Posted by jhicks on November 19, 2008CommentsAstronaut+Drops+Toolbag+During+Space+Walk2008-11-19+08%3A23%3A03jhicks
A spacewalking astronaut accidentally let go of her tool bag Tuesday after a grease gun inside it exploded, and helplessly watched as the tote and everything inside floated away.
It was one of the largest items ever to be lost by a spacewalker, and occurred during an unprecedented attempt to clean and lube a gummed-up joint at the international space station.
Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, a native of St. Paul, Minn., was just starting to work on the joint when the mishap occurred.
She said her grease gun exploded, getting the dark gray stuff all over a camera and her gloves. While she was wiping everything off, the white, backpack-size bag slipped out of her grip, and she lost all her tools.
“Oh, great,” she mumbled.
She and her fellow spacewalker, Stephen Bowen, then finished their tasks in almost seven hours by sharing tools. Bowen had his own tool bag with another set of grease guns, putty knives and oven-like terry cloth mitts to wipe away metal grit from the joint.
“Despite my little hiccup, or major hiccup, I think we did a good job out there,” Stefanyshyn-Piper said after returning to the space station.
Flight controllers were assessing the impact the lost bag would have on the next three planned spacewalks. The astronauts may be asked to keep sharing tools or use caulking-style guns intended for repairs to the shuttle’s thermal shielding.
Earlier, the spacewalkers spotted a screw floating by, but were too far away to catch it. “I have no idea where it came from,” Stefanyshyn-Piper told Mission Control.
Flight director Ginger Kerrick said neither the bag nor the screw posed hazards to the spacecraft. By late Tuesday, the bag was already 2½ miles in front of the shuttle-station complex. “It’s well on its way away from us,” she assured reporters.
NASA was not sure how the bag got loose; it should have been tethered to a larger equipment bag. Another unknown: why the grease gun discharged.
“It is a human endeavor. Mistakes can happen. Equipment can fail,” said John Ray, the lead spacewalk officer in Mission Control. He noted that Stefanyshyn-Piper showed “real character and great discipline” by continuing on and doing a fine job for the rest of the spacewalk. She was the first woman to be assigned as lead spacewalker for a shuttle flight.
Other items lost in past spacewalks include a foot restraint, bolts and a spatula used during a test to repair the shuttle. The lost bag marred what had been a near-flawless mission by Endeavour and its seven-member crew.
For more than a year, the jammed joint has been unable to automatically point the right-side solar wings toward the sun for maximum energy production. The repair work — expected from the outset to be greasy and hand-intensive — is supposed to take up much of all four spacewalks.
The joint is located near the extreme reaches of the 220-mile-high outpost. The spacewalkers had 85-foot safety tethers to keep them connected to the mother ship at all times.
NASA suspects a lack of lubrication caused the massive joint to break down; grinding parts left metal shavings everywhere and prompted flight controllers to use the joint sparingly. Besides scraping and wiping away the grit and applying grease, the spacewalkers will replace the bearings.
As a precaution, extra grease will be applied on a later spacewalk to the joint on the opposite side of the space station that has allowed those solar wings to produce ample electricity.
As the action unfolded outside, the astronauts inside the shuttle-station complex started unloading gear from a huge trunk that was brought up by Endeavour.
The big-ticket item — and one of the first things to be hooked up — is a recycling system that will convert astronauts’ urine and sweat into drinking water. It is essential if NASA is to double the size of the space station crew to six next June.
Endeavour also delivered an extra bathroom, kitchenette, two bedrooms, an exercise machine and refrigerator that will allow space station residents to enjoy cold drinks for the first time.
The additions — coming exactly 10 years after the first space station piece was launched — will transform the place into a two-bath, two-kitchen, five-bedroom home.
Endeavour arrived at the space station Sunday. The next spacewalk is set for Thursday.
On Tuesday, mission managers cleared Endeavour to return to Earth at the end of the month. A thorough inspection of images of the shuttle showed no evidence of any damage to its heat shield like the kind that doomed Columbia in 2003. [via]
Posted by jhicks on November 19, 2008CommentsJonas+Brothers+Partner+With+The+Salvation+Army2008-11-19+07%3A03%3A35jhicks
A few weeks ago I posted the news about the Jonas Brothers partnering with The Salvation Army and the Dallas Cowboys to perform live during the Thanksgiving Day football game to officially kick off the annual Red Kettle Campaign.
One of our fine readers here at INFOtainment News sent me 2 recently released public service announcements the brothers did. Check them out below:
Posted by jhicks on November 18, 2008CommentsAmerica%27s+Best+Burger+Joint2008-11-18+08%3A47%3A51jhicks
The good folks over at Men’s Fitness teamed up with the critics behind the Zagat restaurant guide and believe they’ve come up with the definitive list of the best burger spots in America.
Check it out - do you agree?
1.) BURGER JOINT AT LE PARKER MERIDIEN
New York City — This is the place to get an old-school burger without the quirky toppings. All it takes is one bite of their smoky, slightly spicy burgers and you’ll understand why these popular eats are one of the worst-kept secrets in town.
