Steamshovel Harry

Everything is better with Auto-Tune.






You won't get it unless you play the game first...

Steamshovel Harry Song
----------
by Brad Sucks

Lyrics:

Watch out for that gravity, watch out, watch out.
Gravity, watch out... watch out for that gravity.

Science times mass equals gravity.

Gravity is gonna kill you, Harry.
Gravity is gonna kill you... gravity.

It's time to learn about astronomy.
It's time to learn about astronomy.
It's time to learn about astronomy. Hey...

Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.

Asteroids are smaller than planets.
Asteroids are smaller, wo oh wo oh.

Asteroids are larger than meteorites.
I meant to say meteroids then, wo oh wo oh wo oh wo oh.

Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.

That meteor is gonna kill you, Harry.

Physics are gonna kill you, Harry.

Physics are gonna kill you, Harry!
Physics are gonna kill you, Harry!

It's gonna kill you and make you dead.

Physics gonna pull out a gun.
Shoot you right in the head.
BLAM oh no, look out now! Hey...

Physics.

Oh yeah. Oh...

Oh...

I can't wait to make love... to physics.

Gonna love her all night long.
Making physics love, singing the physics song.
Throw another downwards to double jump.
Or throw it up to not jump as high.

Do it Harry, do it to win.

Punch that missile right in the face.
Punch that missile all over the place.
One two three four, punch that missile!

When we open the door...

Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.

Physics are gonna hunt you down and kill you in the middle of the night.
Physics are gonna hunt you down and make everything all right.


Would you like to know more?

About the Steamshovel Harry game:
- Steamshovel Harry flash game
- Steamshovel Harry music

What the hell is going on!?!!:
- Metagames: Games About Games

How To Avoid The Featured Video On YouTube

For quite a while now, the YouTube.com main page has been showing a "Featured Video" section on the top right part of the page.

This feature appears every time you visit YouTube.com, whether you are logged in or not, and often displays videos that are completely irrelevant to your interests.

Unfortunately, it cannot be removed like the customizable modules on the left side of the page. It also cannot be minimized or even shifted downwards.

Apparently there are many YouTube users who dislike this "Featured Video" section on their YouTube homepage.

If you google "how to remove featured videos on youtube", you'll get a whopping 777,000,000 results!

Just to get an idea of why some users are unhappy, here are some of their comments on the YouTube help forum:


"I agree completely. I used to love watching featured videos when they were good, but now, all they feature now is stupid makeup and gossip videos I don't even want to see"

"I know , i hate those Featured Videos , they got nothing interesting on it, not only that, i have blocked some of the users on my account and still they keep showing up on the feature list, i don't want to see them at all, i don't like their videos , i don't want to know about them , and i wish i could remove them from my list forever and never see them again. but they keep showing up. Youtube pls ."

"I hate the featured videos. But what I hate more is the fact that youtube does not give us the option of disabling them. Who cares if they pay to have them on there? Some of these featured videos are just garbage that equate to visual polution. Let us turn it off!!! Well I guess there's always Vimeo; hmmm, maybe I'll give them a try."


As mentioned by some other commenters, one method of preventing the Featured Video from appearing is to use the Mozilla Firefox browser and install ad blocker addons.

However, there is a simpler method to avoid seeing Featured Videos - by avoiding the YouTube.com page altogether!

Here at Fresh Brainz we have worked out how to do this:


First, you'll need to delete the "http://youtube.com/" autocomplete entry from your Web browser.

Eg. For IE8, just type "youtube" in the address bar and a dropdown box will appear below with the "http://youtube.com/" suggestion. Use arrow keys to highlight this line and press delete (or click the red "X") to remove the entry.

Next...


1. If you have a YouTube account

Enter "http://www.youtube.com/my_subscriptions" in the address bar.

If you are logged in to your YouTube account, you will reach your Subscriptions page, which is full of videos that you like.

If you are not yet logged in, you will get a login page to key in your username and password, before you get directed to your Subscriptions page.

Either way, you will not encounter any Featured Videos.

Once you are in your Subscriptions page, you can use the top search bar to navigate throughout YouTube.

"http://www.youtube.com/my_subscriptions" is now your new YouTube homepage.


2. If you don't have a YouTube account

Enter "http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=" in the address bar.

You will reach an empty search page that says "No video results for “”".

There are no videos on this page and certainly no Featured Videos.

Just use the top search bar to navigate throughout YouTube.

"http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=" is now your new YouTube homepage.

