Humor
My immediate feeling as Shuttle Atlantis touched down safely was one of relief. But now that all the post-facto analysis have started, with maybe some recrimination, let me entertain you all with one way in which the Shuttle has entered British Culture.
Oh man oh man this is really cute:
It's the brand-new storefront of a shop that sells only merchandise related to this creature. His name is Ikaaru Seijin, which the Japan Times claims means Man from Planet Ikaaru.
My Japanese vocabulary is extremely limited (ika=squid; tako=octopus) and my grammar nonexistent, so I can't complain, but couldn't we just take the extra step and translate it as the Man from Planet Squid?
Anyway, I really want to go to Hakodate now.
vongehr |
Niko Alm has after a three year wait finally gotten permission to wear his religious head covering in his driver license photo - progress for religious freedom everywhere.
In Austria, a license or ID photo cannot show the person with her head covered, except if the person is religious, in which case law and order are not so important. Niko Alm, an entrepreneur and blogger, belongs to the holy church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which is the one and only true god, praise it and kill all infidels. Niko cannot possibly ascent to the one true Italian-mushroom sauce heaven if his driver…
G.D.W. |
This video has become quite popular in the past month. Chances are you've already seen it. If so, my apologies, but it's just too funny.Here's a quick summary for you: cat barks, cat sees owner, cat meows.
Why does the cat bark, I wonder? Does it realize the barking might scare people, and is it just messing with people walking by? If so, smart cat.And more, since the cat changes its 'woof' to a 'meow' when it realizes it is caught by its owner, does it realize that it's doing something it isn't supposed to do? If so, smart cat.Either way, fascinating case of auditory mimicry.
Woof....I mean…
antunes |
Life is hard when you're cutting edge. Coming up with a good topic and title for a Science 2.0 article is not easy. Today I tried to conceive of a unique and insightful piece about a little-talked about topic. Specifically, the topic of the last space shuttle flight, which just occurred today.
But what title could really capture this epic yet unreported event? 'The Day America Cried'? Or maybe 'The Day America Shrugged', or perhaps 'The Day America Clicked on FB for, like, the 50th Time Today' might work better. But perhaps that issue itself is too niche.…
Astronomers tend to suffer from gigantomania; we relate to and prefer astronomical dimensions. Always. I, being not only an astronomer but also a sucker for celebrations, will not miss this opportunity to congratulate the American nation with its Independence Day 4th of July accordingly. With a celebration of astronomical proportions that, obviously, suits a superpower!
M1, the Crab Nebula, is what is left after the gigantic supernova explosion of SN 1054. It was discovered by Chinese astronomers and called a 'guest star' at the time as the bright light faded away over a 23 day period. Credit…
Hank |
Conservatives, who generally agree on the value of individual freedom, want the government to limit marijuana. Progressives, who generally agree on the value of big government, don't want the government to limit marijuana.
Conservatives, who generally agree on the merits of capitalism, like genetically modified organisms, as long as they aren't researched using human embryonic stem cells and curing people of serious illnesses. Progressives, who generally dislike capitalism unless it is the magical sort that works in a world where regulation of fossil fuels and mandates and…
A few days ago, I posted a design for a Giant Squid Multi-Costume that I'd sketched up for a friend of mine. Well, here is the implementation:Giant Squid by Lauren Bell, Max, Liz, U-B., and Elsa.
It's difficult to see in the photo, but they had an absolutely brilliant idea for the squid's beak. It was a huge piece of black paperboard folded into a "fortune teller", like the ones we used to make in elementary school (with fortunes such as "your face looks like a squid" written inside).
Do let me know if any of you other lunatics out there make one of these. I'd love to post more pictures.
I would show you pieces of pie, but no pie has stayed around long enough in this house to snap a picture of it. I tell you what I'll do for my readers: when I'm shopping today, I'll buy some. Just for you. I can make this sacrifice since you've come to expect photos of stuff. I'll add them in. Ain't that sweet of me?
Why pie? What makes me bring up pie? You want some, don't you?
I was looking at twitter and a tweet caught my eye:
A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, announces she never did care for pie #Life #Love #wisdom
You…
Hank |
People still believe in secret societies because there are secret societies - some groups just don't want attention, even if they do anonymous charity work - but secret cabals that control a nation or the world are irrational, yet belief in them persists.
Go ahead, ask some left wing kook about George Bush and they will trail off into gibberish about the Skull&Crossbones and list all all these other people that were in it, as if being in a dinner group made them successful as opposed to being smart enough to get into an Ivy League school. Really, if I am believing some secret Yale…