Christmas is just about over. Quite boring to say the least. I have spent most of my time talking to Nikki, reading the motorcycle diaries by Ernestro 'che' Guevara and watching various bits of rubbish on tv.
Lately iv taken up shouting at Canadians on ice. I mean ice hockey. Mainly Nottingham panthers. They are pretty good. Ever hated Sheffield steelers beat them in over time at Sheffield when I saw them last with Nikki.
Killing chavs game is still in working iv been distracted by something else so its on hold but still in working.
I ripped it with linux... I edited it with windows
I wanted to get a clip of a tv show for friends so I recorded the show on a dvd recorder. I'v never really bothed with the recorder much, sky plus does all the work. Anyways I had a dvd of the show in HQ. Wondering how I could get the dvd to a .avi format I looked for a program on the windows platform and found a whole load of rubbish, poorly designed, buggy and slow programs. It just so happens that there is a program package on (k)ubuntu called Acidrip although its not really a ripper its a program that uses another program such as MEncoder to encode frames. But it gets the job done and the interface is well designed.
I wanted to use power director to cut the file up on windows. But it didn't like the fmp4 codec so I had to use windows movie maker, argh. That pile of crap in Accessories somewhere on the start menu.
I don't really know a video editor for linux. Maybe I should look for one next time
I wanted to use power director to cut the file up on windows. But it didn't like the fmp4 codec so I had to use windows movie maker, argh. That pile of crap in Accessories somewhere on the start menu.
I don't really know a video editor for linux. Maybe I should look for one next time
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DnH500 toon: not so christmas special
New cartoon, my biggest and the best. Its got santa, drinking, dancing, plenty of music and a cowboy. What more could you want?
Load it from here.
Load it from here.
Nottingham
Yesterday ben and I went to nottingham on the train just to go to the dropkick murphy / less than jake gig. Was pretty amazing. Support was the living end. Who were good.
This is a video I took at the gig
New Project
For my next flash game. An improved Killing chavs game.
Go to the games blog at killingchavs.blogspot.com
Go to the games blog at killingchavs.blogspot.com
Upgrade or stick with DapperDrake?
I don't know if to upgrade or just stick with the already pretty good dapper drake. I don't really fancy installing the usb modem all over again.
On the edgy release notes it states that you can upgrade from 6.10 by:
Which doesn't work for me...
The apt-get method is probably the only way to go
On the edgy release notes it states that you can upgrade from 6.10 by:
If you want to upgrade from 6.06 LTS to 6.10, run the following command (either via ALT-F2 or a terminal):
gksu "update-manager -c"The "-c" switch instructs Update Manager to look for upgrades at all. By default the 6.06 LTS release will not offer that automatically because of its long support cycle and high stability.
Which doesn't work for me...
The apt-get method is probably the only way to go
Slow day
Today I just re-coving from last nights beer festival. I had some honey stout and some pumpkin ale. Overall it was good.
My beer keeps poping the lid of the fermenter up. Its got to be good stuff. I already got a keg ready on Friday from town.
By-The-Way: Chris is alive. He has not run off or dead. Just indoors. :P as the picture shows.
My beer keeps poping the lid of the fermenter up. Its got to be good stuff. I already got a keg ready on Friday from town.
By-The-Way: Chris is alive. He has not run off or dead. Just indoors. :P as the picture shows.
My first brew with hops
Today I made some beer. Funny sentence.
I'm using a coppers stout kit with some added hops and malt. Following "joy of home brewing" by Charlie Papazian cushlomachree stout recipe.
I'm using a coppers stout kit with some added hops and malt. Following "joy of home brewing" by Charlie Papazian cushlomachree stout recipe.
On the right you can see the amazingly complex Australian instructions on which end to open.
This is the malt extract kit I used as a base.
This is the malt extract kit I used as a base.
The main Hop I used is the Cascade for boiling then the Willamette to finish. The malt I used is a crushed roasted barley (seen below with cascade hops) 
It all should be done in 21 days. 5 days till I put it all into a keg.
