Some excellent news on the Blood Ties forum within the last few weeks. (I just got it today, so I’m late posting it here.) In a post on the Blood Ties Bloodlines forums dated September 13, James Jandrisch, the composer for the series Blood Ties, said that he is working on releasing the soundtrack indepedently. Woohoo!! This is awesome news. The series has great music. I can’t wait to hear it! Related Images:
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Ostia Antica Frescoes
Here are the image from the article about the restored frescoes in Ostia Antica, Italy. Amazingly preserved. read more | digg story Related Images:
Continue reading...Archaeologists Unveil Majestic Roman Ruins That Rival Riches
Officials in Ostia Antica hope that the decade-long restoration of four dwellings will focus new attention on this once-bustling port west of Rome. read more | digg story Related Images:
Continue reading...Full Sized Roman Siege Ballista for Sale on eBay!
From the builders of this unique offering: As timber engineers, we do get asked to build a lot of unusual things – things which other framing companies couldn’t even attempt. This was, perhaps, one of the more unusual. The ballista was successfully built and managed to fire a very heavy stone ball some 127 yards. (Remember, these things used to successfully lay siege to entire cities.) read more | digg story Also a...
Continue reading...YouTube Video: Our Debt-based Money System, and its Consequences
In light of the discussions of the current bailout plans going through Congress, I found this YouTube video enlightening. Here is the summary from digg: If the three and a half hour documentary on fractional reserve banking left you overwhelmed, this series of animations explaining how our debt based money system works should clarify the confusing aspects —and leave you indignant at a system that lets banks make money out of nothing to...
Continue reading...Foiled again! Pranks at work
I love where I work. Great people with a sense of humour and love for what they do. One of the guys at work was out on vacation at the same time I was. Some of my coworkers plotted to cover his desk with aluminum foil. These are programmers we’re talking about: detail oriented to an extreme. And boy does it show. (And of course, they took pictures and made a video.) Awesome....
Continue reading...Back from vacation; Research update
Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written a real post (that wasn’t an article snippet or a copy of a joke). My coauthor was in town for a week, so I wasn’t on here much. We spent a lot of time at UNC’s Davis Library Epigraphy Room. What a wonderful resource! The Epigraphy Room has complete sets of two of the sources we rely on for inscriptions: L’Année épigraphique and Corpus Inscriptionum...
Continue reading...Humour: How to read horse ads
From a friend of mine in Horsemasters. You’ll snicker if you’ve ever read through horse sale ads. BIG TROT: Can’t canter within a 2 mile stretch NICELY STARTED: Lunges, but we don’t have enough insurance to ride him yet TOP SHOW HORSE: Won a reserve championship 5 years ago at a show with unusually low entries due to a hurricane HOME BRED: Knows nothing despite being home-grown BOLD: Runaway GOOD MOVER: Runaway ATHLETIC:...
Continue reading...Finnish ISP thinks W3C.org is a child-porn site
Pretty funny. I have friends who work at the W3C. They will get a kick out of this! The Finnish ISP Mikkelin Puhelin is blocking access to the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) site, describing it as child porn. read more | digg story Related Images:
Continue reading...Joke: Never Argue with a Woman
A friend of mine sent me this. (Sorry not posting much. On vacation this week.) One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book. Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, ‘Good...
Continue reading...I Can Has Prezdincy?
Funny picture — especially if you are a fan of LOLCats. read more | digg story Related Images:
Continue reading...The 20 Dumbest Warning Labels Of All-Time
You know, in tech writing you find some pretty silly examples of poorly translated warning labels and paragraphs. Here are some from general products. Humor at it’s very best. This article exposes the stupidity of the manufacturers. We know, they need to cover their own asses… but can they go to this extent?? read more | digg story Related Images:
Continue reading...India’s use of brain scans in courts dismays critics
This sounds like something out of the “Pre Crime” division from Minority Report… The new technology is, to its critics, Orwellian. Others view it as a silver bullet against terrorism that could render waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods obsolete. Some scientists predict the end of lying as we know it. read more | digg story Related Images:
Continue reading...Comic: What can happen when using Google Maps
A friend of mine sent me this XKCD comic because he knew about a time Map Quest tried to send me and a friend over a non-existent ferry. After that, I wouldn’t be surprised to get directions that talk about climbing a cliff. Related Images:
Continue reading...Gas prices
Everyone has been hearing about hurricane Ike heading towards Texas and that all of the oil refineries will have to be shut down for a little while. Gas on the way to wokr this morning was 3.59. When I got off work, the gas stations said $4.09. My friend in Tennessee said that the gas prices went up by a dollar over night: $4.51 per gallon. This is insane! At least North Carolina...
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