Archive for February, 2010

For anyone who ever dreamed of being an astrologer, The Zooniverse is the internet’s largest, most popular and most successful citizen science projects.

The Zooniverse began with a single project- Galaxy Zoo. It was launched in July 2007. The Galaxy Zoo team expected a fairly quiet life, but were overwhelmed by the response to the project! Once they’d recovered from their server buckling under the strain, they set about planning the future!

Produced, maintained and developed by the Citizen Science Alliance, and working with many academic and other partners around the world, the site’s goal is to produce projects that use the efforts and ability of volunteers to help scientists and researchers deal with the flood of data that confronts them.

The registration is free. You sign up, add an avatar which you can create, and add a profile. There are many projects to help with, and plenty more are on the way. If you’re new to the Zooniverse, it is suggested you pick a project and dive in! Your account will get you into all of our projects, and you can keep track of what you’ve contributed by watching ‘My Zooniverse’.

Current projects include Galaxy Zoo, Solar Storm-watch, and The Hunt for the Supernovae!

Galaxy Zoo was important because not only was it incredibly popular, but it produced many unique scientific results, ranging from individual discoveries to those using classifications that depend on the input of everyone who’s visited the site. This commitment to producing real research is at the heart of everything they do.

Maybe you cannot boldly go aboard your favorite starship, but you can search the stars like the pros!

Y’know, just the other day I was having this conversation at my day job with co-workers. Can you get fired by posting something online? Specifically social network sites like Facebook?

Well, British Airways suspended 15 cabin crew members because they allegedly posted inappropriate comments on their Facebook pages.

About a dozen cabin crew have been suspended while investigations are being carried out. The suspensions had to do with a number of reasons, including inappropriate comments the staffers posted online.

BA is locked in a long-standing dispute with cabin crew over issues including wages, job security and working conditions. The union has called for a strike vote by members. 15 flight attendants allegedly wrote Facebook comments and sent private emails about a “name and shame” list of pilots who volunteered to help break any strike.

The airline has also demanded that unions reveal the identities of a further 32 members of the cabin crew who posted messages about the list on a thread on its discussion forum.

The wave of suspensions began last weekend, after one cabin crew worker acquired a list of 40 pilots who had volunteered to work as cabin stewards should a strike be called. That worker posted a message on a Facebook page saying they had the list, and asking others what should they do with it.

Those under investigation received calls from airline management, ordering them to attend meetings at the crew report center. Those meetings have resulted in 17 suspensions so far, it is believed. Some of those suspended insist they had not read the Facebook message, nor replied to it. Others, who were not Facebook friends, say they were suspended because someone else had messaged news of the list to them through Facebook. So, most were suspended on the basis of guilt by association.

On the whole, it is an obvious witch hunt. However, it does give one an idea of just how careful you should be on websites like Facebook. This story is only the latest example of how social networking, blogs and the internet can be your undoing in the workplace.

Jem Stansfield is a British scientist that answered the question: How much can a Vacuum really suck?

Using 2 modified Vacuum cleaners, Jem built giant suction cups that could hold his weight. Once he strapped it to his back, he was able to climb a wall in Essex up to 30 feet.

“I came across the idea for the vacuum cleaners when I was doing a challenge to make superhuman powers out of junk. I worked out the vacuum cleaners could support my weight,” – Interview from the Telegraph

Spiderman? Wouldn’t he be more like Doctor Octopus? After all, Doc-Oc had the special arms to climb walls. Unfortunately, Jem only has 2 arms, so that would make him Doc-Oc divided by 4.

It might also make him the next “Bill Nye – Science Guy”. He is planning his next feat – driving a car from London to Manchester using Coffee Beans for fuel. Juan Valdez would be proud.

One of my favorite sites for finding great dorky stuff is Like Cool.

A sweet weblog with pictures and video of some of the coolest stuff out there!

From gadgets to home stuff to Entertainment, if it screams awesome to you, it is here!

Looking for a cool clock? Want to see what Darth Vader was oriinally going to look like? DJ Cassette tape scratcher? Yeah, they got it!

