Of course, as a true geek you already know Pi to at least 88 decimal places, but what could be better than combining pizza (food staple) and a dish with the hallowed number on it?

Enter the Pizza Pi Plate (get it?).

The heavy stoneware plate is great for making your own stonebaked pizzas and is 15″ in diameter so there’ll be plenty to share.

In case you needed to know, there are no mistakes on the plate. Pi to 88 digits is 3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 86280348

Now go eat pizza. $49.95 from What On Earth

When you’re worried about losing two small Apple products — namely the 2nd generation iPod Shuffle and the Apple Remote — then this hack is for you.

The two devices have a similar shape, so were disassembled and then the iPod’s circuit board was connected up to the Apple Remote’s buttons.

There’s also some other clever stuff going on in there — without headphones it functions as the Apple Remote, but when the headphones are connected the device works like an iPod and automatically shuts off anything playing in iTunes on the associated Mac – though apparently it still functions as a remote which could get a tad annoying.

Anyway, it’s a cool little hack if only for its own sake.

Via

Ghost Rider Heavens On Fire #1

With the upcoming fifth season of Supernatural soon due, I was attracted to Marvels offering of Ghost Riders: Heavens On Fire, purely on the title. I haven’t been following Ghost Rider these last few years despite being an avid fan in the nineties, and I can tell I need to go diving in the back issue bins. I enjoyed the art, and saw familiar faces like Daimon Hellstrom (is he getting everywhere at the moment?) and Jaine Cutter.

Apparently, (and I have missed all of this), the angel Zadkiel has used the combined powers of various Ghost Rider hosts from around the world as collected by Daniel Ketch to conquer the realm of Heaven. As far has he is concerned, he has already won. All he has left to do now is disrupt the remaining Biblical prophecies to rewrite the ending of all to his liking.

So the original Ghost Rider, Daniel Blaze, assisted by Sister Sara who is the grand daughter of the Caretaker from the nineties series set out to unseat this upstart angel. Their task? To ensure the Apocalypse of Revelations occurs, by saving the life of the prospective Anti-Christ.

Talk about between a rock and a hard place!

Following on with the Son Of Satan, he also makes an appearance in Marvel Diva. Two issues have hit the stands so far, and although I was put off by the title, I picked them up when I saw the characters involved. Patsy Walk the Hellcat and Captain Marvel/Photon/erm, Monica Rambeau have always been favorit characters of mine, and they are joined by Firestar (New Warriors/Avengers) and the Black Cat (of Spider Man fame).

No villains, no mysteries, well, not many, just a day in the lives of these four friends. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has captured their personalities beautifully, and given them everyday challenges where you can really feel for them. This is one series that will be on the top of my reading pile when issue 3 comes out.

What other could I conclude with this week, other than ‘Make Mine Marvel!’

Here’s a sampling of kick ass wallpapers that will do Osamu Tezuka proud. Of course, they’re in lieu of the Astro Boy CG movie that’s coming in October. The wallpapers are a product of the Tokyo Denki University.

Download Astro Boy wallpapers from the lower right thumbnails. You have an awesome eight to choose from.

This is an absolute must-see patent from Sony. Not only is the concept great but the drawing is absolutely priceless.

First, the concept: Sony thinks it can improve your game playing experience if it knows when you smile or laugh at something on screen.

It will do this by tracking bodily gestures and sounds via a camera and microphone connected up to a PlayStation 3, and may well handle other emotions as well.

These could be used as controllers for a game, or possibly extended to give some “Big Brother” feedback if you’re watching a film or TV programme.

I suppose there are many possibilities.

But now we come to the patent drawing itself. As well as a rather boring flowchart, we have this great diagram that makes me wonder just what went through the mind of the designer when he/she was drawing it. I guess most patents are fairly mundane affairs, and this was the only way to spice up an otherwise boring day.

Now, has anyone invented that machine?

Via

Ever since it’s launch Bing has been labelled ‘decision engine’ by Microsoft. And go figure what Bing’s recommendation is when you want to search the web… indeed, GOOGLE!

Here’s a great wall clock decorated with twelve different images of Mario, charting his evolution from the extremely pixelated early years to his current higher definition state — after all, he’s been around for quite some time so he’s certainly seen some changes in hardware capabilities.

