Too much data

I fear that this is our future. The data we generate will take 100 times longer to evaluate than it did to create.

Police Slog Through 40,000 Insipid Party Pics To Find Cause Of Dorm Fire

The Onion: still funny

Obama Depressed, Distant Since 'Battlestar Galactica' Series Finale

Since the end of the series, Obama has reportedly brushed off key budgetary decisions, ignored his wife and children, and neglected his daily workouts, claiming that he no longer cares if he lets himself go "just like Lee did before the rescue on New Caprica."

What's in a name?

As it turns out, having an unpopular name makes you more likely to become a juvenile delinquent. The study is an obvious abuse of statistics, but it does explain a lot of urges I feel. As it turns out, Ernest is a dangerous dangerous name. Just as naming your child Diogenes nearly guarantees that he will be a philosopher, naming him Ernest ensures that he will be a criminal. You are all warned, and the government probably has tabs on me.

Local headline

"Turkey hospitalized after barn fire at Farm Sanctuary"

Don't worry, no turkeys were killed. But one male turkey ("Chicky") might have suffered smoke inhalation.

Thank you, Ithaca Journal.

E.: when our father announced this at the breakfast table, I misheard him. I thought he said "Turkey hospitalized after bar fight." This would have been more exciting.

A Blast From The Past

As Lila was checking her RSS feeds tonight after dinner, she said, "A ha! Geekologie blogged that video that we blogged first!"

"But Lila, did we actually blog that?" I astutely questioned. "I think we just put it in our gchat statuses."

"Blast!" Exclaimed Lila, without that joy in her heart that she was so known for.

So, here is the video that we found so amusing two days ago. Our critical eyes appreciate the contrast between the low-key, poorly-acted beginning and the action-packed, Cylon-reminiscent conclusion.

Another cute---yet inexplicable---video is here. No commentary is required.

Turn off the reverse gear assist function now!

Actual transcript of conversation this afternoon; four people in the car. No fewer than two are talking at any one time.

"Who wants to drive?"
"I do!"
"Really?"
"No, just kidding."
"Ok, now E. and L., please look out your windows and tell me if anyone's coming."
We look across.
"No, look out your own windows."
"I see a car!"
"A window!"
"Ok, the car is stopped."
"They're waiting for you."
"Clear."
"Now they're moving a little."
"What?"
"Clear."
"But you're moving, too."
"I'm moving slowly like I'm mentally deficient."
"Still clear!"
"Cars!"
"Ok, now they're moving a little but you can see them."
"There are more cars out my window!"
"Look! -- some parked cars!"
"Oh, hey, a stop sign!"
"Wow, there are lots of cars in this parking lot!"
"Ok, turn off reverse gear assist function now!"

あぶない！

This kind of thing just happens all the time

Intentional or ironic?

Budget Pad Thai

At work today, A. couldn't find plates to heat up her pad thai. Is this really an acceptable alternative?

Synchronized Presidential Debates

Via BB, a timely video about how similar those presidential debates really were. Link.

New Time Machine features

10 Big Announcements from Apple yesterday:

1. iPhone now available in three slightly different shades of black; pre-orders crash AT&T’s network yet again
2. New iPod PicoShuffle randomly plays up to three songs
3. Upgrade to OS X takes away some feature you really liked, replaces it with another way to access the iTunes Store
4. MacAir meets cousin Duncan MacAir who has the exact same specs and same release date but was never before mentioned, for some reason
5. Apple to buy up the last functioning remnants of the global finance system
6. New iPod Taste uses proprietary TongueScreen technology
7. Time Machine now allows access to the future, but some timelines are alternate so using it violates warranty
8. The entity known as Apple Inc. is actually a front for the Federation of Light
9. New commemorative black turtleneck that plays mp3s
10. Coming next year: US Festival ‘09

Fontesefontes loose in Toronto

Ernie narrowly avoided being eaten by herbivorous long-dead dinosaurs. Darwin's legacy was skewed in the basement exhibit.We have a new favorite musical genre.
Delicious vegetarian buffet. Picturesque arrangement of food.
The lighting worked really well with my five-year-old digital camera here.
We were loose. Loose in Toronto. Now it's over. The next Fontesefontes excursion will be in October, for Canadian Thanksgiving.

Iranian Photoshoppery

At this point, probably everyone has seen the report that Iran's publicity photo of their supposed four-rocket test contained only three distinct rockets. Here is a link to the NYT blog on the subject, a link to their original article. The picture is no longer included in the second link, but you can see a snapshot of their cover page with the original image in the blog link. You can see the obvious edits made in this picture from the NYT blog:


The BB coverage of the photoshoppery includes several selected upgrades to Iran's job. My favorites include a commercial re-edit


and this rather fetching, classical interpretation.


To see more cleverness, check out the BB comments.

Giant octopus accidentally teleported inside building

This is what I want for my birthday: an enormous, inflatable tentacle to mount in my window.

BSG update

Based on the latest episode, the 15-year-old girls are rabid.

The weak US dollar

There is an "article" here featuring seven video game currencies stronger than the US dollar, with an analysis of how they were determined to be "stronger." Some of these are very sketchy (how many Mario coins for a life? what is the USD cost of a life?), but others are direct (items from in-game being sold on eBay).

I'm glad I'm in Canada, where the dollar is slightly stronger. Even though I have to keep reminding myself: if you die in Canada, you die in real life.

Technology's advance slower than previously reported

... as evidenced by this recent archaeological discovery:



Update: the above image should now be viewable.

Mathematics itself is on fire

So says this article in the New York Times. I find it rather interesting, not least because I love mathematics; also, the author maintains a playful tone throughout, including these phrases:

Referring to certain philosophy of science claims: "Those are still fighting words." (I picture bearded physicists throwing down clipboards and wrestling on top of a million-dollar piece of equipment.)

"Plato is really dead."

Describing someone as "a physicist and quantum trickster."

"In this case there is meta law — one law or equation, perhaps printable on a T-shirt — to rule them all."

The article comes to no conclusions about whether the scientific enterprise is independently valid, or rests on a fundamental faith in an orderly universe. It does present the theory that universes "spawn" with different features each time, which I think naturally lends itself to a video game. It could even be semi-educational, teaching players about physics. Of course, they would have to invent their own experiments. The game could dynamically change rules that they haven't discovered yet so that (with some small probability) each experiment contradicts the theory that the player has formed thus far. Thus does science baffle and entice we hapless scientists. Everything is so complexified.