Propeller.com Stories voted on by Jordan

Pirate's Booty: An ex-Jack Sparrow spills on life at the Magic Kingdom

Jordan — Thu, 22 May 2008 14:43:52 EDT

"Don't be flirtatious," they told us. "See women as trouble." And they said as far as alcohol goes, don't even mention drinking. But the Pirates of the Caribbean song is all about drinking, and they're drinking all along the ride. So I eventually broke that rule, because it would have taken me out of character...

Channel: Movies Tags: jack sparrow pirates of the carribbean disney

How to Use Social Media for Social Change

Jordan — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:24:58 EDT

Instead of watching Twitter's ups and downs, we the members of the tech community could be using our social media super-powers to make a real difference in the world. ... Isn't it time we put them to use towards a good cause? Below are some great examples as to how that can be done.

Channel: Gadgets & Tech Tags: social media social change

Getting into college is easier with a gladiator at your side

Jordan — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:50:52 EDT

A group of educators is hoping a gladiator, a bullfighter and a Napoleonesque Frenchman will help get this message across to kids: Getting into college is tough, so you'd better be prepared. Those quintessential "tough" characters are the stars of public service announcements coming to Washington...

Channel: News Tags: college school public service announcement gladiator

Sleepy brain prone to sudden shutdowns: Study

Jordan — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:49:33 EDT

Being deprived of sleep even for one night makes the brain unstable and prone to sudden shutdowns akin to a power failure -- brief lapses that hover between sleep and wakefulness, researchers said on Tuesday.

Channel: Science Tags: brain sleep sleep deprivation shutdown

Tire Danger: The Cryptic Code That Could Save Your Life

Jordan — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:43:15 EDT

More than 100 deaths in the U.S. have been attributed to aged tires which dried out and lost their treads... Safety experts say the only way for consumers to protect themselves is to learn how to read the cryptic code embedded on a tire's sidewall which reveals the year and week a tire was manufactured.

Channel: Autos Tags: tires code howto age

Pilots Run Out Of Fuel, Pray, Land Near Jesus Sign

TimALoftis — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:18:17 EDT

It seemed like an almost literal answer to their prayers. When two New Zealand pilots ran out of fuel in a microlight airplane they offered prayers and were able to make an emergency landing in a field coming to rest right next to a sign reading, "Jesus is Lord."

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: propeller weird news new zealand pilots

Amazing fish flight caught on video - Science- msnbc.com

aust — Thu, 22 May 2008 06:17:48 EDT

A Japanese TV crew has filmed what is believed to be the longest flight of a flying fish ever recorded.

Channel: Science Tags: flying fish

Federal court rules against military gays policy

SunnyDays — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:27:53 EDT

The military cannot automatically discharge people because they're gay, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday in the case of a decorated flight nurse who sued the Air Force over her dismissal.

Channel: News Tags: Federal court rules military gays policy dont ask dont tell discrimination court lawsuit margaret witt air force

He Took a Polaroid Every Day, Until the Day He Died

cactushair — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:28:06 EDT

Yesterday I came across a slightly mysterious website - a collection of Polaroids, one per day, from March 31, 1979 through October 25, 1997. There's no author listed, no contact info, and no other indication as to where these came from. So, naturally, I started looking through the photos. I was stunned by what I found...

Channel: Art & Design Tags: photo polaroid

Man reprimanded for blasting Springsteen hit

Jordan — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:50:46 EDT

A judge has reprimanded a British pensioner who plagued his neighbors by repeatedly playing Bruce Springteen's hit "Born in the U.S.A." at high volume in the early hours.

Channel: News Tags: uk bruce springsteen judge

Panda Finds Way Home to Reserve After China Quake

Jordan — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:49:54 EDT

A captive adult giant panda that had disappeared during the May 12 earthquake has returned home, but two of the rare animals are still unaccounted for, China's state media agency reported today.

Channel: News Tags: china panda earthquake

Lost parrot tells veterinarian his address

TheVisionary — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:57:08 EDT

"I'm Mr. Yosuke Nakamura," the bird told the veterinarian, according to Uemura. The parrot also provided his full home address, down to the street number, and even entertained the hospital staff by singing songs.

Channel: Humor Tags: funny bird pets lost japan

Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit--And You Should Too

Jordan — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:34:22 EDT

I want to focus this post on one small practice [at Zappos] that offers big lessons for leaders who are serious about changing the game in their field--and filling their organization with people who are just as committed as they are.

