Upside Down House Turns Heads

… inventors Klaudiusz Golos and Sebastian Mikiciuk have created an upside down house.

This family sized house, designed by a couple of Polish designers, is furnished with chairs, tables, and carpets stuck to the ceiling.  Even the Bathroom is upside down!!  The designers said, they didn’t do it for a reason, they just wanted to do something different

More photos on ddisbored.

Lost Mozart score found in France

A previously unknown piece of music by Mozart has been discovered at a library in western France. Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the International Mozarteum Foundation in Austria, said the single sheet of music was “really important”. “His handwriting is absolutely clearly identifiable,” he added. “There’s no doubt that this is an original piece handwritten by Mozart.” The sheet was found among the archives by staff at a library in Nantes.  Mr Leisinger said the municipal Mediatheque library contacted his foundation to ask for help authenticating the work. The score was written on a sheet of paper just 10cm in size. It appears to be a “Credo in D major”. There is a second piece which looked like a “first draft, in parts illegible,” said a library official. It was part of the collection of Pierre-Antoine Laboucheroe, a 19th-century collector who donated his legacy to the city. The score was catalogued as part of the library’s collection, but was later “entirely forgotten” about. – bbc

Does anyone have a larger copy of the photo so we can read it and hear it?

Plants Communicate Through Air, Make Own Painkillers

When you have a headache, you take a couple aspirin, but when plants get stressed out, they just make their own.

Scientists had known that plants in laboratories produce a chemical called methyl salicylate — a form of the painkiller aspirin — when stressed out, but they had never detected it in plants out in nature.

A team of scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., discovered by accident plants in the wild emitting methyl salicylate. They set up instruments last year in a walnut grove near Davis, Calif., to monitor plant emissions of certain volatile organic compounds (or VOCs). VOCs emitted by plants can actually combine with industrial emissions and contribute to smog.

To their surprise, the NCAR scientists found that the emissions of VOCs their instruments recorded in the atmosphere included methyl salicylate.

They noticed that the methyl salicylate emissions increased dramatically when the plants, already stressed by a local drought, experienced unseasonably cool nighttime temperatures followed by large temperature increases during the day.

Scientists think that the methyl salicylate has two functions: stimulating a process similar to the immune response in animals that helps plants resist and recover from disease, and acting as a form of chemical communication to warn neighbors of threats.

“These findings show tangible proof that plant-to-plant communication occurs on the ecosystem level,” said study team member Alex Guenther. “It appears that plants have the ability to communicate through the atmosphere.” – livesci

Stabilized Bigfoot footage

Click to enlarge. (fixed link.)  Very interesting. Okay what this is a frame by frame correction of the original Patterson film to remove the camera movement. After the correction, you can see the actual subject of the video more like it would have appeared to the viewer without a camera. I think you might be able to make a suit like this by saving your own hair for a few years and gluing it to a costume … then again, the muscles on the thing look real as it walks.

The Patterson-Gimlin film (also referred to as simply the Patterson film) is a short motion picture of an unidentified subject filmed on October 20, 1967 by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin who claimed the film was a genuine recording of a Bigfoot. The film has been subjected to many attempts both to debunk and authenticate it. Some qualified scientists have judged the film a hoax with a man in an ape suit, but other scientists contend the film depicts a cryptid, or animal unknown to science.

Both men have always dismissed allegations that they had hoaxed the footage by filming a man wearing an ape suit; in fact Patterson, who died of cancer in 1972, swore on his death bed that the footage was authentic and he had encountered and filmed a large bipedal animal unknown to science. Allegedly Patterson had confessed to the owner of Yakima camera store that he hoaxed the film to generate money for his wife, since he was dying of cancer. His friend and business associate, Gimlin, has always denied being involved in any part of a possible hoax with Patterson and claims that that he and his partner had encountered a real Bigfoot. However, he avoided publicly discussing the subject for many years until about the year 2000 when he began giving interviews and making appearances at Bigfoot conferences. – wiki

Here is more from wiki about the camera and film speed in response to the comment this animated gif generated:

One fact which complicates discussion of the Patterson film is that Patterson says he normally filmed at 24 frames per second, but in his haste to capture the Bigfoot on film, he did not note the camera’s setting. His Cine-Kodak K-100 camera had markings on its continuously variable dial of 16, 24, 32, 48, and 64 frames per second and was capable of filming at any frame speed within this range. The speed of the film is important because, as Napier writes, “if the movie was filmed at 24 frame/s then the creature’s walk cannot be distinguished from a normal human walk. If it was filmed at 16 or 18 frame/s, there are a number of important respects in which it is quite unlike man’s gait” (Napier, 94 [2nd printing]). Unfortunately, the film is so shaky that it is difficult to be certain which speed is correct.

