Huge Canyon Discovered Under Greenland’s Ice

According to BBC –

The canyon – which is 800km long and up to 800m deep – was carved out by a great river more than four million years ago, before the ice arrived. It was discovered by accident as scientists researching climate change mapped Greenland’s bedrock by radar. The British Antarctic Survey said it was remarkable to find so huge a geographical feature previously unseen. The hidden valley is longer than the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It snakes its way from the centre of Greenland up to the northern coastline and before the ice sheet was formed it would have contained a river gushing into the Arctic Ocean. Now it is packed with ice.

Continue reading HERE

 

Don’t Be Beef-Witted – 11 Obscure Words To Bring Back [video]

Being ‘The New Guy’ Is Always Hard [comic]

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The Arctic vs. The Antarctic [video]

How Old Are Your Ears? Hearing Test [video]

Breakfast In Crisis – The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist

I just discovered that 60% of Canada’s Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve disappeared last year. Apparently, news of this was hushed up to prevent a panic (just kidding).

According to BusinessWeek – On the morning of July 30, 2012, an accountant named Michel Gauvreau arrived at the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve, housed in a huge red brick warehouse on the side of the Trans-Canadian Highway in Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, about two hours northeast of Montreal. Inside, baby-blue barrels of maple syrup were stacked six high in rows hundreds deep. Full, each barrel weighs about 620 pounds. With grade A syrup trading at about $32 per gallon, that adds up to $1,800 a barrel, approximately 13 times the price of crude oil.

He scaled a row of barrels and was nearing the top of the stack when one of them rocked with his weight. He nearly fell. Regaining his balance, he rattled the barrel: It was light because it was empty. He soon found others that were empty. After notifying the Federation’s leaders and returning with them to examine the stockpile, they unscrewed the cap on a full barrel. The liquid inside was not goopy, brown, or redolent with the wintry scent of vanilla, caramel, and childhood; it was thin, clear, and odorless. It was water. The Federation would need two months to tally the losses to the stockpile. Sixty percent, or 6 million pounds of syrup, had vanished, worth about $18 million wholesale.

Continue reading HERE or HERE

 

Print Is Not Dead – It’s Just Retiring [video]

Better Check Craigslist Too [comic]

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My Opinion – The Future of Freeware

No review this time. Today, I’m presenting my opinion on how to improve the Windows freeware industry. I’m not a developer, just a user. In short, I propose saving the freeware business by destroying it ; charge a small amount ($.99 or $1.99), rather than giving it away. This is a successful model for phone apps and I believe that it could work for Windows software.

Why is this necessary?  Users love free stuff, but freeware developers need to be paid. In recent years, these two opposing positions have been satisfied by loading more and more crap into otherwise decent software. Users must tiptoe through a virtual minefield of “special offers” and spyware toolbars to install a simple utility. It is now common to see 2 or 3 pieces of crapware in the typical installer.

My solution – Remove all the garbage from the installers, offer the software with a short trial period and then charge a small license fee. Another possible solution could be subscriptions. When developers feel their work is worth more than $.99, charging $.99 per year may work. When the application is worthy, users are willing to pay a reasonable amount annually. Developers wanting the income stream to continue, will continue to improve the software. Everyone wins. Users get better software and developers get paid.

Will this happen? I doubt it. But, I want the developers to consider getting paid by their users, not the crapware marketers and being able to continue development on quality applications. This makes sense to me, but toolbars are so much easier.

If you have an opinion on the matter, or just think I’m full of it, you can leave a comment below.

Dan Kostecki

Read more FreeFile Reviews at DanKostecki.com

Get Off My Lawn! Real Old Complaints About The Younger Generation

Mental_floss collected a few very old examples of grouchy old farts complaining about the youngsters. From 1771 –

Whither are the manly vigor and athletic appearance of our forefathers flown? Can these be their legitimate heirs? Surely, no; a race of effeminate, self-admiring, emaciated fribbles can never have descended in a direct line from the heroes of Potiers and Agincourt…

Read all 15 HERE

1st Trip Outside For Laboratory Chimps Caged For 30 Years [video]

Dilbert Explains The NSA [comic]

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