Opportunity, one of the Mars Exploration Rovers, has gotten stuck on a sand dune and it's not certain that they'll be able to free it. (All six wheels are pretty deeply buried.)
I'm sure they'll think of something and the Little Rover That Could will be on its way. Still, send good vibes to Opportunity whenever you can.
When you turn in your "life history" interview with a person from a culture different from yours, it is not a good idea to write one page, then turn in this, unaltered, as the remaining nine pages.
I will figure you out in record time, I will fail you, and I will report you to the Dean.
"It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!"
Generalísimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
Whew! That caught me by surprise. How was I to know that the mayor of San Diego resigning would be national news?
My favorite part:
"Councilman Michael Zucchet, the city's deputy mayor, will become acting mayor. Zucchet, who faces a federal trial next month for allegedly accepting bribes from the owner of a strip club, defended the mayor as an honorable man whose resignation took courage."
I'm relieved to know the city will be in good hands.
Now that's what I'm talkin' about! I usually don't go for over-the-top home technology projects, but the Jenkins Family Theater has serious panache. You have to give people credit when they're willing to work hard to make something so crazy. (At least I do, with the ideas I have...)
We should all go to Kernie's Family Park in Germany, mostly because it's built on the site of an abandoned (never used) nuclear power station. Where else can you free-climb a cooling tower? The site is in German and Dutch only. Sorry.
An actual quote: Hey Kids, eine echt unglaubliche Geschichte!
Well, it's Friday, April 22nd that is the official Earth Day, but I figure it's good to celebrate the whole week. So here are some friendly tips on better environmental living.
I still have trouble with #22, though. I suck at getting it right the first time . . .
The blogosphere is (justifiably) all a-twitter because Ross Mayfield was told that air passengers are only allowed a maximum of two books on flights starting April 14.
The problem isn't a matter of 2 (or 4) books, of course. That's just one silly example. The real issue is this note on the Transportation Security Administration site:
To ensure everyone's security the screener may determine that an item not on this chart is prohibited.
Note that there's no mention of how to challenge (or even report) a mistaken declaration, either at the time or after the fact. So, if the ahem well-trained and capable TSA staff decide that your knitting needles or eyeglass screwdriver are verboten (which they aren't), then you have no recourse but to give them up. (Chant with me, everyone: unreasonable... searches... and seizures...)
On April 1st, Scientific American published an apology for their one-sidedness in the presentation of so-called 'scientific' ideas. I finally found the text. Go, you snarky scientists!
WorldChanging has a good overview of the arguments for and against nuclear power as a solution to the current (and near future) oil/global warming/environment crisis. My personal view is that nuclear power can be useful in a few isolated cases, but improving efficiency and developing distributed alternative energy (solar, wind, geothermal) is a better use of our time and effort.
Oh, if only we could harness the mighty power of Internet debate!
Not a very good title for this, but true! I will save my money so I can learn about my genetic ancestors with National Geographic's "National Genographic" project. Oh, this is so neat. Oh, I am such a dork.
Oh! It's neat!
Aaaaigh! Crusaders! (incoherent gibbering) The Crusaders are coming!
If only we had some kind of missile, we could take the steam out of those bells.
[UPDATE: I swear I didn't read Karen's post before posting this. We're just on the same wavelength.]
I may have found a group to believe in: Unitarian Jihad. I found myself drawn to them, my world-view altered, my spirit lifted, when I read such charismatic phrases as, "We will require all lobbyists, spokesmen and campaign managers to dress like trout in public." I could do with a few more trout and a few less lobbyists. Maybe that's just me.
Stupid Wisconsin. If this passes, I will boycott you. I mean it.
ETA: I guess I'm already boycotting South Dakota and Minnesota. And I get what they're saying about the birds, but neuter and release is the best solution to that. You know how parents say to kids, "Only take it if you're going to eat it?" I say that to hunters.
Have we really become so paranoid? Is the official government response to a foreign visitor asking to see the President to knock him down, blow up his luggage, and charge him with resisting arrest? I know I shouldn't be surprised, but it still makes me sad.
I know y'all have been jealous that I get to work with sheep as part of my job. Well, now you can join in! (You gotta enable pop-up windows for this one).
I sure hope so. Otherwise, this is just wrong: Place your bets! If you decide to throw your hat into the ring, I don't think I want to know.
(I put this under "Religion" but it could just as easily be culture, or even reference, if you are so inclined to visit our friendly web-bookie again...)
Looking for an independent café nearby? Use the Starbucks Delocator to find one, or add your favorite to the database. (I was surprised to find that Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is actually a transnational corporation. Learn something new every day!)
This photo speaks for itself. Wow!
Google Gulp! Think fruity. Think refreshing.
Think a DNA scanner embedded in the lip of your bottle reading all 3 gigabytes of your base pair genetic data in a fraction of a second, fine-tuning your individual hormonal cocktail in real time using our patented Auto-Drink™ technology, and slamming a truckload of electrolytic neurotransmitter smart-drug stimulants past the blood-brain barrier to achieve maximum optimization of your soon-to-be-grateful cerebral cortex. Plus, it's low in carbs!
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THE SOURCE OF THIS FUND IS AS FOLLOWS; DURING THE LAST MILITARY REGIME HERE IN NIGERIA, THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SET UP COMPANIES AND AWARDED THEMSELVES CONTRACTS WHICH WERE GROSSLY OVER-INVOICED IN VARIOUS MINISTRIES. THE PRESENT CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT SET UP A CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A LOT OF INFLATED CONTRACT FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY FLOATING IN THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA READY FOR PAYMENT.
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PLEASE,NOTE THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% SAFE AND WE HOPE TO COMMENCE THE TRANSFER LATEST SEVEN (7) BANKING DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THE RECEIPT OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATIOM BY TEL/FAX; 234-1-7740449, YOUR COMPANY'S SIGNED, AND STAMPED LETTERHEAD PAPER THE ABOVE INFORMATION WILL ENABLE US WRITE LETTERS OF CLAIM AND JOB DESCRIPTION RESPECTIVELY. THIS WAY WE WILL USE YOUR COMPANY'S NAME TO APPLY FOR PAYMENT AND RE-AWARD THE CONTRACT IN YOUR COMPANY'S NAME.
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