nomadlife - an international nomads community

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

A new ad campaign from PETA

It's getting hot in here...

"When you walk around the conference hall here, delegates are saying there are lots of issues on the agenda, but there's only one real problem, and that's the United States," said Bill Hare of Greenpeace International.

Canada's Environment Minister Stephane Dion said Monday that he would "welcome any idea" to get the United States on board.
"We cannot do without the Americans because they represent 25 percent of emissions, and an even greater percentage of the solution," he said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, meanwhile, said Tuesday he believed the United States would eventually come on board with mandatory emissions caps.
"I believe there will be a binding international agreement to succeed Kyoto when the Protocol expires in 2012 that will include all major economies," Blair said in a review of British energy policy.

more...

Vatican view on homosexuals released

Read a translation here.

I say its super fucked up. Aside from all my other objections, they are rejecting any sort of homosexual (priests included) for their existence, not for their actions. Thus, even a gay priest who remains chaste is rejected, yet even some priest who wants to screw my married mom but doesn't act on it could remain. Gay priests have been coined by the Pope as of "no social value." Yet another example of some supposed leaders (Mix: dumbasses) trying to explain something which they are not.

Sumo goes global

Sumo, a Japanese national sport, has been seeing unusual trends lately. Today, Koto Ooshu (real name: Karoyan Stephanov Maharyanov, born in Bulgaria) became the first European sumo wrestler (or "riki-shi") to achieve the title of "Oozeki."

The top reigning sumo wrestler ("Yokozuna") today is a Mongolian named Asa Shoryu. He is known for his aggressive and unrelenting attacks. Very impressive, but his consecutive winning streak is starting to tick off national pride.

Nevertheless, Japan National Sumo League congratulated the new Oozeki, Koto Ooshu, and wished him well on his way to becoming a Yokozuna.

Captain Jack Sparrow Doll

Let's face it, Johnny Depp has a huge following. But this is probably when fans transform into maniacs.

All hand-made by a fan and his chipmunk.

Mozilla takes wraps off Firefox 1.5

A new version of the Firefox Web browser debuted Tuesday, promising speedier browsing, swifter updates and better pop-up blocking. (more)

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Eye candies

Several generations of deliciousness come together to provide some amazing images from Nasa. Check it out here.

Glasnost a la China

The Chinese government has finally lifted its blockage on bbc.co.uk. I'm not sure if the World Service is available yet on Radio and Television, but if it is, this marks a dramatic reversal in China's attitudes towards "Auntie" ever since John Simpson reported from the by-lanes surrounding Tiananmen Square on the night of June 4, 1989.

The Middle Kingdom, recently lifted its ban on blogspot web logs. Sadly, wikipedia.org, Human Rights Watch and others remain shut out.

Harvard Law School is conducting an ongoing study on the practise of filtering out websites and denying access around the world. China (obviously) attracts the bulk of its attention. 44,000, trained, english speaking, web-watchers continue to monitor the Chinese internet activity, while actively denying access to websites that contain key words that the Chinese government has refused to disclose.

Iron Crotch strikes a seriously low point in martial arts.

Truck pulled with penis
November 29, 2005 - 11:23AM

Its 50-year-old grandmaster Tu Jin-Sheng has shown his true mettle by tugging a truck across a Californian car park with his penis.

But first, as the Tri-Valley Herald reports, Master Tu got an assistant to kick him hard between the legs before lashing himself to the rental truck with a strip of blue fabric around the base of his penis and testicles.

The fabric was tugged hard to make sure there'd be no slippage. Then the Master went to work.

"Jin-Sheng groaned, grunted and pressed against two men for resistance," reports the Herald. "Then, slowly, the truck began to roll forward."

The event took place last week in an office park in Fremont and was filmed by a crew shooting Penis Envy, scheduled to be shown on Channel 4 in the UK next year.

Master Tu, adds the Herald, is said to have 60,000 followers worldwide.

"Its practitioners are known to lift hundreds of pounds with their genitals to increase energy and sexual performance."

And everything appears to be in working order for Master Tu, who, with his wife Sanday, has four children - all, naturally, martial artists.

Among his other talents are the ability to hammer in nails with his fist, stand on eggs without breaking them, chop through a steel pipe with his hand, and painting.

Birthday girl!

Happy birthday Maria, you're a quarter of the way there!

Leave a comment on her blog and congratulate her.

Monday, November 28, 2005

easy going, good times, Jah be praised

In five countries across Europe and the US, TV and cinema ads for Malibu continue the award-winning ?Seriously easy going? campaign ? a wry look at what would happen if Caribbean residents took life as seriously as the rest of the world. - Allied Domecq

Their hillarious. You can view them here

resuscitation technique update

"The revised guidelines issued Monday by the American Heart Association on cardiopulmonary resuscitation advise giving 30 chest compressions -- instead of 15 -- for every two rescue breaths.

The guidelines also recommend that emergency personnel cool cardiac arrest patients for 12 to 24 hours to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Two significant studies have shown that such cooling results in improved survival and brain function for those who are comatose after initial resuscitation." (CNN)

You know how to perform CPR, don't you? If you don't, get the training. You might save somebody's life.

update: nomadfest

A little update from the ground of nomadfest: egypt.
This event is growing like wild fire (well, relatively) and will prove to be "The premier event" of New Year's 2006. I've been getting emails from random people (AIESECers and otherwise) the world around seeking more information. Word is spreading and epic greatness will be realized: nomadlife is expanding and I'm not even trying.
Not even Van Damme guest lists will oust our attendance. We'll be well over 20 when all is said and done and the following countries may currently claim representation:
Romania
United States
Egypt
Poland
Portugal
Brazil
Australia

You will notice that AI is curiously absent. And here I thought they'd be flexing their nuts on something like this.

""We will always be Muslims, Serbs or Croats," said Veselin Gatalo of the youth group Urban Movement Mostar.

"But one thing we all have in common is Bruce Lee." "

(BBC)

A statue of Bruce Lee has been erected in a Bosnian city.

Utterly, stunningly, jaw droppingly brilliant

Well of course, its a car..one that goes to 100 kmph in 2.5 seconds and on past 250 mph. One that changes shape as you drive, has 10 (TEN) radiators to cool the engine and goes the length of a football pitch in under a second (which is faster than a Formula 1 car).

It costs about 1.5 million USD and will go from 250-0 in just 10 seconds; but that is still 5 football pitches!

It makes the Porsche Carerra GT feel slow. It is the Bugatti Veryon

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Egypt's Parliament

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is not a party, and the current government will not make a party out of it.
Members of the MB apply as Independent candidates who are not with a party, but they do voice out their plans which include their favorite motto "Islam is the solution".
Much to my personal dismay, aside from the individuals who get paid to vote for certain people, there are actually people who do believe that Egypt should be Islamic and insist that Religion should be mixed with Politics, a game that many civilizations suffered from in the past. But who can blame them, without the proper education how can they be a good judge of what is to be done.

