Jan 2, 2009

Jack Black Millionaire 50:50



The answer? O you know his fav...

Marinating Steak In Beer or Wine 'Reduces Cancer Chemicals'

Researchers found that steeping the meat in alcohol for several hours cut the high levels of carcinogenic compounds triggered by frying it.

In addition, they discovered that beer was more effective than wine at lowering the cancer-forming chemicals, and also made for a better-looking and tastier meal.

New Scientist magazine, which reports the findings, stated: "If you are frying a steak and mindful of your health, then marinate it in either beer or red wine.

"So say food scientists who measured amounts of a family of carcinogens found in fried food after steeping them in booze."

Cooking food increases its levels of chemical compounds called heterocyclic amines (HAs), which can cause cancerous tumours.

Frying and grilling meat is particularly dangerous, because the intense heat turns the sugars and amino acids of muscle tissue into high levels of the compounds.

But scientists are gathering increasing amounts of evidence to show that the levels of HAs in cooked meat can be lowered by treating the food beforehand.

Isabel Ferreira and colleagues at the University of Porto in Portugal found that marinating steak in red wine or beer before frying – for six hours – cut levels of two types of HA by up to 90 per cent compared with untreated meat.

Beer was more efficient at reducing a third type of HA than wine, cutting levels significantly in four hours instead of six.

It also made the meat look, smell and taste better than the wine-marinated steak, according to the new report published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

"Tasters also preferred the smell, taste and appearance of beer-marinated steak," said New Scientist.

The researchers believe the alcoholic sauce cuts levels of the carcinogen by acting as a barrier – preventing water-soluble molecules moving to the surface of the steak where they would be turned into HAs by the high temperature.

"Beer contains more water-retaining sugars than wine and Ferreira says that may hinder the transport of water-soluble molecules to the steak's surface, where high heat converts them in HAs," New Scientist said.

Previous research has shown that a red wine marinade has a similar effect on HA levels in fried chicken, while a non-alcoholic version is also available. A sauce made of olive oil, lemon juice and garlic lowered HA levels in grilled chicken by as much as 90 per cent, a study found.

Cooking meat on lower heat and for a shorter period of time also prevents dangerous levels of HAs forming.

Research into reducing levels of HAs in cooked food comes after a series of studies have shown links between meat consumption and cancer.

Last year a landmark report on the causes of the disease published by the World Cancer Research Fund claimed that eating any processed meat, such as sausages, bacon and ham, significantly raises the risk of contracting bowel cancer.

Its report urged shoppers to avoid processed meats and advised eating a maximum of 1.1lb (500g) of cooked red meat a week.

Five Dangerous Drug Combinations You Need to Avoid

Note to seniors (and anyone else) mixing prescriptions with painkillers and/or their favorite dietary supplements: Don't do it until you check with your doctor to make sure they don't interact to cause you harm. A new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that 1 in 25 people in their late 50s and older is risking dangerous drug interactions by mixing, for example, the blood thinner warfarin with garlic pills.

That's right, garlic pills are drugs. So, too, are potassium and niacin supplements. At least you should think of them that way, says study coauthor Stacy Tessler Lindau, an assistant professor of medicine-geriatrics at the University of Chicago School of Medicine. Some of the most common drug-mixing mistakes made by patients participating in the study:

  • warfarin and simvastatin (Zocor): increased risk of bleeding problems like bleeding ulcers, rectal bleeding, and easy bruising; also increases the possibility of statin side effects like muscle pain and muscle tissue death. (Statin-related pain is a serious problem; here are seven reasons not to dismiss it.)

  • niacin and either atorvastatin (Lipitor) or simvastatin (Zocor): increased risk of muscle pain or muscle tissue death

  • lisinopril (Zestril, Prinivil) and potassium: increased risk of hyperkalemia, a dangerous elevation of potassium that can lead to heart attacks or even death

  • ginkgo and aspirin: increased risk of bleeding problems

  • garlic pills and warfarin: increased risk of bleeding problems

Given that more than half of older adults take five or more prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or dietary supplements every day, the likelihood of mixing at least two substances that shouldn't be mixed is pretty high.

What to do?

  • Try to obtain all your prescription medications through the same pharmacy or pharmacy chain . A computer software program will cross-check your meds to make sure none of them cause dangerous interactions with the others. Unfortunately, there's no universal database shared by all pharmacies. There's also no way to log in all the supplements and OTC remedies you're taking.

