Author: Serkadis

This is the ultimate holiday gift for your cat and you know it’s on her wish list! It’s the ingenious Fling-ama-String Cat Toy. This battery operated gadget hangs on a doorknob and, like magic, zips a little string around and around, driving kitty mad for hours at a time. The first time I saw it, I was literally stopped in my tracks. I’ve never seen anything else like it and my cats absolutely love it. Check out the video on the MoodyPet website.

BONUS GIVEAWAY! THREE WINNERS!

In the holiday spirit, the nice folks over at Moody Pet are offering not one but THREE Fling-ama-Strings for this giveaway! To enter, please leave a comment on this post. The winners will be selected in a random drawing on December 18. One entry per person, please. This giveaway is limited to addresses in the US and Canada only.

If you can’t wait, the Fling-ama-String is available directly from Moody Pet or from Amazon.

Google, from its founders right down to most of its software engineers, looks to be obsessed with speed. This has always been the case but recently, things are getting even worse, or better depending on how you look at it, and the company has gotten to the point where it’s introducing a couple of new features at the same time, with the same goal in mind, faster results and faster browsing. The first new feature is an improved Google Suggest, itself a time saving feature, with Universal search results incorporated in the box. The second one is the Quick Scroll Google Chrome extension, which enables users to quickly skip to the section of a page that interests them based on their initial query on Google.

“[S]peed isn’t just about the time it takes the results to load, or even the time it takes us to index new information — it’s about the time it takes to get you the information you’re looking for,” Ruth Dhanaraj and Matias Pelenur, Google Software Engineers, wrote. “That’s why this week we’re making two more improvements to satisfy your information needs more quickly: we’re adding universal search features to Google Suggest, and we’ve released a powerful new extension for Google Chrome called Google Quick Scroll. Both features are examples of ways we want to extend the power of Google se… (read more)

If you’re like me, and mail your holiday cards at the very last minute, you’re in luck! There are still some really wonderful handmade cards available from several Etsy sellers. Check out this collection of Moderncat-worthy holiday greetings!

Above, clockwise from top left:

• Special edition holiday cat card from Citrus Tree. Message inside reads “Merry Everything”
• Noel cat cards from Bridie McKelvey
• Holiday kitten cards from Beside Herself
• Merry Christmas Catryoshka from Kittyanddots

More! Above, clockwise from top left:

• Santa cat cards by Jamie Shelman
• Cat and holiday lights letterpress card from Twin Raven’s Press
• Slightly gory snowcat cards from Gemma Bear
• Peace kitty cards from CBC Designs
• Animal Christmas cards from Pocket Studio
• Merry cat notes from Zoetropa

The recent hot fix for the HTC HD2s camera does work to some extent, though not in all situations.

After

Before

These are taken on my HTC HD2 running the 1.48 WWE Test ROM.

In some shots, there is a clear reduction in redness, but in others it seems to make no difference!

Apologies for the lack of decent pictures, I’m not great with cameras, and the sun decided to hide whilst I did this!

Is this a good enough fix, or would you prefer something better?

I have–and absolutely love–one of the full-size Jonathan Adler cat statues, but this little guy is on my holiday wish list. It’s a miniature version of his medium cat statue, complete with ribbon and ready for hanging on your tree.

$24 US  |  Available from orange and pear

1. Chinese auto market surpassed U.S. auto market in size this year.
2. There is an estimation from UN that number of cars will increase from 600 million to 2.4 billion in coming years.
3. With a very efficient CE (Combustion Engine) mile cost you 12 cents and with EV 2.5 cents.

Question now is not whether it is worth to do it, but how to make it happen fast in US, otherwise country will lose the last competitive advantage to China – already lowest cost base producer of almost all manufactured good.

China Daily

“BAIC builds electric car manufacture base in Beijing

(chinadaily.com.cn)Updated: 2009-12-12 10:50

The Google Chrome Extensions Gallery was launched less than a week ago and it’s starting to look like things are going smoothly. It had 300 extensions when it debuted and now has more than 600 extensions. What’s more, the most popular extension, Google Mail Checker, is now closing in on 200,000 downloads and has more than 1,000 reviews, not too bad for just a few days. So, without further ado, here are the top ten most popular extensions so far.