Well tomorrow I have to go to a beer festival. What a shame (over sarcastic).
Cooking Richard style:
It all should be done in 21 days. 5 days till I put it all into a keg.Well tomorrow I have to go to a beer festival. What a shame (over sarcastic).
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Rainy day...
I decided to do a rather more personal post compared to most posts on here. Its been raining for a while now and the only thing on tv is snooker.A few things to tell is that I'm really enjoying using firefox 2. Lots of features I like but I love the spell checker and improved search bar/box. The innovation simply makes IE7 look like its from stone age. Its good to see Firefox 3 and 4 are in the works. If you want to install Firefox 2 on ubuntu now then you should try out this script. I had no problems.
My beer ingredients arrived.
I should be making some beer tomorrow. I'm planning on making some stout that's like the Murphy's Irish stout for Christmas. It will be something to do.
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South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut (the whole movie)
My favourite quotes from movies/tv
Caddyshack
Ty Webb: You take drugs, Danny?
Danny Noonan: Every day.
Ty Webb: Good. Then what's your problem?
Danny Noonan: I don't know.
Black books
Manny: Is space hot?
Bernard: Of course it is, where do you think we get pineapples from?
Goodfellas
Henry Hill: [narrating] One day the kids from the neighborhood carried my mother's groceries all the way home. You know why? It was outta respect.
The Godfather
Don Corleone: Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.
The Godfather
Don Corleone: I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.
The Godfather
Don Corleone: Never let anyone outside the family know what you're thinking.
The Godfather: Part II
Michael Corleone: There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
The Godfather: Part II
Santino: Your country ain't your blood. Remember that.
The Godfather: Part II
Michael Corleone: If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it is that you can kill anyone.
Ty Webb: You take drugs, Danny?
Danny Noonan: Every day.
Ty Webb: Good. Then what's your problem?
Danny Noonan: I don't know.
Black books
Manny: Is space hot?
Bernard: Of course it is, where do you think we get pineapples from?
Goodfellas
Henry Hill: [narrating] One day the kids from the neighborhood carried my mother's groceries all the way home. You know why? It was outta respect.
The Godfather
Don Corleone: Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.
The Godfather
Don Corleone: I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.
The Godfather
Don Corleone: Never let anyone outside the family know what you're thinking.
The Godfather: Part II
Michael Corleone: There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
The Godfather: Part II
Santino: Your country ain't your blood. Remember that.
The Godfather: Part II
Michael Corleone: If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it is that you can kill anyone.
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout
This version of guinness is 7.5%It has a very strong taste. Roasted malts and coffee.
Did not like it as much as the special export (bottle on the right) which might I add is amazing.
Im not a beer reviewer so ill get stright to it... 2 of these your light headed.
Dont have much to say about the beer really. If you like Guinness extra/original you will most likely like the rich taste of this stout.
I found it in sainsburys... if anyone cares to find it.
Rating: Good drink just not as good as special export
As you can see am a professional at rating beer
Overall: Good.
If anyone has anything to add then your welcome to...
sidenote: I'm running out of guinness to review!
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Guinness special export
Found this one in the mallard from ben. I been drinking it for a bit now.Brewed in Éire sold in Belgium found in a local pub... on bottle of course.
Ben took a picture in the pub with flash, which scared everyone there. (not the picture in the left. Ill add it when I get it.)
Comes in a small bottle at 8%. Tastes like Guinness Original/Extra Stout but has a more rich taste to it. This is more like an imperial stout. Very strong. Definitely my favourite beer.
Rating: I couldn't remember walking home
As you can see am a professional at rating beer
Overall: Amazing
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Greene king: The beer to dine for
Had an idea last night when I banged my head. Ill start to keep a log of all the beer I find. Why not? I know am not a member of Campaigning for Real Ale but I must drink a few different ones now.This one was given to me by mark. It’s English Pale Mild Ale. It’s got a weird name but its ok once you drink it.