  • Purchase all over-the-counter products at the pharmacy counter of the drugstore. "This will remind you to check with the pharmacist before you make the purchase to make sure you can safely take it with your other medications," says Lindau.

  • Tell your doctor about any supplements you're taking. Many still don't ask, so the onus is on you to reveal whatever you're taking. You can also do a quick check of the government-run Medline Plus database to see which drugs and supplements don't mix.

Foolproof Black & Decker LI4000 SmartDriver Screws Perfectly Every Time

Using a screw guide to keep fasteners on track, the Black & Decker Ll4000 SmartDriver might help that special poseur carpenter in your life who's nothing but thumbs.

Because in addition to the typical magnetic drill bits that save sanity and screws from falling between the cracks of your current project, the 3.6-volt, Lithium-Ion battery powered SmartDriver also has a little extended arm that holds the screw in place while you work. Add in an LED work light and a six speed clutch and you have a pretty indispensable little gift, should you be a butterfingers handy man.

Pay no attention to the wacky $4,000 Amazon price tag—the SmartDriver supposedly only retails for about $40.

Microsoft Allegedly Knew Xbox 360 Was Scratching Discs

Unsealed documents in a lawsuit over an Xbox 360 that repeatedly scratched a dude's games suggest that Microsoft knew all about the problem, but rejected all three possible solutions prior to the 360's launch.

Of course, this isn't exactly shocking—Dean Takahashi revealed just how startlingly troubled the Xbox 360 was from the get-go. Hiro Umeno, a Microsoft program manager, said in a declaration about the disc-scratching problem that "This is ... information that we as a team, optical disc drive team, knew about. When we first discovered the problem in September or October (2005), when we got a first report of disc movement, we knew this is what's causing the problem."

The solutions considered—and rejected—were to increase the magnetic field of the disc holder (could've interfered with the disc opening and closing), slowing the disc speed (could've increased load time) and to install small bumpers (too expensive, costing between $35 million and $75 million).

Instead, they went with a warning in the manual not to move the console with the discs still inside, a warning that Microsoft itself thought was insufficient, according to an internal email. A consultant for the plaintiff notes that Sony and Nintendo "almost always incorporate the possibility that a console could be moved while a disc is rotating inside in the designs of their products."

Majel Barret: The Voice of the Enterprise Dies

Majel Barret joined her husband Gene Roddenberry Where Many People Have Gone Before. Maybe you think you don't know her, but you do.

You have heard her voice many times: She was the voice of the Enterprise's computer. She died on December 18th, 2008 age 76.

The First Lady of Star Trek, as she was known, married Roddenberry in Japan in August 1969, after the end of the original Star Trek TV series. She also worked in other TV shows, like Bonanza, The Untouchables, and The Lucy Show, with Lucille Ball. She also was the voice of the USS Enterprise in every single movie and TV episode of Star Trek.

She then returned in The Next Generation, trying to take the underpants off Jean Luc Picard as Ambassador Lwaxana Troi, and returned to the screen in Deep Space Nine, where she was actually able to take off the underpants of Constable Odo.

Her last work in the Star Trek universe was was two weeks ago, reprising her role as the voice of the mighty Federation ship for the new Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams.

Nanoparticles Will Make Your Teeth Too Slick For Bacteria


Using a polishing technique previously employed in the semiconductor industry, a professor has discovered that it's possible to make a tooth too slick to have bacteria stick to. For reals.


The professor and his student have shown that "bad" bacteria cannot stick to the surface, which is great, since it's the type of bacteria that cause dental bills. Teeth polished with nanoparticles still may have bacteria on it, but from what we’re reading, can be easily removed. Easier than with brushing, or else this thing isn't really an advance at all.

PS3 Cheaper Than Ever to Make, Sony Still Losing Money on Every One


Making a PS3 today costs Sony less than half of what it did at launch—$445, down from $840. And Sony, wouldn't you know, still loses a bucketful of money on every system.

So, at launch, the PS3 cost Sony about $840 to make, according to iSuppli, and they sold them for $599, resulting in a tidy loss of $200 a pop. By stripping out over 1200 parts and features like PS2 backward-compatibility, Sony has cut their costs to just $445 per PlayStation 3. Which they sell for 400 bucks, meaning they still lose about $45 a system.

