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2007-05-12T04:16:00.000-07:00

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2007-05-12T03:33:00.000-07:00

:: A tribute to our friend, Jw.

2007-05-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

JW came to my attention in July of 1999 when he was appointed
official helper to come work on regteam. As is often the case with someone
we don't know, I was curious about who he was, where he was from, how old he
was, what his nick meant.
I didn't find out for several years that he was a man my age from
the same area in the country as I was, and that his nick meant what it
sounded like; a victim of a terrible accident that broke his back, JW was
substantially paralized.
It took even longer for me to find out that he lived with
constant pain and regular difficult physical therapy. It's not uncommon for
a victim like JW to seek to expand his compromised life style in the magical
medium of IRC.
However it *is* uncommon to find a person like JW anywhere at
all. I don't think anyone ever heard JW complain about his personal physical
predicament. I personally never heard JW "complain" about anything. I never
heard a negative phrase about anyone or anything from his keyboard.
Certainly such discipline in the face of adversity such as his is very rare.
When some of think of JW they think "work horse". He had the time
certainly to apply to the drudging thankless tasks we must accomplish to
keep this service running. But JW won't be remembered for that. JW had the
time to chat. And he did, a lot.
Making friends, mentoring newbies, sharing feelings and
experiences were JW's tools to fill a void in his life and indeed addressing
voids in the lives of others. Unavoidably, he touched many with his courage,
his calm and his compassion.
When JW warned us that he had a necessary surgery coming up that
would take him off IRC for up to two months, it was a pretty casual
statement. And the day he had to go he finished up as much work as he could,
apologized for his upcoming absence, and said "back in a bit". Well he knew
more than he was letting on.
So now that we know he isn't coming back, the fact is
incomprehensible. He was a best friend to many, which is a hard thing to do.
No one disliked him for any reason, even harder. The quality of the work
that he did will not be surpassed.
We must remember JW and his special philosophy and demeanor as we
proceed with life on IRC and off. You can make the best of what you have. In
fact you can take what you have and make a real difference in peoples'
lives.
JW did this and it's going to take a long time to realize the
extent of his effect on all of us. If we could all do just a little bit of
what JW did, the world would be a better place.
It's human nature to experience a loss such as this as personal.
JW would prefer that it not be perceived as a loss. You can still chat with
JW in your mind because he's already made his mark and you know what he
would say.
So enough loss and on with a legacy. While JW is too humble to
acknowledge that he might become a legacy in our minds, we must acknowledge
JW and his effect on our lives.
And as we go back to work, that's exactly what we're going to do.
You can feel your pain, but for JW, celebrate the experience that he gave us
and that will endure in his absence.
saralee...
thanks Doc
Hi, I like to share a bit of background info about JwPara.
He was John Walker, from Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. He was
47, divorced, has two kids, John and Nikki, ages 19 and 24. He was very
proud of both of them, I might add.
At the age of 28, in Sept '85, he had fallen from a height of 30
feet, a 3-story building while doing construction work.
He landed on his feet, but the impact broke his back.. and as a
result, he was paralyzed from the waist down.
He was a paramedic by training and knew how much his life would
change on that eventful day.
As Doc had mentioned, he was in constant pain, but he never talked
about it much. He was that kind of guy.
Last October, he had surgery preformed on his spine/neck to
relieve some of the pressure that was causing him to loose strength in his
arms and fingers.
The operation would fuse 4 of his neck bones and he would, quite
literally, have a "stiff" neck.
While the surgery was a success, the doctors found that he wasn't
recovering the way they expected, and did more tests. More visits to the
hospital were needed.
Several weeks later they found something much more serious.. a
bone fungus that would spread rapidly.
On Dec 26, he was told that he only had 6 months to live.
He kept this a secret, even from his closest friends and family as
long as possible.
On Monday, he was looking forward to being back online very soon
and getting his computer up and running (it was in the shop for repairs on
his hard drive).
He especially missed working with all of us and I don't think he
knew himself what little time he had left.
John passed away peacefully on Jan 26th at 2:15 am at home, with
his mother, children, brother and love ones at his bedside (new york time)
John was my mentor on CService and my dear friend. He was a
remarkable teacher and taught me many things.
He always looked for the best in people. I don't remember a time
when he was angry.
He enjoyed helping when he could, but most of all, he had
unbelievable patience with little regard for his own discomfort.
He paid attention to details as only a good listener can. There is
a big hole in CService and in many of our hearts right now.
People like John are not so easy to clone.
For John, and others who dedicate their time to Undernet so
unselfishly, thank you. Your continued support, patience and understanding
will not be easily forgotten.

:: Coder Committee web page redesign contest

2007-05-11T13:17:00.001-07:00

Greetings.

The Undernet Coder Committee would like to announce a contest:
We are seeking entries for a redesign of the Coder Committee web page.

Contestants should place their design on a publicly accessible
web server and submit the URL to coder-com@undernet.org no later than
June 15, 2005.

Entries may include the author's name or nickname in a page footer. The
Undernet logo and button bar need not be a part of your design, as they
will be added.

Each entry will be linked to the current coder-com page, and a winner will
be announced by June 25th.

For a list of entrants, see http://coder-com.undernet.org/.

Note: For all those that entered the previous contest about a year and a
half ago, we are extremely sorry for our lack of diligence in completing
the contest at that time. If you would like, just resubmit your site
and/or change/rework it, and it will be added to the list of entrants.

:: Forum Additions

2007-05-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hiya All,

We have installed some additions to the Undernet Forum for all of you to enjoy, and hopefully to encourage you to use the Undernet Website and forums more often.

We now have a "Cyber Pet" installed called Rabbitoshi, a virtual pet which you can purchase in the forum and take care of its needs.
We also have a casino where you can play games such as slots, blackjack and other similar games.

The way these new features work are based on a points / cash system. The more active you are in the Undernet Forum, the more cash / points you gain and are able to spend this in the "Casino" or on your CyberPet.

I hope you enjoy the new features and please tell your friends online about our wonderful website :-)

http://forum.undernet.org

Support channel for this game is #Rabbistoshi

Shaun Okeefe
Undernet User-Committee
Webmasters / Translators / Promotions
simba@user-com.undernet.org

:: New Server

2007-05-11T13:14:00.001-07:00

The website is back as we can all see. That's good news! But, there is more. Undernet has granted a TESTLINK to a new server again. This time the server name is: SanJose.CA.US.Undernet.org

Congrats to their team, and hope to see it permanently linked very soon.

: Another server granted a TESTLINK to the Undernet

2007-05-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

On 5th of April 2006 Miami.FL.US.Undernet.Org server granted TESTLINK on Undernet, let's hope it grants PERMLINK and one more server will be available from now. The name of server might sound familiar, but the old Miami server was renamed in Montreal.QC.CA.Undernet.org a few months ago, so same name but new server and staff.

New US Server

2007-05-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to LosAngeles.CA.US.Undernet.org
which was granted a TESTLINK on the 23rd of June.

We hope to see them in PERMLINK very soon.

: New Mexican Server !

2007-05-11T13:04:00.001-07:00

The Undernet Routing-Committee has granted a test link to a new server located in Mexico.

Monterrey.Mx.Undernet.Org has linked to the Undernet to assist in making the connection easier to Undernet for our users.

We wish the admin and his opers every success during their time in testlink and hope they get perm linked soon.

mIRC 6.21 has been released!

2007-05-11T13:02:00.001-07:00

As always this new version of mIRC addresses many of the issues reported since the last release. A lot of time was spent tweaking features and fixing bugs. We worked on the installer, logfile handling, script error handling, as well as a handful of other things. Only a few new features and functions have been added, making this mainly a bugfix release.

The mIRC installer has improved a lot! The installer now offers several pre-defined modes that allow you to choose between an Upgrade, Full or Custom install. It ensures that backups of old files are successful, reports error and aborts the installation if it failed for some reason.

The IRC Servers dialog now uses a treeview to display the servers list. In response to this change the format of the servers.ini file has changed to accomodate for a larger amount of servers. The DNS routines have changed so that on connect the retrieved pool of IP addresses is randomised to spread the load across connections.

Preparing for a fully Vista (the new Windows) compliant version of mIRC several changes have been made. These incluse minor cosmetic issues, icons, a new help file in .chm format, etc. Also a command line option has been created that makes mIRC avoid all use of the registry. If this switch is used, mIRC stores registry information in the mirc.ini file in a [user] section, and does not modify registry to support irc:// links etc. This comes handy when you want to run mIRC from a memory stick or similar device.

A lot of changes have been made to the way mIRC names and stores logfiles. This is mainly done to prevent file corruption and loss of data when you open multiple server connections. mIRC tries to name and rename logfiles as smart as possible. Also, when settings are changed in the logging dialog, the logging state of windows and any open log filenames are now immediately updated to reflect the new settings. In previous versions new settings were only applied when a new window was created.

We hope to have smashed the confusing 'flash' and 'beep' options by adding a "Default" menu item to System Menu Flash/Beep items, allowing channel/query/chat windows to use the default settings as set in the Options/Sounds dialog. And disabling sounds in the Sounds dialog now does actually disable -all- sounds, even those using /splay or /beep. ;-)

For experienced users and scripting enthousiasts this new version has heaps of fixes, changes and other little thingies to play with. Some of the more useful changes for scripters are: an extension to the /toolbar command that allows you to customize your toolbar, it now has a new switch that makes mIRC remember your current toolbar settings and reload them automatically the next time you run mIRC; the /window -h behaviour has been fixed so that you can hide Status windows from the switchbar; the on WAVEEND event now triggers as it should; Regular expression support has been improved and resolves gpf and speed issues in the previous version; script $error handling should work better now; and /drawrot is now much faster. We encourage you to explore the versions.txt file for all changes. Some changes are obvious, some need getting used to - please take your time to play with them and see how they work.

In total there have been over 80 changes in this version and although most of them are bug fixes or small tweaks, we hope that they result in a more useful and stable mIRC for you.

New server

2007-05-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

On Jul 26, 2006

Calgary.AB.CA.Undernet.org located in Alberta, Canada was granted a TESTLINK on the 26th of July. A big welcome, and we hope to see them in permlink soon.

mIRC 6.21 has been released!

2007-05-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

By www.mirc.com on Nov 23, 2006

As always this new version of mIRC addresses many of the issues reported since the last release. A lot of time was spent tweaking features and fixing bugs. Only a few new features and functions have been added, making this mainly a bugfix release.

Testing Important for Flawless Mission

2007-05-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

Ninety tons of International Space Station hardware currently is being processed in the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. It will eventually join the 198 tons of Station elements that now compose the orbiting space research platform.

Among the huge elements on stands spanning the high bay floor is Node 2, the final element for finishing the phase of the Station called "core complete." That element, expected to be launched sometime in 2005, recently arrived at the SSPF and now is being tested. After testing and trouble shooting is complete, it will be subject to multi-element testing with the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) to determine if the elements work together.

U.S. Node 2 and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) are being tested in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF)

Previous multi-element integration tests (MEIT's) on Station hardware have proven invaluable for solving problems inexpensively on the ground. "You don't want to wait until you're on orbit to find a problem. It's much more difficult to make repairs," said Tim Honeycutt, NASA technical integration engineer. "These tests are extremely important to the success of the program."

On Earth in the SSPF, hundreds of NASA and Boeing engineers and technicians are available to tweak the systems until they work perfectly. On orbit, the astronauts would have to make repairs, perhaps during a space walk.

During the Node 2 testing, activity in the high bay at Kennedy gives a deceptive picture of the testing process. While some engineers and technicians are on the floor supporting the test, many more are in control rooms behind the scene monitoring the tests and making critical judgment calls.

At right: The Italian-built U.S. Node 2 is being attached to the end of the U.S. Lab

Boeing Communication and Tracking engineer Marty Hall has worked on both types of testing. For the past 15 years he has tested video systems used for on-orbit science experiments requiring a video link. He began working with video systems for Spacelab and later was assigned to the Station program as it ramped up.

"We make sure that scientists are able to view their experiments on orbit," Hall said. "Considering that researchers often wait many years to finally get a chance to launch their experiments, it's critical to get things right."

After core complete, NASA will launch the International Partners' laboratories, Japan's JEM and the European Space Agency's Columbus. JEM is being processed in the high bay and Columbus is being tested and completed in Europe.

