XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Thursday 10 January 2013

Would You Buy An iPotty To Toilet Train Your Toddler? -

Would You Buy An iPotty To Toilet Train Your Toddler? - 
ces 2013 gadgets


In many ways, the iPotty -- one of the many wacky products to come out of CES 2013 -- was bound to happen. Toddlers are tech-savvy. Moms and dads turn to apps for help with toilet training. And yes, a fair number of adults use gadgets in the bathroom.

And yet...

More than a few parents are questioning if it's necessary to set your child up with a potty that is also an iPad stand. Couldn't a board book suffice in this instance? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids avoid screen time before the age of 2 -- and limit their screen exposure to just a couple of hours per day after that. Trust us, we understand that sometimes you need to turn on "Dora" or play "Peekaboo Barn" -- and it's not terrible to do so. But in a world where we adults struggle to unplug and recharge (and to teach our older children to do the same) does giving them extra access to screens possibly send the wrong message?

On the other hand, if they are going to play with technology while in the restroom, at least the iPotty keeps devices safe from, um, accidents.

Read more - 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/10/ipotty-how-to-potty-train_n_2442653.html


Snake ON a plane: Reptile survives flight by clinging to wing of aircraft as it flies 500 miles at 30,000ft -

Snake ON a plane: Reptile survives flight by clinging to wing of aircraft as it flies 500 miles at 30,000ft - 
Bizarre: Passengers were shocked to see the snake - thought to be a Scrub Python - hanging from one of the plane's wings


Passengers on a Qantas jet flying over Australia got a shock when they spotted a 12ft python clinging on to a wing at 30,000ft.
The plane was around 20 minutes into its flight from Cairns in northern Australia to Papua New Guinea when a female passenger first announced she could see the reptile.
Those on board could only watch as the snake - thought to be a Scrub Python - spent the flight battling to survive in freezing conditions.


Unlike in the Hollywood movie, Snakes on a Plane, which featured a nest of vipers causing havoc when they escaped inside a jet - this reptile was more concerned about keeping itself alive
The snake fought to find some shelter from the 300mph wind as temperatures dropped to as low as  -12C°.

Passenger Robert Weber told the Sydney Morning Herald that people at the rear of the plane were totally focused on the snake and were asking how it could have got there. 
'There was no panic,' he said, 'at no time did anyone stop to consider there might be others on board.'
Mr Weber said that at first the snake must have been tucked itself away in a small space near the wing but that the wind must pulled him 'straight out,' he told the newspaper. What followed, said Mr Weber, was a life and death struggle for the snake.


'I felt quite sad for it really,' he said, 'for the remainder of the trip he was trying to pull himself back into the plane.'
Despite the cold and wind, he said, the snake still managed to hang on, but each time it managed to pull itself back into a cavity, the wind forced it out again.  

At one point the pilot came out into the main cabin and took a look a the wing snake - which he said 'should be dead,' given the battering it had taken.
But, amazingly, when the plane touched down in Port Moresby the snake was still moving. It was not immediately known what happened to the reptile but passengers suspected it would have been destroyed by Papua New Guinea quarantine officials.  
Australian snake experts said it was a non - toxic scrub python, the longest snake species in Australia, which are common in North Queensland.



Read more: 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2260142/Snake-ON-plane-Reptile-survives-flight-clinging-wing-aircraft-flies-500-miles-30-000ft.html


Sex toys ad featuring featuring full-frontal nudity porn star Bree Olson is missed by Canada Post screening process -

Sex toys ad featuring featuring full-frontal nudity porn star Bree Olson is missed by Canada Post screening process - 



An advertisement featuring full-frontal nudity slipped through the cracks at Canada Post and landed in the mailboxes of numerous Halifax residents.

The front of the ad features porn star Bree Olson, scantily clad with the words, "An exclusive invite from Bree."

Once the unsealed pamphlet is unfolded, there is a nude Olson accompanied by explicit text advertising numerous sexual products.

Canada Post admits the ad was sent out by mistake, spokesman Jon Hamilton said Wednesday.

When the addressed pamphlets arrived at Canada Post for distribution, workers didn't meet the requirements and prepare them as non-mailable, Hamilton said. "If anyone is looking to send anything of an explicit or sexual nature, it should be in an opaque envelope and should be labelled 'Contains adult materials,'" he said.

Although Canada Post stopped most of the pamphlets from ending up in the mail, Hamilton said some did get distributed in Halifax, but he doesn't know how many.

We intercepted about 95%, but that's a guess at this point," he said. "Whole pallets didn't get sent out, but we do know some were delivered. We've received some complaints."

Canada Post is investigating how some of the pamphlets were missed in the screening process, he said.

He said the number that went in the mail is still being investigated.

He wouldn't say how many complaints Canada Post received.

"We apologized to anyone who received this mailing. We regret we were not able to catch it all," he said.

There wasn't information about how widely the pamphlets were to be mailed out, but Hamilton said the items were addressed for delivery, and were not flyers meant for overall distribution.

While the porn star featured in the ad didn't apologize, she did tweet about it. "CANADA! This mailing system is not my doing. Adam & Eve is the company that sends it out. Those pictures are SO OLD," Olson posted.

On its website, Adam & Eve bills itself as "America's most trusted source for sex toys."

Canada Post has told the company its mailout didn't follow regulations.

"We're not the ethical police," Hamilton said. "We're in the delivery business. This one clearly didn't meet the standards we've had in place for a long time." Several Halifax residents who received the pamphlet told CTV Atlantic the items should have been in an envelope.

Read more - 
http://www.torontosun.com/2013/01/09/sex-toy-ad-featuring-porn-star-bree-olson-missed-by-screening-process-canada-post

Bill Clinton Named 'Father of the Year'... -

Bill Clinton Named 'Father of the Year'... - 

Bill Clinton - Barbara Walters Interviews Monica Lewinsky

Former President Bill Clinton is getting props for being a good dad.

Clinton was named the “Father of the Year” by the National Father’s Day Council on Wednesday.

The group selected Clinton for his “profound generosity, leadership and tireless dedication to both his public office and many philanthropic organizations,” Dan Orwig, chairman of the National Father’s Day Committee, said in the announcement.

The award will be presented at a luncheon in June.

Read more - 
http://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2013/01/bill-clinton-named-father-of-the-year-153760.html