“50 shades of raised eyebrow” – Stefan Molyneux
An excellent tribute to Spock and the philosophy of Spock and Star Trek and how it relates to our real lives.
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Archive for the ‘Fun’ Category
50 Shades Of Raised Eyebrow: A Tribute To Spock
Posted by pwl on March 9, 2015
Posted in Biology, Complex Systems, Ethics in Science, Fun, Get some perspective people, Good science attitude, Ontology of Being, People|Reason, Philosophy, Rational Thinking, Science Education, Science Ficition, Science Shows, Scientific Method, Space Travel, Spock, Video | Leave a Comment »
It’s A Particle, No It’s A Wave, Wait It’s A Particle
Posted by pwl on October 26, 2013
It’s a particle, no it’s a wave, wait it’s a particle. Well actually it’s a wavy particle. Just when you thought things where solid science shows how Nature is fluid.
The Amazing Golf Ball as it’s hitting a steel plate at 150mph in 70,000 fps. What an amazing object, the golf ball, it didn’t fracture even after this kind of structural abuse. I have a new respect for golf. Well for golf balls anyhow.
Posted in Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Energy, Fun, Science Education | 1 Comment »
Godzilla Caused the QUADFECTA of Earthquake, Tsunami and Whirlepools, Nuclear Meltdown Explosions, and Volcano Eruptions!
Posted by pwl on March 14, 2011
The evidence is clearly in. Godzilla Caused the QUADFECTA of Earthquake, Tsunami and Whirlepools, Nuclear Meltdown Explosions, and Volcano Eruptions! No doubt about it. Oh, and HAARP too.
[:)]
Posted in Eeek!, Fun, Video | Tagged: Godzilla | Leave a Comment »
The Spirit of Mars
Posted by pwl on February 4, 2010
The Spirit of Mars
(Click to enlarge).
Thx1138 to XKCD.
Posted in Adventure, Awesome, Ethics in Science, Fun, Humbled by Nature, Ignorance to Knowledge, Reality Based Environmentalism, Science Education, Science Missions, The End is Nigh, Wait for it!, Yikes! | 1 Comment »
Alarmist Global Warming Carbon Mouthprints are Driving Me Crazy
Posted by pwl on December 11, 2009
Posted in Climate Science, Climategate, Do Not Click At Work, Eeek!, Fun, Rational Thinking, Science over Propaganada, Vehicles, Video | Leave a Comment »
Shuttle Atlantis Mission STS-129
Posted by pwl on November 27, 2009
STS-129 (ISS assembly flight ULF3)[2] was the most recent Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis launched on 16 November 2009, at 14:28 Eastern: UTC -5[3][4] and landed at 9:44 a.m. EST on 27 November 2009 on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility.
STS-129 focused on staging spare components outside the station. The 11-day flight included three spacewalks. The payload bay carried two large ExPRESS Logistics Carriers holding two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly, a spare latching end effector for the station’s robotic arm, a spare trailing umbilical system for the Mobile Transporter, and a high-pressure gas tank. STS-129 was the first flight of an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier. The completion of this mission leaves five space shuttle flights remaining until the end of the program.[5]
Posted in Awesome, Dreaming, Fun, Hard Science, Science Education, Video | Leave a Comment »
The Muppets rule as Queen in Bohemian Rhapsody, plus the classic Mahna Mahna
Posted by pwl on November 26, 2009
Posted in Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Entertainment, Fun, Majestic Universe, Really Funny, Video, WOW!!! | Leave a Comment »
Fortunetellers, Soothsayers, Doomsayers, Climate Forecasters, all illegal in Maryland
Posted by pwl on August 28, 2009
Al Gore Fortunetelling and doom-saying our future warming the planet with his actual hands waving across the big silver screen in the fantasy science fiction documentary An Inconvenient Truth and in the process breaking the anti-fortuneteller law in Maryland!
A Maryland man [Nick Nefedro] who refers to himself as a Gypsy is claiming discrimination in the case of a Bethesda, Maryland law that forbids “foretelling the future.”
In Montgomery County, Maryland, it is … illegal to accept money for “forecasting or foretelling or for pretending to forecast or foretell the future by cards, palm reading or any other scheme, practice or device.” Although the law has been on the books since the 1950’s, it is being challenged in court by Nick Nefedro, a man who claims gypsy ancestry and who wants to run a business selling his services as a fortuneteller. Nefedro was denied a business permit, and he says banning his predictions is discriminatory against his heritage. The ACLU is backing his claim.
…
A possibility that no one has discussed, however, is that Montgomery County prosecutors might insist that Mr. Nefedro prove his fortunetelling abilities. Courts have an understandable and desirable bias toward protecting free speech, but Mr. Nefedro’s free speech rights are not in danger, only his ability to take money for making predictions. If his ability is real, it should stand up to scientific testing. If it does not stand up to such testing, than it is, in simple terms, fraud.
…
In reality, fortunetelling should not be protected free speech any more than yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. Whenever someone claims to make supernatural [or scientific] predictions, those claims should be subject to testing or at least subject to later review for accuracy.” – Fortunetelling Should Not Be Protected Speech
“I don’t think it’s strange for us to have laws that protect against fraud,” said Clifford Royalty, zoning division chief in the Montgomery County attorney’s office, adding that “religion [or science] has nothing to do with it. He’s not made that allegation in the lawsuit.”