The problem is that MB never outline what they will do with their Islam!
Egypt already implements a bit of the Shariaa law, but not entirely.
Is their aim to make all the Laws Islamic?
What does it mean for Egyptian Life? Ban Nancy Agram Songs and Music Channels? Make Everyone get veiled? Turn Schools into Islamic Schools?
None knows!
To the general public much is unclear about what they plan to do if they become a majority.

Though the MB has a considerable amount of seats in the Parliament, not much will change, and as you see very few bloggers are voicing any concern. Simply the Parliament is useless, and has virtually no authority. The president runs it all. These individuals may have a say in certain trivial cases, but in the general direction of the country and constitution and whether Islam is the solution of not, those things are up to the President solely.

Alien Invasion Alert for New York City

"Bedbugs are back and spreading through New York City like a swarm of locusts on a lush field of wheat.

Infestations have been reported sporadically across the United States over the past few years. But in New York, bedbugs have gained a foothold all across the city.

"It's becoming an epidemic," said Jeffrey Eisenberg, the owner of Pest Away Exterminating, an Upper West Side business that receives about 125 bedbug calls a week, compared with just a handful five years ago. "People are being tortured, and so am I. I spend half my day talking to hysterical people about bedbugs."" (NY Times)

It can happen to you. One of my roommate in NYC a couple years ago got it in her bedroom and it spread to the whole floor; it wasn't pretty.

Request: Egyptian Parliament election analysis

So what do you think about the results of the election?

Muslim Brotherhood is the big winner in the election. On the other hand, every report qualifies MB as 'officially banned' party, so why can they participate in the election ? Something doesn't connect here.

Saturday, November 26, 2005

March of the Penguins Game

play save the egg emperor penguins game fun hatching maneuver father penguin around screen chicks activity score save the egg film movie march of the penguins penguin move warm obstacle cursor to control father penguins protect the eggs females go to sea feed balance eggs on feet avoid bumping predators skuka bird crevasses rocks collect fish baby penguins two months away three tries egg'o'meter cold warm egg moving Antarctica cold frozen icy feature film return to mate levels win lose eggs ice emperor penguin

Friday, November 25, 2005

1-month Celebration

On November 18th, 2005, thanks to the support from loved ones, tips from nomads all over the world, and very fancy Nicorette inhaler I have hardly ever used (only for huge cravings), I celebrated 1 month of being a non-smoker.
It hasn't been easy at all...but I think I'll manage! Another positive note: I have saved to this day 148 euros. which has partitially funded a brand new digital camera! Next month's saving will take me on a very nice Christmas holiday...damn, I love this feeling!

P.S./ Couldn't help the overeating part for the first week, but lost the weight (about 3 kilos...yes, chocolate is adictive) after getting really, really sick. I have to pee all the time because I drink lots of water to compensate. Nicotine support thingies taste awful!!! And I had to change shampoo brand because I didn't realize how strong that thing smelled!

At least 34 people were killed in Honduras after Tropical Storm Gamma hit Central America last weekend. More are feared buried under mudslides in remote regions. Gamma is the 24th Atlantic storm this season?the busiest on record. Last month, Hurricane Stan killed up to 2,000 in Central America.

Maoist rebels and seven democratic parties in Nepal made a deal to work to end the absolute rule of King Gyanendra and introduce democracy. The king seized power in February, saying Nepal's politicians were unable to end the rebels' bloody insurgency.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party drafted a change to the country's constitution that allows Japanese troops to play a wider role in global peacekeeping operations. The document was formally presented to a convention marking the 50th anniversary of the party's founding.

Angela Merkel was sworn in as Germany's first female chancellor and promptly made quick visits to Paris, Brussels and London to stress her European credentials. She also reiterated her desire to mend relations with America, which became somewhat strained under her predecessor, Gerhard Schr�der.

Russia's Duma backed a draft law that curbs the activities of foreign NGOs. Pro-democracy and human-rights groups, which have flourished since the fall of communism, gave warning that the bill will lead to increased state supervision. President Vladimir Putin has previously scolded NGOs and hinted that they are being used by other countries to interfere in Russia's politics.

New licensing laws came into effect in England and Wales that liberalise the sale of alcohol and allow pubs to extend their opening hours. The legislation has caused some bother for the government as opponents claim the new regime will cause a spike in the popular British leisure pursuit of "binge drinking". (source: Economist)

For the cricket fans

www.stickcricket.com, Great for ignoring the wife...or husband...for an hour or so.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Weird sexually ambiguous nomadlife tagged pics

Whenever I look at the nomadlife front page, the rotating image seems to be showing me pictures of a guy named Declan, in a variey of bizarre poses, dressed in what appears to be the remains of a camping backpack.

Anyhow, not that theres anything wrong with that......

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to our US community. For those of you not familiar with this holiday and associated traditions here is some background information.

These things still happen...

Even in a place like New York....
This happened to a group of people recently...1 of whom happens to be a good friend

Learn how to write a speech for George W. Bush

http://www.actofme.co.uk/bush_speech/bushspeechwriter.html#new

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

stinkers of the year

Top 10 worst products of 2005

If you're shopping on Black Friday

The internet is passing the power to the consumer. Here's a site with a lead on many unpublished sales, including the infamous $400 Wal-Mart laptop sale.

Vote Today in Worst EU Lobby Award 2005

PRESS RELEASE 23 November 2005
Worst EU Lobbying Award’ – Voting Starts Today

Four watchdog groups and NGOs concerned about corporate lobbying in
Brussels invite citizens to vote online for the worst case of EU
lobbying in 2005.

www.corporateeurope.org/worstlobby/

The online awards are organised by Corporate Europe Observatory in
association with Friends of the Earth Europe, LobbyControl and Spinwatch.

Owen Espley of Corporate Europe Observatory said “"The ‘Worst EU
Lobbying’ awards are about engaging people in a humorous way on a
pressing European issue. We hope that people who look at the lobby
awards website will be amused, and then take action to demand the EU
clean up its act on corporate lobbying."

Ulrich Mueller of Lobbycontrol said “Each of the nominated cases
raises serious questions over the role of big business lobbying in
Brussels and demonstrates the urgent need for mandatory lobbying
transparency.”

The ten nominees are presented on www.corporateeurope.org/worstlobby/
They include amongst others: CEFIC for fighting new EU chemicals
regulation, the Campaign for Creativity for being a textbook bogus NGO
defending the interests of corporations like Microsoft, ExxonMobil for
funding think-tanks denying the need for EU action against climate
change, and the European Patients’ Forum for being funded by
pharmaceutical companies while enjoying privileged access to EU fora.

