Living The Dream: July 2009

Friday, July 31, 2009

Surf Magic at Magic-Seaweed.com

When I was a little blonde surfer boy, we used to tune into the radio at certain times of the day to hear the "Coca-Cola Surf Report". On many occasions it was not at all accurate. When we got older and smarter, we got friendly with a guy at a surf shop down the coast. If we phoned up Dave, and he told us nobody had come into the shop today, then we knew the surf was definitely pumping. Things have really progressed since then, and where surf meets internet, there is no finer website than "Magic Seaweed" at: http://magicseaweed.com

This site through the cooperative efforts of the worldwide surfing community covers the entire Globe. When I was that little blonde grommet, we had to go to the shop and flick through expensive magazines to see surf in Indonesia or Mexico. At "MSW" you can go to anywhere on the globe and see the latest surf reports, photos, videos, reviews, and anything else you could possibly desire.

They have excellent videos, of amazing surf from around the world, like this YouTube video of an insane break called "The Wedge" at Newport Beach in California. A few days ago they had some really big waves coming in along the California coast, just like these gnarly monsters at Newport:

MSW also has detailed surf reports, weather forecasts, tides, and winds, for all of the main surf breaks around the world. Here is part of today's report for "Phillip Island" which is 75 minutes drive from where I live. (There is closer surf only 20 minutes away from home, but it is often not as big or reliable as the Island).

A key item not shown below is the temperature outside, which is a wintertime cold low here in the southern hemisphere. A big thick "seal impersonator" rubber wetsuit from top to toe would be the order of the day for any water workouts today. I think I will be lazy and stay indoors surfing the Internet.

There is even a section of the MSW site called "Surf Science".
On these pages, Dr Tony Butt has posted several detailed items concerning the mathematics and science of coastlines, waves, storms, and swells:

I could easily keep writing for at least the length of this post again about all of the wonderful live webcams, the photogalleries, the videos, the reports, the featured surfers and exotic locations, but really you have to do the virtual e-travel yourself and check out: http://magicseaweed.com

Enjoy,
Big Passy Kahuna Wasabi

Image Source: http://www.arrowriver.ca/images/surf1.gif

Jon & Kate Plus 8 To Return… But Dating Others

Jon and Kate Gosselin split in June, and TLC halted production of the reality series. But Jon & Kate Plus 8 will return, but with some changes. Read more below.

The show will return to the air but with major changes.

“You’re still going to see two parents that love their kids, but you’ll be seeing them parenting separately,” TLC President Eileen O’Neill said at the Television Critics Association panel in Pasadena, Calif., on Thursday. “You’ll see what it’s like when Kate has to put up a tent for a backyard camping experience by herself. Or see Jon trying to cook up a pizza for the kids.”

There will be new faces on the show as Jon and Kate date other people. This might be interesting!

“As far as new people and places, that may be cycling into Jon and Kate’s lives, we are taking it on a case-by-case basis.”

Eminem “The Warning” VIDEO: Eminem Disses Mariah Carey

Eminem released a new track called ” The Warning”. In the song, Eminem disses Mariah Carey and gives intimate details of their brief relationship. Check out the audio video below!

The feud between Mariah Carey ane Eminem is on now! Eminem has released a major diss track directed at Mariah Carey.

“Only reason I dissed you in the first place is because you denied seeing me. Now I’m pissed off,” he says before he starts his rap.

“You wanna hear something wick wack?/ I got the same exact tattoo that’s on Nick’s back,” he says, referring to Carey’s husband Nick Cannon.

Eminem also slams Mariah Carey for mocking him in her latest music video, “Obsessed.”

“Oh gee, is that supposed to be me in the video with the goatee?/ Wow Mariah, didn’t expect ya to go b—s out./ B—h, shut the f— up before I put all those phone calls out/ When you was wilding out/ Before Nick, when you was on my di–,” he raps.

But that’s not all! Eminem even threatens to reveal personal pictures he has of Mariah!

“Mariah, it ever occur to you that I still have pictures?” he asks.

The feud started between Mariah and Eminem earlier this year after Eminem name-dropped Carey in the track “Bagpipes From Baghdad” from his latest album Relapse.

“Mariah whatever happened to us / Why did we ever have to break-up?” he rapped. “Nick Cannon, you better back the f— up. I’m not playing, I want her back, you punk.”