Comes in 750ml bottle (an alcoholic sized bottle, so its good already, for me at least.) 5% too. Made in Suffolk but the hops are from Washington state and Oregon. Pretty far to go don’t you think.
Sorry about the picture. Someone drank it!
Rating: was ok
As you can see am a professional at rating beer
Overall: Easy drinking. Goes down well.
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Browser test
Firefox:
The Top CSS menu has the courners nicely rounded off and the menus look fine.
IE6:
Well What can I say most of the page looks fine. Bit bold around the bored but hey its fine. Uhm about the menu... where does it say this blog is designed for IE anyway?
Opera:
Everything looks fine to me.
Konqueror:
The KDE browser does nothing much wrong.
Elinks:
One of the many linux terminal browsers. I had no problems reading posts on this.
I want to take this further sometime and really get down to some CSS and even use IE7.
The Top CSS menu has the courners nicely rounded off and the menus look fine.
IE6:
Opera:
Everything looks fine to me.
Konqueror:
The KDE browser does nothing much wrong.
Elinks:
One of the many linux terminal browsers. I had no problems reading posts on this.
I want to take this further sometime and really get down to some CSS and even use IE7.
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Black and Whites in photoshop
Turning a colour image into a black and white is possible with the 'grayscale' mode or 'desaturate' adjustment. The only problem is that they don't create good results. You can of course play with the 'levels'.
Working with the channels in 'calculations' gives you a good result. There are 3 colour channels. Red, where all the contrast information is. Green, where all the detail is kept. Blue, when working with black and whites is where all the unwanted stuff is such as grain. Getting rid of the blue will create a much nicer image. This is how you do it:
Heres the image I am going to be using.
'Calculations' can be found in the 'image' menu. In Source 1: you use the green channel. In Source 2: you use the red channel.
Depending on the image and the effect you want you can play with the blending modes. I am wanting a darker image with contrast so I am using the multiply at 90% opacity.
Note: If your going to set it to result as a new channel your going to have to greyscale the image and select the new channel to save.
The finished result:
The image is much better than the normal grayscale:
You can always play around with 'calculations' tool till you get the result you want.
Working with the channels in 'calculations' gives you a good result. There are 3 colour channels. Red, where all the contrast information is. Green, where all the detail is kept. Blue, when working with black and whites is where all the unwanted stuff is such as grain. Getting rid of the blue will create a much nicer image. This is how you do it:
Heres the image I am going to be using.
'Calculations' can be found in the 'image' menu. In Source 1: you use the green channel. In Source 2: you use the red channel.
Depending on the image and the effect you want you can play with the blending modes. I am wanting a darker image with contrast so I am using the multiply at 90% opacity.
Note: If your going to set it to result as a new channel your going to have to greyscale the image and select the new channel to save.
The finished result:
The image is much better than the normal grayscale:
You can always play around with 'calculations' tool till you get the result you want.
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Benefits of a blog
I been thinking... Whats the point in a blog.
Heres what I came up with
Heres what I came up with
- Insult people
- To remind you of things
- links... If your like me with sites/flash/pictures all over the web. It kinda helps to have them all in one place. Plus I forget urls a lot.
- Stalkers! You know who you are!
- Lists... Blogs need lots of them
- Pictures! everyone loves pictures
- Pointless Rubbish... like the above stuff you just read
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Updates, updates and more updates
Sorted out a few things. A few bugs in the page when I view in IE. But I not too bothered about them.
List of all this rubbish:
List of all this rubbish:
- New banner
- Less crap on the menu
- Links updated... new blogs by arna and sonja
- Cartoon list updated
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Browse Like a Pirate in Firefox
Being talk like a pirate day I thought this would pretty much fit in. The greesemonkey script alters text to pirate talk.
greasemonkey.makedatamakesense.com/browse_li...
greasemonkey.makedatamakesense.com/browse_li...
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Bye bye msn live hello Amsn (windows)
Lately it’s just not working for me. Signing on takes 2 or more trys. The web cam feature will not work full stop. Constantly signing off. It’s just useless.