Of course, this method also works if you have a YouTube account.


Easy, isn't it?

Beware Of Geeks Bearing Fembots

Latest development by Hiroshi Ishiguro's group: the Actroid-F.

Now attempting to bridge the uncanny valley with fast facial expressions!



The multiple eye blink demonstration from 1:26 - 1:33 is very impressive. To me, one major reason why androids today look so stiff is due to the sluggishness of the actuators.

People don't slowly move their heads and facial muscles into position; they sort of "snap" into it.

In that respect, the current Actroid-F appears to have the fastest motor response of any android so far. Older videos of the Actroid-F in April still show the slow eye blink and head movement, so something must have been enhanced since then, be it faster motors and/or software.

Also, I think there is one point in this video where the Actroid briefly slips across the uncanny valley.

It's at 1:46, when after repeating a series of mechanical-looking mouth movements, the Actroid suddenly shifts attention to the left in a snappy, human sort of way.

In that instant, the robot seemed to be alive.

Looking at the progress so far, this is merely a little taste of what is to come.


Would you like to know more?

- ACTROID-F: Android robot that coexists with human (AIST Channel)

Next Up, World Domination. But First, Here's A Song For You!

You know them pop stars - celebrities who don't play instruments, can't sing and can't really dance either.

Behold the next step in prepackaged, manufactured entertainment...



Whoa, that's almost... adorable.

As YouTubber anharmyenone grimly observed: "Skynet is a Japanese idol singer."

Verily I say, beware of Those with the half-bent knees and awkward head-shake.

Heh.

via Tokyo Mango

Update 24 Dec 2010: Video with clearer (less buzzy) sound quality and some close-ups of the robot - from AIST Channel.


Would you like to know more?

- The star: HRP-4C Gynoid
- The synthesized singing: Vocaloid Hatsune Miku
- The song: "出逢った頃のように" by EveryLittleThing

Gong Fu, Noh, And A Magical Robot Unicorn

During the 1990s, the 80's must have seemed like the gayest decade in human history, with its big shiny clothes and big multicoloured hair.

Little did we realize that the 90's turned out to be even gayer than the 80's.

Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you the Year 1994:



And with the advent of free flash games, kids today are rediscovering the gayness of the 1990's all over again, one high score at a time...



Would you like to know more?

- The Gay '90's

- Robot Unicorn Attack flash game by [adult swim]

- I want to be a magical rainbow unicorn, chasing neon butterflies and flying dolphins through a purple marshmellowly land! OH YES!

- I am secure with my masculinity.

Scientist, Programmer and Prostitute

The year was 2003.

PhD student Brooke Magnanti was living a double life. In the midst of making corrections to her thesis, she was unable to find a job in science and running out of money to pay rent.

So she became a part-time computer programmer... and prostitute.

For 14 months she worked as a high-class call girl in a London escort agency. She wrote about her sex work experiences as an anonymous blogger in the "Belle de Jour" blog, which led to a series of successful books and even spun off a TV show.

Today, she is a research scientist in developmental neurotoxicology and cancer epidemiology at St Michael's Hospital in Bristol.

Until two days ago, practically no one knew of the true identity of Belle de Jour.


Why is Fresh Brainz interested in this story?

Apparently she was also an experienced science blogger before she turned to prostitution. So boys and girls, what did we learn today?

1. Science blogging is not enough to pay rent.

2. Part-time computer programming is not enough to pay rent.

3. Sex work is enough to pay rent.

4. Science blogging + Sex work = Sex blogging

Crystal clear.


Would you like to know more?
- Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl
- British scientist unmasked as call girl Belle de Jour (Reuters)
- Belle de Jour blogger unmasks herself as 'big mouth ex-boyfriend' looms (Guardian)

Wrong Department

Whenever you face difficult problems in life, whenever the situation seems to be bleak and hopeless, whenever you need a shoulder to cry on, just remember - there will always be someone there for you...














... the Tech Support guy.

I don't know which is funnier, the fact that the lady thought that "support" was the place to voice her relationship woes, or that the respondent thought that to file for divorce is to "sue the shit out of the guy".

Whichever it is, here at Fresh Brainz we believe that the truth is always funnier.

We Can Simulate Your Marriage Wholesale

Just came across this nice romantic flick with an interesting sci-fi twist...


Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Ok, now that you've wiped your tears dry and snorted your nose juice down your throat, it's my duty as the resident spoilsport to inform you that:

1. Memories can't be implanted directly into the brain like that because the brain doesn't really have a central, fixed location where all the memories get stored. Also, unless you intend to cut a big hole on the back of someone's skull, the only way for a person to "experience" a VR is to actually put on sensory devices such as goggles, headphones... and Sogo-7 data gloves.

2. Complex systems are not predictable to the same extent that simple systems (eg. traffic patterns) can be. Thus it is not possible to produce an accurate simulation of a relationship by only plugging in the subjects' DNA and personality profiles, while ignoring other important factors such as the environment (eg. economic downturn leading to loss of job). Even if that was possible, at best the simulation can only be probabilistic, because a confluence of small factors can result in some emergent, opposite effect.

I know you don't care.


Would you like to know more?

Another movie about people getting their minds fucked:
- Total Recall (YouTube)

You Don't Have An Inbox...Yet???

I just tried to log in to my Hotmail account, but instead of the usual inbox I see this message:










I don't know what's going on - my account was working perfectly fine this morning.

If you click on the link provided and try to sign up for Windows Live Hotmail, you will get an online form to create a Windows Live ID (which you already have!).

If you try to fill the form using your own Hotmail address, it tells you that " ???@hotmail.com isn't available".

But if you try to sign in using the "Already using Hotmail, Messenger, or Xbox LIVE?" option, you get bounced back to the above screen!

I've been using Hotmail for over ten years now and have never seen this before.

It appears that many other users are facing the same problem as well; a Yahoo!Answers page on this topic is flooded with complaints (over 350 responses as of 1.05pm Singapore time).

Does anyone have any insight into this problem, or any suggestions to work around it?

I sure hope that this is a temporary problem.


Would you like to know more?

- My Hotmail Account is saying I don't have an Inbox when I already do??? help? (Yahoo!Answers)

*Update 2.37pm: Hotmail is now back. Apparently it was some kind of site maintenance.

YouTube Logo Wearing A Clown Nose???

I've just noticed that the YouTube logo looks a bit different from usual...


It looks as if the "Tube" part of the logo is wearing a bright red clown nose!

Does anybody know what this means?

Perhaps it's an unofficial "Evil Clown Day" in the USA. Or maybe it's an insider joke that only YouTube staff can understand.

Check it out before it disappears!


Would you like to know more?

The meaning of YouTube's modified logo:
- Forum discussion about the red nose (Digital Spy)

Another strange modified logo:
- Gxogle?

*Update: Maybe YouTube is a supporter of the Red Nose Day 2009!

IT Show 2009: Under $200 Deals

The IT Show 2009 just opened a few hours ago, and as usual Fresh Brainz was there to quickly scan through some of the best deals so that you can zoom in on the gadgets that you most desire and decide if it's worth the hassle to go down there.

Let's start with a quick overview of the exhibition!















IT Show 2009 is held at Suntec City Level 1 - 6 and is open from 12 - 15th March from 12noon - 9pm daily.















This time 'round the companies come out in full force to attract shoppers. There is even free coffee for making purchases using certain bank cards.















And let's not forget the resident DJ!















Though only tangentially related to IT, camera accessory companies are quite prominent this year.















Making their appearance for the first time are companies selling devices for saving electricity bills. I guess the green technologies are starting to enter the mass market.



















NOT making their appearance for the first time are the hot babes hard at work distributing pamphlets and free smiles to the thronging crowd (and appreciative photographers).

Here's a "dark" angel at a booth in Level 6, complete with black, feathery wings and looking... erm... not particularly intimidating.

There is a "light" angel running around somewhere too. They don't seem to hang around the same place at the same time.

Perhaps if you forced the two angels together, the whole Universe will explode at the speed of light! :p



















In contrast, these two Casio babes seem rather happy to be so close together.

Men like women who are happy together, especially Japanese twins.

“姐姐！”

“妹妹！”

Oops... wrong century!*



















Also making their usual repeat appearances are the huge numbers of visitors. Despite the economic downturn, the crowds don't seem any thinner than in previous years.

Watching hundreds of people pour into the exhibition halls via escalators remind me of conveyor belts in a factory - a factory where people exchange pieces of paper and plastic for boxes of metal and plastic.

Take invoice, pay money, collect gadget, redeem free gift, go. Next!

Take invoice, pay money, collect gadget, redeem free gift, go. Next!

Take invoice, pay money, collect gadget, redeem free gift, go. Next!

Take invoice, pay money...

Super efficient!

