Monthly archives: June 2010


links for 2010-06-29

  • Roger Geffen, a campaigner at CTC, the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation, got a shock when he returned from a cycling conference in Copenhagen this week to find a ‘Cycle Superhighway’ had been painted on the road outside his front door – directly into the back of a parking space with a taxi parked in it.
    (tags: bike london)
  • The train cemetery is located in Moscow region. Just look at eyes of them worn trains, they are full of sorrow, but still if you look at them with a right kind of eye you will see a faint twinkle in these old wreckages
  • By the time I checked in that evening, expecting the glitch to be resolved, there were 1000 more fans, bringing my total to over 5000. By the next morning there were 7000, and this explosive growth rate continued in the days that followed. Soon the day-to-day increase started doubling regularly, until it eventually hit a steady stride – at which point I was gaining more than 25 000 new fans on a daily basis.

    Keep in mind that the fan count had by now far surpassed the number of copies of the book that had actually been printed. So those weeks when over 100 000 new strangers would inexplicably join my Facebook fan page were maddeningly confusing.

  • Commanders do not allow sexual intercourse on the International Space Station, it has been disclosed.
    (tags: space sex)
  • Last Saturday in Moscow region there was held a rehearsal of display of military equipment as a part of International Forum called ‘Mechanical Engineering Technologies.’ There was built a special training ground for the display – a unique area that allows showing riding properties of armored and wheeled machinery to the fullest extent. There are lots of obstacles of different kinds on the training ground needed for demonstration of any types of machinery.

links for 2010-06-28

  • Photographs play a crucial role in informing, influencing, educating and reassuring customers throughout the buying process. Review your website’s photography and question its role. What is the job of a particular photo at that particular stage of the process? Is it effective? When might customers drop out, and how could photos prevent that from happening?
  • Lomography fans will be excited to learn that the company's got a new product – the Spinner 360. Like other Lomography products, it's not standard photography — instead, it lets you take super-wide panoramas all around you.

    It's pretty simple. You insert a roll of 35mm film, hold the camera above your head, pick either indoor or outdoor exposure, and give the ringpull a gentle tug. It'll rotate 360 degrees, and capture a wide, tall panorama by exposing the film a small amount at a time through a narrow slit, all the way to the edges of the film.

  • BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is testing a tablet that could act as a “companion” to its BlackBerry phone, says the Wall Street Journal.

    The BlackBerry tablet is reportedly in the early stage of development and will tether to the the phone. Last month, Boy Genius Report said the BlackBerry tablet is likely to have an 8.9-inch screen and include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

    (tags: tablet ipad)
  • Some uber-fans were miffed when they heard that X-Com, the reboot of the popular PC series of the same name, would be a first-person shooter rather than a traditional strategy game.

    After a live demonstration of X-Com by 2K Marin’s Martin Slater at E3 on Tuesday, I’m glad to report that the upcoming title for Xbox 360 and PC allows gamers to play strategically — just not as they did in 1993. Players will run and gun, but choices they make during firefights (and between them) make a difference. The game lets players make meaningful decisions between bursts of filling aliens full of lead.

    (tags: videogames)
  • A new camcorder lets consumers play James Cameron at home by creating their own 3D videos.

    Hammacher Schlemmer has started selling what it claims is the first camcorder to shoot 3D video and let users see the resulting content on the device’s screen, without the need for any special glasses.

    (tags: 3d camera video)
  • Toshiba has announced a trio of new devices that it's hoping will shake up the somewhat-stagnant notebook PC market. There's the Libretto W100, the AC100, and the Satellite R630.

    The first in the list is the most interesting. It's a clamshell device that comes with two screens in place of a screen and a keyboard, similar to the one showed off by Asus at CeBIT more than a year ago. Those screens are identical, measuring 7-inches diagonally and are touch-sensitive. An onboard accelerometer allows you to use it in landscape or portrait configuration, and Toshiba's pre-loaded a boatload of specialist software that'll let you get the most from the device.

  • New advances in air conditioning technology have improved the efficiency of machines by as much as 90 percent, paving the way for significant energy use reductions in hot countries.

    The research, which has been conducted at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, relies on the use of membranes, evaporative cooling and desiccants. None of these processes are new, but the researchers were able to combine them in a way that delivers far greater efficiency savings than previous attempts.

    (tags: efficiency eco)
  • Google’s web-based document editor can now convert the text inside your PDFs and images into text you can edit.

    When you upload a file to Google Docs, you’ll see the option to “Convert text from PDF or image files to Google Docs documents.” You can upload any PDF, PNG, JPG or GIF.

    (tags: pdf google)
  • Professor Joseph Stiglitz, who has been described as the biggest brain in economics, is distinctly unimpressed by George Osborne's strategy. This, he predicts, will make Britain's recovery from recession longer, slower and harder than it needs to be. The rise in VAT could even tip us into a double-dip recession.

Jet engine for sale. One fairly careful owner

Bristol Siddeley Viper 102 Jet Engine

Used Viper 8 Engine as used in Jet Provost T3

1750lbs Thrust

This engine looks complete, the turbine turns freely.

