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Today, I learned that my new parakeet hates her reflection, and will screech loudly day and night unless I take the mirror out. My other parakeet loves the mirror and constantly cries out when I remove it. I can't win. FML

On the plains and mountains of Peru, there you will find Viscacha. My cousin is the Chinchilla, but he has the ears that are stumpy, not tall and proud like Viscacha. But neither is Viscacha the bunny rabbit, for their tails are like, how you say, the puff powder, not long and curly like Viscacha.

When Viscacha is threatened, I emit a fearsome roar!

There are some who say that to sniff the fur of Viscacha produces the visions of beauty in the mind. But this is the nonsense.

Photos via: The Lost But Not Forgotten, the Cutest Paw, and the James Brunker.

(Video Link)

Now you can truly say “this video game is Kafka-esque” without sounding like a vapid hipster, because The Franz Kafka Video game is on its way to your Castle. You will feel the Metamorphosis as you attempt to survive The Trial of playing this game, deep in Contemplation about Amerika and The Judgment of your friends if you’re unable to beat the game.

This brainy game was developed by A Hunger Artist by the name of Denis Galanin, a Russian game developer whose previous game release was based on Hamlet and who would probably write A Letter To His Father if he ever stood Before The Law, accused of making a mindless game.

Via Geeks Of Doom

A person who prefers to view a live musical performance through the screen of his or her camera/phone, thus blocking the view of the concertgoers behind the camera.

"Dude, how was the Metallica concert last night?"
"They sounded great, but those fourth-row tickets I paid all that money for were pointless. I couldn't see Kirk Hamett's fingering because the cameragoer in front of me was filming the whole damn show on his iPhone!"
"Well, maybe you could at least check out what he filmed on YouTube."
"Naw. I checked. It wasn't even there. It's like he was just filming the whole time to validate his experience at the show."
"Whatta douche!"

Cooked baked is the only way to prepare paper…

Photo courtesy of Tor Jørund Pedersen.
Found in Beijing, China. 

Two of my favorite things in one pic.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman sang "Happy Birthday" to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, before competing in a basketball game arranged as part of the dictator's 31st birthday celebration.

In the above video, posted by Sky News on Wednesday, Rodman, wearing number 91, enters an arena filled with people in formal attire. The crowd begins to clap along as he sings "Happy Birthday" in his gruff voice. It also shows brief footage of the game itself and a post-game interview with the former NBA star.

"It's a very historical day today for everyone in the world to see that we can coexist with each other if we just take a deep breath and [observe] just how we look at certain things," Rodman said. "I think it went very well for everyone involved." Read more...

Pirate parties worldwide are known for their aversion of both on- and offline surveillance.

So, when the Swedish Pirate Party found out that their local intelligence agency FRA was helping the NSA to spy on Russian leaders, something had to be done.

Turning the tables on the spying agency, three members of the Swedish Pirate Party’s youth division drove up to FRA’s headquarters yesterday, hoping they could find out more about the agency’s secretive plans.

“No politician or FRA executive wants to tell the public what they actually are doing. So we thought that we need to do a bit of signal intelligence ourselves,” Gustav Nipe, Chairman of Young Pirate tells TorrentFreak.

Armed with a large antenna the Pirates parked their purple van a few meters outside the FRA building. However, before they could set up their surveillance rig armed guards came rushing in to put a stop to their plans.

Ready to spy

The ‘spies’ were held for 45 minutes while their vehicle was searched, with the guards filming every minute detail. The pirates were eventually released, but not before they were warned that any attempt to activate their equipment would lead to their arrest.

Looking back, the Young Pirate chairman is surprised that they were approached this aggressively, as they were not trespassing or carrying out any other type of illegal activity. “Everybody is allowed to scan the air for signals in Sweden,” Nipe tells TorrentFreak.

“It’s clear that FRA have something to hide, otherwise they wouldn’t have sent armed guards at us,” he adds.

Spying on the spies

The Pirates hope that their actions have at least helped to raise public awareness about the secret surveillance practices, and the fact that those who are responsible refuse to explain what they are doing, and why.

“It is up to us citizens to try to find out what is going on. Who and what is FRA spying on? Our constitution states that all public power emanates from the people, but when we are not entrusted to know what is done with this power, we need to seek the answers ourselves,” Nipe concludes.

Perhaps a drone may come in handy next time? That worked pretty well for the German Pirate Party.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing and VPN services.

Jason Evangelho / Forbes:
Dell Wasn't Joking About That 28-Inch Sub-$1000 4K Monitor; It's Only $699  —  Last month Dell launched a pair of UltraSharp monitors boasting 4K resolution, and dangled a sweet carrot in front of our early adopting paws: a forthcoming 28-inch Ultra HD monitor that would retail for less than $1000.

The 3DS is the first Nintendo handheld to pose region restrictions on all of its games from other regions. This keeps those who want to play games from Japan, for example, from doing so unless you own a 3DS device from Japan.

