Steve “The Clown” Ballmer is a PC

Now that you’ve all seen the new “I’m a PC” ad from Microsoft, I’m sure that we can all agree that this commercial was much more efficient in driving its point across compared to the “Seinfeld and Gates” joke. Even though part of the ad was made using a Mac, it’s no secret that PCs are being used all around the globe by people of many cultures and professional backgrounds. And yes, as shown in the ad, Bill Gates is part of those users.

Unfortunately it seems that the marketing company who thought of the whole concept didn’t deem Steve Ballmer worthy enough to appear in the commercial, so today, we thought that you’d all appreciate seeing a video of Mr. Ballmer screaming at the top of his lungs that “He’s a PC”.



Fish With Fingers!

by Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

The British science journal Nature reported a study today that upends what we thought we knew about the evolution of fingers of toes. The previous theory was that air-breathing animals that had found their way to land were the first to develop primitive fingers, but this new study shows that rudimentary digits actually existed inside the fins of a transitional fish specie (the Panderichthys, pictured).

This discovery didn’t come from a new archeological find, but rather a reexamination of fossils. Recent genetics research suggested that a gene that affects the patterning of hands and feet is present in the modern-day lung fish. This information prompted scientists to have a closer look at the Panderichthys fossils using more advanced techniques. And what they found there were distal radials–stubby bones arranged like four fingers–at the end of the fins of the skeleton.

I’m not sure if I would find this as fascinating if I hadn’t been playing Spore so much lately, but I’d still call this a plus one for evolution!

Scientists to prove “out of body” experiences – with postcards

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Scientists at the University of Southampton in England have come up with a really genius way of proving once and for all whether “out of body” near death experiences actually occur or not.    Is that REALLY a light at the end of a tunnel?   Is that REALLY Nicolas Cage standing there waiting to take me to heaven?

The really foolproof plan involves building really high shelves above the patient’s bed (IKEA will be happy) and then putting postcards and pictures on those shelves.    These pictures can’t be seen from the ground so the only way to see them (yep, you guessed it!) would be if they were having their “out of body” experience!

The theory is that the patient, while dying, would leave their body, lift up into the air, see the pictures, think “oooh!  nice snaps!”, memorize everything, drift back down, re-enter their body, wake up and then tell the doctors all about each picture.    Hey presto!   “Out of body” experiences hereby proven!   Can’t describe the photos?   Then the whole “out of body” thing has been proven not to exist.   End of story.

But is it really that simple?   As the Guardian news blog says, what if you didn’t notice the pictures while you were having your out of body experience?   What if you were more focused on looking down at your dying body and what was going on below you?

Plus the Guardian makes a very good point – should the hospitals be even investigating this in the first place?  Shouldn’t they be spending money and focusing their energies on saving lives instead of researching what happens after those lives are over?

I can’t believe medical professionals are trying to dismiss something as complex as near death experiences by using postcards and high shelves!    Some things in life are just not meant to be proven or known for sure.   What happens after death is one of them.    What do you think?



Israeli city to build dog poop DNA database

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

OK, now I really have heard everything!

The Israeli city of Petah Tikva is seemingly fed up with all the doggie poop lying around on their streets.   So their solution is to set up a dog poop DNA database.   To build this, all the dog owners of the city are being asked to take their canine pals into the local vet to have their dog’s mouth swabbed.   Rover or Tiddles can then have their DNA information entered into the computer.

From that point on, whenever Rover or Tiddles does his or her poop business, the owner can pick it up and put it into one of the specially marked bins on Petah Tikva’s streets.  If they do that, they will be instantly eligible for doggie prizes such as pet foot coupons and dog toys!   Sounds like a game show doesn’t it?  “Congratulations!   You and Fido have won the Poop Show!   Let’s see what you have won tonight….oooh, a juicy bone!”

If on the other hand, your dog does their business and you decide to leave it on the street, then the Israeli Poop Mossad will come kicking in your door in the middle of the night and issue you with a hefty fine.   No coupons or toys for you!   Twinkles won’t be able to lower her bottom onto that piece of grass ever again!  Oh the disgrace!

This unique Israeli project serves to remind you of one thing.  Whenever you think your job sucks, remember that somewhere in Petah Tikva, someone is opening bags of dog poop and comparing them to DNA in a database to find out which dog it belongs to!

Suddenly your job doesn’t feel so bad does it?

How Amazon Could Help Students Not Break Their Backs OR Their Budgets

by Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Amazon KindleThis morning I received an email from Amazon informing me that there are now over 170,000 books, magazines, and newspapers available for the Kindle. Still, a quick search informed me that of the three books that I ordered from Amazon last week, not one was available in Kindle form. I’m a firm believer in the power of the long tail, and anything that can only provide me with bestsellers doesn’t really do it for me. If I want a book I could find in a bookstore, I’d go to a bookstore. I like bookstores.

