StumbleUpon | Happibun's URL reviews

Official StumbleUpon Blog

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:25:47 -0800

So it comes to this.

SU is scrapping the classic page view in January. I spent ages crafting my pages to look how I wanted them to, but with the advent of the new look SU and reduction of functionality in the classic view, I have found that I hardly visit my own pages any more. Quite honestly, I can't be arsed with a site that treats it's volunteer content providers in such a way.

I still use the toolbar stumble button, but if that goes the same way, there will be nothing at all to keep me interested in SU at all. My good Stumble friends know how to find me elsewhere if they wish.

So not with a bang, but a whimper.

Farewell SU.

BBC NEWS | Science &Environment | Big Bang experiment starts well

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:27:46 -0700

No need for concern in geneva.

It's been a big day for all those excited particle physicists, and bunnies everywhere.

Three decades after it was conceived, the world's most powerful physics experiment has begun.
Engineers are attempting to circulate a beam of particles around the 27km-long underground tunnel which houses the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The Bunny verdict:The BBC coverage online as well as live on air was particularly thorough.

We bunnies are celebrating here in the burrow. The absence of black holes, and the 'end of the world' have nothing to do with this feeling of euphoria and jubilation, bunnies can spot headline grabbing bunkum from a mile off. No, the feeling of triumph is far more down to earth than that. Usually when there is a high profile geek news item paraded on the world's media, it precedes failure of embarrassingly epic proportions. One only has to think of the Hubble telescope's wonky mirror, or Beagle 2's crash landing.

Physicists are a delicate lot, and tend not to do too well when cameras are pointed at them. Add this to an experiment that has been cooking for three decades or so, and cost billions in the making, and a super sized doughnut of a machine woven out of thousands of miles of wire, supercooled magnets, and super super computers to rival Douglas Adams' Deep Thought. Combine that with one of the fundamental laws that bind matter together from the subatomic particle to cosmological proportions; the universally known 'Sod's law', and you have the recipe for a cock up to surpass all superlatives.

You can just see the journalists queuing up, praying that instead of a giant breakthrough for mankind, there will instead be a giant custard pie in the face for those brainy buggers. It makes for gripping TV you see.

But not this time.

Oh, I was gripped by the live broadcast alright, partly due to Dr Simon Singh's clear, touching and thoughtful commentary, but also this time because it worked, and worked beautifully. Each time a section of the torus opened up, and each time a dot appeared on screen to signify the beam was on track, I whooped with pleasure. No big bangs then, just the hum of efficient technology. I doubt that we need to search hard or far for the Higgs boson 'God particle' after all, I reckon it already resides inside the minds of the boffins at CERN.

dietz5244s blog - StumbleUpon

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:33:58 -0700

Dietz5244

There I was, extracting a small lump of green putty I found in my armpit this summer morning, and considering writing an ode to it, when I chanced upon this stumbler.

He's new to SU, already suffering from stumblitis, and blogging some pretty fine pages with well thought out and erudite reviews. Low on the cut and paste quotes, high on the back story and review. That's the stuff my lad!

Just occasionally one encounters someone in cyberspace who appears to share an awful lot in common with you, serendipity in action, one of the joys of the internet and all that, so I thought I should share it. I also felt I had to say something, as he's only had one review to date.

Here's another one then...

squidsquid.com

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:16:09 -0700

Squid pro quo

Get wholesome squidiness on your PC, take the personality test.

Apparently I am -

Take your own 'Squid' personality test...

Lots of fun to be had here on this site.

ThinkGeek :: Stuff for Smart Masses

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:46:13 -0700

Geek chique

Betamax to HD-DVD Converter

From the page: Behold the Colossus Of Analog/Digital Convergence!
Here at ThinkGeek, we fully grok that digital convergence is all the rage. We've been stocking cassette and vinyl and other analog to digital media converters for years now. And for some reason you keep buying. But we felt like we were leaving out some folks. Specifically, many folks that recorded home movies between the year 1975 and about 1984.

Yah. Handy format conversion, in time for summer dude. I've ordered one so I won't become obsolete :-)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hYREDtQa5I8

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:18:25 -0700

Return of the Doctor

Bunlett demonstrates the latest modification to her evil army (Vista installation in a Dalek).
One can only hope that it has incompatibilities and crashes all the time like it does in PCs. (Click pic for why)

From the page:
The same but higher quality and in stereo
After an exclusive cinema-only run, we've now got the Doctor Who Series 4: Preview! Let us know what you think.

Series 4 of the latest run of Dr Who can't come soon enough to this house. If anything it might stall Bunlett's megalomaniacal tendencies long enough for me to finish my study of Brown snail predation in my back garden in peace. Though I doubt it somewhat.

Anyway, We are hoping that if the Beeb has put the trailer up on Youtube, and is showing it on TV, that we won't have much longer to wait.

Update: I will have to quote my friend Ian's response to seeing the above picture.

"Phew, the universe is safe, it took the stairs to defeat Daleks in the 70's
now it seems in a bid to integrate with Earth computer systems they've been infected with a virus, (masquerading as an OS);

A USB device plugged into this Dalek has malfunctioned and Windows does not recognise it. For assistance in solving this problem click this message.

Error Death Ray is not responding.
You have the following options:

Windows has detected the following devices attached to this Dalek
Death ray (not responding)
whisk thing (possibly duplicate device)
Sink plunger
Monoscopic and somewhat unwieldy imaging system (with cooling fins)
Flashing lights. "

Update 2 :: 5th April =:-)

Top 25 Application Software Easter Eggs

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:26:15 -0700

Happy Easter

Open Office has a Star Wars game.

From the page: Top 25 Easter Eggs in Applications

Have some eggs of the non fattening variety.

AFP: Irish mark Saint Patrick's Day with parades, optimism on peace

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:19:55 -0700

Happy St Pat

Unhappy cat.

As you can see, festivities at Castle Thommond are in full swing.

I suppose it is a good thing that the Irish are lucky, Thamus will need all he can get if he gets too close to the cat.

It does not look like he finds the hat amewsing at all.

Smelly Bean

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:07:25 -0700

Baby care

After all this time, I find I have been doing it wrong...

Yes, I know that these cartoons are just everywhere right now, but refreshingly, this page of them is not embellished with Russian porn. So if you have a new arrival, and it's siblings are seething with jealousy because of the attention it is getting, you can direct them here without any qualms.

The picture is huge, so avoid if you have dial up. Thanks to LittleGhost for the link

List of Online Archives for Free Unabridged Books Online

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:31:52 -0800

Books galore!

Want to go to the library without stepping out of your house? Here's where you can go to get free unabridged reference books, novels, audio books and other texts online.

From the page: List of Online Archives for Free Unabridged Books Online

There are audio books, reference books and all sorts here to keep you and your PC happy for hours.

Me? Well I've got some Alan Bennett to take to bed with me tonight.

Paperbacks of course, what were you thinking?

Thanks for the link Imanxman.