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The modern news consumer ignores Weblogs and online citizen journalism at his own peril. But not everyone has the time to keep track of what's going on the Web. With this blog we hope to track the highlights of what's being discussed online so when news breaks from the Web, we're ready.

Will Femia is a Weblog enthusiast who, through good fortune and dumb luck, was introduced to the form as his position as chat producer for MSNBC.com careered into obsolescence. On any given day, Will can be found having already spent an unhealthy amount of time squinting at a computer screen.

Send a message to Will at spotter@msnbc.com



I've heard of eggrolls but...

Posted: Thursday, June 26, 2008 4:11 PM by Will Femia
Filed Under:

Cadbury Egg Rube Goldberg Machine

How to hack a parking gate - I don't know if I'd call this a hack exactly but it does demonstrate the way those gates (and also trip lights) work. It was only recently that I learned they're based on an electromagnetic field. Usually it's your car that disrupts the field but apparently you can do it with other metal stuff. I always knew there was something under the pavement but I always thought it was based on weight. Sitting at a red light on the motorcycle I would stomp on the ground thinking I might not be heavy enough to trigger the trip light.

Why the Democrats are still friendly with Joe Lieberman is something I've also wondered. Values aside, just looking at it in an objective vacuum, the guy left the party and actively promotes the party's opponent. Why haven't they cut him off?

Dubai plans 'moving' skyscraper - This was in a lot of mainstream news as well so it's not exactly a Web story but you probably didn't see the whole video on TV so it's worth a look. I can't imagine it actually turns as fast as the video shows, you'd be sick and dizzy in no time.

Did you see this business of the surfers fighting the paparazzi? Apparently the paparazzi are on the beach trying to get shots of Matthew McConaughey surfing. The locals are no so into the idea. As much as I liked those guys on the red carpet at the Webby Awards, and as much as I usually cheer against drunk jerks, I find myself rooting for the locals in these altercations.

I haven't played with Wirewize yet but if it works like they say it could be a real life saver. Like most folks, I have a stack of black boxes with wires pouring out the back behind my TV. A cable box, a DVD player, a VCR, and a stereo that's supposed to function as the brains of the whole thing - not to mention the loose wire I can plug my computer into. I've cobbled it all together but if there was a way to enter the names of all the parts and get a nice clear set of instructions on which input to plug into which output I might even be able to reduce the stack of remote controls scattered across the couch.

A site I did take the time to play with is Taaz. It bills itself as a makeover site but I have to think the real purpose it to make your online profile photos look better. Regardless, the idea is that you upload a photo, tell the software where the eyes and mouth are and then you can apply make-up and hairstyles in a remarkably easy yet convincing way. Sign-up was also a piece of cake.

Why the cloud cannot obscure the scientific method - This is a reply to the piece we read earlier about massive quantities of data making the scientific model unnecessary.

At the Webby Awards one of the recipients mentioned that the Smithsonian was going to be putting photo collections on Flickr. I forgot to follow up but happily the link has become popular enough that it drifted onto the Clicked radar.

I'm embarrassed to say I've been playing quite a bit of Puzzle Farter. If it weren't for the stupid noise you'd never know the little guy was fart-powered and it would just be a fun little game. Just hit the mute button.

Google directions from San Diego to Sydney include a canoe trip.

I'm trying to decide if I believe that every six hours airline flights in the U.S. use a million disposable cups. That's a really big number.

Gotham Cable News profiles Bruce Wayne. I wonder how long they could sustain a completely parallel online universe. I like the way they have these real-looking fictional sites and then I think of all the energy behind communities like the Harry Potter fan fiction sites. They could easily continue producing new related content. I guess in a way I'm describing Second Life but with a greater sense of real world overlap.

