B-List Archive
April 2005
Postings to the B-List.
Subject: B-List: April Fool's Day Hoaxes + March Postings Reprised
Date: Fri, 1 April 2005 2:58:22 PM
A. April Fool's Day Hoaxes
* Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time
< http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/ >
* April Fool's Day Atrocities: The Top 10 Worst April Fool's Day Hoaxes Ever
< http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/worstaprilfools.html >
B. March Postings Reprised
[Mutant (Non-Ninja) Turtles and Other Animals]
* "Egg has tail"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1305920.html >
"The egg, found by chef Wang of at his restaurant in Anyang city, Henan
province, is normal size, but has a tail that is 3 cm long"
[Modern Law Enforcement Techniques]
* "Circus stunts to rev up Jakarta patrols"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1325886.htm >
"A new police motorcycle squad has been formed in Jakarta to patrol the
Indonesian capital's mean streets and perform circus-style stunts to
entertain the public"
Subject: B-List: Bruno's Quality Produce + Search Different
Date: Wed, 6 April 2005 9:46:34 PM
A. Bruno's Quality Produce
< http://www.brunosqp.com/ >
Many people on the list would be aware that I've been experimenting lately
growing my own fruit and vegetables. I stumbled across this site tonight,
and it freaked me out a bit. Check out the History page:
< http://www.brunosqp.com/company_hist1.htm >
I have nothing to do with this site, which is for a business run by another
Bruno Andrighetto in San Francisco. I may have to enquire to see if we're
related.
B. Search Different
1. YaGooHoo!gle
< http://yagoohoogle.com/ >
Can be used to do a side-by-side search for both Google and Yahoo. Using this
site I found the site above, which comes up first for my "vanity search" on
Google. But one of my pages comes up first on Yahoo.
2. A9.com
< http://a9.com/ >
Another side-by-side search, for the web, books, images, movies and reference
among others.
3. amaztype
< http://amaztype.tha.jp/ >
An interesting, Flash-based way to search for items on Amazon.
4. iStockphoto
< http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php >
Allows searching of royalty-free stock photography by colour, in addition to
words.
Subject: B-List: Red-Faced Firefighters
Date: Mon, 11 April 2005 10:38:29 PM
1. "Woman sues city after alleged fire pole mishap"
< http://www.ksat.com/news/4358514/detail.html >
"A 30-year-old USAA employee is suing the city of San Antonio for injuries
she received when she fell trying to slide down a fire pole... The woman
claims on-duty firefighters served them beer and invited them to try on
boots and fire helmets. They also allowed them to sit on the fire truck
and slide down the station's fire pole"
2. "Firefighters finnish off own sauna"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1270987.htm >
"A squad of firefighters in Finland has accidentally set their own sauna
ablaze but could not extinguish the fire, despite their training"
3. "Firefighters stumped by blaze next door"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1152108.html >
"A group of firemen were forced to watch helplessly as a house burnt to the
ground next to their station"
4. "Fire truck catches fire, burns down its own station in small Alabama town"
< http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/09/10/
national1600EDT0744.DTL >
"The engine of the truck had been turned off, but some malfunction, possibly
a gasoline leak, caused a fire under the hood"
5. "Fire station bursts into flames while firefighters are out"
< http://www.wftv.com/news/2897982/detail.html >
"[T]hey left the station to respond to an emergency call and, in a rush,
left grease burning on the stove"
6. "Firefighters return to find station on fire"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1003219.html >
"Firefighters in Dallas returned from a call to the suburbs to find a fire
raging in their own station started by potatoes they had left cooking"
7. "Pennsylvania fire truck too big for garage"
< http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=46&id=35152 >
"Officials may be in the market for a new garage to go with the fire truck
they approved purchasing because the $557,600 aerial truck is too tall and
heavy for the garage"
8. "Livingston station won't fit new truck"
< http://www.demopolistimes.com/articles/2004/11/11/news/05news.txt >
"Though the Livingston Fire Department is happy to have a new 75-feet ladder/
pumper truck on its way - it should arrive in the next three to four months
- the department and the Livingston City Council now have a dilemma. The new
truck will not fit into the existing station"
Subject: B-List: Google Maps Revisited + Google Sightseeing
Date: Wed, 13 April 2005 10:38:48 PM
1. Google Maps - via Satellite
< http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&hl=en >
Google Maps recently incorporated satellite imagery. Currently only USA and
Canada have close-up resolution, but you can get nice long-distance snaps
for other parts of the world.
Here are some interesting places I found tonight:
* Manhattan
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.733,-73.980&spn=0.0699,0.0886&t=k >
* Boston
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.357,-71.058&spn=0.0175,0.0221&t=k >
* Apple Computer's campus
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.332,-122.030&spn=0.00437,0.00554&t=k >
* Golden Gate Bridge
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.814,-122.478&spn=0.00873,0.01107&t=k >
* Las Vegas Boulevard
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.111,-115.173&spn=0.0175,0.0221&t=k >
* Strange blurry area in Las Vegas
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.062,-115.085&spn=0.0175,0.0221&t=k >
* Hoover Dam
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.015,-114.739&spn=0.00436,0.00554&t=k >
* Mount Rushmore
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=43.878,-103.459&spn=0.00437,0.00554&t=k >
* Grand Canyon?