Space Station processing at Kennedy won't end with the final module. Science experiments and supplies will continue to be delivered and returned via the multi-purpose logistics modules, nicknamed Leonardo, Raffaello and Donatello.

Testing of payloads follows a similar pattern.

At left: Testing is ongoing on the U.S. Node 2, second of three Space Station connecting modules

"We'll continue to support Station after construction is complete, but we'll be focusing our energies on processing science experiments, which is what Station is about, " said Steve Cain, NASA's advance planning manager for ESA at KSC. "At that point the international community will have access to a phenomenal research platform, allowing for long-term space research able to pass the toughest standards of science. That has never been possible before."

For further information please visit: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/iss/index.htm

Smoking Out Space Fires: NASA Study Helps Prevent Fires in Space

2007-05-11T12:52:00.001-07:00

if you've ever burned your dinner, you know how startling a smoke alarm can be. Now, imagine you're 220 miles away from Earth in an orbiting lab when the alarm sounds.

Fires are no laughing matter on Earth, but in space they could be even more devastating.

"If a chair is on fire in your home, you have time to get out. In a spacecraft, you don't," said NASA scientist Dr. David Urban. "You have to detect smoke in an early pre-fire state, so you can stop it before it starts."

Urban and a team of scientists and engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center are developing a space station experiment to help engineers design smoke detectors that are sensitive enough to catch fires early, but not so sensitive that they cause false alarms.

Image right: Astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams works with the Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test (DAFT) on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

This may not sound like a major challenge. After all, household smoke detectors are mass produced and inexpensive. But detecting smoke in space isn't quite so simple.

Smoke detectors work by looking for particles in the air that are about the same size as the particles normally found in smoke. However, a 1996 NASA Glenn study showed that smoke particles in space are bigger than those on Earth.

"Smoke particles form differently in microgravity than they do on the ground," said William Sheredy, project manager for the Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment (SAME). "When smoke is created in microgravity, the particles have more time to gather together, producing larger particles or particle chains than in normal gravity."

So far, nobody knows exactly how big those particles are. That's why the NASA Glenn team created SAME. This space station experiment will burn samples of materials normally found in space -- like Teflon, silicon, cellulose and Kapton -- and then measure the size of the particles in the smoke. Engineers will use this information to design the next generation of spacecraft smoke detectors.

As NASA often does, the team used several commercial parts to build the experiment. One of those parts, the P-Trak, was made by Minnesota company TSI. Designed to measure air quality, this small handheld device is capable of counting individual smoke particles. It's also the perfect size and weight for a space station experiment. There's just one catch: It wasn't designed for space.

Image left: Photo of the P-Trak air quality measurement device made by TSI. Credit: NASA

P-Trak works by passing air through a heated chamber of vaporous alcohol. When the air is cooled, the alcohol condenses around dust particles much like water condenses on a cold glass. This makes the particles large enough that an optical sensor can detect them as they scatter light from a laser beam.

"We were concerned because gravity assists in the circulation of the alcohol inside the device," Sheredy said.

"We weren't sure it would work properly in the absence of gravity."

So the scientists modified the device by carving tiny grooves inside its chambers to improve the flow of alcohol in microgravity. Of course, the scientific method requires every theory to be tested, and this experiment was no exception.

Before they could use the device in SAME, the team had to be sure the modification would work. To do so, they created another space station experiment called the Dust and Aerosol Measurement Feasibility Test (DAFT), to test the modified P-Trak.

In September, astronaut and Expedition 13 Flight Engineer Jeff Williams operated DAFT on the station. Urban, Sheredy and other DAFT team members watched in real time as Williams called in the recordings to Payload Communications. The results showed that the commercial particle counter works in space.

"It was really exciting. For people who work on projects like we do, days like this are highlights in our careers," said Sheredy. "From beginning to end, DAFT took about 3.5 years, and it all came down to about six hours of operation."

Those crucial six hours brought the team one step closer to understanding the nature of space smoke and improving NASA's detectors. They look forward to another career highlight next summer when their primary experiment, SAME, is scheduled to travel to the station aboard the space shuttle.

Jan Wittry (SGT, Inc.)
NASA's Glenn Research Center

Expedition 15 Crew Docks with Space Station

2007-05-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and cosmonaut Oleg Kotov of the 15th International Space Station crew docked with the orbiting laboratory at 3:10 p.m. EDT Monday to begin a six-month stay aboard.

Image to right: Expedition 15 crew launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in their Soyuz spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA TV

With them is Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi. He is an American flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency.

He will return to Earth with Expedition 14 crew members, Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, on April 20. Expedition 14 launched to the station last Sept. 18.

Expedition 15 crew members were welcomed by the Expedition 14 crew, including astronaut Sunita Williams, their third Expedition 15 crew member. She launched to the station aboard the STS-116 mission of Discovery on Dec. 9. She joined Expedition 14 in progress and will provide Expedition 15 with an experienced flight engineer for the early part of its increment.

Williams, 41, is a Naval Academy graduate and a Navy commander. She flew helicopters and was a helicopter test pilot before being selected as an astronaut in 1998.

Yurchikhin, 48, is making his second flight into space. He was a member of the STS-112 crew which launched to the station aboard Atlantis on Oct. 7, 2002, with the Starboard 1 Truss. He holds a Ph.D. in economics and was named a cosmonaut-candidate in 1997.

Kotov, 41, is making his first spaceflight. He graduated from the Moscow Medical Academy in 1988, and was named a cosmonaut-candidate in 1996.

Astronaut Clayton Anderson is scheduled to replace Williams as a flight engineer during Expedition 15. Anderson, 48, holds a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University. He was selected as an astronaut in 1998 and will be making his first spaceflight.

Two Expedition 16 crew members are expected to arrive next fall to replace Yurchikhin and Kotov.

Nasa Spaceflight gallery

2007-05-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

International Space Station
The following images are a collection of the best shuttle mission imagery that point out significant changes in the configuration of the station. This collection may not contain images from every shuttle mission.

Why Explore Space?

2007-05-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

By Michael Griffin
Administrator
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

As NASA resumes flights of the space shuttle to finish building the International Space Station, many are questioning whether the project – the most complex construction feat ever undertaken – is worth the risk and expense.

Image above: Artist's concept of the Orion crew vehicle in lunar orbit. Credit: Lockheed Martin Corp.

I have been asked, and asked myself, this question many times during my career, particularly when the United States lacked a plan to go beyond the space station to other destinations in the solar system.

The issue was addressed eloquently in the report of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, which examined the 2003 loss of the shuttle and its crew. That report pointed out that for the foreseeable future, space travel is going to be expensive, difficult and dangerous. But, for the United States, it is strategic. It is part of what makes us a great nation. And the report declared that if we are going to send humans into space, the goals ought to be worthy of the cost, the risk and the difficulty. A human spaceflight program with no plan to send people anywhere beyond the orbiting space station certainly did not meet that standard.

President Bush responded to the Columbia report. The administration looked at where we had been in space and concluded that we needed to do more, to go further. The result was the Vision for Space Exploration, announced nearly three years ago, which commits the United States to using the shuttle to complete the space station, then retiring the shuttle and building a new generation of spacecraft to venture out into the solar system. Congress has ratified that position with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, making the Vision for Space Exploration the law of the land.

"I believe America should look to its future – and consider what that future will look like if we choose not to be a spacefaring nation."

--NASA Administrator Michael Griffin

Today, NASA is moving forward with a new focus for the manned space program: to go out beyond Earth orbit for purposes of human exploration and scientific discovery. And the International Space Station is now a stepping stone on the way, rather than being the end of the line.

On the space station, we will learn how to live and work in space. We will learn how to build hardware that can survive and function for the years required to make the round-trip voyage from Earth to Mars.

If humans are indeed going to go to Mars, if we're going to go beyond, we have to learn how to live on other planetary surfaces, to use what we find there and bend it to our will, just as the Pilgrims did when they came to what is now New England – where half of them died during that first frigid winter in 1620. There was a reason their celebration was called "Thanksgiving."

The Pilgrims were only a few thousand miles from home, and they were accomplished farmers and artisans. And yet, when they came to an unfamiliar land, they didn’t know how to survive in its harsh environment. They didn’t know what food would grow and what wouldn’t. They didn’t know what they could eat and what they couldn't.

Image above: The International Space Station, the most complex construction feat ever undertaken, will teach us how to live and work in space.

The Pilgrims had to learn to survive in a strange new place across a vast ocean. If we are to become a spacefaring nation, the next generation of explorers is going to have to learn how to survive in other forbidding, faraway places across the vastness of space. The moon is a crucially important stepping stone along that path – an alien world, yet one that is only a three-day journey from Earth.

Using the space station and building an outpost on the moon to prepare for the trip to Mars are critical milestones in America's quest to become a truly spacefaring nation. I think that we should want that. I want that. I want it for the American people, for my grandchildren, for my great-grandchildren.

Throughout history, the great nations have been the ones at the forefront of the frontiers of their time. Britain became great in the 17th century through its exploration and mastery of the seas. America's greatness in the 20th century stemmed largely from its mastery of the air. For the next generations, the frontier will be space.

Other countries will explore the cosmos, whether the United States does or not. And those will be Earth's great nations in the years and centuries to come. I believe America should look to its future – and consider what that future will look like if we choose not to be a spacefaring nation.

Progress to Launch to Space Station

2007-05-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

A new Progress freighter is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station at 11:25 p.m. EDT Friday, May 11, with more than 2.5 tons of fuel, air, water and other supplies and equipment aboard.

The station's 25th Progress unpiloted cargo carrier will bring to the orbiting laboratory more than 1,050 pounds of propellant, almost 100 pounds of air, more than 925 pounds of water and 3,042 pounds of dry cargo – a total of 5,125 pounds.

P25 will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is scheduled to dock with the station Tuesday, May 15, at about 1:10 a.m.

Image at right: A Progress cargo spacecraft approaches the International Space Station prior to docking on Jan. 19, 2007. Credit: NASA

The spacecraft will use the automated Kurs system to dock at the aft port of the Zvezda Service Module. Expedition 15 Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin will be at the manual Toru docking system controls, should his intervention become necessary.

Expedition 15 crew members, Yurchikhin and flight engineers Sunita Williams and Oleg Kotov, will continue to use oxygen from the Progress 24 at the Pirs Docking Compartment. It is scheduled to remain there until mid-August.

Once its cargo is unloaded, P25 will be filled with trash and station discards. It is scheduled to be undocked, deorbited and incinerated on re-entry on July 20.

The Progress is similar in appearance and some design elements to the Soyuz spacecraft, which brings crew members to the station, serves as a lifeboat while they are there and returns them to Earth. The aft module, the instrumentation and propulsion module, is nearly identical.

But the second of the three Progress sections is a refueling module, and the third, uppermost as the Progress sits on the launch pad, is a cargo module. On the Soyuz, the descent module, where the crew is seated on launch and which returns them to Earth, is the middle module and the third is called the orbital module.

John Ira Petty
NASA's Johnson Space Center

AIM at the Edge of Space

2007-05-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission is the first detailed exploration of Earth's unique and elusive clouds that are literally on the "edge of space." Other space-based and ground-based measurements have probed some aspects of this unusual phenomenon in Earth's mesosphere (the region just above the stratosphere), but very little is known about how these clouds form over the poles, why they are being seen at lower latitudes than ever before, or why they have been growing brighter and more frequent. Some scientists have suggested that these polar mesospheric clouds may be the direct result of human-induced climate change.

Over the course of its two-year mission, AIM will help answer these questions by documenting for the first time the entire complex life cycle of these clouds. With this information, scientists will be able to resolve many of the mysteries about how these clouds form and be better able to predict how they will change in the future.

