Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
World's First Computer Rebuilt, Rebooted After 2,000 Years
A British museum curator has built a working replica of a 2,000-year-old Greek machine that has been called the world's first computer.
A dictionary-size assemblage of 37 interlocking dials crafted with the precision and complexity of a 19th-century Swiss clock, the Antikythera mechanism was used for modeling and predicting the movements of the heavenly bodies as well as the dates and locations of upcoming Olympic games.
The original 81 shards of the Antikythera were recovered from under the sea (near the Greek island of Antikythera) in 1902, rusted and clumped together in a nearly indecipherable mass. Scientists dated it to 150 B.C. Such craftsmanship wouldn't be seen for another 1,000 years — but its purpose was a mystery for decades.
Many scientists have worked since the 1950s to piece together the story, with the help of some very sophisticated imaging technology in recent years, including X-ray and gamma-ray imaging and 3-D computer modeling.
Now, though, it has been rebuilt. As is almost always the way with these things, it was an amateur who cracked it. Michael Wright, a former curator at the Science Museum in London, has built a replica of the Antikythera, which works perfectly.
From Wired.com
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Best quotes from CNNs political blog
"Drescher, 51, is best known for her starring role in the 1990s television comedy "The Nanny" and an adenoidal voice that could strip the rust off an engine block — a talent that might come in handy during a Senate filibuster."
From here
and
""An Obama job approval rating of 79 percent! That’s the sort of rating you see when the public rallies around a leader after a national disaster. To many Americans, the Bush Administration was a national disaster," says CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider.
From here
From here
and
""An Obama job approval rating of 79 percent! That’s the sort of rating you see when the public rallies around a leader after a national disaster. To many Americans, the Bush Administration was a national disaster," says CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider.
From here
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Students find planet outside our solar system
Dutch undergrads discover planet orbiting a fast-rotating hot star
Three undergraduate students have discovered a large planet orbiting a fast-rotating star. Extrasolar planet discoveries like this have become common, but this one is unusual both for who found it and the type of star it orbits.
"It is exciting not just to find a planet, but to find one as unusual as this one; it turns out to be the first planet discovered around a fast-rotating star, and it's also the hottest star found with a planet," said one of the planet's discoverers, Meta de Hoon of Leiden University in The Netherlands.
From MSNBC.com
Three undergraduate students have discovered a large planet orbiting a fast-rotating star. Extrasolar planet discoveries like this have become common, but this one is unusual both for who found it and the type of star it orbits.
"It is exciting not just to find a planet, but to find one as unusual as this one; it turns out to be the first planet discovered around a fast-rotating star, and it's also the hottest star found with a planet," said one of the planet's discoverers, Meta de Hoon of Leiden University in The Netherlands.
From MSNBC.com
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Lake of acid
Located in the crater of Mt. Irazu in Costa Rica, this lake has a PH of 2, which makes it Sulfuric Acid. No vegetation grows within ten feet of the lake.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
7 Historical Figures Who Were Absurdly Hard To Kill
Death comes for every man, but that doesn't mean you have to make it easy for the bastard. These are the men who, despite whatever terrible things they may have done in life, earned a place in our hearts with their amazingly badass deaths.
From Cracked
Top 5 Inappropriate Soundtracks.
A soundtrack can do so much to craft a film, to give it subtly and nuance. …But what if all that went out the window and the music was chosen by someone who’d gone full retard?
More at Movie Moron
More at Movie Moron
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Bart Simpson: Wacky bastard
New airport paging/information clerk: Paging passenger Emerson Bigguns, passenger Emerson Bigguns. Please call airport information from the nearest white courtesy phone.
(pregnant pause) Fuck!
Airport
San Antonio, Texas
via Overheard In The Office
(pregnant pause) Fuck!
Airport
San Antonio, Texas
via Overheard In The Office
Hell, I'd date him
His Ministry of Silly Walks sketch saw him adopt a variety of ungainly poses.
And John Cleese was at it again as he kissed his much shorter girlfriend.
The 6ft 5in Monty Python star had to splay his legs and bend his knees as he embraced Barbie Orr outside a restaurant in Santa Clarita, California.
The difference in height isn't the only big gap between the two.
At 27, American comedienne Miss Orr is 42 years Cleese's junior and young enough to be his granddaughter.
But she didn’t seem to have any complaints – or concerns that he might slip a disc – as she embraced him tightly in the car park, next to a bright yellow Mercedes.
Cleese’s friend Michael Winner told the Mail the pair met a few weeks ago, while Cleese was on an acting job.
‘Barbie is John’s girlfriend. They’ve not just been on a couple of dates. He says that she’s funny and makes him laugh,’ he said.