“The practice is fraudulent,” Royalty said, “because no one can forecast the future.”
Nefedro insists that he can.” – The Washington Post
As do climate scientists in Maryland and elsewhere. Oh dear, that means that this group, STWG: Scientific and Technical Working Group, Maryland Commission on Climate Change, is illegal in Maryland since they are foretelling of AGW doom.
“it is … illegal to accept money for “forecasting or foretelling or for pretending to forecast or foretell the future by … any … scheme, practice or device.“
So this applies to ALL people claiming to FORETELL the future including weather forecasters and climate scientists who use any “scheme, practice or device” known as climate science and a computer and software to do their dirty deeds of forecasting, soothsaying and doom-saying about the end of the world scenarios brought on by Mann, oops, man, with Anthropomorphic Global Warming! Very interesting.
“The underlying purpose is to prevent people from being taken advantage of, because it’s a scam,” Clifford Royalty, a lawyer in the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, said.
…
A federal judge upheld a similar ban in Harford County in 2002, deferring to the county’s assessment of fortunetelling as “inherently deceptive” and citing a 1976 Supreme Court decision, albeit not in a fortunetelling case, that said “untruthful speech” is not protected.” – Washington Examiner
I view the matter in a simple, direct way. If someone wants to sell their services as a fortuneteller (or any other name which means the same thing [such as climatologist or climate scientist or Al Gore]) then they should have to prove them adequate to the task. Plumbers must be able to plumb. Mechanics have to be able to fix your car. Carpenters who build your house have to be able to do the job. If they do a shoddy job, the consumer has recourse.
This means that fortunetellers [, soothsayers, doomsayers, climate scientists, weathermen, movie makers, and others predicting the future] who sell their services as genuine must be able to pass some sort of test showing that they can actually do it. Otherwise they must have a massive sign that says “WE ARE NOT REAL. THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT VALUE ONLY. YOU WILL GET JUST AS GOOD ADVICE THROWING A DART AT THE PAPER.”
I have no problem with those who claim they can see the future, talk to the dead, read your aura, and so on. I merely state that in the interest of consumer protection, they must prove their competency the moment they start charging for it. – Gypsy Bad Fortune.
[W]e already have laws to protect us against fortune telling. The crime is very specific: it’s called fraud. Now we just need to get some law enforcement folks interested in prosecuting it.
So how many climate scientists are working in this part of Maryland (and by precedent potentially all of Maryland)? They are all breaking the law because they don’t hang out a sign on their door or write in their scientific papers “WE ARE NOT REAL. THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT VALUE ONLY. YOU WILL GET JUST AS GOOD ADVICE THROWING A DART AT THE PAPER!”
I think that climate scientists have proven with their bad science that they are not up to the task. I wonder if Pennsylvania has a similar law to address Dr. Mann’s scientific shenanigans:?
The hockey stick debate is about two things. At a technical level it concerns a well-known study that characterized the state of the Earth’s climate over the past thousand years and seemed to prove a recent and unprecedented global warming. I will explain how the study got the results it did, examine some key flaws in the methodology and explain why the conclusions are unsupported by the data. At the political level the emerging debate is about whether the enormous international trust that has been placed in the IPCC was betrayed. The hockey stick story reveals that the IPCC allowed a deeply flawed study to dominate the Third Assessment Report, which suggests the possibility of bias in the Report-writing process. In view of the massive global influence of IPCC Reports, there is an urgent need to bias-proof future assessments in order to put climate policy onto a new foundation that will better serve the public interest.
So are there any people in Maryland who want to make a list of all climate scientists in the State and charge them with “fortunetelling” under the existing Maryland law?
In fact Al Gore’s fantasy film fortunetelling the future of the Earth FORETELLING DOOM and DESTRUCTION as if it really will happen was shown in Bethesda, Maryland, and the lines were very long for many months; in fact I saw it there in Montgomery County myself of all places! These quotes sum up the case against Al Gore nicely: “In Montgomery County it is … illegal to accept money for forecasting or foretelling or for pretending to forecast or foretell the future by … any … scheme, practice or device.” + “In reality, fortunetelling should not be protected free speech any more than yelling ‘fire’ in a crowded theater.” + “The practice is fraudulent because no one can forecast the future.” I trust that the staggering irony of Al Gore yelling mann caused Anthropomorphic Global Warming (AGW), aka FIRE, in a movie theater is not lost on you. Who wants to charge Al Gore under this law? Let’s see guesstimating 50,000 people (we need the actual statistics on this but for the sake of making this point we’ll use this guesstimate of how many) saw the movie An Inconvenient Truth in Montgomery Country in theaters and on DVD that would be 50,000 times the USD$250 fine for Al Gore violating this soothsaying aka fortunetelling law so the fine could potentially be in the range of a whopping USD$12,500,000.00. That might send a message to doomsayers, soothsayers, and climate scientists who predict the future crying wolf repeatedly without verifiable science. It also might take back some of the lucrative profits Al Gore is making by selling “carbon credits”!
