Saturday, September 24, 2011

1 Week hiatus

DannyFinnegan.com won't be updated next week (who knows, maybe I'll do a random post or 2) as I'll be on vacation with Wifey.

Have a great week!

Prost!

Friday, September 23, 2011

No cultural trend is worth this - graphic content

Call me insensitive to a culture's need for this to exist. There are a lot of things that people are in to that I do not get (in addition to plenty of things I'm into that most people don't get). I will never understand the need (is it a macho thing?) to "eat" dishes that have cultural claims towards mysticism, virility and the link. Not to rationalize it, but there really isn't any evidence that Shark Fin soup does....anything. To get even further off the point, it supposedly is bland and pretty forgettable. Back to the topic at hand, check out the picture below (Warning, graphic content).

A shark whose fins were cut off while it was still alive. 


While still alive and bleeding profusely, this shark will then be thrown overboard to die via drowning (it can't swim without fins) or blood loss, whichever comes first.

Due to this centuries-old horrific practice, many species are on a straight path toward extinction, including but not limited to the Great White (Pointer), Porbeagle, and Oceanic Whitetip. a deep water/pelagic shark known for its huge fins, a favorite of Shark poachers.

From the Examiner:
Since 1986, hammerheads have declined by 89 percent. 
What species can honestly survive that amount of sudden loss?






Recent bans on Shark Fin imports (USA) -> http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/california-adopts-shark-fin-ban/2011/09/06/gIQACgsD9J_story.html










Sources -> http://www.examiner.com/green-living-in-national/the-secrets-of-shark-fin-soup-even-worse-than-fins-hacked-from-live-sharks

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1195302/Sharks-face-risk-extinction-rising-tide-fishermen-cutting-fins.html

http://gizmodo.com/5843307/the-soup-that-is-killing-the-ocean-warning-graphic-content

Video game about being a War journalist, instead of a soldier

This is kind of a cool idea.
The short version is the first person shooter puts a camera in the player's hand instead of a gun.
Yeah there is still the risk of "glorifying" war, but its worth looking into.
What are your thoughts?

Read the source link for more.


Source -> http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/09/warco/

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Earth flyby

Really really cool


Clickable link -> http://youtu.be/PdDEpC0uHWI

MÄNLAND, still better than mancaves

Is it cheesy and cliché to say that guys hate to go shopping? Yep, but that doesn't make it less true. Ikea in Australia has a solution for that. MÄNLAND has foosball, video games, sports, etc but- also comes with a 30 minute timer for each man's lady to remember to pick her guy up after a while. They say without a 30 minute time limit guys would never leave.
Check out the video and the source link below.



Source -> http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/ikea-introduces-manland-the-creche-for-retail-weary-men/story-fn9ql3sf-1226127519690

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

SSL 3.0 / TLS 1.0 have been cracked, this is a big deal

Ever go to a website and see that little lock in the corner of the window assuring you that the traffic is encrypted and therefore secure? Well its not anymore. Not even on your bank's website...

From the article:
Researchers have discovered a serious weakness in virtually all websites protected by the secure sockets layer protocol that allows attackers to silently decrypt data that's passing between a webserver and an end-user browser. The vulnerability resides in versions 1.0 and earlier of TLS, or transport layer security, the successor to the secure sockets layer technology that serves as the internet's foundation of trust. Although versions 1.1 and 1.2 of TLS aren't susceptible, they remain almost entirely unsupported in browsers and websites alike, making encrypted transactions on PayPal, GMail, and just about every other website vulnerable to eavesdropping by hackers who are able to control the connection between the end user and the website he's visiting.

De-Nerded - A very large portion (yes even the ones you think are above this) of websites that use this particular encryption are now vulnerable. Run and hide, hide your kids hide your wife. There are newer versions of TLS (v1.1 and v1.2 that aren't vulnerable to this flaw, but they remain unsupported by many sites and browsers). Stay tuned for how this will pan out.

Source -> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/19/beast_exploits_paypal_ssl/
https://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/breaking_the_internet_researchers_successfully_hac.php

Monday, September 19, 2011

The Oatmeal - Netwiches

I'll give you a hint, Netwiches are Netflix...




































































Source -> http://theoatmeal.com/comics/netflix

Conan likes boobs

Yeah, I got right to the point there, because you know. 2 beavers are better than one.




