Mickeys

San Francisco – Google’s online video site YouTube now gets a billion hits a day, the site’s founder Chad Hurley said in a video posted Friday.

“Three years ago today [YouTube co-founder] Steve [Chen] and I stood in front of our offices and jokingly crowned ourselves the ‘burger kings’ of media,” read the post, which was titled Y,000,000,000uTube.

“We’d just made headlines by joining with Google in our shared goal of organising the world’s information (in our case video) and making it easily and quickly accessible to anyone, anywhere. “Today I’m proud to say that we have been serving well over a billion views a day on YouTube. This is great moment in our short history and we owe it all to you.”

Hurley said a key factor behind the site’s success was its technology that allowed videos to load and play quickly, and to an open platform that allows anyone with a video camera and internet connection to share their experiences.

“Three years after the acquisition, our platform and our business continue to grow and evolve. We are still committed to the same principles that informed the site early on, but we know things have changed. As bandwidth has increased, so has our video quality. As we’ve started to see demand for longer, full-length content, we’ve brought more shows and movies to the site,” Hurley wrote.

taken from News24

Stare long enough to see the pink dot go green!

Two of the so-called Bermuda Triangle’s most mysterious disappearances in the late 1940s may have been solved.

Scores of ships and planes are said to have vanished without trace over the decades in a vast triangular area of ocean with imaginary points in Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico.

But journalist Tom Mangold’s new examination for the BBC provides plausible explanations for the disappearance of two British commercial planes in the area, with the loss of 51 passengers and crew.

One plane probably suffered from catastrophic technical failure as a result of poor design, while the other is likely to have run out of fuel.

Sixty years ago, commercial flights from London to Bermuda were new and perilous. It would require a refuelling stop on the Azores before the 2,000-mile flight to Bermuda, which at that time was the longest non-stop commercial overseas flight in the world.

The planes would have been operating at the limit of their range. Today planes arriving at the tiny Atlantic island have sufficient reserve fuel to divert to the US East Coast 700 miles away, in case of emergency.

And the planes of the post-war era were far less reliable than today’s airliners.

British South American Airways (BSAA), which operated the route, had a grim safety record. In three years it had had 11 serious accidents and lost five planes with 73 passengers and 22 crew members killed. (continue reading…)

A series of fundraising parties organised on social networking sites will begin today from London to Alaska and Bogota.

Tweeters hope for sun-filled gathering

More than 130 cities are holding Twestival Local events over the weekend in an attempt to raise $400,000 for charities around the world.

Twitter and other social sites are used to recruit volunteers and drive publicity, allowing strangers who have never met in person to collaborate together.

Twestival is the brainchild of Canadian Amanda Rose, whose first Twitter-organised meet-up in 2008 attracted 250 people. One year on, and organisers expect several thousand.

In Toronto, Canada, guests will pay to take a trip on a luxury yacht; US organisers in Little Rock, Arkansas, are holding a reading in the Clinton Presidential Library; and attendees in London will be entertained by the band The Hours.

“Most people don’t get an opportunity to organise an event, but by having an open call on Twitter for help – they are one tweet away from joining a team,” Ms Rose told Sky News Online.

“I’ve used Skype, IM, email – I think my phone bill is less than $10, so that is pretty amazing.”

The recession has made fundraising more of a challenge than ever and volunteers are giving more than money, according to Ms Rose.

“I don’t think the financial total raised reflects the true value of Twestival,” she said.

Laura McKay, who is helping to organise an event in Cornwall, said businesses offered venues, drinks and free photography while others give time and expertise.

“We wanted to provide an event that businesses could support and get behind, whilst providing a fun and lively event for the wider community,” she explained.

Ms Rose said she continued to be moved to tears by the application forms of volunteers, and recalls a group in Bogota, Colombia, in particular.

“They submitted their goals and plan to raise $2,500 to fix a home for children that had been abandoned because their parents are drug addicts,” she said.

“They were also going to use some of the sponsorship money to throw the children a party,” Ms Rose added. “This is what Twestival is all about – and they ‘got it’.”

story from SkyNews

1) Our body is capable of producing aspirin:

Eating fruits and vegetables may help the human body make its own aspirin.

Findings from the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry indicate that study participants who received benzoic acid, a natural substance in fruits and vegetables, could make their own salicylic acid, the key component that gives aspirin its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.

2) Taking a nap at work is good for your boss:

A 20-minute nap can improve your overall alertness, boost your mood, and increase productivity. William Anthony, co-author of The Art of Napping at Work (Larson Publications, 1999), says the post-nap boost can last for several hours. In addition, your heart may reap benefits from napping. In a six-year study of Greek adults, researchers found that that men who took naps at least three times a week had a 37 percent lower risk of heart-related death.

