LR2 Blogs

FIVE THINGS: About the Detroit Zoo

Interesting article about the zoo.

The first Detroit zoo happened by chance. In the early 1880s, a small traveling circus happened to be in Detroit when it went bust, and the owners abandoned their animals. So, in 1883, a group of Detroiters opened the Detroit Zoological Gardens where Tiger Stadium is now. The zoo lasted barely a year.

The current 125-acre zoo in Royal Oak opened in 1928. It has 7,100 individual mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. The zoo draws 1.2 million visitors annually.

How many folksingers does it take to change a light bulb?
How many folksingers does it take to change a light bulb?

Shuttle next-gen SFF PC exposed | Reg Hardware

Cool tiny PC.

Exclusive Shuttle has taken the wraps off its upcoming next-generation small form-factor PC which crams an Intel 65nm dual-core processor, memory, hard drive, optical storage and other goodies into a case that’s just 5.4cm high and has a footprint the size of an A4 page.

Learn Fancy Napkin Folds

Cool site shows how to fold napkins like the fancy restaurants. My son has been curious about how this and requently tries to refold the napkin.

havocStudios: Ajax tabs

AJAX, Web 2.0, CSS Tabs, can we get any more buzzwords in the same article? Still some useful info if you’re into that sort of stuff.

CSS Tabs seem to be all the rage with the kids these days. I love the idea of them. It seems that the most popular method of creating tabs using CSS is the Sliding Doors method. They seem to look the coolest and are very easy to implement. However, they’re so… static.

Chron.com | McDonald’s sued over french fry ingredients

As if we need another excuse to boycott the place we all love to hate. McDonalds finally comes clean about having both Wheat and Milk in their french fries. It just goes to show that corporations are in it for the money, not the customers. Truth in advertising seems to be a lost virtue.

McDonald’s said Feb. 13 that wheat and dairy ingredients are used to flavor its fries. Those substances can cause allergic or other medical reactions in food-sensitive consumers.

Earlier this month, McDonald’s also acknowledged that its fries contain a third more trans fats than it previously knew, citing results of a new testing method it began using in December.

Full Moon Pale Rye Ale

This is a cool refreshing beer with enough body to hold up in front of the fire on a cool winter’s evening. It is very smooth with a full flavor, light on yeast, and edging toward the sweet. The finish is clean like a strong german rye bread (sans caraway).

The brewery is in Blanco, TX so it might be tough to find elsewhere in the country. I bought a mixed 6 pack at the Whole Foods in Austin. Two each of the Full Moon, Rio Blanco, and Brewhouse Brown. I’ll comment below when I try the other two.

Tawny red and full of malt and hops, Full Moon’s unique flavor quells your palate’s longing for something truly distinctive. Marrying the smooth sweetness of malted rye and barley, the ale’s rich body is complemented by ample helpings of American hops. The culmination of our efforts is an assertive American pale ale, a hop lovers dream.

Blingo

I just won $10 iTunes on Blingo!

Yesterday
iTunes Gift Certificate
Anton O, Texas

Cablebone (excess cable organiser)

I’m going to look for some appropriate material to build a few of these when I get home tonight. I hate wires and unfortunately have way too many of them on my desk.

There are very few things in life that get right under my skin, triping over cables is one of them. I think I may have seen a product like this somewhere - not sure, inspriation being the mother of invention and these are fairly easy to make.

Oracle tried to buy open-source MySQL | CNET News.com

Thankfully the source is open and even if a company like Oracle managed to buy MySQL and much it up somone would branch it and continue developing the free version.

MySQL Chief Executive Marten Mickos confirmed the acquisition attempt in an interview at the Open Source Business Conference here but wouldn’t provide details such as when the approach was made or how much money Oracle offered.

He did, however, say why he turned down Oracle’s offer: the desire to keep his company’s independence. “We will be part of a larger company, but it will be called MySQL,” Mickos said.