I would not say this would be suitable for aircraft use.

Buyer must know what they are doing with this sort of item, if you kill yourself playing with it dont blame me.

This should be fully services by a suitable qualified person.

Buyer to collect, cash on collection or paypal before collection.

Hurry! The sale ends soon.


links for 2010-06-27

  • Even at the most extreme edges of the flow of stuff out of the volcano Pompeii, at the far edge of the mud and ash that came from the volcano's explosion, the heat was sufficient to instantly kill everyone, even those inside their homes.
  • Manchester prides itself on being the Original Modern City…

    And as the 21st century gains pace and we leave the awkward noughties behind, the cityscape, more than a decade on from the almost mythical ‘96 bomb blast that kick-started its rapid reinvention, continues its incredible transformation, rapidly shedding its famous industrial skin, the patina of its 20th century incarnation, for a shiny new one. The perfect opportunity then as we hurtle excitedly into this uncharted imminent future to examine the almost ‘archaeological’ landscape of the century we have only just left behind, itself a hundred years of massive social, physical and cultural change.

  • 1980s pop singing sensations Debbie Gibson and Tiffany will bury their pop princess rivalry to co-star in the new ripped-from-the-headlines Syfy Saturday Original Movie, Mega Python Vs Gatoroid, which will go into production later this month for a scheduled 2011 release.
    (tags: cheese)
  • The blimp, everyone's favorite steampunk mode of transportation, has gotten an eco-friendly upgrade. Solar-powered airship Nephilios represents the culmination of a years-long French project to build a completely carbon-neutral flying machine.
    (tags: blimp solar)

links for 2010-06-26

  • This outtake from a 1960s commercial for Monroe shock absorbers features a well-groomed man making some… er… well, he's talking about… oh, to hell with innuendo. Anyone ever see a man get this excited over a penis suspension damper?
    (tags: outtake silly)
  • When you’re sitting around contemplating your next bike build, you typically think about your frame and fork first and how you’d like it to turn out in the end. Not many folks say to themselves…”Hey, I think I’ll build it out of wood!”
    (tags: bike wood)

links for 2010-06-25


Trek 7100FX



Trek 7100FX, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

This is what I’ve spent the afternoon working on. I’ve cleaned and greased the bearings in the headset; removed a load of dried mud from the front derailleur and got it working smoothly again; greased and reseated the bearings in both wheels (twice, because each time I found a stray ball bearing after I’d put the hub back together); greased and adjusted the brakes and given it a good clean.

The saddle’s tatty, the pedals may need replacing and the rear brake arms don’t look nice (though they work fine), but it’s a runner and a very nice bike. I’m off to the shops as a test ride.

By the way, this bike is for sale. Get in touch to find out more.


links for 2010-06-23

  • The first prize is £1,000 and the publication of your 4 page story in The Observer Review.
    The runner-up will receive £250 and your work will appear on www.guardian.co.uk. and the Vintage website
  • This ring combines functionality with design enabling you to get some looks while you open your choice of beverage. You are able to wear this ring on the knuckle side or palm side, whichever suits you. It is designed to fit on your ring finger and for you to use your index finger for leverage. If wearing it isn’t your style, you can put it on your key chain as well.

links for 2010-06-22


Manchester School of Art Degree Show 2010

Manchester School of Art Degree Show

I did get a few photos of the degree show, which are all below. The textiles section of the show expressly forbade photography, whilst I wasn’t certain in other areas, so I just took a few shots here and there.

The School is undergoing a refurbishment, so some of the spaces used in previous areas weren’t open this year. The 3D design department seemed to suffer more than most. There was some very nice furniture, but not the larger selection of product design which has always been particularly interesting to me. The production design area of the film school was also lacking representation beyond a few film posters. Of course, it’s also possible I was just dim and missed off a whole room or two of the show somehow.

Students with webistes include-

James Tite

Kirsty Anne Robson

Iwan Roberts, Ben Grainger and others have art online at artofficialspace.co.uk

Sean Penlington

Liam Parkin

Kelly Parish

Isaac Holland

Steph Graham

Kate Fielding

Andrew Henderson– rather nice stuff with a slight steampunk leaning. The anatomy of a mermaid drawings and his models are particularly good.

Sophie Berger

Emma Reynolds, with a blog here. Lovely book illustrations and narrative. I should see if she’d like to illustrate a comic.

And here are the pictures. If you click through you’ll see that I was lax in taking down artists names and most of them are uncredited. If you are, or know, the artist, please get in touch and I’ll rectify that.

Manchester School of Art Degree Show Manchester School of Art Degree Show- Chelsea White Manchester School of Art Degree Show Manchester School of Art Degree Show Manchester School of Art Degree Show Manchester School of Art Degree Show Manchester School of Art Degree Show- Martha Swabey Manchester School of Art Degree Show Manchester School of Art Degree Show

One day I want to be able to go to this show and buy or commission some art.