10. AdBlock. Unsurprisingly, a couple of the most popular extensions are ad blockers, by far one of the most appreciated type of add-ons for Firefox. AdBlock, despite sharing the name with a great Firefox add-on, doesn’t seem to have any connection to it. It does what it’s supposed to do, blocks ads, and the developers say it handles Facebook ads, as well as Flash animations. It has a “blacklist” and a “whitelist” feature, both of which are still in beta and allow users to select the blocked items with a couple of keyboard shortcuts.

9. Cooliris. (screenshot below) This is the Google Chrome version of the popular desktop application with the same name. It offers an interesting alternative to viewing photos by using a gorgeous 3D interface, which the developers claim is the fastest way to browse through photos on Facebook, Picasa or even on your desktop but also through image search results on G… (read more)

How did strike slow production?

Editor, The Times:

In the article “Boeing to duplicate local work for 787” [page one, Dec. 8], Boeing again is implying that the 57-day strike last year by union employees was to blame for the 2½-year delay in production.

I’m curious to know how the strike, which happened a year ago, could have caused the 1½-year delay that preceded the strike. Was it a retroactive thing? Did the strike cause the foreign suppliers to put the wrong fasteners on the first production plane? Did the strike cause management to make the decision to roll out the first plane knowing it was only the shell of the plane in order to save face for their first deadline of July 8, 2007?

I think Boeing management needs to stop hiding behind the easy out of the union being the cause of all things that have gone wrong with the 787 production, and look at their role in this.

— Tamara Martinello, Everett

Who will follow Boeing south?

On Dec. 8 The Times proclaimed the news that Boeing’s 787 production line in Charleston would not depend on supplies from Washington.

Therefore, Boeing guaranteed that the 787 production would not be held hostage to the Washington unions and their propensity to strike.

To survive, Boeing has to remain competitive in the world.

Now, the Democratic Legislature and governor will increase Washington taxes to maintain their unsustainable spending, plus continue imposing onerous regulations as demanded by the all-powerful special-interest groups, unions, environmentalists, etc.

So, the state’s productive businesses, working citizens and retirees will follow Boeing to the south where there are jobs and governments that cater to the people and not to special-interest groups.

— Don Wilbur, University Place

Machinists should be the least of company’s problems

Let me get this straight, Boeing loses a refueling tanker contract in which it is the only bidder and an employee goes to jail. Boeing designs a new plane with serious structural flaws. Boeing subcontracts work for most of the new plane but virtually all of this work is delayed and substandard.

Yet, all Boeing can do is blame the Machinists union for its problems?

My father was a Boeing machinist for 38 years. During that time, the company experienced several long and expensive work stoppages due to labor problems. These disputes were eventually settled and Boeing went on to dominate the commercial airplane market.

The only thing Boeing is known for now is crummy designs, crummy planning and decision making, and crummy executives and their scandals.

It seems to me that the Machinists are the least of Boeing’s problems.

— Clayton R. Brownell, Kent

PetMD recently recommended HealthyStuff.org for checking up on pet toy safety. So, I decided to give them a try.

At Healthy Stuff, you can check ratings for lots of products, not just for pets. The site rates pet chew and tug toys, tennis balls and pet beds as low, medium or high.

You actually want a low rating, which means that there’s low or no levels of toxic materials present. For example, I found that the Play N Squeak “Twice the Mice” toy has a high rating, mainly due to lead in the tail feathers. Yikes. I don’t know about your kitty, but mine goes after feather mice tails like they’re the real thing. A Coleman dog bed also received a high rating for lead.

One thing I really like about Healthy Stuff is the ease of search. You can search by brand name, type, level of concern, or the product name. You may also use the “Test My Stuff” feature to nominate your favorite new pet toy or bed for testing.

Should you really be concerned about pet toys being toxic? Yes. Sadly, there aren’t any government standards for dangerous chemicals in pet products. That’s a bit amazing considering children also play with these toys. Healthy Stuff urges you to take action to get standards put in place.

