Archive

Posts Tagged ‘fire’

The weekend coffee has bees. And ants. Zombie ants.

August 21st, 2010 2 comments
Have you ever wondered what happens if you put a jar over top of a hole in a beehive?

If the answer to that is “no”, you will be kicking yourself for not wondering about this sooner after seeing what happens.
Here at the Big Bad Blog, we love math jokes. This one is fantastic.
It would seem that the security features on touchscreen phones can be hacked using a ‘smudge attack’. This information will feature in an upcoming episode of Burn Notice, most probably.
Things you have always known but never bothered to test empirically: Women with larger breasts have an easier time hitchhiking.
Georgia Pacific, a maker of paper towel dispensers you find in restrooms, is suing for trademark infringement as people are using paper towels from other brands in their machines.
Everything you need to know about parasite powered zombie ants.
While creationism (and its variants) do not belong in the science classroom, not being science, do they belong elsewhere? Religion class? Philosophy? History? Albert Meyer argues not. Personally, I would like to see it as a subject to be tested in a class on Critical Thinking.
In case you do not know what a Rickroll is, there is now court testimony explaining it on record, thanks to hacker Christopher Poole.
Categories: Weekend Coffee

Links – dancing with dinosaurs and debilitated snowmen

February 13th, 2010 No comments
Ryan Air is being sued by Easyjet. Rather than respond with a countersuit or a PR campaign, instead Ryan Air’s CEO challenges Easyjet’s CEO to a race. The article does not mention the entry fee to be charged to Easyjet’s CEO should he agree.
If your male, and your life goal is to crash your car repeatedly and survive, it is apparently better to wear your seatbelt and get fat. Women: You should wear your seatbelt and have a healthy mid-range BMI.
For those unaware, the image to the left is inspired from the absolutely incredible short film Rejected. You can be it on Youtube by clicking this link.
An interesting take on the evolution of the career of the writer. Most interestingly, writing ability does not bring success in writing. Instead, it is persistence and the ability to withstand constant rejection. One wonders how many Joyces and Irvings have never come to press, in favour of the Stephenie Meyers of the world.
Susannah Breslin on suicide.
Want to know more about the history of pubs? There is a free conference in London one week from today.
Security experts at the University of Cambridge claim that Chip and PIN is broken. I disagree. There is a means by which Chip and PIN can be compromised. That doesn’t mean that it is less secure than the traditional swipe & sign.
Is Christian Bale really Kermit the Frog? You be the judge.
Categories: Weekend Coffee

The morning coffee would welcome being paid in gift cards

February 5th, 2010 No comments

A California judge finds himself in a little bit of trouble this week. After agreeing to a plea deal that would see his clients be paid in gift cards instead of cash, the judge ordered that the lawyers $125,000 payment should also be paid the same way. The decision has (unfortunately) been overturned, and there is a little less justice in the world today.


(Photo of the annual Tough Guy race, by Michael Regan)

Ah, Twitter — the new CEO resignation engine.

Easy come, easy go — the website Awkward Stock Photos has been removed from the Internet, following a DMCA claim from a stock photo website.

Categories: morning coffee

The morning coffee is more than matter and energy

August 14th, 2009 1 comment

Something bizarre is happening just outside of Saturn. Something is disturbing the ring.

fire_extinguishers
(by fire design)

What happens when physics meets computer science? Matter and energy bump into a third fundamental concept: information. It is encoded in atomic structures and DNA. Decoded through complex neural firings in the brain, or biological processes that I don’t understand. And this has led one man to believe that the universe is a computer.

Youtube is now host to Ghostbusters. But if you live in the UK (and probably most other places that are not the USA), this link to the video will not work, thanks to outdated copyright laws.

Categories: morning coffee
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