A group of 3DS owners think this is wrong and have found a way to get around the handheld's region-locking. The method is not a hack that will let you do anything (like play roms downloaded off the Internet, for example) but play games from other regions.

read more

The PS Now cloud has been the subject of debate since its announcement yesterday at CES 2014. It was said to finally allow something that Microsoft frowned upon in the early days of the next gen console wars; backwards compatibility.

The infamous quote came from Microsoft’s Head of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick, who said, “If you’re backwards compatible, you’re really backwards.”

Score another point for Sony, because they found a way to make the PlayStation 4 backwards compatible while Microsoft refuses to try.

However, this also might mean that the PS4 will have adopted the “always on” idea that Microsoft was reprimanded for. That’s how a cloud works in the field of technology. The cloud is a server-based hard drive used to store extra processes that would normally slow down the console itself, so the console has to be online to use it.

The PS Now cloud will take the online information and use it to provide a way to play games meant for PlayStation 3 and older Sony consoles on on your PS4. So what happens if your internet isn’t reliable enough to stream God of War or InFamous? Hopefully Sony will allow us to check the network to be sure it’s possible before we put money down on a game we can’t play.

Otherwise some gamers might turn back to the PlayStation 3 to play older games, just like they did with the PS4 Blu Ray player, as previously reported by The Inquisitr.

Shuhei Yoshida has stated already that he and Sony know that broadband internet may be problematic and unreliable, and it’s expected to be tested in a North America beta market this summer before it officially goes worldwide. As Sony pointed out early last year, they are listening.

Sony is providing the PS Now cloud using a service called Gaikai, which was reportedly meant to work like Steam, hosting video games ready for download and eliminating the physical disc altogether. This does indeed sound a lot like Microsoft’s vision of “the future,” being used by Sony with the added bonus of being able to play older games on PlayStation 4, PS3, and PS Vita.

Sony wouldn’t tell me if PlayStation Now is part of PS Plus. Not an encouraging sign, and I’m betting separate sub. http://t.co/H4IzlK2RQo

— Patrick Klepek (@patrickklepek) January 7, 2014

Gamers are still wary about whether the service will actually work, discounting it before Sony has even had a chance to test it and work out as many glitches as possible. Look at Grand Theft Auto V, for example. Rockstar knew that the game would not be without its problems, being the biggest online console launch in history, and like Sony is now, they told us there would be problems.

Are you willing to look past the inevitable initial problems like we did with Grand Theft Auto V? Is Sony making a big mistake using something similar to Microsoft’s initial idea to make the PS4 backwards compatible?

Sony is being cautious with the PS Now cloud service. Sony knows a lot can go wrong.

PS Now Cloud Gaming: The Pros And Cons is a post from: The Inquisitr News

Ohio police arrested Andrew Scott Boguslawski after discovering nearly 50 bombs inside his vehicle. The 43-year-old man was reportedly traveling 85 miles per hour when pulled over for speeding in Madison County. The Indiana native also had four guns in his possession during the arrest.

Andrew Scott Boguslawski is being held at the Tri-County Regional Jail on a $1 million bond and is a threat to the community, according to Assistant Madison County Prosecutor Nick Adkins. The suspect reportedly works at a Navy SEALS training facility in Indiana.

The Ohio official also had this to say about the man caught with nearly 50 bombs in his car:

“I think there is a significant threat to the public. Until we can sort through the facts of this case and what we have here and what his intent was, it is necessary to keep the public safe. He did not want to make any statement.”

Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper William Davis asked Boguslawski if there were any weapons inside the vehicle during the traffic stop. The Madison County Prosecutor stated that the question was posed due to some bumper stickers on the man’s car. One sticker read, “If you can read this, you’re in range.” Bogslawski told Trooper Davis there were no guns in the car. The officer went back to his cruiser, wrote a ticket and, upon his return, noticed the handle of a gun between the driver’s knees.

Trooper Davis quickly drew his service weapon and called for backup. When other officers arrived on the scene, Boguslawski was removed from the car and a search of the vehicle began. Ohio troopers found two rifles, two handguns, and 48 explosive devices along with materials and tools which are reportedly used for making explosive devices. The vast majority of the devices were not high tech, according to local officials, but officers did confiscate a remote detonating device.

Police investigators are currently delving into Boguslawski’s past. According to preliminary information published in the Madison-Press, the Indiana man does not have “any real criminal history.” His laptop and vehicle GPS system are being reviewed for potential clues about the Indiana man’s intent for the explosive devices.

The Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are now assisting with the investigation. The federal law enforcement agents are looking for any possible ties to terrorism activity or terrorist groups, according to The Blaze.

Boguslawski, a Morris Hill resident, has been charged with one count of illegal manufacture or possession of explosives, a second degree felony. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 10.

[Featured Image Via: Shutterstock.com]

Ohio Police Arrest Man Carrying 50 Bombs Inside Vehicle is a post from: The Inquisitr News