(Image via Healthy Stuff)

Post from: Blisstree

Check Pet Toy Safety Online

BBC News presenter Susan Osman, 51, claims that she has been forced to move to Beijing to escape the corporation’s ingrained “culture of ageism”.
to take over a leading programme in China.

Osman has worked in broadcasting for 28 years, presenting bulletins on BBC World and reporting for ITN News. She fronted the Bristol-based Points West on BBC One for 14 years, but now has been hired to take over a leading programme in China.

She says that her age has become an insurmountable barrier in Britain, and has accepted a job hosting a prime-time breakfast show on China Radio International and is moving to Beijing.

Ms Osman said: “There seems to be a culture of ageism in broadcasting in this country, and it particularly affects women.” She attended a series of auditions for BBC jobs and been told she was “marvellous”. But she was consistently overlooked, without explanation.

She says that British women face ageism in broadcasting when they reached their 40s, but that their longevity is an asset in Asia. “In China they revere experience,” she said. “The older you are the better. I got the impression that my future boss actually wanted me to be older when I finally told him my age during the interview.”

She added: “I’ve had so many female colleagues who have dropped out in their early forties, which is a shame because an older woman can bring wisdom and empathy. There don’t seem to be many places for older women in broadcasting in this country.”

A BBC spokesman said: “Broadcasting, especially presenting, is an extremely competitive industry and the nature of it is such that many broadcasters are freelance artists on contracts of specific durations,” he said. “Ageism has nothing to do with it.”

The BBC was involved in an ageism row when Arlene Phillips, 66, was replaced as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing by Alesha Dixon, 31, a decision criticised by a government minister.

Florence, Italy | Unusual Monuments

A British interloper is memorialized in the Italian sanctuary of the Duomo, in Florence. The inscription under the huge fresco reads (translated), “John Hawkwood, British knight, most prudent leader of his age, and most expert in the art of war”.

In May of 1364, he led some 10,000 men and 3000 horses and surrounded the walls of Florence in a month-long siege during which they burned surrounding farmlands and homes. Finally, his men were paid a fortune to leave. In July of that year he set out again against Florence, but suffered his first major defeat. This was the beginning of a path that led to being the hero of Florence.

The condottiero John Hawkwood was a veteran of the Hundred Years War, and a ruthless mercenary leader who commanded private armies of thousands, attacking cities in Italy on behalf of the highest bidder. He was known for his cunning and (relative) restraint. In the company of men even more bloodthirsty than him, he seemed a better businessman than most, often extracting enormous ransoms from cities under siege rather than going through the bother of sacking them.

Of course, in order to wield that kind of threatening power, you need a really deadly reputation, which he also had in spades.

Hawkwood rose to power during the lawless years of plague and corruption in Italy in the middle of the 14th century, famously called “the calamitous century” by scholar Barbara Tuchman. Not a country, but a hodge-podge of kingdoms, independent republics, and wealthy walled city states, there was endless bickering and grabs for land and power between them. With the pope up north in Avignon, whatever ability the Holy Roman Empire had to control events in the center of the peninsula disappeared. Enter the mercenaries.

The Hundred Years War started between France and England as a fight over the crown in 1328 came to a pause in 1360 due to a truce. It seemed the war had finally ended (it actually dragged on well into the next century). Out of work, thousands of English soldiers headed home, but others chose to stay and go into business for themselves.

These highly trained military men, their horses, their equipment, and their assorted hangers-on began to form their own private armies, known as “free companies”, and went looking for work. Hawkwood first formed the Great Company, then later took over the White Company from another mercenary (basis for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s book The White Company), and moved down into Italy. Over the years he fought against the pope, and for the pope, against the powerful Visconti of Milan, and then for them, eventually marrying a Visconti daughter. Finally he started moving around cities in Tuscany, and was employed by Pisa against their nearby enemy: Florence.

For twenty years after his 1364 siege of Florence and subsequent defeat he followed the money from city to city, finally coming into the employ of Florence in 1390. He died there 1394 and was regarded as a Florentine hero. Even before he died, the city was hatching plans for a grand statue to honor him, in the tradition of the Ancient Roman equestrian statues, then very much in vogue. Amidst dithering and plan changes, a first fresco was painted in the (still domeless) Duomo, while the statue plans were sorted out. By 1436 it seems all plans had been scrapped, and the well known painter Paolo Uccello was brought in to give the fresco a proper overhaul.