Still, I realize that for most people the joy of an ebook reader has more to do with convenience and a streamlined lifestyle than selection. If the average-sized book was too big to fit in my purse, I’d be inclined to agree. But for those of us that have large collections of books, aren’t we generally happy having them filling our bookshelves at home? It’s not as if we have to carry them all around with us all the time.

textbooks… or do we? Remember those days when your bag was bursting at the seams with textbooks? Lugging around a backpack that weighed a million pounds as you crossed campus for another class? And even better, shelling out hundreds and hundreds of dollars for textbooks at the beginning of a college semester? In fact, textbook prices just keep getting higher and higher, a problem compounded by the fact that publishers are constantly releasing “updated” volumes that destroy the used book market.

Textbook piracy is becoming a huge issue, which isn’t an unsuprising consequence of the rising costs. It also shows that students apparently don’t mind having their textbooks in electronic form. So imagine this: all of your textbooks on an e-book reader. Presumably a way to save your back and your budget. Or I thought so before doing a quick Amazon search and realizing that the typical $9.99 Kindle book price definitely does not apply to the small selection of textbooks that they do have. If you could even manage to find the one you needed, you’d still be shelling out $100 for a Kindle version of that Calculus textbook.

Apparently Amazon wants to get into the textbook business, considering the huge promotion that they had in August, giving away three months free of Amazon Prime to customers who purchased over $100 worth of textbooks. Offering cheaper, e-book versions would probably boost their Kindle sales as well.

Not that the textbook publishers would ever go for this idea, since I’m sure they’re enjoying the money that pours in every August and January. But if piracy gets to be an even bigger problem for them, they’re going to have to do something.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Microsoft Releases First “I’m a PC” Ad

Microsoft has launched its “I’m a PC” ad campaign last night, and compared to what they have done with their “Seinfeld and Gates” commercials, this ad really drives a point home. It seems that PC users are not at all like what Apple would like people to believe, and some of them can even be pretty darn sexy too!

Split Reasons: The Ultimate Shop for Geek Gear

I’m sure everybody here knows about ThinkGeek, right? They’ve been around forever, and I don’t know many self-respecting geeks who haven’t lusted after one of their products at one time or another. The only stuff I’ve never really liked from them are their t-shirts… I personally find them a little drab for the Star-Trek-loving bunch. Sure, those “No, I won’t fix your computer” shirts were nice at first… but there’s no novelty about them anymore.

That’s where Split Reasons comes in, and if your a fan of geek-related apparel, boy are you in for a treat! In my opinion, they have the absolute coolest t-shirt store on the Web, with hundreds of innovative, high-quality designs available. Here are a few of my favorites:

So, what do you think? Head over there and have a look at what they have to offer. I think you’ll like what you see.

What’s your favorite t-shirt store on the Web? Have you ever ordered from Split Reasons? What was your experience like if you did? Let us know in the comments section.

More Fictional Geeks

by Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Apparently I’m not the only one with fictional geeks on the brain lately. In honor of the rumored Facebook movie, The Guardian posted some photographs of the greatest geeks to have graced the silver screen.

Though many of their picks aren’t exactly “fictional”–Steve Jobs and Bill Gates as portrayed in The Pirates of Silicon Valley (pictured), for example, and Jim Sturgess in 21 as the count-carding math geek from Bringing Down the House. I guess it just goes to show that real-life geeks make good movies. And Mark Zuckerberg will soon be joining their ranks! The Guardian suggests that Lee Pace (from Pushing Daisies) should play him, but I’m thinking Jason Biggs.

New Hitchhikers Guide book to be written

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

A sixth installment of the “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” is to be written – despite the fact that its author and creator, Douglas Adams, died in 2001.

Instead, the book entitled “And Another Thing…” will be written by Eoin Colfer, who is most well known for his Artemis Fowl series of childrens books.   I am a big fan of Artemis Fowl and I have all the books here at home.   I personally think Colfer is a really good author, but good enough to write a Hitchhikers Guide book?  Hmmm…I don’t know.   I don’t know if his writing skills extend THAT far.

The last book, “Mostly Harmless” was released 16 years ago and Adams’ widow has given her consent to Colfer writing the next book.

Colfer has said in a statement :

“My first reaction was semi-outrage that anyone should be allowed to tamper with this incredible series. But on reflection I realised that this is a wonderful opportunity to work with characters I have loved since childhood and give them something of my own voice while holding on to the spirit of Douglas Adams.”

He added: “I feel more pressure to perform now than I ever have with my own books, and that is why I am bloody determined that this will be the best thing I have ever written.”

This isn’t the first example of a sequel to a book written posthumously.  A new James Bond book “Devil May Care” came out earlier this year and another example is “Peter Pan in Scarlet”, an official sequel to JM Barrie’s Peter Pan.

So what do you think?   Will you read the new Hitchhiker’s book when it comes out?   Are they right to tamper with Douglas Adams’ legacy or should they have left it well alone?    Is Eoin Colfer the right man for the job?