Showing posts with label Curiosity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Curiosity. Show all posts

Nov 8, 2007

Round 1, FIGHT!


At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:

If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash... twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

Oct 15, 2007

United Nations

In 2003 the UN reached a number of 80 in favour, 79 against and 15 abstentions in a referendum about cloning. Just for curiosity here you have all the countries that voted and their position...



In favour

Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Dar-Salam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Comoros, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Viet Nam, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Against

Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (the Federated States of), Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Suriname, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela and Zambia.


Abstentions

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Colombia, Jamaica, Peru, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine and Uruguay.

Oct 11, 2007

Doris Lessing

Congratulations to Doris Lessing who won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature
"What the feminists want of me is something they haven't examined because it comes from religion. They want me to bear witness. What they would really like me to say is, 'Ha, sisters, I stand with you side by side in your struggle toward the golden dawn where all those beastly men are no more.' Do they really want people to make oversimplified statements about men and women? In fact, they do. I've come with great regret to this conclusion."

– Doris Lessing, The New York Times, 25 July, 1982

Sting is the worst

Blender magazine did a list with the worst music writers ever, they said that...

"They do girl rhyme with world, apricot with gavonette - and this is when they are able to rhyme at all. Meet the pop poets of the banality, that confuse metaphores, talk about mysticism and quote Hallmark's cards."
See the astonishing list:
1. Sting
2. Neil Peart (Rush)
3. Scott Stapp (Creed)
4. Noel Gallagher (Oasis)
5. Dan Fogelberg
6. Tom Marshall
7. Paul Stanley (Kiss)
8. Diane Warren
9. Donovan
10. Jim Morrison (Doors)
11. Larry Henley e Jeff Silbar
12. David Crosby
13. Pete Gabriel, Mike Ruthefod, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett e Phil Collins (Genesis)
14. Will.I.Am
15. Bernie Taupin
16. Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie)
17. Jon Anderson (Yes)
18. Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull)
19. Queensÿche
20. Ryan Ross (Panic! At the Disco)
21. Alanis Morissette
22. Jon Bon Jovi
23. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
24. Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit)
25. KRS-One
26. Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran)
27. Will Jennings
28. Greg Graffin (Bad Religion)
29. Timbaland
30. Kevin Federline
31. Carly Simon
32. Matisyahu
33. Diddy
34. Henry Rollins
35. Dashboard Confessional
36. Common
37. Bryan Adams
38. Paul McCartney
39. Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)
40. Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)