The last time I tried amsn on windows was a while ago. I didn't really think much to it at first. I was already using it on ubuntu and it worked well on the linux platform. I like a lot of the skins, the web cam feature just works and there is a lot of possible customising options. Not to mention no annoying adverts.
Hopefully Amsn wont fail me on windows...
links:
Amsn homepage
The last time I tried amsn on windows was a while ago. I didn't really think much to it at first. I was already using it on ubuntu and it worked well on the linux platform. I like a lot of the skins, the web cam feature just works and there is a lot of possible customising options. Not to mention no annoying adverts.
Hopefully Amsn wont fail me on windows...
links:
Amsn homepage
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Fluxbox on ubuntu
Fluxbox can be installed using apt-get with
Its fast, sleek and suitable for servers and low spec machines/laptops. One tip though if you dont know your way around the terminal you might find somethings harder than in gnome or kde.
My desktop:
sudo apt-get install fluxboxIts fast, sleek and suitable for servers and low spec machines/laptops. One tip though if you dont know your way around the terminal you might find somethings harder than in gnome or kde.
My desktop:
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Customize xterm (ubuntu)
I'v been using the xterm terminal for about a week now. I wanted to change it from the black text on a white background to a more matrix look for my fluxbox theme.
Edit ~/.Xdefaults with vim, gedit or your favourite editor. For example:
The text/code to change the background and forground (to go in the file).
After that run the comand below to activate the changes.
Edit ~/.Xdefaults with vim, gedit or your favourite editor. For example:
gedit ~/.XdefaultsThe text/code to change the background and forground (to go in the file).
XTerm*background: Black
XTerm*foreground: GreenAfter that run the comand below to activate the changes.
xrdb ~/.XdefaultsTags:
New Things
Having problems logging into blogger so im using Flock/blaggar to blog.
Several New things:
1. I have a new game called 'killing chavs' at http://darknighthunter500.googlepages.com/killingchavs.html. Its my first flash game so dont expect anything amazing
2. I have some added new photos. Mainly black and whites. You can see them at http://www.photoboxgallery.com/rcphotos
3. I'v been using Stumble Upon. Great firefox extention to find new random sites. Stumble Upon can be found at http://www.stumbleupon.com
Several New things:
1. I have a new game called 'killing chavs' at http://darknighthunter500.googlepages.com/killingchavs.html. Its my first flash game so dont expect anything amazing
2. I have some added new photos. Mainly black and whites. You can see them at http://www.photoboxgallery.com/rcphotos
3. I'v been using Stumble Upon. Great firefox extention to find new random sites. Stumble Upon can be found at http://www.stumbleupon.com
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What your browser says about you
www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/...
love what it says about shite IE 6:
You probably don’t know what a “browser” is and you think Internet is IE. You have no clue about technology, and you are generally afraid of computers. You also use your machine only for IM, chat, email and myspace. Your friends keep telling you about that “Fried Fox” thingy but you don’t really understand this stuff and never really had time to look into it.
love what it says about shite IE 6:
You probably don’t know what a “browser” is and you think Internet is IE. You have no clue about technology, and you are generally afraid of computers. You also use your machine only for IM, chat, email and myspace. Your friends keep telling you about that “Fried Fox” thingy but you don’t really understand this stuff and never really had time to look into it.
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Holy Cow Wolfenstein in 5K of JS
Wolfenstein 5K was written for the 5K contest, which challenges entrants to create a web page in under 5120 bytes. According to its creators, "The idea behind the contest is that the rigid constraints of designing for the web are what force us to get truly creative."
... crazy, well coded.
Play it here www.wolf5k.com
... crazy, well coded.
Play it here www.wolf5k.com
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My boring pointless life
This is basicly how my week goes:
normally the "do nothing" days include working on some program, drawing a flash cartoon, taking photos, tv if theres anything on which there never is, watching films, walking, cleaning the house, surfing the net, msn, taking the piss out of linda, myspace, digg.com, talk to Arna, Ben, Chris, Sonja, Tamara, Nikki, Mark and checking/sending emails.
