Dutch creationist Johan Huibers unveiled his replica of Noah’s Ark over the weekend, marking the first time anyone has seen the massive ship in roughly 4,000 years. Huibers, as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible, did most of the work with his hands. Construction first began in May 2005.

Referencing old biblical measurements, Johan’s ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide –two-thirds the length of a football field with the height of a three-story house. The ark is filled with life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals.

Although Johan’s replica is massive, Noah’s Ark as depicted in the Bible is five times bigger. Genesis says Noah kept seven pairs of most domesticated animals and one breeding pair of all other creatures, plus his wife, three sons and three daughters-in-law together on the boat for almost a year while the world was deluged.

Huibers says that he hopes his ark will renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands, where churchgoing has decreased largely over the last 50 years. I hope Huibers accomplishes this goal and more, as Christianity has been suffering around the world, particularly in European countries and the United States.

First off a little clarification. In my experience the good folks of the Northeast aren’t too familiar with the term “freeway,” as what I (a Californian) would call a freeway is referred to out here as a highway — given that they aren’t exactly free out here. I only mention this because on numerous occasions I’ve used the term and gotten several blank looks.

Now then, while a smoggy, congested freeway doesn’t exactly seem to be the most eco-friendly place, it could, in fact, be a global warming safe alternative to other energy sources like coal (assuming you discount the already-in-place pollution from all the cars driving on it).

Although still in the research phase, several students have drafted prototypes of various wind energy collection devices (think windmill) that they would like to see freeways retrofitted with. The devices range from overhead turbines that would collect energy from cars speeding by below, to barrier panels that would utilize the wind from near proximity vehicles speeding by on either side.

Overhead Turbine Prototype:

Barrier Panel Prototype:

The idea is that the wind energy collected would thereby be transformed into something useful that could be put toward powering nearby communities, rail systems or even intelligent billboards.

I think it’s a great idea let’s just see if it actually gets put to use or if it gets wasted away in a laboratory somewhere. Additionally, apart from powering cities and trains, how about some CO2 processing machines alongside the freeways that clean up some of the poisonous gases being emitted from the automobiles. Just a thought…

Iran’s Telecommunications Ministry announced over the weekend that it will begin screening mobile audio and video messages for “immoral” content matter. There no were details given on what techniques would be used to filter the messages, when screening would begin, or how “immoral” messages would be defined.

” … in order to prevent possible misuse of MMS, immoral actions and social problems, the Telecommunications Ministry will filter immoral MMS,” the television said.

Orders to conduct such privacy-intrusive activity came from the upper echelons of Iranian government, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, an organization set up in the aftermath of Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979. The council has instructed the ministry to purchase the equipment necessary to conduct such surveillance of its citizens.

And we thought big brother was only in the United States? This is another example of government censorship in Middle Eastern countries, where the ones who truly suffer are the civilians, held back from modernization due to their ruling elite. It’s truly a shame because I think if all countries were able to modernize to the level of the United States, the European Union, or the Asian Tigers, there would be a lot less violence in the world as countries would be more focused on mutual development and sustainment, rather than trying to control third world resources through force.

Yes, you read that title correctly, I have given up on my Sidekick 3 in favor of a Samsung t629. To those who are in utter shock, let me assure you this was not a spur of the moment decision, but rather the culmination of weeks and perhaps months of dissatisfaction. For those unaware of what we’re dealing with, here is a picture of the Sidekick 3:

And here is a picture of the Samsung t629:

OK now that we all know exactly what we’re dealing with, a good percentage of you might be asking yourself “why in the world would he do that?” The Sidekick 3 has a qwerty keyboard, bluetooth, email, HTML internet browser, etc., etc., and the Samsung t629 has, well, not all of that stuff. The answer is simple, really, the service.

Carin and I first got our Sidekick 3s as part of the family plan. The idea was that we were going over our minutes and messages every month talking to each other, so why not be able to communicate unlimited; makes sense. At first everything was great, minus the lackluster coverage at her house. However, a few months ago things started to go sour.

It began with me not getting text messages. Carin would ask me if I got her text and I’d respond with “huh, what text?” I would then get the text a day or two later. Fast forward to present day, and this had progressed to about 5% of all my text messages getting delayed by anywhere from 1-7 days. It didn’t end there.

I began to not be able to make phone calls. I would attempt to make an outgoing call and either it wouldn’t let me dial, or I would get the other person’s voicemail with them stating that the phone had never rung. Additionally, on a few occasions I received the message of “out of service” when attempting to call Carin. For the record, I pay the bill and have never missed a payment, her number is not out of service. Another strike.

