Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A group of Dutch research scientists led by an Associate Professor of Gynaecology, has found its particularly useful for another kind of scan too - scanning couples having sex.

Professor Willibrord Weijmar Schultz and colleagues from University Hospital Groningen in the Netherlands recruited eight couples and three single women over the past ten years and scanned them making love in thirteen different episodes. The experiment was written up in The British Medical Journal and apparently has been the most-read article ever published in that prestigious magazine. Why do this? From the abstract -

To find out whether taking images of the male and female genitals during coitus is feasible and to find out whether former and current ideas about the anatomy during sexual intercourse and during female sexual arousal are based on assumptions or on facts.

The research team found that the imaging showed that during female sexual arousal the uterus raises and the front of vaginal wall lengthens. There was no evidence of an increase in the volume of the uterus during sexual arousal, or a change in the position of the uterus, as had been reported by Masters and Johnson in the 1960s.

They also found that during intercourse in the "missionary position" the penis is neither straight nor "S" shaped as had been previously thought, but is, in fact, the shape of a boomerang.

Holy Moly Batman! Who would have thought it? A boomerang.

Professor Shultz also comments on a famous drawing by Da Vinci - showing a cross-section of a couple having sex - saying that it's anatomically wrong - the penis is too straight for one thing.

The Renaissance sketch shows a transparent view of the anatomy of sexual intercourse as envisaged by the anatomists of his time. The semen was supposed to come down from the brain through a channel which can be seen in the spine of the man. In the woman the right lactiferous duct is depicted as originating in the right female breast and ending in the genital area. Even a genius like Leonardo da Vinci distorted men's and women's bodies---as seen now---to fit the ideology of his time and to the notions of his colleagues, who he paid tribute to.

He also notes that the drawing is owned by the Queen of England and is housed in the Royal Collection at Windsor castle. Click on the thumbnail to the right -

I'm guessing we won't see a repeat of this experiment with homosexual couples. But I do wonder if anyone has done an MRI of someone defecating or urinating. That would be quite interesting - don't you think? Or does this disgust you? Discuss.

Update: Incredible! I just found a video of a MRI scan of a guy defecating.

Ho White

Anything But Sweet - The Foundry "Our partnership with Jamieson Brewery started with the redesign of their logo and the launch of Raspberry Ale. While getting our hands dirty with Raspberry Ale, we soon recognised that this beer was in fact ‘Anything but Sweet’. So we challenged the consumer’s notion of what this beer was, and created a striking campaign around this line. The strong packaging design and cheeky nature of the advertising work, hand in hand to create a truly unique brand identity, and so another brand transformation has begun."

That should probably read "And so another Disney lawsuit has begun.

Here's a link to the cache of AnythingButSweet.com and Ho White & The Seven Dwarves

MacSpeech Dictate Version 1.5.5

But there's another reason I bought this Voice Recognition Software - I like to have a conversational tone to all my copy - like I'm talking one on one to you. And I find if I dictate straight into MacSpeech or similar, it sounds natural. They claim 99% accuracy but I didn't believe that for a minute. And I still don't. But the results are pretty good. I've written about it here - MacSpeech Dictate Version 1.5.5 Review

So, you know, "when in Rome" Harry Connick Jnr.

Pharaoh's Club Poker Chips New Release

BTW did you see that old "The Mint" clay chip that sold on eBay last month? A $5 chip went for $14,100. Woman had it in her jewelry box for 47 years.

Pharaoh's Club Poker Chips.

Poker Chips

Illegal poker chips sometimes come up for auction on eBay. There was one there in July but none at the moment. Poker Chip collecting is very popular. A rare $5 Vegas casino chip from "The Mint" sold recently on eBay for $14,100 after lying in a woman's jewelry box for 47 years.

Pharaoh's Club Poker Chips Set to Break Sales Records Again

In a press conference following his release from prison on Tuesday, Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who infamously threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, has demanded that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki apologize to him, and accused the Iraqi authorities of torture.

Al-Zaidi was taken straight to the al-Baghdadiya office following his release from prison where, during a press conference, he said "I call for al-Maliki to apologize for withholding the truth from the people, for at the time when he (al-Maliki) said that he could not sleep until he was reassured of my fate…I was suffering the most hideous kinds of torture from being given electric shocks, and being beaten with cables and metal rods."

Al-Zaidi added "They [the guards] left me in the morning, handcuffed, and in a place with no protection from the cold, after being immersed in water from dawn. This is why I will talk about the names of those involved in my torture, and this includes State officials and officials in the army."

During this press conference, al-Zaidi, who had grown a beard and was wearing a dark suit and tie, also said "I am now free, but my country is still captive. I would like to thank all those who stood beside me from the honorable people in my country and [throughout] the Arab and Islamic world."

Al-Zaidi also revealed "There is the fear inside me that the CIA will monitor me and may eliminate me physically, socially, or professionally."

Muntazer al-Zaidi, who was released on good behavior after serving three quarters of his sentence, also said that "the CIA or its affiliates in Iraq will spare no effort to eliminate me."

Al-Zaidi said that he had no concrete proof that the CIA would monitor him, and that this is just an "expectation" on his part.

Al-Zaidi also revealed that during his stay in prison, he was not held in solitary confinement but rather with the general prison population, and that during this time he received news from his lawyer and members of his family.

When asked about his motivation for throwing his shoes at former President George W. Bush, al-Zaidi said that he considered this to be a "normal reaction to what the Occupation [forces] were doing inside Iraq."

Al-Zaidi, who seemed tired, and who lost a tooth and suffered a broken nose during his time in prison, said that he did not throw his shoes at former President Bush in order to "go down in history" but that he wanted to reflect the images seen in the Iraqi street every day [under US occupation], particularly with regards to the fear, killings, and intimidation caused by the occupying forces.

History of Communications
Early TV Images: click for more information about these images

Most people know that if they watch television the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is part of their life due to its role in regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable.

What people may not recognize is the extent to which every area of their life is intertwined with the communications technologies the FCC has responsibility to regulate. For example, because almost all electrical and electronic equipment emits radio frequencies, FCC equipment authorization rules protect you when:

*

Your child plays with a radio-controlled airplane,
*

Your teenager upstairs sends their homework assignment to the printer downstairs via your new wireless home network,
*

Your toll fee is automatically deducted from the little plastic box attached to your windshield without having to stop at the booth,
*

You swipe your credit card at the gasoline pump,
*

You push the button on your garage door opener,

*

You heat your breakfast waffle in the microwave,
*

The cashier at the coffee shop rings up your favorite morning drink using an electronic cash register and inventory control system,
*

The local video store contacts its remote, central computer network to find out if you have enough bonus points to qualify for a free rental,
*

You lock your car with your remote entry system,
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You activate your home alarm system before going to bed.

Richard Jalichandra Please Call Home

BTW I would have rung you on your shoe-phone number if I had it. David Sifry gave me his last time this happened and I would have sent an email to your private email addie like David Sifry - if I had it. But this is more fun don't you think? There again - you're not David Sifry. You're Richard Jalichandra. And maybe you're not "hands-on" like David was. We'll see.

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