Anytime science (papers in particular) is done without SHOWING ALL THE STEPS and providing all the data there is always the chance that some magic steps are involved. By magic we mean fraudulent.
I was about to start this paragraph by saying “To be serious …” but then I realized that this is actually a serious article and not a joke at all, so I’ll start it this way:
The serious nature of fraudulent claims in Climate Science MUST be addressed and those that make claims about the future that turn out to not be correct MUST be held to account for their fraudulent claims especially those that receive money for making said claims. Honest and forthrightness and the highest possible standards MUST BE achieved in Climate Science (and all other sciences) in order to protect the public from those making false claims for personal gain or out of their “beliefs” rather than out of verifiable and Open Source Science that can be vetted and tested by ANY outside party at will.
Posted in Adult Supervision Required, Awesome beyond awesome, Believe it or you are a Nazi!, Big Brother Planetary Control System, Climate Science, Complex Systems, Debunking Bad Environmentalism, Ethics in Science, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Fun, Get some perspective people, Hard Science, Hard Science Required, Holding those who run the world responsible for their crimes against humanity, Human|Ape, Ignorance to Knowledge, It's weather AND climate!, Learning about Science Organizations, Proofs Needed, Rational Thinking, Reality Based Environmentalism, Really Funny, Science over Propaganada, The End is Nigh | Leave a Comment »
Surfing Standing Waves in Montreal and other Rivers
Posted by pwl on July 10, 2009
“Preparing to surf a standing river wave in the St. Lawrence, where high-velocity water roars over a steep river-bottom depression, pitches back and upward, and creates a waist-to-overhead breaker. Surfers paddle into it or swing out by rope to catch the green-faced wedge, rewarded by a seemingly endless ride.
“Once you’re carving, it’s exactly the same feel as on an ocean wave,” said Chris Dutton, the founder of the Web site SurfMontreal.com, “except that instead of going straight down the line, you carve a little bit, flip around, carve back, and can go all day.”
Modern river surfing on standing waves evolved on the Eisbach River in Germany in the mid-1970s. Tidal bores have been ridden for years on the Severn in England; in Bordeaux, France; and on the Amazon. New standing waves are being pioneered almost daily in rivers in places like Colorado, and in Ontario and Alberta in Canada.”
Posted in Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Energy, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Fun, Get some perspective people, Gravity, Hard Science, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ideas Crazy Enough to Have a Chance, Ignorance to Knowledge, Science Education, Video | Leave a Comment »
The Stunning Effectiveness of Homeopathy – NOT!
Posted by pwl on July 3, 2009
The extremely high dilutions in homeopathy have been a main point of criticism. Homeopaths believe that the methodical dilution of a substance, beginning with a 10% or lower solution and working downwards, with shaking after each dilution, produces a therapeutically active “remedy”, in contrast to therapeutically inert water. However, homeopathic remedies are usually diluted to the point where there are no molecules from the original solution left in a dose of the final remedy.[81] Since even the longest-lived noncovalent structures in liquid water at room temperature are only stable for a few picoseconds,[87] critics have concluded that any effect that might have been present from the original substance can no longer exist.[88] No evidence of stable clusters of water molecules was found when homeopathic remedies were studied using NMR.[89]
Furthermore, since water will have been in contact with millions of different substances throughout its history, critics point out that any glass of water is therefore an extreme dilution of almost any conceivable substance, and so by drinking water one would, according to homeopathic principles, receive treatment for every imaginable condition.[90]
Practitioners of homeopathy contend that higher dilutions (fewer potential molecules in each dose) result in stronger medicinal effects. This idea is inconsistent with the observed dose-response relationships of conventional drugs, where the effects are dependent on the concentration of the active ingredient in the body.[82] This dose-response relationship has been confirmed in multitudinous experiments on organisms as diverse as nematodes,[91] rats,[92] and humans.[93]
Physicist Robert L. Park, former executive director of the American Physical Society, has noted that
“since the least amount of a substance in a solution is one molecule, a 30C solution would have to have at least one molecule of the original substance dissolved in a minimum of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules of water. This would require a container more than 30,000,000,000 times the size of the Earth.”Park has also noted that “to expect to get even one molecule of the ‘medicinal’ substance allegedly present in 30X pills, it would be necessary to take some two billion of them, which would total about a thousand tons of lactose plus whatever impurities the lactose contained“.
The laws of chemistry state that there is a limit to the dilution that can be made without losing the original substance altogether. This limit, which is related to Avogadro’s number, is roughly equal to homeopathic potencies of 12C or 24X (1 part in 1024).
Killing your child with the delusional beliefs of Homeopathy:
Going to jail for killing your child with the delusional beliefs of Homeopathy:
Save yourself from homeopathy!
Posted in Bad Ideas, Belief Stricken, Biology, Conspiracy Theory, Double Yikes!!, Eeek!, Ethics in Science, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Fun, Hard Science Required, Health, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Proofs Needed, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Scams, Science Education, Science over Propaganada, Video, Yikes! | Leave a Comment »
Calculus
Posted by pwl on July 3, 2009
Calculus. (Latin, calculus, a small stone used for counting) is a discipline in mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series, and which constitutes a major part of modern university education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem of calculus. Calculus is the study of change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape and algebra is the study of equations. A course in calculus is a gateway to other, more advanced courses in mathematics devoted to the study of functions and limits, broadly called mathematical analysis. Calculus has widespread applications in science, economics, and engineering and can solve many problems for which algebra alone is insufficient.
