Technofart » Motion Picture Farts

Twirl-A-Squirrel Violently Slings Hungry Squirrels Off Birdfeeder – For Heartless Bird Watchers Everywhere

Flatulent One — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 01:10:12 +0000

I’ve never understood why anyone would want to select certain wild animals to feed, in particular the whole ‘I’ll feed the cute birdies but not the mangy squirrels’ routine which has caused the invention of countless products design to deter squirrels from nourishing themselves at your bird feeder – this is the worst ever (and the funniest ):

The Twirl-a-Squirrel activates when enough weight is placed on the feeder (the idea being a squirrel is heavy enough but a bird isn’t) at which point the squirrel begins to rotate along with the feeder until dizziness, centrifugal force, and the general unpleasantness of the situation overtake the animal and they are slung to the ground at which point they become violently ill and vomit up what little precious bird seed they stole from you for the birds to come along and peck up later

Thanks, Gizmodo

Stumble It!

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The Tacoma Narrows Catastrophe – Bad Engineering + Penny Pinching = Liquid Concrete!!

Flatulent One — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 11:58:46 +0000

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a one mile long bridge stretching over the Tacoma Narrows connecting Gig Harbor, Washington, to Tacoma. What essentially occurred was that the bridge oscillated in the wind due to a phenomenon known as mechanical resonance which quickly caused it to collapse and the whole event was caught on film:

Click here to view the embedded video.

What doomed the bridge was the state’s lack of funding caused by the recommendations of East coast engineers, specifically Leon Moisseiff (helped design Golden Gate and Oakland Bay Bridges), who advised the state to save money by reducing the bridge’s girders from 25 feet deep to 8 feet deep, which caused the roadway to be less stiff and therefore more susceptible to wind-induced oscillation.

The collapse occured on November 7, 1940–the following is an eyewitness account by Leonard Coatsworth:

“Just as I drove past the towers, the bridge began to sway violently from side to side. Before I realized it, the tilt became so violent that I lost control of the car. I jammed on the brakes and got out, only to be thrown onto my face against the curbâ€¦ Around me I could hear concrete crackingâ€¦ The car itself began to slide from side to side of the roadway.

On hands and knees most of the time, I crawled 500 yards [450 m] or more to the towersâ€¦ My breath was coming in gasps; my knees were raw and bleeding, my hands bruised and swollen from gripping the concrete curbâ€¦ Toward the last, I risked rising to my feet and running a few yards at a timeâ€¦ Safely back at the toll plaza, I saw the bridge in its final collapse and saw my car plunge into the Narrows.”

A new bridge was finished and opened on October 14, 1950, and is still currently in use today with no indications of any malfunctioning. It was designed to handle 60,000 vehicles per day, currently handles 90,000, and is projected to be able to handle 120,000 by 2020.

References and further reading:

Wikipedia article on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Thanks to Library Pulse for the photo

‘Learning Through Failure’ from Eide Neurolearning Blog

Televizzle.org’s Article on the Mythbusters’ Earthquake Machine that was tested effectively (relatively speaking) on a bridge that demonstrates the principle of mechanical resonance

World of Warcraft – I’m Too Sexy

Flatulent One — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 05:37:18 +0000

Oh my god – World of Warcraft characters jamming to Right Said Fred’s ‘I’m Too Sexy’. This is what happens when a gamer has too much time on his hands (dude, clean up the coke bottles and twinkie wrappers that are piled up around you–and the sticky Kleanex, too, you nasty thing).
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Click here to view the embedded video.

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Apple MacBook Running Windows XP, OSX, And World of Warcraft At The Same Time

Flatulent One — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 05:21:52 +0000

And in a continuation of my previous post showing a video of a perfectly good iMac subjected to Windows XP, now we see a MacBook running Windows XP inside Mac OSX while playing World of Warcraft ALL AT THE SAME TIME–this mac did nothing to you, why do you choose to punish it so???