The winner of the award chosen by the public will be announced on
December 14th.

"A village council in Pakistan has decreed that five young women should be abducted, raped or killed for refusing to honour childhood "marriages". (Telegraph)

Stupid and cruel traditionas like this must go away.

nomadlife = muy caliente

Yeah, kinda like that!

Stay posted for exciting new developments around the corner... ah the suspense!

Travel Advice Request: Ireland

I have two young and lovely lady friends flying to Ireland for a 5 days vacation next Thursday. Do you have any suggestions on places they must visit ?

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Malta in 3 days

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) are held every two years. CHOGM 2005 will be held in Valletta, Malta, from 25 to 27 November on the theme, ?Networking the Commonwealth for Development,? hosted by the Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. CHOGM meetings bring together presidents, prime ministers and heads of state to discuss Commonwealth and global issues, and develop a consensus on collective policies and initiatives. These summits provide a unique forum for consultation at the highest level of government.

?The Maltese Government and people of Malta look forward to welcoming the Commonwealth Heads of Government to our country for this important summit. Malta is ideally placed to host this Meeting as it stands at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, the European Union and the Commonwealth. Its history and heritage provide a unique and exceptional backdrop for a constructive and forward-looking discussion about development through networking. This Summit will allow us to further strengthen the Commonwealth?s political, social, developmental and economic performance.? - Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi It will give Commonwelath leaders an opportunity to take action on important global issues including the fight against poverty, international trade and world security. I am looking forward to a meeting which delivers concrete outcomes for all Commonwealth citizens.? - Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon.

The new killer-app from Google labs ...

Check out the new Google killer app ! Click on the pic bellow.

What to say ?

Microsoft's out ! That's for sure.

Enter the new era of internet now !

MotorTrend Motor of the Year

It's a Honda Civic.

This is a new ad from Wonderbra; which enacted the situation of people staring at the woman supposedly wearing the latest and greatest from Wonderbra.

Now we guys need guidance here, are we supposed to stare or not? Because well, it's hard not to.

First female Chancellor in Germany

Now it is official: Angela Merkel has been officially elected Germany's first female chancellor, heading an unwieldy alliance of the right and left. more

Soon

Singapore will execute its first Australian on drugs offense.

The story itself is like a movie script. The convicted is a twin. He was a good twin, finishing school while his twin brother dropped out high school to get involved in drugs business in Australia. The bad twin then got convicted for 9 months in Australia for trafficking, which saddled him with a 30,000 legal costs debt. This 'good twin' in 2002 tried to smuggle 400g of Heroin to Australia via Singapore to pay for his bad twin's debt.

Lesson: Don't do anything related with drugs in South East Asian countries. Most carry death penalty for trafficking and severe penalties for usage.

the end of email....

maybe not yet, but soon...
its all about wikis

check out one site: http://www.wikispaces.com/

I am just aching for an excuse to use it...

can you search for people in your photos?

now you can!

www.riya.com/

and google is rumoured to be buying it....

Talking about Darfur

"Fighting took place in Serguela (approx. 30 km west of Joghana) between SLA and the Falata tribe. The conflict was triggered on 3 Nov. when the SLA abducted two people belonging to the Falata tribe and demanded three million SD as ransom. The Falata, refusing to pay the money, subsequently attacked the SLA and succeed in releasing their people. "

You can read the weekly UN situational report on Darfur on this site.

Ah the Irony

"I am here in Hammamet, Tunisia for the World Summit on the Information Society. On many levels, it's lovely to be here -- beautiful, temperate, a gathering of all manner of interesting, public-spirited people from around the world who care about information and communications technologies. Inside the enormous function hall where the world's telecomms/technology regulators have gathered for the ITU's Global Symposium for Regulators, I'm on a terrific, open wi-fi network -- sort of.

But the Net that I'm on is not open. It is filtered, rather heavily. The method in which it is being filtered is hardly transparent. Try accessing http://www.tunezine.com from wherever you are reading this. I can't see that. Try http://anonymizer.com. Nope, I can't see that either. And what is accessible is changing, as I type: yesterday, one could access http://www.citizens-summit.org/. Today, no dice. Also blocked: everything on this site: http://www.stupidcensorship.com/." (John Palfrey)

UPDATE (Tom G) - Heh. I am in Tunis airport right now, using the WiFi here before departure. All those sites are blocked for me - and it is so lame, they use this fake "404" screen all written in French. Somebody should really organise a conference to sort out issues like this......

do you believe?

http://www.pentagonstrike.co.uk/flash.htm

conspiracy theory?

Monday, November 21, 2005

Brade Pitt joins the trade liberalization initiative

When not breaking hearts, making movies, or hiding from the media this Hollywood hero has committed to a different effort of recent, one that involves becoming a trade expert.

"Across the table, Steve Radelet from the Center for Global Development is running through the standard arguments on trade: comparative advantage, infant industry protection, import substitution. Pitt keeps writing it all down, looking like the journalism major he once was. Then he asks a question? "Shouldn't the argument be, what's not good enough for us is not good enough for them?" Pitt persists. "In the movie business, we can't burn toxic things when we film in the United States. So we go to Morocco and burn all the rubber tires we like when we're doing action scenes."

Hmm. The economist concedes that the actor has a point: Morocco's air quality matters. But if a poor country wants to attract Hollywood's business, maybe it has a right to relax environmental standards?

A little later, somebody remarks that the poor don't earn much from exports because the value is all in Western brands. Why do people pay for this ethereal thing called brand? "I'm a brand," Pitt interjects. "I ask myself this question."

From Washington Post via the World Bank blog.

The Economist' gems from their "World in 2006" edition

"French Jews are leaving the country in ever-growing numbers, fleeing a wave of anti-Semitism. They are moving to Israel, the United States, and increasingly, Montreal -- where the mostly English-speaking Jewish community is preparing for its greatest demographic change in decades. In the first of three stories, Mireille Silcoff examines the fear in France that is driving the emigration." (Canada.com)

The buzz in Nepal

"Thousands of pilgrims are pouring into the dense jungle of southern Nepal to worship a 15-year-old boy who has been hailed as a new Buddha.
Devotees claim that Ram Bomjon, who is silently meditating beneath a tree, has not eaten or drunk anything since he sat down at his chosen spot six months ago."
(Telegraph)

One thing for sure, he has a psychedelic hairdo.

If you think the snoring dude next to you is bad

" A French woman who is terrified of flying admitted in an Australian court Monday that she drunkenly tried to open an airplane door mid-flight to smoke a cigarette.

