Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Note to self...next trip Spain...lol
Spanish scientists have detected the presence of cocaine in the air of Madrid and Barcelona by using a new technique for the first time, a research institute said Wednesday.
The scientists looked for 17 components in five different types of illegal drugs -- cocaine, amphetamines, opiates, cannabinoids and lysergic acid.
The results revealed cocaine is the predominant drug in the air of the two cities, the CSIC institute said.
It was found in concentrations of 29 to 850 picogrammes per cubic metre of air. A picogramme is one trillionth of a gramme.
The study is the result of the first use of a new method for the detection of drugs in the air, adapted specifically for the researchers, who are to publish their results in the review "Analytical Chemistry".
"Heroin was also found in detectable levels in the samples taken in Madrid, but not in those from Barcelona," the CSIC said.
This it explained by the fact that the area of Madrid where the sample was taken is close to a district where drug dealers are suspected of operating.
The scientists also reported a higher concentration of the components during the weekend, "suggesting higher consumption this time."
But it said there was no reason for the public to be concerned.
"Even if we lived 1,000 years we would not consume the equivalent of a dose of cocaine through the air," said one of the scientists, Miren Lopez de Alda.
via Yahoo!news
A study of more than 2,000 female twins showed that those with greater emotional intelligence had larger numbers of orgasms.
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to monitor and manage feelings and emotions in oneself and others.
The findings suggest that low EI is a risk factor for female orgasmic disorder, one of the most common sexual problems suffered by women.
Up to 30 per cent of women find it difficult or impossible to reach a climax during sexual intercourse.
Professor Tim Spector, director of the Twin Research Department at King's College London and co-author of the study, said: "These findings show that emotional intelligence is an advantage in many aspects of your life including the bedroom. This study will help enormously in the development of behavioural and cognitive therapies to improve women's sexual lives."
A total of 2,035 female volunteers from the TwinsUK registry were recruited for the study, ranging in age from 18 to 83.
The registry consists of adult twins who have agreed to take part in studies to investigate the causes of common disorders. Using twins makes it possible to disentangle genetic and environmental risk factors.
All participants completed questionnaires giving details of their sexual behaviour and performance and also answered questions designed to test their emotional intelligence.
A significant association was found between EI and frequency of orgasm both during masturbation and sexual intercourse.
Women in the bottom 25 per cent of the emotional intelligence range had twice the normal risk of infrequent orgasm.
The results of the study appear today in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Lead author, psychologist Andrea Burri, also from King's College, said: "Emotional intelligence seems to have a direct impact on women's sexual functioning by influencing her ability to communicate her sexual expectations and desires to her partner."
She added that there was a possible connection with a woman's ability to fantasise during sexual intercourse.
"Emotional intelligence seems to have a direct impact on women's sexual functioning by influencing her ability to communicate her sexual expectations and desires to her partner," said Ms Burri.
via Telegraph.co.uk
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Niftyness
Swarovski Philips Heart Beat Flash Drive
From the website:
Heart Beat USB Memory Key
USB memory key disguised as a heart pendant on a silver silk cord.
Polished stainless steel heart combined with Silver Shade crystals set in Ceralun™.
The two halves are held together with a pin.
For 1 GB of data (about 250 songs or 1,000 photos) with password protection and high-speed USB 2.0 interface.
1-11/16" x 1-3/4" x 3/4".
....................
Prediction: These will sell out in a heartbeat.
Fair warning.
I don't know about anyone else but I so want one!!
Swarovski Contact Lenses
Swarovski has been synonymous with adding that
extra ‘sparkle’ to everyday life. Swarovski
crystals have the power to transform the ordinary into
something extraordinary through their sheer brilliance.
`Sparkle’ is one such attempt to enhance the expression
of one of our most expressive features: our eyes.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Jeremy Mayer
As frustrating as Jeremy Mayer's website is to navigate and the annoyances of automatic browser resize found there, none of it diminishes the cool, beautiful aesthetic of his work. Mayer makes people and animals purely out of old typewriters, and wonderfully, in his bio directly and openly states that he does not associate his work with steampunk in any way. Nice. Another thing I find particularly interesting about Mayer's work is that none of his sculptures are welded, soldered or glued: they're all put together via cold assembly. Which is incredible to consider in regard to foresight, design, planning and fabrication when you poke through his galleries. He exhibits regularly at the very exciting looking Device Gallery .
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Ron Mueck
Ron Mueck is an Australian hyper-realist sculptor working in the UK. His incredible sculptures of creepy, grotesque, mottled skin and uncannily gigantic proportional figures have adorned the Millennium Dome as well as Charles Saatchi’s living room for a number of years now. It would be fair to say, Mueck’s one of the leading contemporary artists of today.
His early career was as a model maker and puppeteer for children’s television and films, notably the film “Labyrinth” staring Bowie. Mueck moved on to establish his own company in London, making photo-realistic props and animatronics for the advertising industry. This eventually led him to conclude, “photography pretty much destroys the physical presence of the original object”, and so he turned to fine art, in particular, sculpture.
