Everything F.O.W.L.

Watch T.V. On Your Pc

2007-06-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share one of my latest finds.....

The other day I was browsing around the net, as I typically do after getting off a 10 hour work shift. I managed to "stumbleupon" this jewel. The site: Joost Read on.....

Joost™ provides a new way of watching TV that combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with the interactive and community benefits of the Internet to bring broadcast-quality video to viewers anytime, anywhere. Based on a state-of-the-art, secure, peer-to-peer streaming technology, Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers video content to viewers for free. Joost features more than 150 channels with programming across all genres, including: cartoons and animation; entertainment and film; sports; comedy; lifestyle and documentaries; and sci-fi. Channels and programs available on Joost vary by geographic region, based on copyright ownership. The thought of having satellite t.v. was always intriguing but I never forked over the cash for it. Hell, I hardly pay for cable much less satellite t.v. I spend enough time on the computer, I might as well watch a television show here and there right? I mean damn...free t.v. without all the mess of subscriptions or antennas!

After watching the short, yet captivating flash video, I thought to myself: "Okay, how much is it? This has to cost some moola..." As I read a bit further I discovered the site offered free, streaming channels. Wow. That's great! So if its free, how do I get "hooked up"?!

Check the video out....

Kinda slick huh?? There's a couple ways to jump on and get started. You'll need a Joost Invite. For info on Joost inites...read on!

1. Visit http://mashable.com/2007/05/01/joost-invites/
-Follow the instructions on the page (its really simple....you post a comment requesting Joost with your contact info and shortly thereafter you receive an invite from a registered user).

2. Or you can point your browser to this location: https://joost.com/presents/gigaom-newteevee/
-Simply enter your contact info and submit. You'll receive your Joost invite at the email address you supplied. Easy!!!

I did both.. :-) I was a bit eager to get started. Both worked within minutes. Oh and kindly return the favor to another eager media hound! Its just the right thing to do.... You'll be watching shows in no time... Here's a little video explaining Joost in more depth from the VP of Joost:

So what kind of channels does Joost stream? Here's a pretty comprehensive list:

Adult Swim
Bad Boy Records Presents
Comedy Central
Jump Off TV
Lazy TV
MTV
Music Nation
PokerHeaven TV
Ren and Stimpy
Spike TV
VH1
World Poker Tour

That should be enough entertainment to keep you going for awhile right? Of coarse within each of the above subchannels are the applicable shows. Here's some popular ones:

1. BET

2. Logo

3. Showtime Boxing and The Fight Network

4. CSI

5. Music Videos

6. CBS Sports

7. Jumpoff.tv

8. Comedy Central

9. Ren and Stimpy

10. Laguna Beach

Joost is definitely worth checking out.... I mean come on.... Its INTERNET T.V.!!! Lovely right?! I'll forewarn you however, you'll need a fairly quick internet connection to stream without considerable lag. Joost is still in the Beta stages however so expect optimizations until full release. Not to worry... Joost recently received $45 Million in funding from 5 top investors to speed up product developement and content aquisition. That should get things moving along quite well!

Update!!! Various users are reporting problems with the "proxy error" message. This fix may sound ridiculously simple.....that's because it is!

Simply navigate to your date/time settings. Ensure the current date/time is being utilized. Some users set back their clocks to enable the usage of various programs (for hacks and registration work-arounds).

That's it? Yup. That should get you back "Joosting" in "no time"....*pun intended..:-)

McDonald's Food After 10 Weeks

2007-06-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

Care to know what your Big-Mac, Filet-O-Fish, or local burger and fries looks like after 10 weeks? Here's a video with some interesting and somewhat disgusting results...

"Mcdonalds Food After 10 Weeks"

The McDonalds Fries need to be submitted to Ripleys....

Man bursts into flames after being shot by a taser gun

2007-06-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Police are investigating the firey death of a man who burst into flames after dousing himself in petrol and then being shot with a taser gun.

Officers used the gun after the man had poured gasoline over himself.

Juan Flores Lopez, 47, died on Tuesday at a hospital in Texas.

More follows...

Police initially used pepper spray when they tried to take Lopez into custody. Then they used the Taser. Some stun guns emit an electric spark when they deliver the jolt of electricity.

The Texas Rangers were also investigating whether a lighter that was on the porch could have contributed to the fire.

"We don't know what ignited the fire," police said.

No one else was injured in the confrontation. It was unclear whether Lopez had been charged with anything.

Two of his sons who live nearby said their father had been threatening for months to burn himself and his house. His wife was seeking a divorce and he did not want to have to leave the house, the sons said.

Reference: Daily Mail

The Bad Fads Museum

2007-06-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

Here's something I found kind of amusing....

Visit the Bad Fads Website!

Crazy to think some of those were really "in style". :-)

Fascinating Site #2

2007-06-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

This is a fairly interesting website....

A Neighboroo is someone who knows a lot about a neighborhood or a local area. They are the people you consult to find a new place to live, to figure out what are the "bad parts of town" or to find the "happening places". It allows you to search via Google Map and satellite for various bits of demographic and assorted data. For instance, if your interested in buying a home in a particular area, Neighboroo empowers you with the tools that'll likely aid in your decision.

