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Facebook, the popular networking site, has 350 million members worldwide who, collectively, spend 10 billion minutes there every day, checking in with friends, writing on people’s electronic walls, clicking through photos and generally keeping pace with the drift of their social world. Make that 9.9 billion and change. Recently, Halley Lamberson, 17, and Monica Reed, 16, juniors at San Francisco University High School, made a pact to help each other resist the lure of the login. Their status might as well now read, “I can’t be bothered.” “We decided we spent way too much time obsessing over Facebook and it...

Guy has a pretty darn good collection and looks to be a good shot!

If you have some thirst for creativity, why not try to grow something? Why not mushrooms? Why not at home?

Well, after spending most all of my adult life flying other peoples toys, I'm officially in the market to buy myself a plane. I have spent the better part of the past year narrowing my search for the perfect steed and have settled upon the Piper Malibu Series. This seems to have the best combo of speed, range, economy and cabin size for my personal travel needs. Plus I like the idea of the pressurized cabin over the supplemental oxygen system especially for passengers mostly the younger ones. I have found a sweet deal on one nicely appointed, modern avionics,...

Rock-music lore is rife with stories of bands sealing themselves up in an expensive commercial recording studio for days, weeks, or months, refusing to reenter civilian life until armed with a masterpiece destined to be heard for generations. Today, that scenario sounds more like an ancient fable. Major recording centers such as London; Los Angeles; New York; and Nashville, Tenn., are losing the studios that made them famous due to shrinking budgets at the big labels and the growing sophistication of home-
recording technology. Now musicians can plug directly into their laptops and record digitally with greater ease than ever. Software...

With all of the back and forth regarding Microsoft and their software and business practices, I thought I might try to inject some information that sheds a different take on them. By the end of 2010, Windows 7 related employment will account for more than 7 million jobs- or 19% of all IT employment- in the global IT industry and at user organizations. This is 1.2 million in hardware companies, nearly 280,000 in software companies, 1.5 million services and channel firms, and 4.2 million in IT using organizations For every dollar of Microsoft revenue from launch in October 2009...

Good morning to all of you gardeners. There will not be a Weekly Gardening Thread Christmas Day or New Years Day so I would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I would also like to thank all of you who have stopped by and contributed to this thread during the year. I enjoyed posting the thread and think it was very successful. All of you who are in the path of this winter storm please keep warm and safe. It looks like a bad one. It passed through here overnight and this...

Lo Wung, 42, taught the monkeys so they could entertain crowds outside a shopping centre in Nshi, in eastern China's Hubei province. But the money-spinning primates turned the tables on their trainer when he slipped during a show, with one quick-thinking monkey flooring him with a kick to the head.

RICHFIELD, Minn. -- When North Dakotan Dennis McCoy gets together with his uncle Wes in his retirement high rise in Richfield, they farm at the kitchen table. "That was our first rubber-tired tractor," says Wes to Dennis as they peer at a photo of a 1938 Allis Chalmers WC. It's moments like this that have led Dennis to one of the great passions in his life: locating and restoring tractors that match the makes and models his grandfather -- Wes' dad Ed McCoy -- used on their North Dakota farm from the 1920s through the 1950s. Already he's paid for...

An infamous Atlanta hotel known for its campy lounge with baby boomer strip dancers has been shut down. The AJC was the first to report the Clermont Motor Hotel was ordered to close by Dec. 31 after a visit by Fulton County health inspectors uncovered a laundry list of violations, starting with, uh, the laundry. "There are several issues that would have to be addressed," "My friend says it's the only hotel in America that hookers can't get into,"Jeffress said Wednesday night as a group of women watched a lone stripper.

flight simulator-Just follow your cursor... http://electricoyster.com/esp3d/

Using a tweezers, the controls can be moved. All cables and linkages are in place to work the wing control surfaces as well. Young Park has since carved a pilot's face and hands from solid aluminum and built an articulated pilot to sit in the cockpit?Remember this as you look at the pics........... All the controls work as designed, by cables, chains, linkages and levers.Every single part hand made and fitted.

The Army has begun fielding 500,000 of a projected 7 million new 5.56mm 30-round Improved Magazines for the service’s fleet of M16 and M4 weapons that PEO Soldier says will deliver “a significant increase in reliability for the battle-tested M16 and M4 weapons systems…the Improved Magazine effectively reduces the risk of magazine-related stoppages by more than 50 percent compared to the older magazine variants." LTC Chris Lehner, Product Manager Individual Weapons explains on the PEO Web site that the system has a heavier, more corrosion resistant spring, and “along with a new follower design that does not tilt inside the...

