January 27, 2012
RC ornithopter
How cool is this?
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Twenty-oneth street
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One way to settle a boxing match
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It's a record (4)
FYI: How Long-Running Is the Longest-Running Lab Experiment?Eighty-five years so far. The pitch-drop experiment—really more of a demonstration—began in 1927 when Thomas Parnell, a physics professor at the University of Queensland in Australia, set out to show his students that tar pitch, a derivative of coal so brittle that it can be smashed to pieces with a hammer, is in fact a highly viscous fluid. It flows at room temperature, albeit extremely slowly. Parnell melted the pitch, poured it into a glass funnel, let it cool (for three years), hung the funnel over a beaker, and waited.
Eight years later, a dollop of the pitch fell from the funnel’s stem. Nine years after that, another long black glob broke into the beaker. Parnell recorded the second drop but did not live to see the third, in 1954. By then, his experiment had been squirreled away in a dusty corner of the physics department.
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January 26, 2012
Microwave all the things!
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Blue Marble redux
'Blue Marble 2012': NASA's 'Most Amazing' High Def Image Of Earth So Far. There's a 64 megapixel version available at the link.
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Road rage?
This is a wedding. The bride is in the black merc GL. There is a local custom for groom's friends to challenge each other for a place after the bride's car. They typically use the old "Lada", which is not a pity to throw in a landfill after the inevitable collision with the autos of other applicants. Bride's car absolutely cannot be touched. The white "Lada" violated this rule and people on a silver "Lexus", taking on the role of a judge chastised the careless driver.
Via The Borderline Sociopathic Blog For Boys
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I believe Texans can deep fry anything
Deep-fried beer invented in TexasThe beer is placed inside a pocket of salty, pretzel-like dough and then dunked in oil at 375 degrees for about 20 seconds, a short enough time for the confection to remain alcoholic.
When diners take a bite the hot beer mixes with the dough in what is claimed to be a delicious taste sensation.
Inventor Mark Zable said it had taken him three years to come up with the cooking method and a patent for the process is pending. He declined to say whether any special ingredients were involved.
His deep-fried beer will be officially unveiled in a fried food competition at the Texas state fair later this month.
H.T. Jeff G
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January 25, 2012
Super aurora
This was shot in Sweden yesterday (Jan. 24th).
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Finally - a fortune cookie that's right
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Busted! (7)
Via The Daily What
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Passing the smell test
Strip club launches 'Alibi' aftershave to recreate scent of the officeYou're home late, your clothes are dishevelled you smell of alcohol. How do you convince your better half you really weren’t out on the tiles?
The answer may be here... in the form of a new range of aftershaves designed to throw suspicious wives and girlfriends off the scent.
The Alibi range can mask the smell of a heavy night with aromas linked to more wholesome activities.
For example, My Car Broke Down is said to recreate the scent of fuel, burnt rubber, grease and steel, while I Was Working Late packs the odour of coffee, wool suits, cigarettes and ink.
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January 24, 2012
Car projection
Quite a show! It reminds me of Tow Mater's computer-generated disguises in Cars 2.
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Clever billboard
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Nice catch! (2)
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Expensive money
Two dollar bill is hot again for TetIn recent years, giving US$2 bill as lucky money has become a trend in Vietnam, as it is thought to bring good luck. As Tet, or Lunar New Year, draws near, many are willing to pay 60 times the bill’s value to get one.
“$2 bills are produced in small numbers compared to other kinds. Besides, two is a beautiful number in Asian conception. Many buy the bills to put inside their wallet or to give to friends for good luck,” said Nguyen Hang, who works for a big supermarket in Hanoi.
She said she had just reserved a spot to buy a US$2 note, which is worth VND2.5 million ($125).
“It’s not new, but what is special is that it was printed 50 years ago, and its last four digits are 4444. That’s how the value was added up,” she explained.
Via Carpe Diem
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January 23, 2012
Puppet court
Via The Daily What
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LOL
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Well played, sir
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This was only a test
Passengers on British Airways flight terrified after message warns of crash landingThe friendly skies turned terribly frightening for passengers aboard a trans-Atlantic flight.
The overnight British Airways trip from Miami to London’s Heathrow Airport was thrown into panic after a recorded message mistakenly announced their plane was about to crash in the ocean.
“We were about three hours into the flight when an automated message came over ... saying, ‘This is an emergency. We will shortly be making an emergency landing on water,’” passenger Duncan Farquharson told the London Daily Mail. [...]
“We looked at each other and figured we were both about to die,” he told the British paper. “Families with children were distraught and people were in tears. It was very distressing.”
