The Leap Post

   Today is Leap Day 2004, so I decided to do something unusual and send a
   B-List post on a Sunday.

   1. Some Leap Day info and stories:
      < http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/LeapDay.html >
      < http://www.mystro.com/leap.htm >


   2. Microsoft seems to have a Matrix-fixation lately:

   * "Microsoft considering update dubbed 'XP Reloaded'"
      < http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-5165966.html?tag=nefd_lede >
   * "Bill Gates in Matrix spoof"
      < http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_18-11-2003_pg9_11 >


   3. February Postings Reprised

   [Bashing Bush #349]
   * "Bush unveils $2.4 trillion fiscal 2005 budget"
      < http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=
          &contentId=A5130-2004Feb2 >
   Projected deficit: $521 billion (about A$677 billion)

   [Yes, but is it Art?]
   * "Controversial exhibition focuses on pain"
      < http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040212/325/elwgz.html >

   [Unusual Laws, Rules and Regulations]
   * "Italian town sets down pet-pampering laws"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1055547.htm >

   [Bizarre Eating Habits]
   * "Man swallowed 120 coins after drunken bet"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_873283.html >
   * "Man eats own toes"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_791522.html >

Caught Red-Handed and Red-Faced

   1. "Ref pulled red lacy knickers from his pocket"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_862193.html >
   "A Brazilian football referee is facing divorce proceedings after he pulled a
    pair of knickers out of his pocket instead of a red card during a match"

   2. "Vibrating bra leaves shoplifter red-faced"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/14/1060588534046.html >
   "A Taiwanese woman was caught red-handed and left red-faced after the mobile
    phone she stole and hid inside her bra rang"

   3. "Brothel stake-out cops arrest police chief"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_860605.html >

   4. "Hey mister, are you finished waxing my car?"
      < http://iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=29&art_id=qw1065002041537B262&set_id=1 >

   5. "Man caught with 177 cigarette packs in trousers"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s999883.htm >

   6. "MP caught playing war games in parliament"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s773452.htm >

Driven To Tears

   1. "Fed-up designated driver loses licence deliberately"
      < http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=91392969&p=9y393646&n=91393648 >
      "Norwegian man 'driven to the edge'"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_868087.html >
   "A Norwegian was so fed up with being his girlfriend's designated driver
    that he lost his licence on purpose"

   2. "Brothers, 4 and 2, take mother's SUV and crash into tree"
      < http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-224suv,0,5568580.story >

   3. "This girl is SO grounded"
      < http://www.komotv.com/stories/29625.htm >
   "A young girl going for a joyride with her boyfriend in her father's new
    SUV struck a Seattle Police car; she didn't have her license yet"

   4. "Swimmer drives shark from water"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1042617.htm >
   "A man has survived a shark attack on the New South Wales central coast and
    then driven himself to seek treatment with the shark still attached to his leg"

   5. "Man drives digger into his £1.2m home"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_863224.html >

   6. "Man issued with speeding fine 'for driving at 406mph'"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_857873.html >

   7. "The Mystery of the Missing Car"
      < http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4265482/ >
   "'Honky' was supposed to be theftproof. So how did thieves bypass its high-tech
    transponder chip and drive it away from home?"

Bizarre Eating Habits

   1. "Doctors find coins in patient's belly"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/02/18/352411-ap.html >
   "He had swallowed around 350 coins - worth about $860 Cdn - along with
    assorted necklaces and needles" [with x-ray]

   2. "Israeli woman swallows cockroach, fork"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/07/10/132443-ap.html >
   "An Israeli woman swallowed a cockroach and right after it, down went a
    fork she used to try to fish the critter out of her throat" [with x-ray]

   3. "Doctors brush up on surgery skills"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1026247.htm >
   "Doctors in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha have performed an
    operation on a 54-year-old man who accidentally swallowed a toothbrush"

   4. Human Hairballs
      * "Woman eats mother's hair"  [India]
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_807964.html >
   "An Indian woman who likes eating her mother's hair is recovering in
    hospital after doctors removed a half kilogram bundle of it from her
    digestive system"

      * "Giant hairball removed from girl's stomach"  [Turkey]
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s942801.htm >
   "Surgeons in eastern Turkey have removed a two-kilogram hairball from
    the stomach of a 17-year-old girl"

      * "Giant hairball removed from girl's stomach"  [Costa Rica]
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_831863.html >
   "A 12-year-old Costa Rican girl who complained of a tummy ache has had
    a 17 inch hairball removed from her stomach"

      * "Surgeons remove giant hairball"  [Canada]
      < http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/11132003_bb_hairball.html >
   "Surgeons removed a grapefruit-sized hairball from the stomach of a
    three-year-old Canadian girl"

   5. "Thai man says eating worms keeps him healthy"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_815432.html >
   [warning - has photos]

   6. "Cockroach eater, world record attempt"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/03/20/47339.html >

The Sound of Silence

   No, this is has nothing to do with the Simon and Garfunkel song.

