STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

Houdini: Magician, Spiritualist, or Skeptic?

Few would have been capable of marvelling the minds of men in his day the way Houdini did. His death-defying escapes and stunts, which became increasingly dramatic throughout the course of his career, would certainly have claimed the lives, or at very least, the sanity, of others who would have taken such risks under the auspices of public entertainment. Whether it be jumping from bridges, straightjacket-bound, being submerged in water for minutes at a time, or being buried alive under six feet of earth, Houdini appeared to be comfortable existing on casual terms with death–it was all part of his mystique.

Living on a razor’s edge that brought him toward the brink of the afterlife more than once may have been what caused Harry Houdini to become so captivated with death, and the possibility that life in some form might exist after the passing of the physical body from this world. Famously, the death of Houdini’s mother prompted him to seek for answers about the afterlife, which included occasional forays into the realm of spiritualism and the occult. But did Houdini truly believe in ghosts, spirits, and the popular mediums of the day who professed contact with the spirit realm, or did his later exploits in exposing fraudulent spiritualists tell a different story?

For those who have studied the life of Harry Houdini, it is already well known that he worked to debunk spiritualist mediums and fraudulent psychics, having even authored a book about this, A Magician Among the Spirits. He had become a member of the Scientific American committee, which similar to the James Randi Foundation today, proclaimed that a cash prize would be awarded any individual who could demonstrate psychic abilities under scrutiny of scientific observers. Houdini also went to great lengths to debunk mediums, which included donning elaborate disguises occasionally and infiltrating seances, where the old standard “tricks of the trade” could be easily exposed by one with such knowledge in illusions as Houdini possessed.

But his attitude toward spiritualism and mediumship had been earned with experience, not scorned outright. Following the death of his mother, Cecilia, with whom he had been very close, Houdini initially sought to find evidence of life after death. One such early attempt had involved Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with whom Houdini had joined in attending more than 100 seances. Doyle was perhaps one of the most famous proponents of spiritualism in his day (which, ironically, stood in stark contrast with his most famous character, the strictly rational and skeptically-minded detective Sherlock Holmes). Doyle’s own wife would, on one occasion, supply Houdini with an alleged message from his deceased mother, achieved through automatic writing fuelled by a trance. However, this supposed message seemed to bear a number of characteristics that aroused Houdini’s suspicion, including a cross (his mother had been Jewish) and the fact that it was written in the English language, which Cecilia did not speak.

As Houdini began to accept that, whether knowingly or unknowingly, Doyle’s wife had been displaying what he perceived as fraudulent psychic abilities, it was at this time that he began what could be likened to his “crusade” against psychics and mediums who used simple trickery to fool gullible participants in seances. This, of course, would create a rift between he and his former friend, Arthur Conan Doyle, who had accepted Houdini’s on-stage abilities as actual mystical powers he possessed. Doyle further asserted that Houdini’s own psychic prowesses might be used to attack or nullify the powers of other mediums, which he had obviously been doing as he exposed his “enemies” as frauds. Sadly, the former friendship that Doyle and Houdini had maintained would never recover from their departure in ideologies, on the grounds of belief in a psychic potential within the world, vs. Houdini’s renouncement of it.

But had Houdini truly renounced the possibility that there might be more to this world than what the five senses can perceive? A more likely scenario was that Houdini, unlike the ideological skeptics of today, did not fully renounce those things he could not perceive, but instead chose to expose those things professed as evidence of them, but which obviously were not. In all walks of life, whether it be in religion, politics, or the particularly volatile realms of finance and commerce, there are charlatans and hucksters who would seek to profit in name or in dollars–often both–with no sense of scruples by which their intentions seem to navigate with respect to others. Houdini had not fully renounced spirits, the afterlife, or the unexplained… he had renounced those who he perceived as being misrepresentations of those potentials.

