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This Facebook group, For Every 1,000 that join this group I will donate $1 for Darfur, is so sad. One, it is just an exploitation of one person’s desire to become known (big) while hiding behind a good cause. Two, it is a good cause that is dependent on a stupid impulse of thought — that impulse being that a certain amount of money will only be donated if a certain amount of people join the group. But don’t think that I doubt for a second that this group does raise awareness for the Darfur region. I mean, the proof is right here because I’m writing about it after having seen this group. I’m just not a big fan of the group’s way of going about the business. And why isn’t there a chosen organization for the donations to go to???
Save Darfur for more related info. I guess you can read the Darfur Conflict Wikipedia entry too if you want.

In somewhat related news: UNICEF’s school-in-a-box is actually quite a great idea.

One of UNICEF’s top priorities in any emergency is to get students back to school—after natural disasters strike or in conflict situations. In school, children can learn to understand what is happening around them. The familiar routines of daily education also help children recover a sense of normalcy and safety.

But what if the children’s school itself has been damaged? UNICEF sends a “school-in-a-box.”

The purpose of the kit is to ensure the continuation of children’s education in the first 72 hours of an emergency. Every country affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami received school-in-a-box kits, as did communities in the U.S. Gulf Coast affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

Inside the box

In addition to basic school supplies, such as exercise books, pencils, erasers and scissors, the kit also includes a wooden teaching clock, plastic cubes for counting and a set of three laminated posters (alphabet, multiplication and number tables). The kit is supplied in a locked aluminum box, the lid of which can double as a blackboard when coated with a special paint included in the kit.

Do watch the video of the school-in-a-box if you want to see it at work.

The Leica M8 is the perfect combination of classic styling and modern technology in one fantastic package. And it’s funny that as I get attached to the Leica Digilux 2, the Digilux 3 comes out. Holy moly, Panasonic sensor or not, these cameras are sexy. By the way, Parsons gave me a very nice red little Leica mousepad. I’m using it now. It is awesome.

Canon released several new compact digitals last week. Many of them feature Canon’s latest DIGIC III image processor which should translate to some good photos. But it’s funny not to see the Powershot Pro 1 on that page anymore. You can see some hi-res product photos of the new cameras here.
If you have’t already heard, Canon is celebrating 10 years of great digital cameras on their digital ELPH line (you probably own/ed one or you know somebody who has) by auctioning off 10 diamond-encrusted SD630’s! The shiny 10 cameras will be sold on eBay and all the proceeds will go to the Red Cross!

Umm, if you’re really bored, here’s an amusing list of Wikipedia entries you can go through and read:

• Waffle House
• Christopher Robin and the 100-acre Wood
• Dairy Queen history

Oh man, the folks at Laptop ventured out in Manhattan to get some public reaction to Dell’s XPS M2010 20-inch screen laptop (yep, a 20-inch laptop)! The unit is monstrous next to a typical-sized laptop and the reactions recorded from the public are kinda funny. [via]

Wow, this photo of a dude surfing Japan’s typhoon waves is totally crazy.

I wish I could’ve gone to Banksy’s “Barely Legal” show in L.A., California. The live painted elephant is really what I’m talking about. A simple search in Flickr will yield plenty of results. But nothing is quite like actually being there.

I hope you make (or order) me a cake like this Super Mario Cake when we get married! ARE YOU HEARING THIS??!! :D This whole thing was edible except for the figurines of Mario and Peach at the top. [via]

Only 4 years old?!

That video reminds me…I have no idea what to do or where to put my drumset when I move! ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE HELPFUL! Or, if you want to make a good investment, I’ll sell my drumset for a cheap 30 grand. It’s a steal.

I’ve finally found the word that describes being born on the dates that either end or start a sign on the Zodiac! My real birthday is October 23, which generally falls on the last day of Libra or the first day of Scorpio, depending on which Zodiac chart you look at. It turns out that my birthday just happens to fall on a “cusp” in the Zodiac. I am called a “Libra/Scorpio cuspian” and I am one of the most powerful character combinations of the Zodiac. Hahaha! Shoot, I feel like fusing with someone like they do in Dragon Ball.

Persons born “on the line” between two Zodiac Signs partake of qualities found in both Signs or, more strictly speaking, have a blend of traits that may compose an individual nature. Due to variations in astrological calendars, this may became apparent during the last few days of a departing Sign, but the “cusp” (as it is termed) pertains chiefly to the first week of the incoming Sign. While the new Sign is gaining its ascendancy, the influences of the old will persist but gradually loses its hold day-by-day until, by the seventh day, the new Sign is in complete control.

Thanks D.Takagi for finding that!

Ok, back to work! GOODBYE!