More uses than Duct Tape?
Looks like I was just scratching the surface of Google special Features. Some are more useful than other. Of these, I particularly like the Calculator. It one does all the stuff you would expect (2+2*5, 2^24 and so on), but it also has a nice built in Measurment Unit Convertion Tool. For example: A search for "100 miles in kilometers" gives "100 miles = 160.9344 kilometers", "half a cup in gallons" gives "half (1 US cup) = 0.03125 US gallons" and "liters in cubic inches" gives "1 liters = 61.0237441 cubic inches" (very useful for converting backpack volume between american makers and the rest of the world). Looks like pretty much any compatible units of mesurment can be input in the "X in Y" format.

How many square furlongs in a hectare? 0.247105381.
How many fathoms in a league? 3 038.05774.
I am happy! :)

Did you mean: Dictionary
Often, mostly while in the process of writting a post, I get stumped as to the correct spelling of a word. Being lazy, I sometime IM friends for confirmations, but I have also started to use Google as my own dictionnary. I'm sure I'm not the first one who has thought of this but it's new to me. I have the Google Toolbar installed, which mean I have a text field into which I can input a misspelled word and most of the time google will suggest the correct spelling.

For example, if you input "appaled" in the toolbar and hit enter, you will get: "Did you mean: appalled". On the other hand, if you enter the correct spelling, you will not get a suggestion. This, of course, must not be foolproof but it has worked for most of my needs. And it's convenient since I don't need to go to another site to input the word, the toolbar is right there. Another nifty use for Google.

Monogamy catching on or can't get any?
85% of New Yorkers between the ages of 18 and 64 years (3.6 million) reported having either no sex partner or 1 sex partner in the past year. Few New Yorkers 18–64 years had 3 or more sex partners in the past year
New York City Community Health Survey

It would be interesting to see the further breakdown between one and zero...

In the pages of a magasine
Wonder how those models look so good? Take a look at these pictures at Greg's Digital Archive, put your mouse over the pictures to see the original. I don't know whether the be appalled at the transformation or in awe of his photoshop skills.

"Do you know fast you were goin', son?"
The joys of being stuck in traffic on a sunday afternoon:


[Translation: Your Speed: 0 KM/H]

Do the time warp
I'll be the first to say that I have not been to many weddings but the one I helped DJ this saturday had a couple of strange accents.

There was a fountain IN the wedding cake:



The dessert was a chocolate fondue, but in the form of a fountain:



And the plastic cups were from another era:



A great time was had by all!

Try At Your Own Risk
Nerve's Pickup Line Contest has some good ones:
"I'm going outside to make out: care to join me?"
"I may not have gotten your virginity, but can I at least have the box it came in?"
"Can I bum a cig?" As they hand it to me and I'm placing it seductively on my lips, I say, "Why, thank you. I don't smoke, but I wanted something of yours in my mouth!"

Obscure Last Words
Last Words is a collection of transcripts and (sometimes) mp3 audio of the recorders in planes that have crashed. This has got to be one of the most tragic and touching thing I have read on the internet, especially this one.

Am I Making Myself Clear?
Apparenty, someone thought this sign:



which has a pictogram, and labels in French and English as well as the Braille version of said labels,



was not clear enought, so they added not one but two more pictograms:



Do you think I'll be able to find which door is the bathroom?
The worst thing is that the two additionnal pictograms are not of the same design, so someone actually stood there and said "You know, these two signs don't identify the bathroom well enough, I'll have to order another one next week"
Baffling...

(Anti-)Social Commentary
Anyone who sees such behavior as a path to a better future [...] should step back and ask himself just where, exactly, the civil rights–era blacks might have gone wrong in lacking a hip-hop revolution. They created the world of equality, striving, and success I live and thrive in.

Hip-hop creates nothing.

How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back by John H. McWhorter is an intersting (albeit lenghty) article on his opinions of hip-hop music. He contends that hip-hop is not only an empty art form but is actually harmful to those who take it seriously. And I would have to agree partially with him, it seems every single rap song or video I hear is about the rapper's money, his women or how good he is at rapping. The rap group N.W.A. says: “Life ain’t nothin’ but bitches and money.” Now, is that really a life motto?

A Sticky Situation
This to That is a guide to glues. Need to glue styrofoam to metal? Wood to leather? Ceramics to glass? This site is a little database that gives brandname recommendations for your projects.

Click!
Ever wanted to know what kind of pictures people put on their personnal site? Enter Random Personal Picture Finder. It works by searching for the automatic numbering schemes of different kinds of digital cameras that no one ever gets arouns to renaming. You can get some very interesting results...

Sidewalk Art
My friend Chris saw this guy on the street at the Just for Laughs Festival. He has some spectacular art: ChalkMaster

Not Alone
I am glad to see I am not the only one having problems with XP...
20 "This driver is not digitally signed." OK.
21 "This driver may cause your computer to become unstable." OK.
22 "This driver may anally rape your mother while pouring sugar down your gas tank." OK.
How to install Windows XP in 5 hours or less