Sadrine Helene Sellies, 34, was placed on a good behavior bond after pleading guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court to endangering the safety of an aircraft." (CNN)

Top 20 geeks novel

1. The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams 85% (102)
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four -- George Orwell 79% (92)
3. Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley 69% (77)
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip Dick 64% (67)
5. Neuromancer -- William Gibson 59% (66)
6. Dune -- Frank Herbert 53% (54)
7. I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov 52% (54)
8. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov 47% (47)
9. The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett 46% (46)
10. Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland 43% (44)
11. Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson 37% (37)
12. Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons 38% (37)
13. Cryptonomicon -- Neal Stephenson 36% (36)
14. Consider Phlebas -- Iain M Banks 34% (35)
15. Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein 33% (33)
16. The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick 34% (32)
17. American Gods -- Neil Gaiman 31% (29)
18. The Diamond Age -- Neal Stephenson 27% (27)
19. The Illuminatus! Trilogy -- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson 23% (21)
20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham 21% (19)

(blog.guardian.co.uk)

Do you find your favourites here?

Discovering Sherlock Holmes

"Welcome to a new year in Stanford?s ongoing rediscovery of the 19th century. In 2006, we will rerelease a collection of Arthur Conan Doyle?s tales of Sherlock Holmes, just as they were originally printed and illustrated in The Strand Magazine." (Stanford.edu)

If you haven't read the complete short stories Sherlock Holmes as it was published on The Strand Magazine, soon you will have the chance.

The Chicago based Boeing is a making a killing on the Dubai air show with Emirate's (my favourite airline) spending 9.7 billion dollars on them.

Boeing also kick Airbus' ass for the year.

"Boeing and Airbus have recorded a doubling in airline contracts this year as travel increases and high oil costs spur demand for more fuel-efficient planes. As of Nov. 18, Boeing had 659 orders, compared with 494 for Airbus. Airbus, which is based in Toulouse, France, announced orders yesterday from Kuwait worth $2.9 billion at the Dubai show." (NYTimes)

Sunday, November 20, 2005

APEC leaders take aim at trade impasse, bird flu

The leaders of 21 Pacific Rim economies gathered on Friday to hammer out joint action to fight bird flu and shore up flagging talks on a global free trade pact, but regional tensions hung over their talks.

Security was tight before the opening of the two-day summit in South Korea's port city of Pusan, where activists promised protests by 100,000 people opposed variously to U.S. forces in South Korea, globalization, North Korea and trade liberalization.

Although dismissed by some as a toothless talking shop, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum is determined to make its voice heard from Pusan on global concerns, including corruption, the threat of terrorism and dealing with natural disasters. (article)

[I wrote one of the speeches used at last year's summit :)]

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Finally

"The world pledged a whopping $3.4 billion in new quake aid for Pakistan at a make-or-break donor conference Saturday, but aid groups warned that much of the promises were loans that will heap more debt on the impoverished country.
Pakistan nonetheless hailed the conference as a success, with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf thanking the nearly 80 attending nations and international agencies for "helping Pakistan in this hour of need." He said the gesture "will never be forgotten.""
(AP)

Friday, November 18, 2005

Cheap, Cheerful and Chinese?

China's overwhelming ambition is to become an economic superpower. Everything takes second place to this goal, not least the well-being of the people laboring toward it. They earn little and have even less say. Yet waves of willing workers continue to deluge the country's industrial regions.

The global factory is gearing up for a change of shift. The streets of Dongguan are still relatively deserted -- filled only by the rising heat and swirling dust. Trucks rattle along the multilane thoroughfares, thousands every hour. They keep the supplies coming for the plants that line the streets, mile after mile, like gigantic military compounds.
Then, suddenly, Dongguan explodes into life. It's the same bustling picture every day, morning and night: Workers, most of them women, stream in from every direction, with uniforms in every color of the rainbow. Laminated company IDs dangle from their necks -- IBM, Siemens, Nokia, Duracell, Sanyo -- to name but a few of the major international brands that have set up shop here.

(...)

Migrant workers or slave workers?

(...) At Tyco, a U.S. company across the street, the work is so grueling that after just three days on the job, four young women from Hunan packed their bags, grabbed their washing bowls and headed for the bus stop. "We're going home," one of them says, frantically counting out her fare.

The four women belong to the roughly 120 million migrants who have moved south from poverty-stricken rural provinces like Sichuan, Hunan or Guangxi in search of work. They were prepared to sacrifice their youth and health, but not under these conditions.

Their dream of a better future has vanished now, as has the 1,000 yuan they paid a job broker. They could have earned 800 yuan a month, including overtime, for soldering wires onto small circuit boards. "But the work is too hard, especially on the eyes," a young girl complains. The minimum working age in China is 16. Though she is underage, she was forced to labor like the adults. "The pace was too much," she says. (...)

(More under the follwing link:

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,385446,00.html )

responsible leadership blog...

in case some of you are into CSR, leadership and that kind of thing; you might want to check out http://responsibleleadership.myaiesec.net/

there are a variety of posts covering politics, CSR, media and all sorts...

please do leave comments, disagree or criticise!

George Bush toured Asia, starting in Japan and moving on to Seoul in South Korea for a regional summit before heading, at the end of the week, to China. In Seoul, Mr Bush and South Korea's president called for a formal peace treaty between the Koreans, but said the North would not be allowed to keep nuclear weapons.

China said it would officially commemorate the 90th anniversary of the birth of Hu Yaobang, who was purged in 1987. He remained popular with reformers and students, and his death in April 1989 led to the Tiananmen protests.

France calmed down after three weeks of riots in many of its deprived suburbs. Jacques Chirac spoke on television of the country's "profound malaise". The government extended the state of emergency it imposed last week, but also promised to improve life in the suburbs.

The CIA, which spent many years trying to murder Fidel Castro, has concluded that the Cuban leader, who is 79, has Parkinson's disease. Cuban officials made no comment.

Uganda's main opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, was arrested on charges of treason and rape three weeks after returning from exile but failed to appear in court for a bail hearing. The day before, at least one man was shot dead in riots by supporters protesting against his prosecution.

The European Court of Auditors refused, for the 11th consecutive year, to sign off the accounts for the European Union budget in 2005, citing irregularities and possible fraud in farm spending and regional aid. The European Commission said matters had improved since last year.

Google unveiled a prototype of Google Base, its new search facility that allows users to post their own information. Analysts viewed the move both as a foray into the lucrative classified advertising market and as a potential challenge to online auctioneers, such as eBay. See article

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Why a world State is inevitable

Quite fascinating read about global society.

Alexander Wendt teaches International Relations Theory and Philosophy of Science at Ohio State University.

