Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday links: November 13

People who claim that Obama hasn't accomplished anything tend to forget the guy holding the chair before him was a really bad president. Engaging in diplomacy is a major change for us. Not scrapping any new treaties and trying to establish new ones to replace what Bush broke is a huge change. But what they want is not so much to see him doing what every other president from Washington to Clinton did. They want to know what new stuff he's passed. Here's your answer. [link]

Primitive data storage. [link]

Spectacular forklift fail.

Great pictures of Mars. [link]

Coyote hit by car and carried 600 miles gets away uninjured. [link]

Buy our mobile homes. or don't.

Nifty embroidery. [link]

On the 7th of November there was a debate about the question "Is the Catholic church a force for good in the world?" I will admit that the sides were a bit lopsided. On one side you have Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry. On the other, Archbishop John Onaiyekan and Ann Widdencombe MP. The Archbishop and the MP get thoroughly spanked. However, the Archbishop makes a good point at the end. The point of the debate wasn't "does the Catholic Church do more good than ill?" It was are they a force for good? And the Catholic Church does do some good in the world. On the balance, however, the world would be much better off without them. The debate is in five 10-minute clips. [link]

Seven big ass meteorites. [link]

Persian Army that vanished in the desert 2525 years ago found. Ask if war is over. [link]

This isn't really a lost Beatles album, but it's still a good listen. Download for free. [link]

In the not to distant past the Planetary Society tried to launch a solar sail. What with outdated American security issues they couldn't use one of our rockets and had to turn to the Russians. Well, their rocket had a stage that didn't disengage properly. The rocket failed to reach orbit and crashed. Now the Planetary Society has three more solar sails to send up. The first to launch by the end of 2010. [link]

I believe that a space elevator will be the necessary technology to move mankind into space for anything other than a stunt. NASA has been holding a competition to develop cable climbers and power transfer technology. At the following link you can read a short article and watch a video of LaserMotive's climber winning $900,000 by climbing a 1 km rope attached to a helicopter. [link]

This Monday just passed was Carl Sagan Day. He would have been 75. Celebrate by going to Hulu.com and watching "Cosmos". [link]

Why did the HAL9000 sing "Daisy" as it died? [link]

Prison inmates come to guard's aid. [link]

Old Simpsons clips from The Tracy Ullman Show. [link]

Free Electron Micrograph offer. What do you need scanned? They'll do it for free. Details - [link]

I might have to make this. And then get business cards to put in it. [link]

BIG FUCKING ROBOTS!

Game: Wake Up The Box. The box is asleep. Wake it up. [link]

Terminator arm technology here and implemented. [link]

Making the pictorial Websters Dictionary.

Pictorial Webster's: Inspiration to Completion from John Carrera on Vimeo.



And finally, there's a new Dr Who episode airing in England on Sunday. As Yummy's bird, Bixby, would say "SQUEEEEEEE!"

5 comments:

BrianAlt said...

Ok, ummm...seriously? Sure, as a Sci-Fi fan I want to believe this, but am I going to?

He took a look at the machine near the window and looked back at me and said he transported me into parallel Earth. He said he traveled to our Earth dimension and found me knocked out in the blazing heat with nobody around to help me out. Normally he said he doesn't take outsiders through a portal but in my case he thought I needed urgent help.

Ibid said...

Forget the story. Just listen to the album.

BrianAlt said...

Yeah, I'm going to.

I was at work, so I couldn't download it yet.

BrianAlt said...

Okay, yeah, pretty freaky. But obviously just really well mixed.

BrianAlt said...

The music reminds me of, "Blue Jay Way," in fact, it could be the inspiration.

Blue Jay Way starts out:

There's a fog upon L.A.
And my friends have lost their way
We'll be over soon they said
Now they've lost themselves instead.


Then the music completely changes and goes into the chorus:

Please don't be long please don't you be very long
Please don't be long or I may be asleep


However, there is one important difference. Background singers. George is singing, but during the chorus the rest of the Beatles (maybe not Ringo) are singing, "don't be long, no, don't be long." There is none of that in these "new" songs. Also, it sounds like John singing, "ah ah, ahhh ah," during the "stanzas".

And, seriously, why would George sing, "long time ago when we was fab," if they never broke up? Yeah, don't answer that.