Aluminum Can Plant Markers: “This is not the easiest way to mark your seedlings. It’s not the most gorgeous. But it’s free, lasts indefinitely and it’s kinda fun. Besides, I gotta keep up my aluminum can skilz.
Supplies & Equipment: Aluminum Drink Cans Cheap scissors Dried up ball point pen Straight edge (for the straight plant markers) Impressionable work surface, like the cork back of a place mat or coaster, mouse pad, etc.”
Report: Wartime Contractors Waste, Steal Tens Of Billions — Then Come Back For More: “WASHINGTON — The chairmen of the bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting decried on Monday a federal system that has allowed contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan to commit fraud — then get hired again and again.
‘For the 200,000 people employed by contractors to provide support and capability in Iraq and Afghanistan, accountability is too often absent, diluted, delayed, or avoided,’ Republican co-chair Chris Shays, formerly a longtime congressman from Connecticut, said while calling to order a hearing of the commission Monday.
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Gas rich galaxies confirm prediction of modified gravity theory: “ScienceDaily (Feb. 25, 2011) — Recent data for gas rich galaxies precisely match predictions of a modified theory of gravity known as MOND, according to a new analysis by University of Maryland Astronomy Professor Stacy McGaugh. This — the latest of several successful MOND predictions — raises new questions about accuracy of the reigning cosmological model of the universe, writes McGaugh in a paper to be published in March in Physical Review Letters.”
You Win, RIM! (An Open Letter To RIM’s Developer Relations):
“You win. I concede defeat. I no longer want to attempt developing an app for the Playbook,” developer Jamie Muraiblogs. “Are you happy now? Surely you must be. Considering how terribly designed the entire process is, from the registration right through to loading an app into the simulator, I can only assume that you are trying to drive developers away by inconveniencing them as much as humanly possible.”
“Having already developed apps for theiPhone and iPad, I had a little experience with the process of signing up for developer programs, and naturally I assumed that yours would be different, but fairly straight forward none the less,” Murai reports. “Well, you know what they say about making assumptions!”
Murai reports, “First, I had to fill out a form with my personal information. No big deal, pretty standard. I do, however, notice that although it is currently free to register with App World, in the future there will be a $200 USD charge. Now just in case you’ve never looked in to competing developer programs, Apple charges $99, and Google charges $25. Considering you are by far the underdog in this game, how do you justify charging double the price of the market leader? Also, with the $99 or $25 charge, Apple and Google let you publish and unlimited number of apps on their stores. You, on the other hand, have decided that for $200, a developer should only get to publish 10 apps, and it will cost $200 for every additional 10 apps. On Twitter, I believe that would colloquially be referred to as a fail.”
Black Bean Brownies | No Meat Athlete: “I adapted this recipe from a King Arthur Flour recipe. I made a few changes like using whole wheat flour, raw sugar, and more coffee. Instead of adding chocolate chips (which add more sugar) I decided to use hazelnuts instead. The hazelnuts add a seriously fabulous ‘nutella’-like flair. “
Comment of the Day: Aluminum Foil as Dryer Sheet! | Apartment Therapy Chicago: “I’ve completely eliminated the need for dryer sheets. I was a firm lover of these until I found that I could take aluminum foil, ball it up, and toss it in the dryer with the wet laundry. It removes static and never has to be changed. I’ve been using the same aluminum foil ball for over 6 months.”
City attorney, Pulitzer-winning Seattle paper call for marijuana legalization | The Raw Story: “Last year, many hopeful drug reform advocates expected California to be the first state to officially overturn the prohibition of marijuana. But after Prop. 19’s failure on the state-wide ballot at the end of 2010, few would have expected the next major push for reform would come from Washington.
Yet, here they are: the Washington legislature is poised to consider House Bill 1550, which would legalize and regulate cannabis, and apply taxes on sales.
The effort was enough to prompt a Seattle city attorney and The Seattle Times editorial board to come out in favor of the measure, urging legislators to make Washington State the first in the union to move for a repeal of prohibition.”
What I think Obama is meeting with Jobs, Schmidt, and Zuckerberg about – The Oatmeal: “What I think Obama is meeting with Jobs, Schmidt, and Zuckerberg about “
ARE U FUCKING JOKING? Lou Reed?
HP walks on the bile side at the Grammys | Technically Incorrect – CNET News: “”
Spooky “Dark Flow” Tracked Deeper Into the Cosmos; No Word on What’s Tugging at Galaxies | 80beats | Discover Magazine: “A year and a half ago, the team led by Alexander Kashlinsky of NASA proposed the controversial and ominously named ‘dark flow,’ a massive gravitational force that is tugging at galaxy clusters, and that Kashlinsky says could be coming from beyond the limits of our own visible universe. Now the team is back with a follow-up study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, and Kashlinsky “
New : NestRest – Contemporan: “Thanks to its cosy, protective, organic structure, NESTREST transforms your typical garden sofa into a small architectural piece, one that offers you a secluded, suspended sanctuary as it gently rocks you and puts you at ease like a warm embrace. It’s the perfect place for relaxation, meditation and open-air conversations. It is constructed out of a new, specially created DeDon Fiber, four centimeters wide, guaranteeing a sturdy and solid weave that is open, breathable and private, allowing those sheltered within to look out while preventing outsiders from seeing in.