Populace-density, change, male/female, politics, religion
Housing Cost-home price change, 2-4 bed home prices, apartment rent, cost of living
Housing Market-Collateral Risk, foreclosures, property tax, rent vs. own, years in residence
Safety-Overall Crime, Personal Crime, Property Crime, Tornado, Hurricane, Earthquake
Schools-Elem School Performance, High School Performance, Without Diploma, College or More
Climate-January Low, July High, Rainfall, Snowfall, Cloudy/Sunny,
Health-Air Particulate, Water Quality, Physicians Per Capita

You can bring up detailed information about a location in three ways.

One, you can submit a particular location by entering it in the text box. You can type in an address, an intersection, a city, a state, a zip code, or even a landmark. Valid examples include:

"1 Market Street, San Francisco, CA"
"Market & 7th, San Francisco, CA"
"San Francisco, CA"
"94103"
"Grand Canyon"

Another way is to just double click anywhere on the map. Your marker will move to the new location, and the detailed information will pop up. Lastly, you can drag and drop the marker to a desired area.

Neighboroo, which is still in Beta stages, seems like a very promising website with a lot to offer. Now go check it out if you haven't already!

New Fascinating Technology #2

2007-06-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

Here's another great find.... Some more highly appealing content to indulge in. Shaping and revamping the boring computer desktop into a more fun and interactive environment.

"BumpTop" is a fresh user interface that reshapes the usual desktop metaphor to a glorious, 3D extreme. In this physics-driven medium, important files finally get the weight they deserve via an oddly satisfying resizing feature, and the drudgery of file organization becomes a freewheeling playground full of crumpled documents and clipping-covered "walls." Araid you'll adapt the same structure and disarray of the regular desktop? Fear not: BumpTop has a snappy solution for that messy problem, too.

New Fascinating Technology #1

2007-06-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share another amazing discovery.... Photosynth, as it's called, is quite impressive.,

Using photos scraped from around the Web, Photosynth creates breathtaking multidimensional spaces with zoom and navigation features that outstrip all expectation. Curious about that speck in corner? Dive into a freefall and watch as the speck becomes a gargoyle. With an unpleasant grimace. And an ant-sized chip in its lower left molar. "Perhaps the most amazing demo I've seen this year," wrote Ethan Zuckerman, after TED2007. Indeed, Photosynth might utterly transform the way we manipulate and experience digital images.

Disgusting #2

2007-06-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

Wow... Another nasty one to add to the collection. When you were in your adolescent years you likely had zits or pimples. They may have made you feel uncomfortable, awkward around the opposite sex, and frustrated. I swear, Oxyclean and other pimple medications never worked. In fact, I thought they made matters worse.

Fortunately enough for me, I never received one in quite an odd location as this guy and certainly not anywhere to the extent. WARNING! This video is.....to put it lightly, DISGUSTING!

Disgusting #1

2007-06-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing this awhile ago.... This guy happened to ingest some undercooked or infected fish. This poor fellow is being treated for one of these infections known as Anisikas... WARNING! Not for the weak...

Laziness

2007-06-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

As America continues expanding in various business sectors, new products are introduced to society. Most inventors' aim is to alleviate or fix a problem or make an everyday task easier to accomplish.

Don't get me wrong, some of these inventions are quite useful and a lot to save time and money. This picture however, I think is quite the opposite. Wow.... What's the World coming to???

Amazing Machines!

2007-06-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

Another neat display of "object A hits object B, then rolls into object C and so on". These are always fun to watch. This one happens to be an ad for Honda. Funny how I don't remember seeing this on the television... Hmm.. Nonetheless, onward to the show!

http://www.kicken.com/funnyfiles2/www.kicken.com-honda.reclame.swf

Destroy The Web!

2007-06-01T23:57:00.000-07:00

I ran across an amusing little site today. You simply type in the web address of a site you may not be particularily fond of (or would otherwise, like to decorate) and go to work with a series of destuctive methods. Here are some you can unleash on your target:

Nature:
Meteors
Flood
Flower Power
Technology:
Nuke
Chainsaw
Screenshaver
Gun
Bloody Gun
PaintBall
Graffiti
Mars attacks
Life Forms :
Dinosaurs
Wasps
Flies
Snail
Worms
Mold
Home, Office:
Scribbling baby
Fried Eggs
Spilled Coffee
Slow Burn
Tomatoes
Cream Pie
Miscellaneous:
God Almighty
Demonstration
Text Sucking Machine
Dirty:
Cow Dung
Dog Poop
Pee
Acid Pee
Vomit

Of coarse there are similar programs that emulate what this site is doing but I haven't seen anything quite like this one....

You can check it out here:
http://www.netdisaster.com/

Injury from spitting contest?

2007-06-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

In an article found in Yahoo news..

A 43-year-old German man was taken to hospital in critical condition after he toppled from a second story balcony during a spitting contest with his 12-year-old son.

Apparently the man lost his balance after thrusting too far forward in his attempt to outspit his son.

He tumbled over the ledge and landed on a balcony of the ground floor apartment. He was taken to the hospital in a rescue helicopter.

What a shame.... I think the 12 year old AND the ground won this contest. Maybe its not he who spits farthest wins but more appropriately he who spits last.... :-)