There is some strong language at the link, so don’t click if you’re easily offended, but sometimes you wonder “What the hell were they thinking???” An Obama sock monkey toy, who thought that was a good idea? Cracked.com: 7 Hilariously Failed Attempts at Politically Correct Toys — UPDATE: Now Time Magazine is getting in the act: Top 10 dubious toys — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. —

Physicists have produced element 114, which was thought might be relatively stable among the super-heavy elements, but it turns out that it was not. On to 120… — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. —

Once, long ago, the universe seemed to make sense to me, even if some people in it didn’t make sense. Now, nothing seems rational or sensible any more, and something written for a satire seems to be the best description: There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened....

This is a day late since International Talk Like a Pirate Day was yesterday, but it’s worth putting up anyway. When I lived in France I visited Lyon and ran across this restaurant, the Resto Pirate, which offers “wild food”: A little bit of silliness is good for the soul… — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. — Technorati : International Talk Like a Pirate Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day Del.icio.us : International Talk Like a Pirate Day,...

I guess if you’re James Bond it does: Melting Ice Caps Expose Hundreds Of Secret Arctic Lairs — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. — Technorati : humor Del.icio.us : humor Zooomr : humor Flickr : humor

I know I just posted about some whimsy associated with space, but you know, we need more of this: Out of this world: British teddy bears strapped to helium weather balloon reach the edge of space It may sound silly or inconsequential, but as someone I once knew said to me, “It’s the small things, Jack, the small things add up to a lot more than the big things in the end.” — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. — Technorati : science, space, teddy...

From the NASA Image of the Day gallery: The Return of Buzz Lightyear Disney’s space ranger Buzz Lightyear returned from space on Sept. 11, aboard space shuttle Discovery’s STS-128 mission after 15 months aboard the International Space Station. His time on the orbiting laboratory will celebrated in a ticker-tape parade together with his space station crewmates and former Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin on Oct. 2, at Walt Disney World in Florida. While on the space station, Buzz supported...

I found this headline interesting, in the context of I do NOT recall ever seeing the like during the eight years of the administration of President George W. Bush: White House To Meet With Anti-Abortion Activists Next Week Did President George W. Bush ever meet with people who were in vocally public opposition to the policies and positions of his political base? I do not recall any… It is the responsibility of we citizens to compare and contrast. — Cross-posted between Random Fate and...

People who read “hard sci-fi” or who paid attention in their basic Physics class (assuming they were even required to take one, sigh…) are aware of the concept of magentic monopoles. If they exist, they would be similar in behavior to the proton and electron, the electric monopoles for positive and negative charge respectively. In other words, there would be a “north pole” particle and “south pole” particle if one used the strict definition of “monopole”...

Rogue proteins spread prion diseases all by themselves — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. —

Regarding Senator Joseph McCarthy: His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind . . . We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason. -Edward R. Murrow Does that sound familiar at all, despite describing actions and circumstances of half a century ago? Now, dissent and...

In these days where the word Nazi is being used as a political tool to describe “offenses” that don’t even come close to approaching the crimes committed, and when idiot Americans are offering the “Heil Hitler” salute to an elderly Jewish man who disagrees with their politics, we need to remember history. World War II didn’t start with the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, but it was a turning point. The crimes against humanity executed by the Nazis of...

The view of the smoke from the Station Fire in California from a NASA satellite: Smoke from Station Fire Blankets Southern California — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice.

America doesn’t revolve around any one group of people, and no one racial or ethnic group exclusively defines what it means to be an American. I wholeheartedly believe that. We all contribute. -2morrowKnight — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. — Technorati : quotes, race Del.icio.us : quotes, race Zooomr : quotes, race Flickr : quotes, race

From the webcomic xkcd, which is an entertaining read, the Tech Support Cheat Sheet. It hits the nail squarely on the head… — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. — Technorati : computers, geek cool, humor Del.icio.us : computers, geek cool, humor Zooomr : computers, geek cool, humor Flickr : computers, geek cool, humor

From Gizmodo.com: Pole Dancer Doll Doesn’t Really Set the Perfect Role Model There’s so, so many ways this is just wrong… — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. — Technorati : toys Del.icio.us : toys Zooomr : toys Flickr : toys

From something I read today: The word socialism, however, has lost its usefulness in this debate. It has been tainted, perhaps forever, by the malevolent Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who succeeded somehow in linking it with the godless Commies. America is the only nation in the free world in which “socialism” is generally thought of in negative terms. The only nation in which that word, in and of itself, is thought to bring the discussion to a close. -Roger Ebert I lived in France for two years,...

Another beautiful image of the day from NASA, combining data from two different space-based telescopes. – Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. —

Recently, I posted about being uneasy with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, specifically regarding the use of composite materials. Today NewScientist has a short article that gives a clue as to why there have been so many delays: Why large carbon-fibre planes are still grounded Clearly, composites are a work in progress. The trouble, says aviation engineer Philip Irving at Cranfield University in the UK, is that computer simulations often differ from reality. “Computer models are good at calculating...

There is much to be said in favor of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community. -Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) Technorati : journalism, media, quotes Del.icio.us : journalism, media, quotes Zooomr : journalism, media, quotes Flickr : journalism, media, quotes

NASA has posted the first infrared image taken with the newest weather satellite, and it is amazing. Hurricane Bill is visible in the full disk view of the Earth, and the photo shows how huge these storms are. — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. —

Studying how zombies might take over the world sounds like something for The Journal of Irreproducible Results, but it’s really serious science: Science ponders zombie attack — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. — Technorati : humor, research, science, zombies Del.icio.us : humor, research, science, zombies Zooomr : humor, research, science, zombies Flickr : humor, research, science, zombies

From The Onion: Congress Deadlocked Over How To Not Provide Health Care WASHINGTON—After months of committee meetings and hundreds of hours of heated debate, the United States Congress remained deadlocked this week over the best possible way to deny Americans health care. “Both parties understand that the current system is broken,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Monday. “But what we can’t seem to agree upon is how to best keep it broken, while still ensuring that...

The Image of the Day from NASA today is the launch of a rocket that carries a payload to test an inflatable re-entry system. Note the light pole and picnic table on the lower right of the picture, showing the scale of the rocket. Looks like it could have been launched from a freeway rest area. Not every space-related engineering test has to involve rockets tens of stories tall… — Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. —

Boeing has had a tough time getting the first production 787 Dreamliner planes delivered. Some of the recent problems have involved the composite materials used in the construction of the fuselage and wings. Ordinarily, I’m all for the use of new technologies and new materials. The carbon composites being used in the 787 are significantly stronger than aluminum for the same weight, which for airplanes is a good thing. What makes me uneasy about them is how they fail. Metals like aluminum bend...