Link Trading Myths Uncovered

As Google becomes more and more saavy to the methods used by SEO around the world, the old signature backlinks aren't as effective as they once were. This is a good article which explains how link trading can benefit your Google ranking.

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Fly me to the Moon - from the comfort of my rocket chair.

NASA has estimated that it's lunar missions over the next 13 years will exceed a $100 billion price tag. Scientists have therefore been working on new and innovative ways to lessen the expense. Enter... the Rocket Chair.

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Holes in a liquid

I'll do my best to describe this... it's a new study into non-Newtonian matter - in essence, matter that doesn't quite fit into old Isaac's liquid/solid/gas conception. These scientists found that cornstarch solutions (or tiny micron sized glass bead solutions) could have an oscillation applied to them and would do strange things, such as be punctured and retain the hole. More impressive visually are the "finger" structures that build and writhe until the oscillator is removed. Check out the video.


http://chaos.ph.utexas.edu/research/vibrated_cornstarch.htm

EA Relases Steam-like Updater

From digg:

"EA downloader is a lightweight PC application (approximately 5MB) that downloads EA games in the background. It keeps you up-to-date with the latest patches, trailers, and new game content without requiring login every time you play."

I'm not opposed to having a launcher/updater from companies like this, but I just hope it runs better than Steam, which is a bit of a monster.


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uTorrent 1.2 Released!

The long awaited 1.2 is here. Along with a slew of improvements, the most notable new feature is Mainline compatible DHT (Trackerless) support.

Now, it doesn't have the full featureset that Azureus does. There are no plugins and no RSS support. I could hardly get the RSS working anyways. But for those who want all the bells and whistles, you need to stick with Azureus. Unfortunately, you also get the code/memory bloat.

Check out uTorrent 1.2 at http://www.utorrent.com.

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Summiting Everest... via Fantasy Ridge

Here's an interesting story that I found on Everest News - regarding a new 2006 attempt to summit Everest via the Fantasy Ridge.

"Fantasy Ridge is the last major unclimbed ridge of Mt. Everest. Although there have been more than two thousand summits of Everest, no summit was ever achieved by way of Fantasy Ridge. Furthermore, less than a handful of expeditions have succeeded on the Kangshung side of the mountain.

The ridge presents a formidable challenge: first, because of the lack of any precise information regarding its geography; second, lack of evaluation of the make up of rock and snow; and third, the unknown but ever-present danger of avalanche. The ridge is also exposed to the full strength of morning sun which normally amplifies the danger of falling rock and melting ice which produces avalanches."

You can read more about Fantasy Ridge and the attempt at everestnews.com. You can also get outdoors news and gear reviews at outdoors.jasonpaterson.com. Happy climbing!

Almost time... for CAMPING!

Only the crazy would ever think that camping is a November activity. Well... lots of people do it, but since I never have - I'm feeling a little crazy about the whole prospect. Should be fun though. An elite force of the Nikonians backpacking group will be hiking up Cascade and Porter mountains (in the Adirondacks) in late November.

I'm going to need some warm clothes.