Rugby World Cup 2011 Heads to New Zealand

Football, schmootball. When it come to real sports, rugby is where it's at. Over night, New Zealand has just won the rights to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, after beating out Japan and South Africa in a secret ballot held in Dublin.

A multi-billion-dollar pipeline carrying Russian gas under the Black Sea to Turkey is being officially opened in the Turkish port of Samsun. Ankara now sees the pipeline as a step towards becoming a key player on world energy markets. (article)

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Turkey 2006

Swizz goes to World Cup

OZ goes to World Cup

Australia finally qualifies for World Cup 2006.

Harvard Law Review is available for free online

http://harvardlawreview.org/

Liveblogging from the World Summit for the Information Society

If anyone is interested, I'll be updating the AIESEC International blog semi regularly live from the World Summit in Tunisia. Things are pretty cool so far, with the big potential "crisis" of the summit looking like it has been avoided before it even really began...

The business/civil society workshops I have been to so far have been great. Its just so awesome to see how much cool stuff is being done at a grassroots level, some really funky shit with IT enabled development efforts all over the place.

Tonight I will be at the launch of MIT Media Lab's super dooper incredible "100 Dollar Laptop". This is a really incredible project that has the potential to be a major disruptive technological development for the world, and word has it that they will actually be showing off working models of it this evening. Can't wait.

Anyhow, ai.myaiesec.net is the place to be if you want updates...

Mascots For The Beijing Games

The Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad ? Beijing 2008 (BOCOG) has launched the five official mascots for the Beijing Games at a gala show, in the Chinese capital, held to mark the 1,000-day countdown to the Opening Ceremony of the Games.

My favorite is YingYing.

Stalking your favourites celebrity

is easier now thanks to this Google Map hacks.

http://www.uploading.com ; free file uploading service.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Fox or Chavez... who is right?

FIRST ROUND

"Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has described his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox, as a puppy dog for United States imperialism.

Mr Chavez said Mr Fox had, as he put it, been left bleeding from last week's Summit of the Americas.

At the meeting, the US and Mexico were unable to win backing for a resumption of talks on a regional trade pact.
They faced opposition from five of the 34 countries attending, among them Venezuela and the host, Argentina.
The other 29 nations - including Mexico - said they wanted to resume talks on a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in 2006.

Speaking before an audience of supporters and businessmen in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, Mr Chavez said: "How sad that the president of a people like the Mexicans lets himself become the puppy dog of the empire."

Earlier, Mexico and Argentina agreed to end their own row over the Summit of the Americas.
Mr Fox - a conservative who has been close to Washington on trade issues - had accused left-wing President Nestor Kirchner of being a poor host only interested in his domestic political support.

But Mr Kirchner replied: "Mr Fox should worry about Mexico and let me take care of Argentine matters".

---
ROUND TWO

On Sunday, Mr Chavez accused the Mexican leader of disrespecting him and warned: "Don't mess with me sir, because you'll come out pricked."

Mexico said the comments "strike at the dignity of the Mexican people" and demanded a formal apology from Venezuela or severing diplomatic ties.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez called the demand "unjustifiable" and ordered the immediate return of ambassador Vladimir Villegas.

Moments after Mr Rodriguez' announcement, Mr Fox told CNN en Espanol that Mexico's ambassador would be ordered back from Venezuela."

(BBC)

WSIS TUNISIA: Informal Discussions to Start in Tunis Tomorrow

Two-day preliminary discussions on the process, content and themes of the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Tunis, Tunisia from 16 to 18 November 2005, are due to start tomorrow in the Tunisian capital.

World leaders, technology leaders and campaigners are in Tunisia for a UN summit intended to help poorer nations benefit from the digital revolution and discuss about Accelerating Digital Inclusion, Transforming Education Through ICT, Growing Economic Vitality Through Local IT Industries, Bridging The Broadband Digital Divide.

Click Here to see the workshop programme.

Two months after Germany's inconclusive election, the proposed "grand coalition", with Angela Merkel as chancellor, has been approved by the country's three main parties. But their programme of government is an awkward compromise and may fail to revive Europe's largest economy.

The United States signed a three-year textile-trade deal with China that limits its imports on 34 categories of products. The EU reached a similar agreement with China during the summer. A dispute has been rumbling since January 1st, when World Trade Organisation rules lifting barriers to entry on Chinese clothes came into effect, causing a surge in imports.

Trade negotiators have been forced to admit they are unlikely to reach substantial agreement at a supposedly crucial meeting in Hong Kong next month. The quest for liberalisation seems to be stalling everywhere, thanks largely to quarrels over sensitive areas like agriculture. But the Doha round is not dead yet.

The euro fell to a two-year low against the dollar. Trading in the currency was affected by a plea from European finance ministers to the European Central Bank not to raise interest rates. But the rioting in France also knocked confidence in the euro. Some analysts suggest the events may damage Nicolas Sarkozy, the minister responsible for law and order, who is regarded as a market-friendly possible future president. (The Economist)

Monday, November 14, 2005

Doing the 4K thang in 2005

AIESEC has realised 4000 exchanges in a year, for the first time in a decade.....

Nomadlife Around The World

Being as how we're literally scattered about the globe, I thought it would be a fun idea if people would take a picture(s) with the word "Nomadlife" somewhere in it and post it to this site. It can be on your t-shirt at a nice beach, scribbled on the forehead of a friend who had too much to drink at the local pub, on top of a mountain you just scaled, next to that cute air hostess in Sofia, or on the perfunctory streets of the city where you live. I think it would make for an interesting collage and pay homage to the living diversity represented by your posts each and everyday, even if that diversity includes the likes of Devrim Leonard. Drop a comment somewhere on this blog if you have a picture to contribute, and we'll either grant you user access or post it for ya.

Come check it out at AroundTheWorld (http://atw.nomadlife.org). I put the first picture up, so you don't have to feel embarrassed (I'm sure anything else you post will be better in comparison;))

Real Time Flight Tracking services

Here's a list of flight tracking services when you are picking somebody up at the airport.

Dalai Lama does Washington

This is a picture from his recent visit to Washington D.C. wearing a baseball cap given to him by one of the audience. Now that is cool (+2 coolness factor). On the other hand, he eats tofu (-3)

Don't muck with Chuck!

Top 30 random Chuck Norris facts.

Bird flu 'out of control' in Chinese province...

This is the latest from the New Scientist:

The Chinese government says the spread of the deadly H5N1 bird flu in one of its provinces is not under control and has warned of a potential disaster there. There have been three fresh outbreaks of the avian virus in the north-eastern province of Liaoning in 24 hours, and a new suspected human infection.