Another great site for cool is Epic Win! If you have seen ‘Failblog’ then this, my friend, is the yin to it’s yang!

Just a couple of fun sites for web-surfing, time-wasting fun!

Well, I just have NO energy to beat down Farmville today– because I’ve been too busy playing Superhero City!

Facebook’s place for superhero hi jinx, and no farming. A super hero sim with ’3D animated battles’, which is a BIT of a stretch. The fighting is pretty comic book-ish, and you have no control over the fight itself. You build and arm your hero, with missions, practice fighting, and a good ol-fashioned job.

The facebook game Superhero City has a few things that make it stand out from other games. The battles actually unfold in front of you. Seeing both of your stats, and, if out gunned, hoping for that lucky strike that gives you the advantage, is pretty exiting. Of course, if you have a short attention span, there is the ‘Skip to End of Battle’ button.

There is a real finesse to becoming a good hero as well. I see so many people who have steroided themselves up, by bulking up their attack and defense stats. They are the ones you fight in the arena. Easy to spot, as they have a LOT more losses than wins.

Like any of these online games, there are pitfalls to avoid. Paying actual money for increases may be the fast way, but it sure isn’t a good idea. If you cannot get merit points for free, and you have your fingers on the credit card, it’s time to walk away.

But the thing I really like about this game is the LACK of social interaction. Unlike YoVille, no one is going to come visiting my apartment. It would do them no good to do so, since I’m never there. Between my job and my saving the city, there is no time for a relaxing evening on the sofa.

Aside from having a few friends who have joined me, I don’t share my adventures. I just keep fighting and winning and taking home a paychecl.

So, all-in-all, it isn’t about what this game is… it’s about what it can be!

I was stopping by likecool.com, when I came across these two items that just have no business together in a Dorkazine article, but hell, I’m lazy… consider this a short list for Valentine’s day gifts!

First up, the controller T-shirt. I saw this, and was reminded of ‘Sheldonshirts.com‘. The picture is of a woman, ’cause the joysticks are… well… it’s a great dork t-shirt, and does come in a man’s version as well. (I don’t know how! Sheesh!)

MaryJane is selling this shirt for about $42. Pricey you say? Well, it seems this is the only place to get it. I have tried finding it elsewhere myself, but came up empty handed.

I added the next item to this duo simply because it remined me of an earlier Dorkazine post. The Realtime Canvas Clock At first glance looks like a image, but it is a real clock on a canvas frame, which has a clock mechanism built into it. So, it’s a 2D clock with a 3D mechanism.

Great idea for someone who wants a fun conversation piece in that small flat! Perfect for when you invite over that gamer-geek girl, who you are giving the controller shirt to!

The Muppets have been revitalizing their franchise with a whole host of new videos. The new videos are modern and really use technology in a different way.

Take this example: Beaker’s Ballad. Beaker is sitting around strumming the Guitar when he starts playing Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind”. At this point you think it’s pretty lame and want to turn it off.

But just as you are about to hit the “Stop” button, something happens. I won’t say what, but that is what makes this video hilarious.

So without any further “Mee-mee”, mee-mee-mee, mee-mee mee… um – here is Beaker’s Ballad:

Superhero franchises are like laptops- sometimes they crash, and need a reboot.

Like Batman, The Hulk, and soon Spiderman, the need to revitalize a hit series seems a necessity in Hollywood these days.

And now the latest news. Warner Bros has turned to Chris Nolan to return the MIA Superman franchise to the screen!

Nolan, who brought the re-imagined Batman series to life, has been asked to be a surrogate parent, so to speak, and ensure The Man Of Steel gets back off the ground, after 3 1/2-years.

Warner Brothers is hoping his guidance can set the Man of Steel in the right direction with critics, fans, and the box office. Nolan is also behind the next installment in the Batman series.

When the Superman of the 80′s fizzled after the fourth disaster of a movie, it floated listlessly into space. Bryan Singer brought that series back with reverence to the original work of Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve. Superman Returns was a true gem, and all but erased the third and fourth movies.