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Windows XP Booting On A Mac

Flatulent One — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 05:04:04 +0000

This is a video someone did where they show how they got Windows XP to boot on their Mac–now is it just me, or does this just reek of the worst sort of antithetical irony imaginable? I mean, this is like putting chrome rims on a junker!

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Windows 386 Promo Video

Flatulent One — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 04:57:49 +0000

Microsoft sent this tape to retailers to explain the benefits of Windows 386. Boring until the 7 minute mark when the production is taken over by crack-smoking monkeys and the chick doing the commercial starts rapping–yes, rapping…about Windows 386… and her hair turns red while she seduces William from accounting.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Tetris – From Russia With Love (video documentary)

Flatulent One — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 04:29:17 +0000

This is a video documentary about the Beginnings of Tetris in Russia, and it’s creator Alex Pajitnov. It also covers the rivalaries between Nintendo and Atari and the absurdities of buying copyrights for software from a country that doesn’t believe in property, much less intellectual property. Ultimately, a great documentary about a very important game.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Makers of Smart Car Unveil Their Urban Stealth Technology

Flatulent One — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:43:55 +0000

In addition to Smart’s unbelievable 40+ miles-per-gallon and sub-$15,000 price tag, it now comes with a state of the art military grade stealth cloaking system:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Interested in a Smart car (gotcha with that 40+ MPG thing, didn’t I? )? From The Smart Car USA Website:

“1. Who is smart?

Smart is a member of the Mercedes Car Group. smart vehicles are sold in 36 countries throughout the world. Over 750,000 fortwo vehicles have been sold since its introduction. When the United States starts selling the smart fortwo it will become the 37th country.

2. When will smart vehicles be available for purchase in the United States?

The smart fortwo is scheduled to be available in the first quarter of 2008.

a
5. Can I order a smart now?

No, at this time we do not have an ordering process. As soon as a process is established we will notify you immediately if you register as an â€œinsiderâ€ here: http://www.smartusa.com/becomeinsider.asp
….

7. What are the exact dimensions?

The smart fortwo is small on the outside and big on the inside. The smart fortwo that will be available in the United States will be: o 8.8 feet long (you can usually fit two smart fortwos in an average parking space!) o 5.1 feet tall (the smart still has as much headroom as most luxury vehicles!) o 5.1 feet wide (two six foot, five inch plus people can sit side by side with plenty of shoulder room to spare!)

8. How fast does the smart fortwo go?

The top speed of the smart fortwo is approximately 90 mph.

9. What is the gas mileage of smart?

Engineering and testing continues to take place on the vehicle that will be produced for the United States. Gas mileage is expected to be 40 plus mpg combined for city and highway.

10. Is the smart vehicle safe?

The safety management system for the smart fortwo is comprehensive and sophisticated. The highlight of the safety management system is the tridion safety cell. The safety cell is made from three layers of steel that are reinforced at strategic points. The cell is designed to keep occupants protected. The reinforced steel and the design of the car allow for the absorption of impact and redistribution of crash energy. Because of the size of the vehicle, most crashes will also involve one of the wheel bases which also absorbs energy. Both doors are also reinforced with steel bars. The smart fortwo, which will be for sale in the United States in 2008, will come standard with four airbags (two front and two side for head and thorax protection). Other safety features such as espÂ® (electronic stability program) and ABS brakes are also standard.

11. How much space does smart have for storage?

The smart fortwo has a trunk which will accommodate active lifestyles. This area can easily fit numerous bags of groceries, gym bags and other items that are commonly transported every day, including golf clubs! The trunk can also accommodate many sizes of luggage making trips to the airport convenient. The front passenger seat also folds down creating additional space for other items such as skis.”

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Robosapien vs. 200 Million Volt Tesla Coil

Flatulent One — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 01:31:14 +0000

Guess who wins?

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Discovery Channel – The History of Hacking

Flatulent One — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 01:26:59 +0000

Very cool documentary the Discovery Channel did about hacking, the art of making technology fart on purpose

Click here to view the embedded video.

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