   * "Crank it! iTunes sells sounds of silence--for real"
      < http://news.com.com/2100-1041_3-5154202.html >
   Not only can you buy some great tunes using Apple's iTunes Music Service
   (iTMS), you can also buy silence.

   * "Mix-up over sale of 'Silence' cleared up with a little talk"
      < http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/16/business/media/16silence.html >
   "We are very happy for the track to be sold to anyone who wants it as an
    individual download" -- Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth / Ciccone Youth

   * "The Sound... Of Silence"
      < http://www.appleturns.com/scene/?id=4490 >
   The original "As The Apple Turns" article referred to in the first link.
   Here's the playlist for the "Silence" compilation:
    1. "(Silence)" by Ciccone Youth, The Whitey Album (1:03)
    2. "Silence" by Bill Schaeffer, Grain of Sand (1:56)
    3. "(Silent) [1]" by Slum Village, Trinity (Past, Present, and Future) (0:04) [EXPLICIT]
    4. "Silence" by Guster, Keep It Together (0:30)
    5. "Silence" by Pat, Message from a Manchild (0:59)
    6. "(Silent) [2]" by Slum Village, Trinity (Past, Present, and Future) (0:04) [EXPLICIT]
    7. "Silence" by Dean Taba, More Is More (1:00)
    8. "(Silent) [3]" by Slum Village, Trinity (Past, Present, and Future) (0:07) [EXPLICIT]
    9. "Silent Track" by Robert Earl Keen, Walking Distance (1:01)

   There are "Clean" versions of the Slum Village tracks available if you prefer.

   Alas iTMS seems not to have John Cage's epic silent piece 4'33".  Which leads
   into ...

   * "Silent music dispute resolved"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2276621.stm >
   "Musician Mike Batt had paid a six-figure sum to settle a bizarre dispute over
    who owns copyright to a silent musical work"

   * "Radio 3 to air Cage's 'silence'"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3390605.stm >

'80s Music and Nerd Quizzes

   1. Livin' In The '80s: A Song Quiz
      < http://html.local6.com/sh/quizine/833134/index.html >

   I didn't do that well: "Your final score is 5 out of 15 questions"
   Maybe I blocked out the bad music from the '80s?


   2. Quiz: Are You a Nerd?
      < http://www.techtv.com/nerdnation/quizzes/story/0,24330,3590405,00.html >

   I'm not much of a nerd either:
   "You got 6 correct. Good try, but you need a lesson in nerdology."

Lost In Japan

   I've had a fascination with Japanese culture ever since I did a project on Japan
   in primary school.  Today's B-List post looks at a couple of things loosely falling
   under the category of being lost in Japan, which on the surface would seem difficult
   in a country with so many people.

   A. Hikikimori

   1. Japan's Lost Generation:
      In a world filled with virtual reality, the country's youth can't deal with
      the real thing
      < http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/2000/0501/japan.essaymurakami.html >

   "Hikikomori has become a major issue in Japan. Loosely translated as 'social
    withdrawal', hikikomori refers to the state of anomie into which an increasing
    number of young Japanese seem to fall these days. Socially withdrawn kids
    typically lock themselves in their bedrooms and refuse to have any contact
    with the outside world"

   2. Japan: The Missing Million
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/2334893.stm >
   Web site for a BBC documentary I saw last year about the hikikomori condition.


   B. Lost In Translation
      < http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/LostinTranslation-1125647/ >

   This film includes several interesting aspects of Japanese culture, and how a
   couple of outsiders try to come to terms with feeling isolated within that culture.

   Of this year's Academy Award nominees for "Best Picture" it's the only film I've
   seen, largely because it's the only one I'd consider spending A$13.50 to watch.
   But I might borrow Mystic River on DVD.

Hollywood Lost and Found

   Hollywood Lost and Found
      < http://hollywoodlostandfound.net/ >

   A collection of trivia about "Hollywood", such as sound effects, props and locations.