Creators of the NESTREST, an innovative new hanging pod woven from supersize strands of DEDON Fiber, Daniel Pouzet and Fred Frety are two of Paris’s most intriguing design talents. Close collaborators of Jean-Marie Massaud, with whom they have forged new ways of working and approaching design, Daniel and Fred bring a rich diversity of experience to each project they undertake, alone or in a team.”
Wood Slice Walkway Inspiration : katyelliott.com: “One last photo from the Portland Flower Show. I found this walkway so interesting decorated with wood slices. Looks like the slices are just laid into sand. Maybe a cool idea for a house in Maine or just any house in the woods. You might want to use more sand. The slices shown here did look a little wobbly.”
Recipe for Zucchini Cakes at Life’s Ambrosia: “These zucchini cakes make an elegant appetizer fit for those upcoming Oscar parties. Shredded fresh zucchini, is mixed with a little Parmesan, panko, paprika, garlic and a hint of ground nutmeg. The mixture is then pressed into patties and pan fried in olive oil until they are golden brown.
Makes: 8 cakes
You will need:
* 1 large zucchni grated, excess water removed (Note: To do this, after you grate the zucchini, put the grated zucchini into paper towels and squeeze to release the water) * 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese * 1 cup panko bread crumbs * sprinkle of ground nutmeg, about 1/8 teaspoon (Note: If you add too much it can quickly take over the taste, less is more) * 1/4 teaspoon paprika * 1 clove garlic, minced * 1 egg * salt and pepper to taste * 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1. Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a heaping tablespoon form the mixture into 8 patties. 2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once heated, add patties and cook until golden brown. About 3-4 minutes per side. Serve.
These are great when served with a dollop of ranch dressing. Enjoy!”
Toilet Paper Roll Sculptures: “Junior Fritz Jacquet creates unique sculptures out of toilet paper rolls.
The faces of fictional characters are first sculpted by hand and then coated with shellac and different pigments. [photos by Matthieu Gauchet]”
Johnson & Johnson Hired Fake Shoppers To Buy Up Bad Motrin, Avoid Public Recall – The Consumerist: “Ever since the FDA and Congress started asking Johnson & Johnson to explain why it keeps recalling medicine, there have been references to an unpublicized ‘recall’ that happened in November 2008. Last month, at a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, a J&J executive swore that the company didn’t mean to mislead anyone. It turns out that wasn’t exactly accurate: Bloomberg has obtained emails from J&J’s company, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, that show executives knew the secret recall would trigger an FDA reaction if the agency got wind of its full scope.”
This Could Threaten the Future of Food – Destroying the Entire Food Chain…: “Roundup, Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide, is causing Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a serious plant disease, in many fields. Study after study shows that glyphosate is contributing not only to the huge increase in SDS, but also to the outbreak of numerous other diseases.
Glyphosate is the world’s bestselling weed killer; it was patented by Monsanto for use in their Roundup brand, which became more popular when they introduced ‘Roundup Ready’ crops — genetically modified (GM) plants that can withstand applications of normally deadly Roundup.
But the herbicide doesn’t destroy plants directly; instead, it creates a unique perfect storm of conditions that activates disease-causing organisms in the soil, while at the same time wiping out plant defenses against those diseases.
The Institute for Responsible Technology reports:
‘By weakening plants and promoting disease, glyphosate opens the door for lots of problems in the field. According to Don [Huber, a plant pathologist], ‘There are more than 40 diseases of crop plants that are reported to increase with the use of glyphosate …’
Some of the fungi promoted by glyphosate produce dangerous toxins that can end up in food and feed … They’ve ‘been linked to the plague epidemics’ of medieval Europe, ‘large-scale human toxicosis in Eastern Europe,’ esophageal cancer in southern Africa and parts of China, joint diseases in Asia and southern Africa, and a blood disorder in Russia.'”
stairway to heaven. | sfgirlbybay: “i love everything about this beautiful home i saw on mixr. can you imagine having a lovely staircase like this, and then having it take you along its winding steps to all of this? this 1970?s townhouse renovated by Swedish interior designer Marie Olsson Nylander, is pretty much a decor dream come true for me. i love all the white, and rustic woods with dashes of bright colors and eclectic, vintage-inspired home furnishings. yep, this is my stairway to heaven.”
Glowing in the dark: Eerie phenomenon turned swimmers brighter shade of blue | Mail Online: ” Swimming is supposed to give you a healthy glow, but these swimmers weren’t quite sure what was going on when they took a late-night dip and turned a fluorescent shade of blue.
‘It was like we were playing with radioactive paint,’ said photographer Phil Hart who snapped the bizarre sight as his friends emerged from a lake in the dark of night.
The light is created by a chemical reaction called bioluminescence, which happens when a naturally-occuring micro-organism in the water is disturbed.”