Uccello was best known for his detailed gothic style, and an obsession with perspective, so it is strange to note that when looking at the fresco the statue appears to be in line with the viewers eyeline, while the base of the horse statue is seen from slightly below. Uccello was asked to repaint his first version of the fresco, possibly to reduce the military stance of the first draft into a more parade-like stance, or possibly to adjust the perspective to make less of the horse’s anatomy visible in the church.

The minimal coloring of the painting and the deathly pallor of the rider have led some to speculate that Hawkwood is here intended to be an allegory of Death, the fourth horseman mounted on his pale horse.

After his death, Richard II of England requested that his body be returned to England, but it is uncertain that it ever happened. He may still be interred in an unmarked spot under the floor of the Duomo, his original resting place.

If he was returned to England, he is most likely interred near the small carved memorial arch on the wall in the church in his hometown, St. Peters in Sible Hedingham, England.

Also in the Duomo is another, very similar painting of another condotierro, Niccolo da Tolentino, also by Uccello.

Gametrailers has released the debut trailer of the latest Transformers game developed by High Moon Studios. Transformers: War for Cybertron is a brand new game set in the home planet of the Autobots and Decepticons prior to

Nice weekend reading material – recent news reiforcing emerging trends on physical, cognitive and emotional fitness, but with new twists.

Fit teens could be smarter teens

“Researchers from Sweden and USC examined data on 1.2 million Swedish men born between 1950 and 1976 who also enlisted for the country’s mandatory military service. They looked at the participants’ global intelligence scores as well as logical, visuospatial, verbal and technical scores. The greater the cardiovascular fitness, the higher the cognitive scores at age 18. The association between muscle strength and global intelligence, in contrast, was weak.”

 
UPMC Health Plan Offers Brain Fitness Software to Improve Health

“UPMC Health Plan announced today that it has signed an agreement to offer award-winning brain fitness software from Posit Science®, at no cost, to all UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members. This brain training program is a new part of the UPMC Health Plan wellness services, which focus on both mind and body fitness.

The brain fitness software, known as the Insight(TM) Brain Fitness Program, is a suite of five game-like computer exercises that make brain training challenging and effective. The program engages the brain’s natural plasticity (the brain’s ability to rewire itself) to improve basic brain function.”

Brain-fitness industry grows as baby-boomers work to stay sharp.

“When we’re younger we’re learning quite intensively,” she said. “By middle age, we’re not learning intensively anymore and just using skills we’ve already mastered. That’s why it’s important to stretch your brain.”

Brain fitness games also have the potential to improve one’s emotional health, said Mark Baldwin, a psychology professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Baldwin has developed a number of computer games based on keeping a brain active physiologically, to improve it psychologically.

“It’s about practising or using games to train beneficial habits of thought, ” he said.

If you want to order a SnoozePal NOW so you can get it in time for the holidays, use coupon code G22 at checkout when ordering at www.catabove.com and get 20% off! That’s a savings of $7! Thanks, Cat Above!

UPDATE: BUMPED BACK TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE.  PICKS ARE DUE AT NOON TOMORROW.

That’s right loyal readers…the Bowl Pick ‘Em Contest is back for its third season.

It is simple to participate.  Simply reply to this thread with your picks.  You will need to pick both against the spread, as well as the over/under, so you will have two picks per game.  The spreads are LOCKED, so a movement in the line will not be taken into account.  The spreads are courtesy of bookmaker.com because…well…that’s the one I could find (and unless otherwise noted) They also represent where the lines were when they opened, which was a week ago (had to wait for Army/Navy to be played to determine Eagle Bowl and Texas Bowl line)

Our winner from last year is FSUncensored, who went 39-27 to win by three games over The Cool Alonzo and myself.  All time, MU 1839 (our first winner) holds the best two-year record at 18 games over .500 (74-56).  Of the “couples” category, The Beef and Tailgate Queen came out 3 game ahead of Bill C and Bill C’s wife last year, tying their annual battle at 1-1.   Overall, the contest generated a won-loss record of  1066-1244 for a not so good percentage of .461.  Over the two years, we currently sit at 1711-1879 for a winning percentage of .477.  Yes…I’ve kept track.