There have been six outbreaks in the past month in China and the government has responded with mass culls of poultry. The most recent outbreaks, which killed about 1100 chickens, prompted the authorities to cull 670,000 poultry in the areas affected, and place 116 people in quarantine.....

Sunday, November 13, 2005

if you read one thing this weekend, read this...

Waging war on terror abroad and on freedom at home

A truly insightful article analysing the impacts of the current British and American policies on reducing freedoms at home. Interesting points include:

-free speech, the checks and balances system etc all leads to MORE effective wars, not less effective wars... 3 people making decisions in private make more errors than an entire nation debating publicyl!
-Not only does torture at home reduce respect from abroad it never leads to valid confessions anyway!
-Giving a president extra power in wartime is ok, if the war will be over in a few years (eg. civil war, World Wars), but not the current one...
-We're supposed to be fighting theocratic enemies, yet are becoming more like one ourselves (note, UK's new proposed laws)
-The courts and parliaments are not threats to the war but a critical part of making it work. Freedom dies by increments and a freedom-loving people must be especially vigilant in war-time.

Thankfully Blair's ridiculous proposed law to hold someone for 90 days without making a single charge has failed to be approved.

and finally, how can any government justifying interning its own citizen for 3 years and STILL not make a single charge?

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Btw, France is still burning

It's been 16 nights and the riot is still going. Reuter has more details.

cheesy recipes

Make your own home made Cheese. Yum.

R.I.P Peter Drucker

The father of modern business management has passed away.

Send e-mail to the future?

Most time capsules involve cramming stuff into a metal box and burying it in a hole in the ground. It's a method that works --but it's so primitive. What if you could write an email to yourself, and beassured of receiving it twenty years in the future? Read More............

Friday, November 11, 2005

Drinking 321.18 cans of Cherry Coke

in one day will kill me.

Find out your rate of death by Caffeine here.

Africa's First Madam President

"Africa is set to get its first-ever elected female Head of State as Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf seems unbeatable in Liberia's run-off presidential polls. As 90 percent of the votes are counted, Ms Sirleaf still stands at almost 60 percent" (afrol news)

TGIF

249
"
Wild Nights-Wild Nights!
Were I with thee
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!

Futile-the Winds-
To a heart in port-
Done with the Compass-
Done with the Chart!

Rowing in Eden-
Ah, the Sea!
Might I but moor-Tonight-
In Thee!
"
(Emily Dickinson)

One way to sell a house

Buy the house (600K) and it comes with a bride

http://www.housewithbride.com/

I wonder if someone has already come up with Huts with Brides/Groooms for a cheaper alternative, just like Tee's apartment in Shanghai already comes with Devrim included.

What's better than Red Bulls + Vodka

Apparently Starbucks + Vodka.

This blog asserts that one Starbucks Grande Coffee contains 550mg of caffeine compared to 80mg contained in each Red Bulls.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

free listening

Check out http://www.pandora.com, a slick and smart web music player that will stream any artist songs to your desktop (and it's free).

China scrambles for Tamiflu

As worries about bird flu increase, China has quickened the pace to secure supplies of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, and an Australian scientist speculates that a vaccine might be available soon, but warns that no one should underestimate the danger the disease presents. (article)

777 breaks the longest non-stop flying

by a commercial flight by flying from Hong Kong to London (11,664 nautical miles (21,601 km) during its 22-hour 42-minute flight)

the need for speed

"On an August morning in 1978, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive him at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris. [...] Upon showing the film in public for the first time, Lelouch was arrested. He has never revealed the identity of the driver, and the film went underground until a DVD release a few years ago." "

Download the file here.

It's awesome.

freedom.nomadlife.org

Congratulations to my main man Tamer, who has just scored himself an exemption from military service in Egypt. This means that instead of crawling around in the desert getting his ass kicked for the next year, Tamer will be enjoying the wonderful, awful freedom to do whatever, including being an awesome MCP of AIESEC Egypt. Go Tamer!

This also means Tamer will be able to make it to IPM 2006 in The Netherlands. See you here, man :)

"Ashraf Mohamed al-Akhras and his bride Nadia al-Alami (C) pose with their fathers during their wedding reception at Radisson SAS hotel in the center of Amman, November 9 2005. Both the bride and groom lost their fathers during the bombing. (Issa Abu Othman/Reuters) "

give the kids what they want:)

and what they want (and need) is an entrepreneurial attitude...check out this nice online game ... co-developed with disney.

Global Sex Survey

So, if you're an overprotective parent, move to Vietnam. If you need some extra attention, go to London. Men, if you're concerned about your performance, Chinese women might not be your best bet. Ladies, if you hate taking the pill, you might like a Brazilian. Or a Swede.When it comes to unplanned pregnancies, the worry warts come from Hong Kong, Poland, and Serbia Montenegro. And as for who's getting lucky the most...leave it to the French.

Durex Global Sex Survey 2004

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

50 Greatest Indie films

How many of them have you watched?

Red Alert

Yesterday::
"The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said Wednesday that Chinese police have warned that Islamic extremists might be planning to attack luxury hotels in China over the next week.The U.S. warning, posted on the embassy's Web site, urged Americans visiting Chinese four- and five-star hotels to "review their plans carefully, remain vigilant with regard to their personal security, and exercise caution."" (AZCentral)

Today::
"An explosion has hit a major hotel in the Jordanian capital, Amman, reportedly causing many casualties.
The blast shook the Grand Hyatt, says the BBC's Caroline Hawley, who was inside the packed hotel at the time." (BBC)

The hotels attacked are Grand Hyatt, Radisson, and Days Inn.

Transparency International awarded their annual Integrity Award (as pictured above) to three people from Indonesia, Senegal and Israel. TI is an international NGO that's committeed to combatting corruption around the world.

10 web moments

that changed the world.

Star technology closer to realisation

Current ambassador of Japan to Croatia, Mr Kaname Ikeda, has been designated as Director General Nominee for the prospective ITER Organisation which will build and manipulate the ITER machine in Cadarache, France.

ITER is the experimental step between today?s studies of plasma physics and tomorrow's electricity-producing fusion power plants. It is based around a hydrogen plasma torus operating at over 100 million �C, and will produce 500 MW of fusion power. It is an international project involving The People's Republic of China, the European Union and Switzerland (represented by Euratom), Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America, under the auspices of the IAEA. It is technically ready to start construction and the first plasma operation is expected in 2016.

The Parties discussed the possibility of accession by India to ITER. All Parties expressed positive views on this possibility and encouraged India to take the next step towards accession. With the possible accession of India, countries representing more than half of the world?s population would become part of this unique project to help secure the world?s future needs for energy.

President Chirac of France visited the ITER construction site on 30th June, 2005.
"This project is essential for our future and the future of the planet", he declared in front of 1500 invited guests.

