One Day More...

For those with a theatrical bent...

Les Mis as you might not have imagined...



I just wish they would have done the marching in place...

The Next Paul Potts?

America's Got Talent has started its new season, and it sure looks like they've found the next incredible voice. Neil Boyd is an insurance salesman with a love for his mom, and a voice that not only hits the notes, but delivers a passion that cuts through to your heart.

I have a real soft spot for Nessun Dorma from Turandot when it is sung well. The final three lines - "Vincero, Vincero, Vincero" - are a declaration that the Prince will be victorious and win Turandot's heart. And at the same time, when done well, the singer captures our hearts. The emotion that comes through can bring tears.

Enjoy!

A Blast From The Past

This ad from the 80s cracked me up. It features John Cleese doing an ad for Compaq and making a rather odd product comparison. This particular model was called a "portable" - which most folks later called a "luggable". At 22 lbs., this was not what you'd call a laptop!

Of note is the "massive" 4 MB of storage. I think my ballpoint pens have more memory.

Also classic - the "miles away" line. Cleese made a number of training and advertising films in the 80s, and this is a classic example.

Too Thin Lands You In The Sin Bin...

CHANGE THIS COPYRIGHT INFO

A new law being proposed in France is being aimed at curbing the promotion of anorexia as a lifestyle choice.

Fines of up to €30,000 (£24,000) and a two-year prison sentence will be imposed on offenders who “provoke a person to seek excessive thinness by encouraging prolonged restriction of nourishment” to the point of risking death or damage to health. The prison term is raised to three years with a €45,000 fine if the person dies.

I had been trying to think of a way to say something humorous here, but there really isn't anything funny about this topic. The "waif" thing has gotten completely out of hand, and can be easily described as terrifying. What absolutely confounds me is that since the first high-profile case of anorexia - Karen Carpenter - we have not been able to stem the tide of young women being drawn to this highly self-destructive condition. No, it seems that since Carpenter's death 25 years ago, the rush of young women trying to starve themselves to achieve the ultimate ghostly look has only accelerated. Today, it is estimated that 1 in 200 women suffer from anorexia. 95% of those who suffer from the disorder is between the ages of 13 and 25 years of age. 80% of girls 13 years of age have tried to lose weight.

If you're the parent of a young girl as I am, these numbers should scare the Dickens out of you. In fact, the mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the cause of death of all causes of death of 15-24-year-old. The really sad thing is that the profile of the typical anorexic is someone you'd never think would have a problem. A middle-class or upper-class teenager around 15 years old, intelligent, perfectionistic, and a very high achiever, she's usually thin but obsessed with her weight anyway. Look for compulsive exercising and a preoccupation with calorie counting and diets, even though she turns down food.  To hide her condition, she might lie, hiding uneaten food or Saying she's already eaten. And of course, there will be a denial that anything is wrong.

Think you might know someone who needs help? Here are some signs to watch out for:

Marked weight loss Amenorrhea , or the loss of menstrual periods Fear of getting fat, even when underweight Denial of hunger, accompanied by an obsession with counting calories or studying cookbooks Excessive exercise Frequent weighing Distorted body image

Hyperactivity Constipation Dry, sallow (yellowish) skin Cold hands and feet Fatigue or chronic insomnia Loss of sexual desire Thinning hair The growth of fine body hair, especially on the arms and legs Fainting spells

There's lots of information out there. If you want to educate yourself more on this serious health threat, check out the links below -

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)

Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. (ANRED)

As for the law proposed, I don't see that it will help much. Punishing websites for publishing images won't stop girls from obsessing on their weight. Face it, it's not just TV, film or magazines. How many girls have moms who are getting implants, Botox, tummy tucks and other cosmetic procedures just to combat natural aging, to try to fool those around them about their age? What kind of lesson should girls learn from this? Their own parents can't accept the natural beauty of a woman aging, and instead they see a role model striving to achieve a "perfect" goal. The problem with that perfection is that it does not reflect reality.