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.157,-112.036&spn=0.507,0.706&t=k >
* Area 51? - limited zoom levels
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.129,-115.132&spn=0.0175,0.0221&t=k >
* Region around Adelaide, South Australia
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-35.107,138.219&spn=2.2357,2.8345&t=k >
* Italy
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.078,12.854&spn=8.9,11.4&t=k >
* France
< http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=46.846,2.065&spn=8.9,11.4&t=k >
2. Google Sightseeing
< http://www.shreddies.org/gmaps/ >
"Google Sightseeing takes you to the best tourist spots in the world via
Google Maps' satellite imagery"
It was inevitable - a blog that collects famous, unusual and generally
interesting locations, as seen using Google Maps.
Subject: B-List: Everyone Will Want One...
Date: Mon, 18 April 2005 11:29:46 PM
1. "Roaming alarm clock keeps snoozers on their toes"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1329598.htm >
"Scientists in the United States have invented an alarm clock to make even
the doziest sleepers - who repeatedly hit the snooze button - leap out of
bed"
2. "Boy's invention drops toilet seat automatically"
< http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=9001337 >
"That annoying habit that most men have of leaving the toilet seat is no
longer an issue for women in the Attwood household in Palmerston North.
Ben Attwood, 13, has invented a toilet seat that lowers by itself"
3. "Hi-tech changing room 'will tell you what not to wear'"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_810156.html >
"Installed in a changing room, an array of about six cameras would feed data
to a computer running software that matches particular styles to individual
body shapes"
4. "German brothers invent internal handbag light"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_825019.html >
"The bag will light up when opened thanks to a new type of plastic, which
can be shaped and doesn't produce heat"
5. "New invention revolutionises spaghetti eating"
< http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=201&sid=4301270 >
"The plate has been designed with a hollow in the middle, which the diner
uses to twist the spaghetti onto his fork, instead of the usual spoon"
6. "Tea industry turns to pill popping pills solution"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1330444.htm >
"Indian tea scientists have produced a tea-flavoured pill that can be chewed
or quickly dissolved in hot or cold water"
7. "Artist invents pierced glasses"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1343581.html >
"A Dallas artist has had permanent glasses pierced through the bridge of his
nose"
8. "German man's bananas plan"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1144997.html >
"A German man who earlier this year tried to have Santa Claus banned, says
he has a device that can straighten bananas"
Subject: B-List: Trying to Avoid the Inevitable
Date: Thu, 21 April 2005 9:40:13 PM
1. "Man who jumped off bridge to avoid arrest survived fall"
< http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=2646161&nav=EQlpToCU >
"Police in Louisville now believe that a man who jumped from a bridge after
he was cornered by officers is alive"
2. "Man swallows knife to avoid arrest"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_964920.html >
"Doctors say a man who swallowed a three-inch knife to avoid charges of
possessing a weapon is lucky to be alive"
3. "Man accused of using poodle as weapon"
< http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2005/01/13/897466-ap.html >
"Prosecutors are seeking a new psychiatric exam for a man accused of swinging
a poodle to fend off a sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop"
4. "German student eats evidence"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1130603.html >
"A German student is facing charges after eating up all of a forged document
except the part that contained his address"
5. "Naked bid to beat fine"
< http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/20/1097951771593.html >
"A woman in Estonia, pulled over by police on suspicion of driving while
drunk, tried to get out of her fine by performing an impromptu striptease
that was captured on police video"
6. "Potty-mouth man can't fool science"
< http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2005/03/30/976892-sun.html >
"An allegedly drunk driver with a taste for trickery failed to foil a police
breathalyzer machine after stuffing his mouth full of feces"
Subject: B-List: 404 Fun
Date: Mon, 25 April 2005 10:48:15 PM
"Webmasters get creative with '404 Error' pages"
< http://edition.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/03/22/creative.404.errors.idg/
index.html >
"Defunct Web pages and mistyped URLs generally deliver error messages that are
as dull as dirt. But a growing cadre of witty webmasters opt to make light of
AWOL Web pages. Instead of displaying the standard '404 Error File Not Found,'
they dole out a dose of humor instead"
The 404 Research Lab
< http://www.404lab.com/ >
A site dedicated to "404" pages, including Area 404:
< http://www.404lab.com/404/area404.asp >
"Links to the best 404 Not Found errors on the web, researched and categorized
for your surfing enjoyment"
History of 404:
< http://www.404lab.com/404/history.asp >
A selection of possibly humorous 404 pages:
* Inspired by Marvin from H2G2?
< http://freshsqueeze.com/404 >
* Website Error Message 42
< http://www.hhgttgonline.com/html/404.html >
* Wha Chu Talkin 'Bout Willis?
< http://www.wchou.com/errors/404.htm >
* Ransom Note
< http://homepage.ntlworld.com/a.leecy/404.html >
* File Not Found Haiku
< http://www.fool.com/haiku404.asp >
* Play Zork (a text adventure game from the 80s)
< http://thcnet.net/error/404.php >
* Newsflash
< http://www.trinicom.com/trinicom/servererror/404.htm >
* Eyechart
< http://www.2020hindsight.org/iuywoeifylkh >
* Flowchart
< http://rubberducky.org/404 >
* The 404 Band
< http://www.vudumedia.com/404/ >
* Philosophical
< http://tsbolton.com/bertramslair/error.htm >
* Error - You have spent too much time on the net
< http://thecenter2000.com/last/ >
B!?