Quick Facts

Polar mesospheric clouds form over both poles only during each hemisphere's summer, which starts in mid-May in the north and November in the south. The number of clouds and their brightness is highest toward the poles. Clouds are both more frequent and brighter in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere. They are normally observed at altitudes of 83-84 kilometers (50 miles).
Polar mesospheric clouds, as they are known to those who study them from satellite observations, are also often called "noctilucent," or night shining, clouds. This is because they are visible from the ground when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while lower layers of the atmosphere are in the Earth's shadow.
The first public report of noctilucent clouds was made in 1885 by an amateur astronomer. The first observations of the clouds in the daytime were made by a satellite in 1969. Regular space-based observations began in 1982 with NASA's Solar Mesosphere Explorer. Space-based observations to date were made serendipitously by instruments designed for other purposes.
AIM will observe two complete polar mesospheric cloud seasons over both poles

Deciphering the Recipe for Polar Mesospheric Clouds

The formation of polar mesospheric clouds at such high altitudes does not follow conventional meteorological concepts of how clouds form lower in the atmosphere. One theory is that the cloud particles grow on "seeds" of volcanic or meteoric dust. These clouds appear to be a relatively recent phenomenon, being first reported in the late 19th century shortly after the volcanic eruption at Krakatoa. The brightest clouds are now known to be primarily composed of water ice, and their seasonal lifecycle is controlled by complex interactions between temperature, water vapor, solar activity, atmospheric chemistry and small particles on which the cloud crystals form.

AIM will make simultaneous measurements of the main ingredients needed to unravel the role of natural factors such as the solar cycle and meteorology in the formation of these clouds from the possible role of anthropogenic factors such as carbon dioxide, which causes a warming in the lower atmosphere but a cooling in this region of the atmosphere. Ultimately, this research will provide the data needed to determine the role of polar mesospheric clouds as an important indicator of our planet's changing climate.

Solar Cycle

Polar mesospheric clouds occur in the region where the sun first interacts with Earth's atmosphere, causing chemical and thermal changes. Solar radiation at this altitude can break apart water vapor molecules, thus reducing the amount of water ice available to form ice crystals in the clouds. The solar ultraviolet radiation at work in this process is known to vary with the 11-year solar cycle.

Satellite observations have shown a pattern of increasing solar ultraviolet radiation followed by declining brightness and frequency of these clouds over two solar cycles. But the change in solar activity occurs nearly a year before changes are seen in the clouds, indicating that the relationship is not a simple matter of direct cause and effect. It is not known why the two are so far out of sync with each other.

Water Vapor and Temperature

Three things are needed in order for these high-altitude clouds to form: cold temperatures, water vapor and small particles that provide surfaces for water to condense. Two of the leading suspects behind the recent changes in polar mesospheric clouds are an increase of water vapor in the region and colder temperatures. Climate models predict that the result of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would be warmer temperatures in the lower atmosphere, where emitted radiation is “trapped” by the air above, but colder temperatures in the mesosphere where the radiation is lost to space. Colder temperatures would allow more icy cloud particles to form. Alternately, a buildup of water vapor in the upper atmosphere could cause the same increase in polar mesospheric clouds. By measuring water vapor, temperature and the presence of clouds at the same time, AIM will allow scientists to isolate which of these factors is the key driver of cloud formation.

Understanding the processes that control water vapor in the summer polar mesosphere will provide a basis for understanding the formation and evolution of these clouds. Water vapor is transported upward into the polar summer mesosphere from the lower atmosphere. It is also produced by the photochemical destruction of methane in the stratosphere and mesosphere.

There are few direct measurements of water abundance along with polar mesospheric cloud properties in the region where these clouds form. AIM will measure a comprehensive data set of water vapor and key chemicals that lead to water formation and that can be used as tracers of the general atmospheric motion. These combined observations will yield a detailed view of the movement and formation of water vapor in this region of the atmosphere.

One unusual source of mesospheric water vapor -- exhaust from rocket engines -- was recently shown to be the cause of an increase in Arctic polar mesospheric clouds (Geophysical Research Letters, M. H. Stevens et al., July 6, 2005). The exhaust plume from an August 1997 space shuttle launch moved northward to form a burst of clouds a week after launch. Water vapor from rockets, however, is not thought to be a major contributor to the long-term increase in these clouds.

Cosmic dust particles

Like clouds in other parts of the atmosphere, one element required for polar mesopheric clouds to form is tiny particles on which water vapor can accumulate and grow into ice crystals. Nearer to Earth's surface clouds form from "cloud condensation nuclei" that can be sea salt spray, desert dust, or other materials lofted from the surface. In the mesosphere it is thought that cosmic dust particles falling into the Earth's atmosphere might serve this same purpose, although this has not been confirmed. AIM will be able to identify how important the daily influx of cosmic dust particles is in the lifecycle of these clouds by measuring the amount and changes of dust in low-Earth orbit. The dust particles disintegrate as they enter the atmosphere below the spacecraft and reform into minute smoke particles that might serve as nuclei for water condensation.

Instruments on the AIM spacecraft will measure the incoming dust, and this data will be used to estimate the average number of condensation nuclei available in the mesosphere for cloud formation. Comparisons will be made between the overall influx of cosmic dust and the occurrence and brightness of clouds in the same area to see if this "cosmic seeding" is more or less important for cloud formation than temperature, water vapor or other factors.

A "Canary in the Coal Mine" for Global Change?

AIM will examine the relative contributions of solar and human-induced effects that cause change in the upper atmosphere. Scientists have pointed out a possible connection with global change because the clouds are becoming brighter and occurring more frequently with time and they are being observed at lower latitudes than ever before. One plausible explanation is that temperatures where the clouds form have become colder with time due to the build up in the lower atmosphere of greenhouse gases from human activities. High in the atmosphere, the greenhouse-gas buildup results in cooling.

AIM will test this hypothesis by providing a clearer understanding of why polar mesospheric clouds form and how they respond to short-term environmental changes. The comprehensive data from the mission will allow scientists to build computer simulations that reproduce the observed changes in these clouds. With these tools in hand, scientists will be able to predict future changes in the clouds and see to what extent they are an indicator of global climate change.

Timeline to Discovery

The three scientific instruments onboard AIM will begin to deliver images and data within a few months after launch, which is currently scheduled for April 2007. The first observations will be made of the Arctic polar mesospheric cloud season during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere. Scientists will then begin to analyze the data with computer simulations of the mesosphere to better understand the many complex processes at work.

Further Reading

Gary E. Thomas, "Are noctilucent clouds harbingers of global change in the middle atmosphere?" Advances in Space Research, vol. 32, no. 9, 2003.

Matthew T. DeLand et al., "A quarter-century of satellite polar mesospheric cloud observations," Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Vol. 68, 2006.

Article by Stephen Cole
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Maldivian students in bangalore being abused...

2007-05-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

Bangalore is a well-known target for higher education among a number of Maldivians. The location is preferred as a result of the cheap costs and the adequate quality of education provided. By taking advantage of this fact, an Indo-Maldivian business threatens to distress the lives of Maldivian students opting to go there for higher education by allegedly ‘assisting’ them.

The business is run jointly by Nishan Pvt. Ltd., a Maldivian company, run by a half Indian- half Maldivian family, and by an Indian company - Shine enterprises Pvt. Ltd. They manage a boarding for Maldivian students in Bangalore, providing them with guardianship and makes arrangements for visa and college enrollment. The proprietor of this business is Chethan kumar (a.k.a Rajesh and many other false names, 28), who claims to be powerful enough to meet the President of Maldives without an appointment. He claims to have millions of rupees and argues that all the Maldivian students in Bangalore are under his control and supervision. But the man is not even able to appropriately provide any of the facilities and services he boasts about when he advertises and meets the parents of students opting to go to Bangalore for educational purposes. He makes these advertisements every year around February-March and brags that he provides 3* accommodation, but most of the students often have to stay without food or water for more than 24hrs.

Each student registering at this company has to pay a monthly fee of $160 which is equivalent to approximately Rs.7200(rate:Rs.45=$1). This amount is more than enough for a family to pay for one month’s accommodation, food and other basic needs, in Bangalore. He has ‘counseling’ sessions prior to registering, during which he analyses the background of the family and the income received by the family before setting the fees for that particular student. The college fees he takes are outrageous. The college fees of even the most prominent colleges in Bangalore do not exceed $1500 per year. But this guy takes more than $4000 from some of the students just to make arrangements for a college for one year. He says that he takes more from all the students for the first year, but shouldn’t the amount taken from each student be uniform? And the funny thing is he takes an additional $350 or so as service charge to make registration at a college. Even this amount is not uniform. As we all would know, students, their parents to be precise, appoint such companies in order to simplify the registration and accommodation processes and since their parents wish to provide their children with security abroad. But it is time for them to realize that things are not what they seem.

Especially from government students, he charges more by giving a hefty breakdown for the total amount. More than $8000 has been taken from some of the students having government scholarships for one year; this amount is more than enough to pay for accommodation as well as pay the course fees for an entire degree at a top college in Bangalore. Shouldn’t the government do something about this? It is a responsibility of both parents and the government to find out how their children are doing. He had promised to provide Maldivian food occasionally and regular transportation to college, in front of the parents but the food and water provided is unhygienic and students often have to go in auto-rickshaw to college after paying for transportation. Students have complained constantly but it was of no use.

Nishan Pvt. Ltd. was previously (before this business was initiated) in huge debt to the State Bank of India and the Maldivian government. But since this business started, all the liabilities have been paid off. How do you think the money was hauled to pay off all these liabilities? They were close to bankruptcy when they began drawing money from inexperienced families and the government by conning them, in the name of this ‘service’. He always avers that he doesn’t get any profit from this business and does all this as a service, especially in front of parents and senior government staff but all the major income comes from this business and not the shops run under Nishan Pvt. Ltd. They manage a total of five shops in Male’.

Rajesh claims to provide full security to all his students but according to them, Rajesh is the worst threat to their security. He is guardian by day and merely a friend by night. According to his agreement, the management would provide full guardianship to all the students, but it does not state his name. Therefore he can ask any girl to go out on dates. He enters the rooms of girls without their permission saying that he has full authority. He is an unmarried man and has no disciplinary values or conscience. He has approached most of the girls in the boarding and asked to go out for rides and even invited them to his room in the middle of the night. The man is a heavy drinker and always talks to the students about Islamic values and discipline. He always says that he doesn’t believe in religion but he believes in god, which depicts that he is a man without a way of life. After all, religion is the way of life. He may believe in god, but if he has no way of living life, he is no worse than a dog wandering the streets of Bangalore. And it’s best that he doesn’t talk about things he doesn’t know about, especially the holy Quran.

Rajesh has two separate boarding houses for students, one for girls and one for boys. That was the arrangement starting from June 2005. Before this, he used to accommodate both girls and boys in the same building, i.e., in his own home. But according to him, he separated them because it was not proper for both genders to stay in the same place and since the number of students was increasing. All the girls are now in the boarding where he lives and the boys live several blocks away. However, it was actually because he would be able to get closer to the girls without any boy interfering, since, as Maldivians, one would look out for another. By taking advantage of this, he has attempted to have intimate relations with many of the girls there. And he succeeded alright. One of the girls fell for his facades. They have sexual relations often and the girl gets better service in whatever she does. Her picture was recently posted in the most hated forum of Maldives: thebalaabodu.com, Meekaaku section. She is the daughter of a well-known figure and MP of Maldives. All of the other girls complain constantly but it seems they would get the same service if they were to have an analogous relationship with him. The two have been spotted in various locations in Bangalore and in the outskirts, especially during holidays.

His intense drinking creates a major threat to all the students, girl or boy. He owns a van, used to provide transportation to the students. Since he is drunk most of the time, when he transports the students, he drives like a madman, endangering their lives. At one incident, he hit two police officers, making a hit and run case. It was lucky he didn’t get caught. And it was even more fortunate that he didn’t collide with another vehicle and that none of the students were injured. He can’t even be allowed to drink in front of the students, let alone see the students when he is drunk. But this is common place in his case. He is unaware of what he speaks or does and doesn’t consider them as Muslims.

Young children of less than 18 years are under his local ‘guardianship’ and their parents have given him full authorization over them. They are unable to say a word or struggle for their rights and is such a man apt to take care of these students? If anything happens to them under which law would he be impeached? This business has been running for more than 4 years and none of the students, who were there within that duration, have been able to achieve their goals. Almost all of the students have left, unable to accomplish anything.

Is the business of running such a boarding house even legal? The students feel an ambiguity about the legitimacy of this business. The business of accommodating students is not registered in India and it is based on fraud and forgery, as observed by many of the students. It is illegal because he does not want the government to know it’s a business, as otherwise he would have to pay tax. He always says that the company is not a college and just a placement and accommodation service agency but how can he give false fees for the colleges?

