Do you like picnics? Then this is the suitcase for you.
(Mustache Mugs by Peter Bruegger)
So … how much energy worth of oil was lost in that Gulf of Mexico oil spill? Far less than the energy wasted by throwing out food.
Finally … dumpster converted into pools? Awesome.
What happens when fan fiction is allowed to mingle with the work that inspired it? We are about to find out, as Neal Stephenseon, Greg Bear (almost typoed as Breg Gear by your devoted blogger) embark on a Wikipedia-style project called The Mongoliad.
(This tattoo has no title that I am aware of, although I like to call it the Periodic Tattoo of the Elements. No credits given, found at The Berry.)
(Also, is this person automatically considered to be cheating on any Chemistry exam that they take? For the teachers in the audience, what would you do if your student had something that could be considered cheating tattooed on their skin?)
Speaking of Neal Stephenson, here’s something he wrote for Wired back in 1993. I mention the date, because he seems prescient about some things. As a good science fiction writer should be, I suppose.
I’m not entirely sure what’s interesting here, but I know some people who read the Big Bad Blog will love it. So here it is — I aim to please: An analysis of UK Parliamentary Language, 1935-2010. It appears to analyze word frequency.
The mystery monkey of Tampa Bay is out there. A rhesus macaque monkey in Florida has apparently been on the run for a year now, and wildlife authorities have been unable to catch it. They insist that they are not being outsmarted by the monkey. With apologies to Gary Morse, who made the statement, if you have to explain to the media that you are not being outsmarted by a monkey … you are being outsmarted by a monkey. You can find the monkey’s Facebook page here.
(from Polaroid Brings the Beast by Ariele Baragona)
Bluefin Tuna will continue to be traded, as the proposal to ban its trade failed. Expect to see tuna on the endangered species list in a few years as a result.
Do you not believe that we are living in the future yet? Perhaps the future for you is right around the corner. Cures for blindness and autism, and a vaccine for brain tumors, are right around the corner.
The Guardian writes that “Noah’s Ark was circular”, which is a pretty moronic headline for a somewhat interesting article about the translation of a new source of the Noah’s Ark story. A funny reaction is that of the Institute for Creation Research, attempting to debunk the new translation and reaffirm the biblical version as “fact”. The intellectual dishonesty is so blatant that it’s … well, funny.
(Gunpowder art by Cai Guo-Qiang)
Town and village courts in New York State sound very frightening. The article includes an example of a judge who responded to a request for a restraining order from a battered woman with the comment: “Every woman needs a good pounding every now and then.”
Are cupcakes better without frills? The Butch Bakery thinks so.