Channel: Careers & Jobs Tags: zappos business quit shoes

Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit--And You Should Too

Jordan — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:34:10 EDT

Channel: Careers & Jobs Tags: zappos business quit shoes

Facebook Ignites Entrepreneurial Spirit at Harvard

Jordan — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:11:07 EDT

When Mr. Adler asked what the two -- who happened to be Facebook Inc.'s co-founders -- were doing, Mr. Moskovitz lightly replied that they were moving from Cambridge, Mass., to Silicon Valley "to make Facebook big." "I was so jealous," recalls Mr.Adler, now 23 years old. "I thought, 'I've got to find an idea and drop out of

Channel: Gadgets & Tech Tags: facebook harvard entrepreneurs

Teen Charged With Simulating Sex With Car

Jordan — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:51:32 EDT

A teenager from Kilwinning has been charged with trying to have sex with a car. Callum Ainsworth, 18, is accused of running along a street naked, bending over the vehicle and simulating sexual intercourse.

Channel: Autos Tags: teen car sex

Why Did You Hire Me?

Jordan — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:47:53 EDT

Remembering why you were hired--and identifying whether or not you belong--is just as important as getting the gig. To sustain career and mental health, you must work within your means and know how to navigate ambiguous workplace situations. Using client and project management techniques is one part of the solution. Using your talent is the other.

Channel: Careers & Jobs Tags: work hired

'Sound of Music' plan protested

Jordan — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:44:43 EDT

The hills are alive ... with the sound of protest. Plans to run a hotel out of a former home of the von Trapp family immortalized in the blockbuster hit movie "The Sound of Music" have triggered fierce resistance from neighbors who fear tourists will tie up traffic and make a nuisance of themselves.

Channel: Movies Tags: sound of music house hotel von trapp

Five things humans no longer need

Digidave — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:37:10 EDT

Vestigial organs are parts of the body that once had a function but are now more-or-less useless. Probably the most famous example is the appendix,

Channel: Do No Evil Tags:

Ted Kennedy has malignant brain tumor

corey.spring — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:27:20 EDT

Doctors for the Massachusetts Democrat say tests conducted after Sen. Edward Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend show a tumor in his left parietal lobe. His treatment will be decided after more tests but the usual course includes combinations of radiation and chemotherapy.

Channel: News Tags: ted kennedy

OLPC XO Laptop 2.0 Has Dual Touchscreens, Looks Amazing and Future-y

Shay — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:27:11 EDT

At OLPC's Global Country workshop today, founder Nick Negroponte unveiled the next-gen XO Laptop, and it totally blows the original away. About half XO 1.0's size and more like a foldable book, it does away with the keyboard and trackpad to go totally touchscreenÃ¢â;¬"that's right, dual touchscreens, straight out of

Channel: Gadgets & Tech Tags: gizmodo olpc xo laptop 2.0 new technology touch screen

A Look Back: The Iconic Cinematography of Douglas Slocombe

Monte G — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:02:15 EDT

In retrospect, it definitely was the cinematography that truly turned Jones and his fedora into the iconic hero that he is today!

Channel: Movies Tags:

Dollars discriminate against blind

SunnyDays — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:05:25 EDT

A federal appeals court says paper money discriminates against blind people.

Channel: Money Tags: dollars blind

Carbonated Fruit A Hit In School

Jordan — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:48:01 EDT

It's still fruit, just fizzy. That's how a food service contractor for about 20 Connecticut school districts and private schools is describing Fizzy Fruit Ã;Â¢Ã¢â;;Â¬" pieces of oranges, apples and grapes pumped with carbonation to give them a soda taste.

Channel: Food Tags: school fruit carbonated fizzy fruit

Hello Kitty appointed Japan's tourism ambassador to China, Hong Kong

Jordan — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:43:46 EDT

Hello Kitty, Japan's ubiquitous ambassador of cute, has built up an impressive resume over the years. Global marketing phenom. Fashion diva. Pop culture icon. Now the moonfaced feline can add "government envoy" to the list.

Channel: News Tags: hello kitty ambassador tourism japan

Google mulls Microsoft response

helloworldbea — Tue, 20 May 2008 02:02:23 EDT

Google's bosses are meeting in Britain on Monday evening to discuss a response to Microsoft's new talks with Yahoo.

Channel: Gadgets & Tech Tags: microsoft google

Network Suicide! Sprint rumored to be capping 3G use

Jordan — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:40:36 EDT

Computers, get off the phone internet! Rumors abound that Sprint is to kill its biggest selling point over rival networks: unlimited 3G data plans. From an alleged internal memo, leaked by an anonymous source, a change to the Terms of Service is coming down the pike this summer...