Sadly, I caught this gem just a little too late because it’s currently sold out. Still, here’s the listing page just in case it comes up again.

Looking for more Mario stuff? How about a Mario USB stick, Mario in LEGO, Super Mario stamps or Mario on your keyring.

Avid fans of the moe-anime K-ON can probably recall the scene involving Mio’s blue and white striped bowl from episode 6. Those of you needing a little reminder, or who haven’t seen the scene before, it can be found on youtube. Of course, due to Mio’s popularity, it’s only natural that anything involving her would eventually be marketed to hardcore fans.

The anime clothing and merchandise company, Cospa, didn’t disappoint with the announcement of a lunch set which includes Mio’s striped bowl to be released later this year. However, a few lucky fans did manage to get their hands on this item a couple months early at Comiket 76. Unfortunately, Comiket 76 ended on August 16, so anyone still wanting to get thier hands on this special bowl early will likely have to turn to some Japanese auction sites as there probably won’t be any more available until the actual release date.

Image via Akiba Hobby

Blackest Night #2 Cover

Recruiting today! Excellent new cosmic corps with prospects. Wanted, candidates who can give their hearts to the job. Essential requirements: Dead.

Blackest Night really picks up this week with the release of the second issue and Blackest Night – Batman #1. Both of which rock, and as I thought, all of my doubts have been vanquished. I refuse to give any spoilers here, suffice to say that all of my previous questions have been answered with one of the newest Black Ring bearers – Boston Brand, the Deadman.

The horror aspect of the story is played nicely against the form of Tempest the former Aqua Lad, and Mera, and we also get to see how the magical community perceives the threat of the Black Rings. Briefly. Dolphin shows us just how the rings repair their hosts. Meanwhile, we see the fate of Hawkman and it really sinks home – how many more will fall?

I would certainly add a parental advisory to this title. This is not for the youngsters.

Blackest Night – Batman continues some of the story of Deadman, and for a non-Batman reader like myself, grants a little insight into Damien’s personality and the new status quo (for as long as it lasts) in the Gothamverse.

Another treat this week is Adventure Comics #1, showing Superboy back in Smallville as promised, but the final page of his story has a wonderful twist, giving us another glimpse in Conner’s tortured mind. Yes I think he’s tortured, even at the best of times, wouldn’t you be? He hasn’t even had time to react to the knowledge he is half Superman, half Lex Luthor.

The Legion Of Super-Heroes back up story is promising, but I have one point to make. In a roll-call panel, they mix up Night Girl and Shadow Lass! My purist shock and outrage aside, with the enormous cast of characters in the Legion, this is unforgivable, and confusing (or at least it will be) to new readers.

That aside, we learn how the Legion Espionage Squads mission in the past is not yet over. I will contain my outrage and follow the story eagerly!

Here’s one of those ideas I would never have thought of, but fortunately Twelve South has.

That space around the back of your iMac: what is it good for?

Not much, so why not put a BackPack on it: a sturdy little shelf that could hold a hard drive or even a Mac Mini (apparently).

They can be stacked up and rely on gravity and a couple of clips, so no damage will be done to the computer. There’s also the added benefit of ventilation for devices that need it.

Available for $29.99 each, or $149.99 for a six pack.

There’s an interesting set of diagrams and discussion over at the Mozilla Wiki about adding multitouch and gesturing to Firefox.

It doesn’t mention what this is in response to — Apple MacBook multitouch trackpad, perhaps, or the increasing number of mobile devices with touchscreens — but of course it is dependent on associated hardware to work correctly.

A device that could input touch data for two or more fingers could integrate with Firefox and allow for a number of commands to be executed without either mouse or keyboard shortcut input (though these could perhaps be used as modifiers).

What I really like is the “create new gesture” that would allow users to add their own commands — gesture macros if you like — which would execute based on a specific set of touch inputs.

This is something that’s not really been well explored on mainstream devices. Even the iPhone has a relatively small set of gestures in the main user interface, though individual apps could always add to this.

Having this in Firefox is all very well. Now how about it rolled out across the operating system. Both Apple and Microsoft are totally capable of doing this.