Now, the question is why students still tolerate all this. It is because, according to his agreement, they can only register for a minimum of one year. And the parents of most of the students do not wish to leave their children without a local guardian. Furthermore, if a student wants to move, he calls up the parent or government in case of government students, and says that it is because they want freedom that they want to move and only under him can they can be molded properly. But he hardly checks up on the students. Students are free to do whatever they want but they remain unflustered. And it is a common practice of him to make trouble between the students by spreading rumors. We ask, is it safe to leave your children at the hands of such a money-hungry swindler?

Varah kool javaabeh.. nidhibey ummeedhu kendunee dho?

2007-05-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some logs which i saw in #Kotari main.

(be_patient) anekkaaves hack eh nuvaanebaa whatever1 bunee ebahutto adhives ehen info thakeh
(nidhibey) Be_patient kalo then ves hack kure vidhaa ne
(biskaloa`) nukureveay ne hack eh nuvaaane shhh! NiDhiBeY
(be_patient) thi vee NiDhiBeY varah kool javaabeh thee

pakapakaaaaaaaas

2007-05-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hello World. pakapakaaaaaaaas

Lots of my fans were asking about making a blog so that they can have a look at my projects.

I know most of you wants to know who i am. I have got a sad news for those guys, lets just say "keep dreaming" and stop it right there.
For ppl who dont know about recent projects of me continue reading below.
pakapakaaaas.

The return of whatever1.

After a long break from the irc, one day joined IRC and just hanging around sneeking in to some chat rooms blaa blaa. I found an interesting topic which NidhiBey, theface and shedow were chating on. The topic was about thebalaabodu forum. Nidhibey was saying "nothing will happen, the site powerd by US internatinal hackers". And another phrase "yeah interanational hackers for a security reason". The curiosity started burning from this time. Was it really powere by hackers like they mention? and i dont really get that "International" part. Anyway this moment i tried keeping the logs with me for the later refernce for you (balaabodu people) guys.

So i did some reserch work on the web server. And found some interesting stuffs plus managed to gather informations i required.
Few days passed... I "somehow" managed to get in to the server and did few harm on it.

Later when i joined irc they mentioned that the site was puporsely down for maintenence. pakapakaaaaaaaaaaaas. I told everyone about it on #kotari channel main. They made fun of it saying it can never be hacked.

The alert

I wanted to prove them that they aint that good as they think they are. First i tried alrming them by massbaning #balaabodu channel from indiana and acidtonic usename and #kotari channel by stealing marube username.
Later that night i joined irc. but they never belived me like before. So i logged in to marube username and hijacked that username. some belived me most didnt, due to this i wasnt yet saitisfied. I found that RLC forum was a nother leading forum in maldives.

Oops RLCforum.

After my reserch work needed to hijack rlcforum, i joined irc and said i am going to deface the rlcforum to everyone. No one seems to belive me instead they started making the fun. I Defaced rlcforum (oops, sorry piret i didnt know it was yours) showed everyone the link and few started to have an interest in knowing me. But that night nD and Nidhibey bet on me saying that thebalaabodu was never hacked and it can never be hacked.. and blaa blaa. I accepted the chanllange my self.

The worst nightmare for balaabodu.

As i have the previous information gatered, it wasnt a big deal for me. The whole procedure this time took less than 20 mins. From this 20mins work i got the following:

1. ssh access to the machine.
2. Webhosting Control panel access.
3. All pop3 emails hosted on thebalaabodu.com doamin.
4. nD's cservice username (ExorcisT) .
Others i will keep as a secret maybe.. for the next time.

When i get all thses informations, i joined irc and told everyone that i will hack thebalaabodu again.. As usual the kids started mocking around. and Kidrow was saying i wouldnt be able to do it. the kiddo didnt even know that i was on a psybnc running (oh thats why my ip matched thebalaabodu ip) on thebalaabodu server. i asked him to do a dns check on thebalaabodu.com and check my ip aswell. Still the kid was saying "you are close". Although i was already in the machine. pakapakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas. anyway after few seconds i showed them that i was there by defacing the site.

So.. nD gave a nice comment about it saying i was spying Alex and installed a keylogger to the cyber which Alex uses. i wonder how i managed to install a keylogger to nD's pc which was in his house. again nD mentioned that i used snug to install a keylogger to his pc in his house.. so all of you guys tell me how did i manage to install a keylogger to stilling's pc who was in romania.. pakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas. well i used stillings user to massban the balaabodu channel next day morning.

the day that kotari was fucked.

hmmm.. so evening returns again with another challange.

I joined as usual to irc and joined #kotari.
and after few mins marube challanges me
"[20:22] u will be very goood if u get Einstein and Preferences and HiElectric and SnuG users also" and,
"[20:23] i would surely bow for u"

I started the work from this moment..
"Somehow" i managed to get snug's bnc login information. and snug was already logged in to his user that time. *Grin*

This time i wanted to share the fun with my fans. so i added access to some users before i massbanned the channel. if you want to know what happened next you can read the logs here.

Thats it for now. any comments? post here.

Balaabodu forum again

2007-05-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have Done it Again.!!!! And Can Do It again

Interesting Interview with thebalaabodu.com Admin

2007-05-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between balaabodu.com and thebalaabodu.com?balaabodu.com was run by some other crowd, they used to hang around on IRC long time back, they were Maakun and Syko.
How many hits do you get? What is your bandwidth cost?
We get 4.5 million hits per month, and we spend US$3,000 per year on the site.
How much money do you make on the website?
Why haven’t you monetized the site with Google AdSense?Well our users are paying us pretty well.
You have very sensitive photos of Jabir, Fathhulla and some other high profile people. Have you been approached by any of them to remove the photos? Or have you got any threats to do so?
They have approched our hosting company and most probably paid a huge amount and closed our account, but now we are taking that matter pretty seriously. Anyway that was much more better. Doing that has pushed us to shift to a dedicated server in a huge company which won’t be affected by any money influence. And I want to say something more. “Nobody can stop someone from doing something”. There are always hells of ways.
And yes to Jabir and other high profile people, they should stop doing this shit and sick stuff like kissing bitches, and taking damn pictures. For us there are no so called high profile people. High profile people are our young youth as far as we believe.
Also Jabir can sue the camera company which made that camera with which they took those sick pictures; and besides other political sites this site is intended to let the people know of such sick people and make them correct. Most of the so called high profile people don’t know the difference between a normal website and a forum (discussion board). Jabir might be uneducated but still he can too try Googling and he won’t blame us for the shit on the forum.
You recently accused me (or some other Focus Infocom staff) of packet sniffing through the proxy, what are the basis of this and why do you think Focus would do it?
Its been a long time since Focus admins do sniff data which goes throught Focus connections and Sobah will know about it himself.
What if your site was blocked (stupid thing to do) by the government?
If they block us, we will start printing out some leaflets every week and distribute to all Maldives; so it won’t be a forum with pictures and comments, rather it’ll be leaflets with all those lame comments and pictures. We have a sponsor, they are ready to print leaflets for free.
Your identity is known to many, and many people hate you, are you prepared for any consequences?
Most probably we are like behind a firewall, every shit we do goes to the old users who ran the previous balaabodu.com, and our site, thebalaabodu.com is completly different with different people.
When someone asks you to remove a photo/writing, do you remove it?
What should someone do to get a photo removed?
As far as they give us a good reason we will try to remove it and also those people who ask kindly. Your friends, brothers, sisters, husbands friends; when it comes to just that we would rather ignore than remove any.
What are your future plans for the site?
Answer for that question is “keep on watching laa”

Theawaykid with Spider Man 3

2007-05-11T05:15:00.000-07:00

Theawaykid with Spider-Man 3 is back in may 6th and upgraded on may 9th at 10:43:36 Minutes
Now our website is changed to all new spider man 3 themed designed Template all informations available with Theawaykid Pictures Industry and Sony Pictures.
Email us to get Spider-Man 3
theawaykid@msn.com
thua@mail.com
spideydvd@theawaykid.eu.tf

Trivia Quiz

2007-05-10T16:36:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,
Hope you are well.

I wanted to answer a couple questions in my web log that consistently came up in the comments. First of all, unfortunately the Comic-Con piece was one specifically made for that forum and will not been shown again. It was a very crude, albeit exciting, piece with temp sound and temp visual effect shots. We were hesitant to show the segment due to its unfinished nature, but considering that our release date is over eight months away, everything associated with the film is temp at this time. However, we sincerely believed that the fans at Comic-Con deserved to see our progress at that time and therefore we were happy to give them a sneak peak.

In regard to the next time you will get a glimpse of the movie, please know that we will have a trailer coming out this fall. Although I am not at liberty to say when exactly it will hit the theaters and internet at this time, I can tell you that I have seen a rough version of it and I am confident that you are going to be blown away. It is an incredible piece that showcases the full scope of the picture, both in terms of the gripping story as well as the groundbreaking visual effect shots. Be patient, it's going to be worth the wait.

I am writing you this week as I sit with VFX coordinator Mayumi Arakaki, VFX producers Terry Clotiaux and Josh Jaggers, animation director Spencer Cook, visual effects editors Jody Fedele and Rolf Fleischman, editor Bob Murawski, digital VFX supervisor Peter Nofz, director Sam Raimi, VFX supervisor Scott Stokdyk, and producer Laura Ziskin in what will end up being a 2 hour plus meeting. This meeting is one that we have had daily since we wrapped and will continue to do so until the film is delivered. Essentially, the team at Sony Pictures Imageworks shows us, Sam and Bob specifically, the shots that have been turned over which they are working on in order to receive feedback. Turnovers are shots in the movie which require VFX work. Sometimes they are shots that have elements which we filmed in camera during principle photography into which SPI is adding an element, and sometimes they are shots that are entirely CGI.

So, let's have a quick sidebar as I answer a question that may have popped into your head, "How do you turnover shots which are all CG?" Good question. Basically, all scenes start out as storyboards. After a VFX intensive scene is storyboarded, it is turned into an animatic which, all though a crude definition, can be defined as making a cartoon of the storyboards. Next, the animatic is turned into a pre-visualization, or pre-viz for short. During this process, the real world geography of the actual sets/locations are modeled and inserted into the shots as are models of the actors doing the action in the animatic. All of the above is accomplished via the direction of Sam, and at the end of the process you have a representation of what would happen if these shot were achievable in camera. It is SPI's latest iterations of these turned over shots that we review on a daily basis until Sam deems them finaled and ready to be cut into the final version of the film.

Since I started off with some not so great news concerning the Comic-Con piece, let me conclude with something I hope you will enjoy -- a "Spider-Man 2" trivia quiz. Better break out that "Spider-Man 2" DVD. Answer the questions to the best of your ability and submit them to me at spideyfeedback@sonypictures.com. Who knows, maybe there is something cool in store for you. Here are the questions.

Cheers,
Grant Curtis

What is the name of the rare element that fuels Doc Ock's fusion machine?
Name the member of the filmmaking team who played the priest that almost married MJ Watson and John Jameson.
What is Peter's license plate number on his scooter?
At what scene in the film do we see the words "Tempus Fugit" on a piece of set dressing?
Who says the line, "chin up, ok?"
Who is Henry Jackson?
How many passengers does Doc Ock throw from the train?
What is the destination of the elevated train that Doc Ock hijacks?
According to the Daily Bugle, how much has crime increased since Spider-Man disappeared?
What is the number of the Pier in which Doc Ock creates his new lab?

Grant's Trivia Questions Answered!

2007-05-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I just wanted to say a quick congratulations to Colton Easter who, along with many others, answered all of the "Spider-Man 2" trivia questions correctly. I threw Colton's name into a hat, along with everyone else who had the accurate responses, and drew his name out at random. I then asked Sam and Tobey to sign and personalize one of the Black Spidey posters and sent it off to Colton. Once again, congrats Colton and thanks to everyone who took the time to answer the questions and send them in. For those of you who are curious, below are the questions along with the correct answers.

Also, I wanted to take a moment and explain why I have been incommunicado as of late. I'm pleased to announce for the first time that I am writing the making of "Spider-Man 3" book. A sizeable portion of it was due earlier this month and I have been feverishly writing, pulling photographs, etc. and have hence been a little lax in my interactions with you guys. My apologies, but thanks for your understanding.

The book, which will be published by the good people at Chronicle Books and available in bookstores prior to May 4, 2007, is a comprehensive account of all that we went through to bring "Spider-Man 3" to the silver screen. It will contain chapters on the script, casting, production design, costume design and visual effects and will include a day-by-day journal I wrote while filming. Additionally, it will feature my behind the scenes photographs, which I began taking the very first day we started working on the film, on-set photography, pictures taken from various crew members and conceptual art that will blow you away. I am very excited to be writing this book, and am pleased that the reader will have a front row seat for the making of this movie, just as I have.

