confessions of an alien hunter

Confessions of an Alien Hunter is the new book by astronomer Seth Shostak. He’s been deeply involved in SETI research for a long time, so it was interesting to read this and get an inside story. In a relatively small book, he covers the history of the research, the theories of how and where to [...]

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 [...]

i came so far for beauty

I chose not to go to the Leonard Cohen concert. To save money. Because I’ve seen him perform before. I kind of regret it now. But I’m going to post some of his song lyrics.
I Came So Far For Beauty
I came so far for beauty
I left so much behind
My patience and my family
My masterpiece unsigned
I [...]

nameless

I was more afraid than I could explain. but not enough to dull my thirst for wonder…
I ducked into a bookstore to find something to read because I had a long wait before the Neil deGrasse Tyson lecture (a few weeks ago). I came across a paperback of H.P. Lovecraft stories and grabbed it because [...]

why this word?

Why do people who post to forums and blogs use the word “methinks” so often? Are they in a dorkiness competition? If so, I want to win. Here’s my entry: “Methinks that anyone who disagrees with me is a troll. Thither I see an army of Nazi e-mail goons arrayed against me, the [...]

the wrap up

All right, the dangblog-approved thank-you’s are out of the way. On with the story.
Yes, I spent close to five days with my arm in a Hammering Man device. I do need an additional surgery to get full functioning back, but I don’t want to think about that right now.  Currently I do rehab on my [...]

soup that eats

I noticed this on the label on a can of soup in my cupboard: “The soup that eats like a meal.” I don’t want a soup that eats like anything! I want a soup that will passively be eaten. What the hell is this all about? Meals don’t eat, right? Unless they mean a mealworm.

Maybe [...]

worst word of the year

“Impactful.”