How about support for gesture input on other surfaces, like this really cool video on scratch input:

Here’s a pretty cool evolution of the standard computer keyboard, using flexible membranes printed with resistive carbon ink that react to changes in applied pressure due to more contact being made by the keys above.

The keyboard has a lot of interesting applications, such as the ability to input basic gestures, gaming that reacts to varying key pressure, font size changes based on typing pressure, and typo correction.

The keyboard was developed by The Applied Sciences Group at Microsoft and was entered into the UIST 2009 student innovation contest.

It seems that detail for the future Apple MacBook Touch have been leaked or discovered. As usual, these are only rumours and have to be taken with a whole bag of salt. Make that a lorry.

The MacBook Touch will be a fusion device, a mix of MacBook and iPod Touch/iPhone with a 9″7 touch screen.

There will be an iPhone emulator, functioning as Desktop widget. This will allow users to buy and use AppStore applications, but there wil be no option to make phone calls or send text messages. The first doubtful detail in the leak is that there will be no camera, which seems very unlikely considered how long Apple has been integrating the iSight in its devices already;

Downloaded AppStore applications will be allowed to be duplicated on the iPhone 3GS and only on the iPhone 3GS. Only one iPhone 3GS per MacBook Touch will be allowed to be synched in this way;

(Obviously) The MacBook Touch will ship with Mac OS 10.6, Snow Leopard. USB keyboards and mice will be functional, additional to the tactile keyboard;

There will be 2USB ports and 1 SD card reader. The MacBook Touch comes without optical drive but the SuperDrive known from the MacBook Air will be compatible
Further connectors are the MagSafe, audio port and Kensington lock;

Two different models will be available: 80GB hard drive (€849) and 120GB (€999);

Battery life will be 4hours which seems reasonable comparing the size of the device with the new MacBookPro and its autonomy. Obviously our mileage will vary deeply from Apple’s test;

A MacBook Touch dock will be announced as well at €79.

Disclaimer: This comes from the rumour kitchen and no confirmation has been made by Apple. The image is only for display purposes and the MacBook Touch may look totally different. Or may not be launched or have entirely different specs.Sources can be labelled as a trustworthy little bird

If you’ve any old cassette tapes left over after building that floor lamp then you might want to try stuffing your iPod into one, just like the guys over at Contexture Design in Vancouver have.

The great thing is that each unit — a glorious mix of new and old — is likely to be unique, given that they’re made up from any old cassettes left lying around.

Each one fits a 4th generation iPod nano inside. Any of the larger models just aren’t going to fit inside. Maybe a DIY project: alternatively pick one up for $41 (Via).

Those of you into Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh cards may be interested in some Weiβ Schwarz cards too. Like Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh, the gome involves battling with an opponent using “monsters” and other cards. The difference here is that Weiβ Schwarz uses actual anime characters rather than beasts or dragons or what have you.

Yep, you read right, this card game uses cute adorable anime characters to battle with opponents. What’s even better is that although most of the anime decks that Weiβ Schwarz has made are only in Japanese, they’re already being translated into English. Of course, you could always just collect the cards for the artwork rather than to play with.

There’s also an anime out called Weiβ Survive which explains the rules and gameplay, definitely helpful for someone learning how to play.

Footage of the upcoming Iron Man 2 feature has been showed at a ComicCON panel and consequently leaked. Have fun with Mickey Rourke, Nick Furke and War Man.

And explosions of course.

Forget ordinary plain building blocks, or ones with letters of the alphabet on. Here we have wooden blocks with geometry equations carved into them.

These smooth two-inch squared natural basswood blocks have rounded edges and colorful painted characters. $8.88 for the pair.

Why not put it next to your other wooden gadgets — the wooden iPod mini, wooden USB stick, wooden turntables and wooden MacBook case. All natural.

So the War Of Kings is finally over. Black Bolt and Vulcan may be dead, Gladiator may well be declared Majestor of the Shi’Ar and peace across the galaxy seems to have been aquired, merely for the price of a giant tear in space time, parsecs across.

Just what we had been warned about in the excellent Guardians of the Galaxy series.

Now as part of the cosmic uber-story, War Of Kings is an excellent instalment. However, as a final issue of a six issue mini, well, I for one was disappointed. Too much action, not enough exposition, and I could tell how it was going to end a few pages in. This seems to have been a bad habit of Marvel with their crossovers nowadays, they don’t end. The Infinity Trilogy ended. However Civil War seemed to have sacrificed an ending for the ramifications.

