Via a mailing list, I got sent this link to a really mind-boggling Microsoft marketing video from the 80’s. It really defies description, but the original poster made a good attempt: Microsoft sent this tape to retailers to explain the benefits of Windows 386. Boring until the 7 minute mark when the production is taken… Continue reading Windows 386 Is on the Attack
Category: Silliness
If Solar Sails Work, THEN SO TOO WILL MY LIGHT CANNON
Quick! To Professor Science’s house! (I’d do that experiment for three lab coats, and I don’t even wear lab coats…)
Richard Dawkins Kicks Puppies!
Well, that’s what I hear…
Identity
I’m A Boy I’m A Ghost I’m A Loner Dottie, A Rebel… I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day I’m A Midnight Mover I’m a Rocker I’m A Terrible Person
What’s in a Name?
Today is the first day of classes, so I’m going to be kind of busy at work. Here’s a bit of pop-culture silliness to lighten things up while I’m teaching and setting up labs. The Neil Diamond chestnut “Sweet Caroline” got brought up in a back-channel discussion, prompting much revulsion from the older members of… Continue reading What’s in a Name?
Unanswered Questions
Slate‘s Explainer presents a list of questions that were submitted but not answered. They propose to answer one of these, chosen on the basis of a reader vote. (Details at the bottom of the article.) Some of my favorites:
A Modest Proposal
Over at Inside Higher Ed, Edward Palm gets all Swiftian: The Department of Defense finds itself desperately short of troops with which to sustain what promises to be a long and increasingly unpopular, inconclusive war in Iraq. The Department of Education finds itself suddenly alarmed by the relatively low percentage of Americans pursuing postsecondary education… Continue reading A Modest Proposal
Later: Religious Practices Still Not Subject to the Scientific Method
“I’m gonna owe God fifty bucks if I don’t get enlightened soon.” I hate it when that happens.
Extra Dimensions in the Automotive Industry
One of the options that came with my new car (I bought one that they had on the lot) was an “Eight-Way Power Driver’s Seat.” As a physicist, I thought this sounded pretty exciting, because, you know, we appear to live in a three-dimensional world, and to get eight directions of adjustability would need to… Continue reading Extra Dimensions in the Automotive Industry
Ask Mr. Language Person
Stolen from a discussion on an email list, a small usage question: What’s the difference between a “fiasco” and a “debacle”? Is there a difference, or are they perfect synonyms? My thoughts below the fold.