So now - here's the list of some great buys under $200 (and netbooks under $700). As usual, please remember to do your own research before spending your hard-earned cash on these tasty deals.

**********

Digital cameras

I'm glad to see that there are more under $200 budget cameras than before. In particular, Sony has slashed the price of its Zeiss-lens W120 to a nifty S$199 (perhaps someone there has been reading Fresh Brainz?).

Unfortunately, Canon and Casio did not offer any cameras at this price level, although the Canon PowerShot A480 comes pretty close at S$219.

As usual, Fresh Brainz provides lens data such as focal lengths (35mm-film equivalents) and focal ratios - crucial information usually missing in sales pamphlets.















Brand: Fuji
Model: J15
Location: Level 4, Booth 8130
Summary Specs: 8.2 megapixels, 3X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD
Lens: 38 - 113mm (film equivalent), f/2.8 - 5.2
Price: S$179











Brand: GE
Model: A735
Location: Level 6, Booth 6551/6655
Summary Specs: 7.0 megapixels, 3X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD
Lens: 36 - 108mm (film equivalent), f/2.8 - 4.8
Price: S$139

Brand: GE
Model: A1030
Location: Level 6, Booth 6551/6655
Summary Specs: 10.1 megapixels, 3X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD
Lens: 35 - 105mm (film equivalent), f/2.8 - 4.9
Price: S$189



















Brand: Nikon
Model: L16
Location: Level 4, Booth 8218
Summary Specs: 7.1 megapixels, 3X optical zoom, 2.8-inch LCD
Lens: 35 - 105mm (film equivalent), f/2.8 - 4.7
Price: S$199















Brand: Olympus
Model: FE 20
Location: Level 4, Booth 8111
Summary Specs: 8.0 megapixels, 3X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD
Lens: 36 - 108mm (film equivalent), f/3.1 - 5.9
Price: S$198












Brand: Panasonic
Model: DMC-LZ8
Location: Level 4, Panasonic booth
Summary Specs: 8.1 megapixels, 5X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD
Lens: 32 - 160mm (film equivalent), f/3.3 - 5.9
Price: S$199



















Brand: Ricoh
Model: R5
Location: Level 4, Booth 8335
Summary Specs: 7.2 megapixels, 7.1X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD
Lens: 28 - 200mm (film equivalent), f/3.3 - 4.8
Price: S$99



















Brand: Samsung
Model: ES10
Location: Level 4, Samsung booth
Summary Specs: 8.1 megapixels, 3X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD
Lens: 38 - 114mm (film equivalent), f/2.8 - 5.2
Price: S$199















Brand: Sony
Model: W120
Location: Level 3 Concourse and Level 4, Booth 8210
Summary Specs: 7.2 megapixels, 4X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD
Lens: 32 - 128mm (film equivalent), f/2.8 - 5.8
Price: S$199

**********

Printer/Scanner Combos

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the price of printer/scanner combos have dropped below $200, especially the Xerox WorkCentre 3119 laser printer/scanner which can be had for a mere S$159.

Excellent tools for the home office or a small business.











Brand: Brother
Model: DCP-145C
Location: Level 4, Booth 8305
Type: Inkjet printer/copier/scanner
Print rate: Up to 27 ppm (monochrome) 22 ppm (colour)
Price: S$98

Brand: Brother
Model: DCP-185C
Location: Level 4, Booth 8305
Type: Inkjet printer/copier/scanner
Print rate: Up to 30 ppm (monochrome) 25 ppm (colour)
Price: S$148

Brand: Brother
Model: MFC-235C
Location: Level 4, Booth 8305
Type: Inkjet printer/copier/scanner/fax
Print rate: Up to 25 ppm (monochrome) 20 ppm (colour)
Price: S$188

Brand: Brother
Model: MFC-3360C
Location: Level 4, Booth 8305
Type: Inkjet printer/copier/scanner/fax
Print rate: Up to 25 ppm (monochrome) 20 ppm (colour)
Price: S$188



















Brand: Brother
Model: DCP-7010
Location: Level 4, Booth 8305
Type: Laser printer/copier/scanner
Print rate: Up to 20 ppm
Price: S$198















Brand: Epson
Model: TX400
Location: Level 4, Booth 8115
Type: Inkjet printer/copier/scanner
Print rate: Up to 34 ppm (monochrome) 34 ppm (colour)
Price: S$124

