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from yahoo.com
Two-Headed Snake for Sale for $150,000ST. LOUIS - For sale: One snake. Albino. Has two heads. Asking $150,000 or best offer. The World Aquarium in St. Louis has been home to We, a one-of-a-kind two-headed albino rat snake, since 1999. President Leonard Sonnenschein has decided to sell the reptile, and bidding on eBay will start at $150,000.
from deadspin.com:
The Wrong Way To Start A FightIf there were any doubt as to whether or not it’s a good idea to start your K-1 fight by playfully (or intimidatingly, or whatever) kissing your opponent, this video pretty much dispells that notion.
The fighter is Heath “Texas Crazy Horse” Herring, whose bio reveals a 24-12 record. (The last loss was the pictured DQ with Yoshihiro Nakao.) And we have a feeling Herring is not a fan of Brokeback Mountain. But, you know, watch the video yourself.
This is too cliché to be true, right?
from Yahoo News:
Wal-Mart Halts Movie Suggestions on WebWal-Mart Stores Inc. is shutting down the system that creates movie recommendations on its shopping Web site after it linked a "Planet of the Apes" DVD to films about famous black Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr.
ADVERTISEMENTWal-Mart said Thursday it had removed what it called the "offensive combinations" from a walmart.com page advertising a boxed DVD set, "Planet of the Apes: The Complete TV Series."
Under a "similar items" section, the DVD set's page linked shoppers to four films about the lives of King, actress Dorothy Dandridge, boxer Jack Johnson and singer Tina Turner. Wal-Mart later altered the page to link with television show DVDs.
The world's largest retailer said the software that generates links for shoppers from one movie to others of similar interest would be shut down. All cross references would be removed as soon as technically possible until the system can be fixed, Wal-Mart said.
...
"We are heartsick that this happened and are currently doing everything possible to correct the problem," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams said in a statement.
"Walmart.com's item mapping process does not work correctly and at this point is mapping seemingly random combinations of titles. We were horrified to discover that some hurtful and offensive combinations are being mapped together," she said, adding that the company was "deeply sorry that this happened."
The Register is reporting that someday new 'Robot Agents' could be handling all of our online disputes. The new system is called e-Dispute and has already be successfully used in Europe, including at hospitals to assist with claim resolution.
Once again, somebody needs to rent The Terminator, T2, or the Matrix...
from theregister.co.uk:
'Robot agents' to help settle disputesA new system which provides fast online arbitration, mediation and conciliation services to help organisations quickly resolve disputes has been launched.
The e-Dispute system, which has already been successfully piloted at the European Court of Arbitration and the Emilia-Romagna Chamber of Commerce in Italy, is now being trialed at a number of hospitals in the UK where it is being used to assist with claim resolution.
Click HereUsing e-Dispute, claimants and respondents can put their case before an independent online arbitrator (or "robot agent") who having reviewed the case will then set up a meeting between the two parties via chatrooms and video conferencing, at which possible binding settlements can be reached. Arbitration is a well-established alternative to contentious courtroom litigation for the resolution of commercial disputes. In general, it is quicker, simpler and incurs lower costs without disadvantaging the parties. The idea behind having an online arbitration system is that as well as being relatively inexpensive it allows organisations involved in international disputes to find a neutral venue in which to air their problems.
"Robot agents digest all the information and make proposals to the parties. Once the arbitrator is agreed upon, the robot agent finds a suitable meeting date for everybody," said Jacques Gouimenou, managing director of Tiga Technologies, the company behind e-Dispute, speaking with ElectricNews.Net. "Our system reduces delays and costs. It is also very secure."
The current version of e-Dispute includes a number of online collaboration tools including video, audio, live-chat, e-forum, text and transcript capabilities with full case management, fact assessment, analysis, and weighted issue/interesting variables.
Support for the online arbitration system originally came from the European Commission's eTEN Programme which offers funding for the development and deployment of e-services. However, Tiga Technologies is now looking to gain additional funds in order to further develop the product.
"We are now looking for €1.5 to €2 million investment to set up a company dedicated to the promotion and commercialisation of the e-Dispute system," said Gouimenou. "There is a huge market for e-Dispute and we want to maximise our chances with professionals."
Right after Kanye West, my new hero is Harry Belafonte...
from yahoo.com
Belafonte Calls Bush 'Greatest Terrorist'CARACAS, Venezuela - The American singer and activist Harry Belafonte called
President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world" on Sunday and said millions of Americans support the socialist revolution of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.Belafonte led a delegation of Americans including the actor Danny Glover and the Princeton University scholar Cornel West that met the Venezuelan president for more than six hours late Saturday. Some in the group attended Chavez's television and radio broadcast Sunday.
"No matter what the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatest terrorist in the world, George W. Bush says, we're here to tell you: Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of the American people ... support your revolution," Belafonte told Chavez during the broadcast.
The 78-year-old Belafonte, famous for his calypso-inspired music, including the "Day-O" song, was a close collaborator of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and is now a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. He also has been outspoken in criticizing the U.S. embargo of Cuba.
Chavez said he believes deeply in the struggle for justice by blacks, both in the U.S. and Venezuela.
"Although we may not believe it, there continues to be great discrimination here against black people," Chavez said, urging his government to redouble its efforts to prevent discrimination.