European Commissionier for Science and Research, Janez Poto?nik, visited the ITER construction site on 3rd July, 2005.
"Iter is not just a large international research project but has great importance for this region, for the EU and for the whole world," Mr Poto?nik said.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

What makes you chill, kills you

"Hookah smoking, the latest alternative habit to cigarette smoking, is found to be more harmful users' health then originally thought." (more)

The Ideal Custom Agents

"This is where I notice the first difference. The Israeli border guard/customs agent force is 99% women... and beautiful. Not the last time I note the beauty of the women.Our questioning at the passport check was more like a speed date than any sort of intelligence gathering. Skip ahead an hour and we're sitting pretty in Eilat with 3 tickets to Jerusalem." (MixMaster)

Cold War Espionage

""The result was the most monumental non-nuclear explosion and fire ever seen from space," he recalls, adding that U.S. satellites picked up the explosion. Reed said in an interview that the blast occurred in the summer of 1982." (msnbc)

France to impose curfews

France will impose curfews under a state-of-emergency law and call up police reservists to stop rioting that has spread out of Paris' suburbs and into nearly 300 cities and towns across the country, the prime minister said Monday, calling a return to order "our No. 1 responsibility."

Rioting across the country left 1,173 cars burned in 226 towns overnight Monday-Tuesday, figures that showed the intensity of violence had decreased from the previous night, police said Tuesday. Vandals burned 1,408 cars overnight Sunday-Monday and attacks were reported in nearly 300 towns.

Asked on TF1 television whether the army should be brought in, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said, "We are not at that point."

But nearly 600 people were in custody Monday night, and fast-track trials were being used to punish rioters.

France's biggest Muslim fundamentalist organization, the Union for Islamic Organizations of France, issued a religious decree against the violence. It prohibited all those "who seek divine grace from taking part in any action that blindly strikes private or public property or can harm others."

The first fatality was identified as 61-year-old Jean-Jacques Le Chenadec. He was trying to extinguish a trash can fire Friday at his housing project in the northeastern Paris suburb of Stains when an attacker caught him by surprise and beat him into a coma, police said.
"They have to stop this stupidity," his widow, Nicole, told Associated Press Television News of the rioting. "It's going nowhere." more

new Browser Flock

There is a new browser being built off of the Mozilla browser and is called Flock
It has some pretty cool features thought people might be interested ... cheers

Crusin' in Shanghai

Shanghai will receive an injection of Hollywood glitz in November when Tom Cruise arrives to shoot "Mission Impossible 3", the latest in this blockbuster action series. Paramount, the studio producing the movie, is expected to spend $10m of the film's reported $150m budget in China. Exact dates and locations of filming have not been revealed, but whatever happens is likely to cause mayhem. When Mr Cruise shot a speedboat sequence recently in Rome, the city's water traffic had to be shut down. Time will tell how Shanghai responds to Mr Cruise driving a motorcycle loaded with guns through crowded downtown streets, as is planned.

Also appearing in the film are Laurence Fishburne, Keri Russell and Maggie Q, a Hong Kong actress. Due for release in America next May, "Mission Impossible 3" will probably be available from Shanghai's bootleggers just days after, and at a fraction of the price. (economist)

Monday, November 07, 2005

Terrorism near miss in Australia?

Looks like Australia might have narrowly avoided a big one.......As an Aussie I don't know whether to be relieved or incredibly worried about this:

"We believe ... we've disrupted a large-scale operation which, had it been allowed to go through to fruition, we certainly believe would have been catastrophic," New South Wales Police Commissioner Ken Moroney told Australian television.

Story is still breaking, not a lot of detail yet....Can US/Asia peeps keep this post updated while I sleep tonight?

(DG edit)

"He also said the group was involved in military training and were planning a weekend in Ocean Grove, south-west of Melbourne. Four of the Melbourne members had visited the Sydney cell and trained with them, the court heard. Police said they had recorded 240 hours of conversations discussing military jihad and martyrdom. In the Sydney raids, police said they seized computers, firearms, travel documents and "unidentified substances" from homes in Lakemba, Belmore, Wiley Park, Greenacre, Illawong, Punchbowl, Hoxton Park, Belfield, Bankstown and Kemps Creek."(Sydney Morning Herald)

Facts:

The arrests is only possible after Australian senata pass an amendent to criminal code law three days ago.
These arrests conducted after 18 months of surveillance on the groups. There are two cell, one in Melbourne and another in Sydney.
17 people were arrested. All of them are Australian citizen.
One suspect is in critical condition after he was shot by the police. He fired first.
A Muslim preacher, Abdul Nacer Benbrika, is accused as head of the Melbourne cell and a spiritual leader of the Sydney cell.
The accused plot is of bombing, similar to Madrid and London.
"Police suspect the chemicals were intended as ingredients for triacetone tiperoxide or TATP, a highly volatile crystal explosive used by Palestinian suicide bombers in Israel and chosen for the backpack bombs that killed 52 people and injured more than 700 in the London Tube and bus bombings on July 7. " (The Australian)

150,000 people flooded the street of Casablanca to protest Al-Qaeda's decision to kill two Moroccan embassy employees in Iraq. More from Lebanon Daily Star.

We should do something like this :)

Gory burger posters target young

Gory images of burger rolls filled with bones and gristle are to appear across the UK to shock children into improving their diets and help fight obesity. (article)

Sunday, November 06, 2005

how to make a bomb...

Al Qaeda woos recruits with nuclear bomb-making website that has attracted over 57,000 hits...

do you fear Google?

This New York times articles wonders if there is anyone that should not fear google, who's current and future offerings could affect businesses from etate agents, to retailers, to telecomms companies..

eg. Search engines, combined with other technologies, have the potential to drive comparison shopping down to the shelf-by-shelf level. Cellphone makers, for example, are looking at the concept of a "shopping phone" with a camera that can read product bar codes. The phone could connect to databases and search services and, aided by satellite technology, reveal that the flat-screen TV model in front of you is $200 cheaper at a store five miles away.

knocked hoff my feet

Blinded by the sun I hadn't seen in hours, I nearly bit the dust as I exited the hell they call the library. No, it wasn't the smooth, cemented path subtly attemping my demise in front of millions.
It was a bumble bee yellow shirt, with a dark printed silouette. There it was, staring me right in the face. Curly hair, manly features, and covered in leather... it glowed with stunning charisma and implied rapier wit. Right there, waiting for me. I knew it could be no other.

It was The Hoff.

Spotted: American University in Cairo, Downtown Cairo, Egypt.

No camera available to capture the splendor or the look on my face.

partie deux de revolution de la France ?