That, friends, is why you didn't see a cheap PS3 for Christmas, and why you won't see one until deeper into next year at the earliest, even as the Xbox 360 outsold it 3-to-1 on Black Friday.

Nano-Sized Semiconductor Dots Could Fix Your Terrible Vision


New Scientist reports that researchers at the University of Colorado came up with this crazy idea that if they inject semiconductor nanoparticles in your retinas, photons will make them glow, thus improving your vision.

These quantum dots, as they're referred to, would theoretically fluoresce when hit by light packets, and serve as a light amplifier for retinal images. The patent says early tests on rats have been successful, as they showed improved vision over the control group. The upside is that this solution requires no power source, and can target specific areas of the retina, making it more of a reality than bionic eyes or begging for an eye cam.

Eyeglasses With Fluid-Filled Sac for World's Poor Are Instantly Adjustable


British Inventor Josh Silver has developer a pair of eyeglasses that are instantly adjustable. They've got a liquid-filled sac in the middle—add more fluid to make the glasses stronger, deflate to weaken them.

The no-optician-required glasses rely on the principle that the fatter a lens is, the more powerful it comes, so by pumping in or sucking out fluid, the glasses can be instantly tailored to the right strength.

They're so simple to adjust that practically anyone can do it. So far the only complaint with the glasses is that they're kind of ginormous—which kind of goes with having specs that operate on the coke-bottle glasses principle and have a fluid-filled membrane sitting in the middle of the lens.

Stacking Food on Animals

Japanese Treadmill

In The Lap of The Gods

Seat your butt in the lap of the Gods. Introducing the Jesus chair, because a cross would have been too uncomfortable.

Coca Cola Doesn’t Prevent Unwanted Pregnancy


Coke may be it, but it isn’t an effective spermicide, according to a new study by serious doctors in white coats.

Coca-cola was used as an after-sex spermicide in America until the 1960s, and is still used by many women in third world countries today as an after-sex douche.

The Harvard research team found that Coca-Cola was only able to immobilize only 30 percent of the sperms within an hour. Ironically coca-cola douches increase the forward velocity of healthy sperm by almost 18 cm/hour, actually increasing the chances of striking a baby using the method.

The other bad news, like teeth the Coke also damages the vagina, increasing the risk of getting cavities catching sexually transmitted diseases.

Excuse Me, There’s a Freeway In My Building


So this is what happens when you have two stubborn parties come together. The Hanshin Expressway takes a shortcut through the 5th and 7th floors of the Fukushima Gate Tower; also known as the Bee Hive. Apparently back in 1992; when this conglomeration of road and building came together, the building owner wanted to tear down the old building and rebuild. However the city planners had already allocated that space for the expressway.

This is the agreement they came to when neither party wanted to change their plans.

Coffee Shrinks Breasts


Damn you, Starbucks: Too much coffee can cause a woman’s breasts to shrink, according to a new study.

The research, conducted at Sweden’s Lund University, found gals who drank as few as three cups of joe a day had measurable effects. (I tried to apply for the “official measurer” job, but they never responded to my application.) The scientists believe about half of all women have a random gene that causes the coffee-breast connection. In those women, they believe, the cup size goes down with every cup downed.

“They will get smaller, but the breasts aren’t just going to disappear,” says Helena Jernstroem, an experimental oncology lecturer at Lund University.

Just when we thought we’d come up with a great new game, though, the researchers nixed our idea:

“Anyone who thinks they can tell which women are coffee drinkers just from their bra measurements will be disappointed,” Jernstroem insists. “The problem is that there are two measures for a bra, the cup size and the girth, so you wouldn’t be able to tell.”

Up and Eat Them


CIA agents are using a potent new weapon to aid the fight against the Taliban – Viagra pills.

The sex-boost drug is being used to bribe Afghan tribal warlords in return for vital intelligence information.

The elderly chiefs often have up to four wives to keep happy – and one ex-CIA agent in Afghanistan revealed how a 60-year-old warlord was persuaded to assist Coalition forces after they offered to ensure he was up to the task.

The chief had extensive knowledge of the area and controlled key passages, but was reluctant to help. US forces won his loyalty by handing over four blue pills after a medical check-up.