Historically, calculus was called “the calculus of infinitesimals”, or “infinitesimal calculus”. More generally, calculus (plural calculi) may refer to any method or system of calculation guided by the symbolic manipulation of expressions. Some examples of other well-known calculi are propositional calculus, variational calculus, lambda calculus, pi calculus and join calculus.
Posted in Awesome, Fun, Get some perspective people, Math, Science Education, Video | 1 Comment »
The Thriller Zombie Attack Strikes Again
Posted by pwl on June 29, 2009
The Thriller Zombie Attack Strikes Yet Again in it’s myriad of ways infecting the population with an insatiable desire to consume Michael Jackson content.
Some think that this phenomenon is because no one truly had a happy childhood and others speculate it’s because most people just haven’t become adults yet. Either way or yet another way it doesn’t matter… this could be the last time the wave of The Thriller Zombie Attacks occur and for that many of us will be grateful. Although we need to be prepared for yet another wave as soon as the test results from The Thriller Zombie corpse inspection(s) have been released.
And woe be to the world if foul play occurred. Well some do consider that “foul play” did occur and were paid off handsomely (sorry for the choice of that word). In any event is this the last time we’ll see The Thriller Zombie Attack or will it strike again?
Enquirering minds want to know more? Well then Just Eat It!. Thank you Al.
Seriously the NET aka The Intertubes aka the Internet has come under what is now known as The Thriller Zombie Attack since Michael Jackson died last Thursday afternoon. Google’s network defenses classified the up swelling in Thriller Zombies searching for news about Michael Jackson as a coordinated Denial Of Service Attack against it’s services and shut down for a time! Yikes.
Google has confirmed that the surge of Michael Jackson-related searches on Google News Thursday was first interpreted as an attack on its service.
Google News was inaccessible for some people Thursday afternoon right as rumors of Jackson’s death began to circulate, replaced by an error message reading “We’re sorry, but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. To protect our users, we can’t process your request right now.“
Many news services also collapsed under the load of hordes of zombies with swelling Live Brains ripe for the plucking by The Thriller Zombie even and especially in His Death. Even the money grubbing advertisers servers couldn’t handle the volume of Zombies hitting their ad servers. Server defenses just can’t handle a good sized Zombie Horde!
He will return as all Zombie Overlords like Elvis, Jesus and Spike Lee… oh wait Spike is still kicking making awesome movies… there’s still time… they will return I’m told by the people who visit my door once a week with the Watch Towers of Doom!
A zombie computer (often shortened as zombie) is a computer attached to the Internet that has been compromised by a hacker, a computer virus, or a trojan horse. Generally, a compromised machine is only one of many in a botnet, and will be used to perform malicious tasks of one sort or another under remote direction. Most owners of zombie computers are unaware that their system is being used in this way. Because the owner tends to be unaware, these computers are metaphorically compared to zombies.
Posted in Conspiracy Theory, Double Yikes!!, Eeek!, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Food, Fun, Ick!, Live Brains!, Really Funny, Terrorfying, Thriller Zombie Attacks, Yikes!, Zombies | Leave a Comment »
Hitchens Thinking Clearly Yet Again
Posted by pwl on June 21, 2009
Posted in Awesome, Christopher Hitchens, Fun, Hard Science, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Philosophy, Politics, Proof God Can NOT Exist, Rational Thinking, Religion, Video | 1 Comment »
He’ll use his super powers … He’s come to save the day… He’s Barack Obama
Posted by pwl on June 21, 2009
Posted in Climate Science, Fun, Humbled by Nature, Politics, Really Funny, Video | Leave a Comment »
Zombie Math
Posted by pwl on June 20, 2009
Thanks to xkcd for this wonderful sense of humor.
Paul Erdős (occasionally spelled Erdos or Erdös; Hungarian: Erdős Pál, pronounced [ˈɛrdøːʃ ˈpaːl]; 26 March 1913 – 20 September 1996) was an immensely prolific and famously eccentric Hungarian mathematician. Erdős published more papers than any mathematician in history, working with hundreds of collaborators. He worked on problems in combinatorics, graph theory, number theory, classical analysis, approximation theory, set theory, and probability theory.
Because of his prolific output, friends created the Erdős number as a humorous tribute; Erdős alone was assigned the Erdős number of 0 (for being himself), while his immediate collaborators could claim an Erdős number of 1, their collaborators have Erdős number at most 2, and so on. Some have estimated that 90 percent of the world’s active mathematicians have an Erdős number smaller than 8 (not surprising in light of the small world phenomenon). It is jokingly said[25] that Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron has an Erdős number of 1 because they both autographed the same baseball when Emory University awarded them honorary degrees on the same day. Erdős numbers have also been humorously assigned to an infant, a horse, and several actors.