When we atop idealizing the "Barbie" body, stop falling for fad diets that don't work, stop buying all the gadgets,gizmos, and quick fix diet pills to "lose those nagging 10 pounds", we might have a shot at convincing young women that they don't need to starve to death.

Yikes! Forget Chastity Belts...

From Rapex: the internal anti-rape device | Features | The First Post :

The words of a rape victim - "If only I had teeth down there" - have inspired the design of a new anti-rape device.

Rapex - dubbed the 'rape trap' - is a product worn internally by women. The hollow inside is lined with rows of razor-sharp hooks, which are designed to latch on to a rapist's penis during penetration. They can only be removed by a doctor.

The product will be on the shelves of South African chemists and supermarkets later this month. South African mother-of-two Sonette Ehlers developed the original prototype in 2005 but has struggled to get it patented and approved for sale, not least because of staunch opposition from feminist groups.

I'm not sure if I'm scared, appalled, amused or intrigued by this thing. Mostly amused, I think.  The thought of the consequence to a guy who sticks his junk where it shouldn't be is oddly apropos. How exactly does he explain that? "Uhh, doc, can you get this plastic cage off my johnson?"

One of the fears some have about it's use is that the guy who gets "trapped" will only get more violent. No way. We're talking hard plastic barbs digging into his willy. Pain there will pretty much stop a guy dead in his tracks. Certainly long enough to let the potential victim run for safety.

But there is a sad element to this - the reason it was created. The device was created to help the 1.7 million South African women who are raped each year and live in fear. Some may say it is more vengeful than preventative, and there's some truth to that. Until they are so prevalently used that rapists fear injury, they won't work as a deterrent. So at best, it will stop the act from going too far. In some cases, this will minimize physical injury to the victim, but not the emotional scars.

So, while the device does get me to chuckle, it also reminds me that there are still places where women aren't safe, and that saddens me. There are organizations working to end this abuse. Check out SADF, and donate if you can. They work to improve conditions for people in South Africa. You can even choose a specific grantee, such as the Greater Nelspruit Rape Intervention Programme (GRIP).

I Want One Of These Little Guys...

From: Cool Gadgets - Toshiba's Talking Robot acts as a universal remote - ApriPoko | Geeky Gadgets

Toshiba Apripoko

This one of the cooler gadgets I've seen lately is this Apripoko from Toshiba. Currently, it's a prototype, but if it comes to fruition, this thing will need a place in my home.

Here's how it works - It has infrared sensors that detect when you push a button on one of your remotes (TV, DVD, etc), and it will ask you "What did you just do?"

You tell it ("Turn on the TV"). It memorizes what you said, and all you have to do next time is say "turn on the TV", and the Apripoko sends out the appropriate infrared commands to turn on the TV. It can learn all kinds of IR codes, so if you have remote-controlled drapes or a projection screen that is controlled by an IR remote, Apripoko can learn those commands as well.

Details are a little thin, but what I'd love to see is this device have the ability to learn multiple commands in succession. With this feature, you could use one verbal command to turn on the TV, change the input to video, and turn on the DVD with one command.

At the minimum, this is going to be a great Christmas gift if it is released.

A Very Cool Quadruped

It seems there's no shortage of robot videos online. YouTube is a virtual "robot central" with new robot videos popping up very day. Most of these robot videos are interesting, some entertaining. But every once in a while, these robot videos are simply amazing.

This video is of a four-footed robot that has amazing ability to balance itself. The operators ran it up and down hills, over ice and through snow, as well as over rubble. It can even hop and run.

So what? We've seen lots of robot videos. What's so special about this one? Well, first of all, it has a fairly strong cargo capacity (340 lbs.) and it's huge - looks to be about 4 ft. tall. And yet it has a nimbleness that's incredible. They run it onto ice and while it does slip, it recovers almost instantly. You can check out more info at Boston Dynamics.