Self-produced animation.
Repeated encounters with people goodbye, sadness and joy that life has been represented by a single red thread.
Source: okushita01's
The fallacy of Facebook 'friends'
In Dunbar's own words: “The interesting thing is that you can have 1,500 friends but when you actually look at traffic on sites, you see people maintain the same inner circle of around 150 people that we observe in the real world.”
It is safe to conclude therefore that people with 1,500 Facebook buddies haven’t got 1,500 real friends, they just want to look popular.
How the Media can manipulate our viewpoint
A picture looked at a different way can tell another story.
Facebook fugitive Craig Lynch caught by police
Craig "Lazie" Lynch, 28, who escaped from Hollesley Bay Prison in September, was arrested by the Met Police in Kent on Tuesday night.
Since the escape Lynch became a global internet sensation after the press discovered his Facebook fan page, where he routinely mocked police officers with crude insults and clues to his location.
He amassed a 40,000 strong following from around the globe before his profile was taken down.
Last month Lynch posted a photo showing him holding the cooked turkey and wearing a strand of tinsel while raising his middle finger to the camera. Below the image, a caption read: “Here's proof. How could I get my hands on a bird like this in jail. ha ha.”
He was finally arrested by the Metropolitan Police in Kent this morning after spending New Year’s Eve watching a fireworks display in London and enjoying a traditional Christmas dinner.
Somewhat prophetically, Lynch had written the following under the 'personal information' section of his Facebook profile: “You’ll have a laugh with me but it will end in tears. It always does.”
Lynch appeared at Bexleyheath Magistrates’ Court this morning, charged with escaping from lawful custody.
Source: Press Association & The Times
Town's mayor caught stealing women's underwear
A Lancashire town mayor, Ian Stafford, has admitted stealing women's underwear after being caught in the act on camera.
Footage showed Stafford, 59, walking into a woman's bedroom and searching through her drawers before selecting a pair of knickers to take home and wear.
The two-term mayor of Preesall and Knott End then performed a sexual act before leaving the building.
Police later found a collection of underwear, identical to the items reported stolen, at his home.
The woman who made the recording was one of three Stafford targeted between January 1 and June 26 last year.
After noticing that some of her underwear had disappeared she decided to install the hidden camera.
Stafford has now resigned his position as Mayor.
Source: Telegraph
Escaped convict embarrasses cops with Facebook updates
An inmate who went on the run from a Suffolk jail has embarrassed the police by regularly posting updates on his Facebook page.
Craig Lynch, 28, escaped from Hollesley Bay Prison, where he was serving a 7 year sentence for aggravated burglary, in September. Since then he has kept his 199 Facebook friends informed with his day to day activities.
Details posted to the social networking site include his forthcoming attendance at a New Year's Eve party in Lowestoft and another party in Norwich in February.
Lynch has been linked to Middlesex and north-east London and as a result Suffolk Constabulary is liaising with other forces in their efforts to find him.
Lynch's recently posted messages include:
:: "Craig 'Lazie' Lynch needs to get up and get motivated too many things to do today!"
:: "Craig 'Lazie' Lynch Is thinkin, which lucky girl will be my first of 2010!!"
:: "Craig 'Lazie' Lynch mmm i just had a 12lb venison steak. Roasted veg and chips, bangin meal. I feel stuffed but still got room for the j.d's . Hope you enjoyed the meal babe's. We'll have to eat here again. Now to drive home in this s*** weather. Hope we make it cos i'm ready to get in bed and un wrap somethin for afters x x"
:: "Craig 'Lazie' Lynch just nearly wrote my motor off again. F***** ice everywhere i went round the corner and ended up halfway on someones driveway!!"
Should any information Lynch made public on Facebook lead to his capture, it is safe to assume that he will be the one that is embarrassed.
Suffolk Police would like anyone with information regarding Lynch's whereabouts to call their direct line (01473 613500) or alternatively contact their nearest police station.
Evel Knievel's son to recreate London bus jump
Robbie Knievel, 47, will attempt to jump over 16 buses at London's Wembley Stadium riding a Harley Davidson XR-750.
The original stunt, performed in 1975 in front of 90,000 fans, almost ended in disaster for Evel Knievel as his rear wheel clipped the last bus in the row and he somersaulted onto the ramp - with the bike landing on top of him - breaking his pelvis.
"Although my dad's jump ended with broken bones and a lot of pain, I'm confident he'll be smiling down on this one," Mr Knievel said.