Of his death, much could be said, and the variety of stories (and embellishments) that have arisen over the years would have many believing that some secret plot, or even the workings of forces from beyond, had intervened in claiming the life of the famous magician. In truth, despite his fearlessness, Houdini had been suffering from appendicitis, which is believed to have escalated into peritonitis after he failed to seek treatment. Once his state had worsened to a critical stage, the ensuing illness would claim his life, although many have questioned whether his interaction with a student only days before his death, at which time he was struck in the solar plexus (part of a routine Houdini often performed which showcased his endurance and apparent invincibility), might have been involved with the ruptured appendix.

But Houdini, who died young even by the standards of his day, could not resist the temptation of one final experiment. Some time before he died, Houdini instructed his wife, Bess, to look for evidence of his communications from the afterlife. In order to make certain that the experiment had worked, the simple message that Houdini would relate was decided to be, “Rosabelle believe,” excerpted from a play she had performed years earlier. Once Houdini had passed, Bess would indeed look for evidence of his persistence in the great beyond, holding private seances every Halloween (also the anniversary of his death) for a decade. Despite her numerous attempts to find proof that Houdini had passed to an afterlife, from which he could somehow communicate, no such evidence was found. “Ten years is long enough to wait for any man,” she was quoted saying in 1943. Apparently, Houdini had not managed to appear at the famous ritual he had worked hard to discredit in his earthly years, despite a deep-seeded desire to prove existence of an actual world beyond life and death.

Houdini’s mystique was legendary, and the intensity of his gaze and formidable personality have indeed managed to haunt us long after his death, whether or not he managed to prove to his beloved that there was literally life after death. While in his days he had seemed to crusade against the gullible belief in an afterlife from which spirits would appear and knock on tables and engage in other such nonsense, perhaps there was indeed more to Houdini’s belief in a world beyond our own, after all.

[MIKA27]

DayZ Alpha Is Finally Here

If you want massively-multi-player survival horror, you can’t go passed Day Z. The Alpha of DayZ is finally here on Steam Early Access, and the trailer is pretty full-on.

Most games would artfully pull away from someone shooting themselves in the head, but not Day Z. Day Zwants you to see brains on a tree as zombies swarm in for a delicious human meal.

Honestly, I just want to go home and play this right-freaking now.

[MIKA27]

Pouring Hot Aluminium Into An Ant Hill Reveals Its Secret Hidden Beauty

Though probably insensitive to the fire ants who called this ant hill home, pouring molten aluminium into the ant hill reveals the intricate labyrinth of tunnels and passageways hidden underneath the ground. It’s incredible and beautiful and almost looks like a Christmas tree.

Anthill Art basically casted the ant colony to create the aluminium sculpture. Here’s what it looks like underneath the mound of dirt:

The molten aluminium was poured inside the ant hill’s opening until it hardened and then excavated from the ground. Anthill Art then had to blast the sculpture with water to remove the excess dirt surrounding the tunnels to get the beautiful sculpture above. Harsh for the ants, yes, but an endlessly fascinating look at an ant’s life for the rest of us.

MIKA: I want to do this... Looks amazing!

[NJP]

Love the Anthill art.

[MIKA27]

This Is The Best Visual Effects Breakdown Of 2013

IMAX original films are eye-popping by definition, but have you ever wondered how they get that way? The new film Stalingrad tells the story of the epic Russian battle in the city of the same name, and the effects work that went into it will blow your freaking mind.

This awesome VFX work was done by Russian studio Main Road, and it shows them insert everything from fake bombers, fake cityscapes, a fake warzone and even fake soldiers with incredible realism and accuracy.

Watch each breakdown a couple of times so your brain can catch up.

Here’s the official International trailer released in November:

[MIKA27]

Surreal 1940 Photo Of Nazi Fighter Test Seems From The Future

This photo of a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter being tested in a wind tunnel comes from the archives of theDeutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, the national aeronautics and space research centre of Germany. It doesn’t feel like a photo from 1940. This facility actually looks from the future.

Most people associate wind tunnels with the last couple of decades of the 20th century, but the fact is that they go back to the 1920s.

[MIKA27]

This 24-Karat Gold Xbox One Is On Sale In Harrods For $10,000

Gold is so this season — and quite festive, too — so if you’re short of gift ideas, how about a 24-karat gold-plated Xbox One? On sale at Harrods in London, UK, it’ll set you back a cool $US10,000.

Apart from the gold plating, there are no extra features, so you’re paying for the precious metal and exclusivity only. And boy, you really are paying. But hey, perhaps it’s there as a last resort if other stores sell out…

[MIKA27]

GOJI PLAY

Workouts can be tedious, specially if you´re on a cardio machine. Meet Goji Play, a gaming device that turns treadmills and exercise bikes into interactive gaming machines!

Created by the same guys behind Guitar Hero, Goji Play combines wireless software and hardware to turn any cardio machine, into a lively, renewed and motivating exercise experience.

Included are a Bluetooth activity tracker to record your movements(gives more power to your characters inside games), two wireless game controllers(with velcro straps that attach to most exercise equipment), an app, and several games.

The aim is to measure the user´s performance during training, translated into statistics, tracing the route to desired goals, but with the user mentally distracted of the physical fatigue. The games essentially motivate the user to reach further in their workout. The more exercise you do, the more you progress through the game.

[MIKA27]

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo sequel to be written

A writer has been hired to pen a fourth instalment to the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series by author Stieg Larsson, its Swedish publishers have said.

David Lagercrantz will write a new story about the characters of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomqvist, which is due for publication in August 2015.

Larsson died in 2004 aged 50 and had started work on a fourth novel.

The original trilogy sold more than 75m copies worldwide and has been turned into both Swedish and Hollywood movies.

Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara played the lead roles in the US film version of the story, which was directed by David Fincher.

Eva Gedin from publishing house Norstedts said: "We have now decided to let somebody take over and tell what happened next."

Lagercrantz, who co-authored a book about Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, said he has "already started writing it", adding: "It's terribly fun. It's a fantastic world to step into."

The new book will follow on from the tale of murder, corruption and family secrets told in the original trilogy and feature its central players.

Some plot lines from the existing novels will be picked up, while Lagercrantz is likely to add his own touches to the book.

Larsson's partner Eva Gabrielsson has said that the publisher did not have access to Larsson's partially-completed manuscript for a fourth novel, so would be starting afresh.

She told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that she thinks it's "distasteful to try to make more money" from the books.

Ms Gabrielsson has been engaged in a legal dispute with his family over his legacy.

John-Henri Holmberg, who recently translated one of Larsson's early short stories, recently told Radio 4's Front Row programme that the author had only 120 pages of his fourth book left to finish before his sudden death.

"There is supposedly a laptop somewhere, and on this supposedly is what was finished, or however much was written of the book.

"I have no reason to doubt that when he said he was two-thirds done with it, he probably was. And I haven't seen this material and don't know where the computer is."

Holmberg added that the author had written the ending to the book, and intended to "go back and start the story from the beginning", as was his practice.

Ms Gabrielsson said in 2011 that the beginnings of a fourth novel were in existence, but played down claims that Larsson had completed it.

She told BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour programme: "It probably doesn't hang together. Stieg was a spontaneous writer, he could write scenes and not knit them together until later on - he just liked the scene. You can't call it a novel."

[MIKA27]

Scientists 'print' new eye cells

Scientists say they have been able to successfully print new eye cells that could be used to treat sight loss.

The proof-of-principle work in the journal Biofabrication was carried out using animal cells.

The Cambridge University team says it paves the way for grow-your-own therapies for people with damage to the light-sensitive layer of tissue at back of the eye - the retina.

More tests are needed before human trials can begin.

At the moment the results are preliminary and show that an inkjet printer can be used to print two types of cells from the retina of adult rats―ganglion cells and glial cells.

These are the cells that transmit information from the eye to certain parts of the brain, and provide support and protection for neurons.

The printed cells remained healthy and retained their ability to survive and grow in culture.

Retinal repair

Co-authors of the study Prof Keith Martin and Dr Barbara Lorber, from the John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair at the University of Cambridge, said: "The loss of nerve cells in the retina is a feature of many blinding eye diseases. The retina is an exquisitely organised structure where the precise arrangement of cells in relation to one another is critical for effective visual function.

"Our study has shown, for the first time, that cells derived from the mature central nervous system, the eye, can be printed using a piezoelectric inkjet printer. Although our results are preliminary and much more work is still required, the aim is to develop this technology for use in retinal repair in the future."

They now plan to attempt to print other types of retinal cells, including the light-sensitive photoreceptors - rods and cones.

Scientists have already been able to reverse blindness in mice using stem cell transplants.

And there is promising work into electronic retina implants implants in patients.

Clara Eaglen, of the RNIB, said: "Clearly it's still at a very early stage and further research is needed to develop this technology for use in repairing the retina in humans.

"The key to this research, once the technology has moved on, will be how much useful vision is restored.

"Even a small bit of sight can make a real difference, for some people it could be the difference between leaving the house on their own or not.

"It could help boost people's confidence and in turn their independence."

Prof Jim Bainbridge of London's Moorfields Eye Hospital said: "The finding that eye cells can survive the printing process suggests the exciting possibility that this technique could be used in the future to create organised tissues for regeneration of the eye and restoration of sight.

"Blindness is commonly caused by degeneration of nerve cells in the eye. In recent years there has been substantial progress towards the development of new treatments involving cell transplantation."

[MIKA27]

Rubber Band machine Gun

No matter where you wage rubber band warfare — whether it's in your apartment with your buddies, or against co-workers in the office — you can take your game to a whole new level with the Rubber Band Machine Gun ($100).

This all-wooden, fully-automatic rubber band gun functions very much like a gatling gun, with sixteen barrels able to hold multiple bands each. An electric motor rotates the barrels around a central axis with each trigger pull, letting you fire as many as 672 bands without reloading. And while reloading would normally make playing a complete pain, an included loader makes it take only minutes.

[MIKA27]

Widmer Ginger Barrel Aged Brrrbon Beer

We are all for some variety when it comes barrel aged beers, and so are the folks at Widmer Brewing.

They've expanded on their already successful annual release of Barrel Aged Brrrbon Ale to include a Ginger Barrel Aged Brrrbon ($10) in 2013. This limited edition treat came about when fresh chopped ginger was added to a few select Kentucky bourbon barrels of Barrel Aged Brrrbon. The outcome is a very interesting and unique winter warmer, with notes of oak, vanilla, caramel, but most importantly, tons of ginger.

[MIKA27]

Dollar Shave Club

[MIKA27]

Neanderthals may have intentionally buried their dead

Are modern humans the only species that has ever dug graves? New research suggests the answer is no: Neanderthals also may have intentionally buried their dead. The new findings are further evidence that Neanderthals might have possessed complex forms of thought enough for special treatment of the dead, scientists said.

The first potential discovery of a Neanderthal tomb occurred in 1908 at La Chapelle-aux-Saints in southwestern France. The well-preserved state of these 50,000-year-old bones led researchers to suggest that Neanderthals buried their dead well before modern humans arrived in western Europe. However, skeptics argued that the burials may not have been intentional.

Neanderthals were known to bury their dead in the Middle East. However, these burials dated to a time when contact with modern humans (Homo sapiens) might have occurred, suggesting that humans' Neanderthal relatives might not have come up with this idea on their own.

Still, in the past decade, a number of discoveries suggest that Neanderthals were capable of complex mental behavior, such as wearing decorative feathers. These findings could potentially support the idea that Neanderthals had minds complex enough to contemplate revering the dead enough to create tombs for them.

Grave controversy

To help end this controversy, between 1999 and 2012, scientists excavated seven caves at La Chapelle-aux-Saints, where the first known potential Neanderthal burial was discovered.

