ST. LOUIS - Coming to a home or office near you could be an electric Internet: high-speed Web access via ubiquitous power lines, of all things, making every electrical outlet an always-on Web connection.
If it sounds shocking, consider this: St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. and other utilities already are testing the technology, and many consider it increasingly viable.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is a nation of tea-loving soap opera fans who value privacy, love their pets, gripe about the weather, refuse to admit they like reality TV and are most proud of their sense of humor.
They also consider themselves hip and cosmopolitan but their habits are traditional, and prawn cocktail and steak and chips are their favorite meals, according to a nationwide survey of what it means to be British in 2003.
Britons generally don't mind queuing and can be spotted abroad by their sunburned skin, football shirts, wearing socks with sandals and the distinctive pint of beer in their hand.
"We are such a country of contradictions," said Sophie Daranyi, a spokeswoman for UKTV which commissioned the survey.
"We're happy to give people 50 pence (80 cents) at a bus stop but very few of us go around to meet our neighbors."
UKTV, which is jointly owned by the BBC and Flextech Television, a division of Telewest Communication, is a leading digital and satellite broadcaster.
It commissioned the survey of 1,000 people to get a better perception of how Britons see themselves.
According to the poll, 53 percent of Britons treat their pets like a member of the family, 39 percent think the weather is the most annoying aspect of living in Britain and 73 percent drink traditional tea, compared to six percent who prefer Earl Gray tea.
"A lot of people think that we are this quite quirky nation. What the survey has done is confirm that, rather than contradict it," Daranyi added.
LONDON (Reuters) - One of America's "most wanted" is being hunted in Britain after a film fan recognised his face in the film "Hannibal", police say.
The face of James Bulger, who is wanted for 19 murders in the U.S, appeared in the hit film during a scene in which a detective scans a most wanted list on the website of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI (news - web sites)).
The film itself follows the hunt for fictional serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter, an articulate and well-educated cannibal who famously described eating a victim's liver with "fava beans and a fine chianti".
London police appealed to the public on Monday for any fresh sightings of former gangland boss Bulger.
"Boston FBI agents have been in London this week as part of their continuing work to trace James Bulger, who is one of their ten most wanted," Scotland Yard said in a statement.
The film fan recognised Bulger from a previous encounter at the heart of London's West End shopping and theatre district last September.
"He then looked up the face on the FBI website and seeing it was Bulger, contacted the FBI in Washington," said Scotland Yard.
Bulger's face had stuck in his mind, police said. The fan had met him not just on the street, but also at a nearby gym several years earlier.
Further police investigations unearthed Bulger's safety deposit box in London, containing an Irish passport in his name and 35,000 pounds in U.S. dollars, British pounds, French and Swiss francs and Irish punts.
Bulger -- like Lecter -- is said to be charming and intelligent with an interest in history, but always carries a knife.
BERLIN (Reuters) - A flock of hungry ravens killed 19 sheep grazing on snow-covered fields in southern Germany, raising the uneasy feeling that the killer birds of Alfred Hitchcock's famous thriller "The Birds" have come alive.
"There's a lot of snow in the area. The birds are hungry so they attack my sheep," shepherd Juergen Fritz said.
"I have seen the Hitchcock film. But I'm experiencing it 'live'," he said, referring to the 1963 classic, in which aggressive birds tyrannize a village in the United States.
Fritz said he was not able to protect his 500 sheep against attacks all the time. But even when he was with his flock, he was powerless when the ravens attacked.
"The worst thing is that I can't do anything about it. You're not allowed to shoot the ravens because they are protected animals," the 43-year old said.
Dietmar Ernst, a police spokesman in Loerrach, southwestern Germany, said he thought about 50 to 60 ravens living near a rubbish site had carried out the attacks on Fritz's sheep.
"It's a full-blown attack on the sheep. They use their beaks, their feet. They pick out the animals' eyes," he said. He said such attacks were common when a large number of birds gathered in one area where they could not easily find food.
"As soon as one starts the attack, the others all follow," he said. "But they're especially aggressive this year," he said.
Fritz said he had experienced attacks by ravens before in his 30 years as a traveling shepherd, but never had he lost so many animals in the course of a fortnight.
"I'm going to leave this area," he said, adding he had already lost about $2,000 due to the killings.
Slashdot Mirror
Towel: here it is.
