Cool Relief
Nothing beats a desert village with a leaky water tank after a long day trekking through a seemingly endless expanse of sand, as a member of a 2001-02 expedition discovered. The expedition, led by John Hare, retraced a 1906 trek by Hanns Vischer, a British civil servant who was intrigued by a centuries-old slave-trading route from Lake Chad, Nigeria, to Tripoli, Libya. Hare's team lost a couple of camels along the way but was mentally prepared in a way that his predecessor wasn't. "I had entered it frivolously, like a fool," Vischer wrote. "I left it as one stunned, crushed by the deadly majesty I had seen too closely."

Photograph by Carsten Peter

Dropping In
Nothing like an icy 300-foot (90-meter) shaft in a Greenland glacier to make you feel insignificant. Unlike dry land cavers, glacier explorers never know what they'll find even if they've been in a cave before. Flowing meltwater and pressures within a glacier cause seasonal changes.

Photograph by Carsten Peter

Risky Business
French researcher Charles Riviáere has no delusions about the protection offered by his high-tech thermal suit on Italy's Mount Etna. Sweating profusely even before he gets close enough to collect a sample of 2,000°F (1,000°C) lava, the scientist knows that one well-placed lava bomb - molten rock hurtling through the air - could flatten him. Still, like a fearless knight of old, he charges on.

Photograph by Carsten Peter

Retracing History
"Columbus did not take one-tenth the risk these bold air pioneers are facing," a newspaper said in 1919 of pilots competing to become the first to fly from London to Australia - in less than 30 days. The winners piloted a Vickers Vimy biplane; a replica of that open-cockpit craft, here buzzing past the Pyramids at Giza, retraced the flight in 1994.

Photograph by James L. Stanfield

Volcanic Addiction
After getting as close to Marum crater in Vanuatu as he'd ever been to such a cauldron of lava, photographer Carsten Peter described his addiction to volcanoes. "You think you understand the Earth and its geology," he said. "But once you look down into a volcanic crater and see what's there, well, you realize you will never completely understand. It is that powerful."

Photograph by Carsten Peter

Overcoming the Elements
The icy fingers of Cordillera Sarmiento claw through clouds along a 40-mile (60-kilometer) stretch of Chile's Pacific coast. With dozens of unnamed, unclimbed peaks to choose from, expedition leader Jack Miller and his team inch up a 6,550-foot (2,000-meter) icicle they dubbed Gremlin's Cap in 1992. Nearly permanent cloud cover, blizzards, and fierce ocean winds keep the range shrouded in mystery.

Photograph by Gordon Wiltsie

Endless Sand
Exploration, like genius, is often one percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration, particularly when crossing the Sahara in Libya on a camel. Despite boredom and aching bottoms, John Hare and companions swayed through endless sky and sand for nearly four months in 2001-02 to re-create a 1906 journey from Nigeria to the Mediterranean coast.

Photograph by Carsten Peter

A Sticky Situation
Harmless Mastigias jellyfish engulf biologist William M. Hamner in a marine lake on Mecherchar, a Pacific island in the Republic of Palau.

Photograph by David Doubilet

FOXSports.com - NBA- Dishing on the deadline dealings

A good summary of the big deals made prior to the deadline.

All-star time is coming, cannot wait any longer. Check out the NBA.com all-star blog.

Zhou Huajian's album "Forever Young" in 1996...enchanting voice and balanced rhythm...he is one the best Chinese singers whose place i think still no freshman can take.

Ray Charles' manager Joe Adams, center, with producer John Burk, left, and Phil Ramone, accepted the award for album of the year for "Genius Loves Company" at the 2005 Grammy Awards on Sunday.

The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, make up the rest). However, the Grammys, usually held in February, (last of what are considered the "big three" music awards shows, including the BMA and AMA shows) are considered the approximate equivalent to the Oscars, in the music world.

Reggie retiring

The Pacers' all-time leader in 13 major categories, including scoring, will retire at season's end.

Miller holds NBA records for most 3-pointers made (2,505) and attempted (6,321) and is the leading scorer in Pacers history with 24,685 points. He appeared in five All-Star games, 131 playoff games and the 2000 NBA Finals.

MPAA NOTICE

The MPAA has a long way to go to reduce piracy, says Yankee Group senior analyst Michael Goodman. "In the end, it's a lost cause. It's understandable that the MPAA would go after these servers, because they can't just stand by and do nothing. But people determined to swap movies will just find a different way to do it."

