Happy Mutant Profile
alexeck
Elephant paints an elephant
March 29, 2008 12:28pm
Objects embedded in Brooklyn's asphalt
January 27, 2008 10:48am
Very cool! Although I do wish auto shops would stop using lead balance weights. I see them regularly on asphalt as they fall off of wheels. (interesting stuff at http://www.leadfreewheels.org/)
Warner to sell no-DRM MP3s on Amazon
December 28, 2007 9:38am
@alexeck - you're wrong. iTunes tracks are in AAC format, which is indeed better than MP3 but still lossy.
My bad, sorry.
I am no Apple fanboy, however. It's disgraceful that the majority of the music is still DRM'd. The illogic is peculiar -- You can't freely convert songs that you actually BOUGHT from them, but you can freely convert files off of CDs that you purchase .
Warner to sell no-DRM MP3s on Amazon
December 28, 2007 8:06am
since MP3s are MP3s, no matter where you buy them
Actually, correct dme if I'm wrong, but iTunes are compressed in a lossless format. The quality is better than an MP3. I don't know if Amazon only offers the files in a lossy format (i.e. MP3). If it is only MP3, I'm not interested. I can download my music from iTunes and de-DRM the files with ease with a variety of tools (which is what I do).
How the UK government deals with a broken light bulb
December 20, 2007 9:53am
Couple of quick additions to the endless commentary (note that I am not an expert on the subject).
- Many (not all) incandescent light bulb contain a small amount of lead at their base (that's the little dot of gray at the base of the bulb). However, AFAIK there's really no other hazards in these things that I know of. They are safer than CFLs from that standpoint.
- Our city requires that florescent tubes be disposed of at the local hazardous waste facility. Your city likely has similar rules.
- LED bulbs are certainly going to be the future. They consume little power and don't have really any hazardous properties that I know of. However, they are still too pricey now for the general public.
- There is a net-net environmental benefit to using CFLs, overall. Coal-burning power plants produce mercury (that's why it's in the fish). Doesn't make you feel much better if one broke in your house, though.
No friends yet.


the latest
latest episodes
It seems real. There's another vid here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9-9YDCirUU&eurl
This video made my day. Elephants rock.