Krantz argues, based on an analysis by Igor Bourtsev, that since Patterson’s height is known, a reasonable calculation can be made of his pace. This running pace can be synchronized with the regular bounces in the initial jumpy portions of the film that were caused by each fast step Patterson took to approach the creature. Based on this analysis, Krantz argues that a speed of 24 frames per second can be quickly dismissed and that “[w]e may safely rule out 16 frames per second and accept the speed of 18.”

Dahinden stated that “the footage of the horses prior to the Bigfoot film looks jerky and unnatural when projected at 24 frame/s” (Perez, 21). And Dahinden experimented at the film site by having people walk rapidly over the creature’s path and reported: “None of us … could walk that distance in 40 seconds [952 frames / 24 frame/s = 39.6], … so I eliminated 24 frame/s” (Perez, 21). … – wiki

This from BFRO:

The Patterson footage has never been debunked as a hoax. No one has ever demonstrated how it was done. Neither the original “costume,” nor a matching costume, has ever been presented by honest skeptics, nor by various imposters who claim to have worn the costume.

Large amounts of money have been spent trying to make a matching costume. The best Hollywood costume design talents have been brought to the task, but have never succeeded. The British Broadcasting Corporation spent the most money so far. They failed miserably. The side-by-side results are shown below.

I’d have to agree with BRFO on this one. Not even close. Besides the obvious hair length and color differences, look at the muscles in the Patterson creature, and the chest. Also notice that the face looks like a ski mask with a cut out window for the eyes. In the stabalized video the creature does not seem to move in an unnatural way.

Glowing fish have scientists seeing red

It was staring them in the face, but somehow generations of marine biologists have failed to notice that a lot of fish in the sea glow a fluorescent red, according to a new study.

The study, which appears in the open-access journal BMC Ecology, could change the way we look at the marine environment. It has long been known that red light is not part of the mental universe of marine fish because the sunlight’s longest visible wavelengths do not penetrate below a depth of 10 metres. … Looking through a filter that blocked out the brighter green and blue light waves, they suddenly saw a universe of sea creatures glowing various hues of cherry, crimson, ruby and rust.

“Besides fish, there are lots of fluorescent organisms on the reef, including algae, coral and other small organisms,” says Michiels. The red glow was confirmed using spectrometry in laboratory experiments. … There is also evidence that turning red could serve as a kind of camouflage.

“It may seem strange, using fluorescence to make yourself invisible,” says Michiels. “But fish that sit on a reef have a lot of fluorescence around them, so they blend in.” … Hart examined the retina of a fluorescent goby known as Eviota pellucida and found that is “highly likely” that it could see its own fluorescence. The next step is to now determine how fish might use their colour-generating ability to exchange information. – abc

Gates once again tops list of America’s richest

With a net worth of $57 billion, Bill Gates remains the richest man in America despite losing his crown to Warren Buffett for a few months this spring. … The rich haven’t gotten richer — or poorer — this year. The price of admission to this, the 27th edition of The Forbes 400, is $1.3 billion for the second year in a row. The assembled net worth of America’s wealthiest rose by $30 billion — only 2 percent — to $1.57 trillion.

Rising prices of oil and art paved the way for 31 new members and eight returnees, while volatile stock and housing markets forced 33 plutocrats from our rankings. – msnbc

Bush says he’s working to calm economic turmoil

Eager to show that he feels people’s pain, President Bush scuttled a political fundraising trip Thursday to tell the country his administration is working feverishly to calm turmoil in the financial markets.

Bush was supposed to spend the day in Alabama and Florida raising money for Republicans and talking energy policy. He canceled his trip and sent Vice President Dick Cheney to sub for him at the fundraisers to focus on the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression.

“The American people are concerned about the situation in our financial markets and our economy,” Bush said. “And I share their concerns.”

The tumult in financial markets and the disappearance of corporate giants have shaken people’s faith in the economy. On Wall Street, the fear is that more significant financial companies will fall, causing a spillover effect within the United States and on world markets.

In brief formal remarks outside the Oval Office, Bush sought to show that the administration is moving swiftly and aggressively by taking “extraordinary measures.”

Earlier this month, the administration took over mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. At the start of this week, the Federal Reserve rescued American International Group Inc., an insurance giant, from bankruptcy by granting an emergency $85 billion loan that gives the government an 80 percent stake in the company. …

Despite the government’s extensive actions, Lehman Brothers, the country’s fourth-largest investment bank, filed for bankruptcy protection this week. A weakened Merrill Lynch, deciding it couldn’t go it alone anymore, found help in the arms of Bank of America.