   Includes an interesting article on the ubiquitous and legendary "Wilhelm Scream"
   (actually a collection of screams).  The screams were originally recorded for a
   1951 movie and have been used in many movies since then, such as Star Wars (each
   episode so far), Toy Story and Spider-man.
      < http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm.html >
   Listen to the samples to see if you recognize the scream:
      < http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/sound/wilhelm/wilhelmfx.html >

Utterly Baffling

   1. "Italian town battles mystery fires"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1043339.htm >
   "A Sicilian town is struggling to work out why dozens of household items from
    fridge-freezers to furniture keep mysteriously bursting into flames, terrifying
    locals and sparking theories of demonic intervention"

   2. "Teenage girl's x-ray vision baffles scientists"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_855907.html >

   3. "Man's 68-year fast baffles doctors"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s996038.htm >

   4. "Unexplained tree-top boulders found in forest"
      < http://www.browncountyindiana.com/Main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1
          &ArticleID=2412 >

   5. "Rare whale washed up on Coll baffles experts"
      < http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/9174.html >

   6. "Sea lion found on California road"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/02/10/341865-ap.html >

   7. "Mysterious creature baffles officials"
      < http://www.courier-tribune.com/nws/creature012804.html >

   8. "Dragon in jar puts experts in a pickle"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/28/1075088090949.html >

   9. "Mystery object baffles space station crew"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1042309.htm >

   10. "Globetrotting snowman mystery baffles owner"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_820635.html >


   Newsflash: "Barbie and Ken 'Split' After 43 Years"
      < http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3740884,00.html >
   Apparently they "feel it's time to spend some quality time - apart".  There's
   speculation that "the separation may be partially because of Ken's reluctance
   to get married".  Cali Barbie's new style has already "attracted a new admirer,
   Blaine the Australian boogie boarder".

Unusual Laws, Rules and Regulations

   1. Dumb Laws
      * United States
      < http://www.dumblaws.com/states/index.html >
      * International
      < http://www.dumblaws.com/countries/index.html >

   2. Strange Rules and Laws
      < http://www.angelfire.com/ca6/uselessfacts/rules/001.html >

   3. "Kansas town requires homes to have guns"
      < http://sierratimes.com/03/11/23/ap_ks_guns.htm >

   4. "Kentucky law mandates bathing once a year"
      < http://www.local6.com/news/2662644/detail.html >  [broken]
      < http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm363974.html >

   5. "Spanish mayor orders men to stay home to give women night off"
      < http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/22/1058853067773.html >

   6. "'Fat tax' for Austrian health service"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_841461.html >

   7. "Ireland mulls 'fat tax' to curb obesity levels"
      < http://myhealth.memorialmedical.com/HealthNews/reuters/NewsStory0826200311.htm >

   8. "Lunch meetings 'shouldn't be held at lunchtime'"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_855742.html >

   9. "Girl suspended from school for saying 'hell'"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1038535.htm >

Dream Jobs

   Where do you want to work today?

   For me it would be a combination of:
   * doing something meaningful
   * large element of creativity
   * working with people you get on well with
   * enjoyable and productive environment
   Fortunately my current job meets most of these requirements.

   1. "Dream Jobs: These Careers are the Stuff of Dreams.
       From Archeologist to Zamboni Driver"
      < http://www.salary.com/careers/layouthtmls/crel_display_Cat10.html >

   2. Top Ten Dream Jobs (From A&E's "Top Ten" program)
      < http://www.creatalent.com/dreamjobs.asp >

   3. Dream Jobs 2004 (IEEE)
      < http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/feb04/0204job.html >

   4. "He blows things up so you don't have to"
      < http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,461477,00.html >

   5. "Empire of fun"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/22/1061529329513.html >
      "Inside Pixar's goofy digs"
      < http://www.techtv.com/news/culture/story/0,24195,3441719,00.html >
   "Imaginative 'Finding Nemo' born in Pixar's playful, collaborative workplace"

   6. "Top ten reasons to work at Google"
      < http://www.google.com/jobs/reasons.html >
      "What can you expect at Google?"
      < http://www.google.com/jobs/culture.html >

   7. "Dream job offer for sweet-toothed youngsters"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_764067.html >

Ian's Shoelace Site / Akiyoshi's Illusion Pages

   1. Ian's Shoelace Site
      < http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/index.htm >

   A site dedicated to an unsung daily chore: tying up your shoelaces.

   Describes how to tie an "Ian Knot", the World's Fastest Shoelace Knot"
      < http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm >

   Also looks at the art of lacing shoes: Did you know that there are
   400 million possible ways of lacing a shoe with six pairs of holes?
      < http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/lacing.htm >


   2.  Akiyoshi's Illusion Pages
      < http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/index-e.html >

   * The latest works
      < http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/saishin-e.html >

   * Some earlier works
      < http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/o1saishe.html >

Bite Me Indeed

   Be careful when you invite someone to "bite me", because they just might take
   you literally ...