Channel: Gadgets & Tech Tags: sprint 3g internet mobile

Older Brain Really May Be a Wiser Brain

Beau7890 — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:32:19 EDT

For most aging adults, the authors say, much of what occurs is a gradually widening focus of attention that makes it more difficult to latch onto just one fact, like a name or a telephone number. Although that can be frustrating, it is often useful.

Channel: Science Tags: neurology information processing age wisdom Progress in Brain Research

What will happen when machines outthink us?

Jordan — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:13:37 EDT

According to futurists gathered Saturday for a weekend conference, information technology is hurtling toward a point where machines will become smarter than their makers. If that happens, it will alter what it means to be human in ways almost impossible to conceive, they say.

Channel: Science Tags: singularity ai artificial intelligence

Divers find combined gold toothpick, earwax spoon

STONERS — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:14:37 EDT

Experts found a tiny gold combined toothpick and earwax spoon, believed to be more than 385 years old, during the search for a shipwrecked Spanish galleon off the Florida Keys.

Channel: Science Tags: Divers Combined Gold Toothpick Earwax Spoon Florida Keys

16% of US science teachers are creationists

capn_caveman — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:48:31 EDT

Despite a court-ordered ban on the teaching of creationism in US schools, about one in eight high-school biology teachers still teach it as valid science, a survey reveals.

Channel: Religion Tags: religion science creationism creationists United States America education

Engineered bacteria become the first living computers

capn_caveman — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:22:24 EDT

Researchers genetically engineered the bacterium E. coli to coax its DNA into computing a classic mathematical puzzle known as the burned pancake problem.

Channel: Science Tags: science technology computers computer science E. coli bacteria mathematics DNA

Wife guilty in husband's death during sex games

Jordan — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:30:38 EDT

A woman who hanged her husband during a sex game was found guilty of killing him yesterday. ... In a strange twist, he had once killed someone during a dangerous sex act and was convicted in 1987 of manslaughter.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: sex death asphyxiation

Taser duel in parking lot

Jordan — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:38:33 EDT

It wasn't exactly pistols at 30 paces, but police say a security company supervisor and a restaurateur shot each other with Tasers in a "bonehead" confrontation over parking. Officers said neither man needed medical attention after the Saturday confrontation...

Channel: News Tags: taser duel parking lot propeller weird news

As Prices Rise, Crime Tipsters Work Overtime

Jordan — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:38:00 EDT

Calls to the Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers hot line in the first quarter of this year were up 30 percent over last year. San Antonio had a 44 percent increase. Cities and towns from Detroit to Omaha ... report increases of 25 percent or more in the first quarter, with tipsters telling operators they need the money for rent or baby formula.

Channel: News Tags: crime tipsters tip line money

Do Mobile Games Have a Place in the Classroom?

Jordan — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:09:45 EDT

Cell phones, PDAs, and other mobile devices are generally on the "do not use" list when it comes to the classroom. Teachers ban them. Students put them on silent and tap away. But instead of fighting the students' addiction to their phones, could the devices instead be used for learning purposes?

Channel: Gadgets & Tech Tags: education classroom mobile games

Cat and mouse blamed for Albanian blackout

Jordan — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:03:07 EDT

The country's main electricity company says a cat chasing a mouse caused a 72-hour blackout in parts of the capital, Tirana. The animals ran into an area of high-voltage cables and were electrocuted, a spokeswoman for the firm - Kesh - told Reuters news agency.

Channel: News Tags: albania blackout power outage cat mouse

Undressing a woman with an excavator - VIDEO

Jordan — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:02:50 EDT

A heavy equipment operator uses a CASE excavator the strip a woman down to her underwear. Safe for work.

Channel: Humor Tags: excavator strip woman video heavy machinery

DNA tests exonerate 'Lizard Man' in van attack

Jordan — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:01:07 EDT

DNA testing has shown an attack on a family van some blamed on the legendary Lizard Man appears to have been actually done by a domestic dog. Something chewed up the front fender of Bob and Dixie Rawson's van in February. Bite marks were left on the wheel wells and blood was found on the vehicle.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: lizard man attack van dog

Woman Sentenced For Having Son Dress Up As Scout

TimALoftis — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:51:16 EDT

A former Bethlehem woman will serve up to 23 months in prison for having her 7-year-old son dress as a Cub Scout to collect money for a nonexistent cause.

Channel: Do No Evil Tags: cub scout bethleham propeller weird news