Very Interesting site that allows you to see all sorts of world data by year, month, day, etc. Kind of cool.
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1upXOa/:1J_tt!8UO:TfN7UUcD/www.shambles.net/worldclock/worldclock.swf/
Category Archives: Humor and Observations
The World Clock – Data on Stuff by Year, Day, Etc. Interesting Stuff
Filed under Humor and Observations
Batman Sign Evolution Through Time
Kind of interesting. I did not realize the logo had changed so much and so often.
Filed under Humor and Observations
Kind of a Mind Blowing Site
This site allows you to scroll to the left to get smaller and smaller, so you can see subparticles. To the right you get bigger and bigger and see planets, then constellations, then galaxies, etc. It is like an extreme in and out zoom.
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1k0CXS/:MCJrbw.m:WHsT7hy5/htwins.net/scale2/
Filed under Humor and Observations, Uncategorized
Interesting Historical Phrases
I do not know if all of these are true or not, but they are certainly interesting little tidbits I found while stumbling about on stumbleupon.com
Reposted from Daveweinbaum.com off Stumbleupon
Interesting facts..
Historical tidbits you didn’t know you needed to know!
In George Washington’s days, there were no cameras.
One’s image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of
George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with
one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and
both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how
many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were
to be painted. Arms and legs are “limbs,”
therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the
_expression, “Okay, but it’ll cost you an arm and a leg.”
**************************************************************
As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only
twice a year (May and October)! Women kept their hair
covered, while men shaved their heads (because of lice and
bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs mad
e from wool. They couldn’t wash the wigs, so to clean them
they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell,
and bake it for 30 minutes The heat would make the wig big
and fluffy, hence the term “big wig.”
Today we often use the term “here comes the Big Wig”
because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.
**************************************************************
In the late 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room with
only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from
the wall, and was used for dining. The “head of the household”
always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the
floor Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be
invited to sit in this chair during a meal. To sit i n the chair
meant you were important and in charge. They called the one
sitting in the chair the “chair man.” Today in business, we use
the expression or title “Chairman” or “Chairman of the Board.”
**************************************************************
Personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As a result,
many women and men had developed acne scars by
adulthood. The women would spread bee’s wax over their
facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When they were
speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another
woman’s face she was told, “mind your own bee’s wax.” Should
the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term “crack a
smile” In addition, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax
would melt . . . therefore, the expression “losing face.”
**************************************************************
Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front.
A proper and dignified woman, as in “straight laced”. . . wore
a tightly tied lace.
**************************************************************
Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there
was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards but only
applicable to the “Ace of Spades.” To avoid paying the tax,
people would purchase 51 cards instead.
Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were
thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren’t “playing
with a full deck.”
**************************************************************
Early politicians required feedback f rom the public to
determine what the people considered important. Since there
were no telephones, TV’s or radios, the politicians sent their
assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to
“go sip some ale”
and listen to people’s conversations and political concerns.
Many assistants were dispatched at different times. “You go
sip here” and “You go sip there.” The two words “go sip” were
eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and,
thus we have the term “gossip.”
**************************************************************
At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and
quart-sized containers. A bar maid’s job was to keep an eye on
the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay
close attention and remember who was drinking in “pints” and
who was drinking in “quarts,” hence the term “minding your “P’s
and Q’s ”
**************************************************************
One more: bet you didn’t know this!
In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters
carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon
balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon.
However, how to prevent them from rolling about the deck?
The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid
with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine, which
rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be
stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was
only one problem…how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding
or rolling from under the othe rs. The solution was a metal
plate called a “Monkey” with 16 round indentations.
However, if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would
quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to
make “Brass Monkeys.” Few landlubbers realize that brass
contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled.
Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the
brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron
cannonballs would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was
quite literally, “Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass
monkey.” (All this time, you thought that was an improper
expression, didn’t you.)
Filed under Humor and Observations
Ten Superweapons from Science Fiction
Reposted from I09 by CHARLIE JANE ANDERS MAR 8, 2011
10 Most Awesome Ultimate Weapons
War is hell. But an ultimate weapon is hella cool.
Seriously, there’s nothing more awesome than a weapon that can devastate anyone who gets in its way. After all, everybody loves destruction porn and apocalyptic movies like 2012. And there’s nothing cooler than all-out warfare in space — the most popular science fiction movie series is not called Star Peace, after all. What do you get when you put space battles and destruction porn together? The ultimate weapon.
Here are the 10 greatest ultimate weapons in any galaxy.
Top image: Reign of Fire by Inga Nielsen.
Note: These are weapons, but the list doesn’t really include super-beings that were apparently not designed as weapons in the first place. So no Unicron and no Galactus. Sorry!
