"I don't think the report is true, but these crises work for those who want to make fights between people." Kulam Dastagir, 28, a bird seller in Afghanistan
Crayon Physics Deluxe
Topic: Technology
3:50 pm EST, Nov 23, 2008
Crayon Physics Deluxe is a 2D physics puzzle game, in which you get to experience what it would be like if your drawings would be magically transformed into real physical objects. Solve puzzles with your artistic vision and creative use of physics.
Amazing, extraordinarily creative game that looks like so much fun.
Charlie Paparelli - Angel Investments in the Downturn
Topic: Miscellaneous
4:17 pm EDT, Oct 8, 2008
We conducted a soft survey at last week's Atlanta Angel Lounge meeting. As you review the results, you should keep in mind that this crisis is new and unsettled. In fact, since our last meeting the Dow Jones Industrial average dropped over 1,400 points. So this data, although only a week old, may be outdated.
Here is what we learned from a gathering of 25 Atlanta angel investors:
* The professional angels with a sizable wealth base said, 'it will be business as usual.' * There was agreement that with AAA rated companies like GE paying 10% with warrants for long-term money, valuations for early stage companies will be lower. The risk/return ratio is shifting with the market. * Many angels are sitting on the sidelines waiting to see what their liquidity will be when the markets get back to some rhythm, good or bad. * Deals will be more closely scrutinized and therefore more time will be needed to raise money.
I've been worried about this. It appears the crisis will impact startups negatively, but it doesn't sound like the market has been wiped out... yet...
Atlanta is rising star in field of Internet security | ajc.com
Topic: Business
4:27 pm EDT, Aug 27, 2008
Purewire has some startup money and is one of many examples that Atlanta’s Internet security industry is thriving despite a sour economy. New technologie s combined with a growing group of cyberthieves continue to create opportunities for new research and new companies.
“Atlanta is a good place to start a security company,” Judge said. It has enough companies and educational assets to attract talent, but not as many companies as in Silicon Valley, where job-hopping can be excessive. “There’s more loyalty, and you can focus on building a company.”
Star Caller provides a fun and fresh way to promote an assortment of products ranging from entertainment to hard goods. Star Caller utilizes celebrity fan bases to promote our clients products. Our marketing is successful because it not only reaches the target demographic, it also provides leads for our clients that would normally be unattainable.
What is it? Fun, dynamic phone calls, in the voice of stars and customized to the individual characteristics of each fan. Our technology allows you to speak directly to your fans - and have your brand go viral so that fans market you to others.
Idea Lab - The Worm Turns - Curing Diseases With Parasites? - Idea Lab - NYTimes.com
Topic: Health and Wellness
9:14 am EDT, Jun 30, 2008
As Weinstock considered the I.B.D. puzzle, he wondered if immune manipulation by worms could incidentally protect against other diseases.
Comparison of the prevalence of I.B.D. and surveys of worm-infestation rates revealed a telling pattern. About 10 years after improved hygiene and deworming efforts reduced worms in a given population, I.B.D. rates jumped. Weinstock had his hypothesis: after a long coevolution, the human immune system came to depend on the worms for proper functioning. When cleaner conditions and new medicines evicted the worms from our bodies, the immune system went out of kilter. “Hygiene has made our lives better,” says Weinstock, now at Tufts University. “But in the process of eliminating exposure to the 10 or 20 things that can make us sick, we’re also eliminating exposure to things that make us well.” nullnull
Weinstock spotted a prime candidate on pig farms. Pig farmers are chronically exposed to Trichuris suis, the pig whipworm, and tolerate it with no apparent side effects. (This is not the potentially dangerous worm found in undercooked pork.)
In 2005, he published results from two human studies. After ingesting 2,500 microscopic T. suis eggs at 3-week intervals for 24 weeks, 23 of 29 Crohn’s patients responded positively. (Crohn’s disease belongs to the I.B.D. family, which also includes ulcerative colitis.) Twenty-one went into complete remission. In the second study, 13 of 30 ulcerative colitis patients improved compared with 4 in the 24-person placebo group.<
The suburban landscape has been marred by foreclosures and half-built communities abandoned in the subprime aftermath. But James Howard Kunstler, author of a dozen books, including The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape, thinks there's a bigger threat to those far-flung neighborhoods: the scarcity of oil. As Kunstler sees it, oil wells are running dry and the era of cheap fuel is over. Given the supply constraints, he says the U.S. will have to rethink suburban sprawl, bringing an end to strip malls, big-box stores, and other trappings of the automotive era. Kunstler, 59, predicts a return to towns and cities centered around a retail hub—not unlike his hometown of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. But the shift to this new paradigm, he says, will be painful. (Kunstler could be off the mark; he predicted technological Armageddon after Y2K.) BusinessWeek writer Mara Der Hovanesian spoke with Kunstler about suburbia, which he calls "the greatest misallocation of resources the world has ever known."
Oh, the things that get posted to Memestreams that you miss and then happen upon while drunk and trying to dig up a link you forgot. Be sure to watch the replies...
Sharks clear out south Florida beaches - U.S. news- msnbc.com
Topic: Local Information
2:53 pm EST, Feb 26, 2008
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. - There’s something lurking in the water at several south Florida beaches.
Hundreds of swarming sharks, some as close as 10 feet offshore, have closed down beaches in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
"The water clarity has been so good" that it's been easier than usual to see the annual migration, Bob Taylor, superintendent for lifeguards at Delray Beach, told NBC's "Today" show.
The video is amazing - 100s of sharkies, a massive swarm of em, swimming North.
