While asking myself “how do ski resorts 'make' their own snow?” and after Googling the question, I came across a company that sells the tool to do just that, but on a smaller, more home owner-sized scale. Meet SNOWatHOME.com, a snow making stand that will set you back anywhere between $400-800 depending on size. This doesn't include the cost of an air compressor or pressure sprayer. Something tells me this is all just waste; wasting water, gasoline for the pressure sprayer and electricity for the air compressor. But still, I'd give it a try once (all in the name of science, of course).

Link.

We got a phone call today from an 800 number but the name was UNKOWN. We normally will not answer the phone unless we recognize the number or the caller abusively calls many times. I Googled the number and found a site called www.whocalled.us which allows folks to collaborate on unknown phone numbers and try and identify them. I discovered it was Sears calling me. They didn't leave a message on the machine, idiots.

Link.

If any of you have ever used an Amiga, then the image above will send rage through you. You've probably encountered it more than you'd like to admit and even though it didn't quite work that time, there's something you probably forgot to do– and you tried and tried again. It became a passion; a labor of skilled love that you endured until it accomplished the task. You were then exhausted but satisfied.

For those of you that don't know, this image is comparable to the Windows blue-screen-of-death. Basically, it's caused by faulty software that ultimately brings the machine down. In earlier versions, it didn't say “Software Failure” instead relying on “Guru Meditation” alone to convey it's message. Your choice was to either reboot (most did) or to attach a debugger and figure out why it failed (I never did this).

This screen capture was grabbed from the UAE (Unix Amiga Emulator) for the Mac (excuse the German) in which, yes, it even crashes in emulation. Please, hold your applause until the end.

The reason I've posted this is because I've pulled my Amiga from the basement and have been copying my old floppies to images and ultimately storing them on CD-ROM as I fear the oxide on the discs will cause them to be unreadable (some already aren't readable now).

A spellbinding trip back into time when the phone system was a playground and learning tool for a select few with the skills to do so.

Link.

An amazing look at what 200 calories looks like of different foods.
Link. Thanks, Ben

We have a winner! Ben helped locate some pictures of old plates that seems to indicate this one is from the Netherlands. More specifically, it seems the plate was for temporary foreign European non-residents.

Link to pictures. Link to tag descriptions. Thanks, Ben!

I recently obtained this old license plate and thought it would look great on the front of the MINI though I'm puzzled as to the country of origin. There may have been a sticker of some kind on the right side, there's some residue there now. Anyone have an idea? Here are a couple of clues: On the plate, there are two embossed areas.

This one explains itself, yet explains nothing. It's so absurd you have to wonder if the girl featured on the Maury show is being paid enough to humiliate herself. What exactly is the correct –phobia term for this? How does she feel about cucumbers? What about zucchini and squash?

Link. Via BoingBoing, Via ABC News Top YouTube videos of the year.

UPDATE: While browsing the Internet Archive, I found a short advertisement that would have been shown at a drive in movie theater featuring pickles! Link.

Line Rider started as a programming project of Bo

This video is unsettling with me considering the flight back from CA we had in which I thought it was the end.