Live Nude Photos!
31-Mar-04
O.K. That does it.
My parents were quite skinny when they were first married. For example, here's a picture of my Mom shortly after she had me:
However,
You know, I laughed when I saw “Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen” magazine on the stands a few years ago. “Ha, that'll never work,” I thought to myself. “Who would buy that tripe?”
Apparently, lot's and lot's of 11 year old girls.
Now 17, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen move about $1.5 billion in movies, magazines, makeup, and host of other products targeted at the 10 – 13 year old “tween” market. If all goes according to plan, they are expected to be billionaires by age 18.
Billionaires?
[blink]
Man, what have I done with my life?!?
Taming Foxes
30-Mar-04
Via Flutterby:
Ever wonder why many dog breeds have floppy ears? Or why horses often have a white patch in the middle of their forehead? The results of a 40+ year experiment to domesticate foxes suggests that these physical characteristics co-vary with the endocrinal and developmental changes associated with breeding animals for friendliness to humans:
Early Canid Domestication: The Farm-Fox Experiment by Lyudmila N. Trut
Dear residents of 1929E…
29-Mar-04
Dear residents of 1929-E,
Intellectually, I'm very glad you enjoy a vigorous sex life. Or enjoy chasing cats with jack hammers at 2:00 a.m. Whichever. However, if you would be so kind, please move your bed about 5 inches away from your east wall. Thank you.
Grumpily yours,
Do parents matter?
29-Mar-04
http://www.gladwell.com/1998/1998_08_17_a_harris.htm
“Do Parents Matter? Judith Rich Harris and child development “, by Malcolm Gladwell. The New Yorker, August 17, 1998.
“If adolescents didn't want to be like adults, it was because they wanted to be like other adolescents. Children were identifying with and learning from other children, and Harris realized that once you granted that fact all the conventional wisdom about parents and family and child-rearing started to unravel. Why, for example, do the children of recent immigrants almost never retain the accents of their parents? How is it that the children of deaf parents manage to learn how to speak as well as children whose parents speak to them from the day they were born? The answer has always been that language is a skill acquired laterally–that what children pick up from other children is at least as important as what they pick up at home. Harris was asking whether this was true more generally: what if children also learn the things that make them who they are–that shape their characters and personalities–from their peer group? This would mean that, in some key sense, parents don't much matter–that what's important is not what children learn inside the home but what they learn outside the home.
“I was sitting and thinking,” Harris told me, looking bright-eyed as she clutched a tall glass of lemonade. She is tiny–a fragile, elfin grandmother with a mop of gray hair and a little-girl voice. We were in her kitchen, looking out on the green of her back yard. “I told my husband, Charlie, about it. I had signed a contract to write a developmental-psychology textbook, and I wasn't quite ready to give it up. But the more I thought about it the more I realized I couldn't go on writing developmental-psychology textbooks, because I could no longer say what my publishers wanted me to say.” Over the next six months, Harris immersed herself in the literature of social psychology and cultural anthropology. She read studies of group behavior in primates and unearthed studies from the nineteen-fifties of pre-adolescent boys. She couldn't conduct any experiments of her own, because she didn't belong to an academic institution. She couldn't even use a proper academic library, because the closest university to her was Rutgers, which was forty-five minutes away, and she didn't have the strength to leave her house for more than a few hours at a time. So she went to the local public library and ordered academic texts through interlibrary loan and sent for reprints of scientific articles through the mail, and the more she read the more she became convinced that her theory could tie together many of the recent puzzling findings in behavioral genetics and developmental psychology. In six weeks, in August and September of 1994, she wrote a draft and sent it off to the academic journal Psychological Review. It was an act of singular audacity, because Psychological Review is one of the most prestigious journals in psychology, and prestigious academic journals do not, as a rule, publish the musings of stay-at-home grandmothers without Ph.D.s. But her article was accepted, and in the space below her name, where authors typically put “Princeton University” or “Yale University” or “Oxford University,” Harris proudly put “Middletown, New Jersey.” Harris listed her CompuServe address in a footnote, and soon she was inundated with E-mail, because what she had to say was so compelling and so surprising and, in a wholly unexpected way, so sensible that everyone in the field wanted to know more. Who are you? scholars asked. Where did you come from? Why have I never heard of you before?”
Police monitor utility bills
28-Mar-04
Huh. The police monitor your utility bills. Good to know.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=3&u=/ap/20040328/ap_on_re_us/electricity_probe_1
CARLSBAD, Calif. – When police noticed Dina Dagy's family was spending $250 to $300 a month on electricity, they suspected a marijuana farm was flourishing under high-intensity lights inside their suburban home.