Mariah’s husband, Nick Cannon took to his blog, calling the rapper “Slim Lamey.” He added that Eminem is “still obsessed with my wife, the same female that wouldn’t let him get to second base from 8 years ago.”

Check it out below (Please note: The audio video below contains language some may consider offensive)

Katherine Jackson Receives Full Custody Of Michael’s Children

Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, will receive full custody of the his three children under the terms of a deal that has just been reached, lawyers said Thursday. Read more on the custody agreement below.

Deborah “Debbie” Rowe, the mother of Jackson’s two oldest children (Prince Michael I, 12, and Paris, 11) will get visitation rights with her kids based on a schedule worked out with a child psychologist. Rowe will receive continued spousal support from her marriage to the singer.

“Mrs. Jackson and the family are pleased this matter is resolved and was handled in a caring, thoughtful and courteous manner by the parties and their representatives,” says a statement from Jackson’s lawyers, L. Londell McMillan and Diane Goodman. “We were all united in our goals to do what is best for Michael’s wonderful children, and both Mrs. Jackson and Debbie Rowe were on the exact same page. Accordingly, although important issues had to be resolved, this was no legal contest but rather simply a process doing the right thing for the right reasons.”

Rowe’s lawyer, Eric George,added: “The parties engaged in a dignified discussion that resulted in a dignified outcome. The sole consideration between the parties was the best interests of the children. I’m proud to have worked with such professionals who represented Ms. Jackson, and I am particularly proud of Deborah for her integrity and selflessness.”

The custody agreement will be presented to a Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Monday. Both sides expect the custody deal to be approved.

Creepy Miley Cyrus Stalker Mark McLeod Released

An insanely creepy fan of Miley Cyrus’ was arrested for stalking her, but was then let go due to jail overcrowding. Read more below on what this freak had to say about Miley!

Mark McLeod told Georgia police that Miley sends him “secret messages” through her Hannah Montana television show. Scary huh?

Mark McLeod’s whereabouts are now unknown, and Disney execs fear for Miley’s safety. They are so concerned that McLeod may harm her, that they have alerted the LA police of his arrest and release in Georgia.

McLeod has been in the news before, and his obsession with Miley is well documented. In March he told the NY Daily News that he was her “No. 1 fan” while waiting to see her at a Midtown book signing, and said that he first saw her in concert last year and since then “I’ve kinda been watching everything she does.”

But on June 22 he was arrested in Tybee Island, Georgia near where Miley was filming her upcoming movie, “The Last Song.”

McLeod cursed at cops and allegedly tried to head-butt one officer while being handcuffed. McLeod screamed, “F— you and your rules!” And then said, “I will f**king be with Miley!”

He revealed to police that he had “thousands of pictures and letters to Miley on his computer” and had even mailed her diamond rings.

During the arrest he boasted to cops that he and Miley were “great friends”, and that “nobody will ever be able to keep us apart.”

Add to the craziness, McLeod says that Miley accepted his marriage proposal, and that her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, had given his blessing. He shrugged off her former romance with Nick Jonas, stating that “Miley is only with the Jonas brother for the press.”

McLeod was charged with a misdemeanor disorderly conduct and obstruction, and released a day later due to overcrowding.

Chatham County, Ga. Sheriff Al St. Lawrence said, “If we had heard something about this guy supposedly being a stalker … he wouldn’t have been released.”

Brad Pitt Flies Air France

Brad Pitt takes a first class Air France Flight back to LAX airport in Los Angeles on Thursday (July 30).<br /><br />Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie was seen landing her plane at the Bob Hope Airport after an hour and 28 minute flying lesson from Las Vegas. Her sons Maddox, 7, and Pax, 5, were reportedly on board and on hand for the Sin City trip.

Brad Pitt takes a first class Air France Flight back to LAX airport in Los Angeles on Thursday (July 30).

Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie was seen landing her plane at the Bob Hope Airport after an hour and 28 minute flying lesson from Las Vegas. Her sons Maddox, 7, and Pax, 5, were reportedly on board and on hand for the Sin City trip.

Winehouse's dad faked heart attack to get her off drugs

Amy Winehouse's father Mitch has confessed he faked a heart attack in front of her formerly drug addict daughter to get her off heroin.

The 59-year-old former cabbie said he was desperate to get the 25-year-old singer out of drug hell before it took a nasty turn.

