A Shrewd Mint

Do you want to knit a replica of the Fourth Doctor’s...

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:23:12 -0700

Do you want to knit a replica of the Fourth Doctor’s scarf? Of course you do. Here’s an accurate pattern with instructions.

The Evolution of Lego Sorting

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:35:48 -0700

The Evolution of Lego Sorting:

15. You begin to develop strong opinions on Plano vs. Stak-On and Rubbermaid vs. Sterilite.

I’m glad I don’t have this many legos…

"The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of..."

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:08:39 -0700

“The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens.”

- John Maynard Keynes

There are some very clever stormtrooper photos in this flickr...

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:31:49 -0700

There are some very clever stormtrooper photos in this flickr set.

Canabalt

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:22:21 -0700

Canabalt:

This game is refreshingly simple, and dangerously addictive once you play it a few times. I’m a sucker for pixel art, so I really appreciate the graphics.

The real mystery about the game is its subtext. What is the protagonist running from, anyway? How does he manage to run so fast and jump so high? My personal theory is that he stole a pair of performance-enhancing shoes.

Cheese mites?

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:34:38 -0700

Cheese mites?:

From Wikipedia:

The mites burrow tiny holes in the surface of the cheese and are sometimes intentionally introduced to flavor cheeses like Milbenkäse and aged Mimolette. Cheese that is infested with the mites can have a sweet, minty odor and will appear to be covered in a fine gray dust of the mites, their dander and excrement.

Remind me not to try this kind of cheese. Ever.

This is equal parts inventive and insanely creepy.

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:04:17 -0700

This is equal parts inventive and insanely creepy.

Bizarro Peace Prize Awarded to Obama

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:42:42 -0700

Bizarro Peace Prize Awarded to Obama:

From AntiWar.com:

Let’s say you’re the President of the United States — okay? And you’re on the brink of escalating what promises to be a wider, more intense war than that which George W. Bush launched in Iraq. You’ve already sent in reinforcements, but you’re undecided about just how many more troops you’re going to send to Afghanistan – could be 20,000, could be 40,000, or even 60,000. But, in any case, you’ve ruled out withdrawal and diplomacy: the only option you have left is more war.

"I love that name, Futon World. It makes me think of a magical place… that becomes less..."

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:12:09 -0700

“I love that name, Futon World. It makes me think of a magical place… that becomes less comfortable over time.”

- Demetri Martin

This just plain freaks me out, but maybe I’m paranoid.

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:00:00 -0700

This just plain freaks me out, but maybe I’m paranoid.

I’m afraid to say it, but this is pretty much how I feel...

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:45:46 -0700

I’m afraid to say it, but this is pretty much how I feel about televised sports.

It's not a tax, it's just the government taking your money

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:21:35 -0700

It's not a tax, it's just the government taking your money:

From Reason Magazine:

“I don’t think I’m making it up,” Mr. Stephanopoulos said […] He cited the dictionary’s definition of “tax”—”a charge, usually of money, imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes.”

Mr. Obama: “George, the fact that you looked up Merriam’s Dictionary, the definition of tax increase, indicates to me that you’re stretching a little bit right now…”

Because only the dishonest or clinically insane believe that “words” have a “real meaning”.

I’m sorry, I have to go read that again, because I still can’t believe he actually said that.

Muse’s latest album, The Resistance, is a brilliant,...

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:01:00 -0700

Muse’s latest album, The Resistance, is a brilliant, moving masterpiece. Get it on iTunes.

Post-medium publishing

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:23:38 -0700

Post-medium publishing:

Publishers of all types, from news to music, are unhappy that consumers won’t pay for content anymore. At least, that’s how they see it.

In fact consumers never really were paying for content, and publishers weren’t really selling it either. If the content was what they were selling, why has the price of books or music or movies always depended mostly on the format? Why didn’t better content cost more?

You can’t sell content.

The perfect shirt for Kyle Slattery. Just kidding, Kyle.

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:10:00 -0700

The perfect shirt for Kyle Slattery. Just kidding, Kyle.

Wikipedia Genome Article

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 21:02:00 -0700

Wikipedia Genome Article:

I think it’s pretty crazy that the creature with the most DNA is a single-celled organism. No joke: Amoeba dubia has 670 billion base pairs. For comparison, humans only have about 3.2 billion base pairs.

Buick studio at GM in the early eighties. My dad is third from...

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:41:00 -0700

Buick studio at GM in the early eighties. My dad is third from right.

"Ekki-ekki-ekki-ekki-ptang. Zoom-boing. Z’nourrwringmm"

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:55:00 -0700

“Ekki-ekki-ekki-ekki-ptang. Zoom-boing. Z’nourrwringmm”

- The knights who until formerly said “Ni”

Creationists are coming for your children

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:39:00 -0700

Creationists are coming for your children:

Writes Richard Dawkins:

Evolution is an inescapable fact, and we should celebrate its astonishing power, simplicity and beauty. Evolution is within us, around us, between us, and its workings are embedded in the rocks of aeons past.

If I said this sounded like metaphysical or (if you’ll excuse my mentioning the word) “religious” language, would you still be my friend?

Mental exercise: replace the word “evolution” (and any appropriate pronouns) with any of the following: God, Allah, Vishnu, the Universal Mind, etc.

Two things:

Just because Dawkins uses this kind of language, doesn’t mean a belief in evolution is necessarily a religious belief. Of course, that is not my criticism here.
If Dawkins does not mean these things literally, what is the purpose of writing them? If he meant anything scientific by them, it is very poorly stated. If he wrote those things to give emotional weight to his article when they don’t really mean anything, he is being manipulative. If he does mean those things literally, he is being religious.

That’s really all I wanted to say.

Richard Feynman on the Nobel prize and other academic honors.

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:38:24 -0700

Richard Feynman on the Nobel prize and other academic honors.