Posted in Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Conspiracy Theory, Eeek!, Ethics in Science, Fun, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ideas Crazy Enough to Have a Chance, Ignorance to Knowledge, Really Funny, Science Education, The End is Nigh, The Sky Is Falling, WOW!!!, Yikes!, Zombies | Leave a Comment »
A tribute to the unstoppable and indelible spirit of human beings – life on the edge, literally beyond all limits imagined
Posted by pwl on June 17, 2009
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVLLBDlVUYg]
On August 7, 1974, shortly after 7:15 a.m., Petit stepped off the South Tower and onto his 3/4″ 6×19 IWRC (independent wire rope core [3]) steel cable. The 24-year-old Petit made eight crossings between the mostly finished towers, a quarter mile above the sidewalks of Manhattan, in an event that lasted about 45 minutes. During that time, in addition to walking, he sat on the wire, gave knee salute and, while lying on the wire, spoke with a gull circling above his head.
Port Authority Police Department Sgt. Charles Daniels, who was dispatched to the roof to bring Petit down, later reported his experience:
I observed the tightrope ‘dancer’—because you couldn’t call him a ‘walker’—approximately halfway between the two towers. And upon seeing us he started to smile and laugh and he started going into a dancing routine on the high wire….And when he got to the building we asked him to get off the high wire but instead he turned around and ran back out into the middle….He was bouncing up and down. His feet were actually leaving the wire and then he would resettle back on the wire again….Unbelievable really….[E]verybody was spellbound in the watching of it.[4]
[http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAVj2IVC9ko]
Petit was warned by his friend on the South Tower that a police helicopter would come to pick him off the wire unless he got off. Rain had begun to fall, and Petit decided he had taken enough risks, so he decided to give himself up to the police waiting for him on the South Tower. He was arrested once he stepped off the wire. Provoked by his taunting behaviour while on the wire, police handcuffed him behind his back and roughly pushed him down a flight of stairs. This he later described as the most dangerous part of the stunt.[5]
His audacious high wire performance made headlines around the world. When asked why he did the stunt, Petit would say “When I see three oranges, I juggle; when I see two towers, I walk.”
He crossed EIGHT TIMES and danced while doing it!!! You’re kidding right? Nope…
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TXrMLKDu5g]
Very amazing. Beyond words amazing. Indelible WOW!
A true tribute.
Man on Wire is an Academy Award-winning 2008 documentary film directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles Philippe Petit’s 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center. It is based on Philippe Petit’s book, To Reach the Clouds, recently released in paperback with the new title Man on Wire. The title of the movie is taken from the police report that led to the arrest (and later release) of Petit, whose performance had lasted for almost one hour. The film is crafted like a heist film, presenting rare footage of the preparations for the event and still photographs of the walk, alongside reenactments (with Paul McGill as the young Petit) and present-day interviews with the participants.
What in your life gets you to take risks and get to your edge of peak performance?
Philippe Petit (born August 13, 1949) is a French high wire artist who gained fame for his high-wire walk between the Twin Towers (WTC) in New York City on August 7, 1974.[1] For his feat (that he referred to as “le coup” [2]), he used a 450-pound (200 kg) cable and a custom-made 26-foot (7.9 m) long, 55-pound (25 kg) balancing pole.
Tight-rope walker, unicyclist, magician and pantomime artist, Petit was also one of the earliest modern day street jugglers in Paris, having begun his career in 1968. He juggled and worked on a slack rope with regularity in Washington Square Park in New York City in the early 1970s. Other famous structures he has used for tightrope walks include Notre Dame de Paris, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Louisiana Superdome, the Hennepin County Government Center, and between the Palais de Chaillot and the Eiffel Tower.
The documentary film Man on Wire by UK director James Marsh, about Petit’s 1974 WTC performance, won both the World Cinema Jury and Audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival 2008. The film also won awards at the 2008 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, N.C. and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Petit is one of the Artists-in-Residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. He currently lives in Woodstock, New York.
Learning to tight rope walk. Not as easy as Petit makes it look.
Posted in Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Bad Ideas, Double Yikes!!, Eeek!, Film, Fun, Get some perspective people, Gravity, Hard Science, Health, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ideas Crazy Enough to Have a Chance, Ignorance to Knowledge, Lawn Chair Larry, Majestic Universe, Man on Wire, Philosophy, Proofs, Rational Thinking, Science Education, Science over Propaganada, Something to think about, The End is Nigh, Video, WOW!!!, Yikes! | 3 Comments »
Man made the AGW Hypothesis just as man made many other hypothesis that are in or headed to the dust bin of science history – EVIDENCE sorts the hypothesis out… now it would be nice if the AGW hypothesis had any actual hard evidence to stand on…
Posted by pwl on June 11, 2009
A response to the IPCC is the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) 2009 Report.
Posted in Climate Science, Fun, Hard Science, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Science Education, Video, Yikes! | Leave a Comment »
Finally The Indisputable Cause of Global Warming is Revealed Conclusively with ACTUAL VIDEO EVIDENCE for once and for all! Can’t Deny This!!!
Posted by pwl on June 11, 2009
Finally the real cause of Global Warming is Revealed!!! It’s ALIENS! Yes, ALIENS are TerrorFroming Earth for their liking! It’s V all over again (oh they are remaking V too which is too cool…)!
