Ted Turner tries to convince the world that North Korea is really a nice place. Sure the people were a bit thin but…
The Media Research Center’s 2005 Quote of the Year
Ted Turner: "I am absolutely convinced that the North Koreans are absolutely sincere. There’s really no reason for them to cheat [on nukes]....I looked them right in the eyes. And they looked like they meant the truth. I mean, you know, just because somebody’s done something wrong in the past doesn’t mean they can’t do right in the future or the present. That happens all the, all the time."
Wolf Blitzer: "But this is one of the most despotic regimes and Kim Jong-Il is one of the worst men on Earth. Isn’t that a fair assessment?"
Turner: "Well, I didn’t get to meet him, but he didn’t look — in the pictures that I’ve seen of him on CNN, he didn’t look too much different than most other people I’ve met."
Blitzer: "But, look at the way, look at the way he’s, look at the way he’s treating his own people."
Turner: "Well, hey, listen. I saw a lot of people over there. They were thin and they were riding bicycles instead of driving in cars, but–"
Blitzer: "A lot of those people are starving."
Turner: "I didn’t see any, I didn’t see any brutality...."
— Exchange on CNN’s The Situation Room, September 19.
Pic of the Day
TV Review American Inventor-2006-The Public Votes
Okay, this intriguing new ABC series is moving on. I’ve watched three shows now, all of them featuring the preliminary tryouts with scenes that boggle the mind. In addition, while surfing the web, I happened upon some REAL new inventions and so sprinkled throughout this narrative we’ll see what might be on the technological horizon beyond reality shows.
There’s one judge on this show who appears to be the equivalent of Simon Cowell. On the evening of 3/23/06, this twerp didn’t vote for one single invention to move on.
Although, ahem, some of the inventions as presented were weird.
We had something called a “fart killer”, I am not making this up. The sincere fellow who created this thing- a sort of cover cloth for one’s behind to be placed strategically should intestinal gas require immediate release- was very serious about this device.
One contestant actually completely disrobed during her tryout. She had invented what she called “knot underwear”. Heh. The way this thing worked, a piece of clothing, designed by the inventor, would be wrapped around a female. The cloth was designed to cover the most important private parts. A fine knot tied it all together, so to speak. Then boom, with one pull on the knot the model would be completely disrobed. Could be a boon for first dates.
Of course the demonstration required, well, demonstration. Which is how the model ended up naked before four judges. One judge was so shocked she left the room. The segment was a bit of a hoot, as I am sure it was meant to be.
Or how about this “toilet/sink?
From Realgoods.com we came upon this toilet with a sink built into its lid. The water used to flush the toilet is used to create a stream from the faucet that can be used to wash one’s hand before the flush. This has real possibility in terms of public rest rooms by saving space and conserving water.
Toilet Lid SinkWith each flush of your commode, clean water that would otherwise go straight down the toilet is first routed up through a chrome gooseneck spigot to dispense pure water for hand washing. The Toilet Lid Sink installs easily without tools, is attractive for any bathroom and is a great space saver. Shuts off automatically. Porcelain-like white plastic replaces your existing tank top and adjusts to fit standard toilets up to 8in wide and 18-22in long. Built-in soap dish. Overhang varies up to 1.5in.
Speaking of public restrooms, one would-be American Inventor, a sweet middle-aged lady, invented some sort of device that would have genteel ladies carrying this item in their pocketbooks at all times. It was a big paperclip type of device that would secure those off-kilter bathroom doors so that they remain firmly shut. Part of this device had a sign stating “occupied” that the user could hang over the top of the door if so desired. It even held a little packet of Kleenex for those occasions when toilet paper might not be provided. It was a bit of brilliancy I must say, very compact and very portable. This lady was moved on to the finals and who knows, someday we may all be carrying this neat little gadget.
Another contestant designed something he called a “bullet ball”. It was a game of some sort that involved a super-fast ball shooting around a table. Frankly it wasn’t at all interesting and the fellow was not moved on. The thing about this guy, he was obsessed with what he considered the game of the century. The show played up this guy’s nuttiness until it was almost embarrassing. The contestant stated he’d sold his house and his car, all for promoting his invention. These dramatic scenes are part of this kind of reality series but I’m not convinced it’s at all kind. Here was a delusional man that wasn’t really entering a contest. He was more in need of some immediate psycho-therapy.
Speaking of needed little gadgets, how about a plastic home for hermit crabs?
Came across this at inhabitat.com and had to ponder why hermit crabs would need a temporary plastic house. It was explained thus:
Why would a hermit crab need a plastic house? Like it's distant human relative, the American hermit crab population is currently facing a massive housing shortage. There are simply not enough shells left on beaches anymore for hermit crabs to inhabit. Biologists routinely find crabs attempting to shelter themselves in glass jars, plastic containers and whatever other ill-fitting forms of refuse they can find. Scientists suspect that this sad situation might be due to pollution or over-collecting of seashells by humans. In order to try to remedy this environmental problem, (and perhaps draw social and cultural analogies?) conceptual artist cum bio-engineer Elizabeth Demaray has decided to give the little guys a "hand-up" by mass-producing tiny plastic houses for them.
Another accepted invention for this series was something called a “tailgate chair”. It was a comfortable chair which could be folded for easy storage. For those times when the pick-up truck’s tailgate could be opened, the handy chair could be unfolded and clipped to the tailgate in such a manner that would allow comfortable seating directly on the vehicle’s opened tailgate.
Or how about a dental flosser for quadriplegics? I’m not making this up. The inventor designed this device so that one could floss one’s teeth with no use of hands. The invention would be placed into your mouth and through serious tongue manipulation could be used to prod those places between teeth that hold onto nasty food particles. The judges did not allow this invention to move on.
Which brings us to elevators, a vehicle used to propel humans to the upper floors without bother of stairs. As the population ages, it’s likely that the humble elevator will be required more frequently.
From Discovery.com we find what might be the elevator of the future. Not that I know much about engineering but hey, it looks neat.
Model of the New ElevatorA new elevator system can circulate six to eight cars in a vertical loop within the same space previously reserved for just two cars, similar to the old paternoster design.
Another contestant came up with an invention of paper bedding. You read this right. She proclaimed this invention would be a boon to convalescent homes or for the beds of temporarily sick members of our own family. While the concept seemed a bit flimsy to me, this lady moved on to the finals.
Another fellow came up with what he determined to be the best dog pooper-scooper ever. Only problem was, the dog owner had to place the thing directly below the dog WHILE he was pooping. The inventor said that dogs go to great lengths looking for a perfect poop spot, which is true. He declared that by recognizing these actions, a dog owner could quickly place his invention in the perfect spot to receive the incoming excrement. The device would require some training of the dog, the inventor declared. Not to mention some training of the owner one might surmise. This fellow goes back to the drawing board and is not moving on.
So how will the winner of The American Inventor advertise his or her winning device? Via giant billboard on the desert floor, of course.
From News.com we find this giant advertisement placed directly into the desert floor. If pop-up ads and spam mail don’t do you in, just wait until the entire planet is covered with advertisements.
Maxim magazine celebrated its 100th issue by building a 75-by-110-foot billboard featuring its cover image of Eva Longoria, billed as "TV's Sexiest Earthling." The billboard doesn't tower over a highway, however. It's flat on the ground so that it can be seen from a satellite and posted on Google Earth.
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