"I was at me wits end. I just didn't know which way to turn. I'd tried everything. I pretended I was seriously ill and even got our doctor to tell Amy that I was dying," The Mirror quoted him as saying.

"Once I even started screaming and said I was having a heart attack, but it didn't work. Amy's not stupid and she wanted to see my medical records proving I was actually ill," he added.

The "Rehab" hitmaker kicked her drug habit after her extended break in St Lucia.

Making Web Pages at Google Sites

The screen capture above is actually stored on my brand new Google Site located at: http://sites.google.com/site/passyworldtestone

It does seem a bit slower to load in than pictures I have stored elsewhere for this blog on my "Passy World" privately run website. However the Google Sites storage is free, whereas my private site is not.

But let me just say in passing that the hosting and support for my private site supplied by http://www.namecheap.com has been nothing short of sensational, and certainly worth every US greenback dollar I've paid them!

Here is a good 3 minute video intro to Google Sites from YouTube,
(actually made by a member of the Google Sites team) :

And this is going to be a very video intensive post, because we now have four videos from Radford University in Virginia U.S.A.
(My old home state from a few years back).

Video 1 - Setting up a Free Google Website:

Video 2 - Adding Content to the Site:

Video 3 - Changing the Appearance and Sidebar

Note: The layout for Google Sites has changed slightly since this tutorial was created. In order to edit the site appearance, you must now click on the "more actions" tab on the top right of your homepage and then click on "manage site." Now on the left-hand side you will see the heading "site appearance" with "site layout," "colors and fonts," and "themes," listed under it. "Site layout" in this case is the same as "site elements" in the tutorial. The rest of the process is the same.

Video 4 - Converting to a Wiki-like Collaborative Site:

The layout for Google Sites has changed slightly since this tutorial was created. In order to share your site, you must now click on the "more actions" tab on the top right of your homepage and then click on "share site." The rest of the process is exactly the same as in the video.

These four tutorials will give you a very good grounding in making free web pages using Google Sites.

However, immediately below, there is also a PDF document that gives step by step guidance on exactly how to set up a Google Site for the first time. In this document we also explore using a Google Site as a document storage warehouse that can feed a Blog.

The PDF document used for the viewable iframe is actually stored on our "Passy World" Private site. This is because the same version of the PDF stored at our Google Site refused to work in the iframe, and only seems to be downloadable into Adobe reader on a local PC.

So this is the one part of our plan that has failed in our quest to use the Google site to totally feed this Blog post.

If you would like to have your own full size copy of this PDF, then simply click the save disk icon button on the PDF viewer, and you should be able to save it to your own hard disk.

Alternatively, you can download the full size PDF from our Google Site location by clicking the link below:

Click to Download the “How to Make a Google Site” PDF

Shown below is a typical education use of Google Sites, where a school teacher has setup a site for her students to use:

Open the full size version of the site by clicking this link:
Mrs Richau's Class

The following link is to a PowerPoint Overview of Google Sites that was obtained from Slideshare.net and has been uploaded to our Google Sites page:

Download Google Sites Presentation as MS 2003 PPT

Note that we can only download the file from our Google Site, and that we cannot open it Online. This seems to be a characteristic of all of the files currently stored on our Google site.

Trying to embed an SWF Open Office version of the Google Sites Powerpoint onto this blog also failed.

IT SEEMS THAT SOMETIME AFTER EARLY JUNE 2009, GOOGLE HAVE PLACED THIS NEW "attredirects=0" SUFFIX ONTO THE FILE NAME OF ALL UPLOADED FILES. This new naming convention somehow stops the files from being linked to from any other web pages or Blogs. It makes the files downloadable only, and not at all viewable online. I have raised a Support Request with Google about the problems this change has caused, and I will update this post when I get a reply back from them.

Conclusions

Considering what can be done with Google Blogs, I was expecting a few more options and fancier templates than what is currently available.

The look and feel of a Google Site is more like a Wiki than a website. Perhaps this is the target market for the product, since Universities and other Education content suppliers seem quite eager to use Google Sites. A Google Site would certainly be a very good way to gather together reference materials for a class of students to use. (But not quite as nice looking as a “Wall” made in “Wall Wisher”).

However, if you have Photos in Picasa, and Presentations and so on in Google Docs, then Google Sites serves as a very nice integration tool indeed.

Personally, I would make a Google Site just to have free access to the 100MB online filing cabinet for my most referenced documents.

