Mike’s Typo

Been lots of talk about the hazards of cell phones.  Aside from the distraction they cause, and the problems those causes, a commonly mulled - and hotly contested - question is what are they doing to our brain?  Can’t answer that.  But.  If you are one of those that worry about what putting that little signal-emitter next to your brain 25, 50, 100 or more times a day is doing to you - don’t watch this.  On the other hand, if you are looking for something to do with your friends over a couple of beers - well, here is a cheeky idea.  (Cheeky - where’d that come from?  No idea.  We’ll make it the word-of-the-day.)  Don’t forget the butter.

A big thanks to one of our northern readers, onelunatic, for sending us the link.

Update: A few of you are no doubt wondering if this could be a fake?  Maybe.  You be the judge.  I’d test it out first before you try using this to impress the crowd at the local watering hole.

Ah, the power of the Internet.  Where would be without folks like Snopes.com?  Here is way more than you want to know on this phenomena.

If you’d told me about this - I wouldn’t have believed it.  Seems the latest in “emergency equipment” is ground-pounding sub-woofers.  Cops gone ghetto.  I kid you not.  Seems with all of the distractions today, folks in the cars aren’t yielding quickly enough for police, fire, and ambulances.  So.  Maybe this is a good idea.

Next thing you know they’ll be walkin’ around with their gun belts and pants hangin’ around their ass.  Callin’ you “homey” when they pull you over.  Whew!  Imagination run wild.

Read an article like this and it’s part thought provoking, part inspiration, part entertainment.  In Santa Cruz, we often think we’ve seen them all.  I’m always amazed, just when I think that, there is another story right around the corner.

All the gov’s technology is bunk.  How long we been lookin’ for Bin Laden?  Too long.  Same is true of adventurer Steve Fossett.  Gov and private search parties spent more than a month scouring the Sierras looking for his downed plane.  Leave it to a ski shop owner from Mammoth Lakes.  Seems one Mr. Morrow stumbled across some green (hundy dollar bills) and an id card.  Took him a day or so to report it.  Not clear why.  But, none-the-less, he does and low and behold they find Fossett’s plane first thing this am.  Hope they find what’s left of Steve.  RIP.

Makes you wonder about all this high-tech spy stuff we got.

My calendar has opened up.  Presumably, yours too.  We’re now free on 10/21.  Perhaps we should saddle up for a ride.  Scratchin’ your head to remember what you had on the dance card for the 21st?  That Geneva Hadron Collider show.  Wrote about it last week.  Here is the update.  Seems they’re gonna have to shut the collider down for at least two month.  Somethin’ broke.  The shutdown casts doubt on whether they can achieve a high-energy collision of protons before the end of the year.  Money quote: “It’s too early to say whether we’ll still be having collisions this year.”  They’re still going to do a 10/21 party, but no “boom.”  I ain’t goin’.  Stay tuned.  We’ll keep you posted.

I’m still trying to figure out that expression.  It’s almost Shakespearean.  Seemingly familiar, but just a bit out of reach of definition.  Anyhew.  Even though I don’t fully know what the expression means, I think it must apply to one Mr. Michael Axel.  This guy is (was, I guess, now) a stock broker in NYC.  Seems as the story goes, he bilked some clients for some pretty terrific green.  But, he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Has the money he’s stolen transferred into his personal bank accounts, etc.  Hello.  Anyone home?

But, here’s the best part.  He got a note from a solicitor of a the long, lost relative in Nigeria.  I guess we’re somehow related, ’cause I keep getting the same note.  Email says, relative died, left a bundle of (I mean bundle of) cash.  But, you gotta send money to free up the money.  Sounded fishy to me.  So, I passed on the umteen-mil awaiting me.  Who needs it right?  Seems, Mr. Axel, had a faint recollection of this relative…. Oh, you know how the story ends.  Can this be true?  It’s a funny read.

And, maybe they wish they weren’t.  An interesting collection of videos compiled by our friends at Wired Online.  Funny.  Sad.  Sick.  You’re twisted for watching!  But, it’s ok.  The world is watching the same videos.

Popcorn?

Boy.  You think I’d learn.  When I’ve done that “Fr** T-Shirt” thing in the past, I get emails for days.  Well, I can tell you.  There are a lot of Typo readers that love their iPhones (and maybe have a lot of time on their hands).  What was I thinking?  Who was gonna go through all your App suggestions?  Well.  I’ve spent the better part of the week.  All to get to a Top 5 list.  What constitutes Top 5?  I haven’t a clue.  So, these are the 5 or so Apps that you suggested most often; I thought were really interesting; or, who knows what.  It’s just a list for pete-sakes.  (Who was pete and what happened to his sakes?)  Oh.  And, they’re in no particular order.

1. Dual Level - How cool is this?  If you’re OCD and every picture has to be straight, this is awesome.  I’ve used this a 100 times just today!  Alternative for fun: Meet Bubble (very warped, but get’s the job done).
2. Shazam - Love that song?  What is it?  You missed the intro and they play’d right into the next song.  You’re had.  Whip out your iPhone, select Shazam, and…  Shazam - there is the title/artist/etc.  Wow!
3. MyLite Flashlight - No tourpak or saddlebag light?  No problemo.  Whip out the iPhone or iTouch and wham-bam your cubby-hole is bright with light.
4. Units - Well, what can I say?  It’s handy.
5. Where to/iWant/Urbanspoon/Local Eats - Ok.  I cheated.  But, really you can’t just have one of these Apps.  You almost have to have them all.

So, that’s it.  Five.  Obviously, I left out the ones that are boring/obvious/too utilitarian, like NY Times, Ebay, Wiki(whatever), Facebook, yada, yada, yada.

Oh.  No games you say.  Right.  Well games are so personal.  And, warped.  And, really - I’m not a game person.  But, what-the-heck, here are two for your consideration:

1. Labyrinth Lite - Just like when we were kids.
2. Bubble Wrap - How annoying is this?  Just as annoying as the real thing.  I love this one!

Hey.  Thanks to everyone for sharing.  Take issue with any of the five (or seven)?  Don’t send me a bitchy email - just send me your suggested App.

I don’t know about you, but when I get off a plane I always feel a bit sad.  I love sitting in cramped spaces, with lots of noise, bad air, and stewardesses that are there for my safety bangin’ the heck out of my elbow with their heavy metal carts - repeatedly.  So.  For me.  A solution.  Now I can book myself into a Jumbo Hostel.  Right there at the airport.  Call it a 747 hotel.  Good idea or bad?  I don’t know, but it sure is an interesting use of a big, old piece of junk.  Check out the article.

It’s been suggested that I stay away from politics.  So.  I’ve tried.  But, this is just too much to ask now that our Repub prez candidate has decided to take a page from the reality tv phenom.  Gov. Sarah and her bode make Ozzie and the Osborne family seem - well, kinda normal.  My bets are that the good Gov. Sarah won’t hit the home stretch.  But, who knows.  Gotta hand it to them, they’ve taken back the air waves.

In all these revelations, we americans just can’t help but wonder - who’s the pa?  A big thank you to the New York Post.  They dug faster than the rest and found the MySpace page.  Here’s the article and a pic.