- Google has already created a way to help blind people drive, so what’s next in its quest for world domination? Something called “Project Glass,” that’s what. Google unveiled the project Wednesday, introducing the world to augmented reality eyeglasses that keep Google services on hand at all times. Still in the development stage, the glasses will have the capability to display messages, chats, appointments, weather and maps right in users’ field of vision so Google can further control a person’s life. In a video the company posted on Google+ Wednesday (and yes, Google employees are still the only ones actually using Google+), a user is shown going through his day wearing the glasses. He wears the contraption while eating breakfast and meeting with a friend. He looks like a tool in all of them, but at least he’s connected to his digital life. Pictures on the site show people modeling the specs, which consist largely of a thin silver band that runs across their foreheads and a small screen over their right eye. Where the glasses could be useful is doing a task like following walking directions without having to constantly look down at your phone. Also, being able to quickly share images and views without having to stop, snap a shot with your phone’s camera and upload it is appealing, but is it all worth looking like a complete tool who was a rejected extra in the next “Terminator” movie…………
- So, traveling in Yemen is fun right about now. In a world where the airport is already a nightmare no matter where in the world you may be, the experience became that much tougher Saturday when gunmen loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh attacked the country's main airport with mortars, forcing authorities to cancel flights. Officials at Sanaa International Airport confirmed that the former commander of Yemen's air force had warned he would bring down any civilian aircraft departing or arriving the airport unless his demands are met. That’s right, this kook is threatening to shoot down planes unless he gets what he wants. The kook in question would be Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar, one of several relatives of the former president who were replaced in a major military shakeup. Al-Ahmar refused to give up his post, even though he was given a new position as assistant to the minister of defense in Friday's presidential decree. He either wants to remain in the air force or is simply being disagreeable for the sake of being disagreeable, but either way he’s causing problems. What exactly does he want? The removal of three opposition military officials their military posts along with him, that’s what. Otherwise, he’s going to raise hell. Because of the threats, the airport was not allowing flights to arrive or depart the country. The temper tantrum from al-Ahmar came just hours after Friday's shakeup was announced in a statement by a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington and attributed to current President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. "President Hadi promised major change in the military, and tonight that promise was delivered," said Mohammed Albasha, the embassy spokesman. "This is the biggest military shakeup in modern Yemen history." The response to the shakeup was swift and angry, as a senior opposition leader's residence was heavily shelled within minutes of the announcement. Because of that response, the infuriatingly long wait at baggage claim is no longer the biggest inconvenience at Sanaa International Airport………..
- In a move Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Helen Keller all saw coming, Florida International has fired Basketball Hall of Famer Isaiah Thomas as his head coach. Thomas’ stint at FIU was essentially dead in the water when Provost Richard Berkman screwed up his name at Thomas’ introductory press conference, instead calling him “Isaiah Thompson.” Thomas/Thompson should have quit on the spot and caught the first plane out of the Sunshine State, but he stayed and his tenure ended disastrously for all involved. Instead, he stuck around with what could only be characterized as a divided focus and was fired Friday after his teams went 26-65 in his three seasons. His dismissal stood in stark contrast to the pride and swagger around his hiring in 2009, when FIU director of sports and entertainment Pete Garcia proudly said, "No one thought we could pull this off.” Pull it off they did, and the Panthers also pulled off three straight losing seasons under Thomas. The school axed him in a simple written statement. "We want to thank Isaiah Thomas for his three years here at FIU," Garcia said. "However, we have decided to take the program in a different direction." Amazingly, Thomas claimed to be stunned by the firing, even on the heels of an 8-21 season. "This is the most surprising thing that has happened to me in basketball," Thomas said. "I have never been fired before for basketball reasons. This is the first time.” On the surface, there seems to be no way he could be surprised, but dig deeper and the puzzle begins to make sense. This is the same Isaiah Thomas who took over the New York