Mod parent +5, sleep aid. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I really miss Amsterdam Vallon.
ST. LOUIS - Coming to a home or office near you could be an electric Internet: high-speed Web access via ubiquitous power lines, of all things, making every electrical outlet an always-on Web connection. If it sounds shocking, consider this: St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. and other utilities already are testing the technology, and many consider it increasingly viable.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is a nation of tea-loving soap opera fans who value privacy, love their pets, gripe about the weather, refuse to admit they like reality TV and are most proud of their sense of humor. They also consider themselves hip and cosmopolitan but their habits are traditional, and prawn cocktail and steak and chips are their favorite meals, according to a nationwide survey of what it means to be British in 2003. Britons generally don't mind queuing and can be spotted abroad by their sunburned skin, football shirts, wearing socks with sandals and the distinctive pint of beer in their hand. "We are such a country of contradictions," said Sophie Daranyi, a spokeswoman for UKTV which commissioned the survey. "We're happy to give people 50 pence (80 cents) at a bus stop but very few of us go around to meet our neighbors." UKTV, which is jointly owned by the BBC and Flextech Television, a division of Telewest Communication, is a leading digital and satellite broadcaster. It commissioned the survey of 1,000 people to get a better perception of how Britons see themselves. According to the poll, 53 percent of Britons treat their pets like a member of the family, 39 percent think the weather is the most annoying aspect of living in Britain and 73 percent drink traditional tea, compared to six percent who prefer Earl Gray tea. "A lot of people think that we are this quite quirky nation. What the survey has done is confirm that, rather than contradict it," Daranyi added.
LONDON (Reuters) - One of America's "most wanted" is being hunted in Britain after a film fan recognised his face in the film "Hannibal", police say. The face of James Bulger, who is wanted for 19 murders in the U.S, appeared in the hit film during a scene in which a detective scans a most wanted list on the website of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI (news - web sites)). The film itself follows the hunt for fictional serial killer Dr Hannibal Lecter, an articulate and well-educated cannibal who famously described eating a victim's liver with "fava beans and a fine chianti". London police appealed to the public on Monday for any fresh sightings of former gangland boss Bulger. "Boston FBI agents have been in London this week as part of their continuing work to trace James Bulger, who is one of their ten most wanted," Scotland Yard said in a statement. The film fan recognised Bulger from a previous encounter at the heart of London's West End shopping and theatre district last September. "He then looked up the face on the FBI website and seeing it was Bulger, contacted the FBI in Washington," said Scotland Yard. Bulger's face had stuck in his mind, police said. The fan had met him not just on the street, but also at a nearby gym several years earlier. Further police investigations unearthed Bulger's safety deposit box in London, containing an Irish passport in his name and 35,000 pounds in U.S. dollars, British pounds, French and Swiss francs and Irish punts. Bulger -- like Lecter -- is said to be charming and intelligent with an interest in history, but always carries a knife.
BERLIN (Reuters) - A flock of hungry ravens killed 19 sheep grazing on snow-covered fields in southern Germany, raising the uneasy feeling that the killer birds of Alfred Hitchcock's famous thriller "The Birds" have come alive. "There's a lot of snow in the area. The birds are hungry so they attack my sheep," shepherd Juergen Fritz said. "I have seen the Hitchcock film. But I'm experiencing it 'live'," he said, referring to the 1963 classic, in which aggressive birds tyrannize a village in the United States. Fritz said he was not able to protect his 500 sheep against attacks all the time. But even when he was with his flock, he was powerless when the ravens attacked. "The worst thing is that I can't do anything about it. You're not allowed to shoot the ravens because they are protected animals," the 43-year old said. Dietmar Ernst, a police spokesman in Loerrach, southwestern Germany, said he thought about 50 to 60 ravens living near a rubbish site had carried out the attacks on Fritz's sheep. "It's a full-blown attack on the sheep. They use their beaks, their feet. They pick out the animals' eyes," he said. He said such attacks were common when a large number of birds gathered in one area where they could not easily find food. "As soon as one starts the attack, the others all follow," he said. "But they're especially aggressive this year," he said. Fritz said he had experienced attacks by ravens before in his 30 years as a traveling shepherd, but never had he lost so many animals in the course of a fortnight. "I'm going to leave this area," he said, adding he had already lost about $2,000 due to the killings.
I heard it was OK but I'm not so sure anymore. I think I'll get it checked out this afternoon.