Admittedly, the Infinity Trilogy had few ramifications, but they were self contained. War Of Kings left me unsatisfied. I would have wanted more anyway, I’m a sucker for this stuff, but I feel like there was no conclusion whatsoever. Yeah, Black Bolt beat Vulcan, sort of, though I imagine it won’t be long before either of them are seen again. But so far there are no Inhuman series or Starjammers series advertised that I have seen, so where do we get our conclusion?

On another level, this morning I was reading about Image United, a 6-issue series written by Kirkman and featuring the art and characters of Image founders Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. Where each artist will draw not entire pages or issues, but simply their own characters in an artistic jam.

While a nice idea, it may be jarring to the eye, but I am looking forward to this. The Image universe has long resisted any semblance of unity. Hell, that was what the whole Shattered Image mini was about all those years ago. (Well worth digging out of the back issue bins by the way.)

I hope the story will be compelling though, else I think I would very quickly lose patience with it. I never thought I would say this, but I could soon be suffering from crossover fatigue.

Cupcakes… once more. First Star Wars and Pac-Man, now Lego and Anime cupcakes. Yes, we love’em here at FG HQ and will continue updating you with awesome cupcakes as we find’em.

Both via Hello Namoi, cupcake designer par excellence.

In memory of (the nearly dead) Internet Explorer 6 comes this nifty little piece of JavaScript that will wreak havoc with your web page, turning it into a pile of unreadable junk that even Steve Ballmer would be proud of.

The IE6IFY site proudly proclaims: “After years of observation and reverse engineering I am proud to say I have been able to reproduce the IE6 algorithm to break even the most standards-compliant websites.”

Before I show you the results, here’s the piece of code that does the damage:

javascript:(function(){var i=0,r=function(n){return Math.floor(Math.random()*n)},f=document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0].getElementsByTagName('*'),o=function(e){return typeof(e.style)=='object'&&e.tagName!='SCRIPT'},s=function(){while(!o(e=f[r(f.length)])){}return e.style};while(i++

Whack that into your browser's toolbar and then hit it repeatedly when viewing your (least) favorite web site.

Here's what happens to Forever Geek:

And Gadzooki:

And of course Microsoft can't be allowed to get away with it:

Anyone tried it in IE6?

For poor DIY fans. And those who don’t like genuinely geeky cars.

Show off your pics of your selfmade glam cars in the comments. We promise you that we will won’t mock you!

Despite the fact that, for the most part, my iPhone handles my mobile entertainment needs, this Nintendo Mini Classics keyring has got to be a contender for cool (and cheap) gizmo.

There are three to choose from, loaded up with either Donkey Kong Jr, Mario’s Cement Factory or Super Mario Bros. You might find your keyring decoration far outweighs the number of keys you have.

They’re styled as miniature Game Boys and cost just £9.99 (about $15) each. I saw them at Firebox.

Next you’ll be tattooing Mario and Luigi on your feet.

I regularly post about weird tattoos over at frankylicio.us but this awesome and totally original set of tattoos of Mario and Luigi certainly will make the heart of every geek out there beat faster.I imagine these ink pieces must have been very hurtful but the result is awesome. If it weren’t for the state of the toenails, who clearly need a cut.

Photo credit: Simon Marcus.

get a raw deal.

If you have been reading The Last Days Of The Animal Man, you will already know that Buddy’s life has once more taken a turn for the worst.

Fortunately, #3 has revealed to me (maybe I missed it before) that this series is actually set fifteen years in the future. We also see a progression of the relationship between him and Starfire, (fast moving there Buddy), and the deterioration (again) of his relationship with his wife Ellen.

So far with this series? As nice as it is to see Buddy have his own title again, I’m withholding judgement. Power Girl suddenly a scientist? Maxine with no powers? And the League Of Titans? I so hope this turns out to be Doctor Destiny or some other reality warping force at work.

Still, it has its moments. The art is crisp, and Buddy facing the way his life has affected his family over the years are nice touches. So, I do recommend this, if only to bump up sales so we can see an Animal Man series set in the present. No more alternate realities, potential futures or imaginary stories, but putting Buddy back in the centre of the DCU like Fifty Two and Countdown To Adventure promised. Get him into the Justice League already, and prove that he deserves the limelight.