Knicks, became the team’s president, butchered its salary structure by burdening it with ridiculous contracts, was sued for sexual harassment by a former employee and was finally sentenced, er, assigned to coach the team he had so poorly assembled in one last-ditch attempt by his owner and BFF/enabler James Dolan to keep him around. Instead, the Knicks bombed out again and Thomas was fired, leaving FIU to swoop in and hire the former All-Star, Olympic gold medalist and hall of famer. The amount of second and third chances the Knicks gave him may have led Thomas to believe that everyone would be so forgiving. Even after wrecking the Knicks’ salary cap, creating a mismatched roster full of players who played the same position, incurring a sexual harassment lawsuit and turning some of the best fans in basketball against their own team, Dolan desperately wanted to keep Thomas around. Even FIU gave him three years to prove himself and he failed to do so. But hey, at least there were none of the "Fire Isiah!" chants that were common at Madison Square Garden during his 56-108 tenure as the coach. Oh, there was also Dolan attempting to hire Thomas back WHILE he was at FIU, with Thomas accepting a job as a consultant with the team in August 2010 only to decline one week later when the NBA reminded him that such a deal was against league rules. All in all, a true feel-good story…………
- One weekend, not far in the future, “The Hunger Games” won’t be the top-earning movie at the box office. This was not that weekend. For the third time in as many weeks of release, “Hunger Games” snagged the top spot. Its $33.5 million effort was its smallest to date, but also pushed the film past the $300 million barrier in domestic earnings with $302.8 million. “American Pie” sequel “American Reunion” (there is no shortage of words you can put “American” in front of and crank out a sequel!) was second with $21.5 million in its debut. The resurfacing “Titanic” in 3-D form was third and along with torturing boyfriends, husbands and fiancés everywhere, it made $17.4 million for its first weekend back in theaters. It bested “Wrath of the Titans,” which was fourth with $15 million. “Mirror Mirror” ranked fifth with $11 million, edging out “21 Jump Street” for the fifth spot. “Jump Street” was sixth with $10.2 million. “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” held strong in its sixth weekend of release, adding $5 million to its total to boost its cumulative haul to $198.2 million and counting. Limited release continued to be kind to “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” which finished eighth with $975,000 despite being in just 524 theaters. “John Carter” continued its terrible run with $820,000 to place ninth, giving the disappointing would-be blockbuster at $67.9 million in total earnings through five weeks. “Safe House” rounded out the top 10 with $588,000, while “Act of Valor” (No. 11), Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (No. 13) and “A Thousand Words” (No. 14) all falling out of the top 10………….
- Allow the elephants to inspire you, America. The elephants at the Honolulu Zoo have had a bit of a weight issue. Mari and Vaigai weighed in at more than 9,600 pounds not long ago and even for elephants, that was too much. What does an elephant do when it needs to lose weight? Move to a new home with more room to walk, that’s what. Five months after the zoo relocated Mari and Vaigai to a much larger new habitat, both have lost roughly 300 pounds. Sure, they weigh about 9,300 pounds each, but improvement is improvement. "They're better toned now because they walk a lot," said Robert Porec, the zoo's mammal curator. "300 pounds sounds like a lot to us, but that's about three percent of their body weight. So that's about six pounds for a 200 pound adult." The new elephant habitat is one and a half acres, about ten times larger than the previous one. The new exhibit cost city taxpayers roughly $12 million, so hopefully the taxpayers of Hawaii are extremely enthusiastic about elephant fitness. Porec credited the more spacious home as the primary reason Mari and Vaigai are moving around more. Zookeepers encourage their activity by spreading out their food, including hay, celery and other vegetables and fruits. "We scatter that food around so they have to forage for their food and eat their food. So they are moving a lot. There's a lot more exercise. The keepers do walk the elephants in the yard and the elephants do play in the pond," Porec said. Zoo veterinarian Dr. Ben Okimoto is excited about the weight loss and admits that both elephants needed to shed a few pounds. "In the past, both of them had been overweight from my estimation, so it's good that they have lost some weight," Okimoto explained. A king-sized scale made just for the elephants is also part of their new habitat. So weighin them is easier. However, the animal-rights kooks of "In Defense of Animals" still isn't satisfied, calling the elephants' new enclosure too small and out of date. Of course, the group has never actually seen the habitat in person or examined it………….
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