But what I find most disappointing is that the filing cabinet, with its direct URLs ending in attredirects=0, can no longer be used to service my Google Blog, or any other web pages. This has all come about since Google started recently suffixing all the file names with the new "?attredirects=0" ending.

Google Sites are perhaps not the fanciest looking free web presence in town, but they are certainly very useful just the same. Each site has 100MB of storage, plenty of flexibility, unlimited pages, and it is totally free of any charges.

Enjoy,
Big Passy Wasabi

Megan Fox Poland Cosmopolitan July 2009

Megan Fox is the cover girl of Poland Cosmopolitan magazine July 2009 issue.

Megan Fox Poland Cosmopolitan July 2009

Megan Fox is the cover girl of Poland Cosmopolitan magazine July 2009 issue.

Alessandra Ambrosio Brazil L’Officiel July 2009 Cover

Alessandra Ambrosio covers the Brazil L’Officiel magazine July 2009 issue.

Alessandra Ambrosio Brazil L’Officiel July 2009 Cover

Alessandra Ambrosio covers the Brazil L’Officiel magazine July 2009 issue.

Web Quest Treasure Hunts

Image Source: http://www.tonyynot.com/yoda_pirate.jpg

My hero Yoda : the greatest teacher of all.
- After all he was the one who trained the Jedi!

Recently I went treasure hunting on the Internet for some Web Quests for my own young Jedi trainees. I was expecting this to be an easy ten minute job, as I thought the web would be well a wash with a pirate's bounty of worthwhile internet search and find tasks.

Alas me hearties, the quest to find such real treasures proved to be just as elusive as pirate's booty. It seems that many web tasks were written three or four years ago, and sadly a lot of their internal links are no longer working.

Once two or more links are broken, it puts a gaping hole into the whole exercise. The treasure hunt takes a big hit, much like a cannon blast through the side of a pirate's ship!

HOWEVER:
Internet web quests still in good working order were uncovered here:
http://www.ecps.k12.nc.us/dfw/ebaker/WebQuestHomepage.htm

At this site there were good quality internet discovery exercises on:

Chinese New Year
“Black Beard" the Pirate (that's gotta be a must-do!)
The Bones Inside Us
Earth Moon and Sun

Another site with quests containing interesting items is:
http://www.museummania.com/treasure.htm
(On some items where the links do not work, just skip those questions).

Other than these sites, not many fully working internet tasks were found.

Image Source: http://www.fabricattic.com/Treasure%20Map%20T060860.jpg

Perhaps I had the wrong treasure map, perhaps I should have worn a patch over both eyes, or maybe I was just sailing sideways in the wrong sea, but that's about all I found.

Still, better than running aground in "crocodile country".

Enjoy,
Big Passy Wasabi
(The Raw Fish and Seaweed Sushi Dog)

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hulk Hogan & Linda Hogan Reach Settlement In Divorce Case

Hulk Hogan and his estranged wife, Linda Bollea Hogan, have finally reached a settlement in their divorce case. Read more on the Hogan divorce below.

At the hearing Tuesday morning in Clearwater, Fla., Hogan, 55, and his wife Linda announced that they’ve agreed to the terms of the split.

“We’ve reached a marital settlement agreement,” Ray Rafool, Linda’s attorney, told the judge.

The terms of the divorce settlement were not made public but the couple’s net worth was listed at between $26 million and $32 million.

Before the court proceedings began, Hulk, whose real name is Terry Bollea, and Linda were spotted smiling, according to a local ABC affiliate. At one point, she even kissed his cheek.

“The war is over,” Linda said after the hearing.

Hogan echoed her sentiments, telling the Tampa Tribune: “When you’re married to someone for 23 years … you hope for the best …. We just got torn apart.”

The courtroom scene today was a major contrast to their past months of bitterness between the couple.

The Hogans have two adult children, Brooke and Nick, and had argued over everything from money to Linda allowing her younger boyfriend to drive the couple’s vehicles. In April, Hulk even remarked to Rolling Stone: “I totally understand OJ. I get it. I could have turned everything into a crime scene, like OJ, cutting everybody’s throat.”

Linda and Hogan married in 1983, and Linda filed for divorce in November 2007. A newspaper reporter broke the news that his wife was divorcing him. “Holy smokes,” he said upon hearing the news. “Wow, you just knocked the bottom out of me.”