On the LokiTorrent site, the MPAA has placed a large headline reading, "You can click but you can't hide."

Geek Humor
From "The Best of The Joy of Tech" cartoon book by Nitrozac and Snaggy (O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 2003, ISBN 0-596-00578-4). (Image courtesy of GeekCulture, www.geekculture.com)

I've seen many online Encyclopedias, but this one is still stunning. Answers.com, considered to be another online innovaton, sets the "new standard in reference". "Answers.com is also a start toward a new search paradigm... real instant information, not just links to pages where that information may, or may not, be found. I urge you to try it." - Walt Mossberg, Jan 27, 2005

ZDNet Video RSS Feeds

http://news.zdnet.com/2509-1_22-0-20.xml

Yeah, right, the great XML source of ZDNet's free videos for you to catch up with the IT development by watching those new exciting tech products demonstration, interviews and talks with CEOs, and much more.

He is simply amazingly SEXY...Often his own fashion statement on the basketball court, Dennis Rodman made one at New York Fashion Week, revealing all in an ad for PETA.

I cannot believe that...Don't play I-go with MM.

One big advantage of China is that to access some delicious stuff like this is not so difficult and luxury as it is here in a foreign country. I miss you so much, dear food...

A member of the traditional 'Bloco da Lama' (block of the Mud) performs on Jabaquara beach in Paraty, 263km from Rio de Janeiro, February 5, 2005. According to popular beliefs, the sulphurous mud makes skin healthy and beautiful. During Carnival, people dress up as cave men, cover themselves with mud and parade through the streets. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

Nine-month-old Milagros Cerron is carried by a doctor at the hospital in Lima, on February 1, 2005. The Peruvian baby dubbed the 'Little Mermaid' because she was born with a rare condition in which her legs are fused, will have surgery this month to try to separate them, doctors said. (Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

听歌是折磨

比如这首丁香花，没看歌词还好，看到了眼泪刷的就下来了，变得像个女生。。。虽然只有那么简单几句话

丁香花
http://mp3.baidu.com/u?u=http://star.163.com/2004/upload/singer/YmJrZG5rbW5jZDM$.mp3
Right Click Save as...

你说你最爱丁香花
因为你的名字就是它
多么忧郁的花
多愁善感的人啊
花儿枯萎的时候
画面定格的时候
多么娇嫩的花
却躲不过风吹雨打
飘啊摇啊的一生,
多少美丽变成的梦啊
就这样匆匆的走来
留给我一生牵挂
那坟前开满鲜花是你多么渴望的美啊
你看那满山遍野你还觉得孤单吗?
你听那有人在唱那首你最爱的歌谣
城市间多少烦恼从此不必再牵挂

Still Can't Believe the Crowded Old Town in Yunan...Li Jiang Gu Cheng

The Classic Pic of Jordan

SAY NO TO DRUGS - Before it's too late

The Day the Old Telephony Died

NewsFactor Network - Mac - Skype Rolls Out Mac, Linux Platforms

Skype is doing great, as one the pioneers in the VoIP field. Stable connections, few connection failures, unperceivable time lag, clear conversation voice, low price level...Try it.

"Skype has rolled out Mac OS X and Linux versions of its free voice over Internet product. Both versions include Skype to Skype calling and conference calling for up to five participants, as well as the pre-pay SkypeOut service, which allows users to call any landline or mobile worldwide at local rates."

"Other features include a contacts directory, instant messaging , call and message logs, presence -- that is, a way to view the status of contacts -- customization tools and file transfer."

"The Mac and Linux platforms place Skype in different user communities where they might not have had as much of a presence," says Frost & Sullivan analyst Jon Arnold, adding that there is a natural appeal for VoIP among Mac and Linux users as they tend to be more tech-savvy than average computer users.

I wonder if he really understands basketball at all...Chauncey Billups presents President Bush with a Pistons jersey during the defending champ's visit to the White House on Monday.

NBA: Age, Injuries Slowing Down Wolves

In the STAR TRIBUNE, Sid Hartman writes that "a year ago after 44 games, the Timberwolves were 31-13 and playing without injured Wally Szczerbiak. Now the Wolves are 24-20 and seven games behind Northwest Division-leading Seattle. Seven Western Conference teams have better records, and Houston is a half-game behind the Wolves." It's difficult to identify the reason behind Minnesota's struggles, but "Wolves coach Flip Saunders pointed out that his team is getting older as one reason for the recent failures, and he also said the team is banged-up."

Photographing Ice (& Snow)

Photographing Ice (& Snow)