Map: Non-stop earthquakes keep hitting Japan

After the horrific 9.0 earthquake suffered by Japan, the aftershocks keep coming – many above 5.0. The map below, from the USGS,  shows the earthquakes that have recently happened in Japan – the yellow in the last week and the blue in the last day. The red lines are the plate boundaries. If you're wondering why you cannot actually see the boundaries Japan on the map, it's because the number of earthquake markers completely cover the country. Get a list of the quakes with their specific info here.

Company told to stop selling Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg action figure

M.I.C.Gadget first had a problem when it started selling Steve Jobs action figures. Apple hit them with a cease and desist order, but M.I.C. swung back with a masked Ninja version.This didn't fly with Apples lawyers either. Now they have come out with “Poking Inventor” action figure, which is  a Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg action figure. Foul cry Facebook lawyers in Beijing:

“(1) immediately stopping manufacturing and sales of any products infringing the legitimate rights of Mr. Mark Zuckerberg and FACEBOOK, including but not limited to the Action Figures, any accessory containing FACEBOOK’s trademarks; (2) immediately destroying all remaining products infringing legitimate rights of Mr. Mark Zuckerberg and FACEBOOK; (3) immediately disclosing the accounting of your sales of the Mark Zuckerberg Action Figures and any other infringing products; (4) immediately remove all depictions or listings for the Mark Zuckerberg Action Figures from your website.”

I'm always amazed at what thin skins some of these people have. M.I.C. I hereby give you permission to immortalize me with the Cry Baby Action Figure.

Latest nuclear reactor status report from Fukushima in Japan

Check this out. The latest report reactor by reactor at the TEPCO Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.

Video: Penguins on a plane

You've heard of snakes on a plane – well check out penguins on a plane. They were actually being transported on a Southwest Airlines flight from San Francisco to San Diego by Seaworld, when their minders let them have a little stroll down the aisle. File this under "too cute".

Japan has now grown 13 feet to the east and shortened our day

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The devastating 9.0 earthquake in Japan has actually increased the coastline of the country by 13 feet eastward. That's at the epicentre and there was less movement further away from it. As well, scientists from NASA have calculated that the earthquake might have shortened the day on Earth  by a couple of millionths of a second and tilted the planet’s axis slightly. Previous  earthquakes have also affected the axis of the Earth and the length of our day. The Chilean earthquake last year shortened the day by 1.26 millionths of a second and moved the axis by about three inches. 

Related articles

• How the Japan Earthquake Shortened Days on Earth (livescience.com)

Are you prone to mind control? Take this test.

Are you prone to mind control? Psychologist Richard Wiseman gives you the chance to find out how suggestible you are in this video. Give it a try. You might be surprised. Once you are under our control, send Cry Baby money – lots of money! (From New Scientist)

Very cool video: Lake Tahoe Milky Way time lapse

This time-lapse of the night sky at Lake Tahoe is spectacular. The images were made with a Canon 5D MKII by Justin Majeczky. The video consists of images taken every 35 seconds.


Lake Tahoe Milky Way Night Time Lapse from Justin Majeczky on Vimeo.

Inforgraphic: Where the next earthquake will strike

This graphic from awesome.good.is was prepared before the 9.0 earthquake in Japan, but after the Haiti quake. It looks at the likelihood of quakes in different regions and how powerful the quakes will be. Not too far off in the case of Japan, although the intensity was well above the prediction.

Very Funny Video: Hitler plans "attack" on SxSW 2011

Never knew Hitler and his posse were planning to hit SxSW? Watch as he and his boys plan there assault.

Porn star Brittany Andrews survives Japan's earthquake

Great news. Porn star Brittany Andrews was in Japan when the earthquake hit Japan, but she is OK. Actually I've never heard of her, but what the hell. I won't even ask what she was up to over there. She posted to her Facebook page to keep her fans informed:

5:47 a.m. Friday - I am finally back in my room. Worst earthquake Ive ever been in. My hotel was on fire. I was jammed in the stairway for 2 hours with everyone screaming panicking praying. It was like sardines. Jammed. It was awful. Its been 6 hours of hell. No English had no idea what was going on.