On the movie front, Sam and Bob are editing on a daily basis and we continue to meet with visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk and his team from Sony Pictures Imageworks to go over the latest visual effects shots. Additionally, a couple weeks ago Scott was quite busy overseeing a miniature shoot we did with Ian Hunter and David Sanger of New Deal Studios. Ian, David and their talented team built a portion of a skyscraper at 1/16 scale and then proceeded to rip portions of it apart per the action taking place in Sam's storyboards and animatic.

As amazing as our CGI buildings are, Scott wanted to build a miniature for two main reasons. For starters, by utilizing a miniature, you have the luxury of the resulting debris reacting in the "real world," just as it would if this really happened. There is no guess work or interpretation as to how beams would fall and floors would break away. Additionally, any time there is a practical way to film a shot, just as long as it looks as good as its CGI counterpart, Scott is in favor of the real world option. The work that Imageworks is doing on "Spider-Man 3" is groundbreaking. Literally, the computer programs required to make our characters perform as they need to for the movie did not exist when we started working on "Spider-Man 3." Imageworks has written a whole new set of computer programs for this picture and the results are mind blowing. Therefore, needless to say, if there is ever an opportunity to shoot something practically and take it off the CGI plate, Scott goes for it so that he and his team can focus on those shots which can only be executed via the computer.

Hope you are doing well and for those of you who have been asking for the answers to the questions here you go.

What is the name of the rare element that fuels Doc Ock's fusion machine?
Name the member of the filmmaking team who played the priest that almost married MJ Watson and John Jameson.
What is Peter's license plate number on his scooter?
At what scene in the film do we see the words "Tempus Fugit" on a piece of set dressing?
Who says the line, "chin up, ok?"
Who is Henry Jackson?
How many passengers does Doc Ock throw from the train?
What is the destination of the elevated train that Doc Ock hijacks?
According to the Daily Bugle, how much has crime increased since Spider-Man disappeared?
What is the number of the Pier in which Doc Ock creates his new lab?

Answers:

Tritium
Joe Caracciolo
20DF01
When Peter is delivering Pizzas / Before kids gets hit by the bus
Betty Brant
The kid across from Aunt May's house
Two
Bay Ridge
75%
56

Cheers,
Grant Curtis

Happy New Year from Grant Curtis

2007-05-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

Happy New Year! I hope 2007 finds you healthy, prosperous and ecstatic on May 4th.

I wanted to take a moment and respond to the two main questions that keep appearing in our web log forum. The first one is whether or not there will be a "Spider-Man 4" and the second is confirming, or denying, the existence of four villains in "Spider-Man 3."

As far as whether or not there will be a "Spider-Man 4," I truthfully do not know as it has yet to be discussed. At this juncture in the post production process, in which we are working six and sometimes seven days a week, all of our time is spent making "Spider-Man 3" the best it can possibly be. To temporarily put the brakes on this project and discuss the feasibility of a fourth picture would do an injustice to the current installment. We didn't make "Spider-Man" knowing there would be a "Spider-Man 2," nor did we know at this stage in the "Spider-Man 2" post-production process that there would be a third film. I will say this though, as all of you who are fans of the comic know, we have barely scratched the surface in terms of all the classic Peter Parker/Spider-Man stories that have been spun by the Marvel storytellers over the years.

Now, concerning the number of villains in "Spider-Man 3," there are… three: Sandman, The New Goblin and Venom. I think some of the questions emerged because there are four forces that Peter has to deal with in this picture: Sandman, The New Goblin, Venom and the influence the black suit has on Peter. Each force represents a major obstacle Peter must overcome as he continues on his journey toward becoming a more well-rounded superhero and, more importantly, a better human being.

Hope you are doing well.

Cheers,
Grant Curtis

Spider-Man themed AIM Pages

2007-05-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Network members can now create their own "Spider-Man" fan profiles using AOL AIM Pages.

Spider-Man 3 AIM Pages are preloaded with modules including:

A Countdown Clock to opening weekend
A Video Gallery automatically updated with the latest videos
And a Fan Favorites Module featuring your favorite "Spider-Man" Movie moments
A News and Alerts Widget that let's you keep your finger on the pulse of all the Network and the movie

Log into the network to find out more. And don't forget to add the Spider-Man Movie Network as one of you AIM page buddies! Visit the Spider-Man Movie Network AIM page.

Spider-Man 3 In NYC

2007-05-10T16:29:00.001-07:00

The City of New York and Columbia Pictures announced today that the week of April 30 through May 6 will be "Spider-Man Week In NYC." A variety of festivities are planned for all five boroughs, involving New York City landmarks such as the Central Park and Bronx Zoos, the American Museum of Natural History and the Apollo Theater. A highlight of the week will be the Tribeca Film Festival's premiere of Spider- Man 3 in Queens, Peter Parker's hometown, with additional screenings in all boroughs. For more information on Spider-Man in NYC Week, click here.

New Spider-Man 3 Teaser Posters Revealed

2007-05-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Check out the two latest Spider-Man 3 posters

Premiere magazine features Spider-Man 3

2007-05-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

Premiere magazine went in-depth with the director and stars of Spider-Man 3 for the January/February 2007 cover story. Pick up the issue or click here for an exclusive excerpt.

New Spider-Man 3 Key Art Released

2007-05-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

New Spider-Man 3 Key Art released

New International poster of Spider Man 3

2007-05-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest Spider-Man 3 international poster.

New Venom pic and Outdoor Art released

2007-05-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

New Venom picture

New Outdoor Art

Face of the Fan at the Tokyo Premiere

2007-05-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

Ed and Tracey attend the Spider-Man 3 premiere in Tokyo, Japan. Here are some videos from their travels.

Anti Drug Campaing Online at Theawaykid

2007-04-27T16:06:00.001-07:00

Anti-drug Campaign by Chained Organizations

The Chained Organizations anti-drug campaign is a campaign which will help the community to be aware of such addictive drugs and substance abuse. Even now, more teens than ever use illegal drugs. This campaign will enable the whole community to get to know about substance abuse and how these facts could be avoided and controlled in our society today.

This campaign deals with the re-emergence of the drug problems in the whole society in this era and the ways in which the authorities deal with it. Riding on a sweeping victory over the drug addicts and its dealers, we, the chained organization is thorough and decisive in finding out and providing you with the drug problems that had plagued our country and the society for centuries. In this era, however, almost in every country including ours is increasing integration into matters related to drugs; the effectiveness of the old methods has been called into question. Severe punishment of offenders has failed to curb the spread of drug trafficking, and mass campaigns have aroused scant interest from the populace. The much-reduced efficacy of the anti-drug efforts due to the changed macro-environment implies that the drug problem in our community will be persistent if not worsen. It doesn’t matter whether one person of each family is a drug addict or the whole family is under its victim.

Governments are trying to figure out how many families have been corrupted by drugs and or other matters of addiction. All substance abuse is considered as drugs. Thus, those who are victims are under the consequences of drug addicts. A more recent issue which has emerged has to do with adolescents in Maldives who are facing serious problems of drug addiction, alcoholism and other tourism industry related by-products which we all should take under consideration and try to stop those acts. In fact, this is something that will badly affect our family union. As drug addiction is becoming particularly acute, discussing about these facts would enable each and every individual to beware of these.

Anti Drug Campaing Online at Theawaykid

2007-04-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

Anti-drug Campaign by Chained Organizations

What's Your Favorite Time Waster?

2007-04-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Work is hard. School is boring. And taxes are due. Fortunately, the Internet is filled with wonderful distractions that can eat up between twenty minutes of your day and that period of time known as "the remainder of the Bush presidency."

In fact, I'm fairly certain there are only four truly useful sites on the Web. (Five if you include my MySpace page.) The rest? Awesome excuses to procrastinate.

That's why I've asked all the Buzzsters to post about their favorite online time waster this week. Starting tomorrow, they'll reveal their secrets.

So what's YOUR favorite Internet time waster? Where do you go to mindlessly blow an hour or two? What site can you always rely on, that never lets you down? Drop us a line and if we like it, we'll include your submission in our SmileyBuzz Readers Time Waster Super Finale Extraordinaire. Which, in and of itself, should be a mighty fine time waster.

Favorite Time Waster: Ask Metafilter

2007-04-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm so good at wasting time, I've added it to my résumé. So when Patrick asked us SmileyBuzzsters to pick our favorite way of wasting time, I knew it would be an easy task. I got out my "Time Wasters" folder from the filing cabinet, and leafed through to pick a favorite. (Incidentally, creating a "Time Wasters" folder is a great way to waste some time.)

My first pick was bloglines.com, but that seemed like picking "oxygen" as my favorite inhaled gas — just a bit too obvious. So my next choice is Ask Metafilter, a place for visitors to post questions they can't find answers to elsewhere, hoping that the "Hive Mind" can help. And they usually do.

The questions range from absurdly specific ("Where can I find commercial software package that will allow online reservation of bowling lanes in a bowling alley?") to abstract ("How does one live a meaningful life in a world that one has come to believe is meaningless?"). The variety keeps the site from becoming a one-trick-pony, and the frequency of postings (about 60 per day) means there's always something new to read.

To discourage spammers and jokers, you have to make a one-time $5 donation to ask or answer a question. "Lurking" is free, just like at the bus station in real life.

Oh, incidentally, AskMetafilter has some suggestions on how to kill time, as well:

Favorite Time Waster: Gallery of the Absurd

2007-04-18T11:30:00.001-07:00

There is nothing I love more than a designer that puts their skills to good use...and by good use I mean MAKING FUN OF CELEBRITIES. It seems everywhere you go these days people are obsessing over the latest 'candid' photos and snippets of 'secret' information. I should know, I am one of them.

But alas, I have found a fresh approach to the madness. Gallery of the Absurd "illustrates the sordid world of gossip and slander while trying to keep a straight face". Finding material in tabloids and paparazzi photos, Fourteen 14 (yes, that is the artists name) keeps us up to date with celebrity culture through her visual representations.

All artwork is available for purchase...and she promises if you buy her originals, you'll get a good karmic return on your investment.

Now go see what Brangelina are up to down in the Big Easy.

Favorite Time Wasters: Gate1Travel, Chowhound, and Uniwatch

2007-04-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Erin: I must say that once work is over for the day, I have a tendency to avoid computers. However, Drew and I are currently in search of a Honeymoon, so I find myself spending a decent amount of time browsing through the amazing deals on gate1travel.com. With hotels, flights, and some meals included in the prices, I feel that I can basically go anywhere in the world for a great deal. And by joining gate1's email list, I can choose from trips that have additional savings off the regular price. I think everyone should take a moment to see the world now and then, so Honeymoon-ing or not, check it out and see where you can be spending your next vacation. For example: a Paris vacation including 4 nights of hotel accommodations and airfare from NYC to Paris starting at $499 each?!? You wouldn't even have to miss a week of work!

Drew: I don't believe that any time spent browsing around the internet should be considered time wasted. Instead, I like to believe we all spend time on the net to, in some way better ourselves. There are two main sites I visit daily to better myself. First is chowhound.com. This board is devoted to “foodies” (mmmmm, food....) where individuals can post recommendations and more importantly, reviews of local restaurants and foods. The second site I can often be found on is uniwatchblog.com. This site, maintained by writer Paul Lukas, is devoted to the lost art of sports uniforms. It’s updated daily with information on what teams are wearing what kind of socks, who is getting new uniforms, and so much more. Today I am wearing knee high green ski socks. See what I mean? This is important stuff!

So what's YOUR favorite Internet time waster? Where do you go to mindlessly blow an hour or two? What site can you always rely on, that never lets you down? Drop us a line and if we like it, we'll include your submission in our SmileyBuzz Readers Time Waster Super Finale Extraordinaire. Which, in and of itself, should be a mighty fine time waster.

Favorite Time Waster: Rating Stuff

2007-04-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

Aside from my previously mentioned time waster, my favorite online time waster isn't so much a site as it is an activity. I enjoy rating stuff online. Well, more accurately, I feel compelled to rate things. Movies, CDs, games...you name it. If I've seen it, heard it, played it, tasted it, odds are I've rated it somewhere on the intertubes.