From Daily Mail Online
The Colter Stone
John Colter (c.1774 – May 7, 1812 or November 22, 1813) was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804−1806). Though party to one of the more famous expeditions in history, he is still best remembered for his explorations made after being honorably discharged in 1806. During the winter of 1807–1808, Colter became the first known person of European descent to enter the region now known as Yellowstone National Park, descend into Jackson Hole and see the Teton Mountain Range. Colter spent months alone in the wilderness, and is widely considered to be the first mountain man.
Sometime between 1931 and 1933, an Idaho farmer named William Beard and his son discovered a rock carved into the shape of a man's head while clearing a field in Tetonia, Idaho, which is immediately west of the Teton Range. The rhyolite lava rock is 13 inches (33 cm) long, 8 inches (20 cm) wide and 4 inches (10 cm) thick and has the words "John Colter" carved on the right side of the face and the number "1808" on the left side and has been dubbed the "Colter Stone". The stone was reportedly purchased from the Beards in 1933 by A.C. Lyon, who presented it to Grand Teton National Park in 1934. Fritiof Fryxell, noted mountain climber of numerous Teton Range peaks, geologist and Grand Teton National Park naturalist, concluded that the stone had weathering that indicated that the inscriptions were likely made in the year indicated. Fryxell also believed that the Beards were not familiar with John Colter or his explorations. The stone has not been authenticated to have been carved by Colter, however, and may have instead been the work of later expeditions, possibly as a hoax, by members of the Hayden Survey in 1877. If the stone is ever proven to be an actual carving made by Colter, in the year inscribed, it would coincide with the period he is known to have been in the region, and that he did cross the Teton Range and descend into Idaho, as descriptions he dictated to William Clark indicate.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Noted.
Marie Curie's laboratory papers are still so radioactive that they're kept in lead-lined boxes.
Researchers who consult them must agree to work at their own risk.
Researchers who consult them must agree to work at their own risk.
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" revised by a committee of eminent preceptors and scholars
Shine with irregular, intermitted light, sparkle at intervals, diminutive, luminous, heavenly body.
How I conjecture, with surprise, not unmixed with uncertainty, what you are,
Located, apparently, at such a remote distance from, and at a height so vastly superior to this earth, the planet we inhabit,
Similar in general appearance and refractory powers to the precious primitive octahedron crystal of pure carbon, set in the aerial region surrounding the earth.
— William T. Dobson, Poetical Ingenuities and Eccentricities, 1882
How I conjecture, with surprise, not unmixed with uncertainty, what you are,
Located, apparently, at such a remote distance from, and at a height so vastly superior to this earth, the planet we inhabit,
Similar in general appearance and refractory powers to the precious primitive octahedron crystal of pure carbon, set in the aerial region surrounding the earth.
— William T. Dobson, Poetical Ingenuities and Eccentricities, 1882
Um, no.
Filmed in the 1930's, a man with a rifle tests an early version of bullet proof glass, with his wife holding glass in front of her face.
The Oseberg Ship
The Oseberg ship is a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway. The burial mound contained numerous grave goods and two female human skeletons. The ships internment into its burial mound dates from 834, but parts of the ship date from around 800, and the ship itself is thought to be older. It was excavated by Swedish archaeologist Gabriel Gustafson, and Norwegian archaeologist Haakon Shetelig in 1904-1905. This ship is widely celebrated and has been called one of the finest finds to have survived the Viking Age. The ship and some of its contents are displayed at the Viking Ship Museum, Bygdøy, Oslo.
More at Wikipedia
Sunday, November 30, 2008
I did not know that
Glenn Miller's 1940 hit "PEnnsylvania 6-5000″ refers to the telephone number of the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City, where Miller's orchestra often played.
It still works: 212-736-5000 is the hotel's main number.
It still works: 212-736-5000 is the hotel's main number.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Those square-heads really know how to make the alphabet work for 'em
The Icelandic sentence Barbara Ara bar Ara araba bara rabbabara, besides being fun to say, is spelled with only three letters. It means "Barbara, daughter of Ari, brought only rhubarb to Ari the Arab."
Surging shoppers kill New York Wal-Mart worker
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man working for discount retailer Wal-Mart was killed on Friday in a stampede by frenzied shoppers who broke down doors and surged into a Long Island, New York store, a police spokesman said.
The 34-year-old man was at the entrance of the Valley Stream Wal-Mart store just after it opened at 5 a.m. and was knocked to the ground, the police report said.
The exact cause of death was still to be determined by a medical examiner.
Four shoppers, including a 28-year-old pregnant woman, were also taken to local hospitals for injuries sustained in the incident, police said.
Wal-Mart said it was saddened by the death of the man, who was working for a temporary employment agency serving the retailer, and by the injuries suffered by shoppers.
"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," the world's largest retailer said in a statement. It said the incident was still under investigation and referred any other inquiries to local police.
New York's largest grocery workers union on Friday urged federal, state and local authorities to investigate what it called "Wal-Mart's failure to provide a safe workplace."