2.) IN-N-OUT BURGER
Los Angeles — The menu at this hot spot may appear simple, but that’s because the best offerings are kept under wraps. Our suggestion: Order your burger “animal style” for a mustard-drenched patty served on a bun with pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and grilled onions.
3.) JAK’S GRILL
Seattle — Famous for its half-pounders, Jak’s seasons its burgers with onions, garlic, black pepper, a mixture of soy and Worcestershire sauces, red-chili paste, and brown mustard while they grill.
4.) JOE’S CABLE CAR
San Francisco — Hand-trimmed choice cuts of chuck steak and rib eye are ground daily in the Cable Car’s on-site, open-air butcher shop—where first-time visitors can even try the meat before placing an order.
5.) KINCAID’S HAMBURGERS
Fort Worth, Texas — Kincaid’s has been flipping the same classic burger for the past 40 years: a delicious half pound of beef topped with mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onion.
6.) MR. BARTLEY’S GOURMET BURGERS
Boston — The favorite dish at Mr. Bartley’s is dubbed the Viagra Burger. And with its handmade seven-inch patty, blue-cheese dressing, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes—plus a side of sweet-potato fries—it may be just as stimulating.
7.) PALENA CAFE
Washington, D.C. — Made with hamburger that’s freshly ground in-house each day, the patty is topped with garlic mayo and a blend of truffles and Italian cheese, and it’s served on a fluffy sesame-seed bun with pickles on the side.
8.) PETE MILLER’S SEAFOOD AND PRIME STEAK
Chicago — Pete’s prides itself on serving burgers up any way you want them. Their most popular option: the Prime Burger, a giant one-pound slab of top-of-the-line beef topped with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and grilled mushrooms.
9.) ROARING FORK
Scottsdale, Ariz. — Order up the Big-Ass Burger—12 ounces of ground beef marinated in green-chili sauce and then grilled and covered with bacon, Colby longhorn cheese, and a pile of caramelized onions.
10.) ROUGE
Philadelphia — Once you get tired of Philly’s famous cheesesteaks, stop off at the Rouge for the house special: the “Rouge Burger,” made with caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese on a brioche roll, with a side of crispy, homemade Belgium-style fries.
Posted by jhicks on November 18, 2008CommentsTop+25+Sexiest+News+Reporters2008-11-18+08%3A37%3A33jhicks
I recently saw this story and thought it was a good match as well for the Man Cave section of INFOtainment News.
Fellas, and ladies, chime in with your opinions on this expansive list and if you have someone that you think should or even should not be on this list I’d love to hear.
Enjoy.
25. Hayley McQueen
MUTV anchor Haley McQueen
24. Page Hopkins
23. Leann Tweeden
OK, so Tweeden is more of a TV presenter, but she has reported for Fox Sports. She’s also posed in Playboy and is a former Hooters girl.
22. Lisa Guerrero
The Los Angeles Times once said that Guerrero is the hardest working sports reporter and she was also named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in America by Hispanic Business Journal. She also posed naked for Playboy.
21. Lauren Sanchez
An Emmy award winner, Lauren currently anchors the My13 News and That’s So Hollywood on KTTV Fox-11 in Los Angeles. She’s even appeared in a few films, such as The Dark Knight.
17.Jennifer Eccleston
According to Wikipedia, CNN reporter Eccleston ’spent two weeks embedded with the US Marines’ in Iraq. She was dubbed Miss Shock and Awe.
Posted by jhicks on November 18, 2008CommentsNeti+Pot2008-11-18+08%3A13%3A12jhicks
So, I frequently check out the Bed Bath & Beyond catalog that comes in the mail during the week (I’m a very domestic kinda guy). In my search for the latest cleaning product I ran across a different type of cleaning product.
The Neti Nasal Cleansing Pot. I have never heard of this type of thing before. Apparantely, this pot is designed to clear nasal passages and aid in reducing dust and pollen by removing excess mucus and relieving nasal dryness. DUDE !!!! are you kidding me ??!!!
Well, if you want one of these bad boys, you can order online at Bed Bath & Beyond here.
Posted by jhicks on November 16, 2008CommentsWomen+pick+men+who+look+like+dad+%5Bstudy%5D2008-11-16+08%3A26%3A10jhicks
Women tend to choose husbands who look like their fathers, a study shows.
And it works both ways - the women in the Proceedings B study also resembled their partner’s mother.
The latest work from the University of Pécs in Hungary provides yet more evidence for the phenomenon, known as sexual imprinting.
Others have shown women use dads as a template for picking a mate even if they are adopted, suggesting imprinting is led by experience not simply genes.
This notion is backed by other work showing the imprinting link is lost on women who did not have good relationships with their fathers.
The Hungarian team measured the facial proportions of the members of 52 families.
They found significant correlations between the young men and their fathers-in-law, especially on facial proportions belonging to the central area of face - nose and eyes.
Women also showed resemblance to their mothers-in-law in the facial characteristics of their lower face - lips and jaw.
Lead researcher Tamas Bereczkei said: “Our results support the sexual imprinting hypothesis which states that children shape a mental template of their opposite-sex parents and search for a partner who resembles that perceptual schema.”