Now don't be confused. I rate - I give one to five stars and I'm done. I walk away. I don't review, and I don't recommend.

Why do I rate? Well, it's therapeutic. The process soothes my inner judgmental bastard. "HA! Take that J. Lo. That's right, I gave Gigli one star. And there's nothing you can do about it!" Ahhhh, I feel the day's negative trappings roll off my shoulders with every star I click.

If my form of therapy were to actually help someone make a decision, it would be wholly accidental. My motivation for rating is purely selfish. I rate for me. You see somewhere along the line I deluded myself into believing the recommendation engines of sites and services like Amazon, Netflix, and iTunes would actually get smarter with the more things I rate.

In reality, 6,526 ratings later, the best Netflix can do is tell me I should rent Police Squad: The Complete Series. Though I dig a good non sequitur as much as the next guy... well, that's exactly it. "As much as the next guy" is exactly it. It certainly doesn't take an investment of almost 7,000 ratings to be recommended something that every jackass I grew up with in middle school, drank beers with in college, play golf with on the weekends, and game with in the wee hours of the morning would like just as much.

I want to uncover new stuff. Stuff I won't find on the beaten path. Stuff that just might broaden my horizons a little. These days, when I've got a little time to waste on the web, I'm on sites that not only feed my rating Jones, but put a different spin on recommendations. My favs are Pandora, Last.fm, Metacritic, Yelp, and Become.

Favorite Time Waster: Flood It

2007-04-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

I'm a gamer, a serious gamer. I own a Wii and I have a Mii. I even break out the ol' Xbox from time to time for some first-person shooters. But when I'm unable to get my gaming console fix, I turn to online games.

My favorite time waster is called Flood It. It's a game that you can start up and play for that quick fill of gaming goodness.

The goal is to fill the playing area with a single color in less than 25 attempts. You control the color of the top left most cube by selecting the different colors on the right. When you choose a new color, it consumes adjacent cubes of the same color. As you consume more and more cubes, your control expands. Confused? Don't be, just give it a shot and you'll understand quickly.

Trust me, once you try this game, you won't stop until you win. It's that addicting. How many times have I won? Only once, but now I'm trying to end on my favorite color: purple.

Favorite Time Waster: Fun With Anagrams

2007-04-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

As an information junkie, there are many sites that could qualify as my favorite Internet time waster. But I quickly realized that my choice would likely boil down to two particular passions: my lifelong interests in baseball and the written word. I thought long and hard about using this space to extol the virtues of one of my favorite sites devoted to the Grand Old Game -- but asking me to choose a "favorite" is a bit like asking Paris Hilton to pick her favorite nightspot. And then there's the whole matter of whether anything devoted to such a perfectly designed game could ever be deemed a "time waster." Is browsing through endlessly fascinating baseball statistics more of a time waster than watching late night infomercials, the Harlem Globetrotters, cat shows or American Idol? I think not, and I speak from experience.

But if you like words and the many ways you can rearrange ordered letters, then you can get countless hours of wasted time and fun over at the Internet Anagram Server at Wordsmith.org. According to our good friends over at Dictionary.com, an anagram is "a word, phrase or sentence formed from another by rearranging its letters." I was first introduced to anagrams, not ironically, through my interest in baseball. The very first editions of the Rotisserie League Baseball book ran a series of anagrams between its player descriptions -- and through them I was able to learn that the names of one of my favorite players, Mookie Wilson, could be rearranged to read "Look Women, Is I!" And thankfully, anagrams never inspired baseball nicknames, otherwise the legendary Cal Ripken might today be known as "Lean Prick."

So if you're looking for a good way to pass the time, just enter your name - or the name of a friend, family member or favorite celebrity - into the search box on the site, and click on the "Get anagrams" button. And presto - instant anagrams! What better way to find out that the aforementioned Paris Hilton could be known as "Lost Hairpin," or "Lion Pit Rash"? Or that Jennifer Aniston is "Fine in Torn Jeans"? Hey, no arguments here.

Favorite Time Waster: Fhqwhgads

2007-04-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

If the names Strong Bad, Coach Z, Marzipan or The Cheat mean anything to you, you'll know I'm referring to the gang over at HomeStar Runner. HomeStar is the clueless, armless but lovable character with the propeller hat. He is surrounded by a cast of friends who are just as bizarre. The most popular, Strong Bad, likes to read through his emails on his trusty old computer and often makes fun of the senders. Some particularly humorous ones that I never get tired of are Little Questions (have you sometime play football?) and Crying (he's got the heart of a champion).

Then there's Strong Bad's stick figure cartoon, Teen Girl Squad and the world famous music video Everybody to the Limit. And how's this for a 404 page?

The strong bad emails have lots of easter eggs too. Some folks were kind enough to document them all as well as transcripts for all the emails at the HomeStar Wiki.

So if you're in the mood for some mindless fun, check out the myriad of cartoons and games as well as the plethora of Strong Bad Emails. If this stuff doesn't make you laugh, consult a doctor because your sense of humor may be dead.

Favorite Time Waster - TeeVee.org

2007-04-18T11:14:00.001-07:00

I've been wasting time online for about 10 years now. And I've quietly been helping others do the same for nearly as long.

Two friends and I started one of the early time-wasting "webzines" in 1997 called Stet. There weren't many webzines back then, as evident by the fact we got mentioned in USA Today, on some random NBC tech show, and dozens of other media outlets. All that attention for writing about stupid stuff like "The Amazing Elvis Pepper" and a blind date I went on in Manhattan where a homeless guy confused me for Doogie Howser and wouldn't leave my date alone until I gave him $20 and a Neil Patrick Harris autograph. (There wasn't a second date.) Yeah - crap like that actually got you into mainstream media back then.

But like most webzines of the late-1990s, Stet didn't last even two years. The other guys went on to write for such TV shows as Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, not to mention CBS's The Class. Me? I woke up one morning in 1999 and decided to start the first website devoted entirely to snack reviews. I've always had lofty career ambitions.

Funny thing about the late 1990s... there aren't a lot of websites from that time that are still around today. At least very few with enticing content and great writing. One that is... TeeVee.org.

Like SmileyBuzz, TeeVee is written by a variety of like-minded folks who are, to put it bluntly, crazy as hell. And very, very honest. Most importantly, they write about something we all care about - television.

The TeeVee Vidiots combine keen insight with witty banter and random pop culture references when reviewing new TV shows, discussing annoying television trends, asking why Aaron Sorkin sucks, or looking back at Buffy ten years after it first aired and sobbing quietly.

Spread Irish Cheer...Send a Free St. Pat's eCard!

2007-04-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Looking for an effortless way to spread the luck of the Irish this weekend? Well, it couldn't be easier than heading over to My Fun Cards - our free online greeting cards site - and sending one of our many fun St. Patrick's Day eCards to friends and family members. You won't even have to wear green, leave the comfort of your home, or drink oddly colored beverages.

Whether you're actually Irish - or just pretending to be on Saturday - you and your mates will get a kick out of our recent additions to our St. Patrick's Day online greeting card collection. We've got the perfect card for folks who may need St. Patrick's help after getting too deep in the holiday spirit, and another card for people who may like the corned beef and cabbage, but not the side effects. There's even a sing-along card dedicated to green beer.

If games are more your thing, you'll love our interactive Find the Clover, Lucky Gift and Leprechaun Game cards. We even have cards with Irish blessings and St. Patrick's Day poems for folks whose idea of celebrating the holiday is a bit more...well...sober.

So don't waste your time this weekend searching for shamrocks. Get in the green by sending one of our free St. Patrick's Day eCards instead!

Smile Like You Mean It

2007-04-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

Fans of The Killers and the O.C. may already be aware of Tally Hall's cover of Smile Like You Mean It, but for everyone else... take a listen. A great way to kick-start your week.

Speaking of The Killers, their Read My Mind video can be seen here. Any video that features a Japanese Elvis and a bizarre green worm-like mascot who brushes his teeth in a public restroom is good Monday viewing in my book. Enjoy.

Never Too Early to Prank Your Friends

2007-04-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

When I was a sophomore in college, I called my parents one night to inform them that my girlfriend and I had just broken up. I was 19 at the time, my ex-girlfriend was 23, so during our courtship I had felt like pretty hot stuff dating "an older woman." Now I was crashing back to earth.

When my mom answered, I started, "Mom, I've got some news..." and then suddenly something inside me just couldn't get me to say, "Sarah and I broke up." Perhaps I was embarrassed, maybe I didn't want to have to explain the details, or it could have been because I was on a public phone in the middle of my dorm floor surrounded by six guys playing lacrosse in a hallway the size of a brick oven.

Whatever the case, what came out of my mouth was likely meant as a joke to stall time, but wow if it wasn't the worst joke of all time.

"Mom...Sarah is pregnant."

"WHAT?!?!?!?!"

My mom didn't so much scream as she made a sound somewhat akin to the gasp a crowd of high-diving onlookers might make after witnessing a fat guy do a belly-flop into a pool of French Onion Soup.

If that wasn't enough of a clue that I had done wrong, my roommate came bounding out of our room and into the hall with this look of, "What did you just say to your mother?" It's the same look one might expect someone to give you if you admitted to having gone seen Rocky V. Or anything starring a Baldwin brother whose first name wasn't Alec.

"No, no - sorry, mom," I quickly said. "I was just kidding. I'm sorry. So sorry. I have no idea why I just said that..." And before she could tell me how wrong it was what I had just done, I finished, "Sarah and I broke up." My mom, being amazing, jumped from exasperated and bewildered to empathetic and comforting. We've never spoken of that moment since.

Again, I have no idea to this day why I told my mother I had impregnated someone rather than simply tell her that we had gone our separate ways. I did, however, make a mental note that perhaps in some other situation, to another person, there might have been an opportunity for some real humor in what I had just done.

Fast-forward to today and our line of free April Fools' Day ecards. Including a simple "I'm Pregnant!" card inspired by the events above. Perfect for any of you sick-minded ladies out there who want to put the fear of God into your boyfriend. Or his mother.

Note: No need to wait until April 1st to send a card. You can personalize your card today, then set the delivery date for April 1st and we'll deliver it for you.

(April Fools' Day is on a Sunday this year, which isn't a great day for remembering to send a prank card. It's the perfect day to receive one, though. Because who's expecting a prank card while getting ready for church or suffering through a hangover? Or both? Seize the day, my friend!)

Spamarama Ding Dong

2007-04-18T11:05:00.001-07:00

Weekends were made for eating. And blogging about eating. But mostly, for eating.

If you've got some free time this weekend, why not bake yourself up something truly delectable? The SmileyBuzz Kitchen* strongly recommends this Chocolate Ding-A-Lings recipe.

Honestly, most of us here have trouble buttering bagels and think a teaspoon is what you use to serve tea to dolls. But we're willing to brave the heat of the oven for something this beautiful looking. It's as if an angel born from a river of chocolate and ecstasy baked these cakey delights between granting miracles to British schoolchildren in need of more Coldplay albums.

In other/opposite food news, Spamarama 2007 is quickly approaching. Snuck up on you, didn't it? And that's why you need to bookmark SmileyBuzz. CNN ain't going to tell you stuff like this, kids. Nor will your terribly uninformed mother.

Austin, Texas will play host to this mega-meat event on April 7th. Who will win this year's SPAMERICA ™ Cup trophy? Or the Spamburger eating contest? Visit Spamarama.org for all the gory details. And if by any chance you live in Austin and plan to attend, I beg of you to email me photos after the event. Preferably of the Spamalympics.

April Fools' Day Prank: The Red Shower

2007-04-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

When I was in college, I was a big prankster. One April Fools' Day came around and I decided to play a few pranks on my roommates. My favorite prank? Definitely the Red Shower.

How does it work? Easy, follow these steps...

1. Unscrew your shower head.
2. Pour your favorite red powdered mix into the end of the shower head. You can use Koolaid, Crystal Light, anything.
3. Screw your shower head back on, and hide outside the bathroom.
4. Listen for your target to scream when they turn on the shower and get blasted with red water.

Prank at your own risk. I do not want to be responsible for any harm caused by you, or to you. That red faced target of yours may be looking for revenge.