"This incident was avoidable," said Bruce Both, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500. "Where were the safety barriers? Where was security? ... This is not just tragic; it rises to a level of blatant irresponsibility by Wal-Mart."
Wal-Mart said it had added additional internal security, third party security, more store associates and had worked closely with local police.
"We also erected barricades. Despite all of our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred," Hank Mullany, a Wal-Mart senior vice president, said in a statement.
The Friday after America's Thanksgiving holiday is known as Black Friday and is traditionally the busiest retail day of the year, kicking off the Christmas shopping season.
U.S. stores across the country opened early to offer discounts to consumers hit by a contracting economy. Hundreds of shoppers waited in line before dawn at some locations to secure deals on holiday gifts.
(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington)
(Reporting by Michele Gershberg; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Anthony Boadle)
via Reuters
Hey, idiots: Next year, try this instead.
The 34-year-old man was at the entrance of the Valley Stream Wal-Mart store just after it opened at 5 a.m. and was knocked to the ground, the police report said.
The exact cause of death was still to be determined by a medical examiner.
Four shoppers, including a 28-year-old pregnant woman, were also taken to local hospitals for injuries sustained in the incident, police said.
Wal-Mart said it was saddened by the death of the man, who was working for a temporary employment agency serving the retailer, and by the injuries suffered by shoppers.
"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," the world's largest retailer said in a statement. It said the incident was still under investigation and referred any other inquiries to local police.
New York's largest grocery workers union on Friday urged federal, state and local authorities to investigate what it called "Wal-Mart's failure to provide a safe workplace."
"This incident was avoidable," said Bruce Both, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500. "Where were the safety barriers? Where was security? ... This is not just tragic; it rises to a level of blatant irresponsibility by Wal-Mart."
Wal-Mart said it had added additional internal security, third party security, more store associates and had worked closely with local police.
"We also erected barricades. Despite all of our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred," Hank Mullany, a Wal-Mart senior vice president, said in a statement.
The Friday after America's Thanksgiving holiday is known as Black Friday and is traditionally the busiest retail day of the year, kicking off the Christmas shopping season.
U.S. stores across the country opened early to offer discounts to consumers hit by a contracting economy. Hundreds of shoppers waited in line before dawn at some locations to secure deals on holiday gifts.
(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington)
(Reporting by Michele Gershberg; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Anthony Boadle)
via Reuters
Hey, idiots: Next year, try this instead.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Elbert Martin
In 1912, there was an assassination attempt on Teddy Roosevelt by John Schrank. He shot Roosevelt in the chest once. The would be assassin was then grabbed by Elbert Martin, who was a stenographer to Roosevelt. Martin wrestled the gun from Schrank, saving Roosevelt's life.
Roosevelt, bleeding, and shot in the chest, went ahead and gave his complete speech, and then went to the hospital. The letter in the photograph is Roosevelt's speech, and shows the hole from the bullet passing through it.
It really is my perfect job
Conductor: Stand clear of the doors. You are delaying service. (pause, then impatiently) Stand clear of the doors! You are delaying service! (pause) I will come back there and stab you if you do not get out of the doorway.
--Uptown 1 Train
Automated announcer: The next stop is 59th Street.
(people flee the train)
Conductor: The next stop on this train will be 14th Street, Union Square. Not 59th Street. ...you people take this train every day. You should know better than that, now come on!
--Uptown 4 Train
Via Overheard in New York
--Uptown 1 Train
Automated announcer: The next stop is 59th Street.
(people flee the train)
Conductor: The next stop on this train will be 14th Street, Union Square. Not 59th Street. ...you people take this train every day. You should know better than that, now come on!
--Uptown 4 Train
Via Overheard in New York
Thursday, November 27, 2008
It's all about respect
Soldier #1: Sir, are you going to do anything while on leave?
Lieutenant, sitting in the one shady spot in the blazing heat: Yeah, I think me and my cousin are going to get some fuckin beers, get all smashed, go out and get tattoos. It's gonna be cool shit. Grab some brews, bitches...way cool.
Soldier #2, walking up: Yeah? Are you going to get a tattoo of a penis on your forehead, dickhead?
(shocked silence)
Lieutenant (thoughtful): Naw...fuck that.
Iraq
Overheard by: TK- soldier#3 almost peed stopping from laughing
Lieutenant, sitting in the one shady spot in the blazing heat: Yeah, I think me and my cousin are going to get some fuckin beers, get all smashed, go out and get tattoos. It's gonna be cool shit. Grab some brews, bitches...way cool.
Soldier #2, walking up: Yeah? Are you going to get a tattoo of a penis on your forehead, dickhead?
(shocked silence)
Lieutenant (thoughtful): Naw...fuck that.
Iraq
Overheard by: TK- soldier#3 almost peed stopping from laughing
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