a gene from the extinct Tasmanian tiger and successfully inserted it into a mouse embryo. It is the first time a… Continue reading The mouse that roared?
Doofus Of The Day #24
Today’s Doofus is a particularly special one. First, let me set the scene. The location is the town of Port Phillip, in the state of Victoria in Australia. CAROLINE Shahbaz’s clients and colleagues sometimes ask if she is a witch. The St Kilda-based change management consultant admits that she jokingly refers to herself as a… Continue reading Doofus Of The Day #24