3) Ejaculation may cause men to sneeze:

Some men experience pain, headaches, or sneezing as a result of ejaculation. The increased activity in the nervous system during orgasm may be the culprit in triggering headaches. A possible explanation for the sneezing is that in the brain, the center for orgasms is close to the centers for yawning and sneezing.

4) Every person has a unique tongue print:

Just like fingerprints. The tongue is a unique organ in that it can be stuck out of mouth for inspection, and yet it is otherwise well protected in the mouth and is difficult to forge. The tongue also presents both geometric shape information and physiological texture information which are potentially useful in identity verification applications.

5) White skin has evolved over time:

It seems we were all black ones (consistent with evolutionary fact of first humans in Africa). White skin was a result of humans moving away from the equator. Also all skin, without coloring, would appear creamy white. Near-surface blood vessels add a blush of red. A yellow pigment also tints the canvas. Lastly, sepia-toned melanin, created in response to ultraviolet rays, appears black in large amounts. These four hues mix in different proportions to create the skin colors of all the peoples of Earth.

6) The foot is home to the body’s thickest area of skin:

The skin on the palms and the soles of the feet is 4 mm thick and the thickest skin in the body, the heel portions of the feet being the thickest portions. It’s also got the most sweat glands than in any other area.

7) The appendix isn’t as useless as you think:

Long denigrated as vestigial or useless, the appendix actually has a reason to be – as a “safe house” for the beneficial bacteria living in the human gut. The beneficial bacteria in the appendix that aid digestion can ride out a bout of diarrhea that completely evacuates the intestines and emerge afterwards to repopulate the gut.

The body is taller in the morning than in the evening:

The body is taller in the morning than in the evening. You might want to schedule that basketball game for first thing in the morning. That’s because our bodies are on average about half an inch taller in the morning, thanks to excess fluid between our discs, which is replenished while we sleep. As the day goes on, and our bodies undergo the strain of standing, the discs get compressed and the fluid seeps out, so the body loses that small bit of extra height.

9) Humans glow in the dark:

It was revealed by ultra-sensitive cameras that our bodies emit tiny amounts of light that are too weak for the human eye to detect. Amazing pictures of “glittering” human bodies were released by Japanese scientists who have captured the first ever images of human “bioluminescence”. Although it has been known for many years that all living creatures produce a small amount of light as a result of chemical reactions within their cells, this is the first time light produced by humans has been captured on camera. Strangely, the areas that produced the brightest light did not correspond with the brightest areas on thermal images of the volunteers’ bodies.

10) The stomach produces a new lining every 3 days to avoid digesting itself with its own acids:

There’s one dangerous liquid no airport security can confiscate from you: It’s in your gut. Your stomach cells secrete hydrochloric acid, a corrosive compound used to treat metals in the industrial world. It can pickle steel, but mucous lining the stomach wall keeps this poisonous liquid safely in the digestive system, breaking down your lunch but not your own stomach.

11) Body position affects your memory:

Can’t remember your anniversary, hubby? Try getting down on one knee. Memories are highly embodied in our senses. A scent or sound may evoke a distant episode from one’s childhood. The connections can be obvious (a bicycle bell makes you remember your old paper route) or inscrutable. A recent study helps decipher some of this embodiment. An article in the January 2007 issue of Cognition reports that episodes from your past are remembered faster and better while in a body position similar to the pose struck during the event.

12) Big brains cause cramped mouths:

Evolution isn’t perfect. If it were, we might have wings instead of wisdom teeth. Sometimes useless features stick around in a species simply because they’re not doing much harm. But wisdom teeth weren’t always a cash crop for oral surgeons. Long ago, they served as a useful third set of meat-mashing molars. But as our brains grew our jawbone structure changed, leaving us with expensively overcrowded mouths.

13) Blondes have more hair:

They’re said to have more fun, and they definitely have more hair. Hair color determines how dense the hair on your head is. The average human has 100,000 hair follicles, each of which is capable of producing 20 individual hairs during a person’s lifetime. Blondes average 146,000 follicles while people with black hair tend to have about 110,000 follicles. Those with brown hair fit the average with 100,000 follicles and redheads have the least dense hair, with about 86,000 follicles.

14) The average person expels flatulence 14 times each day:

Even if you’d like to think you’re too dignified to pass gas, the reality is that almost everyone will at least a few times a day. Digestion causes the body to release gases which can be painful if trapped in the abdomen and not released.

15) Having orgasms prevent men from prostate cancer:

Two large studies, reported in 2003 and 2004, found that middle-aged men who had (or at least remember having) at least four orgasms a week throughout their 20s, 30s and 40s had a reduced risk of prostate cancer by as much as one-third. Some researchers speculate that ejaculations may clear the prostate of carcinogens.

The driving manual says the average driver’s reaction time is:  .75 seconds…….. or 1 car length for every 10 mph……

Test your average reaction time.

Be very careful this can be addictive.