Solar-saves-the-day headline of the day*: Antro Solo gets 150mpg - It looks like a colorful bar of soap but the real twist is the Fred Flintstone angle: "If there hasn’t been enough sun to power the batteries, each passenger’s seat comes equipped with pedals that can power the vehicles generator." As a last resort you can switch to actual fuel. Some cool concept cars on the official (non-English) site.

*The SStDHotD is from an exchange in the comments the other day in which a reader pointed out that the number and miraculous nature of solar technology headlines warrant "Cancer Cured Headline of the Day" treatment.

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Comments

Re: Joe Leiberman

50 dems, 49 rebs, and 1 ind (Lieberman), if they throw Joe out, the Senate reverts to Republican control.

Wait 5 months, get a larger dem majority, then do it.

John Doe, Seattle, Wash. (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 5:00 PM)

Sorry to tell you, but the "parking gate hack" is totally bogus.  It is based upon a magnetic field, however that soda can he's waving is aluminum which is NOT MAGNETIC.  A magnet may do the trick or a large piece of metal, but not your iPhone.  Heck even motorcycles usually are not big enough to activate one.  http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/riderresc/Gates.asp

PS: Traffic Lights work on the same concept.  Never sit at a light behind a motorcycle or a little old lady who won't pull up over the sensor loop.

Hami, Miami, FL (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 5:08 PM)

First, you'll need to understand why Lieberman is an "Independent." This is just a simple comment and we have the resources of the 'net to discover that, so I won't go into that here.

Second, just because he's not technically a Democrat doesn't mean that he doesn't vote with them a majority of the time. If I remember correctly, he's really only split with the Democrats on the war. With pretty much everything else he stands in unity with the Democrats. He's mostly pro-gun control, pro-gay marriage and pro-abortion, which are really the Big Three for Dems right now. The environmental issue is starting to become a platform, but I think we have a few years before that matures into something a candidate can really use.

Castigating him or ex-communicating him would be cutting off their nose to spite their own face. And I've often wondered how much Kool-Aid you would have to drink in order to want to kick out a member of a political party because they aren't EXACTLY in line with everything the party stands for. This goes for the GOP vs. McCain, too.

In this respect, you've disappointed me, Will.

Finally, I think we will very soon see why Lieberman prefers McCain over Obama.

Matt M., Fort Bragg, NC (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 5:10 PM)

Mr Doe is right. Just wait a few months. Mr Joe has already selfdistructed. A little longer won't hurt.  I saw the write up about that revolving building. I would like to see how they build each floor at a remote location and bring it in.

Ed Neal, Midway, KY (Sent Thursday, June 26, 2008 11:01 PM)

Regarding the Antro Solo...lights?  Turn signals? Side view mirrors?  Safety standards?  I don't think we can expect to see this baby on US roads real soon.  Some good ideas worth exploring, but I'll be surprised if it ever comes to market in Europe or here.

Dan Garfinkel (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 9:44 AM)

Will: Sometimes you can trigger those stoplights by lowering your kickstand to the pavement.  This works best when you are sitting right on top of the sensor wires buried in the pavement.

Matt M: You really ought to catch up on the news.  The war and its associated assault on our civil rights is the #1 priority of many Democrats.  Lieberman is on the wrong side of both of those issues, and is unrepentant about it.  Endorsing the other party's nominee was the last straw.

BTW, gun control hasn't been a Dem priority at the national level since Clinton was in office.  This week's Supreme Court decision pretty much eliminated any debate for this election cycle.

Massachusetts, California, other states to follow - gay marriage is here to stay. Dems won, Reps lost, next issue please.

Abortion is on the back burner at the national level.  The pro-life groups are lukewarm about McCain, even though the next president will likely appoint at least a couple of Supreme Court justices.
Even if McCain wins (unlikely), the Dems will have nearly 60 seats in the Senate, making it difficult for him to appoint any justice who has vowed to overturn Roe v Wade.  