"Daredevils are a dying breed. I'm proud to have been raised by one and to be one myself."
"I can never fill the shoes of my father because he was the greatest stunt guy in the world - the greatest daredevil," he said.
Robbie & his HarleyHis son shot to fame in 1989 by successfully jumping 150ft (45m) over the fountains at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
So far, Robbie has completed more than 350 professional jumps and broken 20 world records.
Mr Knievel said he was "looking forward" to his attempt at making the jump which narrowly defeated his father.
"Whether I make or miss it, at least I gave it a shot."
Source: BBC
Britain's most influential Twitter users
Cashmore, CEO of the trendsetting social media blog Mashable, has over 1.8 million users following his Twitter feed - making him one of the most popular individuals on the microblogging site.
In order to calculate the 'influence rating' of twitter users INQ Mobile took into account the number of times they tweeted, how good they were at re-tweeting other people's posts and the frequency with which their messages are re-tweeted by other users.
The 20 most influential British Twitter feeds are:
- Pete Cashmore, CEO at Mashable
- Stephen Fry, All-round entertainer
- Russell Brand, Comedian and TV presenter
- Dougie Poytner, McFly band member
- Tom Fletcher, another McFly band member
- Eddie Izzard, Actor and Comedian
- Zee M Kane, Editor-in-Chief of The Next Web
- Jonathan Ross, Entertainer
- Richard Bacon, DJ and TV/Radio presenter
- Peter Andre, Celebrity/Singer
- Andy Murray, Sportsman
- Calvin Harris, Musician
- Suzi Perry, Presenter on the Gadget Show
- Sarah Brown, Wife of the Prime Minister
- Imogen Heap, Musician
- Ian Poulter, Sportsman
- Tom Watson, Member of Parliament
- Boris Johnson, Mayor of London
- Darren Bent, Sportsman
- Steven Gerrard, Sportsman
Army bishop praises Taliban's 'conviction to their faith'
Bishop Venner initially suggested that it would be difficult to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict if the insurgents were portrayed too negatively and that the West has adopted an overly simplistic view of the Taliban.
He then went on to say: "The Taliban can perhaps be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to each other".
Out of context it is easy to see how such a comment could be seen as unpatriotic, particularly given the significant rise in casualties suffered by the British troops serving in Afghanistan during 2009.
Bishop Venner's apparent admiration for the 'conviction' and 'loyalty' of the Taliban could also be interpreted to mean that he sympathises with a group of Islamic fundamentalists responsible for the deaths of 237 British servicemen and women, simply because of their professed faith.
Secular and atheist individuals may be disturbed by the view implicit in Bishop Venner's statement, namely that devout conviction to a violent and oppressive form of faith is better than having no faith at all.
It is unlikely that moderate British muslims will appreciate the Bishop's respect for an extreme, violent and altogether unpleasant branch of their religion.
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, accused Bishop Venner of being naïve.
“We clearly need to understand our enemy but that is more of a military issue rather than a religious one,” he said.
“Elements in the Taliban do not act from a religious perspective and it is important to turn them around. But there are many others who will not be persuaded. Their central creed and ethos is about violent oppression."
Bishop Venner has since apologised publicly for the opinions put forward in the interview, yet his reputation will likely be damaged for some time yet.
Regardless of what message Bishop Venner intended to impart, the views expressed in his interview demonstrate a lack of media awareness. Public figures and the statements they make are subject to disproportionate scrutiny, especially regarding sensitive issues like the occupation of Afghanistan; consequently taking care to make statements that aren't wide open to interpretation should have been obvious.
Source: Press Association & Telegraph
Super Mario is Europe's top game star
Super Mario is Europes top game star, mario has sold over 222 million worldwide in 28 years.
This puts him in front of other game legends like Sonic, Pac Man and Lara Croft.
Mario is also rolling strong as the New Super Mario Bros Wii is performing very well.
Below is a video to remind us all why Mario is the top out of the lot and Europes top game star.
Source
Life is simple - life instructions
These are the instructions for life, not a lot just follow these four instructions to live a fulfilled life.
source
Facebook exposes users after changes to privacy policy
Having told users that the change "makes it easier for people to find and learn about you", Facebook has effectively opened up the bottomless pit of personal data at their disposal to everyone on the web.
The motivation for this move is primarily to increase traffic to the site from search engines - inspired by growing competition from Twitter (its pages are fully indexed and searchable) - thereby increasing ad revenue.