Reaction Test

Check out Paul Sadowski’s Birthday Calculator to find out more about your special day!

Here’s a bit of info I got:

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 5.23405088062622 years old. (You’re still chasing cats!)

Ouch, my dog is older than me!

You were born on a Tuesday. Your Life path number is 3.

I did some checking on what life path 3 means and according to numerology I entered this plane with a strong sense of creativity and with wonderful communications skills (no wonder I’m always in the shit). Life is generally lived to the fullest, often much worry about tomorrow (quite correct).

Your fortune cookie reads: Good luck is the result of good planning.

Yeah, right!

You are 1,155,445,671 seconds old.

That’s how much?

Your lucky day is Saturday. Today is not one of your lucky days!

I like that one, nothing better than a Saturday!

Your birth flower is Carnation, and your birthstone is Garnet

I don’t like either of them, the one stinks and the other one red (I hate red)!

Let us know what you find out about your Birthdate!

Sydney – The mystery of crop circles in poppy fields in Australia’s southern island state of Tasmania has been solved – stoned wallabies are eating the poppy heads and hopping around in circles.

“We have a problem with wallabies entering poppy fields, getting as high as a kite and going around in circles,” the state’s top lawmaker Lara Giddings told local media on Thursday.

“Then they crash. We see crop circles in the poppy industry from wallabies that are high,” she said.

Many people believe crop circles that mysteriously appear in fields around the world are created by aliens.

Poppy producer Tasmanian Alkaloids said livestock which ate the poppies were known to “act weird” – including deer and sheep in the state’s highlands.

“There have been many stories about sheep that have eaten some of the poppies after harvesting and they all walk around in circles,” said field operations manager Rick Rockliff.

Australia produces about 50% of the world’s raw material for morphine and related opiates.

story from News24

Some more stunning crop circles from around the world!

Hi guys and girls!

I’m back! Sorry for the long delay, had so many things to do and organize, but hopefully we’re past all that!

To get the the short of things, we’ve started a new business called Zembroidery! We do all kinds of embroidery on t-shirts, tracksuits, jackets, golf shirts, caps, towels, and many more to name just a view! We’ve just purchased a new industrial machine, which works wonders and shortens most jobs by more than half the time, so now we can handle even more!So from now on I’ll be kept quite busy.

If you’re interested, live in Cape Town and need that special gift for that special someone or wants your company logo digitized and embroidered onto clothing or caps, drop me a line on my blog and we can talk business!

Regards

Mickey

Aah, winter… Everyone seems to think that this is the time to sit back under the blankets and pile on the pounds.

We at GoTravel24 say, “Oh-no to the couch potatoes!”

Raising an eyebrow? Why not give an adventure holiday a chance? That way, you will melt the winter blues away.

The Drakensberg:

The Drakensburg offers adventure enthusiasts the time of their lives and guarantees that there really is never a dull moment.

Here is a list of fun activities for you to try out if you want to beat the winter chills and keep your blood boiling hot:

• White River rafting

Fear factor: 8

Now usually, this sport isn’t really that bad, especially if you are used to the motions on a river.
But during winter, you definitely don’t want to fall into the extra chilly water, so this ups the fear factor.

Still, whether it be summer or winter, the adventure seeker will love hitting the rapids on either tire tubes or rubber boats. Your choice.

• 4×4 your way up

Fear factor: 6

Imagine exploring the Drakensberg via trails on a 4×4!

It’s scenic in summer, but imagine what it looks like in winter with frost and the crisp clean air. Mikes Pass at Cathedral Peak allows you to experience the Drakensberg in all its glory.

A photographers’ paradise.

• Find your white horse

Fear factor: 6

Unless you’ve never ridden a horse before, there’s nothing to really be afraid of. When you are riding, picture yourself a dashing hero on your way to save a damsel in distress.

Or ladies, you can be the one doing the saving. It happens.

Before you go for your ride, remember to pack in a few extra clothes. Winter doesn’t let you off the hook very easily as far as the chilly factor is concerned.

Cape Town:

Cape Town is also an adventure paradise with so many things to see and do. If you do plan on taking a trip down to the Mother City, keep these activities in mind for a spectacular adventurous winter vacation.

• Have an air adventure

Fear factor: 9

Now when it comes to adventure in the air, the sky is the limit. Literally.

There’s skydiving, hang-gliding and paragliding – and each offer some of the best views in the world. If you’d prefer to stay inside an aircraft, be whirled and twirled above the Winelands as part of an aerobatic display.

• Get friendly with a Great White

Fear factor: 10

If there are people out there crazy enough to go shark cage diving, you have more guts than I do. That’s why I gave this a ten on the fear factor scale. I may be wrong.

Still, coming face to face with one of the greatest predators of the deep blue sea has to be an adventure on its own.

Even if you are in a cage.