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Classic pop rock band Chicago and Grammy-Award-winning songwriter Bill Champlin have parted ways after nearly three decades together. "Bill Champlin is no longer in Chicago. He was a long-time band member and we wish him all the best as he embarks on his new solo project, for which he's worked long and hard.," a statement from Chicago's management said Monday "After 28 years with Chicago, singer-songwriter-keyboardist Bill Champlin is parting ways with the classic jazz/rock band to focus once again on his solo career," Champlin's publicist Judi Kerr said of the split.

FRAZEE, Minn. -- Some young men like to talk sports. Tyler Shipman's favorite topic is a car model that last rolled down an assembly line three years before he was born. "I got my first one when I was 15," says Tyler about the Pontiac Fiero with which he fell in love after seeing one on the internet. "They were something different ... they drive really sweet." General Motors pulled the plug on the sporty mid-engine two-seater in 1988 after a four year run. Quality issues dogged the car from the start. Tyler didn't care. In August, before starting his...

Snow chains will only get you so far in some parts of the world. When you want to really rip up the backcountry, what you need is a crazily modified Subaru with cat tracks, a supercharged engine and heavy-duty suspension. Then you’ll be ready to drive right up to the pristine, snowy peaks and snowboard your way down.

My TV viewing will be much more pleasant now.

The United States has become a nation of "non-tinkerers," a new survey shows. In a poll of 1,000 U.S. adults, nearly six in 10 said they had never made or assembled a toy. Twenty-seven percent had not made or built even one item from a list of eight common projects, including furniture and a flower box. Sixty-percent avoided handling major household repairs, opting to hire someone to do the work for them, according to the survey from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association. It's worrisome, according to the association, because the "hands off" policy around the house has led young people...

A new technology may make it easier for gun owners to improve their marksmanship. Opti-sight, a new pistol-aiming device, was developed to reduce the time law enforcement, professional and amateur shooters need for target practice to get better results at the firing range. Typically, shooters use an optical device known as a "sight" to take aim before firing on a target. Traditional pistol sight designs rely on a square post mounted on the front of the gun's barrel that is visually centered inside a notch on the back of the barrel. Shooters use the two pieces to align the barrel...

Good morning to all of you gardeners. If only Global Warming would hurry up and get here! I hope all of you deniers who have had to endure the pre-winter storm are doing all right. I would like to relate a series of events that started with a post I made on the November 6th Weekly Gardening thread. It all started when a fellow Freeper who lives in Indonesia posted that he often lurked and enjoyed the thread. One thing leads to another and I ended up posting part of an email I received from my friend who also lives...

Animated tropical puffer fish with a inspiring message!

Trotwood, OH (AHN) - The Wright-Patterson Bomb Squad was deployed to Trotwood Wednesday after a family stumbled upon explosives in a house. The family was cleaning out a house left behind by a relative who recently died when they found the explosives. The bomb squad removed what they described as military explosives from the home and took them to a nearby horse park, where it was virtually deserted. The team then detonated the devices. Officials said there were a lot of military explosives in the house, including smoke bombs. The bomb squad chose an area where winds would not blow...

I received a letter today from the NRA asking if I would like to upgrade my Life membership to Endowment member. They said it's normally $1000 but now it's $200. Is that $200/year or a one-time charge? Are any Freepers Endowment members? Is this an actual category or just an appeal to your vanity?

A HAIRDRESSER has come up with a cutting edge way of saving time - attaching tiny clippers to the ends of his fingers. Valentino LoSauro, dubbed the real-life Edward Scissorhands, after the character in the Tim Burton film, is the proud inventor of the 'Clawz'. He claims his creation helps him cut hair twice as fast as normal scissors. The inventor from Fort Myers, Florida, USA, said: "The idea came to me in the late 90s. "I am a pianist as well as a hairdresser and wanted to combine that light fingered touch with my styling. So the 'Clawz' were...

My favorite pond has been dried up for a while but rain over last weekend took care of that. It doesn't take any time for the marsh birds to move in, when the pond is dry they have to go quite a way for fresh water.