Brand: Epson
Model: TX100
Location: Level 4, Booth 8115
Type: Inkjet printer/copier/scanner
Print rate: Up to 26 ppm (monochrome) 14 ppm (colour)
Price: S$98

Brand: Epson
Model: TX200
Location: Level 4, Booth 8115
Type: Inkjet printer/copier/scanner
Print rate: Up to 34 ppm (monochrome) 34 ppm (colour)
Price: S$128

Brand: Epson
Model: Office TX300F
Location: Level 4, Booth 8115
Type: Inkjet printer/copier/scanner/fax
Print rate: Up to 31 ppm (monochrome) 15 ppm (colour)
Price: S$198















Brand: Xerox
Model: WorkCentre 3119
Location: Level 4, Xerox booth
Type: Laser printer/copier/scanner
Print rate: Up to 18 ppm
Price: S$159

**********

Netbooks

Also known as mini-laptops or ultra-mobile PCs, these computers are so popular that many major manufacturers, even the venerable Lenovo, now produce powerful netbooks at an affordable price.















The netbook craze started just over a year ago with the advent of the Asus Eee PC, which has now diversified into an entire range of products.















Brand: Asus
Model: Eee PC 900HA
Location: Level 4, Booth 8310 & 8405
Storage: 160GB HDD
Price: S$648

Brand: Asus
Model: Eee PC 701SD
Location: Level 4, Booth 8310 & 8405
Storage: 8GB SSD
Price: S$398















Brand: Lenovo
Model: Ideapad S10
Location: Level 4, Booth 8358
Storage: 160GB HDD
Price: S$649















Brand: MSi
Model: Wind Netbook U100 (Pink)
Location: Level 6, Booth 6641
Storage: 160GB HDD
Price: S$699















Brand: Toshiba
Model: NB100-A101
Location: Level 4, Booth 8143 & Level 6, Booth 6101
Storage: 160GB HDD
Price: S$639

**********

Multimedia gadgets

In this category the most spectacular price drop is the portable GPS device which is now available for only S$199!




















Brand: Mio
Model: C230
Location: Level 6, Booth 6641
Type: Touchscreen GPS unit
Price: S$199















Brand: LG
Model: DP-450-P
Location: Level 4, LG booth
Type: Portable DVD player
Price: S$199











For these digital photo frames there is a 50% discount for the second piece if you buy two of them.

Brand: Aigo
Model: F5007
Location: Level 6, Booth 6461
Type: 7" Digital Photo Frame
Resolution: 800 x 600
Price: S$199

Brand: Aigo
Model: F5003S
Location: Level 6, Booth 6461
Type: 7" Digital Photo Frame
Resolution: 480 x 234
Price: S$139

Brand: Aigo
Model: F5005
Location: Level 6, Booth 6461
Type: 8" Digital Photo Frame
Resolution: 800 x 480
Price: S$199

**********

Other Cheap Deals

Of course, you can also find many other accessories that are going for far less than $200 at the show.

Here are some of them:















Speakers...



















Memory cards...















More memory cards. They're really cheap nowadays.

In addition to the great deals at the exhibition, there are also some... ahem... extremely big-ticket items for sale.

They are...

... you've guessed it...















... the BAZOOKAS!

$12,649?!??

This Sigma APO 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM is obviously there only for display purposes.

Heh, if I had twelve-K to plonk down for a bazooka, I'd rather go to a quiet showroom and have a nice cup of tea with their manager than to squeeze my way through a labyrinth of trampling feet and an obstacle course of wayward elbows.


Would you like to know more?

A previous computer fair:
- COMEX 2008: Under $200 Deals

*If you watched enough Chinese period dramas you would know what that means...

Gxogle?

Early this morning, I was greeted by this strange Google holiday logo...








The first thing that popped into my mind was "Turner syndrome".

Then I remembered: "Hey, it's supposed to be Valentine's Day! Why is there a X-chromosome drawn using lipstick on Google's front page?!??"

Lipstick?

Could this be some insider joke about the "Leading Lipstick Indicator", since the sales of lipstick has gone up during this economic recession and could have spiked further due to Valentine's Day?

Netizens in China have seen the same logo and speculated that it could mean something like "hugs and kisses", refering to the "XOXO" often added at the end of letters, emails or SMSes.

The mysterious Gxogle logo appeared for only a short while and is now replaced by a more obvious representation of Valentine's Day...








No ambiguity there.


Would you like to know more?
- More Google Holiday Logos
- Previous Valentine's Day Logos (Chinese website)