Belafonte accused U.S. news media of falsely painting Chavez as a "dictator," when in fact, he said, there is democracy and citizens are "optimistic about their future."
Dolores Huerta, a pioneer of the United Farm Workers labor union also in the delegation, called the visit a "very deep experience."
Chavez accuses Bush of trying to overthrow him, pointing to intelligence documents released by the U.S. indicating that the CIA knew beforehand that dissident officers planned a short-lived 2002 coup. The U.S. denies involvement, but Chavez says Venezuela must be on guard.
Belafonte suggested setting up a youth exchange for Venezuelans and Americans. He finished by shouting in Spanish: "Viva la revolucion!"
This is truely bizarre. It seems President Bush has signed a law prohibiting annoying web messages and e-mails which are done anonymously. How am I going to call jsmooth a jerk on his blog now with out him knowing it's me?!
from news.com.com
Perspective: Create an e-annoyance, go to jailAnnoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.
It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.
In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name. Thank Congress for small favors, I guess.
This ridiculous prohibition, which would likely imperil much of Usenet, is buried in the so-called Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison.
"The use of the word 'annoy' is particularly problematic," says Marv Johnson, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "What's annoying to one person may not be annoying to someone else."
Buried deep in the new law is Sec. 113, an innocuously titled bit called "Preventing Cyberstalking." It rewrites existing telephone harassment law to prohibit anyone from using the Internet "without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy."
This is the type of thing the Internet was created for...
A live action version of Mike Tyson's Punchout
These guys did a great job at capturing the feel of the game.
This is a pretty funny video...
The Song Tapper will try to figure out what song you are tapping out on your keyboard. Right now they are the victum of a /. effect (or a digg effect), so you'll have to be a bit patient.
Try it! Let's say you have a song stuck in your head, and you don't know the name of it. Never fear! Load up our search screen, and try tapping the rhythm of the song on your space bar.
I know jsmooth just started his yourtube blog, but this video isn't on yourtube so I'm posting it here instead.
Being a linux geek, I had to post it....
And my favorite comment from digg.com about it:
i don't get it... LINUX knows about airplane physics and is albino so I should use it? It gives no reason to use Linux except that it is "open"
Aww schucks.. this could be bigger than Joe Rogan vs. Wesley Snipes!
Barker gets no kick out of NorrisGame show host Bob Barker tells TV Guide the price of taking karate lessons from martial arts maven Chuck Norris may have been a little too high.
The host of CBS' "The Price Is Right," tells the magazine he took quite a few blows from Norris during recent lessons -- possibly causing a blocked artery. Barker, 65, had surgery last month at George Washington University Hospital to relieve what was reported to be an 85-percent blockage of the left carotid artery.
"Maybe I should blame it on Chuck Norris," Barker jokes in his interview. "He probably kicked me in the neck. God knows he kicked me everywhere else."
from digg.com:
Bad news: ABC has rejected the 10th submission for a commercial during this year's Super Bowl. The Good news: Go Daddy believes that ABC does want to find middle ground for a commercial that is acceptable to ABC, the NFL and Go Daddy. Best news: there is a link to the commercial so you can see for yourself what all the hoopla is about.
What happens when an organization that is best known for inveighing against the unauthorized copying of movies gets caught doing exactly that?
read more | digg story
In the middle of a photo shoot with FHM magazine, Kris and Anna Benson find out that they were traded to the Baltimore Orioles. She mentions towards the end how a part of Kri's contract was to be used to help fight terrorism, help children, and women's issues?? This stuff cracks me up.
If you liked Guess-The-Google, you'll like Fastr. It's the same concept, only you have to guess the Flickr tags associated with the images shown to you.
In the immortal words of Peter Griffin, "this is freagin sweet!"
from yahoo.com
'Family Guy's' Stewie hosting Web talk showLAS VEGAS (Hollywood Reporter) - Heeeeere's Stewie!
The tyrannical tyke in the Fox animated series "Family Guy" will be the virtual host of a talk show being developed strictly for the Internet later this year.
Stewie's show will be based on familyguy.com (http://www.familyguy.com) and other News Corp.-owned Web properties catering to the young demographics that have embraced the Fox series.
"We think that the property is perfectly suited for that audience," Fox Interactive Media president Ross Levinsohn said Tuesday.
He added that the idea for the show has been embraced on Madison Avenue by potential advertisers. He does not expect the program to cannibalize viewing for the Fox series or other "Family" brand extensions like DVD. Stewie wouldn't be the first animated character to get his own talk show; that distinction belongs to "Space Ghost Coast to Coast," which aired on Cartoon Network.
There are a lot of people who have way too much time on their hands. But as a huge fan of Halo, I am required to post this video I found in the random section of Google Video. It's a long one, but if you're a Halo fan, it's a good one.
I hate to say this, but go Canada!
"The current actions of the RIAA are not in my artists' best interests," said Nettwerk chief executive Terry McBride in a prepared statement.The company is helping a family being sued by the RIAA, and have even promised to pay their fine if they lose the case.
Found this blog by Craig Henry via digg.com:
Make Jessica Alba Hot in 11 Steps!
A step-by-step Photoshop walk-through for turning a regular press image of Jessica Alba into something....er, hotter.
Now if only there were 11 steps to make her less of a bitch snob.
"Beer is meat"
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