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 [...]

rewards – eternal and earthly

Have you ever asked yourself, “Who’s minding the family dog after the Rapture?” Wonder no more. This is a brilliant idea for a business. Reminds me of the old SubGenius ploy, “eternal salvation or triple your money back.” Thanks to my brother for sharing this link.
If all goes well, I leave for my dusty reward [...]

the big picture does it again

Stunning images of the earth from the International Space Station. See an erupting volcano from orbit. See Seattle and Tacoma! See 0ctopus-like tidal channels in Iran. Don’t miss this.

six very interesting tidbits

A robot wants your job. The clothing retailer Zappos.com uses robots in its warehouses. Check out the first minute or two of this video, but I recommend the whole thing. Regarding the robotic warehouse environment, one human worker says, “It’s more serene.”
Rooks make hooks. In this video there’s a bird that seems smarter than me, [...]

last year’s man

I’m sorry, but I have no time to blog, so another excerpt from Leonard Cohen:
The rain falls down on last year’s man,
that’s a jew’s harp on the table,
that’s a crayon in his hand.
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled
far past the stems of thumbtacks
that still throw shadows on the wood.
And the [...]

no bunnies were harmed in the writing of this post

The subject of the ethics of animal experimentation in science and medical research came up on Pharyngula recently and a huge discussion was generated; currently more than 500 comments. Godwin’s law was invoked. It rained cats and dogs and there was a plague of locusts. Here are some of the points that were brought up. [...]

the blue brain

The Blue Brain project has been going on for years but I just heard about it. The purpose of this mind-boggling, but now feasible experiment is to use a supercomputer to simulate the brain of a mammal.
The project is in Switzerland, and is a joint venture with IBM. They have already succeeded in replicating a [...]

it’s a slime festival!

The Are We Alone podcast outdid itself recently with an episode all about slime. There are three things I learned that I want to share with you, but you ought to listen to the whole thing.

See an amazing video of how a bit of hagfish slime can quickly turn water into goo. Don’t miss this! [...]