Plus now Sue Dibny has passed, wouldn’t Ellen Baker make a good replacement?

Take a robot pitcher, constructed with a mechanical arm and a high-speed, three-fingered hand that can open and close at up to 10 times per second, and a robot batter with 1,000fps cameras, and you have the beginnings of a cyber-baseball team.

Here’s a video including slow-motion replay:

At present the pitcher can only throw fast balls (well, 25mph balls), but researchers want to get it up to 93mph and vary the types of ball it can deliver.

The batter will be trained to consistently hit balls to the same target.

Via

Some of you may remember Kadokawa’s Nyantype Magazine, which includes anime news and images of the female cast of recent anime. Now, 3 months after the magazine’s initial release, the second volume is finally available in stores. This volume contains quite a few pin-up posters from the summer 2009 anime lineup, but also includes posters of older series like Strike Witchesand K-ON (shown below).

Although Nyantype seems to be coming out every quarter instead of monthly like Megami Magazine, it’s still a good alternative for someone looking for some variety in their pin-up posters. Unfortunately, as with the first volume of Nyantype, it does not seem like they include any extras (such as B2 size posters or calendars) like Megami Magazine. To make up for the lack of extras, there is something in this volume that will definitely make Strike Witches fans happy:

In case you can’t tell what that is, it’s a neck pillow with a very close resemblance to one of the characters, Miyafuji Yoshika. This special pillow is only offered through Nyantype, and for a little extra yen it could be yours in a matter of weeks. Personally though, I would rather have a free poster.

One of Star Wars’ iconic characters — R2-D2 — has had the desktop accessory treatment and has been turned into a trash can.

Knowing this, the sad thing is that it’s so very easy to visualize how you’d flip his domed head up and pop in some old candy wrappers, bits of fluff, useless receipts and such like.

I suppose you could restore a little dignity to him and use him for storage rather than trash. He has accepted worthier causes in the past (R2-D2 wireless USB camera) as well as other demeaning tasks (R2-D2 pepper mill) so the choice is yours.

R2-D2 stands nearly 10 inches tall and is constructed from vinyl. A “foot pedal” placed in a rather intimate position is used to tilt his head up,

Here’s the kicker. Not only will it not be available until November, but it’s labelled “Japan Only”. Huh? Anyone on Etsy fancy making a knockoff version? How hard can it be?

See it at Geek Stuff (Via)

We haven’t had a Youtube Find for a while here at FG. Time to change that, today. As of now. Star Wars in one minute, in one take. Arguably Better than episodes One-Three combined.

Please don’t ask me how I stumbled across these, as I really can’t remember. I honestly wasn’t searching for people and groups singing a cappella versions and medleys of video games, but once I’d found one I had to find some more.

Yeah it’s Friday, whatever.

Sit back and enjoy:

1. Tetris

2. Super Mario Bros 2

3. Video game medley

4. C64 International Karate

5. Legend of Zelda

6. Kid Icarus

7. Super Mario 64 Overworld Theme

Find any more? Share the link in the comments.

Have you been reading the War Of Kings?

So much attention has been paid to the Blackest Night and it’s prequel the Sinestro Corps War, that it has been easy to forget that Marvel have also been having a big cosmic crossover. And it rocks.

I’ve been as guilty as anyone, I admit. However I started reading comics with Marvel, and I have been blown away with their recent space sagas. Both Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest, great epics on their own, have set the scene for the current War Of Kings. And let’s face it, everyone who is anyone on the cosmic scene has been in these, even the most obscure of characters, from Paibok the Power Skrull to Stellaris the Celestial Slayer.

We’ve seen the Inhumans finally grasp the destiny for which they were designed, as the Royal Family adopt the Kree Empire as their ward. The third Summers brother Vulcan launches the Shi’ar into an expansionist phase, and the new Guardians Of The Galaxy stuck in the middle.

(SPOILER ALERT – READ NO FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE SERIES BUT PLAN TO.)

Lilandra has now been assassinated. And the culprit Darkhawk.

I have always liked Lilandra, and this one will echo for years if she stays dead, there seems to be nobody to take her place. I for one will miss her.