It got to the point where it felt like a privilege to receive a text message or for a phone call to go through, and for $200/month, that doesn’t cut the mustard. The whole reason we got the plan was to communicate and I felt like it was hindering our ability to do so.

Thus, I aced the Sidekick 3, as Carin did so last month in favor of the Dash, but for the Samsung t629; which thus far has proven far superior in service and battery life, things I am definitely willing to sacrifice the qwerty keyboard for.

Why did I get such a low-end phone you ask? Sure, I could have gotten the Dash or the new Blackberry 8800, but any regular reader of my blog knows that I’m waiting for this.

P.S. The T-Mobile rep Carin and I deal with said to expect a new Sidekick X, or whatever it will be called, before the end of the year. It will be made by Motorola and will be very thin. He added that the leaked Sidekick 3 roadmap was “very real.”

Blogging has exploded over the past year or two and continues to grow more and more each month. I, for one, will concede that I thoroughly enjoy blogging. I started this site back in September as sort of a casual side activity. Now I’ve set up five additional blogs for co-workers and friends and have a large part of my office reading blogs and commenting daily.

But when did I/we cross the line from hobby to addiction? To answer that, Search Rank has put together an article that outlines 10 signs that you might be a blog addict:

• 1. Bloglines, Google Reader or some other RSS reader is constantly open on your computer’s desktop.
• 2. You tell customers that you missed a project deadline because “some things” came up but in reality, you were blogging.
• 3. You periodically dream that you are blogging.
• 4. You get inspiration for new blog posts at the strangest times - in the Jacuzzi, sitting on the toilet, during marital activities (cough, cough)… you get the picture.
• 5. Before blogs, you used to tuck the kids into bed at night. Now you check for unapproved blog comments before heading to bed yourself.
• 6. In order for your family to keep up with what’s going on in your life, they have to read your blog. Furthermore, if they want to communicate with you, they have to comment on your blog.
• 7. You have actually considered setting up a blog for your pet of which you would post the entries pretending you are your pet (weirdo).
• 8. You can’t remember dates for your wedding anniversary, kids birthdays, etc., but you know what your Technorati rank is.
• 9. You blog about anything and everything including bad meals, your pets, getting your car stuck in snow, conversations you have in the bathroom, etc.
• 10. Keeping a blog is no longer enough but you now have to record your every move on Twitter.

So there are the 10 signs, but do they apply to me? Let’s find out.

• Response to #1: Google Reader is set up at the very top of my personalized Google home page, so yes, guilty.
• Response to #2: Work always takes priority and blogging at work is a strict no-no, not guilty.
• Response to #3: I have awoken in the morning with fresh, new blog ideas in my head, guilty.
• Response to #4: Absolutely, guilty.
• Response to #5: I don’t have kids but I am always blogging or customizing my theme just before bed, so yes, guilty.
• Response to #6: I got my girlfriend Carin blogging now, guilty.
• Response to #7: I don’t have a pet, not guilty.
• Response to #8: I do pretty well at remembering dates, but I definitely know my Technorati ranking and Feedburner subscribers at all times, guilty.
• Response to #9: Without a doubt, guilty.
• Response to #10: You’ll notice my Twitter badge in the sidebar, guilty.

So 8 out of 10 guilty; I am 80% of a blog addict. There’s still some hope for me.

How do my fellow bloggers out there rack up?

In a sign that anti-Semitic behavior is only increasing in Europe, Haaretz is reporting that a young Jewish woman was attacked yesterday by unidentified Middle Eastern men in a train station in Marseilles. One observer described the attack the “worst anti-Semitic incident in France since the murder of Ilan Halimi” over a year ago.

David Roche, a Jewish Agency representative in touch with French officials, said the 22-year-old woman was attacked in the afternoon in when arrived at the metro station in the La Rose district of Marseilles, a community which consists primarily of Jews and Muslims.

Witness reports contend the events transcribed as follows:

According to reports, two unidentified men of Middle Eastern appearance approached the woman and began abusing her. At some point, they began hitting her, and one report states that she was dragged by the hair. When they saw a Star of David on her neck, they lifted her shirt and drew a cross on her abdomen. One of the witnesses said it was a swastika.

Police are actively investigating the the young woman is having a difficult time coping with what has happened to her, and is finding it difficult to open up to authorities.