"One of our major difficulties was convincing the scientific community that a site excavated 100 years ago might still be rich in information," said study lead author William Rendu, a paleoanthropologist at France's National Center for Scientific Research and New York University.

The researchers found more Neanderthal remains two children and one adult as well as some bison and reindeer bones. They did not find tool marks or other conclusive evidence of intentional digging of the earth at the site, but geological analysis of the 15-inch-deep pit where the remains were found suggested it was not a natural feature of the cave floor.

Moreover, when the scientists examined the Neanderthal remains found at the site in 1908, they discovered that unlike the bison and reindeer bones, the Neanderthal fossils had few cracks, no smoothing related to natural erosion from the environment and no signs of disturbance by animals. These traits suggest the Neanderthal was buried rapidly, and perhaps intentionally, to protect the bones.

"It is novel evidence that Neanderthals were able to develop, by themselves, some complex symbolic thought," Rendu told LiveScience. "The behavioral distance between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans seems to become even thinner."

It remains uncertain what the precise meaning of this burial might have been, or if burial was a common practice among Neanderthals. "We need to compare this data to other possible burials from the same period and region," Rendu said. "The problem is that they all come from old excavations, and they all need to be reanalyzed and discussed."

Rendu and his colleagues detailed their findings online Dec. 16 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[MIKA27]

Incredible New Insights into Noah's Ark from Clay Tablet Inscription

Most people would be familiar with the common depiction of Noah’s Ark – a traditional wooden ship floating on flood waters with animals peering out through the windows. But now new evidence has turned this depiction on its head and has revealed that the ship was in fact a circular disc shape.

For years, archaeologists have scoured the world for factual evidence for the Bible story of Noah's flood, but due to lack of scientific proof, many believe the story to be an Old Testament myth. However, linguistic expert Dr Irving Finkel firmly believes that Noah’s Ark and the ‘flood myth’ describe real events that took place, and he bases this belief not on faith, but on archaeological evidence coming from a 3,700-year-old clay tablet.

The tablet was found in the Middle East by Leonard Simmons, who served in the RAF during the 1940s. However, the ancient artefact wasn't subject to any research until Simmons's son Douglas took it to the British Museum in 2008.

As an expert in deciphering cuneiform script and assistant keeper of the ancient Mesopotamian script, languages and cultures department at the British Museum, Finkel was able to translate the text on the clay tablet, leading to a new interpretation of the Noah’s Ark ‘myth’. The tablet described a Mesopotamian story, which became the account in Genesis in the Old Testament, of Noah and the ark that saved every animal species from the flood waters.

The text describes God speaking to Atram-Hasis, a Sumerian king who is the Noah figure in earlier versions of the ark story. He says: 'Wall, wall! Reed wall, reed wall! Atram-Hasis, pay heed to my advice, that you may live forever! Destroy your house, build a boat; despise possessions and save life! Draw out the boat that you will build with a circular design; Let its length and breadth be the same.'

The ancient Babylonian text describes the ark as a round 65-metre diameter coracle with walls 6 metre high, spread over two levels.

The craft was divided into sections to divide the various animals into their own sections.

The 60 lines of text, which Dr Finkel describes as a “detailed construction manual for building an ark”, claims the craft was built using ropes and reeds before being smeared with bitumen to make it waterproof.

Experts have always assumed that the ark was an ocean-going boat with a pointed stem and stern for riding the waves, but according to Finkel, the ark didn’t have to go anywhere, it just had to float.

The story of Noah’s ark is described in dozens of ancient texts and is told in three major world religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

According to the story, God flooded the world as punishment for its corruption and told Noah to build an ark and fill it with a male and female of every breed of animal. Once the flood receded, the ark came to rest on a mountain. Many people believe that this mountain was Mount Ararat in Turkey, the region's highest point.

[MIKA27]

Everything That Happened in 2013 in One Image

Already feel like you’re forgetting the major events of 2013? Well, may we present the perfect CliffsNotes: One image packed to the edges with everything that has happened in the last 12 months, from the Edward Snowden leaks to the smashing power of Pacific Rim‘s Jaegers and kaiju.

