In direct response to Morten's blog Are Violent Video Games Adequately Preparing Children For The Apocalypse?

Here is the conclusion...

If you read yourself through all the blogs world wide these days you find that nearly everyone has to say something about Evolution or Charles Darwin. Even those who are more after Creationism.

Do you think the NHL finals or this years Super Bowl where breathtaking ?

Forget about the ICC Cricket World Cup, the Dakar Rally, the Volvo Ocean Race, the Wimbledon Tennis Championships or the Olympic Games.

The new and most exciting sport of the year 2009 is Submarine Racing !

 Don't take the following news flash too serious...

It is nearly weekend (just a few moments from now) and it is definitely time for the weekend fun ;-)

It's about weekend soon, so let's prepare our self for the night in the cinemas with a couple of movies of all genres.

According to my forum post I have updated the blog module at Swyx Forum which comes with a new Windows Live Writer interface (MetaWebLog API). This posting just tests this interface as it is written using Windows Live Writer.

Halloween is not far and it's time to prepare your little ones. My advice is to start with good stories to read as bed times stories. Maybe Steven King is not the best choice...

As a follow-up to my last Fridays post the following is an episode of Bremner, Bird and Fortune, a satirical British television program. John Bird (in the guise of investment banker, George Parr) and John Fortune (together known as the Long Johns) explain a fictitious crash of the money market.

The interesting thing on this is: it was already recorded last year !

It is Friday afternoon and the financial markets are going crazy. The following is both: Friday afternoon fun and an easy to understand explanation of what's going on.

As there is a national holiday in Germany tomorrow (German Unity Day) my "Friday fun post" is one day early.

Regardless if you like your browser to get a unique ID from Google during setup or not: Chrome's

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Richard Feynman was one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists and original thinkers of the 20th century. He rebuilt the theory of quantum electrodynamicsm, and it was for this work that he won the Nobel Prize in 1965.

I mentioned it more than once here that I am a great fan of Jim Henson's The Muppet Show. I think we all grew up with this fantastic and phenomenal show and Kermit & Co burned them self into our hearts. It is outstanding what one (or many) can do out of some puppets and great talent and inspiration.

I told you already that I love the Muppet Show. Today I have some more brilliant snippets on YouTube for you: Statler & Waldorf

I know, we Germans are known as having the worst bureaucracy in the world. And I tell you what: it's true !

Microsoft has announced that from November, 1st 2008 it will no longer be possible to license Windows 3.11 for Workgroups.

I know, it's not Friday yet. But this one can't wait !

Since the dawn of time, man has looked to the heavens and wondered: where did the stars come from? He has looked at the great diversity of plants and animals around him and wondered: where did life come from? He has looked at himself and wondered: where did I come from?

Later, he began to ask more complicated questions. He looked in his wallet and asked: where did my paycheck go? Am I on the right bus? Who do you like in the series?

To the former questions, at least, science has provided answers.

If coffee isn't working any longer for you ...

It is Friday (and even the 13th) and therefore time for some fun !

If you ever wondered what the touch screen is made for on your mobile phone this is the answer.

This blog is not about Wallace & Gromit, it is instead about a nice day in the city of London I'd spent yesterday. I am on an "ECR for Developers" training at the premises of MTV in Surrey, London and used the chance to arrive one day early do visit the National History Museum. Beside the Science Museum it was still on the list of museums I wanted to visit.

It is Friday afternoon and weekend is really close. So, it's time for the Friday fun !!!

Swyx has officially launched their Technology Partner Programme  (short: TPP) this week. From now on you will find a constantly growing list of applications, SIP Devices and SIP Providers being listed on the TPP web page

• http://tpp.swyx.com

For the long weekend (I hope you have one) something that brings you into "none-working-mode":

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If you do love Star Trek and Monty Python this is what you want to see !

That's the headline of a story in the online version of The New York Times . Bottom line is that

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I just wanted to share the current view from my office window with you.

Have you ever wondered how to do workouts in the office ? Well, there is an American company selling the Hawaii-Chair.

This year's 1st of April was again, like every year, filled with lots of nice fools in newspapers, websites, tv shows, a.s.o.

Martin blogged about a fool "Adaptive Personal Response Inference Layer" in the German computer magazine c't.

After years of "beta" versions (0.9x) the first v1.0 has finally been released !

Last weekend I'd configured a new test machine at home and figured an interesting bug-chain. I was also able to reproduce it yesterday in the Swyx QA lab. Under special circumstances it is possible to use the GSE "Send Email" block to sent an Email to more or less the entire world. I guess that's the wet dream of every spammer (and I sincerely hope they don't read this article).

You don't believe it ? Read this article...

Apple is currently "featuring" their Safari for Windows web browser by providing it via iTunes update mechanism. Martin has already written about it in his blog Trust!?.
Is it really about trust or is it about the "sheep behaviour" or "short attention span syndrom" ?

Martins blog GRB 080319B reminds me of a conversation between Timon and Pumba in Disney's The Lion King.

Last night Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, died in Sri Lanka, aged 90 years.

Swiss biologist David Brawand published his results on a special gene research. This explains quite impressively how humans like all other mammals switched from eggs to giving birth. The main conclusion is: it's the milk that replaced the eggs.

plublishing blog articles via Windows Live Writer works successfull. Stay tuned !

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As I am a child of the 70's I grew up with the Jim Henson's 'The Muppet Show'.

Every sunday afternnon my brother, my father and I had a fixed appointment with the TV. We all loved it. My absolute favoriute was and still is Fozzy Bear and his never ending struggle to become a funny comedian, well at least a comedian.

