MySpace, The Final Frontier

Well, last night some friends came up to watch WWE Raw and we were talking, and the subject got to MySpace accounts. They tried to convince me to set one up, but I kept resisting. After all, I had a great space here at Blogger, what more do I need? Well, we kept on talking and they finally convinced me to do it. So now I have a MySpace account too. My account can be found at www.myspace.com/freekboi1 so head on over and check it out.

And for all of you worrying that this means the end of FreekBoi's Random Thoughts, don't. I actually feel much more at home over here on Blogger, where I've successfully carved myself out a little niche from the wilderness of the Blog-o-sphere, so this blog will still be up and running with regular random updates. So to break it down, yes, I do now have a MySpace account. And yes, FreekBoi's Random Thoughts and FreekBoi's Creature Features will still be up and running and will still be my primary blogs.

Chocolate That Won't Melt!!!

Scientists Concoct Chocolate That Won't Melt
By Ker Than
LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 14 July 2006


Chocolate is not widely consumed in the tropics, even though that's where most of the world's cocoa is produced.

The reason: It's too hot.

High temperatures in countries like Nigeria reduce chocolate into a sticky, gooey mess.

Food scientists have been trying to remedy this situation for decades, and now researchers in Nigeria believe they are close to achieving the holy grail among chocolate manufacturers: a heat-resistant chocolate that actually tastes like chocolate.

Most brands of chocolate melt at temperatures between 77 to about 91 degrees Fahrenheit.

S.O. Ogunwolu and C.O. Jayeola, food scientists at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, have mixed cornstarch with cocoa to produce a heat-resistant chocolate that they say compares "favorably with conventional milk chocolate in terms of color, taste, smoothness and overall acceptability."

The starch acts as a chocolate thickener and prevents the outflow of cocoa butter—the natural fat of the cocoa bean—when the heat is on. The researchers found that using 10 percent starch was ideal and produced a product that was comparable to milk chocolate in taste tests.

The new concoction stays firm up to 122 degrees.

Link to the full story.


This is a great idea! I can't count the number of chocolate bars I had ruined because they've been in a hot car or just gotten too hot and melted. If this works out, it will revolutionize the world of candy.

"Killer Kangaroos" & "Demon Ducks of Doom"

Ok, I thought about posting this over at FreekBoi's Creature Features, but since these critters have been extinct for quite a while, I'll post it here. Pictured below are some sketches of what scientists think these beasties may have looked like. And there's just something too funny about the words "Demon Ducks of Doom" ... sounds like the title of a fantasy spoof. Anyway, here's the story from LiveScience:

Flesh-eating Kangaroos and Demon Ducks in Australia's Past
By The Associated Press
posted: 13 July 2006
10:57 am ET

SYDNEY, Australia (AP)—Before there were cuddly koalas, hoards of flesh-eating kangaroos, "demon ducks" and marsupial lions roamed Australia's Outback, according to recent fossil discoveries by paleontologists.

A team of researchers from the University of New South Wales working in the eastern state of Queensland made the discoveries in three new fossil deposits during a recent two-week dig.

Many of the fossils are older than 24 million years; one of the deposits is thought to contain fossils up to 500 million years old, according to Prof. Mike Archer, the university's dean of science.

A saber-toothed kangaroo and a giant 10-foot-tall, 881-pound bird scientists nicknamed the "demon duck of doom'' were among the largely unknown species uncovered in the dig, Archer told reporters Wednesday.

"They were galloping kangaroos, they didn't hop,'' Archer said. "They were also far more muscly than the kangaroos we know, with sharp saber-like incisors and powerful forelimbs to help rip and tear their prey.''

The remains of ancient tree-climbing crocodiles and marsupial lions were also uncovered in the rocks.

Link to the full story.

Book Review: Journey Into Darkness

Journey into Darkness: The Unauthorized History of Kane

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Kane has always been a dark, complex, and haunted man, and fans have always been drawn to him. They have wondered what caused his pain and suffering. What was his motivation?

Instead of basking in the glow of the spotlight, Kane has shunned attention. Kane did not utter a single word for the first years of his career. In a time when Superstars scream for attention, he drew in the masses with only his presence.

Journey Into Darkness is the story of a boy who suffers an unspeakable childhood tragedy, losing his family in a fiery blaze. This left him alone and at the mercy of strangers, who whispered about this friendless child who must be cursed.

Follow Kane into a terrifying place that few would dare to go — his life."

Ok, now for my review: Great book. Very entertaining. Fans of Kane will really enjoy this book. It's an in-depth look at the character of Kane and his troubled past. It meshes the WWE storyline of Kane with the real-life aspects of his career so seamlessly that I found myself almost believing it at times. Fans of the WWE and especially those of Kane will love this book.

Link to this book on Barnes & Noble.com

Happy 4th of July

Hope everyone has a happy 4th of July. Enjoy the fireworks!