As of now, when a current users logs on to Facebook they will be greeted by a popup asking them to review and update their privacy settings. Whilst it is relatively easy for users to choose to keep their old settings, it is the new settings recommended by Facebook that have come under close scrutiny.
If a user adopts Facebook's recommendations then details of the user's gender, location, friends and family, as well as all posted content and status updates, could be found on search engines like Google or Bing.
This represents a fundamental shift in Facebook's social media function; instead of disseminating pictures and information amongst a closed social circle it now broadcasts that information to the world.Many users who were initially drawn to the site by a desire to connect with friends and acquaintances from college, university, school or work - rather than a Twitter-esque desire to broadcast information to the world - may be dismayed by this news.
It is worth mentioning that under-18's using Facebook will be restricted to sharing info with friends, regardless of the options they select.
In a press statement the Electronic Front Foundation said: "These new 'privacy' changes are clearly intended to push Facebook users to publicly share even more information than before. "
It added: "Even worse, the changes will actually reduce the amount of control that users have over some of their personal data."
The US-based Electronic Privacy Information Centre (Epic) concurred with the EFF's early assessment before announcing that it would analyse the changes to see if they amounted to trickery.
Ultimately, the question all social networkers should (but probably won't) ask of themselves is: "How much personal information am I comfortable sharing with the world?"
Kim Jong Il's secret escape tunnels exposed
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has a vast network of underground tunnels linking Pyongyang with key locations across the country, according to a high level defector from within the regime.
Hwang Jang Yop, formerly North Korea's top political philosopher, spoke publicly about the existence of Mr Kim's tunnels for the first time this week, following his defection to South Korea in 1997.
Mr Hwang claims to have travelled through at least some of the North Korean dictator's tunnels, describing what he saw to Radio Free Asia:
“There was fresh water and grass growing within an underground tunnel that linked Pyongyang to a nearby mountain [...] In particular, an ultra-deep underground tunnel was built to connect one of Kim’s residences in Pyongyang to [the port city of] Nampo.”
Since being devastated by intense UN/American bombing raids during the 1950-53 Korean War, the North Korean government has hidden much of its military strength using vast underground military bases - which include missile silos, aircraft hangers and even naval ports - according to US military intelligence and the South Korean government.
Source: The Times
So-called celebrities face animal cruelty charges
Gino D'Acampo, winner of ITV’s ludicrous Austrialian-jungle based popularity contest ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’ and fellow contenstant Stuart Manning face criminal charges of animal cruelty after killing, cooking and eating a rat on the reality show.
The pair were part of an “exiled” group for part of the series and as such were only allowed tiny rations of rice and beans to eat. They asked the show’s production staff if they could kill and eat a rat to supplement their evening meal and were told that they were allowed to do so.
Following the rat killing, officials from the New South Wales Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it would take action and the police recently issued “attendance notices” for D’Acampo and Manning to appear in court on February 3.
Chief Inspector David Oshannessy, of the New South Wales RSPCA, said it was unacceptable for an animal to be killed as part of a performance.
"The allegation is that an animal was cruelly treated on the set," he added. "It was a rat that was killed.
"There is a code of conduct in New South Wales that dictates how animals can be used. The killing of a rat for a performance is not acceptable."
A spokesman for ITV said: “Having sought health and safety advice, the go-ahead was given purely on this basis, when it became clear that there would not be any harmful effects of eating a properly prepared and cooked rat.
"The production was unaware that killing a rat could be an offence, criminal or otherwise, in New South Wales and accepts that further inquiries should have been made – this was an oversight.
"ITV apologises for this error, and to the celebrities concerned, and will put in place procedures for next year's series to ensure that this cannot happen again."
Source: Guardian
All men watch porn, according to Montreal Professor.
Researchers at the University of Montreal launched a search for men who had never watched pornography, to act as a control group for their study, were shocked when they realised they couldn't find any.
The research team was conducting a study comparing the views of men in their 20s who had never been exposed to pornography with regular users, but the project was hampered by their inability to locate a single individual who hadn't been exposed to some form of porn.
“We started our research seeking men in their 20s who had never consumed pornography,” said Professor Simon Louis Lajeunesse. “We couldn't find any.”
The study continued by examining the habits of young men who used pornography.
Though this above revelation may seem distressing to the more socially conservative amongst us, the study revealed that, according to Professor Lajeunesse, pornography hadn't damaged the men's sexuality.
“Not one subject had a pathological sexuality,” he said. “In fact, all of their sexual practices were quite conventional.