- Monday - do nothing
- Tuesday - do nothing
- Wednesday - do nothing unless asked to the pub
- Thursday - go out, town or local pub
- Friday - do nothing
- Saturday - do nothing
- Sunday - get every drunk and have dinner about it really
normally the "do nothing" days include working on some program, drawing a flash cartoon, taking photos, tv if theres anything on which there never is, watching films, walking, cleaning the house, surfing the net, msn, taking the piss out of linda, myspace, digg.com, talk to Arna, Ben, Chris, Sonja, Tamara, Nikki, Mark and checking/sending emails.
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New gtalk features
You can now send voicemail to your contacts, which is really useful. A much needed File Transfer feature and a Music Status are included.
check out www.google.com/talk/whatsnew_more.html for a better idea and some screen shots.
I only use this to talk to 2 people and sometimes maybe 3. Arna talks to me on it rather than msn if no one is on... and I dont like msn so it all works out. Iv never had a problem with it. It just works.
Before I finish here is the list of supported media players for the music status feature
Download from it from here from google. I know its still in testing but google talk is in beta so what the hay.
google.com/talk
check out www.google.com/talk/whatsnew_more.html for a better idea and some screen shots.
I only use this to talk to 2 people and sometimes maybe 3. Arna talks to me on it rather than msn if no one is on... and I dont like msn so it all works out. Iv never had a problem with it. It just works.
Before I finish here is the list of supported media players for the music status feature
- iTunes
- Windows Media Player Which doesn't rock
- Winamp Which rocks
- Yahoo Music Engine
Download from it from here from google. I know its still in testing but google talk is in beta so what the hay.
google.com/talk
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Turning sheffield towers into art
For many visitors to Sheffield, their first glimpse of the city involves two disused cooling towers known locally as "the salt and pepper pots", which are set to be demolished.
Moves are afoot, however, turn the towers into public art.
Whenever you visit or pass Sheffield, you cannot fail to spot the huge cooling towers which overshadow the M1 motorway at the Tinsley Viaduct by Meadowhall.
The structures were originally part of Blackburn Meadows Power Station which closed down in the 1970s.
The owner of the unused towers - Eon Energy - intends to demolish them later this year. However, the firm is in discussions with a national project which hopes to transform the landmarks into a public work of art.
Read more
Moves are afoot, however, turn the towers into public art.
Whenever you visit or pass Sheffield, you cannot fail to spot the huge cooling towers which overshadow the M1 motorway at the Tinsley Viaduct by Meadowhall.
The structures were originally part of Blackburn Meadows Power Station which closed down in the 1970s.
The owner of the unused towers - Eon Energy - intends to demolish them later this year. However, the firm is in discussions with a national project which hopes to transform the landmarks into a public work of art.
Read more
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Nice little text browser
Who needs pictures! when you can have lighting fast text. Ironically I have included a screen shot. I'm using Elinks which is another version of LINKS. I dont know what the difference is and to honest they do the same thing which is surf the WWW.
for ubuntu users Elinks can be installed by:
$sudo apt-get install elinks-lite
Or checkout
elinks.or.cz
Screenshot
for ubuntu users Elinks can be installed by:
$sudo apt-get install elinks-lite
Or checkout
elinks.or.cz
Screenshot
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Open a bottle of beer the Scandinavian way
Make: How to open a bottle of beer the Scandinavian way
Thomas Madsen-Mygdal shows us how in downtown Helsinki - introduced by Arwen O'Reilly. Filmed on a Nokia N93.
Author: blackbeltjones
Keywords: make beer thomasmadsenmygdal helsinki
Added: June 18, 2006
IT crowd stress conference
Although this clip does not show case of the great computer jokes in this tv show it is very funny. I uploaded it to youtube to share.
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Lost mysteries blog
A complete list of all the remaining Mysteries that have yet to be solved in ABC's show LOST.