In a particular part of Florida the White Ibis is known as the Chokoloskee Chicken. There is at least one FREEPER near Chokoloskee, they are a wild and rowdy bunch down there! North Florida FREEPERS, on the other hand, are genteel and cultivated! It's cloudy, wet and windy. Everything is hunkered down and waiting out the weather. The onshore wind has pushed the water way up in the marsh and the birds are hanging out on little islands.

As the final round of the Chevron World Challenge begins, I would like to extend my heartfelt thank you to everyone affiliated with the event, especially our amazing title sponsor, Chevron. They've been title sponsor for the last two years and have a vision and passion for creating real opportunities for my Foundation. I thank them for their ongoing commitment. I'd also like to thank all of our supporting sponsors and my tireless, dedicated staff, board and volunteers who collectively produce this first-class golf tournament. I am so grateful to them for their efforts, and I am sincerely sorry I...

I need help picking wide receivers for my fantasy football team. Here are my picks: Steve Smith (NYG), Chris Chambers (KC), Steve Breaston (Ari), Donnie Avery (Rams), Antonio Bryant (Tampa Bay) or Kenny Britt (TN). When my brothers asked me to join their league, they only had one job for me -- to lose. I'm this game from the play-offs. Please let me know your thoughts.

Inspirational animation!

I take a lot of photos, I've completely worn out 4 cameras in the last 8 years. I've gone through as many printers, all of them really too expensive to feed on my budget. I installed a constant ink supply system recently, and I've tested it enough to predict that it will last. My greatest expense item is now the photo paper. Print quality is excellent, I might get better results from a pro print shop, but not much better if at all. I'm a big fan of HP printers but those little cartridges are just too expensive!This is still...

Good morning to all of you gardeners. It looks like I may get a little snow tonight. It has decided to finally cool off a bit here in Mississippi with highs in the 40s and 50s with an odd day in the 60s. I hope everybody is staying warm and planning their gardens for the spring. Any of you ordering seeds yet?

We didn't see the Sun until mid afternoon, it broke through pretty good them but still mostly cloudy. When the Sun gets really low the reflections on the water start to flame, and the Spartina grass turns golden. I barely caught the Little Blue Heron, they can be hard to see on a bright day. Their feathers aren't at all reflective

The U.K. security company that started a firestorm after claiming recent Windows security updates caused a widespread "black screen" lock-out of users' PCs has retracted its claims and publicly apologized to Microsoft. "It is clear that our original blog post has been taken out of context and may have caused an inconvenience for Microsoft," Mel Morris, the chief executive of U.K. security firm Prevx, said in an entry on the company's blog Wednesday. "This was never our intention and we have already apologized to Microsoft."

The numbers and work involved....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN_oDdGmKyA

Just picked up a 1943 M1 Garand. What I'd like to know is...EVERYTHING about the Garand. 1. I need to know where to get ball ammo to feed it (it's a bit scarce, as far as I can tell); 2. I'd like to know the best data sheet/book on the Garand (breakdown, cleaning, greasing, etc.); 3. The best info I can get on making the weapon as accurate as possible (peep sights on the current configuration); 4. Where I'm most likely to pick up the best (and best valued!) accessories for it (slings, parts, etc). I know...I should Google all...

Tuesday, December 01, 2009 12:19 PM by MSRCTEAM Reports of Issues with November Security Updates We’ve received questions about public reports that customers might be experiencing system issues with the November Security Updates (which some are referring to “Black Screen” issues). We’ve investigated these reports and found that our November Security Updates are not making changes to the system that these reports say are responsible for these issues. While these reports weren’t brought to us directly, from our research into them, it appears they’re saying that our security updates are making permission changes in the registry to the value for...

There is a new video game out called "Dragon Age-origins". It is a knight/warrior elf type game (think Dungeons and Dragons) in the genre of Lord of the Rings. There is more than one sex scene in this game and it's fairly graphic. The kicker is that there are at least three gay (men on men) sex scenes and I'm not sure how many female/female sex scenes, but I know there are a few. Just wanted to warn you guys becuase I myself like role playing games but was really shocked at this with the nearly naked kissing guys and...

Time for a Sunday night gun porn vanity. Now that .380 ACP is becoming more available, I'm considering another .380 ACP semi-auto for concealed carry/range plinking. I already have a Kel Tec P3AT, but a Bersa Thunder .380 caught my eye in the local funshop the other day. An Argentinian knock-off of the PPK, it looked and felt like a quality piece for the amount (about $299). One down-side I see is the magazine disconnect. Any input from my fellow firearms enthusiasts?