As for Darkhawk, I always thought he was a character with a lot of potential, and in the capable hands of Dan Abnett this has been realised. This week we have seen the final issue of War Of Kings: Ascension, and Dan has managed to completely revamp the character without contradicting any of his previous history. Christopher Powell has now had the ‘Nova-treatment’ and is finally a force to be reckoned with.

Elsewhere in the MU, Doctor Doom has had a great increase of power, in a story that many may have missed, what with Dark Reign and the War Of Kings hogging the spotlight. Spiralling out of the Marvel 1985 series (and somewhat justifying it), he was apparently slain by the Marquis Of Death, a future version of Clyde Wyncham, the reality altering first mutant of an alternate earth, sent back to the time of the dinosaurs and worked his way forward again step by step. Considering the next issue of the FF continues on from their Dark Reign mini, I hope we will see more of this new uber-Doom. After all, Norman Osbourne will not know how much his ally has changed.

So there’s my recommendations for this week – War Of Kings:Ascension #4 and Fantastic Four #569.

If you work with fonts a lot you’ll know what a hassle it can be to find just the right one.

Enter Fontplore, an interactive application built on a widget-aware table that can be used to search font databases quickly and intuitively.

Moving “navigation” and “action” objects around the table cause things to happen, such as scrolling through, previewing, printing or saving fonts.

Each object has a LED built in which changes color depending on its state.

The whole system is based on the reacTIVision system built by students and staff from Potsdam University, German, and makes use of a lot of open source stuff including MySQL Server, Mathematik, TUIO and PrintPDF.

Visit the web site for a lot more detail.

Via

Although I am big fan of the simplicity of Field Notes, and actually a plain boring notebook use, I love the concept of this retro floppy disc notebook.

Maybe not as simple or practical to put in your pocket as Field Notes, this one’s got the looks. More than just the front, the back of the notebook looks totally ace (pictured below).

Biggest minus point about this 6cm by 6cm notebook is that it only 60 pages has and a whopping €8.50 costs. Still, the look of it is ace!

When Apple opened up the dock connector to third party hardware developers with its latest iPhone OS 3.0, I’m not sure it had this kind of application in mind.

Watch this little robot, apparently something that’s available to buy (somewhere) coupled with an iPhone 3G S. Let it wake you up, teach it movements, and watch it “dance”.

Not sure whether this big-eyebrowed smiley robot will ever make it into production, but it’s a cool little experiment.

Via

I smell a mystery.

After reading the latest issue of Green Lantern, the first Blackest Night crossover, I think my admittedly minor fears regarding this summers crossover are put to rest. We see the Flash and Hal Jordan confronted by the Martian Manhunter, now a Black Lantern, and there was no sign of J’onn simply wanting to eat their brains. In fact, he sounded like himself. Admittedly a dead and angry version of himself, but his personality shone through, reminiscent of his latest mini series, where we really saw the aspect of his anger.

The clue I want to look for is what goes on with the Elongated Man and Sue Dibny. They were doing the Deadman thing, possessing various married couples to assist the Outsiders in their missions (at least I assume it was them), yet we see their corpses as Black Lanterns. What I want to know is do the Black Rings co-opt the spirits of their bearers, or simply the bodies and the personality traces left in the brain? I hope Ralph and Sue will give me the answer.

My other recommendation for today is the Superman family of titles, especially including the World Of New Krypton. This is a one of the best returns of Krypton I have read, combining all of the elements of the various Superman origins over the years. The bright colours of the sixties, the sterility of the Byrne version, and the recent militaristic incarnation, all combined as the various Guilds.

The new President of Krypton, Allura, is hurting after the assassination of her husband, Zor-El. Lucy Lane appears to have been drawn into the battle, gained Kryptonian powers, and died. Talk about throwing the family into chaos. We all know that General Zod is a villain, but could it be that Sam Lane is worse?

What I would like to see is if Zor-El is worthy of the Black Rings attention. Now that would confuse the mix even further. More to the point, it would be illogical if Zor-El didn’t rise.

In the face of the dead rising; that will come for Superman, for they have promised; I wonder just how long it is that Zod will remain apparently on the side of the angels. It could be for a very long time indeed.