Illustrated by Mario Zucca, the image has almost 90 different highlights from the past year. There’s a bit of Katniss Everdeen, the rise of original Netflix content, the cast of Game of Thrones outside of a bridal store (Red Wedding, get it?), some twerking Miley Cyrus and President Obama in front of a 404-ing computer. There also nods to the dominance of Breaking Bad – and the coming dominance of Netflix shows like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.

“The task was daunting: Illustrate a scene mishmashing all of the major news stories from 2013, almost 90 to be exact,” said Zucca, who created the illustration for Beutler Ink, in a blog post. “We decided the scene should be staged in a Times Square-like setting. I didn’t really know where to start.”

Ultimately Zucca went with a Times Square-style setting, giving him many venues to stick big images and tiny Easter eggs. See how many you can spot in the image above and when you think you’ve found them all, head over to Zucca’s site for a full breakdown of the images to see which ones you missed.

[MIKA27]

Amazing Golf Shot Of The Year Is More Genius Billiard Trick Than Golf

I don’t get golf. But I can appreciate the genius billiard-like quality of this shot — “Golf Shot of the year,” experts say — at the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championships at Nailcote Hall Hotel.

[MIKA27]

Helicopter Incredibly Rescues A Man Trapped On A Crane After Explosion

Here’s where you don’t want to find yourself in the freezing cold after a building explosion: stranded on top of a freaking crane with no way to go down because of said explosion. Luckily, you can go up. What? Yes, up. Like a scene from some impossible 80′s action movie, a guy trapped on top of a crane was rescued by helicopter after a fiery explosion on the ground. Amazing.

Twitter user @ChrisInKingston snapped the incredible shot of the crane operator being saved by a helicopter. It’s always surprising to me how nimble choppers can be. It’s like they can tip toe on air or something.

The crane operator was stuck for two hours because of an explosion in a student housing building under construction in Kingston, Canada. You can see him in this terrifying picture below.

According to construction workers who spoke with Morganne Campbell of CKWS TV, the crane could have toppled over at any minute. Nuts.

CKWS TV reported that flames were shooting out above the building, burning propane tanks were exploding left and right and people in nearby buildings were being evacuated. Just a scary, scary moment for everyone involved. Good thing the guy on the crane got out of there in time.

[MIKA27]

Stunning Image Of A Burning Hot Blackbird's Jet Engine

This is an image of the very last test of the Pratt & Whitney J58, the engine that powered the legendary SR-71 Blackbird and A-12 Oxcart. It used to get so hot at full afterburner that it looked like it was about to melt. Those shock diamonds are beautiful.

I love this description excerpted by The Aviationist:

To experience a J58 in full burner close up and personal is hard to describe. Picture a gigantic blow torch, 40 inches in diameter, putting out a blue-yellow-orange flame over 50 feet long. Imagine standing 30 feet from this, feeling the vibration and heat. You wear both foam plugs and earmuffs. Your ears still ring afterward, because the sound is conducted through your body. The back half of the engine transforms from dull grey to bright orange, seemingly transparent. The flame has little three-dimensional diamond shaped shock patterns about every two feet. I lost count at 13. It is both frightening and beautiful, an amazing demonstration of perfectly controlled power. And to think — this was done with 1950s technology…

[MIKA27]

See How Much New York Has Changed (Or Not) Since The 1990s

Everybody loves vintage street photography, especially when it’s from New York City. Every decade has its distinctive taste; I personally love the Seventies. But what about the Nineties? Oh dear, those years! Only 20 something years ago! But can you remember what was it like on the streets of New York City?

Gregoire Alessandrini — currently working as an Audiovisual Executive Producer for Louis Vuitton — was a film student in New York in the 1990s, and he took his Leica camera with him everywhere he went to document the sparkling city life. Now he is running a great blog, called “New York City in the 1990s,” based on his personal photo collection.