This is a sad and tragic incident, not just for the girl, who will have a long and difficult emotional recovery, but also for all of us. Essentially what it has done is show that there are still those living 65 years ago who harbor anti-Semitic thoughts and will freely and willingly persecute the Jewish people. What’s more, the article didn’t specifically mention what religion the two unidentified men were but it clearly sought to suggest Islam. This could be an important step in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, because up until now the conflict has been mostly contained to the Middle East, where it has been their problem. However, if this attack is a sign of the times to come and the conflict moves across borders and regions and onto the international stage, then it becomes everyone else’s problem, and it would be interesting to see how countries would respond then.

At any rate, my heart goes out to this poor young Jewish woman who was attacked, and I am shameful at the step backwards that humanity has taken.

Back in January we had AskMen’s Top 99 Women 2007, today, almost exactly three months later we get FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2007. All-in-all I can’t say there are really too many surprises here, there is a lot of overlap between the two lists.

One notable exception is Beyonce, who AskMen listed as #1 but FHM put all the way down at #25. Apart from that, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Alba are in the top 3 on both lists, with Alba getting the top slot from FHM. And as to be expected, the three Brazilian Victoria’s Secret angels are all in the top 15 again.

Here are the top 15 according to FHM:

15. Jessica Simpson

14. Jennifer Love Hewitt

13. Kate Beckinsale

12. Mayra Veronica

11. Maria Sharapova

10. Marisa Miller - wonder if her iPod helped

9. Keira Knightley

8. Angelina Jolie

7. Adriana Lima

6. Jessica Biel

5. Alessandra Ambrosio

4. Gisele Bundchen

3. Scarlett Johansson

2. Katharine McPhee

1. Jessica Alba

So overall a bit different from the AskMen list, but definitely a lot of overlap. What do you think?

First off a big geek warning to any (especially female) readers. I came across this article that outlines 50 reasons why Star Wars is better than Star Trek, and I couldn’t agree more. Maybe as a big Star Wars fan I’m partial here, I’ll admit that, but honestly, what good has Star Trek provided us?

I’m not going to list all 50 here, but here are some of my favorites from the list:

• #5 - Light Sabers - possibly the greatest weapon of all-time
• #12 - The Gold Bikini - never did Star Trek provide anything as hot as Princess Leia in the gold bikini (think by the standards of when the movie came out — very risque)
• #24 - The Music - Beethoven himself didn’t produce anything so loved and recognizable by the masses
• #30 - C3PO Is Not Gay - he’s been seen courting lady robots
• #39 - The Samuel L. Jackson Factor - name one thing Samuel L. Jackson has done that isn’t awesome — you can’t

These are just a few of the 50 reasons as outlined in the article. I encourage any geeks reading this to read through the list and leave some of their own, however I won’t be surprised if my mainly female readership doesn’t feel inclined to comment on this one.

One of the most daunting tasks for any Wordpress blogger, particularly beginning bloggers, is picking out a theme for your blog. One can search weeks or months just to find a theme that is actually suitable, only to be unsatisfied a week later and back on the hunt.

This problem applies more to the non-tech savvy Wordpress users. To clarify, by non-tech savvy I mean bloggers with no programming experience (HTML, CSS, PHP), and by Wordpress users I mean bloggers who use Wordpress on their own domains, and not those with blogs hosted at Wordpress.com.

Tech savvy bloggers often create their own templates, giving attention to every minor detail so the end result is almost always to their liking. Non-tech savvy users, on the other hand, are forced to search around for Wordpress themes if they are not satisfied with the default Kubrick theme.

The problem with using someone else’s template is that quite often it won’t be up to your standards in terms of what your ideal Wordpress theme would contain. And, without any coding knowledge, they’re basically stuck between a rock and a hard place and are forced to settle for less.

All is not lost! There is a Wordpress theme generator that makes creating your own theme as easy as customizing your MySpace profile (if you can’t customize a MySpace profile, you probably shouldn’t be blogging). The generator gives bloggers the ability to choose what they want and where to put it. Such properties which can be specified are: site name or logo, body size, sidebar location and size, menu layout, background scheme, text scheme and distribution. Within each of these properties are numerous sub-properties which can also be defined.

I’ve yet to try this thing out but perhaps I will give it a whirl on Carin’s blog. Otherwise, please let me know if any of you play around with it and post links to what you’ve created.

By far one of the coolest Wiimote hacks I’ve seen so far: