Monthly Archives: January 2005

Just in case you want to know what you can and cannot take onto a plane: the TSA’s Permitted/Prohibited List

Interesting list from the BBC. A few random selections:

3. Brussels sprouts have three times as much vitamin C as oranges.

8. Brazilians are the nationality most likely to read spam.

19. The collective noun for rhinos is “crash”.

26. The full names of Scooby Doo’s Mystery Inc members are: Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Scooby “Scoobert” Doo. Shaggy is actually Norville Rogers.

43. In 1911, Pablo Picasso was one of the suspects arrested for the theft of the Mona Lisa.

47. A “jiffy” is 10 milliseconds in computer science terms.

66. An American girl aged between three and 11 has, on average, 10 Barbie dolls in her toy box.

67. It’s 30 years since the world’s first barcode was used. It was on a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit at a supermarket in Ohio. The gum is now an exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.

75. Freak conditions above Everest can cause the sky to “fall in”. An analysis of weather patterns in May 1996, by University of Toronto researchers, said eight people died when the stratosphere sank to the level of the summit.

97. Matt Groening’s father – the inspiration for Homer Simpson – has only complained once about his alter-ego’s actions. It was an episode in which Homer badgered Marge into walking some considerable distance on a hot day to fetch him something.

100. Bill Clinton sent just two e-mails while he was president.

Wow Wee Toys, the makers of the obnoxious-but-cool Robosapien, is coming out with an ultra-realistic robot monkey head.

On the more mind-blowing and unusual side, is the new Wow Wee Robotics Alive Series. These are life-like, animated, remote-controlled robot heads that include stereoscopic hearing so they can track your position and even your distance away. Wow Wee’s first demonstration of this technology is a frighteningly real looking monkey head with a fully articulated face. The real stunner, though, is the expected price: $129. George York, Wow Wee’s chief designer on the project said he’s been working with the company’s divisions in Hong Kong and China to have the robots ready for a 2006 release.

Also see PC Magazine article.

I want one!!!