A private business group reported Thursday that the economy’s health deteriorated for the second consecutive month in August as building permits dropped and unemployment claims rose. Oil prices are rising again as investors eye U.S. financial turmoil. Employers are cutting payrolls. New applications for unemployment benefits are up, partly due to Hurricane Gustav. The housing market remains unstable. – ap

Say goodbye to the computer mouse

It’s nearly 40 years old but one leading research company says the days of the computer mouse are numbered.

A Gartner analyst predicts the demise of the computer mouse in the next three to five years. Taking over will be so called gestural computer mechanisms like touch screens and facial recognition devices. “The mouse works fine in the desktop environment but for home entertainment or working on a notebook it’s over,” declared analyst Steve Prentice. He told BBC News that his prediction is driven by the efforts of consumer electronics firm which are making products with new interactive interfaces inspired by the world of gaming . …

So just how ready are people to wave their hands in the air or make faces at devices with embedded video readers? Gartner’s Mr Prentice says millions are already doing it thanks to machines like Nintendo’s Wii and smartphones like the iPhone. “With the Wii you point and shake and it vibrates back at you so you have a two-way relationship there. “The new generation of smart phones like the iPhone all now have tilting mechanisms or you can shake the device to do one or more things. “Even the multi-touch interface is so much more powerful and flexible than in the past allowing you to zoom in, scroll quickly or contract images.”

For those who lament the demise of such tried and tested pieces of hardware, Mr Prentice did concede that the keyboard was here to stay for the foreseeable future. “For all its faults, the keyboard will remain the primary text input device,” he said. “Nothing is easily going to replace it. But the idea of a keyboard with a mouse as a control interface is the paradigm that I am talking about breaking down.” – bbc

Palin’s Yahoo! Account Hacked

A group of computer hackers said yesterday they accessed a Yahoo! e-mail account of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, publishing some of her private communications to expose what appeared to be her use of a personal account for government business.

The hackers posted what they said were personal photos, the contents of several messages, the subject lines of dozens of e-mails and Palin’s e-mail contact list on a site called WikiLeaks.org. That site claimed that it received the electronic files from a group identifying itself only as “Anonymous.” “At around midnight last night some members affiliated with the group gained access to governor Palin’s email account, ‘gov.palin@yahoo.com’ and handed over the contents to the government sunshine site Wikileaks.org,” said a message on the site.

Rick Davis, the campaign manager for Sen. John McCain, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon condemning the incident. “This is a shocking invasion of the Governor’s privacy and a violation of law,” Davis said. “The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them. We will have no further comment.” – wp

…Two Yahoo! email accounts belonging to Palin were hacked early Tuesday by a group calling itself ‘Anonymous’. Screen shots of her inbox were posted online, as well as a screenshot showing an email of an apparently personal nature from a Palin appointee to the governor. … – abc

Even Karl Rove, the champion of justice he is, is outraged and wants action, he said, ” This is really bad.” So figuring out someones yahoo password is bad, outing a CIA agent….meh. – tsd

Wow, someone really knocked Wikileaks off the Internet. I found 159 different sites which at one time all had copies of the site. All dead. Here is some info about Wikileak (now down) from the wayback machine.

“News is what someone doesn’t want you to know. Everything else is advertising.

Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Our primary interests are oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the west who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their own governments and corporations. We aim for maximum political impact; this means our interface is identical to Wikipedia and usable by non-technical people. We have received over 1.2 million documents so far from dissident communities and anonymous sources.

We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies. Many governments would benefit from increased scrutiny by the world community, as well as their own people. We believe this scrutiny requires information. Historically that information has been costly – in terms of human life and human rights. Wikileaks will facilitate safety in the ethical leaking movement.

Wikileaks opens leaked documents up to a much more exacting scrutiny than any media organization or intelligence agency could provide. Wikileaks will provide a forum for the entire global community to examine any document for credibility, plausibility, veracity and falsifiability. They will be able to interpret documents and explain their relevance to the public. If a document comes from the Chinese government, the entire Chinese dissident community can freely scrutinize and discuss it; if a document arrives from Iran, the entire Farsi community can analyze it and put it in context. Our first sample analysis is available from the news page, providing a look into the future of what Wikileaks can provide.

In its landmark ruling on the Pentagon Papers, the US Supreme Court ruled that “only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.” We agree.

The ruling stated that “paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell.”

We believe that it is not only the people of one country that keep their government honest, but also the people of other countries who are watching that government. That is why the time has come for an anonymous global avenue for disseminating documents the public should see.

… Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But, conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one’s conscience tells one that it is right. — Martin Luther King, Jr.”

Looks like they got censored. I don’t like the idea of breaking the law to catch people breaking the law. There has to be a better, legal, way to expose corruption.