Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
My Antipodal Point
September 11th, 2008
When Harry Schwartz was a young lad, he used to wonder where you would go if you drilled a hole directly through the Earth and fell in. The answer is the Indian Ocean.*
In geography (and geometry) the antipodal point of a point on a sphere is the point opposite it, such that a line drawn through both points passes through the center of the sphere.
Assuming you live outside of Pennsylvania (in which case you, too, are opposite Perth), you can find your own antipodal point using this nifty tool.
*N.B.: The answer is actually damped oscillation, but that’s not nearly so whimsical.
The Big Dog
March 17th, 2008
This thing makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. The technology behind the “big dog” is really quite impressive (notice how it recovers after a fall), but it’s such an “uncanny valley” sort of beast.
Dunbar’s Number
January 30th, 2008
Dunbar’s number represents a theoretical upper limit to the number of people with whom a person can carry on a useful social relationship. It’s also therefore the largest an organization can become without needing some sort of management to remain stable.
This number was estimated/calculated by Robin Dunbar in 1992 based on studies of groups of primates. The whole concept was wonderfully discussed in Inside the Monkeysphere, a short article by David Wong, the author of the much-acclaimed John Dies at the End.
Apparently the book The Tipping Point really popularized the idea, but I have to confess that I haven’t yet read it.
The RonPaulMobile
January 11th, 2008
We passed a monster very much like this one somewhere in Alabama. We were instructed to honk, but didn’t.
Actually, Ron Paul seems to have a pretty impressive following. His signs are the only (non-local) political ads we’ve seen on this trip.
Mummers
January 1st, 2008
Harry Schwartz has never taken acid, which makes his flashback all the more confusingly terrifying.
An XKCD Ripoff
December 22nd, 2007
For additional explanation, see this informative link! I… I’m not sure what’s happened to my life…
Julia’s drunk. Drunk on blogging.
PAGAD
December 11th, 2007
So, apparently there is (or at least was) a vigilante group in South Africa called the People Against Gangsterism And Drugs. They began as a sort of neighborhood-watch group, but gradually evolved into a gang themselves.
Here’s the required Wikipedia overview.
This article deals with the group somewhat more thoroughly.
Rocket Belts
December 11th, 2007
It’s really a shame that things like this aren’t in wide use. People in the past had such romantic ideas about the future…
Some things turned out pretty neat, though. We have ultralights!
And that internet thing. I guess that’s cool.