Europe's Real Borders

This is an interesting map. It shows the boundaries between distinct languages in Europe. Although there may be some discrepancies in it, it is easy to see how political boundaries are so different from linguistic ones.

Taming Light

What happens when a beam of light travels through transparent textured materials? If you are Alan Jaras (or Reciprocity on Flickr), you can make it refract into a gorgeous array of colors. Bridging the gap between art and science, Jaras bends, twists and turns light...like you've never seen.

These are analogue images of the refraction patterns of a beam of light passing through various transparent objects (in this case a piece of textured glass). The image is captured directly on to 35mm film, no camera lens is used ( this is a photogram using film instead of photographic paper), the transparent object replaces the lens. Colour is introduced by placing specially prepared coloured filters directly in the light beam. This is an analogue image and has not been computer generated or colour treated. The colours you see are a faithful reproduction of those captured on film.

There are several webpages with more pics:
• flickr.com
• mymodernmet.com
• neublack.com

Cool and Cooler!

Inventor/engineer James Dyson, famous for his cyclonic vacuum cleaners (you may have seen his commercials with his vacuum that can round corners), and for his uphill water fountain introduces his latest product, the bladeless air multiplier fan. It uses a system of low pressure area and suction device in the bottom to create a smooth, continuous flow of air.

Maine voters reject same-sex marriage law

Minority rights once again trampled by the majority!

Voters in the northeastern state of Maine repealed a state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed, dealing the gay rights movement a heartbreaking defeat in the corner of the country most supportive of gay marriage.

Gay marriage has now lost in every single state — 31 in all — in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gay-rights activists had hoped to buck that trend in Maine — known for its moderate, independent-minded electorate — and mounted an energetic, well-financed campaign.

With 87 per cent of the precincts reporting, gay-marriage foes had 53 per cent of the votes.

"The institution of marriage has been preserved in Maine and across the nation," declared Frank Schubert, chief organizer for the winning side.

Kissing, hugging, and touching are reasons to kill gay men and lesbians in Jamaica

Today (Oct. 30th) has been proclaimed 'Gay Eradication Day' by residents of the McGregor Gully community in East Kingston. Residents say that they will be taking action as a two-week notice given to all gays and lesbians to flee the community has now expired.

The Jamaica Star is reporting that two weeks ago, residents of McGregor Gully declared they were fed up with gay behavior, and ordered all gays to leave by today. Those who did not leave would "suffer the consequences" Those residents who are willing to admit that they are taking part in the gay rousting say they are doing it to protect their families and in an effort to keep their community from falling into disrepute. According to the residents, the main problem is a local hangout that is frequented by lesbians who "kiss, hug, and even touch each other." And the community's anger is directed mostly at those lesbians, though any gay men who reside in the area are also expected to leave. The residents say they will not stop until their community is "gay free" and are not afraid of resorting to extreme measures, though they would not explicitly say what those measures might be.

Dad will be the last one to know!

If you haven't been watching this season of The Amazing Race, you are missing out on a couple of hotties who managed finish first this week. Sam and Dan are gay, christian brothers who have just come out to the other players even before telling some members of their family.

Here are Sam and Dan:


Here is one of the competing teams on Sam and Dan coming out:

Measure for Measure

This is a clever one by Carl Mitsch of Fred Studio: a set of measuring cups shaped like matryoshka (babushka or Russian nesting dolls). They’re cute and functional! And perhaps best of all, they nest inside of one another so they don’t take up much cabinet space. At $11.95 each, they’re the perfect gift for those who love to cook … and who knows, maybe you’ll get dinner out of it, too.

Look Ma, No Hands!!!

Bicycle maker Gyrobike has invented the “Gyrowheel” — a wheel with a motor-driven gyroscope inside that helps keep it upright. The manufacturer hopes to market it as a replacement for traditional training wheels on kids’ bicycles. Nathan Barry of GeekDad writes:

It aims to replace traditional training wheels or stabilizers and to eradicate the bad habits that they teach kids when learning to ride a bike – leaning away from a turn and constantly putting a foot down at the first sign of a wobble when they’re eventually taken off. The Gyrowheel uses the “gyroscopic precession” of the independently spinning disk inside it to stabilize the bike. The force created when the disk is turned – via a rechargeable battery – is powerful enough to hold a wheel upright at very low speeds (i.e. virtually stopped), and can actually make a bike look like it has a “Ghost Rider” as the videos below show (and there are plenty more on the Gyrobike site).

Hairlairious shop names from around the world

I was lead to this site by Neatorama. There are some very punny shop names here - have a look!

Is gaybashing on the rise?

Reported gaybashings seem to be on the rise in some cities. What are we seeing and why?

In the last year in Vancouver, gay men and lesbians have been punched in the jaw, pelted with eggs, hit in the face, struck with a hammer and kicked in the groin. The gaybashers allegedly yelled "I hate you," "fucking scum," "fuckin' fag," and "He's a faggot. He deserved it."

Since 2006 the number of hate crimes investigated by the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has more than tripled. These numbers include hate crimes based on sexual orientation, religion, race and ethnicity.

Of the 167 incidents investigated by the VPD in the last three years, 86 were found to be hate-motivated. Twenty-six of these cases were based on sexual orientation.

Prior to 2006 the VPD didn't track the type of hatred motivating the crime. But Insp John deHaas, inspector in command of the force's Diversity & Aboriginal Policing Section, says the gay community is one of the most targeted groups for hate crimes.

That suggests reports of gaybashings are rising along with reports of hate crimes overall.