Images of lost landmarks, transformed locations, street parties, the meat market, 42nd Street, old diners, signs and grafitti, New Yorkers and sidewalk scenes, Halloween, Gaypride, Wigstock and so on — all of these moments are ultimately interesting to see through Alessandrini’s lens. Here is a selection of his photos for you to remember — and to be amazed — at how everything has changed or, in some cases, stayed surprisingly the same.

[MIKA27]

36 Years Of Console Prices, Adjusted For Inflation

If you thought the PS4 and Xbox One’s launch prices were expensive, well, they kinda were! But not as expensive as the NES. Or Neo Geo. Or Saturn, Or PlayStation, or Atari 2600.

Reddit user Auir2blaze has run historical console launch prices through an inflation adjustment calculator (which normally use dollar strength and the cost of basic goods over time) to reveal how expensive, relatively, every major console since the 1970s really was.

Despressingly, even after being adjusted for inflation, many of these consoles are still less expensive than they originally cost in Australia. Yay, Australia tax!

You’ll notice the PS4 and Xbox One aren’t too bad, especially compared to their immediate predecessors. You’ll also see why it was so hard finding a kid who ever owned a Neo Geo or 3DO. Holy crap.

MIKA: I've just about owned every console on this post except for the Nintendo WiiU, NeoGeo, PS3 and 3DO.

I still have the Atari 2600 console somewhere in a box, can't let go of that one, such great memories of playing Kung Fu

Shame about the SEGA Dreamcast, it was ahead of it's time, brilliant console but let down by software developers or lack thereof.

[MIKA27]

Woman Walks Off St. Kilda Pier Because She Was Checking Facebook

A “female tourist” has been rescued by police in Melbourne, Australia after walking off a pier. It wasn’t a suicide attempt. She was just too busy looking at Facebook on her phone.

Victoria Police say the woman – who couldn’t swim – walked off the St. Kilda pier at 11:30pm last night after becoming “engrossed in social media”.

She was rescued 20m out to sea. With the phone still in her hand.

MIKA: Where was she when I had my wedding pictures taken there! Would have been a great laugh.

[MIKA27]

Prepare for Primate War With First Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Trailer

This is not the Caesar you remember from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This one has now risen – and he’s the one you need to speak to if you want to avoid a primate war.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes place 10 years after the events in 2011′s Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the human survivors of the virus unleashed in the last movie have united and have been living in tentative peace with the genetically evolved apes lead by Caesar (Andy Serkis). But that calm doesn’t seem poised to last for long in the first trailer for Dawn, where he has become the leader of the ape uprising and now the humans are begging, “I need to speak to Caesar!” – even if he looks more primed to fight than talk.

There’s not much more than a few mood shots in this first tease for Dawn — which hits theaters July 11, 2014 and stars Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, and Jason Clarke — but it’s awfully tense. It also offers a nice payoff in the final seconds when Caesar seemingly orders his attack. Check it out in all its atmospheric glory above.

MIKA: I'm really looking forward to this one, looks epic.

[MIKA27]

LOGITECH POWERSHELL CONTROLLER

Available now for purchase just in time for Christmas is the new Logitech PowerShell Controller for the iPhone.

The controller essentially gives the user a more intense mobile gaming experience, without annoying fingers in the way. It features console-style analog controls and an integrated 1500 mAh battery for uninterrupted gaming! It requires no extra software to install and allows you to access all other phone features during gaming.

[MIKA27]

Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs dies aged 84

Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs dies aged 84

British criminal Ronnie Biggs, who took part in the 1963 Great Train Robbery, has died aged 84, his spokeswoman has confirmed.

Biggs was part of the gang which escaped with £2.6m from the Glasgow to London mail train on 8 August 1963.

He was given a 30-year sentence but escaped from Wandsworth prison in 1965.

In 2001, he returned to the UK seeking medical help but was sent to prison. He was released on compassionate grounds in 2009 after contracting pneumonia.