It’s the attention to detail, technical brilliance and the (odd) scale of his figures that takes your breath away. His work, while proportionally correct, is either over or under-sized. For example, an enormous 4.5m crouching Boy, a 3 ft tall naked man, a 20 ft long newborn, a replica of his own head (seen above) 6 times its actual size. Consequently his hyper-realistic sculptures, while extraordinarily lifelike, challenge us by their odd scale. The “psychological confrontation for the viewer is to recognize and assimilate two contradictory realities”. However, the real magical appeal of Mueck’s sculptures lie in the meticulous process, which begins with…
A Girl, Mixed Media. 2006
A Girl, (Installation) 2006
A Girl,(detail) 2006
Spooning Couple, Mixed Media. 2005.
Spooning Couple, 2005 (in progress)
Spooning Couple, 2005. Human hands comparison
Untitled (Head of a Baby), Mixed Media. 2003
Boy, 1999. Mixed media. 4.9 x 4.9 x 2.4 m
Boy, 1999. Top view
Boy, 1999. Close-up
Boy, 1999. Close-up foot
Untitled (Seated Woman), 1999. Mixed media. 25 1/4 X 17 X 16 1/2 inches
In Bed, 2005. Mixed media, 63 3/4 x 255 7/8 x 155 1/2 in. (161.9 x 649.9 x 395 cm). Private Collection
In Bed, 2005. Close-up
In Bed, 2005. Rollers in the hair - Close-up
Big Man, 2000. Mixed media, 80 x 47 1/2 x 80 1/2 in. (203.2 x 120.7 x 204.5 cm). Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Big Man, 2000. Different angle
Two Women, 2005. Mixed media, 33 1/2 x 18 7/8 x 15 in. (85.1 x 47.9 x 38.1 cm). Glenn Fuhrman Collection, New York
Two Women, 2005. Close-up
Mask III, Mixed Media, 2005.
Mask III, 2005 (Installation).
Angel, 1997. Silicone rubber and mixed media . 43 1/3 X 34 1/4 X 31 7/8 inches
Monday, March 23, 2009
Stella Mcartney
In this economy, some women may be looking for ways to feel more powerful when they get dressed in the morning. These boots by Stella McCartney are a sure bet.
Paris Youths in Row Over Condoms
Police in Paris made 11 arrests following clashes between groups polarised by Pope Benedict XVI's views over condom use in Africa. Youths in favour of the Pope fought pro-condom activists staging a protest outside Notre Dame Cathedral as worshippers left after Sunday mass. Last week the Pope said condoms were not the answer to Aids in Africa, and that sexual behaviour was the issue. French politicians from a wide range of parties criticised the comments. Comments 'deadly' The Pope's comments preceded a weekend of demonstrations by Aids activists in France.
Free condoms were distributed outside Notre Dame and Aids-awareness activists Act Up-Paris carried portraits of the pontiff labelling him an "assassin". The Pope's comments are "deadly", said Eric Marty of Act Up-Paris. "More than 20 million HIV-positive people live in Africa. Tell people in Africa that condoms make Aids worse, that's not possible, it's an insult for those who suffer from Aids." But the activists are missing the point, according to Roman Catholic protesters who say the Pope meant that condom use does not provide 100% protection from HIV/Aids. Two surveys at the weekend showed the German-born pontiff's popularity in France has fallen sharply. via BBC News | ||
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Secret Message
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A gold watch owned by Abraham Lincoln bears a message marking the start of the U.S. Civil War, but the president never knew of the "secret" inscription uncovered on Tuesday at the National Museum of American History.
The engraving, by watchmaker Jonathan Dillon, is dated April 13, 1861, and reads in part: "Fort Sumpter was attacked by the rebels" and "thank God we have a government."
The museum said it agreed to open the watch to find out if the message really was there after it was contacted by the watchmaker's great-great-grandson, Doug Stiles of Waukegan, Illinois.
The American Civil War began when Confederate troops opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861.
Forty-five years later, Dillon the watchmaker told The New York Times that he was repairing Lincoln's watch when he heard that the first shots of the Civil War had been fired.
Dillon said he unscrewed the dial of the watch and used a sharp instrument to mark the historic day on the president's watch. He told the newspaper that, as far as he knew, no one had ever seen the inscription.
"Lincoln never knew of the message he carried in his pocket," Brent Glass, director of the National Museum of American History said in a statement. "It's a personal side of history about an ordinary watchman being inspired to record something for posterity."
Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States in November 1860. In the leadup to the Civil War, South Carolina and six other states seceded from the Union before Lincoln's inauguration in March 1861.
(Reporting by JoAnne Allen; Editing by Patricia Zengerle)
via Reuters
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Vampire Skull
March 10, 2009—Among the many medieval plague victims recently unearthed near Venice, Italy, one had never-before-seen evidence of an unusual affliction: being undead.
The partial body and skull of one woman showed her jaw forced open by a brick (above)—an exorcism technique used on suspected vampires.
It's the first time that archaeological remains have been interpreted as belonging to a vampire, team leader Matteo Borrini, a forensic archaeologist at the University of Florence, told National Geographic News.
Borrini has been digging up mass graves on the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, where the "vampire" was found, since 2006.
(See mass grave photos of plague victims on another island near Venice.)
via NatGeo
Monday, March 9, 2009
208 OSEOsidades” by Saúl Hernández
Extraordinary sculptures by Saúl Hernández (from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico). The “208 OSEOsidades” is a collection of 21 bronze sculptures of 21 centimeters in height. He uses the most common representation of death which is the human skeleton in a 1:8 scale replica of a real skeleton.
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