3rd\SE Quadrant 11/19 '07

The Approval Matrix: Week of November 19, 2007

Genetic Code of Dandruff

Shoulder brushers of the world, rejoice: scientists have decoded the genome of Malassezia globosa, the fungus that causes dandruff and eczema.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were produced by geneticists from -- surprise, surprise -- Procter and Gamble.

They found that the fungus, which feeds on hair- and skin-protecting sebum, breaks down sebum with enzymes called lipases. A byproduct of the process is oleic acid, which penetrates the scalp and provokes the production of new skin cells. The old ones flake off, forming dandruff.

No fewer than eight types of lipases are involved, each of which could be a target for dandruff- and eczema-fighting medications. (Wired)

"MAD About Star Wars"
Anthology

Book Description from Amazon: A long time ago (thirty years) in a galaxy far, far away (California) . . .

It is a period steeped in cinematic lore. Rebel filmmaker George Lucas, striking from a base in Northern California, won a tremendous box office victory against all odds with Star Wars, his sci-fi spectacular.

During the ensuing craze, MAD’s “Usual Gang of Idiots” managed to steal a few laughs at the movie’s expense, soon discovering that Star Wars was the ultimate pop culture punching bag.

Pursuing each Star Wars film’s release with more mockery, the MAD men spent the next three decades making a farce of the Force and spreading mirth across the galaxy.

Now, in this special edition volume, you’ll chuckle as the Star Wars saga’s greatest moments are mocked by such MAD greats as Dick DeBartolo, Mort Drucker, Don Martin, and Sergio Aragonés; smirk as the striking similarities between the space battles created by Industrial Light & Magic and by the “Usual Gang of Idiots” are revealed; hum along to the unforgettable Star Wars musical, as penned by MAD’s master lyricist, Frank Jacobs; gasp at the startling insights into R2-D2’s love life; and marvel at the real reason why Lucas’s lawyers never sued MAD.

And that’s just the beginning. . . .

So, pick up this book and see why, when Star Wars gets the MAD treatment . . . Sith happens! It is your destiny.

Amazon's Unbox

The Amazon Unbox video downloads store has thousands of DVD-quality TV shows, movies, and more for you to purchase or rent. You can search for Unbox videos anywhere on Amazon.com or you can go directly to our store at http://www.amazon.com/unbox/ and browse by TV channel, movie studio, category, or genre.

You can also discover new and interesting videos by watching previews. You will find a player at the top of the Unbox store which shows previews of our most popular videos. If you'd like to watch a preview of a specific movie or TV show, you'll also find a preview player located at the top of the detail page for that video. (Amazon)

I noticed that many of the TV shows on Unbox are 99 cents, compared to Apple's $1.99. Unbox has previews unlike iTunes, but Unbox doesn't work on Macs.

Verizon Song IDentity 2.0

Building on the popular Song IDentity music recognition application already available to Verizon Wireless customers, Verizon Wireless and Rocket Mobile® announced today that the next generation of Song IDentity will soon be available to Verizon Wireless customers. The new application, Song IDentity 2.0, will enable customers with select Get It Now®-enabled handsets to use their mobile phones to identify songs playing from any music source and purchase and download the corresponding true-tone ring tone from the Verizon Wireless VZW Tones Deluxe application.

Song IDentity 2.0 will let customers identify more than two million songs from every genre, whether an obscure DJ recording or classic rock song. When customers place the phone near a music source and record a 10-second clip, Song IDentity 2.0 will name the artist, song and album title. After successful recognition, the application will directly launch the Verizon Wireless VZW Tones Deluxe application, giving customers the option to download the matching ring tone. (VZW)