So, even though the series is in need of a shot in the arm, Warner Brothers needs to be very careful.

During the series 20 year ‘hiatus’, many tried to reboot it. From Kevin Smith to Tim Burton directing, and actors like Nicolas Cage starring, it went though many hands, and many stalls.

When the series ‘Smallville’ began in 2001, many believed that this was that re-telling, and that Tom Welling would soon don the red cape.

When Superman did return, as well as Batman, rumors flew about a team-up movie. There was even a hint of it in the movie ‘I Am Legend’. Maybe with Chris Nolan attached to both, this dream could come true as well.

But first we need to know; what changes to the Superman mythos will the next movie bring us? Who will the next Superman be? Brandon Routh is a sure bet not to reprise the role, especially since he is now in the cast of NBC’s ‘Chuck’. Maybe Welling is back, or Nick Cage, or… (add your guess here!)

Also- Scribes anyone? Perhaps Kevin Smith will get his shot after all. According to various sources, including Smith, his treatment was a good one, but not what the producers were after at the time.

At any rate, the seeds have been sewn, and the rumors will abound, until our next installment of– ‘SUPERMAN!’

Electronic Arts has hinted that at least one of the gaming behemoth’s titles is headed to Facebook.

An anonymous source says this does mean that there will be a Facebook version of “Madden NFL”, and that it will be a “simpler experience” of the original game.

It is easy to see that, if this takes off, more of EA’s titles could get a Facebook presence. And why not? FARMVILLE is really just a version of THE SIMS. As anyone into Facebook is aware, some of their most level headed friends have fallen victim to this cyber-growing game!

Late last year EA acquired PLAYFISH, one of the BIG manufacturers of social games for the Facebook platform, for about $300 million. It became the first of the gaming industry’s titans to really acknowledge the muscle of social games, and now it has a stellar Facebook game development team in its ranks.

One can only guess as to the games to come! SIMCITY MAFIA? SPOREVILLE? YOVILLE CLUE? Game on!

Midway through the second quarter of Superbowl XLIV, an ad for Dockers announced that if you logged on, you could get a free pair of pants.

As I was sitting at my laptop anyway, I typed in the URL. I expected a wait, and there was. It took me about 10 minutes to get to the site.

First blow- it’s a contest. You enter to win a pair. Well, not that I was too surprised, so OK, I’ll enter.

Second blow- You can enter for free pants, but unless you go and sign up (separately) for other offers, you have to pay for shipping.

For the actual contest, I had to give my name, e-mail address, gender and zip code. And here comes the CAPTIA….

Third blow and FAIL! I entered all info, clicked submit, and….. nothing! I try again, and… It tells me the page is not available, come back later!

So, did Dockers know that the Superbowl is watched by MILLIONS of people? Apparently not. Nor did they realize a lot of us are gonna be near a laptop or internet equipped device!

I hope they are happy with the millions of hits to their domain. I, for one, am not a fan of a triple dupe!

Is it REALLY that damn bad in Hollywood right now?

Universal Pictures announced it is making a movie based on Hasbro toys ‘Stretch Armstrong’! For some reason, Universal is under the impression Stretch is a Superhero, like Superman.

They are further deluded into thinking that Twighlight actor Taylor Lautner is the right choice to play the part. In the past two years, Taylor has emerged as a real star at the global box office. This future Cineturd is bound to shoot that career into oblivion.

The 3-D film will be released in 2012… oh! I see! It’s in 3-D!

Yeah, now that it is the way to go, expect all manner of 3-D crappola to be thrust out the anus of Hollywood. At least the Razzie awards will have many awards to hand out in the next few years.

I sure cannot wait for Smell-O-Vision to make it’s glorious comeback…

Oh, and by the way, Hollywood is also working to destroy another Hasbro game. Hancock Director Peter Berg’s “Battleship,” is due for a hellish birth on May 25, 2012 – Memorial Day weekend.