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The holiday season is here! Time for joy, time for cheer – and time for kids to learn the true meaning of Christmas by drafting incredibly long must-have lists for Santa! After all, nothing says, “spirit of Christmas” quite like a big pile of toys! I have to admit, though, that no matter how ridiculous I think it is that Christmas nearly necessitates the draining of my bank account, I sure do like to see the rugrats’ eyes light up on Christmas morning, when they see the spread I (er, Santa) laid out for them. This magical moment, brought to you by mommy’s paycheck, stays magical for about how long it takes for the batteries to go in and the noise to begin. Then the magic subsides to a dull headache. Just for you, and just because I’m so nice, I’ll tell you what to avoid this year. Here is a list of five annoying toys you hope your kids won’t get this Christmas: Keep reading »
If you’re unemployed, join the club. There’s not much more to say about that, other than you’re in good company. However, unlike other clubs you might belong to, the unemployment club is not one you’d hoped to someday be a member of. Actually it can be a downright drag. In this club, members are fighting to get out. Fortunately, there are things you can do to find an employer who will notice you, besides begging, “Pick me! Pick me!” If you are unemployed in this age of technology, here are five unique self-marketing tips to try: Keep reading »
More and more species are becoming endangered as the years go by. It probably would not be a surprise if one day, we hear news about the human race being in danger of disappearing because of what we are doing to the environment. Sometimes, though, we make the most interesting connections.
Take polar bears and data centers, for example. They have been the focus of some discussion lately.
How so?
Apparently, the extent of global data center service has reached such proportions that this industry is one of the leading contributors to global warming. Believe it or not, the Information Age has a negative impact on the environment, and polar bears are being used as a focal figure in the awareness campaign.
Obviously, if global temperatures continue to increase, the polar ice caps will melt, leaving those adorable fuzzy white creatures without a home. If this happens, of course, the bears just might disappear from the face of the earth.
Data centers are not solely to be held responsible for this issue, though. While it may be tempting to point fingers at a single industry, everyone has his role to play in the matter. Emissions from vehicles – both private and public alike – are as much to blame. Daily activities that may seem benign also contribute to the amount of emissions. Governments must do their part, and so must individuals.
The bottom line is that more is at stake than the polar bear. Everyone is responsible for saving the earth. We need to act now or probably suffer negative consequences in the very near future.
Pilots flying in Scotland last week were treated to a novel warning from air controllers: watch out for a high flying vulture (high flying being a literal description). Gandalf, a Ruppell’s Vulture “escaped” during an airshow called World of Wings. The show was being held in Cumbernauld, which is near Glasgow, when Gandalf supposedly caught a warm thermal. This propelled her high up into the skies, and she was not seen again – for a while.
The “loss” of Gandalf, who has been with World of Wings for six years, prompted civil aviation authorities to warn pilots. Gandalf is originally from the African continent and has a wingspan of three meters. This gives the bird lots of flying power. Believe it or not, this kind of bird can actually fly up to 30,000 feet! Indeed, this capacity makes the bird a potential threat to airplanes in flight.
There have been many incidents in the past of aircraft colliding with birds. In many cases, these collisions have caused pilots to opt for an emergency landing. Remember the commercial airplane that had to land on the Hudson River?
To make things worse, Gandalf’s kind can fly for very long distances, making it difficult to predict where he would end up. The good news is that the bird has finally been found – at a Falkirk brickworks, interestingly enough. Experts were worried that the bird might reach as far as the European continent, but their fears were alleviated when Gandalf was spotted.
So if you’re flying anywhere near the area – you’re safe from show vultures now. 
Photo credit: Birdfinders
What did he expect anyway? The guy was drunk, however, so I guess he was not thinking at all. AP reports that an Australian man was thrown out of a pub in the northwestern part of the country. The 36-year-old guy then proceeded to scale the barbed wire fence protecting the Broome Crocodile Park.
He wanted to give Fatso, the name of the 16-foot saltwater crocodile, a pat; but he ended up getting more than he bargained for. Why he had to sit on the back of the croc, one can only surmise, but Fatso didn’t like it one bit. He responded quickly by swinging his head back and biting the man on the right leg.
Surprisingly, the crocodile let go of the man’s leg so he was able to escape and managed to scale the fence once again – this time to get the heck out of there. He was quite fortunate to have received only lacerations on his leg (nasty as they are) as saltwater crocodiles are not known for letting go of limbs (or anything for that matter) once they get hold of them.
As for the man, no other information was released about him except that he is a tourist from eastern Australia.
Here’s a tip for you: the next time you see a saltwater crocodile, try to refrain from giving it a pat and sitting on its back, will you?