She’s an ex-model. He’s an elite commando. They’re going to solve global warming – by stopping the aliens who are causing it!
The most important question: Is Al Gore a Lizard creature hell bent on terrorforming Earth? Yes, inquiring minds want to know!
Al Gore on a terrorforming rampage!
This, ahem, theory of “Global Warming as Caused By Aliens” (Alien Global Warming AGW) has about as much credence as the Anthropomorphic Global Warming (AGW)! Oh, wait, the above video is indisputable proof of the Alien caused Global Warming! So now the science is settled as in the Aliens have Settled on Earth terrorformed by Global Warming!!!
Has anyone noticed Gore’s red eyes?
All in good fun… the only reason I poke fun at the AGW crowd is that they think the science is settled… science is just about never settled in the sense that asking questions is at the core of science… asking questions and VERIFYING the answers with EXPERIMENTS to confirm or refute the hypothesis! For example, new particles are being discovered which upset the standard model… or at least require it to be rethought at regular intervals. Were are the experiments that “settle the science” of “anthropomorphic global warming”? Lacking basic methods of science isn’t having the science settled. Anyway it’s a fun little movie that provides more evidence for Alien caused Global Warming that I’ve ever seen for Anthropomorphic Global Warming and you’ve gotta love that!!!
Posted in Awesome, Climate Science, Debunking Bad Environmentalism, Do Not Click At Work, Double Yikes!!, Eeek!, Entertainment, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Film, Fun, Get some perspective people, Hard Science Required, Holding those who run the world responsible for their crimes against humanity, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ideas Crazy Enough to Have a Chance, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Rational Thinking, Reality Based Environmentalism, Really Funny, Science Education, Science Ficition, Science over Propaganada, SkyNet Battlefield Earth, Something to think about, Space Travel, Splish Splash Taking a Bath, Terraforming Earth, TerrorForming Earth, Terrorfying, The End is Nigh, The Sky Is Falling, UFO Proof, Video, Violent, Waste Management, WOW!!!, Yikes! | 1 Comment »
The Novice and the Master
Posted by pwl on June 4, 2009
One day a Novice came to the Master.
“Master,” he said, “How is it that I may become a Writer of Programs?”.
The Master looked solemnly at the Novice.
“Have you in your possession a Compiler of Source Code?” the Master asked.
“No,” replied the Novice. The Master sent the Novice on a quest to the Store of Software.
Many hours later the Novice returned.
“Master,” he said, “How is it that I may become a Writer of Programs?”.
The Master looked solemnly at the Novice.
“Have you in your possession a Compiler of Source Code?” the Master asked.
“Yes,” replied the Novice.
The Master frowned at the Novice.
“You have a Compiler of Source. What now can prevent you from becoming a Writer of Programs?”.
The Novice fidgeted nervously and presented his Compiler of Source to the Master.
“How is this used?” asked the Novice.
“Have you in your possession a Manual of Operation?” the Master asked.
“No,” replied the Novice.
The Master instructed the Novice as to where he could find the Manual of Operation.
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Posted in Awesome, books, Conspiracy Theory, Exercise For the Reader, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Fun, Get some perspective people, Hard Science Required, Ideas Crazy Enough to Have a Chance, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Rational Thinking, Science Education, WOW!!! | Leave a Comment »
Inglorious Bastards redux unlike your parents Inglorious Bastards
Posted by pwl on June 3, 2009
Inglorious Bastards is a 2009 epic ensemble war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, it has the largest number of speaking roles of any Tarantino film to date and was filmed in several locations, among them Germany and France.[2] Filming began in October 2008.[3] The title (and partial premise) of the upcoming film are inspired by Italian director Enzo Castellari’s 1978 movie Inglorious Bastards, but it is not a remake of that film.
The director has repeatedly stressed that despite it being a war film, the movie will be his “spaghetti-western but with World War II iconography”.[4] In addition to spaghetti-westerns, the film also pays homage to the World War II “macaroni-combat” sub-genre (itself heavily influenced by spaghetti-westerns), as well as films by Jean-Luc Godard.
Inglorious Basterds is Tarantino at his absolute best! I highly recommend this film although it’s not for the squeamish. Surprisingly a higher percentage of women then they expected are going to see Brad, so it’s a great date movie too. Get those juices flowing!
[:|]
Your parents Bastards: the 1978 film Quel maledetto treno blindato aka Inglorious Bastards.
Quel maledetto treno blindato (literally translated as That damned armored train and released as Inglorious Bastards in the USA) is a 1978 Italian war movie directed by Enzo G. Castellari, written by Sandro Continenza, Sergio Grieco, Franco Marotta, Romano Migliorini, & Laura Toscano, and starring Bo Svenson, Peter Hooten, Fred Williamson, Michael Pergolani, and Jackie Basehart. It was released in 1977. The film score was written by Francesco De Masi.
Posted in Adult Supervision Required, Awesome beyond awesome, Entertainment, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Film, Fun, Invaders from Earth, Nazis, SkyNet Battlefield Earth, TerrorForming Earth, The End is Nigh, The Sky Is Falling, To Hell With You Buddy, Total Control Over Our Lives, Video, Violent, Yikes! | 1 Comment »
Nazi’s in Space Attacking Earth from the Moon! How cool is that?
