Things Are Different In South Korea
If you’ve been to a major-league baseball game, chances are you have seen them trot out some minor celebrity or corporate bigwig for a ceremonial first pitch before the game. It’s usually a rather forgettable part of the rather forgettable pre-game festivities. That’s not the case in South Korea. It seems that the ceremonial first pitch is a bit of a thing. Check out this video of rhythmic gymnast Shin Soo-ji.
Go ahead and watch it again. And again. Just to get your head around that. Interestingly, Shin Soo-ji isn’t an outlier. Deadspin has put together a collection of first pitch shenanigans. And those are just an entry point to another internet rabbit-hole if you start checking out the related videos on YouTube.
We’re gonna need a bigger pocket!
There’s a strange bit of business going on with the design of cell phones. Bigger is better. That is, if you are talking about screen dimensions. If it’s thickness, bigger is bad. Which really doesn’t make that much sense. If you can fit a 6.3″ screen in your pocket, surely a couple more mm of thickness isn’t a big deal.
Yes, I said 6.3″. And that isn’t hyperbole for effect. I chose that number because Samsung has announced the Galaxy Mega 6.3 for release this month. That’s a 6.3″ screen. To put it in perspective, here’s what it looks like next to the iPhone 5.
Aye, caramba! Put the Mega in landscape mode and you might be able to type with all ten fingers. Along with that massive screen, the phone brings some other pretty nice features:
- Android 4.2.2
- Dual-core 1.7GHz proc
- 1.5GB RAM
- 8 megapixel camera
- Micro SD
- Huge 3200mAh battery
- Air View
- Split Window Multi-tasking
- TV Guide
- IR Blaster
Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
It’s an old saying, and one that sticks around because it pans out again and again. Truth, on occasion, really is stranger than fiction. This is one of those occasions. Let’s say you are a big-shot television executive, and I come to you with a pitch about a princess of Romania (the royal family was forced out by the communists in 1947), who now makes her home in rural eastern Oregon, where she has married a former cop. Oh, and in their free time, they run an illegal cock-fighting ring! You would probably tell me to take a hike. That’s just too outlandish to be believable. Why would a Romanian princess end up in eastern Oregon? Is there actually cock-fighting in Oregon? And isn’t getting a former cop involved taking it a little too far? It all just sounds so fake.
As Mr. Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend.” Let me refer you to this story at the BBC. It seems that Princess Irina, of Romania, and her husband, have indeed been charged with multiple counts of operating an illegal gambling business and conspiracy to violate the federal Animal Welfare Act after a big crackdown on cock-fighting. These are strange days at Blake Holsey High.
I don’t like my cell phone that much
Someone in the marketing department at LG had an idea to put vouchers to get a free phone in helium balloons, and then release them for a crowd to go chasing after. Small problem. Those phones are worth over $800, and the crowds that showed up were highly motivated. And by highly motivated I mean they showed up with BB guns and spears. The resulting chaos left 20 people injured and 7 sent to the hospital. This reminds me of the great Turkey Drop Thanksgiving episode of WKRP.
Baby Giraffe!
The Woodland Park Zoo just welcomed their latest addition, a baby giraffe. It’s pretty adorable. But really, most baby animals are. As proof, have a look at the baby section of the zoo website. You’ll find otter pups, jaguar cubs, baby sloth bears, the red-crowned crane chick, lion cubs, penguin chicks, and much more.
That takes stones!
Check out this penthouse! Now… this would be very cool if an architect had designed it, and it was all part of the plan for the building. Strangely, that is not the case. It seems the owner of the top floor of this high rise in China just decided to create a giant stone fortress on top of the building and his neighbours are not pleased. There have been complaints of cracked walls, leaks, noise, and a general fear (not too far fetched I’d say) that the whole building could collapse. The authorities are now involved (finally?!), and it’s possible that the professor will have to demolish his fortress. At least, that’s what I’m getting from the translated Chinese news story.
It’s Bigger On The Inside!
A fun treat from the Google maps, thanks to Jalopnik. As you see, in the screenshot from street view of Earl’s Court Road in London, the Doctor has left the TARDIS hidden in plain sight. But it gets even better. You can go inside and poke around. Click this link to go to Earl’s Court Road. Once there, look for the double navigation arrows. Clicking those will take you inside the TARDIS, where you can roam around. Here’s a shot from the balcony overlooking the controls.
Sony’s Solution to Cell Phone Camera Quality
Occasionally, something comes along and you think, “That is a really neat idea.” But then, if you think about it in practical terms, it really doesn’t hold up. Such is the case with the new announcement from Sony. They have come up with a rather clever way to get better photos using your cell phone. The solution is a camera lens with a built in sensor, processor, and memory that will connect magnetically to your cell phone. There are two versions: The DSC-QX10 and the DSC-QX100.
With the appropriate software, your cell phone screen becomes the viewfinder for the ‘lens’. It’s a cool idea, but have a look at that picture. Is that something you are going to want to use with any regularity? It creates a whole production out of taking a simple photo. And given the cumbersome nature of transporting that lens everywhere, you could just be carrying a proper camera.
I am all for pushing the envelope where mobile photography is concerned, but count me in the camp that is looking for slightly thicker bodies that provide extra room for the camera bits but remain pocketable. My current phone could actually be twice as thick as it is with no noticeable difference in the day to day use. And if all that extra space was taken up with a better camera and more battery I would be quite the happy camper. You can find more info about the DSC-QZ10 and DSC-QX100, and more pictures, at Sony Alpha Rumors.
Blink and you’ll miss it
If you don’t count yourself as a follower of Formula 1, you might not know that they no longer refuel the cars during pit-stops. Every car has to start the race with enough fuel to finish it. Along with being safer, it also means that the cars get increasingly faster as the race goes on. Burning all that fuel sheds an awful lot of weight. In addition, not having to wait for the tank to be filled means that pit-stop times have become amazingly quick. We’re now on the verge of seeing the first sub-2 second pit stop. Yes, that’s changing all four tires in under two seconds. Red Bull has produced a video showing how they manage such a thing. It all looks very cool in slow motion, but hang around for the end to see it in real time.
Marilyn Monroe – Builder of drones!
If you are any sort of pop-culture aficionado you have seen the above picture before. It’s of little-known factory worker Norma Jean Dougherty, who would later go on to become Marilyn Monroe. I bring it up because there are a few fun bits to link you to.
First, that’s Norma Jean with a drone! The word drone has a lot of negative connotations in present day parlance, but in reality it is just an unmanned aerial vehicle. What you see Norma Jean working on, or posing with at least, is the OQ-2 Radioplane. The OQ-2 was used to train anti-aircraft gunners. The man behind the OQ-2, Reginald Denny, has an interesting story as well.
Getting back to the picture, the story of how it came to be, and how it served to start Norma Jean’s transition to becoming Marilyn is an interesting one. There is a good version of it on The Pop History Dig.