What they found when they showed up with a drug-sniffing dog and a search warrant was a wife and mother who does several loads of laundry a day, keeps a dishwashing machine going, has three electricity-guzzling computers and three kids who can't remember to turn the lights out when they leave a room.
“It's hard to believe a high utility bill would be enough to issue a state warrant,” said Dagy, who is demanding the Police Department issue a written apology.
Authorities say they have already apologized verbally several times and were only following proper procedures. Tracking down marijuana growers by reviewing electricity bills, they say, is a common practice.
“I understand they feel something isn't appropriate here, but it is very much consistent with how search warrants are prepared,” said police Lt. Bill Rowland.
When authorities noticed how high the bill for the Dagy home was, they sent a police dog to the neighborhood, and it reacted as though it had smelled drugs.
They also noticed the family had put its trash out that morning, something police say drug growers often do to hide the evidence. In the Dagys' case, however, it was trash day.
When officers returned on March 19 with a search warrant, Dagy was volunteering at her son's second-grade class. She was heading back to her car when police arrived at the school, and she returned home and let them into the house.
They found nothing illegal, and she says she feels fortunate she wasn't in her son's classroom when they arrived.
“I would have been so embarrassed,” she said, “and my son would have died: `They're taking your mommy away!'”
BTW, you can now remove people from your “friends of” list, if you so desire:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/lj_biz/220241.html
Shuttle Bike
26-Mar-04
http://www.shuttlebikeusa.com/
http://www.ihpva.org/pipermail/hpv-boats/1999q4/000099.html
Return-path: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Full-name: NSwhitecap
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 15:31:35 EST
Subject: Shuttlebike response
To: [email protected]
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”us-ascii”
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Windows AOL sub 54
Hi everyone,
This answers a couple day's worth of questions, so it's ended up being rather
long… I tried to be brief, believe me.
First, please keep in mind that my world is saltwater, or brackish, w/ tidal
currents, canals, estuary shallows or the Intercoastal, and in a place (Tampa
Bay, FL)where we get cranky when it's only 60 degrees (like now) and
downright inhospitable after 3 sunless days. There might be different
considerations for the freshwater lake & river folks- which in FL are in
places I only occasionally visit. Getting people into pedal powered boating
is my passion and now my livelihood.
* I have one page flyers the Shuttlebike company, SBK, sent me. If you
want one, send a SASE to the address below.
* Speed. You can go about 3-3.5 kn, max 5.5, which is what the flyer
states. You can use all your gears. I use a Specialized hybrid wedgie bike
which is of moderate weight. I cruised in a middle gear.
* The pontoons/floats are single bladder which are of very good quality
polyurethane. I thought I had the thickness measurement but will inquire. We
have oysters, barnacles and other nasties around here, (some w/ teeth) and I
feel confident the floats are safe w/in reason having bumped some. (Not yet
w/ the toothed-type hazards and prefer not to put the thought in the
ethers…).
The coolest part of these pontoons is that they have about a half inch
'flange' running the length of the bottom center of the float and ending with
a 4″ plastic fin- all of which helps wonderfully for tracking.
* Pressure. The compressor that you inflate the floats with has an
'overflow' vent on it so once you reach the built in capacity, it just vents.
I fondly call this info 'geek food'…~2001/min. at 900rpm, max pressure-250
mBar -quoted from the booklet, Greek to me. Is that what you wanted? The
compressor/pedal inflating system works very quickly, and effectively.
(Note: MicroCat Ultralite comes w/ warnings about potential bursting due to
hot sun effect on floats both in and out of water which is a good warning for
all inflatables.)
* Roller v. knobbies. Since the center of my tires are more or less
smooth (as a hybrid) I can't give personal input on how it works on knobbies,
but my guess is that it'd be OK. The company uses what they call mountain
bikes referred to all thru their material. The roller has striations and an
adjustable lock down for the pressure you can put on the tire. I've seen
some mega knobby tires out there, so I guess it would depend…
* Price. The company's suggested retail is $800. Without a distributor
yet who might have deep enuf pockets to order a ….load of these, I could
order more in if needed. What I have here I'd offer at $650 which is at my
cost, plus shipping/ins to you. SBK would cherish a distributor.
* Prop protection is made by a shaft skeg. You didn't ask, but -I think-
the ratio is 1:8 rotation, which I must have counted myself since I can't
find it in the lit.
* Prop draft is almost 10″. The shaft will pivot out of its locked
position if it's hit hard enuf.
