A critical question has come up in looking over stuff for the book: Does a dog have Buddha nature? I mean, a dog has particle character, obviously. And quantum theory tells us that a dog has wave nature. But does a dog have Buddha nature? Hard questions make Emmy sad. Or maybe she’s just pondering… Continue reading Totally Non-Dorky Poll: Canine Enlightenment
Category: Silliness
For Your Weekend Enjoyment
Or, “Stealing Chad’s Ideas: First in a Series”. When you write ‘log’, do you mean base 10 or base e? What field do you work in? Update: Or base 2 for you CS-types.
Dorky Poll: i or j?
A simple but high-stakes fill-in-the-blank question: The right and proper symbol to represent the square root of negative one is _______. The incorrect answer will brand you as an engineer, and you will be cast into the outer darkness to spend eternity converting drill sizes into sensible units. Choose wisely.
Dorky Poll: e or π?
A simple question today: Which do you prefer, e or π? They’re both irrational, they’re both “about three,” and of course they’re related by Euler’s formula, but they’re very different. One is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, the other is the base for the exponential function. You can only… Continue reading Dorky Poll: e or π?
Jonathan Coulton, Eat Your Heart Out
“Baby Got Back,” Gilbert and Sullivan style: Via bassfingers.
USVI: The Ankle-Breaker Crab
The “Ankle-Breaker Crab” (Coenobita iversonii) is a species of carnivorous land crab found in the Caribbean Islands. It closely resembles the ordinary Caribbean hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus), but is distinguished from its more common cousin by its habit of living in special titanium-reinforced shells, and its diet, which consists primarily of hikers. Coenobita iversonii are… Continue reading USVI: The Ankle-Breaker Crab
Journamalism Question
Why is it that when non-famous people are quoted in the news media, their ages are always given? Just about every story in the paper features a sentence like: “Of course, I’m aware of the wave nature of matter,” said Tallulah Johnstone Black, 47, a homemaker from Waterloo who witnessed the incident while walking to… Continue reading Journamalism Question
Frat Boys Need Counseling Too
The Weasel King posted a link to the classic Five Geek Social Fallacies essay, which you have no doubt already read. If you haven’t, and you’re reading blogs, you really should, because you’re bound to recognize some of what it says. Of course, that article dates from 2003, so it wouldn’t be worth noting, had… Continue reading Frat Boys Need Counseling Too
Urban Legends Confirmed, Children’s TV Edition
A man in Oregon tied 105 helium balloons to a lawn chair, and flew into Idaho, 193 miles away. Do you believe that? A man tied 105 helium ballons to a lawn chair, and flew into Idaho! He flew 193 miles. In a lawn chair, with balloons tied to it. He used 105 balloons. That’s… Continue reading Urban Legends Confirmed, Children’s TV Edition
Summer at ACME College
“Ahhhh… summer at last. No more classes. No more committee meetings. Do you realize what this means?” “Ummmmm…. no. What does it mean? What are we going to do this summer, Brain?” “The same thing we do every summer…. Try to do PUBLISHABLE RESEARCH!!!” ———— “Are you pondering what I’m pondering?” “I think so, Brain,… Continue reading Summer at ACME College