A Vietnamese man dug up his wife's corpse and slept beside it for five years because he wanted to hug her in bed, an online newspaper reported on Thursday. The 55-year-old man from a small town in the central province of Quang Nam opened up his wife's grave in 2004, molded clay around the remains to give the figure of a woman, put clothes on her and then placed her in his bed, Vietnamnet.vn said. The man, Le Van, told the website that after his wife died in 2003 he slept on top of her grave, but about 20 months...

Jean-Yves Blondeau (Aix les Bains, 1970 - ), also known as "Rollerman", is a French designer who is best known for creating the 31-wheel roller suit (Buggy Rollin'). This suit places a number of rollers (similar to those found on rollerblades) on most of the major joints, the torso, and the back. The wearer can ride in a variety of positions (rollerblade, on back, on torso, on all fours, etc.) at speeds of up to 60 mph (96 km/h). He has been featured on television shows in several countries.

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving Day and enjoyed a wonderful meal. It was a wonderful day here in East Central Mississippi sunny and mid 50’s. Nice quiet day. I roasted our turkey breast side down and turned it over for the last hour and it turned out very nice! We had great sides of cornbread dressing, roasted butternut squash, homemade cranberry sauce, green beans and then egg custard for dessert. Now I need to start collecting the leaves off my lawn and add to the compost pile.

OK, because I am getting more into homebrew, and just bottled a batch of hard cider, I got a (not so) bright idea. The stores are selling pears now and they're cheaper than dirt. So I bought 14 lbs of pears thinking I would run them through the blender, then just strain them through a fine linen cloth and then use the juice, basically pear cider, to toss in the ferment jar. Trouble is, what comes out of the blender is more like apple sauce consistency than juice - and try as I might, I was only able to get...

AWESOME VIDEO. IT SAYS IT TOOK THEM OVER 13,000 HOURS TO MAKE THIS. WORKING EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR 8 HOURS A DAY WOULD BE 4 YEARS 5 MONTHS AND 18 DAYS! WOW. AND THATS INCLUDING WEEKENDS! READ DESCRIPTION BELOW! Turn your sound on for this. Read this first, then watch. This is almost unbelievable. See how all of the balls wind up in catcher cones. This incredible machine was built as a collaborative effort between the Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory and the Sharon Wick School of Engineering at the University of Iowa .. Amazingly, 97% of the machines components...

I was poking around Google image-wise, and stumbled across this. Lots of nostalgic items on this website, and thought others might get a chuckle. http://www.mouseguns.com/blast/blast.htm

There are blue/grey herons around the world, and there are 3 in the USA, plus the Reddish Heron which has a blue cast. I seldom see a Reddish Heron this far North.I got the main trio today in just a few minutes. Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea Tricolored heron Egretta tricolor Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias

Recession-stoked fears of rising crime and tougher gun laws under a Democratic government are sending US gun sales sky high, and big crowds at the Chantilly Gun Show this weekend proved it once again. Several hundred people thronged the gun show in the Washington suburb of Chantilly, where some 260 retailers have set up stalls hung with ready-to-fire Smith and Wessons, Glocks, Walthers, Colts and Berettas. "We've had a huge increase in sales since last October," 2008 just before President Barack Obama was elected. "Well over 200 percent. It's coming back," said Jerry Cochran, owner of his eponymous major gun...

This is a video arranged with a scenic autumn babbling brook, talking bullfrog and fish. Also arranged to give humor and inspiration!

It's Barbie In A Burkha: World-Famous Doll Gets A Makeover To Go Under The Hammer For 50th Anniversary [Pics in URL] DAILY MAIL REPORTER 21st November 2009 One of the world's most famous children's toys, Barbie, has been given a makeover - wearing a burkha. Wearing the traditional Islamic dress, the iconic doll is going undercover for a charity auction in connection with Sotheby's for Save The Children. More than 500 Barbies went on show yesterday at the Salone dei Cinquecento, in Florence, Italy.

Maria Sanchez Lake is almost downtown St. Augustine, a residential area with older homes. The lake is a bird magnet and there are often some nice flowers in yards around the lake. If you don't see any birds near the water look up in the Oak trees. This Great Egret and the White Ibis were waiting for the tide to start in. This flower is a Lycoris, it was almost hidden by someone's garbage can.