There are so many famous quotes of him, just like when he was driving along with Kermit in his Studebaker through the Rocky Mountains and watching the terrific nature: "Ahh, the natural habitat of a bear - a Studebaker".

One of his best performances on the stage is the following (I still remember couldn't stop laughing when seeing it the first time):

 



 

So, this is my delayed friday fun blog for you guys

...

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(The following is in german lanugage available only)

Heute Abend, 12.02.2008, läuft um 20:15 Uhr im BR-TV (3. PRogramm) die Münchner Runde mit dem Thema

Doch mehr Soldaten nach Afghanistan ?

Teilnehmer der Diskussion sind:

• Peter Scholl Latour
• Dr. Schmidt (Staatssekretär im Verteidigungsministerium)
• W. Nachtwei (MdB/Grüne)
• Dr. R. Erös (Kinderhilfe Afghanistan)

Wer sich für das Thema interessiert sollte sich diese sicherlich kontroverse Diskussionsrunde nicht entgehen lassen.

BTW: Peter Scholl Latour wird am am 9. April 2008 in der Berliner Buchhandlung Dussmann in der Friedrichstrasse das neue Buch Unter Taliban, Warlords und Drogenbaronen von Dr. R. Erös präsentieren.

Hey, it's friday afternoon ! You know what that means

Ever wondered how the big movie companies make their money and what happens if there is a "shortage" in revenue ?

Well, here is a nice little movie showing the real world of making animation movies:

• Picture This

The movie loads a little bit slowly but it's worth waiting for it !

Maybe it's a good idea to ask the manager of your favorite super market to play domino with you !

This is how that could look like: 

Just a hint: you should definately ask before start setting up the "domino stones" (unless you do not intend to visit this super market again).

Yesterday Martin posted a link to a panorama view of the

• A380 Cockpit

As this is already quite impressive there some other panorama views from the interior available

• A380 Interior Views

But I have to admit, that I like the cockpit view most ;-) Allthough there are lots of switches and screens it doesn't seem too complicated to handle once you know a little bit about how to fly jets. That's something you can teach yourself within MS Flight Simulator. Well, at least theoretical and/or simulated.

Sorry, the following is available in german language only.

29.01.2008

Pressemitteilung "Winterhilfe Afghanistan"

 

Im Westen und Norden Afghanistans herrscht seit Wochen einer der kältesten und schneereichsten Winter seit Jahrzehnten. Hundertausende Menschen - vor allem Kinder - sind vom Hunger- und  Kältetod bedroht.

Die Mintrachinger "Kinderhilfe Afghanistan" hat daher eine umfassende Hilfsaktion gestartet.

Afghanische Mitarbeiter der "Kinderhilfe Afghanistan" transportieren seit gestern mit geländegängigen LKW 15 Tonnen Hilfsgüter, insbesondere Nahrungsmittel, Winterbekleidung und festes Schuhwerk für Kinder, Decken und Heizmaterial (Spiritus-Tabletten und -öfen), in die entlegenen Gebiete im Westen und Norden des Landes. Die Aktion wird in den nächsten Wochen fortgeführt.

Dr. Reinhard Erös wird am Wochenende persönlich nach Afghanistan reisen, um die Großaktion vor Ort zu organisieren. Der ehemalige Bundeswehrarzt dankt den Soldaten der Bundeswehr in Mazar-E-Sharif,...

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A little bit late for a lazy friday afternoon in the office, but not too late for the next week

Have you ever played "Rock Paper Scissors" (Schnick-Schnack-Schnuck) ?

Here you will find some professional hints to make sure you will become the champion in your office !

 

VideoJug: How To Win At Rock Paper Scissors

...

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What are we going to do once all existing silicon on the world is already used in our computers ?

Well, one possible solution would be to go back to the good old vaccum tubes. This at least would give us the chance to build our computers by our own again instead of using all this highly integrated stuff. You don't believe it ?

Check out this !

Ok, you're right, one would need silicon for the glass bulb of the vaccum tube as well... But the video is really amazing, isn't it ?

As Morten has moved into the norwegian wilderness (no phone, no dsl, no tv) it is up to me to post his fun-blogs every once in a while...

Well, this is not a fun link but a very nice and informative one: the Sience Education Company.

Here you will find lots of videos with simple but astonishing sience experiments like how to make an emergency glass from a leaf.

From Ian's posting in the forum you might have noticed that Morten and I do not have many hairs populating our fabulous heads. Clearly speaking: we are getting bald !

But we are in good company. Many great men have been or still are bald as well. One of my favourite actors is bald as well, so lets listen to what he is saying about baldness (and he is also able to talk about it in the 24th century):

Patrick Stewart on "Baldness"

The Swyx Forum Team, that is me (Tom) and Morten wishes all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thanks for all your support here in the community and lets make sure it will grow even stronger and larger in 2008 !

Remember ? The other day I linked two videos here in my blog that could lead to the conclusion that education is not one of the strongest attributes of the US. The first video showed a blond girl in a TV show assuming that Europe is a country. The second video showed a guy playing around with statistics on how clever americans are (or not). Well, especially the last one could have been biased as it was just the voice of one strange guy.

So, is it true what he said ? Are americans dumb as hell ?

Americans are NOT stupid

It's amazing, I didn't assumed that "Europe is a country" could get worse... (poor Australians!)

100% ...

This is a strictly mathematical viewpoint... it goes like this: What makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wondered about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

Here'sa little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions: If A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 then H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98% and K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96% but A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100% and

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T 2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103% and, look how far ass kissing will take you: A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G 1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 127%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while hard work and knowledge will...

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