Jack of One Trade

2007-04-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's been said that a "Jack of all trades, is a master of none". Over the past few years, a number of restaurateurs have taken this saying to heart by opening chow-worthy locations that specialize in a particular type of food. For example, if you're in the mood for cereal, you might want to go to “Cereality”. In a cheesy mood? Try some macaroni and cheese. Or perhaps you'd like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a tasty Japanese cream puff, or maybe some fried potatoey goodness.

Our first experience with this phenomenon was in Scottsdale, Arizona, when we came across P.B. Loco, which helped satiate Drew's obsession with peanut butter. It's been a few months since that trip to Scottsdale, so we were pleasantly surprised last night during a walk through Nolita in Manhattan when we came across "Rice to Riches" - a restaurant focused on rice pudding. They serve rice pudding, and ONLY rice pudding. We can honestly say that we never knew how much we needed an exclusively rice pudding vendor until we tasted its rich, sweet deliciousness. We opted for the "Coast to Coast Cheesecake" flavor, but we are looking forward to future visits to try out "Fluent in French Toast", "Category 5 Caramel", and "Stubborn Banana", as well as the seventeen additional flavors that are offered, which may vary from week to week.

Now that these food speciality locations have come to our attention, there are a number of concepts we would like to put out there for all of you budding entrepreneurs. We eagerly await the opening of "Make Room For Jello", "Please Gimme Pierogies" and "Matzoh Balls and Mo'".

Put an Easter Card in Someone's Basket

2007-04-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

Did you almost forget it was Easter weekend? Don't fret. Whether you're looking for chocolate bunnies, chicks or something that reflects the real religious meaning of the holiday, you'll find something for everyone in our large collection of Easter eCards at My Fun Cards, our free online greeting card site.

Ever wonder what would happen if you left the kids alone with their Easter candy on Sunday morning? Our talented 3D animator Stephen provides a very clear picture of the resulting scene in our brand new Easter Candy Coma card. And if you're one of those folks who just has to know the secret behind how the Easter Bunny manages to deliver all that candy to overeager youngsters on Easter morning, you'll find the answer in our Ho Ho Happy Easter card....although the title might actually give the secret away.

But we also realize that Easter is about far more than well-traveled bunnies and children consuming endless quantities of sugar. People looking to share the deep and moving religious meaning behind the holiday will find a few cards with biblical passages and religious themes - including a brand new card, Holiest Day, which is set inside a church.

There are also a few interactive Easter cards if you'd like to challenge a friend or family member to decorate their own Easter egg, or find some cleverly hidden eggs to reveal a special holiday message.

On behalf of everyone at My Fun Cards and Smiley Buzz headquarters, we wish those celebrating this weekend a happy, healthy and holy Easter.

Friday the 13th Warning!

2007-04-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here at SmileyBuzz headquarters, we're always looking out for you. Because we spend many hours each day thinking up new ways to make you smile - and we recognize that those smiles can be hard to come by should an unfortunate accident happen to befall you.

That's why we'd like to take this opportunity to advise you that if any black cats should happen to appear in front of you today, you might want to turn and walk the other way. And don't even think about walking underneath that ladder perched up against the side of that building. You may want to avoid even stepping on those cracks in the sidewalk pavement...just to be safe.

Why? Well, a quick glance at the calendar will tell you all you need to know. It's Friday the 13th!

For all you paraskavedekatriaphobics out there, we have just two words: be careful. And because we recognize that you'll likely want to remind your fearful friends, family members and neighbors what day it is, we created a special Friday the 13th eCard just to help you out.

If sending a smiley to warn your friends is more your style, you'll find our "cat"-ostrophic kitty in the Holiday section of Smiley Central - simply by clicking on the "Other" link at the top of the section window.

But we'd also like to take this opportunity to learn more about you, dear reader.

Are there some particularly unique or dark superstitions that you'd like to share?
Now's the time to come clean. Shoot me an email by clicking on the link on my profile page - and your idiosyncrasies may very well make it into a future post...for all your fellow SmileyBuzzsters to see.

Wear' em! Drink' em! Stamp' em!

2007-04-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Yes. We know you’ve been lying awake at night thinking. “I love using Smileys in my IMs, emails and phones, but I wish there were more ways I could express myself with them.” It’s been hounding you, right? Well, friends, your wish is our command.

Introducing the new Smiley Central store. Now you can speak your mind with your favorite smileys through t-shirts, mugs, mouse pads, cards, bumper stickers, stamps and lots of other stuff!

What? You want more? Like making them customizable allowing you to insert not only smileys, but pictures and text, too? Done! Dream up practically anything you want and make it happen. How 'about a shirt, or a mug featuring your favorite canine pal? Perhaps a card, or even a stamp?

Just drop in now and pick up cool Smiley Gear at http://www.zazzle.com/smileycentral and have fun!

If Hello Kitty Gets A Plane, Why Not Us?

2007-04-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

My wife is expecting our first child any day now. As we both play this waiting game, it's suddenly hitting me that I don't know the first thing about raising a little girl. (Although, to be honest, I don't know the first thing about raising turnips. I'm rather hopeless.)

My sister, Lorraine, is six years younger than me, and my childhood memories of she and her friends going crazy for Strawberry Shortcake dolls, My Little Pony, Cabbage Patch Kids and little tea parties with a random assortment of dolls and my rejected Star Wars action figures is all I have to go on when it comes to raising Daddy's Little Girl. Yeah, I'm in trouble.

One thing I know, though. You can't go wrong with Hello Kitty. My sister used to love anything Hello Kitty related, and doing a quick search online turned up the fact that Hello Kitty has, well, expanded a bit since the 1980s. (As have I.) Expanded as in... its own Hello Kitty planes as part of EVA AIR.

One downside. Flights are rather limited. From Taipei to Fukuoka and Tokyo, only. Which doesn't help me out much. It's not as if I can surprise my daughter someday with a Hello Kitty flight to Orlando. Even worse, the Hello Kitty in-flight meals - on top of being super cute - look really delicious.

All of this sorta' begs the question, though... wouldn't it be great if there were Smiley Central planes? For gosh sakes, it's not as if the U.S. airline industry couldn't do with some fresh thinking. Imagine it - smiles on your plane, airline tickets, snack napkins... it sure couldn't hurt passenger morale. (A slap across the face with a large carp wouldn't hurt airline passenger morale at this point.)

So to any airline execs out there, please drop me a line and let's talk. Maybe by the time my daughter is a teenager she can fly to Florida for Spring Break on a U.S. plane adorned with cute smileys. And some healthy smiley snacks. Turnips, perhaps.

We Love WiiKitty.com

2007-04-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

We can't say enough good things about Wii and everything related to Wii. Well, except for my doubles tennis play as of late. And all of us here at SmileyBuzz are so pleased that cats love the Wii, too. Cats are normally so freakin' snooty about most things. And by "most things" I mean everything except catnip. For proof on how much cats have taken to Nintendo's amazing game system, look no further than WiiKitty.com. The site is packed with photos of cats enjoying the Wii and its wireless handcontrollers. It's a simple concept for a site, well executed. So have at it. Check out the photos. Submit your own WiiKitty. Embrace the Wii. Embrace the WiiKitty.

Want an @Live.com Email Address?

2007-03-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

On November 9th, Liveside.net posted about the availability of the Dutch @live.nl email addresses for a new Windows Live ID. The @live.com domain isn't officially available yet. However, by tweaking javascript on the Windows Live ID sign-up page, alternative domain names are listed along with @hotmail.com. Mess.be outlines the steps (i.e. workaround) for creating a new @live.com email address. (Please check their direct website for changes to the script as new domains are listed. There are many international domains besides the @live.com.)

1. Goto this page to start registering your windows live account.2. Press the sign-up button and you will be presented a form to sign up for a hotmail account.3.Copy the following javascript injection code:
javascript:function r(q){} function s(q){e[q] = new Option(a[q],a[q])}; r(e = document.getElementById("idomain").options);r(d="live.");r(a = new Array("hotmail.com","hotmail.co.uk","msn.com",d+"com",d+"com.au",d+"be",d+"ca",d+"co.uk",d+"de",d+"fr",d+"it"/*mEss.be*/,d+"nl")); for (i=0;i

Introucing ^theawaykid.eu.tf Pro Email

2007-03-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

Introducing @theawaykid.eu.tf Pro Email for $29.00 USD Dollars + 1 Year Free.
and @theawaykidxlive.net.ms Pro for $4.00 USD Dollars + $25.00 1 Year domain name registration.
if you want a free email for the month email the official team at Theawaykid Official Teame or webmaster chat with Webmaster
@theawaykidphp.tk Email now available for free mail us at theawaykid@gmail.com

spb mobile shell … new…

2007-03-13T03:41:00.000-07:00

Spb Mobile Shell introduces the next generation user interface while keeping all advantages of a Windows Mobile device. Enjoy your Pocket PC! Download with Serial

Spb Full Screen Keyboard

2007-03-13T03:40:00.000-07:00

Spb Full Screen Keyboard is a unique text input tool for Pocket PC. Unlike other input methods it covers the entire screen area and has keys large enough to be typed with finger-tips rather than with a stylus. The dictionary-based correction algorithms allow users to reduce the number of misprints significantly. Download With Serial

Shutdown Lock 1.0

2007-03-13T03:38:00.000-07:00

Irritated with the fact that some applications just don’t go well with Window’s Hibernate or Suspend features? The easiest way to fix the problem is to get Shutdown Lock, a program that can hibernate-enable any application, like FlashGet, or AudioGrabber. This tiny utility (only 64 KB) makes it possible for a third party software to force PC into suspension or hibernation, rather than to shut PC down. This is how Shutdown Lock works. The program is loaded upon startup and sits quietly in the system tray. You can enable or disable it with one mouse click. If enabled, the program will either hibernate or suspend PC when a program prompts system shut down. This is a very valuable feature, because it prevents accidental data loss.

BREAKING NEWS MOUSE FOUND ON MARS

2007-03-13T03:37:00.000-07:00

Via Kotaku, a story at the Mainichi daily news about an enterprising exchange student that got himself deported. Wang Yue Si, a Chinese student who went to Japan on a student visa, found himself in need of some spending money. Since he was a gamer, he decided to make some cash by selling virtual items online. He was so successful, the cops noticed. From the article:

“He started selling items such as weapons and currency for online games through an Internet auction site in April this year, without obtaining the appropriate residency status. Wang, living in Kumamoto, has admitted that he sold the virtual goods for about 6 million yen ($US 1.3 Million), in violation of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law. A bank worker became suspicious when Wang regularly sent money back home to China and alerted police in August, prompting Kumamoto police officers to investigate the student.”

T-Mobile UK to ship Sidekick 3 in December

2007-03-13T03:36:00.001-07:00

T-Mobile is to bring the Sidekick 3 consumer-oriented mobile email gadget to the UK next month, the carrier confirmed today. The device will ship here just over a year after T-Mobile UK released the Sidekick II and six months after the third-generation Sidekick’s US debut.

OCZ pumps up liquid-cooled DDR 2 DIMMs

2007-03-13T03:35:00.001-07:00

Dubbed FlexXLC, the memory will ship in a kit comprising two 1GB unbuffered 240-pin DIMMs for dual-channel set-ups, OCZ said. The memory has a latency rating of 5-5-5-18. The DIMMs run at 2.35V, rather more than the 1.8V the DDR 2 standard was defined to require.

E-Ten guns for HTC with Glofiish M700

2007-03-13T03:33:00.000-07:00

Taiwanese handheld maker E-Ten’s Glofiish X500 PDA phone went on sale in the UK today even as the company gears up to announce its second Glofiish-branded device: the first model in the range to offer a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. E-Ten is clearly out to try and beat HTC at its own game.

E-Ten claimed the 1.6cm-thick X500 is the world’s thinnest PDA phone with integrated GPS, 802.11b Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE cellular connectivity. The PDA-style gadget is based on a Samsung 400MHz CPU and contains the usual 64MB of RAM and 128MB of Flash. There’s a MicroSD card slot for memory expansion.

HTC announces ‘Herald’

2007-03-13T03:32:00.000-07:00

HTC today unveiled its latest smart phone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, this time driven by a spring-loaded mechanism. Dubbed the P4350, it appears to be the same device phone supplier Dopod announced earlier this month as the C800M. According to HTC, the P4350 - codenamed ‘Herald’ - is a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE device with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0, but no 3G support. The handset has a 2.8in display, and ships with 128MB of Flash and 64MB of RAM. There’s a MicroSD slot for further data storage. It’s driven by a 200MHz CPU.The P4350 weighs 168g and is 1.7cm thick.

