Random
catdynamics | August 13, 2006As manufacturers of overprized disposable size toothpaste tubes rejoice, the rest of us contemplate the tantrums and boredom of travel with no water, juice, reading material or electronics... and that is without the kids.
As usual, transport authorities are reacting and implementing meaningless nuisance measures in place of effective security.
Maybe requiring no fluids and gels on-board planes will improve airline service again, I don't think trans-continental travel without drinking is sustainable, but if everyone goes the route of the brits and bans carry-ons then there will be an implosion…
catdynamics | August 11, 2006Hot frantic friday, and we ask the iPod.
Oh, mighty one - are we classically deterministic automata, predictable by any Turing machine, or do we have that most insidious of concepts, a true Free Will?
Whoosh goes the randomizer...
Whoosh.
The Covering: Dammit Janet- Barry Bostwick et al
The Crossing: Norðurljós - Thorir Ulfarsson
The Crown: Að Lesa Og Skrifa List er Góð: - Þuríður Pálsdóttir
The Root: O Come, All Ye Faithful - King's College Choir
The Past: John Reid BBC Radio 4 Interview on Iraq (Aug 12 2005) Podcast
The Future: St Jimmy - Green Day
The Questioner: Behind the Wall…
catdynamics | August 9, 2006Bitch, PhD, is on form
What is it with people who either shower with their swimsuit on, or worse still, don't shower at all before or after swimming... it can't because they're afraid of getting wet?
catdynamics | August 9, 2006The iTunes selection of two random strangers in Connecticut this morning...
Joe's iPod
Waterloo - ABBA
SOS - ABBA (only from the best)
Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
I wanna be sedated - Ramones
Fear is a man's best friend - Billy Bragg
Liar - Sinthetix
He Likes Me - Violent Femmes
Should I Stay or Should I Go - Clash
Bush War Blues - Johnny Cash
Vote for We - Clint Eastwood and General Saint
Ned's iPod
We Are the Champions - Queen
Mr President - Pink
Truth #2 (Live) - Dixie Chicks
The Boy Done Good - Billy Bragg
Perfect Day - Lou Reed
Ofboðslega Frægur - Stuðmenn…
catdynamics | August 8, 2006Apparently the USAF 494th figher squadron, which is a "ready to deploy" F-15E "Strike Eagle" squadron currently based at RAF Lakenheath, is deploying soon to "southwest Asia"; but first they got the new improved GBU-39 bombs - smaller GPS guided bombs permitting each aircraft to carry eight independently targetable bombs - each smaller, but more effective with guiding than the equivalent weight of bigger and fewer bombs.
Where are they going, and why?
catdynamics | August 8, 2006Dr Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, has a book out: "The Language of God". It is about his conversion to evangelical christianity and he tries to lay out a case for religion in no conflict with science, while also tackling creationists and religions fundamentalists.
Haven't read the book, but am feeling less inclined to after Collins gives (yet another) interview in Salon.
Must say, it sounds like a good pitch for a Templeton Prize though. best of luck with that.
PZ has already dissected the interview, but since Collins is a physicist I feel an urge to comment also...…
tlambert | August 6, 2006Teresa Nielsen Hayden explains what is happening in the video of Total Eclipse of the Heart. Watch the video before you read the explanation. (Video is below the fold.)
Plus, the Hurra Torpedo version is something else.
Update: Chad Orzel explores YouTubehttp://scienceblogs.com/principles/2006/08/total_eclipse_of_futurism.php for more versions of TEotH.
catdynamics | August 4, 2006WaPo's Froomkin is scary today.
Short version: White House aides have regular study groups, on Biblical Revelations, the Imminence of the Apocalypse, "Left Behind" trash literature, and Intelligent Design.
Read it all the way through...
I suppose this makes the root of some of the policies coming out more comprehensible, if less rational.
Shall we say that this does not seem to be a terribly productive way for the White House staff to be spending their time. Maybe this is their "quiet period"?
catdynamics | August 4, 2006Friday, and I'm late.
