News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
A woman got belligerent and physically violent on a JetBlue flight, causing it to be diverted so she could be de-planed and arrested. She claims that she was in an alcohol-induced blackout and doesn’t remember the incident.
Link: http://www.examiner.com/…
(via The Consumerist)
Web designers have long known better than to use the annoying tag (or even its CSS counterpart). But there are some not-so-good designers who seem to consider the <BLINK> tag to be an elegant and forceful statement. Fortunately the linked article tells how to configure Firefox such that blinking text is disabled.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
The linked article describes various ways to safely clean LCD monitor screens. It was written in response to a situation where grandkids used permanent markers to draw on a monitor.
Link: http://www.komando.com/…
Should you ever get into trouble with the MPAA or RIAA for illegally downloading copyrighted movies/music, the linked article will be very helpful.
Link: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/…
(via Slashdot)
Researchers have discovered that people who put bumper stickers on their cars, regardless of topic, tend to drive more aggressively and use their vehicles to express rage. This also applies to decals and personalized license plates
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/…
(via digg)
Chad’s News has previously discussed compact fluorescent lightbulbs, but this 5-minute speech by US Representative Ted Poe provides an interesting counterpoint (as well as a political statement on government regulatory authority). Personally, I think my CFLs will hold out until LED lightbulbs are ready—I’ve lived at my current address for 2½ years and have had only one CFL burn out.
Link: http://youtube.com/…
(via Presurfer)
The linked article contains the short history of New Coke. Interestingly enough, the whole debacle ended up raising Coke’s market share.
Here at the Chad’s News network command center, we plan to continue using Windows XP for a long, long time. But we recognize that some people have purchased new equipment and are pretty much forced to use Windows Vista. The linked article has some nice tips for making Vista less annoying.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
In an update to this Chad’s News article, the researchers at LS9 have made some significant advances with their genetically-engineered bacteria that create gasoline, especially in terms of what can be used as raw materials. From the article: “The company is not interested in using corn as feedstock … instead, different types of agricultural waste will be used according to whatever makes sense for the local climate and economy: wheat straw in California, for example, or woodchips in the South.”
Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/…
(via Engadget)
The linked site has a huge library of user’s manuals that you can download and print. For those so inclined, you can also upload documents.
Link: http://safemanuals.com/
(via Kim Komando)
The title of this post isn’t really accurate, but friends make hills appear to be easier to climb. Researchers asked test subjects to assess the steepness of a hill. Those who were with friends believed the hill was 10-15 percent less steep, compared to subjects who were alone. And those who were told to just think about a friend assessed the hill 20% less steep, compared to others. What I’m wondering, though, is how did they think up this study in the first place?
In response to last week’s theatrical release of The Incredible Hulk, the linked article lists 10 movie characters that could take on the Hulk and possibly win. Personally, I think Dr. Manhattan and Jean Gray should be tied for first place. (And if you’re wondering who the heck is Dr. Manhattan, don’t fret—the Watchmen movie hasn’t been released yet.)
Link: http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/…
(via digg)