(no copyright infringement intended)

Source -> http://teamcoco.com/video/nicole-scherzinger-busts-conan#

The internet, literally the net thats interconnected together - Undersea cables

Communication satellites (see here) usually make for better TV/Movies, but in reality they are very sparingly used when compared to undersea cables (originally metal now glass fibers). Those cables haven't been without their problems though. For years the semi-private locations of the many undersea cables that drive the internet from point a to point b have really only (easily) been available in one place by ordering a physical poster for $250. Now that company has made that data available in ~real-time, on a searchable dynamic map. COOL.

screenshot of http://www.submarinecablemap.com/
























Picture of a cable room in Miami, FL where a set of cables comes ashore

 Sources -> http://www.submarinecablemap.com/
http://gizmodo.com/5841710/this-is-the-internet

German "forest boy" emerges in Berlin- UPDATED

***UPDATED***
From the Daily Mail:
The first words of Germany's mystery English-speaking ‘forest boy’, who is is said to have lived rough for five years, were: 'I'm alone in the world. I don't know who I am. Please help me.' The teenager, known only as Ray and believed to be about 17 years of age, made his heartbreaking plea to German guards after walking out of the wilderness and presenting himself at Berlin City Hall.

‘He has indicated that he would be far more comfortable on the forest floor and would prefer to return there to sleep,’ the source added. The boy claimed that his father - identified only as Ryan - had taken him into the woods south of Berlin after his mother, Doreen, died in a car crash. Now detectives have begun a search for the grave, or any other place where Ryan’s body might be lying. The boy is unable to tell them exactly where he buried his father, but claimed he ‘followed his compass northwards’.

Source -> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2039398/Forest-boy-wants-to-wild-struggles-adjust-normal-life.html


This is a crazy story. A boy aged ~17 (estimated) showed up in Berlin recently claiming that he's been living with his dad in the German forests for at least the last 5 years. He claims his name is Ray but doesn't know his last name, or much else. He speaks fluent English and rudimentary German the article(s) say. Also weird is that he says his mother died approximately 5 years ago, and at that point went to live in the forest with his father who also recently died. Ray claims to have buried his father in the forest "due south" of Berlin, but efforts to find the grave thus far have proved unsuccessful. After examining him, authorities in Berlin claim that he doesn't appear to be abused in any way, is in good general health and appears to be telling the truth.



Check out the Source links below.

Source(s) -> http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/kht3a/mysterious_english_speaking_forestboy_shows_up_in/
(in german) http://www.focus.de/panorama/welt/fuenf-jahre-in-der-wildnis-geheimnisvoller-waldjunge-in-berlin-aufgetaucht_aid_666004.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/8772016/German-forest-boy-is-telling-the-truth-say-police.html

Defunt communications satellite is going to fall from Space...

...and hit earth (probably on Friday September 23rd). Don't worry its estimated that there's only a 1/3600 chance that it will hit a person, or a puppy (got your attention now huh?).




From Space.com:
A dead climate satellite that has been circling Earth for 20 years will make a fiery death plunge this week, with some pieces of the 6 1/2 ton spacecraft expected to reach the surface of the planet, NASA officials say. The bus-size Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, will likely plummet down to Earth sometime around Friday (Sept. 23), according to NASA's latest projections. There is a 1-in-3,200 chance that UARS debris could hit a person, though NASA considers that scenario extremely remote.
"Re-entry is expected Sept. 23, plus or minus a day," NASA officials wrote in an update posted Sunday (Sept. 18). That means that by Saturday (Sept. 24), the UARS satellite should slam into Earth's atmosphere and break apart.


Sources -> http://www.space.com/12909-uars-satellite-debris-fall.html
http://www.space.com/12999-dead-nasa-satellite-falling-earth-sept-23.html

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Good Eats insprired "Nomad Stew"

I got the idea for this a few years ago from a "Good Eats" episode where Alton Brown made a nomad stew (which I can't seem to find now). In the episode he used short ribs (or stew meat chunks I can't remember) but I had previously made then froze some extra venison meatballs, so I used those.

Here's what I did. Full disclosure, I don't really measure, I'm more of a "close enough" type of cook.