5:48 a.m. Friday - It was like 110 degrees in hallway packed of people. Its been 6 hours of hell. Aftershock after aftershock. I was very scared for my life. Fire on 2 floors. Im still shaking and there are still aftershocks... All Airports closed.

Researchers show they can hack in and take control of cars wirelessly

Hacked dash

Researchers have revealed that they can hack into car's computer systems and take control of the vehicle.  The researchers were able to control everything from the car's brakes and door locks to its computerized dashboard displays, by accessing the onboard computer through GM's OnStar and Ford's Sync, as well as through the Bluetooth connections intended for making hands-free phone calls. This is scary. 

Read the whole story on Technology Reveiw

Video: Don King Has Ph.D in Caucasianism

... and he's a Republicrat. Classic Don King. Fun to watch. 

Video: Painting with WIFI

Very cool video. Device was designed to "paint" with WIFI signals and creates this beautiful and mysterious art.


Immaterials: Light painting WiFi from Timo on Vimeo.

Help Japan poster

This is making the rounds on the interweb. I'm not sure of the source, but it's a great poster for Japan.  I tip my hat to the creator and hope it gets adopted.

Video: Man has 82 tattoos of Julia Roberts

I like Julia Roberts. In fact, I just watched Mystic Pizza, her break-out movie, for the fifth time.  But I am proud to say that I have exactly zero tattoos of her anywhere on my body.  On the other hand, Miljenko Bukovic, a Mexican-born newspaper vendor has spent roughly $4,000 over the past 10 years tattooing his body with 82 images of the silver screen godess. Here's his story:

Remembering the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown

Image by Allie's.Dad via Flickr

This is a good time to reflect on the U.S.'s worst nuclear disaster: Three Mile Island. This accident happened in 1979 and inspired the disaster movie "The China Syndrome". It resulted in a release of radioactive gases after a partial meltdown of its core. The accident began at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, March 28, 1979, with failures in the non-nuclear secondary system, followed by a stuck-open pilot-operated relief valve in the primary system, which allowed large amounts of nuclear reactor coolant to escape. The mechanical failures were compounded by the failure of plant operators to recognize the situation because inadequate training and other human factors, such as industrial design errors relating to ambiguous control room indicators.

The reactor was finally brought under control, although full details of the accident were not discovered until much later, following extensive investigations by both a presidential commission and the NRC. The Kemeny Commission Report concluded that "there will either be no case of cancer or the number of cases will be so small that it will never be possible to detect them."

Maps: Japan and USA nuclear power plant locations

Japan is fighting to contain the situation at two of its  earthquake damaged nuclear power plants. Here's an interactive map of all of Japan's nuclear reactors, followed by one of the U.S.

Here's a look at nuclear power plants in the USA:

What's really deep down inside the earth

And here's the real thing from the American Institute of Physics.

Man demolishes neighbour's house over $80 debt

El Paso County Sheriff's Office

 This is one nasty neighbour whose debt you definitely do not want to be in. Jack Herbst, 63, was arrested in Colorado on suspicion of felony criminal mischief after allegedly causing $250,000 worth of damage to his neighbor's property with a front-end loader. Herbst apparently went on the rampage over an $80 unpaid debt. Looks like a nice enough guy in his mugshot.

Part of the good neighbour policy I'm sure. Read more at the Colorado Springs Gazette. 

Amazing photos of Australia's "crooks" in the 1920's

These photos are part of an amazing collection of photos from the Sydney, Australia Justice & Police Museum exhibition entitled "Crooks". The photos were taken by Australian police in the 1920s of "individuals they thought were, or were likely to become, professional criminals."  What a great slice of history.

 See more photos here