When troops returned four days later, the satisfied chief happily spilled the beans on Taliban movements and supply routes.

The CIA agent said: “He came up to us beaming. He said, ‘You are a great man.’

“After that, we could do whatever we wanted in his area.”

Bribing chiefs with medicine and school supplies has been standard practice since the Coalition entered Afghanistan in 2001.

Jamie Smith, another retired CIA agent, said: “You’re trying to bridge a gap between people living in the 18th Century and people from the 21st. So you look for those common things that motivate people everywhere.”

Kiat Menghindari Penipuan


Di sebuah tempat Anda sedang ditawari untuk membeli suatu keanggotaan sebuah klub. Si penjual mengatakan bahwa klubnya bonafid di mana sudah ada 10.000 orang yang bergabung. Tidak lupa sambil mengobral segala kelebihan produknya si penjual juga menjanjikan bahwa dengan ikut klub akan lebih murah daripada bila Anda membeli produk serupa di tempat lain. Apalagi ada iming-iming bahwa bila bergabung hari itu, dengan harga yang sama Anda akan mendapat level keanggotaan yang lebih tinggi. Karena tergoda akhirnya Anda memutuskan untuk ikut klub tersebut.

Keesokan harinya saat membaca kontrak Anda menyadari ada banyak hal yang tidak sesuai dengan perkataan si penjual semalam. Namun yang terutama karena setelah Anda hitung kembali akan membuat fasilitas klub menjadi jauh lebih mahal karena adanya klausul mengenai biaya tahunan.

Sebagai orang terdidik hal pertama yang Anda lakukan tentunya menghubungi bagian layanan pelanggan atau bahasa kerennya member service. Setelah mendengar keluhan Anda yang panjang itu akhirnya pihak member service mengatakan bahwa dia berpegang pada kontrak yang sudah Anda tandatangani. Nasi sudah menjadi bubur Anda mencoba menghibur diri Anda dan berpikir ada 10.000 orang lagi yang senasib dengan Anda.

Cerita di atas bukanlah barang baru di negeri kita. Ada banyak kejadian serupa di mana pembeli tidak mendapatkan barang sesuai janji penjual dan kejadian ini akan berulang terus karena lemahnya perlindungan terhadap konsumen dari perusahan-perusahaan nakal yang memanfaatkan hukum di sini. Bukan tidak mungkin dalam masa resesesi di tahun 2009 ini kasus-kasusnya akan meningkat karena perusahaan akan menggunakan segala macam cara agar produknya terjual.

Lantas bagaiman cara kita melindungi diri dari perusahaan-perusahaan nakal tadi? Seperti yang telah Anda baca di atas pihak perusahaan berkelit di balik kontrak yang sudah Anda paraf. Hal yang serupa justru dapat Anda gunakan yaitu dengan membuat kontrak untuk Anda sendiri.

Caranya amat mudah dan hanya membutuhkan dana Rp 6.000 saja dalam bentuk materai dan selembar kertas. Sebetulnya hal ini terinspirasi saat sedang memperbaiki hape nokia. Saat itu seorang pegawai memberikan keterangan yang tidak biasa. Lantas saat ditanya balik apakah hal itu merupakan jawaban resmi nokia, si pegawai langsung balik badan menemui atasannya dan kembali sambil memohon maaf dengan memberikan jawaban yang lebih masuk akal. Well done nokia.

Kembali ke materai. Pada saat si penjual bercerita mengenai produknya catatlah semua hal-hal penting di selembar kertas kosong. Jangan malu untuk cerewet bertanya tentang segala hal karena ini menyangkut uang Anda. Gunakan juga insting Anda. Setelah selesai bacakan kembali pernyataan-pernyataan dan jawaban si penjual. Bila semua sudah benar, ini adalah saatnya bagi Anda mengeluarkan materai tadi. Mintalah si penjual untuk menandatangani kertas yang sekarang sudah bermaterai. Di sini Anda akan melihat wujud asli si penjual.

Dengan melakukan hal tersebut Anda telah melakukan proteksi bila di kemudian hari ada hal-hal yang tidak sesuai dengan janj-janji saat pembelian. Bahkan bisa dijadikan bukti kuat untuk mendapatkan seluruh uang Anda kembali. Jadi mulai saat ini selalu siapkan materai di dompet Anda.