vincent
van gogh’s birthday
As celebrated by Google:
Google regularly provides variants on its logo. Logos
for 2005 (so far) are available on this page. The page also has links
to Google logos from previous years.
Vincent Van Gogh was born on 30 March 1853 and died on 29 July 1890.
Here is a
biography with images.
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#van_gogh_300305 |
advertising
disclaimer
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disclaimer |
moo,
or quack, or summat!
"Scientists injected human brain cells into mouse foetuses, creating
a
strain of mice that were approximately 1% human. Weissman is considering
a
follow-up that would produce mice whose brains are 100% human."
Ho hum, the world is a’changing!
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#experiment_170305 |
elgoog
search result for abelard.org:
credit and original page url:
To use elgoog, you must type your search term in reverse: gro.draleba, not
abelard.org. If you have problems reading the result, hold a mirror to the
computer screen or learn to read backwards!
This ‘mirror site’ now has a serious side:
“1.12. Did people in China really use the Google Mirror after China
blocked Google?
Yes. We received numerous emails from web surfers in China thanking us for
this service.
1.13. I heard that China also blocked other websites that used Google. Why
didn't China block elgooG too?
We believe that elgooG survived the Great Firewall of China because the
firewall operators thought that elgooG was a joke and not a fully functional
version of Google.” [Quoted from elgoog.faqs]
It is a way, for the moment, for inhabitants of China to circumvent the current
Google block in that country.
“Google has been blocked inside China since at least 1 September.
It emerged on Friday that a second search engine Altavista is also restricted.
The action has come under criticism from western human rights groups and
journalist's organisations.
“China's government routinely blocks access to news sites that host
content they consider unacceptable, such as the BBC's news site. Web proxies
including anonymizer.com and safeweb.com, which can be used to view pages
on one site through another, are also blocked.
“The reason for the latest restrictions is not clear but observers
have speculated that government elections in November could have prompted
a crack down on access to information via the internet.” [Quoted from
New
Scientist]
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#elgoog_110305 |
on
being swiss
“Moving house is said to be one of life's most stressful experiences
but, in Switzerland, it is made even more stressful by strict requirements
on how you leave your old home. Imogen Foulkes moved house recently and
describes the day the hygiene inspector came to call.”
—
“ My own interpretation has to do with the role of women in Swiss
society - those with children often do not work.
“That means hundreds of thousands of women in small apartments, with
no gardens and time on their hands.
“A recent survey revealed that the average Swiss woman can spend
at least two hours - every day - on housework.”
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#swiss_080305 |
go
hog hunting in texas without leaving your screen in new york or london
“We have developed a system where you can control a pan/tilt/zoom
camera and a firearm to shoot at real targets in real time.”
Or shoot real cute sheep.
Target shooting also available for the squeamish.
Keep in practice until Britain gets a decent government
who allows the law-abiding to shoot and hunt; not just the crooks!
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#hunting_040305 |
| the
difference between a motor mechanic and a body mechanic
A mechanic removing a cylinder head from the motor of a Harley when he
spotted a well-known heart surgeon in his shop.
The mechanic said "Hey, Doc, can I ask you a question?"
The surgeon walked over to the mechanic working on the motorcycle.
The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands and asked, "So Doc,
look at this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, fix 'em, put
'em back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So how come I get
such a small salary, and you get the really big bucks when you and I are
doing basically the same work?"
The surgeon smiled, leaned over to the mechanic, "Try doing it with
the engine running."
[Thieved from bradenblog]
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#mechanics_250205 |
| lance
legstrong rides again!
The greatest athlete on the planet goes for no. 7 in this year’s Tour
de France!
Meanwhile, the
attempt to stop him goes onward:
“The mountaintop finishes are less intense and the time trials shorter
this year. Both are disciplines where Armstrong excelled in the past, so
the changes may mean he will have fewer opportunities to take huge chunks
of time off his rivals.”
related material
le Tour de France 1: the greatest
show on Earth
le Tour de France 2: preparing
for the Great Day
le Tour de France 3: the Great
Day arrives
Le Tour de France
4: in the Pyrenées
Le Tour de France: photo
album 1 
Le Tour de France: photo
album 2
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#armstrong_170205 |
| 2005:
las vegas turns 100
“When you fly to Las Vegas at night, a blaze of multicoloured lights
appears amid the yawning darkness of the desert. When you drive into town
from California or the Grand Canyon, you pass through miles and miles of
empty sand before ... bam! A wall of neon hits you in the face. Day and
night the slots jangle, the cocktails flow, the buffets groan and the Hawaiian
shirts clash, while the famous Strip is as dazzling and bustling and glaring
and clinking and glittering as it ever was in the movies.
“In her early days, Las Vegas was a wild thing who ran with a bad
crowd. She was born with the advent of the railroad through the Nevada desert,
set up as a tent town for workers in May 1905.”