• Be a passenger on a jet flight

Fear factor: 9

Do you remember the TV show JAG? Incredibly hot air pilots making twirls and nauseating swoops in the air. Now this is Cape Town’s version. And you can be a part of it.

You will literally be living out your Top Gun fantasy!

This is definitely not for the fainthearted especially considering the super sonic speeds you will be travelling at. Don’t worry, if you’re a little frightened before hand, it is compulsory to go through a bit of training with the experts.

There you have it. If you have the guts on your next vacation, you will melt those winter blues away.

Remember, Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the conquest of it.

article by Lisa Bartlett

article from GoTravel24

Not everyone has some exciting getaway planned for Easter. Whether you are avoiding the death trap of the national roads, have house guests, a family dinner on Sunday or simply could not afford to go away after you had to pay for the new geyser, relax – you have lots of company.

There are lost of things you can do to make this an exciting break.

Plan a day trip. Get a friend or two together and plan to drive somewhere pretty in the vicinity of where you live. Go and have lunch, or a picnic, visit a museum or two, and check out the local shops or art galleries.

Revive your DVD contract. Get out a movie or two, especially if the weather is cold and rainy. Invite someone to join you and order a home-delivered pizza.

Shop till you drop. If finances are low, you don’t have to buy much. Window-shopping can be very entertaining. If you are planning to make a big purchase somewhere in the not-too-distant future, use the weekend to scout around for a bargain.

Easter egg hunt. You are never too old to have a happy Easter. If you don’t have kids, get together with friends and do the Easter egg and hot cross bun thing.

Go to the movies. Most cinemas will be operating over the Easter weekend. This is an excellent time to catch up on all the movies you have wanted to see, but just didn’t have the time to get round to it. Be adventurous and go and see something you usually wouldn’t break your neck to get to see. Do the sub-title thing, or the car-chase-thing or the scream-your-head-off kind of movie.

Catch up on your e-mail. All those old friends who have begun to wonder whether you have disappeared off the face of the earth will appreciate hearing from you. Drop them an e-mail. Five lines will be enough and infinitely preferable to complete silence.

Cook dinner for your friends. Or, if finances are low, have a bring- and-braai. With a bit of luck the weather will still hold out. Pasta and salad could also do the trick. Friends who are also at home for the weekend will be delighted by an invitation.

The duty thing. If there has been a job waiting to be done and which is weighing on your conscience, such as replacing the sand in the pool filter or cleaning out your study, just do it. One always feels so noble if the dreadful deed is done. Get it over at the beginning of the weekend, so you can relax and enjoy yourself.

Do the family thing. That is, if they are in the same place as you are. If they aren’t, do the substitute family thing. Godparents, older friends or any friends you have had for a long time can be invited to a get-together. The nice thing about Easter Sunday is that it is an excuse to eat just as much as at Christmas, without the attendant present and family dramas.

Do something new. Do something you have always wanted to do, but have never really got together. Go bungee-jumping, climb the mountain, go and watch a cricket match, go for a long walk somewhere pretty, go to the races or visit the local art gallery.

Revisit your childhood. Remember how you enjoyed playing Monopoly or building 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles? Now you have the time to do it again.

Go to the beach. That is, if there is one within driving distance. This might be the last opportunity you have to swim, to get sand in your ears, to build a sandcastle. The winter is upon us.

Spend a day reading. How many books do you have on your absolutely-must-read-but-I-never-have-the-time list? Now you do have the time. If needs be, send the kids to their gran for the day.

Go out for a romantic dinner. That is, if there is romance in your life at present. It needn’t cost an arm and a leg. Take your own wine, and stick to a main course. A pizza by candlelight can also be very pleasant.

article by Susan Erasmus for Health24

The Bond Museum will feature a host of vehicles and gadgets used in the series of action films.

The collection is housed on the site of a former supermarket in Keswick and according to owner Peter Nelson it will be the world’s first Bond museum.

Among the highlights are a convertible Triumph Stag driven by Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever and the Lotus Esprit Turbo from The Spy Who Love Me.

The museum also boasts a Russian T55 battle tank from GoldenEye, and the original Colibri gun from The Man with the Golden Gun.

Mr Nelson, 48, has been collecting the memorabilia for 20 years through auctions and donations from Bond filmmakers EON, actors and crew from the movies.

The museum’s opening on 5 April has been timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, the producer of the original Bond films.

get the full story from BBC News

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Here we have an innovative design by J H Chung which is said to be quite useful to the pet owners. ‘I.D Pet’ – a dog collar with embedded USB drive; though it looks like any normal pet collar but on a closer look, one can see that it’s more than just that, this collar has a USB pen drive which can be used to feed in the data about the pet owner’s contact details. It can be of great help as it facilitates in the tracking of the pet if it gets lost. And apart from this, its up to you how would you use it: backup your files, mp3 or any other data in the dog’s collar!

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