Familiarity alone does not appear to account for choosing a partner because the participants did not adopt templates for their same-sex parents, they said.
They say males and females choose different facial areas of parents to be models in accordance with their general sexual preferences for facial traits.
Experts say there may be an advantage to selecting a mate somewhat similar to themselves genetically.Dr Lynda Boothroyd from the University of Durham, a psychologist who has carried out similar research, said: “There is an argument that a certain degree of similarity makes people more fertile and genetically compatible.”
But there is a balance between the benefits of marrying someone genetically close and the risks of inbreeding.
“We have a lot of mechanisms - such as pheromones and smell - to stop us choosing someone too similar to us, like an immediate family member,” said Dr Boothroyd. [via]
Posted by jhicks on November 16, 2008CommentsOpening+A+Bottle+With+Your+Ring2008-11-16+07%3A58%3A53jhicks
I’ve got a few buddies that can do this. Everytime I try I fail miserably. I’m glad WikiHow has put together a step-by-step guide to the finer things in life like this.
There are a wide variety of ways to open a bottle without a bottle opener. You can use a folded dollar bill, a lighter, or a whole bunch of other things, but using the ring on your finger is the closest it gets to making it look like you’re using your bare hands. If you wear a class ring or a heavier ring, here’s how to put it to use. Opening a bottle with a ring is efficient, quick, and impressive.
Steps
Grab your beverage firmly around the neck. Do this with the hand that does not contain the ring.
Hold the bottle close to your body, but so that the opening faces slightly away from you. You do not have to hug the bottle, but hold it the same comfortable distance you would when using a normal bottle opener.
As you tightly hold the bottle, bring the opposite hand towards the cap at an angle (from below cap level coming to it at 45º).
Make contact with the bottom of the cap and the underside of your ring. Use the part of the ring closest to your fingertip.
Apply an intense amount of pressure to ensure a solid connection with the ring and the cap. They should feel like one unit. This is achieved through pressure. Use the forefinger to give stability to the ring and cap, giving it a firm hold.
Grip the rest of your hand tightly around the cap and apply enough force for the cap to come loose. This can be accomplished by locking the wrist, allowing the forearm to be used as a lever device. Roll your hand over the top of the bottle by lifting your elbow while maintaining a straight hand, wrist and arm combination for better use of leverage.
Throw the cap the into a proper disposal area and enjoy your tasty beverage!
Video
Warnings
Avoid using delicately-made rings or rings made of gold, silver or platinum (or any other soft metal) in this manner. Thinner bands (regardless of metal) may be damaged by the force needed. Softer metals will bend and scratch easily.
Beware of performing this action too many times in repetition, as injury from the resistant force at the top of the finger may occur.
Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Open a Bottle With a Ring. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
Posted by jhicks on November 16, 2008CommentsOriginal+Retail+Locations2008-11-16+07%3A42%3A39jhicks
You ever wonder what it was like for at the start for some of the main retail stores we rely on nowadays? Here are 15 walks down memory lane.
McDonalds
Original McDonald’s in San Bernardino
In perhaps the most famous of all franchising stories, Dick and Mac McDonald opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in May, 1940, in San Bernardino, California. Their “fast food” philosophy was a big success, and in 1953 the brothers opened their first franchised McDonald’s in Phoenix, Arizona, which was also the first one with the golden arches. In 1954, milkshake-mixer salesman Ray Kroc visited the original location of the now-four-strong chain, and was so impressed he made a deal to sell the franchises himself not long after he opened his own McDonald’s in Des Plaines, Illinois. The rest, as they say, is history. The current headquarters are in Oak Brook, Illinois, and there are over 31,000 locations around the world.
Gap
Fall into The Gap in San Francisco
Back in the hippie days of 1969, people often referred to the ‘generation gap’ between parents and children of the era. That same summer a couple named Donald and Doris Fisher opened a store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco called The Gap, based on that phrase, and it sold Levis, records, and tapes, although the music offerings were dropped shortly thereafter in favor of more clothes. The following year a second store was opened in San Jose, and the march through California and then across the country was on. In 1983 the company bought the Banana Republic chain, and in 1994 they launched the Old Navy chain as a more budget oriented line. The Gap is now the United States’ largest specialty retailer with over 3,100 locations worldwide, with the majority of those being in the US.
KFC
Replica original KFC in Corbin, KY
Harland Sanders was born in 1890, and he served as a private in the army (stationed in Cuba) long before he was operating a gas station along Route 66 in Corbin, Kentucky, which is about 60 miles south of Lexington. He began serving chicken meals out of his residence at the station at the age of 40 in 1930. The governor of Kentucky made Sanders an honorary colonel in 1936 for his contribution to the state’s cuisine, and though his restaurant’s popularity continued to grow, it wasn’t until the early 1950s that he began franchising the operation. In 1952 (at age 62) the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise opened in Salt Lake City, and things took off quickly after that. The name was officially changed to KFC much later, and now the chain is owned by Yum! Brands, with over 11,000 locations in over 80 countries around the world.