Michael B, Norman, OK (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 10:23 AM)

Hami's set the record straight. One fix that has been bandied about by motorcycle riders is the use of very strong magnets. They sell these devices to motorcyclists, but a better source may be the rare-earth magnets found inside computer hard drives. You almost need a screwdriver to pry these magnets off a piece of metal. I'm going to give it a try.

Rob, Newark, DE (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 10:38 AM)

Hami from Miami is not entirely correct. While it's true aluminum isn't attracted to a magnet, it will however repsond to magnetic fields and can trip sensors.

Here's an example. In the video below, the aluminum block creates eddies in the magnetic field and it's decent is slowed as a result.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fxC-AEC0ROk

Thanks.

Sam Burgan, Arcadia, MO (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 12:18 PM)

@dan: it looks like you can see a headlight on the antro solo in one of the pictures and I'm suer you could just add cameras for rear view. I'd love to have one someday!

Jim B (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 2:38 PM)

Wow..that TAAZ site is super fun and realistic!

Hayley, Walnut Creek, Ca (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 2:43 PM)

How exactly have they not cut Joe off?
What, do you mean have him arrested or killed or something?  He was elected - remember, they ran someone against him, the democrats that is - and now he is still a sitting senator.  
I don't read much  about the DNC throwing praise or money his way, do you?

So yeah, he's cutoff, he was when they ran someone against him.

Makes me think you have some sort of Stalinist vision of what the dems could do when you made that remark, to be honest.

Ramon, NY NY (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 3:49 PM)

Will, thanks for including SStDHotD (pronounced ssteedee hotdee ??).  Next, you'll need one for wind, wave, and bacteria.  Maybe they should all go under alternative fuels or alternative energy saves the day!

Kelly in Denver (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 4:04 PM)

Michael B.: I wanted to point out one thing: What is the difference between Lieberman and the rest of the Dems in the Senate? Lieberman says he's supports the war and he actually does it. The Senate Dems have said over and over they don't and they're going to cut funding and everything else, yet they pretty much vote in the same manner as Lieberman in this respect. So, he may be on the wrong side, but at least he's honest about it. Quit kidding yourself about the rest of the Dems. At this point, you should hate them more than Bush.

Okay, so you got me on the abortion thing and the gun thing might have been an issue up until this week, but this isn't the place for that. The gay marriage thing... well, we've heard before that gay marriage is here to stay. A few times. So, we'll see what happens.

The point is, on nearly everything, Lieberman votes with the party. Because he's got a nuanced platform should not mean that he should be kicked out of the party. At what point have we moved away from allowing a Senator to represent his constituents to ensuring that the party power structure stays intact? Somehow, I don't see that in the Great Scheme the Fathers had in mind.

Matt M., Fort Bragg, NC (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 9:29 PM)

Ramon, I'm guessing you wrote that comment before clicking the link but for the record, by cutting him off I did not mean cutting his head (or anything else) off. I meant his caucus leadership and committee chairmanship.

Will Femia (Sent Friday, June 27, 2008 11:27 PM)

Aluminum is not magnetic, but it is a conductor. When it passes through a magnetic field (i.e., falling over within the field of an MRI), electric currents are generated, which produce their own EMF, interacting with the inducing magnetic field.

However, I doubt that the fields of the in-pavement trigger loops are strong enough to detect an aluminum can if they can miss a motorcycle.

Jim, Irvine, CA (Sent Saturday, June 28, 2008 6:34 PM)

With regard to the wires and the magnetic field. This is how it really works. All current that flows through an electrical wire has a field around.In laymans terms imagine a wire with an invisible field around it in a complete circle. The metal mass in the vehicle disrupts the field which changes the resistance in the wire which triggers the action required. The wires are not pressure sensitive. That is why the action takes place before the tires hit the wires.  I am sure there is a complete technical description of why and how this works but it is my business that would have to do this. Last week he installed a set of gates that use this exact method for them to function

Neil Spokane WA (Sent Saturday, June 28, 2008 11:54 PM)



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