"The attacks came as the French authorities said they were determined to stop the unrest.
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy warned of stiffer jail sentences for arsonists following Friday's damage.

More than 900 vehicles have been set on fire since Saturday, as incidents were reported in Nice, Lille, Marseille and Dijon as well as in the Paris area. " (bbc)

From bad to worse.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

body sushi

"The River North restaurant began offering the $500 all-you-can-eat dinner special in its private lounge about two weeks ago by word of mouth. Customers must make reservations in advance, and there is a four-person minimum." (Chicago Sun Times)

I'm tempted to give this a try :) Have anyone been to sushi dinner like this ?

Great collection of alterna-iPods

I got a few chuckles over this page of mock signature model iPods.

Friday, November 04, 2005

thanks Canada. http://www.bananaguard.com/

Paris is still burning

"A disabled person was badly burned in an attack on a city bus and more than four hundred cars were torched during an eighth night of rioting in Paris suburbs." (Guardian)

On a larger scale, this is bad news for Turkey's effort to join EU. This event will no doubt horrifies a good chunks of European population of letting a large and majority Muslim country into their club. Sure, it's unfair for Turkey to be negatively affected for the failure of France, but that's what will happen.

What can I do with Flashmob Computing?

So I know flashmobbing proper is a little passe, but this twist is genius. THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF THE SUPERCOMPUTER.

"Could we convince enough people to bring their conventional computers to a single location in order to build a temporary supercomputer, one that could compete with the fastest and most expensive computers in the world? Since its inception in February of this year, the idea of FlashMob Computing transformed from a challenge to a new paradigm for enabling any group of people to pool together computing power for the purpose of working on scientific problems of interest to them. Unlike traditional supercomputers, which are expensive and not accessible to the general public, a FlashMob supercomputer is temporary, made up of ordinary computers, and is built to work on a specific problem. We set out to prove, through an elaborate experiment, that instant supercomputing is viable."

"In today's world of big iron supercomputing most of us have no say in what supercomputers do. Mostly supercomputers are used for studying nuclear weapons. And if you don't like that, too bad. You have no say. You can now decide what to use a supercomputer for. So if you want to study global warming or the hole in the ozone layer you can do that with a flashmob computer. If you want to study breast cancer or AIDS, you can do that. If you want to see the effects of pollution on an animal species, you can do that. ... But most importantly, with flashmob computing you now have a say in how supercomputers are used."

And here's how it was actually used to solve a previously unsolvable anthrax infection problem.

Get ready for the LIVE experience...

Not too long after Google announced it's mega-partnership with Sun, Microsoft hits back with its biggest and probably most impressive response to date... Windows Live, Office Live & X-Box Live.
Microsoft Live! Developers blog

The concept is amazing!! Props to the MS team.. they've got a good thing going. I've been hooked to their beta interface for 40 minutes now, playing around with all the settings and options!

M/s Page and Brinn, we are waiting for round 2 to begin!!

Thursday, November 03, 2005

eid mubarak

Selamat Lebaran, minal aidin wal faizin! (Indonesian style)

"Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: ??? ?????) : often abbreviated as simply Eid, marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. Fitr means to break and therefore symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period and of all evil habits. On the day of the celebration, a typical Muslim family gets up very early and attends special prayers held only for the occasion in big mosques, in large open areas, stadiums or arenas. The festivities and merriment start after the prayers with visits to the homes of friends and relatives and thanking the Creator for all blessings. Eid is a time to come together as a community and to renew friendship and family ties. This is a time for peace for all Muslims in the world to devote to prayers and mutual well-being. "(wikipedia)

work in progress

You might have noticed several errors (your mileage might vary) on nomadlife weblogs in the past few days. Sorry, I've been doing some performance tuning works in the background and running all sort of tests in the machine which can cause these problems.

The cheapo little machine behind nomadlife is serving an average 2 millions page hits everday on all the weblogs now (either from visitors or the bazillion search engine bots crawling our weblogs); with proper care, this little baby can serve around 8-10 millions pages everyday no sweat.

nomadfest

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

I was in the Pool! I was in the Pool!

Oh, Europe, will you ever cease to amaze us?

73,000 dead

is the new official tally released yesterday for the casualties of the Khasmir earthquake. Every day this natural disaster get even worse than initially thought and there's not enough international aids coming for the rescue, unlike the torrent of aids coming for the Christmas Tsunami of 2004.

Paris burning 2

The riot in one Parisian suburb has spread into nearby eight suburbs. The riot has been going on for six days now.

Man, this is fucked up.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Diwali Murabak

Diwali Candles
Originally uploaded by MelT..

Another AIESECer in Afghanistan..

Doris from Germany recently replaced Mike (UK) as AIESEC Afghanistan's next CEED. She blogs about her experiences here: http://dodo.nomadlife.org/

turning evil

I'm experimenting with google ads right now on this blog, as you might notice at the top of the header and at the bottom of each comment. I'm curious what kind of stuff Google thinks is relevant to this community.

I'll give it a 30 days run and see what happen; it'll go away in December.

Update: bleh. screw the experiment. It's just been 10 hours and those ads start to annoy the hell out of me. Removed !!

What should I do with the 66 cents generated so far?

New 7 Wonders of the World

The commonly-known Seven Ancient Wonders of the World were all man-made monuments, selected by Philon of Byzantium in 200 BC. His choice was essentially a travel guide for fellow Athenians, and the stunning sites were all located around the Mediterranean basin, the then-known world.

The monuments he chose, to be remembered in perpetuity, were:
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Temple of Artemis
The Statue of Zeus
The Colossus of Rhodes
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
The Pyramids of Egypt

All had been built between 2500 BC and 200 BC. But today, only the Pyramids at Giza remain.

Now, just as Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in 1896, with his modern version of the competition, N7W Founder Bernard Weber is seeking to revive the concept of the Seven Worldwide Wonders with this massive global campaign, the New 7 Wonders of the World. The major difference is that, this time around, they will not be chosen by one man, but by millions of people all over the world.

They will be the people?s choice, and they will be drawn from the earliest time that Man walked on Earth up to the year 2000. It is therefore possible that the only survivor of the original Wonders, the Pyramids in Giza, could be chosen and re-confirmed for a second time!

You can vote here.

Paris burning

"Sarkozy, addressing police officers, vowed to find how tear gas had been fired into the Muslim place of worship, an incident which had helped fuel the disturbances.
Youths hurled rocks and set fire to cars in the northeastern Clichy-sous-Bois suburb of the French capital, where many immigrants and poor families live in high-rise housing estates notorious for youth violence." (CNN)

sabim posted a photo:

(shot with analogue Canon AE-1)

Put your picture here

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:44:24 GMT