Chicken In-A-Tube

(Source)

PETA is offering $1 million dollars to anyone who can produce and sell chickens without having to kill them ... (think "test tube"). Sound strange? I think it's brilliant, actually. I totally want to see it happen!

Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) says it will give the prize money to anyone who grows the meat and sells it commercially in at least 10 US states by 30 June 2012. The meat will have to pass a taste test after being cooked to a fried chicken recipe and given to a panel of 10 judges. (Source)

I'm all for in-vitro chicken!

Check it:
PETA

Happy Bear!

(Source)

This is just too precious. Can we have a collective: "Awww." This bear has moves better than some peeps I know. Papa Walt would be proud.

Happy Tuesday, folks!

Flickr Does Videos

Carwash (Source)

Everybody these days is going video. I'm not quite sure what to make of Flickr's foray into the video world. Flickr is such a great photography tool, but will it be for video? I just don't know. Flickr members will be able to upload only 90 second videos (150mb limit). According to the Flickr blog, "... what quickly bubbled up was the idea of 'long photos,' of capturing slices of life to share." The fine print: Only Flickr Pro Members will be allowed to upload vids, but everyone can view 'em.

Seeing as though I'm wont to procrastinating, it wouldn't surprise me if I got obsessed with Flickr's new video feature. I just need a better camera.

Apologies for the crappy carwash video - my camera phone sucks.

Check it:
Flickr
Flickr Video FAQ

Lungless Frog

Frog Without Lungs (Source)

Isn't that the cutest little thing? How bizarre - scientists have found frogs without lungs in Boreno! It absorbs oxygen through its skin. Nature is totally fantastic.

Janus Reincarnated

Indian Baby Born with Two Faces (Source)

Born March 11 in India, this girl was born with two faces. Apparently, she's doing just fine. Her parents have no plans to do any corrective surgery. According to the news article that I read, both faces seem to be functioning.

Poop

14,000 Year-Old Human Poop (Source)

I don't know why this intrigues me so much. Scientists in Oregon have found 14,000 year-old fossilized human poop - "coprolites". The proper British spelling of "poop" is a lot more interesting than American English - "faeces".

I feel like poop right now.

A Ghostly Song

Édouard-Léon Scott's 1859 Drawing of His Phonautograph (Source)

The nerd in my loves this kind of stuff. Researchers have discovered the oldest recording of a human voice that predates Thomas Edison's phonograph recording of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" by twenty years. Édouard-Léon Scott, a Frenchman, built a photautograph to record sound, but not necessarily to play it back. Instead he built the machine to visualize sound. It took a bunch of smart people from First Sounds to digitally map and decipher the photaugram for the ghostly woman's voice to resurface - in 1860 she sang a 10 second clip of "Au Claire de la Lune."

The voice is really eerie, but I can't stop listening to it. It really has gotten my mind working. Technology amazes me.

Take a listen:
Au Clair de La Lune - a French Folksong, Anonymous, Scott photaugram (1860)

Read the New York Times article about the discovery.

Check it:
First Sounds

Breaking Up Is Easier in Warm Weather

Wilkins Ice Shelf Breaking Up in Antarctica (Source)

Didn't that book cover in the last post make you want to chew gum or something?

So here's a totally non sequitur post that should cool you off, as much as it should make you think. The Wilkins Ice Shelf has collapsed - it's larger than Manhattan. Global warming, anyone?

Come to think of it, that ice-slab is pretty phallic.

Island Day-Dreaming

San Marco Island (Source)

I have a fondness for islands - it's in my blood. I had never heard of the Venetian Islands in Florida until I read an article about them in the New York Times. I'm not fond of Florida as a whole, which is probably why I've remained unaware. But it would be nice, wouldn't it, to live on an island, man-made or not. I think I might be in the wrong profession.

Read it:
Islands of Calm, New York Times (March 21, 2008)

Blox Me In

Diagonal Blox Structure (Source)

I think these are the coolest things that I've come across recently. They're called "bloxes" made by Bloxes. They are described as:

What are Bloxes? Bloxes are building blocks made of interlocking pieces of corrugated cardboard, folded together. Their unique shape and structure make them exceptionally strong and lightweight — you could build yourself a platform to stand on, and then pick it up and move it wherever you need to. (Source)



I love the the design and the functionality of these bloxes. I also love the creative possibilities they afford people who want an economical way to structure or furnish their work spaces. The "green" quality of bloxes is a nice bonus! I need to reassess my work space to see what I might need because I like 'em so much! Twenty brown or white bloxes will run you $59.95.

Check it:
Bloxes

Balloons and Cake Today!

"Noah" (Source)

Today's is my nephew's 5th birthday. Gosh, I feel old. Noah (the prodigy that you are), if you're reading this, enjoy your day, and get your dad to take you to the museum! Happy birfday, Noah-Joe! Love, Tito-J.

Yes We Can!

"Yes We Can" (Source)

I'm a believer in faith in the possibility ... I love this creative collaboration! For those of us in the U.S., let's take that important step to our future, mindful of our past achievements but always staring confidently forward. Let's vote wisely!

Check it:
Barack Obama Official Website

Excuse the Dust ...

