Here’s something for you to stare at. I think it’s intruiging even if it makes little sense. It appears to be about global warming and human influence on the natural world. From a designer’s perspective it is quite interesting. It uses Javascript to cut up a passage of text into single words which are then layed out on a gradient background which changes colour, like a chameleon. How interesting…

(Give it a minute to “warm up”)

http://at.org

Sujit Kumar, a 34 year old boy, was tied up to a bed as a child for 22 years because he was considered to be “unmanagable”. From the first year of his life up to eight years old he was forced to live in a chicken coop by his grandfather after both his parents had died. Sujit was completely deprived of human care or interaction.
When he was eventually found, he hopped around the room and pecked at his food from the ground like a chicken. His vocal ability was also influenced by the call of a chicken.

Sujit is now living in a grand old house in New Zealand, surrounded by a primary school type of development programme. He has been undergoing therapy since 2003.

[source]

Unfortuantly New Zealand is not for sale, despite somebody in neighboring Australia trying to offload the nation of 4 million to the highest online bidder on eBay.

With a starting offer of just one cent, brisk bidding for the prime chunk of South Pacific real estate quickly boosted the price to 3,000 Australian dollars (US$2,330) before eBay pulled the plug on the auction this week.

“Clearly New Zealand is not for sale,” eBay Australia spokesman Daniel Feiler told the New Zealand Press Association, adding that 22 bids had been made before the company acted.

“It is mostly household items we have for sale, but there are the occasional quirky items put up,” he added. “We have a look at them and if they are OK we leave them, but if it is something that can’t be sold, we take them off.”

The trader has not been named, but apparently was unimpressed with the country he was trying to sell.

The rivalry between the two countries is intense and in his advertisement the man said New Zealand had “very ordinary weather.”

[source]

Global warming has finally been explained: the Earth is getting hotter because the Sun is burning more brightly than at any time during the past 1,000 years, according to new research.

A study by Swiss and German scientists suggests that increasing radiation from the sun is responsible for recent global climate changes.

read more

I had the worst night’s sleep in a long time last night. I had a shower just before I went to bed which seemed to rejuvenate my whole body. Yesterday was a plain old Sunday so I didn’t actually go out of the house at all yet I had been consuming quite an amount of caffeine and glucose during the day. Add to the fact that I slept in for an hour or two in the morning, and I think I developed the perfect recipe for a long night of fidgeting and frustration.

So it was past midnight, and I was still trying to coax myself into a lame dream.. going through every experience I could think of in a vain attempt to latch onto a metaphysical world to which I could peak into and then escape. It became 1.45am and I couldn’t believe I was still wide, wide awake, raring to go out for a bike ride into town as fast as I could. My legs would just not keep still! So I jumped out of bed and violently shook my arms along with systematically lifting each leg up in turn. To be honest, I think that made it a whole lot worse.

Time for some music. Jack Johnson was in the CD player so I switched him on. I managed to listen to the whole album consciously. On came the fan, speed 2. Then an old secret of mine… wet my eyes to make them heavy (it never fails). But that all failed. I don’t even know how I eventually drifted off, I must’ve given up trying to sleep and it just happened. How ironic. All I know was that I spent 4 hours in and out of bed in sheer desperation to delve deep into a coma.

Microsoft have just released a BETA version of the new Windows Media Player 11. The new player is looking very nice with a well designed user-friendly interface alongside faster audio file transfers. The display has been cut down to a more simplistic appeal - the classic menus have been taken away (by default) and can now be accessed via right click anywhere on the interface.

You also have more control over and better access to settings for ripping and burning your music. But the slick design alone should be enough for anyone to download and experience Microsoft’s new Media Player. It’s black, glassy, simple and completely sleek. Perhaps a better insight into the skinning for Windows Vista, the next Microsoft operating system (when it eventually turns up..)?

Read more about using WMP 11.
Download WMP 11.

I passed my first driving test today, at 3.30pm, with three minor faults!! I’m so happy, and surprised. Now I am on the prowl for a cheap car so I can get away when I want to with out having to bribe my mum. And I can drive to see Jess when ever I want to! :D

Its been a good afternoon. Probably the best day I’ll have for like two months now.