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Artificial Snow Falls for the First Time

November 13th, 2007 by iDunzo

November 13, 1946: Artificial snow is produced for the first time in the clouds over Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts.

While not exactly a blizzard — in fact, no snow ever hit the ground — it was the harbinger of a new industry and was an overnight sensation.

Using pellets of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide), Vincent Schaefer, a scientist working for General Electric, seeded the clouds from an altitude of 14,000 feet. He was carrying out the first field experiment resulting from lab work in which he had successfully created precipitation by placing dry ice in a chilled chamber.

Flying over Mt. Greylock (the highest point in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts), Schaefer dropped his pellets and produced a similar effect in the clouds, which resulted in snow that fell an estimated 3,000 feet before evaporating in the dry air.

Artificial snow, like so many other scientific innovations, was born out of wartime necessity. In this case, it began during World War II and experiments with the creation of artificial fog, meant to conceal ships at sea.

Schaefer, a research associate under Nobel Prize-winner Irving Langmuir, began examining the physics of cloud formation. This work led him to his postwar experiments with cloud seeding, and the ultimate development of artificial snow.

Despite protests that artificial snow shouldn’t be used because it messed with Mother Nature’s design, it only took a few years for ski resorts to begin looking for ways to create the fake stuff for use during bad snow years.

Nowadays, artificial snow is made using a variety of machines and seeding methods. In addition to the ski industry, artificial snow is also popular on movie sets and in places where snow doesn’t normally fall.

Source: Massmoments.org and Sciencedaily.com

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2 Or 3 Android Handsets Coming From HTC In 2008

November 12th, 2007 by iDunzo

According to Digitimes, which cites the Commercial Times (a Chinese paper), High Tech Computer has said it will design and engineer two or three handsets for Google’s Android mobile platform next year.

The information comes from statements at an analyst meeting made by HTC’s CEO, Peter Chou. His remarks have led people to believe that HTC will be the first to market with an Android phone.

In fact, the comments Chou made during last week’s Android announcement implied the same.

If this is the case, it isn’t too much of a stretch to believe that T-Mobile would be the carrier offering up such a device, as HTC and T-Mobile are pretty tight these days.

Not only did Chou spill the beans about Android phones, he also said HTC is working on a new 3G solution that is not based on Qualcomm’s chipsets.

Whether it is changing suppliers to STMicro, Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Ericsson, or developing a radio solution of its own is unknown.

HTC is also working on a next-generation touch-based user interface that it says will be better than its own TouchFlo UI, which appears on several of HTC’s smartphones.

Lastly, HTC is putting together a dual-mode handset, but not the kind you might think.

Rather than marry Wi-Fi and cellular radios, which is has done with more than a few handsets, it is pairing WiMax and TD-WCDMA, which is the home-grown Chinese flavor of WCDMA. This phone would strictly be for Chinese markets.

Posted in Google + Technology + Toys & Gadgets + Wireless | Comments Off on 2 Or 3 Android Handsets Coming From HTC In 2008

World’s Most Pointless Gadget: Plug Remover

November 12th, 2007 by iDunzo

Look at the picture and be astounded that this string-and-plastic widget will cost $9.95 USD a pair.

Billed as safe and convenient, it’s probably neither. That dangling string is just one more thing to get tangled in your power strip rats-nest.

Taken from the official sites product page:

Now you can safely and easily remove electrical plugs without damaging the cord. Pull-a-Plug is especially handy when removing plugs from a tightly packed power strip.

The question I have for anyone who might want to purchase this product? How hard is it to use your fingers for the job?

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Jeff Dunham-Achmed The Dead Terrorist

November 11th, 2007 by iDunzo

I really enjoy Jeff Dunham. He makes me happy with his cast of characters.

Right now I’m really liking Achmed, the dead terrorist:

Some of my favorite lines and quotes from this skit:

• Silence! I kill you!
• Mustard gas is nothing compared to a Walter fart… he’ll kill us.
• I mean Allah damn it!

Yay for Achmed the dead terrorist!

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Google and I remember Veterans Day 2007

November 11th, 2007 by iDunzo

Here in America it’s Veterans Day, the day we celebrate the tens of millions of people who gave their sweat and blood, and sometimes their lives to serve our country.

I’m a proud U.S. Marines Veteran and did my duty in active duty during Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. Today means a lot to me, my friends and family.

A little trivia, Desert Shield and Desert Storm Operations were the largest U.S. deployment of naval forces since World War II.

Today Google shows respect with a colorful home page logo:

You can read the complete History of Veterans Day on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs site.

On this Veterans Day 2007, we come together as a Nation to thank our veterans (the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard) for their service and to let them know that their service and sacrifices will never be taken for granted.

Posted in Geekipedia + Google + Memories + Technology | 1 Comment »

Jack the Ripper Strikes for the Last Time … Or Does He?

November 9th, 2007 by iDunzo

November 9, 1888: The mutilated body of Mary Jane Kelly is found on the bed of her squalid room in the Spitalfields-Whitechapel area of London’s East End. She is generally considered to be the fifth and final victim of the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.

In fact, Kelly — a tall, amiable young woman who dabbled in prostitution to make ends meet — may not have been the Ripper’s final victim at all.

Although five is the number accepted by most so-called “Ripperologists,” no exact body count has ever been established. The killer’s identity likewise remains unknown, defying even current research using the tools of modern forensic science.

Trying to discover Jack the Ripper’s identity remains one of criminology’s enduring puzzles. Several potential suspects exist, and have existed since the murders were committed. But the relatively primitive police work of the day — forensic science as we know it didn’t exist in Victorian England — and the loss of physical evidence over time means the mystery may never be solved.

That hasn’t prevented a cottage industry of Ripper sleuths, Ripper enthusiasts and Ripper nut balls from thriving. Books purporting to have solved the Whitechapel murders (there were 11 in all, not all of them associated with the Ripper) appear from time to time, alongside fictional accounts and more-scholarly works, but most are completely worthless except as titillation.

Whether the killer was a member of the royal family, as one popular theory has it, or a surgeon with a grudge, at least two things are certain: Jack was skilled with a knife and certainly a sexual psychopath. All the Ripper’s victims had their throats cut and all were sexually mutilated: the unfortunate Ms. Kelly worst of all. When discovered by her landlord’s rent collector, she was barely recognizable as a human being.

Nearly 120 years later, research continues. In fact, there’s more of it being done now than at any time since the case was officially closed in 1892. With modern forensic techniques, a few new details have emerged, including the fact that in carving up Mary Jane Kelly, the Ripper used an ax as well as a knife.

As to where that will lead us, who knows?

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