Experimental Portrait #2 (Source)

As some of you might have noticed, my posting have been quite infrequent (to say the least). I do have a legitimate reason. There's a lot of exciting things happening "behind the scenes." Here's a little hint: a redesign is in the works. In fact, I'm almost done with it. So it shouldn't be too long before SprampBlog gets spramping again. So stay tuned, check out some of my other fave blogs while you wait:

Palms Out Sounds
The Yellow Stereo
Made In Brazil
Pink Is the New Blog
Towleroad

Ciao ciao ... jan

Un-Hot Spramp: Pass the Beer, David!

(Source)

Hehe - I thought this picture was oddly fantastic!

Check it:
If David lived in the USA today, Stupid Fotos, Not! (December 3, 2007)

Happy December Snow!

(Source: Me)

Seattle recieved its first dose of snow today! And I'm officially out of hibernation! Woot!

Pay yer rents/mortgages!

Spramp Hodgepodge 5

"Under" (Source: jcb, 2007)

Once I stopped playing Moola.com this afternoon, I had won $40. Woot woot! And then I was off to dinner with Dr. Paul at the oddly-located upscale-chain restaurant, Palomino. We had a swell time - happy early B-day Doc! I am now officially full but hankering for some decaf coffee. I'm wiped, and yet I have a stack of essays to grade staring at me in the face. What to do? What to do? I think I shall do decaf before I do anything that requires me to think. Enjoy the hodgepodge!

• India Surgery on Many-Limbed Girl, BBC News (November 6, 2007)
• Malaysian Police Raid Gay Sex Party at Gym, Arrest 37 Men, Towleroad (November 6, 2007)
• Get More From Credit Card Rewards [Credit Cards], Lifehacker (November 6, 2007)
• Top 10 Least On-Time Airports, The Consumerist (November 5, 2007)
• Apple Tablet Is Real, On Its Way, CrunchGear (November 6, 2007)
• PayPal is Rude in the Lunch Line, New York Times (November 6, 2007)
• Architect Gehry Sued by MIT, AP (November 6, 2007)
• Anderson Cooper And Jeff Corwin Insanely Homoerotic In HD—But Not In New York [Eco-porn], Gawker (November 5, 2007)
• Rebel, Disgraced, Tries to Pull Off Rebound, New York Times (November 7, 2006)
• NBC Universal's Green Week on TV, Treehugger (November 6, 2007)
  

Flight 001 Holiday Sale!

Flight001 Sale!

One of my fave stores is having an online sale. Use the code THANKS07 and receive 20% on everything at FLIGHT001. There's a cute laptop bag that I'm eying ...

Check it:
Flight001

Spramp Hodgepodge 3

Originally uploaded by Burn-A-Bee

I am puckered out. Teaching days wipe me out, even worse now that the sun disappears a third of the way into my class. My students were great today - I think they like me a lot (not that I should care ... should I?). Ugh, why am I talking about work. On a brighter note: My partner-in-crime just bought his tickets to come and visit over the Turkey break. Woot, woot! He bakes a killer turkey. Chooker-roos!

• In Portland, Cultivating a Culture of Two Wheels, New York Times (November 5, 2007)
• Donors Bid Millions NOT to Rename School, AP (November 4, 2007)
• Yahoo Launches Kickstart, A New Social Network Around College Students And Alumni, TechCrunch (November 4, 2007)
• Ugly Shoes: A Brief History, New York Magazine (November 4, 2007)
• Ten Ways to Defeat Brain Drain [Mind Hacks], Lifehacker (November 4, 2007)
• Twitter Is For Twits, Gawker (November 5, 2007)
• Gadgets That Changed the World, CrunchGear (November 5, 2007)
• Now (Almost) Open: CB2 Gets Signage On Broadway, Racked (November 5, 2007)
• Gisele Bundchen Dumps the Dollar, Demands Payment in Euros, BloggingStocks (November 5, 2007)
• New Face On Speedo Sundays, Made In Brazil (November 4, 2007) [Semi-NSFW ... Nummy!]

SNL Spoofs iPhone Ads

I caught this digital short last night and actually laughed. I bet you Steve Jobs loved it! I mean, it's basically free advertising, right? And here I thought NBC hated Apple. Interesting ...


iPhone Ad- SNL (Source)

We're A Lot Like You

(Source: werealotlikeyou.com)

Recently I posted two of my favorite commercials by PEMCO Insurance (BTW: I am "the obsessive-compulsive recycler"). Today I discovered the Web site werealotlikeyou.com, on which many of the Northwest types are featured. In the screenshot above, I've highlighted the "White-Bearded Bainbridge Architect," just because I like bearded guys. I absolutely love the ad campaign, and I'm almost tempted to switch my insurance! I'm hardly ever swayed by advertisements (or at least not consciously). Since moving to Seattle, I can honestly say that the types featured are dead-on! And there are always others popping up in the most unexpected places. You can even order trading cards and t-shirts on the Web site.

Hey PEMCO, what about the Passive-Aggressive Date Canceler? Or the Reducing My Carbon Footprint Power Bicyclists? Or the My Beard Makes Me Mighty Masculine Men?

As soon as more commercials pop up, I'll be sure to post them. All this Northwest pride, makes me want to lead a parade.

Check it:
We're A Lot Like You (www.werealotlikeyou.com)
Northwest Types T-Shirts
I Heart My Northwest Peeps!