If you like the show then its a good read
lostmysteries.blogspot.com
If you like the show then its a good read
lostmysteries.blogspot.com
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Pogues live this year
Shows in late 2006
The Pogues will be performing in Japan, U.S.A. and U.K. & Ireland in late 2006.
Japan
- Monday, October 2, Osaka, Nanba Hatch
- Tuesday, October 3, Nagoya, Diamond Hall
- Thursday, October 5, Tokyo, Shibuya AX
U.S.A.
- Monday, October 9, San Francisco, The Fillmore
- Tuesday, October 10, San Francisco, The Fillmore
- Sunday, October 15, Las Vegas, The House of Blues
- Wednesday, October 18, Los Angeles, The Wiltern
- Thursday, October 19, Los Angeles, The Wiltern
U.K. & Ireland
Mid-December. Dates are not yet announced. Venues will be Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London, Dublin, and Nottingham.
How to look like an idiot
Ride your bike on the water.
Very cool mod for you bike to allow you to actually ride your bike on water. I want one, I want one, I want one!
Cordless phone hack
Build your own intercom or walkie talkie out of two old cordless phones
We all have old phones. Why not turn them into an intercom for your kids tree house. Or turn two old cordless phones into home base walkie talkie. Here is how.
Switch to linux
To the tune of "Why don't you get a job" by The Offspring - Watch the video!
My friend's running Windows
Man, he hates that thing
He gets malware every day
He has to be careful or a virus will hit
In the worst kind of wayHe wants to stay safe
He works his hands to the bone
To pay for the latest upgrades
Now he needs newer hardware just to boot the OS
Well my friend
You gotta say:You won't pay, for upgrades. No way!
No, no, Why don't you get Linux
Say no way, say no way, no way
No, no, Why don't you get LinuxTo browse the web safely, caution isn't enough
To keep all the spyware at bay.
To read email, anti-viruses ain't enough
Cause Windows ain't exactly safe!I won't pay, to stay safe. No way!
No, no, Why don't you get Linux
Say no way, say no way, no way
No, no, Why don't you get LinuxI guess you think it ain't easy switching over these days, oh no.
But hey man, free software is simple and friendly
These days!Let me tell you about my other friend now!
My friend's running Linux and she loves that thing.
She raves about it every day!
She's got more dinero for no extra work
Cos for Linux
You don't have to payYou won't pay, for upgrades. No way!
No, no, Why don't you get Linux
Say no way, say no way, no way
No, no, Why don't you get Linux
Oh yeah
I won't give MS money!
I always paid!
No, no, Why don't you get Linux
Say no way, say no way, no way
No, no, Why don't you get Linux
Google Calendar tip
Publish Google calendars on your web site
Hot out of the Google Calendar oven: you can now publish a calendar on your web site for viewing by anyone (not just GCal users.)
From the Settings section of a calendar, hit up the HTML button to get a Javascript for including into your site's pages. The Gcal HTML configuration tool customizes width, height, background color, title and other display settings. Except for the big honkin' self-promotin' Google Cal logo, this is fantastic for any site with upcoming events to announce.
Paper airplane building
Build the world's best paper airplane
This probably won't make you all that much more productive (unless you build paper airplanes for a living... then maybe), but these instructions for building the "best paper airplane in the world" look like a fun project for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
The step-by-step photo tutorial should make it easy, but if you're still confused, the video makes it pretty clear. I saw a paper airplane with a similar design at this year's Maker Faire, and let me tell you - those things can fly. I can't vouch for the "best in the world" claim, but I can tell you that it will probably blow away any paper airplanes the amateur builder has ever constructed. If you try it, let us know how it goes in the comments or at tips at lifehacker.com.
Flock Rocks
I have been using flock for 2 days now playing around with it none stop. Its great. The people behind it have put a lot of thought and time into it.
I can view pictures on flickr and photobucket. Blog text and pictures stright from a website without even going on the blogger website. Read news feeds and blog them if I wanted to. Drag and drop text and images. Can even store them in the brower if I wanted to. I can share links with del.icio.us automatically.
...altogether its pretty fun.
Have a look at the tour and give the beta a try.
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