Picks are due by noon on Saturday, December 19th (since the first games are later that evening).  Picks are lined up after the jump.

As for prizes…1st prize will get you the Rock M Nation T-shirt of your choice, unless RPT (who somehow is the keeper of the purse strings around here) decides we want to pony up some additional swag.

Anyway, we had a good time with this last year with 35 participants (up from 20 the first year) and somehow I am thinking we are going to have a FEW more than that 🙂  Come one, come all (and that certainly includes non-Rock M regulars…anyone from SB Nation is welcome to participate)…make me work hard at this.  If you were here last season and have changed names, just let me know and I will do my best to give you your two or three-season score when all is said and done as well.  I will also be adding a couple set of special picks.  We will have the “coin-flip” picks, where each pick will be decided by heads or tails.  I will also compile the “Consensus” picks, which will be the most popular pick on each game, to see how RMN did as a community (in the majority at least).

New Mexico

Fresno State -10 1/2 vs. Wyoming

Over/Under - 55 1/2

St. Petersburg

Rutgers -2 vs. UCF

Over/Under - 44 1/2

New Orleans

Sothern Miss -3 1/2 vs. Mid Tenn St.

Over/Under - 59

Las Vegas

Oregon State - 1 1/2 vs. BYU

Over/Under - 60 1/2

Poinsetta

Cal -3 vs. Utah

Over/Under - 53 1/2

Hawaii

Nevada -14 vs. SMU

Over/Under - 73 1/2

Little Caesers

Ohio -2 vs. Marshall

Over/Under - 50

Meineke

Pitt -3 vs. UNC

Over/Under - 44 1/2

Emerald

USC -9 vs. BC

Over/Under - 45 1/2

Music City

Clemson -7 vs. Kentucky

Over/Under - 52 1/2

Independence

Georgia -7 vs. Texas A&M

Over/Under - 64

Eagle Bank (LSVC odds)

UCLA -4 vs. Temple

Over/Under - 46 1/2

Champs Sports

Miami (FL) -3 vs. Wisconsin

Over/Under - 56

Humanitarian

Bowling Green PK vs. Idaho

Over/Under - 68 1/2

Holiday

Arizona -1 vs. Nebraska

Over/Under - 41

Armed Forces

Houston -5 vs. Air Force

Over/Under - 61

Sun

Oklahoma -9 1/2 vs. Stanford

Over/Under - 56 1/2

Texas (LVSC odds)

Mizzou -6 vs. Navy

Over/Under - 54  

Insight

Minnesota -3 vs. Iowa State

Over/Under - 48

Chick-Fil-A

Va Tech -4 1/2 vs. Tenn

Over/Under - 50 1/2

Outback

Auburn -8 vs. Northwestern

Over/Under - 54 1/2

Gator

West Virginia -2 1/2 vs. Florida St.

Over/Under - 60 1/2

Capital One

Penn State -3 vs. LSU

Over/Under - 44

Rose

Oregon -3 1/2 vs. Ohio State

Over/Under - 51 1/2

Sugar

Florida -10 vs. Cincy

Over/Under - 55 1/2

International

South Fla. -6 1/2 vs. No. Illinois

Over/Under - 50

PapaJohns

South Carolina -4 1/2 vs. UCONN

Over/Under - 53

Cotton

Ole Miss -3 vs. Okie State

Over/Under -  50 1/2

Liberty

Arkansas -7 1/2 vs. East Carolina

Over/Under - 63 1/2

Alamo

Texas Tech -7 vs. Michigan St.

Over/Under - 60 1/2

Fiesta

TCU -7 vs. Boise St

Over/Under - 54

Orange

Ga Tech -4 vs. Iowa

Over/Under - 51

GMAC

Central Mich -4 vs. Troy

Over/Under - 64

BCS Champ

Alabama -5 1/2 vs. Texas

Over/Under - 45