—
“When I went to The Venetian for a gondola ride, they asked me: 'Indoor
or outdoor canal?' That's my kind of canal. If you have never sailed past
a perfect replica of St Mark's Square, inside a giant building, serenaded
by a singing gondolier from Minnesota, then you haven't lived.”
- the
birthday party
- “Stacy Allsbrook, a native of Las Vegas [is] charged with planning
a full year of centennial celebrations, including the world's biggest birthday
cake and a huge outdoor concert with big-name performers (she won't say
who) on the 4 July holiday.”
- some
background
- “The nightclubs, casinos, and championship boxing matches are world
famous, and entertainment enterprises have led to an increasing array of
music, sports, gambling, and amusement centers up and down the main “strip,”
as the city succeeded in the 1990s in redefining itself as a family resort,
complete with monorail (opened 2004). Its 1,149-ft (350-m) Stratosphere
Tower is the country's tallest observation tower. The city is also the commercial
hub of a ranching and mining area and has diverse manufacturing, including
gaming equipment.
“In the 19th cent. Las Vegas was a watering place for travelers bound
for southern California. In 1855–57 the Mormons maintained a fort
there, and in 1864, Fort Baker was built by the U.S. army. In 1867 Las Vegas
was detached from the Arizona Territory and joined to Nevada. Its main growth
began with the completion of a railroad in 1905. A branch of the Univ. of
Nevada is there. Nellis Air Force Base lies to the north of the city, and
Hoover Dam is nearby.”
- early
history
- “The exact date is unknown, but Rafael Rivera became the first
known non-Indian to set foot in the oasis-like Las Vegas Valley.
“The abundant artesian spring water discovered at Las Vegas shortened
the Spanish Trail to Los Angeles, eased rigors for Spanish traders and
hastened the rush west for California gold. Between 1830 and 1848, the
name "Vegas," as shown on maps of that day, was changed to Las
Vegas which means "The Meadows" in Spanish.”
—
“The Mormons planted fruit trees, cultivated vegetables and mined
lead for bullets at Potosi Mountain. Mormon pioneers abandoned the settlement
in 1858, partly because of Indian raids. A portion of the "Mormon
Fort" has withstood the ravages of time and is an historic site today
near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard North and Washington Avenue.
Scientists began an archeological dig on the site in November 1992.”
- the
photos
-
- what to do if you visit las vegas
- Take
the new monorail, “a driverless, state-of-the-art urban public
transportation system that operates on a route approximately 4 miles long
along the east side of the famous Las Vegas Strip. It directly connects
to 8 major resorts, over 24,700 hotel rooms, and 9 convention facilities,
including the world’s largest convention center.” [The
page also has other information about the monorail.]
This
page has a cycling series of views of Las Vegas sights.
A
list of Las Vegas attractions.
A
list of attractions near to Las Vegas [this is about halfway down the
page, which includes many other ‘facts’ about Las Vegas.]
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#las_vegas_160205 |
hillary
for pres
From one of several reports on the developing campaign
trail for 2008:
“Raising aloft what she described as one of the favourites from
her collection of AK47 automatic weapons, Mrs Clinton declared to wild cheers:
"If they think some unelected judge in Washington is going to take
away my constitutional rights, let them think again! Let them try! Let
them come! I'd like to see them. They'll have to prise this beauty from
my cold, dead hands." ”
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#hillary_pres_100205 |
| intellectual,
rude and in the tradition of lehrer and yankovitch
 |
Not
for the faint hearted, a fine way to waste 20 minutes!
“[...] by Amateur Transplants (aka Adam Kay and Suman Biswas).
Both qualified doctors, they practise medicine with varying degrees
of success.”
—
“Caution contains some choice lyrics.
Do not (repeat not) buy this album for your elderly maiden aunt.”
|
I particularly like the lyrics regarding medicine, Paracetamoxyfrusebendroneomycin
and The drugs song, where they speak from more experience.
related material
 |
That
Was the Year That Was by Tom Lehrer
1966, re-issued as CD in 1990; Wea/Warner Brothers;
ASIN: B000002KO7
$10.99
[amazon.com] {advert}/ £9.98
[amazon.co.uk] {advert}
This is probably our yaks’ favourite album by Lehrer.
Here
are some other albums by Lehrer. We know no-one who has really matched
him yet for ability, at least since Gilbert
and Sullivan. |
 |
Bad hair day by Weird Al Yankovitch. $13.99
Album includes Amish paradise and the night Santa
went crazy.
Here
are some other albums by Weird Al.
Weird
Al Yankovitch - a web site |
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#medic_060205 |
|
pumping
uranium
”The unnamed man had almost 40 kg of uranium-238 -- a high-density
toxic material mainly used in gun ammunition -- stashed in his car when
customs police stopped him for checks in the central Volga region, Itar-Tass
news agency reported.
“The container had uranium in it and was registered in the customs
declaration as 'weight lifting equipment'," Tass quoted one customs
official as saying.”
the web address for the article above is
https://www.abelard.org/news/fun2005.php#uranium_010205 |