* “Sliding” into the water is by picking it all up and carrying it in
which requires careful steps while between the frame and floats, but it's not
a big problem. Since we have lots of seawalls, I could point it down, front
first, or sideways and 'slide' it in. I tie the prop up with rope to move it
around on land.
* Mounting the bike from standing in the water is accomplished with as few
people as possible watching you the first time you do this…(which for me
wasn't possible, but I would have made you proud…) You can step on the
frame or the pontoon- I think I've used both. For mounting from deep
water,call Cirque du Soleiu… no, just kidding, …just slide up onto the
float and clamber up (engage balance). From a dock, you can step right on the
pedal. I have a PVC pipe I want to attach to the two cross frame pieces to
provide what I think is a better step and also for attaching the kitchen sink
stuff I always seem to absolutely need…
* Questions you should always ask: Do the PR stats & info hold up?
In the case of most the boats I've tested/shown, 'yes and no' which is the
case here. Don't take the kit to the water the 1st time and expect to set it
up and go. Once the connectors are on, it's great, but it may take some
finagling (sp?) After that, it is easy to ass/dissemble once you get the
hang. The thing weighs more than they say, but it's the thought that counts.
I'd have to check my numbers to be precise. It is a well tooled small
package to take your bike on and off the water easily. The video has a girl,
British I think, that uses hers to get to work after riding to river's edge.
It can also be a raft to have fun with on a 'tubeing trip', or to get to some
really off trail spots. I'd love to rig a bent and tube down a FL springfed
stream, maybe snorkel along the way.
* I have some not very good pictures that SBK sent me of a Scotsman who
put his recumbent on it. I'm sure you could get in contact with him thru the
SBK guys.
* Another good test is what I'd call 'The Swamping'. What happens when
the worst happens. I've only seen the SB flip bec. one pontoon was softer
than the other from oversight on my part and the rider leaned and turned the
way you wouldn't want to. He lost his sunglasses, I paid $80 to recondition
my salted bike… BTW, I've given thought to rigging a bit o' plastic to keep
splashes off.
* Operating and assembly manuals are another test. I always have a lot to
say about these on any boat as usually send suggestions/corrections. The
funny part of the Shuttlebike Kit was dealing with the English/Italian
translation/conversion. It's in metric, of course, but it was the “bushes”
one was directed to put between the alum connectors and the bike frame that
was most charming… They're a great group of guys. They have reason to be
proud of their product. It has its niche. It's cool that it packs up nicely
in a well made backpack. And being able to use your gears is VERY cool as is
inflating by pedaling.
This answers most of what was asked, and hopefully it was at least amusing.
It's a lot of work, but I enjoyed writing it. I suspect there are a lot like
me who 'lurk' and don't ever write to the list. Thanks to those who wrote
directly, or via the list. And thanks for reading. I'd be interested to
know, as perhaps would the manufacturers who read and write on this list from
time to time, what else you'd like to know about the manufactured boats in a
sort of 'review' -what are they like, etc.by me or others? Would you go to a
website to read/see it? Or to HPV News? I'm working on
www.pedalpoweredboats.com to perhaps do just that.
Happy New Digits,
Nancy Sanford
4601 Chancellor Cir NE, #247
St. Petersburg, FL 33703
727 525 8842
[email protected]
——=_NextPart_000_aeb8a57_6a39f89a$5b92ab72–
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John Benditt's amphibious tricycle
26-Mar-04
http://www.jbenditt.50megs.com/index.html
Ramphos amphibious flying tricycle
26-Mar-04
http://www.ramphos.com/index_e.html
Emerging from its earthbound roots and growing wings to fly into the unbound, RAMPHOS is an amphibious flying hull with wings made of anti-UV mylar of 15 mq. mounted as standard. Wings up to 21mq can be mounted too.
Ramphos comes as bi or three-cycle configuration, where different engine size can be mounted ranging from 50 to 80 Hp (Rotax, Hirt, etc.).
The propeller can be both two or three bladed, made of wood or composite material. The propeller ring functions as a protective as well as an anti-noise device.
The hull is made of common materials, which are easy to be found, therefore the hull can be easily repared in case of necessity.
The very roboust construction of the hull, allows Ramphos to be belly landed on grass and muddy surfaces, as well as marshland.
The overall design of the hull, which has derived from a meticulous hydrodynamic study, not only gives Ramphos high stability even on rough water, but allows it to perform a very quick passage to glide, with excellent directional controll even in unfavorable weather contitions.
New features has come with the realization of the three-cycle configuration which, as you know, is very easy to handle on the ground.