“Pornography hasn't changed their perception of women or their relationship, which they all want to be as harmonious and fulfilling as possible,” he added.
The study found that men watched pornography that complimented their own image of sexuality, and quickly discarded any porn they found offensive or distasteful.
Detroit's first 'Cannabis College' commences classes.
The newly opened Med Grow Cannabis College in Detroit is the first of its kind in Michigan following the state’s legalisation of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The suburban college will offer courses in how to grow, use and profit from medical marijuana.
Med Grow’s founder, 24-year-old Nick Tennant, said: “This state needs jobs, and we think medical marijuana can stimulate the state economy with hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars.”
Tennant’s students will be taught recipes for cannabis butter, cannabis chocolate icing, and “greenies” (brownies with a special ingredient) as well as how to properly grow the plant and avoid potential legal pitfalls.
The 2008 Michigan Medical Marijuana Act has made growing marijuana for medicinal purposes legal within the state boundaries. Patients can buy the drug if doctors certify that they need it for a health problem.
Doctors in America’s medical marijuana states have prescribed the drug for a wide variety of illnesses including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Tourette’s syndrome and also to alleviate the side-effects of chemotherapy.
Marijuana remains illegal under federal law but, since the Obama administration instructed federal prosecutors to igorne patients using marijuana for medical reasons and the dispensaries that supply them, there appears to be a growing trend in the USA towards acceptance of cannabis as a legitimate medicine.
Scottish brewer unveils world's strongest beer
A small scale Scottish brewery with a history of controversy has produced what it claims to be the world’s strongest beer, one so alcoholic that it is supposed to be drunk in spirit-sized measures.
The beer has been named ‘Tactical Nuclear Penguin’ by its producer BrewDog, of Fraserburgh, north-east Scotland and is roughly eight times as strong as a normal beer with an alcohol content of 32%.
Sold at £30 a bottle, or £250 with a share in the company, BrewDog says the limited edition beer is intended for connoisseurs and describes the “imperial stout” as their “most audacious and ambitious project to date”.
BrewDog’s timing of the Tactical Nuclear Penguin release has been a source of uproar amongst public health charities, since it coincided with the Scottish Government’s confirmation that it wants a legally binding minimum price for alcohol to combat rising alcohol abuse.
This isn’t the first time a BrewDog product has caused controversy; their first three beers – Punk IPA, Hop Rocker and Riptide – were investigated after research into irresponsible drinks promotions.
The beers were cleared of wrongdoing but BrewDog retaliated by launching a beer named Speedball, after the notoriously lethal drugs cocktail of cocaine and heroin.
In September BrewDog launched a low alcohol beer titled ‘Nanny State’, a move commonly interpreted as a humorous retort to the brewer’s critics in the Scottish Parliament and Westminster.
The BrewDog website boasts that the company presents a challenge to the "bland" beers made by mainstream brewers: "We are unique and individual. A beacon of nonconformity in an increasingly monotone corporate desert. We are proud to be an intrepid David in a desperate ocean of insipid Goliaths."
James Watt, the managing director of BrewDog, described Tactical Nuclear Penguin as "Bold, irreverent and uncompromising, a beer with a soul and a purpose, a statement of intent."
He added: "Beer has a terrible reputation in Britain, it’s ignorant to assume that a beer can’t be enjoyed responsibly like a nice dram or a glass of fine wine.
"A beer like Tactical Nuclear Penguin should be enjoyed in spirit sized measures.”
Only 500 330ml bottles of Tactical Nuclear Penguin have been produced and will be available exclusively to buy online or from two off-licenses in London and Edinburgh. Money raised from bottles purchased for £250 will help finance a £2.3million eco-friendly brewery in Aberdeen.
Socialites gatecrash Obama's dinner
American socialites Tareq and Michaele Salahi made an audacious bid for fame by allegedly gatecrashing President Obama’s first White House dinner.
US Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan confirmed that the couple were not on the guest list and that an investigation into how the couple managed to breach security and attend the event is underway.
Donovan said the couple did not pose any danger: "It's important to note that they went through all the security screenings and the magnetometer screening, just like all the other guests did."
The Salahi’s attempts at fame are not limited to breaking and entering state events. Reports indicate that the couple have auditioned for roles in TV programme ‘The Real Housewives of Washington’.
Michaele Salahi’s Facebook page (a fan page instead of a standard profile) was updated with a photo album entitled ‘White House state dinner’ featuring pictures of the Salahis with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, mayor of DC Adrian Fenty and Vice-President Joe Biden.