   1. "Bite night on the 7 train"
      < http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/156946p-137857c.html >
   "A crazed straphanger bit off the thumb of a 71-year-old Queens man and chewed
    his grandson's face during a wild attack in a packed rush-hour subway car"

   2. "Kid bites teacher - teacher bites kid"
      < http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6599643%5E13762,00.html >

   3. "Man nearly bit off stepfather's toe, police say"
      < http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001849029_webtoe02.html >

   4. "Man loses nose in TV row"
      < http://sify.com/news/offbeat/fullstory.php?id=13200121 >

   5. "Forgive and forget"
      < http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/15/1060871740624.html >
   "A woman in Germany says she still loves her boyfriend even though he bit off
    her nose"

   6. "I.F. woman charged with defacing boyfriend"
      < http://www2.kidktv.com/x18258.xml?ParentPageID=x3963&ContentID=x50510 >
   "An Idaho Falls man is recovering tonight after his girlfriend allegedly bit
    off a chunk of his chin"

   7. "20-year-old 'has tongue bitten off during first ever kiss'"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_351309.html >

   8. "Woman bites off man's tongue"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_844084.html >

   9. "Man bites stylist after haircut"  [expired link]
      < http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/news/story/0115202004_new04bite15.asp >

Yes, but is it Art?

   1. "Carpet fluff sculptor shortlisted for art prize"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_847508.html >
      "Beck's Futures 2004 shortlist"
      < http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/gallery/0,8542,1108258,00.html >
      "Beck's Futures 2003 shortlist"
      < http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/gallery/0,8542,861639,00.html >

   2. "Flickering bulb that was piece of art is mistakenly repaired"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_796691.html >

   3. "Liquidising goldfish 'not a crime'"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3040891.stm >
   "An art display which invited the public to put live goldfish through a food
    blender did not constitute cruelty to animals, a Danish court has ruled"

   4. "Artist opens scars exhibition"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_737499.html >

   5. "Exhibition features artworks made of human body parts"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_791060.html >

   6. "Art's glass toilet tests courage"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3257370.stm >
   "An artist has created a usable public toilet in a glass cube to challenge the
    curiosity - and bravery - of people passing London's Tate Britain gallery"

   7. "So you think you've had it up to ear with modern art..."
      < http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1011495,00.html >
   "An artist has caused outrage by planning to graft a biotech ear on to his arm"

   8. "Meat hook artist leaves shopping crowds hanging"
      < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s836241.htm >

   9. "Pile of rubbish with £75,000 price tag"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_858425.html >

   10. "Slips of paper form basis of Berlin exhibition"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_744405.html >

Bashing Bush #349

   It's so easy to bash Dubya, but I never seem to tire of it.

   1. "Intelligence probe would be risky for Bush"
      < http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/7837860.htm >
   Not so much the content, but the headline is amusing.

   2. "Bush gaffe in letter of thanks"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_861185.html >

   3. "Bush ancestor's bank seized by Gov't"
      < http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/SAL310A.html >
      < http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/101903I.shtml >
   "President Bush's grandfather was a director of a bank seized by the federal
    government because of its ties to a German industrialist who helped bankroll
    Adolf Hitler's rise to power"

   4. "Bush in 30 Seconds"
      < http://www.bushin30seconds.org/ >
      < http://www.bushin30seconds.org/aboutus.html >
      < http://www.bushin30seconds.org/aboutbush.html >
   A site which recently ran a competition for anti-Bush political ads.

The Ground Opened Up / Groundhog Day

   1. "Cricketer gets into hot water"
      < http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2801043a4560,00.html >
   "A Rotorua cricketer found himself fielding at deep, deep fine leg after
    the earth on a cricket ground collapsed beneath his feet and dropped him
    into a hole filled with hot water"

   2. "Sinkhole swallows, traps woman walking dog"
      < http://www.local6.com/news/2774416/detail.html >

   3. "Mo. garage floor collapses under pickup truck"
      < http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/2760081/detail.html >

   4. "Vehicle pulled out of massive sinkhole"
      < http://www.nbc10.com/news/2774646/detail.html >

   5. "Crack from sinkhole closes Route 33 bridge"
      < http://www.thewgalchannel.com/traffic/2793585/detail.html >

   6. "Gardens disappear after ground slip in UK"
      < http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s779944.htm >

   7. "Action demanded after garden disappears in hole"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_843723.html >

   ----

   February 2 is Groundhog Day ...

   The Official Site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
      < http://groundhog.org/ >

   History of Groundhog Day:
      < http://www.groundhog.org/history/tradition.shtml >

   More about Punxsutawney Phil, made famous in the movie "Groundhog Day":
      < http://www.punxsutawneyphil.com/ >