Ingredients list:
5 red potatoes
1 large yellow onion
1 rutabaga
1 bunch of leeks
4 carrots
4 parsnips
1 large clove of garlic, then probably some powdered garlic if you don't think you added enough
a 1/4 head of Radicchio (only because I had it and didn't want it to go bad)

dried powdered Paprika, although hot or smoked paprika could be good too
ground black pepper
Thyme
soy sauce
olive oil (only because the venison doesn't really have enough fat/grease in it, if using beef short ribs, etc this wouldn't be necessary)
a few tablespoons of left over bacon grease (I had broiled some bacon last weekend, this was the grease leftover from it)
Some Rooster sauce

4 large raw Venison meatballs (that has breadcrumbs, a egg, salt/pepper, rosemary, garlic and sage in it)

Chop up the first section of ingredients, toss in a bowl with a LOT of paprika, a tablespoon (?) of thyme, as much pepper as you think you can stand, a few "glugs" of olive oil, a squirt of rooster sauce and a little bit of soy sauce (maybe a table spoon? again, I don't really measure). Then take a ceramic baking dish and line with aluminum foil, make sure that a good amount is spilling over the sides, pam the foil. Place the meatballs into the corners of the dish so there is some space between them, and pour the spiced veges all over them. Then fold up the foil and crush it down so its all covered. Put in the oven at around 300 degrees for at least 4 hours.

It would be pretty hard to overcook this, but maybe check on it around the 4 hour mark. If the potatos/rutabaga seem tender (they require the most cooking) you're done.

BAM #healthy


Earlier link -> http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/03/braised-venison-root-veggies-and-kale.html

Is Nicholas Cage a vampire?

I see this as irrefutable evidence that both he is and everything on the internet is true.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

Below is an actual picture of a Tennessee man from the 1870s, its currently on ebay here with the title "Nicolas Cage is a Vampire". Screenshot here if the auction ends before you get a chance to see it.


You've got to admit, the resemblance is uncanny, and he does have a certain "vampire vibe". Plus didn't he already play somebody undead in a terrible movie and he doesn't even go by his real name? Seems suspect to me.



Source -> http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3820846/Proof-Nicolas-Cage-is-vampire.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News
http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/nicolas-cage-is-a-time-traveling-vampire
http://www.wwtdd.com/2011/09/the-nic-cage-vampire-picture-is-for-sale/

First world torture devices

I love this.



































 
More at the Source link here -> http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6608230/first-world-torture-devices

Friday, September 16, 2011

Dinosaur feathers trapped in Amber found in Canada



One of Wifey and I's favorite movies (by that we mean if we see it on TV, its physically difficult to not stop what we were doing and watch it in its entirety) is Jurassic Park.

Back on topic, a "trove of dinosaur feathers" has been found in Canadian Amber (just like the blood in the mosquito in what movie?). One of the prevailing theories about Dinosaurs is that not only did the big guys go extinct with climate change, worldwide starvation, The appetites of those kids from Land of the Lost (the Nickelodeon 1991 version, Stink was so annoying) but they evolved into modern reptiles and BIRDS! Beautiful delicious birds.

One of the problems skeptics have with the feathers->birds theory besides obvious skeletal and physical appearance (minus the feathers) similarities was the amount of feathers old enough to support this idea. Usually they wither away like ancient skin/fur/hair, unless they're trapped in amber.

Check out the source link for more.




Source -> http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/09/dinosaur-feathers-amber/

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Math is good

I like GasBuddy as much as the next guy, but this comic has a point.

Source-> http://xkcd.com/951/

Another "celebrity" post

yeah, I know... 2 in a row. I'm such a hypocrite. In my defense, nobody is really sure why these girls are famous. Other than what my friend Matt says, "she's famous for having Brandy's brother pee on her". No I'm not going to use their name. I don't want it coming up associated with me in search results. Ha!



clickable link -> http://youtu.be/zCs1Q565E4g

Related link -> http://youtu.be/S8PtXAN0Yw8?t=50s

probably NSFW (but totally worth sending to your phone...)

"I drink a lot of milk"

You know how ScarJo has been teasing guys like me for 5+ years? Turns out if you're a celebrity and you take nude pics (as Gizmodo says:) they will end up on the internet

Ok enough talk, click here and here for the uncensored pics. They might not be super clear, but whoa. Don't click those links at work, on on any PC that you're not ok with seeing boobs on the monitor.


Source -> WWTDD.com

Related link, don't worry the FBI is on it. Way to prioritize -> http://bit.ly/nugnfT

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

I actually want this (4)

If there are 2 things I love, its beef jerky and caffeine (and these pickles, but that's 3 things so forget it for now). How about combining the Jerky and the caffeine?!

BAM.


I don't have a whole lot to say about this other than this is awesome, and I actually want it.

