cosmic puzzles–easy answers

The following questions appeared in New Scientist magazine. They are allegedly the seven unanswered questions that most frequently keep physicists awake at night. I can answer all seven because I have friends with authority on these matters. I decided to put these questions to either the Master Nashwan or my Ouija board mouse pad. [...]

isn’t the cost of medical care an interesting topic?

I’ve been listening to the two-part “This American Life” examination of the health care industry in the U.S. of A. Below are a few items I took away from this broadcast. Caution: I sometimes get things wrong, so I advise listening to it yourself. It’s an entertaining and educational review of the topic.
Underlying causes of [...]

weird times at the movies

District 9
I went in expecting some kind of allegory about apartheid. Wrong. The film begins like a really odd riff on “The Office.” A goofy, ignorant, bureaucrat is put in charge of a slum full of space aliens in South Africa. His clueless bumbling is kind of funny in this bizarre setting. Also strange and [...]

random images for today

A reminder regarding the upcoming election–don’t forget #6!

I saw this burst of blue fireballs in the desert. It lasted less than a second.

Greta copied me on this charming photo and message.

crime & punishment & burning man

Yes, it’s a highly sophisticated graphic novel loosely based on our trip to Black Rock City this year! Beware: extreme literary and artistic value may overwhelm you. For those suckers art lovers who actually read it, I recommend using “slideshow” mode and pausing it to click through each page.  That way the pictures are large [...]

testing with cat and brownies

I’m trying to post to this blog using the cell phone Android app for WordPress. While making brownies and dealing with a cat nuzzling my hair. This is only a test. It’s kind of painstaking.

Cannibal! The Musical

There is good silly fun to be had at Market Theater’s production of “Cannibal! The Musical.” Singin’, dancin’, and good eatin’. When I returned from the theater last night, Maggie read me the entire Wikipedia entry on the historical Alfred Packer, alleged cannibal upon whom the play is based. I learned that Phil Ochs wrote [...]

deadly secret

I read the news article recently about two people who died while participating in a sweat lodge ceremony. I didn’t realize until today that the event was sponsored by James Arthur Ray, author of Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want. This new age how-to-get-rich book was endorsed by Oprah. Ray was [...]