Posted by pwl on June 3, 2009
Ok, just when you thought we were rid of them they’re back! No not the Nazi Zombies but the living kind! Yikes!
What is also really cool is that they’ve reinvented the movie poster by making it an actual movie!!! How cool is that!!!
Posted in Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Double Yikes!!, Eeek!, Entertainment, Film, Fun, Get some perspective people, Nazis, Really Funny, SkyNet Battlefield Earth, TerrorForming Earth, Terrorfying, The End is Nigh, The Sky Is Falling, Total Control Over Our Lives, UFO Proof, Vehicles, Video, WOW!!!, Yikes! | 1 Comment »
On becoming a scientist
Posted by pwl on June 3, 2009
Thanks to xkcd for another amazing cartoon.
Posted in Awesome beyond awesome, Eeek!, Fun, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Science Education, Space Travel, Terrorfying | Leave a Comment »
Nazi Zombies from Hell, what more could you ask for?
Posted by pwl on June 3, 2009
Chainsaws! We want chainsaws! Oh, it’s got chainsaws, yes! Sexy blonds? Yup! Humor? Yup. Gore? Not Al but yes, it’s got gore!
Should have gone to the beach for sure.
Posted in Adult Supervision Required, Awesome, Eeek!, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Film, Fun, Get some perspective people, Ick!, Live Brains!, Nazis, Really Funny, Terrorfying, The End is Nigh, The Sky Is Falling, Video, Violent, Waste Management, WOW!!!, Yikes!, Zombies | 2 Comments »
The Way of the Tony Jaa
Posted by pwl on May 30, 2009
Need I say anything? Awesome beyond awesome.
Posted in Adult Supervision Required, Awesome beyond awesome, Film, Fun, Violent, WOW!!! | Leave a Comment »
LOST in Time makes for a better Empire Strikes Back script
Posted by pwl on May 26, 2009
Posted in Awesome, Film, Fun, Ideas Crazy Enough to Have a Chance, Really Funny, Space Travel, Video | Leave a Comment »
How close to industructable can you get?
Posted by pwl on May 25, 2009
Posted in Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Fun, Gravity, Hard Science, Ideas Crazy Enough to Have a Chance, Ignorance to Knowledge, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Science Education, Science over Propaganada, Science Smackdown, Space Travel, Vehicles, Video, WOW!!! | Leave a Comment »
The Terminators Continue doing their thing
Posted by pwl on May 18, 2009
Posted in Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Film, Fun, Graphics, SkyNet Battlefield Earth, The End is Nigh, The Sky Is Falling, Total Control Over Our Lives, Video, Violent | Leave a Comment »
The Electromagnetic Spectrum as you’ve never seen it before
Posted by pwl on May 17, 2009
Thanks to xkcd for his fun comics.
Posted in Awesome, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Fun, Humbled by Nature, Rational Thinking, Science Education | Leave a Comment »
The Machines Rule The Earth
Posted by pwl on May 16, 2009
Posted in Awesome, Eeek!, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Film, Fun, Ideas Crazy Enough to Have a Chance, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Science Ficition, SkyNet Battlefield Earth, The End is Nigh, The Sky Is Falling, Video, Violent, WOW!!!, Yikes! | Leave a Comment »
I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that…
Posted by pwl on May 15, 2009
Using Wolfram Alpha for the first time tonight it spit message up when it couldn’t get an answer due to a heavily trafficked servers on it’s first day in operations. Very cool Dave. However, really subjecting Dave to such abuse from the likes of me. Tsk… tsk… tsk… actually it’s quite a cool tool.
Heh, from now on many more web sites will be saying “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that…” when they get an error. Cool.
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Science Obliterates Religion, Angels & Demons, but most of all Science Obliterates All Gods
Posted by pwl on May 15, 2009
Set phasers on maximum disintegration and fire.
In every way imaginable, that is real, science and objective humanism obliterates not just religion but the need for religion as well. Objective Reality, Nature, what is real verses what is fantasy and delusional beliefs that an invisible super being that violates all of, or the vast majority of, the known and well tested laws of science, laws of Nature, and even the nature of Nature is very clear.
Dead bodies don’t rise from the dead once brain death, organ death, heart death, and cell death have set in – not even in modern hospitals can that be achieved. The only gods that exist are the ones within the skulls of believers, the fantasy gods that they construct to avoid the harsh facts of life: that they, that all, will die the permanent death without any life after death. Even the memories of our lives left behind with those still alive will fade with time and the passing of the ages. Even the Earth and all that is on it will perish given time and celestial events in our solar system.
That which makes us unique in space and time and in biology passes into oblivion from whence we came in time. There is no hope of an eternal salvation. Hope itself is a great killer of minds. The kind of hope that supports delusional thinking that that which is impossible in Nature can happen, that hope dooms you and all to a path of delusional fantasies of rising dead bodies, of the doom of death avoided, of walking on water, of all the other miracles that require the other great killer of minds and free will, faith.