Oh mighty iPod, we gots to know, will OJ 287 go into outburst this autumn as predicted by one of the main binary black hole models?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Cranberry Singers
The Crossing: Il Menuetto and Trio - Mozart
The Crown: The Carnival of the Animals
The Root: The Prophet (Allah Leka Netchi ) - Alpha Blondy
The Past: For You - Tracy Chapman
The Future: Straight to Hell (Live) - Clash
The Questioner: Accident Waiting to Happen (Live: Bootleg)- Billy Bragg
The House: The Only Mistake - Joy Division
The…
catdynamics | August 4, 2006Doc Charles examines the joy of blueberries,
and all the wonderful reasons why we should enjoy them.
It has been a good year here for blueberries, warm and sunny with just enough rain, and not too heavy mostly. The strawberries and cherries were beat up, but the raspberries seem to be doing ok, especially the late fruiting varieties. We also had a fabulous crop of wild vine berries and black raspberries. We had to skip on the formers, since we had some painting (and stripping/sanding) done right by the bushes.
Courtesy "Everybody Eats": MH Lipton
With the munchkins it is hard to do much…
catdynamics | August 3, 2006Tara has shown me the error of my ways.
The correct answer is Real Genius.
Closely followed by The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
I should also give a nod to The Rocky Horror Picture Show for their representation of the lives of scientists, although the actual science was somewhat sketchy.
All of course were Good Movies.
catdynamics | August 3, 2006Hurra Torpedo Rock
seen on Making Light - Teresa is a lucky woman.
PS in case you are wondering about the title Matt explains
catdynamics | July 31, 2006i humped your hummer - video blogs
seen on Boing Boing strangely enough
this offsets the incredibly obnoxious tofu hummer ad, almost
catdynamics | July 28, 2006It is a sticky friday and news are mixed...
So, we ask the Mighty iPod One: will RS Ophiuchi in fact become a type Ia supernova?
Whoosh goes the randomizer...
Whoosh.
The Covering: Funky Kingston - Toots and the Maytals
The Crossing: Walking Back - Cranberries
The Crown: Learning our Long Vowels - Twin Sisters
The Root: Three Little Birds - Bob Marley
The Past: Minstrels - Claudio Arrau
The Future: Scenes From Childhood: An Important Event - Schumann
The Questioner: Ghost Town - Specials
The House: The Long Way Around - Dixie Chicks
The Inside: You Can Call me Al - Paul Simon
The Outcome…
catdynamics | July 26, 2006The Daily Show just drew my attention to the irreconcilable promises allegedly made by that G-d person to different tribal faction on different occasions
Which leads us to the conclusion that War is an extension of Gazumping by other means...
...clearly the English are at fault, somehow.
catdynamics | July 25, 2006Pat Lang looks at the situation in Lebanon
Belmont Club games the IDF plan
For what little it is worth, I fear Lang is closer to the truth.
The reported IDF forces seem too small for some grand enveloping thrust up to the Bekka valley on the east of Lebanon, not to mention the threat of Syrian reaction if Israeli armour comes up to the valley (and I don't think Israel, or the IDF, is ready to provoke a war with Syria), and the artillery they've deployed is too light to comprehensively scour south Lebanon - divisional artillery vs several thousand square kilometers of prepared rocky ground…
catdynamics | July 24, 2006JC sends a link to an excellent version of Love Will Tear Us Apart - mellow, by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra
catdynamics | July 24, 2006One More Way in Which Global Warming Can Kill You - Iceland shows how
Wolfgang of In Search of 42 has moved to the Daily Llama - did he find 42? Or 56 maybe?
Astroprof talks about Pulsar Planets - no, the other astroprof...
PP Cook joins in the You Tube wars with The Klein Four's rendition of Finite Simple Group of Order Two
catdynamics | July 24, 2006Sometimes Lamarckian evolution does operate... - click through to read Ralph Peter's article also.
Hezbollah learned over 25 years of conflict, and has adapted.
Israel has put itself in a real bind by acting hastily and without thinking things through.
To "win" all Hezbollah has to do is survive as an foundational entity - Israel can't occupy Lebanon indefinitely and they just made sure Lebanon itself can not take control of the South.
Even if all the Hezbollah members are killed and their weapons and infrastructure destroyed, their younger brothers will step up in a few years. No political…
catdynamics | July 21, 2006Yay! Fabulous Friday.
The third Billy Bragg podcast is online now
Includes the tale of the Famous Curry Incident.
Hm... I wonder if that'd work on Nature Editors?