Thirty seconds later, a crew member casually announced that the prerecorded announcement was played accidentally and there was no risk.
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January 20, 2012
Golf War
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Eye in the sky
A view of the Helix nebula from CNN's Light Years blog. It reminds me of Niven & Pournelle's The Mote In God's Eye.
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Ridge runner
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Oops (14)
Always mount a scratch monkey.
Freak washing machine accident boils lab monkey alivePENNINGTON — They forgot to take the monkey out of the cage.
Bristol-Myers Squibb accidentally killed a crab-eating macaque this past summer when its cage was run through the wash cycle while the primate remained locked inside, according to an inspection report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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January 19, 2012
More mini-cannon action
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Retro risqué
Retronaut has a collection of 18 LP album covers with nudes from the 50s and 60s. A few are from mainstream releases but most are from novelty albums (like the one titled Music for Hangovers).
H.T. Ms M.
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It's a what?
John Scalzi's 13 y.o. daughter checks out an LP.
Via The Daily What
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Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time
Iran Mocks US With Toy DroneThe Iranian government, which captured a U.S. stealth drone in December, has agreed to give the top-secret spy craft back, but with a catch.
Instead of the original RQ-170 Sentinel drone, the Islamic Republic said Tuesday that it will send President Obama a tiny toy replica of the plane.
Iranian state radio said that the toy model will be 1/80th the size of the real thing. Iranian citizens can also buy their own toy copies of the drone, which will be available in stores for the equivalent of $4.
The White House formally requested return of the drone after the Iranians displayed it on state television. The U.S. says that the craft was operating over Eastern Afghanistan.
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January 18, 2012
The Day The LOLcats Died
Regrettably, I had to agree with Coyote when he wrote: " My prediction: They will kill this particular bill, and we will all pat ourselves on the back for it going away, but they it will get slipped into the back of some defense authorization bill while no one is looking and become law anyway. This kind of pandering to Hollywood and increased government control over speech and the Internet is just too appealing for Congress to pass up forever."
So eternal vigilance and all like that.
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Pirated from TheOatmeal
How to contact your Congressman and/or Senator.
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Just picture it...
Dressing psychiatrists like wizards on the witness standChecking out a published report, Erik Magraken contacted former New Mexico state senator Duncan Scott and found that it was true, the lawmaker had indeed introduced a legislative amendment in 1995 providing that:
When a psychologist or psychiatrist testifies during a defendant’s competency hearing, the psychologist or psychiatrist shall wear a cone-shaped hat that is not less than two feet tall. The surface of the hat shall be imprinted with stars and lightning bolts. Additionally, a psychologist or psychiatrist shall be required to don a white beard that is not less than 18 inches in length, and shall punctuate crucial elements of his testimony by stabbing the air with a wand. Whenever a psychologist or psychiatrist provides expert testimony regarding a defendant’s competency, the bailiff shall contemporaneously dim the courtroom lights and administer two strikes to a Chinese gong…The amendment — intended satirically, one should hasten to add –”passed with a unanimous Senate vote” but was removed from its bill before consideration by the state house and never became law.
Via Coyote blog
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January 17, 2012
What's the opposite of greeter?
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Mind the bridges
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Hamster sub
Via The Borderline Sociopathic Blog For Boys
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I wonder if anyone took her up on it?
Police: woman offered sexual favors in exchange for McNuggetsA Los Angeles woman was arrested after she offered sexual favors in exchange for chicken McNuggets, Burbank police said.
Khadijah Baseer of Los Angeles reportedly opened customers’ car doors in the drive-thru of McDonald’s on the 1700 block of Olive Avenue about 11 p.m. Wednesday, asking for free chicken McNuggets in exchange for sexual favors, Officer Joshua Kendrick said.
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January 16, 2012
Lazy Jedi
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On the rocks
Sailor Jeff sends this pic.
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Looks like a lot of work
They needed the Lazy Jedi for this one.
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Here's mud in yer eye
As Ben Franklin wrote, "Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy."
Study: Abstaining from alcohol significantly shortens lifeA newly released study shows that regular drinkers are less likely to die prematurely than people who have never indulged in alcohol. You read that right: Time reports that abstaining from alcohol altogether can lead to a shorter life than consistent, moderate drinking.
Surprised? The tightly controlled study, which looked at individuals between ages 55 and 65, spanned a 20-year period and accounted for variables ranging from socioeconomic status to level of physical activity. Led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin, it found that mortality rates were highest for those who had never had a sip, lower for heavy drinkers, and lowest for moderate drinkers who enjoyed one to three drinks per day.
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January 15, 2012
Nice catch
And a nicer brother.
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