Toshiba unveils fastest 8GB SHDC

2007-03-13T03:31:00.000-07:00

Toshiba has announced what may be the world’s second 8GB SDHC memory card. Alas, Pretec announced just such a product back in September, but Toshiba’s card is faster. It’s a Class 4 device - Pretec’s was a Class 2.

Toshiba’s card has a guaranteed data transfer speed of at least 4MBps, compared to the Pretec product’s 2MBps. The fastest SDHC we’ve seen is Transcend’s Class 6 device, though it’s only offers a 4GB storage capacity.

Toshiba said its 8GB SDHC would go on sale in January 2007. It did not name a price, but the product is expected to cost around ¥40,000 ($340/£180/€265)

Man used MP3 player to hack ATMs

2007-03-13T03:30:00.000-07:00

A man in Manchester, England has been convicted of using an MP3 player to hack cash machines. Maxwell Parsons, 41, spent £200,000 of other people’s money after using the machine to read card details.

Parsons plugged his MP3 player into the back of free standing cash machines and was able to use it to read data about customers’ cards. That data could then be used to ‘clone’ cards and use them for bogus purchases.

Gear4 BluEye iPod-phone adaptor

2007-03-13T03:28:00.000-07:00

The BluEye is a tiny gadget that’s slightly taller and fatter than an SD memory card - it’s 3.8 x 2.5 x 0.5cm - that connects to your iPod’s dock connector and provides a earphone socket for your usual ‘phones. On the front is an iPod Shuffle-like control wheel and a Button marked with the Bluetooth logo. There’s a shirt clip on the back, a Hold button on the side, just above the button that activates the BluEye’s FM radio.

Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS graphics card

2007-03-13T03:27:00.001-07:00

Plonk a Sparkle card based on Nvidia’s GeForce 8800 GTS graphics chip next to its bigger brother, the GeForce 8800 GTX -. The GTS is visibly shorter than the GTX - 23cm against 24cm - and it has a single six-pin PCI Express power connector sticking off the end, instead of the pair of side-mounted connectors that you find on the GTX…

Symbol readies slimmer corporate PDA phone?

2007-03-13T03:24:00.000-07:00

Barcode reader specialist and soon-to-be Motorola subsidiary Symbol may be set to launch its latest PDA phone in Q1 2007, Reg Hardware has learned, a more lightweight alternative to the beefier devices it’s offered to date.

Dubbed the MC35, the handheld is said to be a “durable, lightweight… all-in-one enterprise communication device”, according to company blurb sent our way this week. Alas, the leaked information didn’t include a full specification sheet, but the MC35 is believed to contain full mobile phone functionality and a built-in GPS receiver. It will run Windows Mobile software, almost certainly version 5.0. We’d expect Bluetooth to be part of the spec too.

First total lunar eclipse in three years

2007-03-13T03:22:00.000-07:00

Around the world, amateur stargazers and astronomers watched the first total lunar eclipse in three years. A dark red shadow crept across the moon, leaving only a silver, crescent-shaped sliver as a total lunar eclipse began late yesterday. The eclipse was partly visible on every continent. Residents of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East will have the best view, weather permitting.

Lunar eclipses occur when Earth passes between the sun and the moon, an uncommon event because the moon spends most of its time either above or below the plane of Earth's orbit. Sunlight still reaches the moon during total eclipses, but it is refracted through Earth's atmosphere, bathing the moon in an eerie reddish light.

Residents of East Asia will see the eclipse cut short by moonset, while those in the eastern parts of North and South America will find the moon already partially or totally eclipsed by the time it rises over the horizon in the evening. While eastern Australia, Alaska and New Zealand missed yesterday's show, they will have front row seats to the next total lunar eclipse, on Aug. 28. In Male’ too the eclipse was visible very clearly around 3 in the morning. Lot of Male’ residents have stayed up to witness this event. The next total lunar eclipse will occur Aug. 28.

Borat the Movie [NEW]

2007-03-13T03:13:00.000-07:00

Fans of the HBO comedy series "Da Ali G Show" will be delighted to join one of their favorite characters the Kazakhstani reporter Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen, in a Golden Globe-winning role) as he travels to America to report on the "greatest country in the world." Camera in tow, the boorish journalist sets off on his cross-country road trip, but his original purpose is soon subsumed by a much greater quest, finding and marrying actress Pamela Anderson.

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen
Director: Larry Charles
Genre: Comedy
Format: Widescreen
Language: English
Download free

Danny Phantom Avaible on Theawaykid

2007-03-13T03:04:00.000-07:00

20 downloads available

From Butch Hartman, the creator of the hit Nicktoon, The Fairly OddParents, unveils the funny, fantastic action-packed adventures of Danny Fenton, who straddles two worlds as a shy freshman at Casper High and a heroic phantom-fighter with ghostly superpowers. With his best friends, techno-geek Tucker and free-thinking Goth girl Sam, he thwarts the misdeeds of menacing ghosts; and stumbles through daily social hurdles. - Danny Phantom Press Kit. "It's a great comedy/action show that I think you and all the other Nickelodeon animation fans are really going to love. And it's a bit...

Avatar: The Last Airbender Avaible on Theawaykid

2007-03-13T02:57:00.000-07:00

38 downloads available

In a lost age, the world is divided into four nations: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Within each nation, there is a remarkable order of men and women called the "benders" who can learn to harness their inborn talent and manipulate their native element. Bending is a powerful form combining martial art and elemental magic. In each generation, only one bender is solely capable of controlling all four elements. That bender is the Avatar. The Avatar is the spirit of the world manifests in human form. When the Avatar dies, it reincarnates into the...

The Apprentice

2007-03-13T02:48:00.000-07:00

16 downloads available

The Apprentice is the ultimate, sixteen-week job interview, where eighteen Americans compete in a series of rigorous business tasks, many of which include prominent Fortune 500 companies and require street smarts and intelligence to conquer, in order to show Donald Trump, the boss, that they are the best candidate for his companies. In each episode, the losing team is sent to the boardroom, where Trump and his associates, Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross, judge the job applicants on their performance in the task. One person is fired and sent home. Who will succeed? Who will fail? And...

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Now Avaible on Awaykid

2007-03-13T02:46:00.000-07:00

16 downloads available

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius follows Jimmy Neutron, his faithful robotic dog, Goddard, and his eclectic friends and family as they experience life in Retroville. Jimmy is a typical kid, who just happens to be a genius. He creates gadgets to improve his everyday life, but his inventions go awry more often than not, and hilarious trouble ensues.The show world premiered on July 20th, 2002 and it officially ended on November 25th, 2006.SHOW TIMES (USA):Weekdays: 6.30 a.m.; 3 p.m.; 7.30 p.m.; EST/PST; and 5.30 a.m.; 2 p.m; 6:30 p.m.CSTWeekends: 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.; 3 p.m....

Prison Break - SeasonII_Episode19 - Sweet Caroline_Recap

2007-03-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

The moment is finally at hand on Prison Break. Armed with the evidence they need to force president Reynolds hands, Lincoln and Michael set the stage for a potentially deadly showdown. It’s the Prison Break that fans have waited two long seasons for. Will Lincoln and Michael go free? What kind of fun would that be for Prison Break fans? Read on to find out.
Download(345MB)

Download the latest Episodes of Heroes from Kalhusoru

2007-03-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Heroes Now available on Theawaykid.

Heroes is a serial saga about people all over the world discovering that they have superpowers and trying to deal with how this change affects their lives. Some of the superheroes who will be introduced to the viewing audience include Peter Petrelli, an almost 30-year-old male nurse who suspects he might be able to fly, Isaac Mendez, a 28-year-old junkie who has the ability to paint images of the future when he is high, Niki Sanders, a 33-year-old Las Vegas showgirl who does things that are mysteriously connected with mirrors, Hiro Nakamura, a 24-year-old Japanese comic-book geek who literally makes time stand still, D.L. Hawkins, a 31-year-old inmate who can walk through walls, Matt Parkman, a beat cop who can hear other people's thoughts, and Claire Bennet, a 17-year-old cheerleader who defies death at every turn. As the viewing audience is discovering the nature of each hero's powers, the heroes, themselves, are discovering what having superpowers means to them as well as the larger picture of where their superpowers come from.

Tune in each week to see how these heroes are drawn together by their common interest of evading the series' antagonist who wants to harvest their super-DNA for himself. Their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world! The series will star Greg Grunberg (Alias), Leonard Roberts (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Milo Ventimiglia (Gilmore Girls), and Hayden Panettiere (Ally McBeal, Guiding Light). Tim Kring (Crossing Jordan, Chicago Hope) is the series' creator. The pilot is set to be directed by Dave Semel (American Dreams, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Beverly Hills, 90210). Heroes will be produced by NBC/Universal/Tailwind.

Lost - Season 3_Episode 11 Now Available Now in Theawaykid

2007-03-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

Get the Latest Episodes of Lost from Theawaykid.
Lost Epsode11.
Oceanic Flight 815 out of Sydney, Australia is mysteriously brought down out of the sky, crashing on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The survivors quickly learn they must band together in order to have any hope of rescue, because the island is treacherous and holds many secrets. As they are about to learn, the survivors have secrets of their own . . .

Windows Geniune Advantage Note1.

2007-03-12T04:40:00.000-07:00

Learn the risks. Make sure your software is genuine. Reinforce your system.

It's a fact. Counterfeit software can threaten your personal data, and Web sites that offer counterfeit goods and licenses are often rife with threats. New research from international market-research firm IDC shows that acquiring and using counterfeit software can make it easier for online attackers to steal your identity or use your personal data for financial gain.

Help protect yourself from security threats and identity theft with these three steps:

Learn the risks

See new research from IDC that reveals the signficant amount of malicious and unwanted software that is present on Web sites that offer counterfeit software. IDC also discovered malicious and unwanted software embedded in files advertised as hacking tools, such as "key generators", which are downloadable from peer-to-peer networks and websites. Learn more about these risks. See the summary.

Make sure your software is genuine

Ensure that you have easy access to software updates, downloads, and special offers. Validate your copy of Microsoft Windows with Windows Genuine Advantage.

Reinforce your system

Manage firewall protection, automatic updates, antivirus software, and other security essentials. Help protect your computer from known programs that can track your Web browsing habits or make changes to your computer settings without your consent or control. Use up-to-date antispyware software such as Microsoft Windows Defender.

Note:If your computer is not a WGA [Windows Geniune Advantage] Please Upgrade Now By Opening Below Link.

Mozilla Receives Flash Player Code from Adobe

2007-03-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

-The Mozilla Foundation has been given some of the Flash Player computer code by Adobe Systems Inc. so that it can blend and improve Flash into its latest version of Mozilla’s Firefox Web browser. The code covers the Flash scripting language.

-Adobe acquired Flash software as part of its $3.4 billion purchase of Macromedia Inc. last year. Pledging its support behind open-source software, this donation by Adobe is the largest contribution of code to Mozilla since it has existed.

-”By working with the open-source community we are accelerating the adoption of a standard language for creating and delivering richer, more interactive experiences that work consistently across PCs and mobile devices,” said Adobe’s chief architect.

Lines Formed for PS3 Release

2007-03-12T04:30:00.000-07:00

-Only 16 hours to go until the Sony PS3’s formal release to the public in Tokyo, Japan. The store did not want lines to form too early and forced would-be customers to the opposite side of the street.

-Many other stores in Japan have taken to a lottery system to figure out who is allowed the chance to buy the new console.

-The Sony PS3 will be released to North America, Hong Kong and Taiwan on November 17th. According to Sony, Europe won’t be able to purchase a system until March, 2007.

Wellcome to Theawaykid Corporation

2007-03-12T04:23:00.000-07:00

        Hello! We, The Theawaykid, offer you a warm welcome for
visiting our first website.This website is a beta version of
the original webiste.We are very happy to offer you solutions,
information and entertainment in our small enviourment.The
sources which we had included are likely to be the best and
the latest, offering you a choice of download from most
places you explore. We ensure tht the sources for download
in this site would be virus and  trojan free as they were
scanned with NOD32 and Norton-Anti-Virus System before upload
was done. Others could not be ensured as they are taken from
other sites. The Programs associated for fun/entertainment
would not harm your computer in anyway.
         We also like to thank for the People who helped
us in making this site successful.