Pernicious faith, the evil of the ages roosting within the dark minds of it’s committed adherents. Faith the denier of objective reality. Faith the denier of that which is real and the limits of reality. The dead only come back to life in zombie movies and other silly mythologies only most people can tell that zombie movies are fantasy yet for some reason those same people can’t tell that their jesus is also just a fantasy delusion of epic proportions. The act of faith kills the best minds and brings them into the fold of the cult of death that each and every religion or faith on earth represents. A cult focused on selling life immortal if only you’d make your donations as a good member. The greatest con game perpetrated upon the human species by their fellows.
Oh, I went to the midnight showing of the action fantasy film, “Angels & Demons”. As far as action goes, it’s got that in spades. Intrigue, for sure. Suspense, yup. Delusional fantasies, absolutely tons of delusionals all over the screen spouting their silly beliefs of gods and demons. They even have a pope as an action figure! Never saw that one coming! Overall a good movie if you can stomach the religious nonsense and not take any of it seriously; if you do you know that you’re beyond the typical religious delusional and are into the total nut job category. They even have a really big boom. I’ll have to say that the cinematography was awesome but the music was one of the best parts of the film. Yes, it’s pretty much 24 meets the Vatican conspiracy chest of delusions. Bright light, bright light.
Of course the movie opens with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and spins a technobabble story with, oh scary, antimatter! Yikes. How about some real science to correct the silly myths that Angels & Demons took extreme liberties with.
Don’t know if this last one qualifies as science but what the heck.
Posted in Baby that became Zombie Jesus, Belief Stricken, Big Brother Planetary Control System, Conspiracy Theory, Energy, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Film, Fun, Get some perspective people, Hard Science, Hard Science Required, Holding those who run the world responsible for their crimes against humanity, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, It's a good thing that your god(s) die with you, Philosophy, Politics, Proof God Can NOT Exist, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Religion, Scams, Science Education, Science over Propaganada, Some Intelligent Designer, Something to think about, Splish Splash Taking a Bath, To Hell With You Buddy, Total Control Over Our Lives, Video, Violent, Yikes!, Zombie Jesus | 2 Comments »
Stunning Launch of STS-125 Atlantis Hubble Repair Mission in HD
Posted by pwl on May 14, 2009
Ok, enough of things going slooooowwwly… now for some real speed!!!
WOW!
Too bad they didn’t show the separation of the large External fuel Tank (ET) from the shuttle.
Here are some highlights and other awesome clips, also in HD! Wow, I’ve got those very same kitchen timers (the white ones hanging all over the shuttle)! They are very cool with four count up/down timers plus one count down and one count up timer. Awesome!
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Posted in Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Fun, Gravity, Hard Science, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, It's a good thing that your god(s) die with you, Majestic Universe, Science Education, Science Missions, Science over Propaganada, Space Travel, The Ground is Falling Up!, Video, WOW!!! | Leave a Comment »
The Machine Girl rocks, slices, dices, shoots and scores a hit
Posted by pwl on May 10, 2009
WARNING: EXTREME BLOOD AND GORE follows.
SERIOUSLY! EXTREME BLOOD AND GORE.
No not the extreme Al Gore and his carbon trading business partner David Blood but really BLOODY GORE follows.
Well, to speak truth Al Gore does have a lot of blood on his hands as he was Vice President for many years but that is a different story to tell on a different day, this story is about revenge sought out by The Machine Girl.
Posted in Adult Supervision Required, Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Film, Fun, Ick!, Really Funny, WOW!!!, Yikes! | Leave a Comment »
Bruce Lee vs Jackie Chan vs Tony Jaa vs Jet Li
Posted by pwl on May 10, 2009
Awesome martial arts… awesome.
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Creationists are idiots – Flus for Jesus – EVOLUTION LIVE BEFORE YOUR EYES!
Posted by pwl on May 10, 2009
Posted in Belief Stricken, Biology, Fun, Hard Science Required, Health, Holding those who run the world responsible for their crimes against humanity, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Invisible Friend Crowd, It's a good thing that your god(s) die with you, Majestic Universe, Politics, Rational Thinking, Video | Leave a Comment »
Patient Zorro
Posted by pwl on May 10, 2009
Posted in Bill Maher, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Fun, Politics, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Video | Leave a Comment »
Star Trek Reborn
Posted by pwl on May 7, 2009
Caution Spoilers
Oh, just kidding. Saw it just a few hours ago on the preview Thursday night show. It was awesome. That’s it for now.
Posted in Awesome, Film, Fun | 1 Comment »
The Dark Side of the Moon
Posted by pwl on May 6, 2009
Thanks TSK.
Posted in Awesome, Film, Fun, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Majestic Universe, Space Travel, The End is Nigh, The Sky Is Falling, Video, WOW!!! | Leave a Comment »
Hot and Sexy Lucra LC470 Spotted in Vancouver
Posted by pwl on May 3, 2009
See LC740 dot com and google search for LC470.
Posted in Awesome, Business, Damn it!, Fun, Majestic Universe, Sex, WOW!!! | 1 Comment »
Hopefully J.J. Abrams isn’t LOST directing the new Star Trek XI film
Posted by pwl on May 3, 2009
Oh, then again.
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William Shatner watches the new Star Trek with the New Kirk for the first time
Posted by pwl on May 3, 2009
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Paths To Knowledge (dot Science) 