Source -> http://www.geekosystem.com/caffeinated-beef-jerky/ via http://www.perkyjerky.com/

Earlier posts -> http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/09/i-actually-want-this-3.html http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/06/i-actually-want-this-2.html
http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/05/i-actually-want-this_1744.html

I actually want this (3)

As Borat says
Wah Wah Wee Wah

Perfect timing for Oktoberfest! I actually want this. Too bad its friggen $200 for a friggen laptop sleeve, I guess that's what you pay for deer hide. I just wish it came with some venison steaks too...


Source -> http://gizmodo.com/5839464/lederhosen-laptop-sleeve/gallery/1
via http://www.coverbee.com/

sound clip source -> http://www.hark.com/clips/lxbsxqjzrr-wah-wah-wee-wah
no copyright infringement intended

Earlier posts -> http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/06/i-actually-want-this-2.html & http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/05/i-actually-want-this_1744.html

Conan passes the U.S. citizenship test

I honestly don't think this is a bad idea... Each citizen should be able to identify basic U.S. history/government/geography/political facts* in order to be allowed to make an educated decision (that's what a vote is right?!) about your elected leaders...

Ok, now the lighter side of that topic



*the ACTUAL test, sample questions -> http://usgovinfo.about.com/blinstst.htm

Weird, for the sake of weird - again

http://www.explosm.net/comics/239/

Amelia Earhart

Did anybody see that Amelia Earhart HBO movie? I know I'm a bit late with it, but I thought it looked good. I feel like because I didn't hear a who lot about it when it would out (full disclosure, I didn't have HBO at the time) it may not have been great, but in all honesty that might not be fair. Plenty of sh*t movies have tons of marketing. Any thoughts on it?

On a lighter note.

Source-> http://xkcd.com/950/

Earlier links -> http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/03/amelia-earhart-diving-team-being.html & http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2010/12/new-evidence-that-amelia-earhart-crash.html

Monday, September 12, 2011

Scientific fields by purity... haha

I'm not saying I believe this, as Biology is the most interesting of all sciences (Hey Wifey!)

Source -> http://xkcd.com/435/
















related link -> http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/04/science-humor-this.html

On a lighter note

After a few sad (but necessary) posts in a row I wanted to lighten the mood a bit.

This should make you laugh.

Source -> http://www.happyplace.com/10281/how-to-use-car-window-decals-to-infuriate-the-driver-behind-you



























Exponentially better than those infuriatingly happy family stickers, well or this one...

Actually, I'm ok with this one too -> http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/cool-family-window-decals-for-geeks

Bryant park on 9/11/2011

2753 chairs, one to commemorate every life at the World Trade Center site that was lost 10 years ago.























Source -> http://www.thehighdefinite.com/2011/09/911-2753-empty-chairs-at-bryant-park/ via http://www.doobybrain.com/2011/09/10/2753-empty-chairs-at-bryant-park-to-remember-the-lives-lost-on-911/ & http://www.bryantpark.org/

Related posts -> http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/09/911-before-and-after-images.html & http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/09/powerful-images-from-911-memorial-nyc.html

9/11 before and after images

Click the source link for more

Source -> http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/09/ground_zero_september_11_2001.html


1990
1990 - Source: (AP/Marty Lederhandler)
2001
2001 - Source: (AP/Kathy Willens)


2001
2001 - Source: (AP/Mark Lennihan)
2011
2011 - Source: (AP/Mark Lennihan)

2001
2001 - Source: (AP/Gulnara Samilova)


2011
2011 - Source: (AP/Mark Lennihan)


Related post -> http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/09/powerful-images-from-911-memorial-nyc.html

Powerful images from the 9/11 memorial (NYC)

I remember exactly what I was doing 10 years ago. I may have moved a half dozen times since then, but I'll always be a NY'er. Thank you to all the first responders. The firefighters, police, emergency personnel, volunteer & average citizens who tirelessly worked to keep us safe then & continue to do so today. To the innocent victims that were just going to work that morning 10 years ago, you won't ever be forgotten. Thank you to all the service men & women fighting abroad, from all branches.

Click the source link for more.

Robert Peraza, who lost his son Robert David Peraza, pauses at his son’s name at the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial. (Getty)

























A woman cries while looking at the names inscribed at the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial. (Getty)






















(Getty)
























A New York City police officer salutes at the North Pool. (Getty)
























Former New York Gov. George Pataki stands with Anthula Katsimatides, who lost her brother on 9/11. (Getty)
























A New York City police officer (NYPD) looks out at the South Pool of the 9/11 Memorial. (Getty)
























(Getty)
























Source -> http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/powerful-images-from-the-911-memorial