Hundreds of comments have been posted on Michaele Salahi’s Facebook page following the publicity stunt. The comments range from enthusiastic support to vitriolic disgust: “You pulled the caper of the millennium” wrote one individual, while “You are absolutely pathetic. People will really do anything for attention” and “Enjoy going to jail” were posted by two other commenters.
Japanese gamer marries Nintendo character
A Japanese man has entered into a marriage with a difference – his blushing bride is a video game character living inside his Nintendo DS.
The gamer, identified only by his username Sal9000, fell in love with virtual woman Nene Anegasaki while playing the dating simulation Love Plus. The aim of Love Plus is to court the affections of, and build a happy relationship with one of three manga-style women.
Sal9000 became the first person to officially pledge his love to a video game character in a ceremony witnessed by dozens of fellow gamers last weekend. The couple’s ‘wedding’ was overseen by a real priest, although he was keen to stress that the nuptials were not official or legally binding.
However it is rumoured on some gaming websites that Sal9000 has already married his digital bride at a chapel on Guam, a Pacific holiday island where marriage laws are less strict than most countries.
World Cup TV coverage banned by Kim Jong-il (unless North Korea win)
Kim Jong-il, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, has banned all live coverage of World Cup football matches from his state-run television stations and only highlights of North Korea’s victories will be broadcast.
This ruling means that North Korea’s population of 29 million won’t be able to find out who takes home the greatest prize in international football, unless the cup is won by 350-1 outsiders North Korea.
Games played between other nations will be banned altogether and any highlights of North Korea’s matches, that are not censored outright, will be heavily edited to make them look the better team.
South Africa 2010 is the first World Cup tournament North Korea has qualified for since 1966.
London police blow up sports car
Mr Raphel, from Headington, Oxford, was celebrating a friend’s birthday in London whilst his £18,000 Honda Civic Type R was destroyed. He then returned to find his burnt our car surrounded by anti-terrorism police.
US Army responsible for New Orleans floods
A US judge has ruled that the negligence of army engineers led to the severe flooding in parts of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The complaint, by six residents and one business, against the US Army Corps of Engineers over its maintenance of a navigation channel was upheld by the court.
Damages totaling $720,000 (£431,000) were awarded and the landmark ruling could lead to thousands more claims.
Roughly 80% of New Orleans was flooded by Hurricane Katrina and over 1,800 people died on the Gulf coast during the devastating storms.
The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining a network of canals and earthworks which are intended to protect New Orleans from storm surges and limit flooding.
US district judge Stanwood Duval ruled "negligent failure" to maintain the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet - a shipping channel - had led to flooding in the city's Lower 9th Ward and nearby St Bernard Parish.
Judge Duval maintained that the Army could not be held accountable for the flooding that took place in eastern New Orleans.
In the 156-page ruling, Judge Duval held the Army Corps accountable for failing to shore up the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet which “doomed the channel to grow to two or three times its design width” leading to “a more forceful frontal attack on the levee”.
Australian driver lost on 600km shopping trip
81-year-old Eric Steward was discovered in Melbourne, almost 600km (370 miles) from where he started his journey in Yass, New South Wales, after driving from a friend’s house in order to buy a newspaper.
After eight hours on the road Mr Steward asked Victoria state police for help, clearly having realised that somewhere he had taken a wrong turn.
"I just went out on the road to have a drive, a nice peaceful quiet drive. "I didn't know where I was going but I knew it was somewhere, and with a bit of luck I would eventually find my wife again," he said.
Mr Steward’s wife Clare only discovered his whereabouts after reaching him on his mobile phone.
"We eventually knew where he was when I said 'Are there any signs around?' He said, 'uh, Westgate Bridge'," she said in reference to the well known Melbourne tourist attraction.
Victoria state policeman Clayton Smith said Mr Steward approached him at a service station and told him he was lost.
"Although we had to laugh. When we asked him why he hadn't stopped earlier he replied, 'I just like to drive'," he said.
Mr Steward, who suffers from light dementia, was unconcerned about all the attention, citing age as a liberating factor in his escapade.
"It's a lot of fuss isn't it?" he said, adding: "When you get to 80 and beyond it doesn't matter much. He's out there waiting for us and you just got to wait your turn."
He laughed off a suggestion to purchase a satellite navigation system.
"Why would you want one of those? You can't get lost. There is no fun in that."
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