10) Nova-Bombs (Andromeda, Halo, tons of other things)
The idea of a “Nova Bomb,” that turns a sun supernova, is ridiculously common in science fiction, and it pretty much never gets old. Even the Hand of Omega, the ballyhooed weapon in Doctor Who, seems to be a form of Nova Bomb. In Andromeda, a Glorious Heritage class Systems Commonwealth ship carries 40 Nova Bombs, which use anti-gravity to make a sun explode. In Halo, the Nova Bomb is nine fusion warheads encased in lithium triteride armor. There are alsoNova Bombs in several novels, including Heinlein’s Starship Troopers and Haldeman’sThe Forever War.
9) The Lexx (Lexx)
As the Lexx explains in an introductory speech, “I am the most powerful weapon of destruction in the two universes. I was grown on The Cluster which is ruled by His Shadow. The food was good there. My captain is Stanley Tweedle. I blow up planets for him.” So yeah, the Lexx is sentient, but is still basically a weapon — and it sort of eats planets. The Lexx was originally developed as the ultimate deterrent for His Divine Shadow to keep the “Heretic” worlds in line.
8) The Dakara Superweapon (Stargate SG-1)
Built by the Ancients, this weapon has the ability to destroy all life on hundreds of worlds at one time, and can penetrate almost any ship’s shields. It reduces all matter to its basic structure, and the wave can propagate through an active stargate to reach everything on the other side. And that’s before Ba’al modified the device so it could pass through every stargate in the galaxy simultaneously, potentially wiping out every inhabited world in the Milky Way at once. (There’s also the wormhole weapon which John Crichton builds in Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, which has a similar sort of reach.)
7) The Little Doctor, aka Molecular Disruption Device (Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card)
The M.D. Device, nicknamed “Little Doctor,”makes it impossible for any two atoms to coexist in a molecule. The weapon creates a spherical field within which this is the physical property, causing total destruction of the target. This device can penetrate the aliens’ shields, making it the perfect weapon in our war against the aliens — and indeed, Ender manages to use it to destroy the aliens’ homeworld. Image by Ziwu on DeviantArt
6) Obliterators (Heretics of Dune, Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert)
Also known as The Weapon. The Honored Matres wield these powerful missiles, launched from a starship — they combust the atmosphere of a planet and then scorch the surface. When the Matres use the weapon against Arrakis, it fuses the planet’s sand into glass, and kills all life on the surface, humans and sandworms alike. Some speculate that the planet killers of the Shadows from Babylon 5 work similarly to the Obliterators.
5) Warworld (DC Comics)
Pretty much does what it says on the label — it’s a whole planet-sized planet-killer, piloted by the maniacal Mongul. In original continuity, it was created by the Warzoons, a race so warlike they had “war” in their name. And it’s powerful enough to make whoever controls it the ruler of an empire — unless they tangle with Superman, in which case it’s not all that powerful. Brainac and the Cyborg Superman also got into the Warworld-piloting game, and at one point Brainy turned Pluto into a new Warworld.
4) Wave Motion Gun (Space Battleship Yamato, aka Star Blazers)
It’s the weapon so devastating, it can only be represented using breakdancing. The space battleship Yamato has the ability to channel all the power of its wave motion engine into a single super-powerful blast, strong enough to wipe out a whole enemy fleet. It’s so powerful, it leaves the ship powerless and adrift for a while after firing.
3) The Sphere-O-Boom (Futurama)
Say what you like about Hubert Farnsworth, he does love his super doomsday weapons. He’s got a whole slew of them, but the Sphere-O-Boom (also spelled spheroboom in some places) is his favorite. It causes a spectacular blast, destroying the ship of the Scammers, who had tried to steal it. It warps space and time, and destroys anyone not wearing a “doom-proof platinum vest.”
2) The Doomsday Machine (Star Trek)
I don’t think we ever learned who built this machine or what powers it, exactly — the mystery is part of what makes it so menacing and awful. It’s just a giant inexplicable space carrot that goes around pulverizing planets and using them as fuel. The Enterprise crew entertains the theory that it was built for some long-ago interstellar war and then got away, but we’ll never know for sure. One thing we do know: It takes a whole starship, exploding inside the thing, to knock it out of operation.
1) The Death Star (Star Wars)
You kind of knew we had to include this. The fully operational battle station that takes out the defenseless world of Alderaan in a heartbeat. According to estimates, the upper range of the Death Star’s power is 10^38 joules, or as much energy as our own sun generates in 8,000 years. Plus it just looks fucking scary, it’s like a perfectly round cyclops skull in space. And it’s no moon!
Sources: Mostly I just made this up on my own. But Wikipedia was somewhat helpful, and so was TVTropes. Also, after I’d already finished the article and was looking for pictures, I stumbled on these somewhat overlapping lists at DVice. and Wired.
Filed under Humor and Observations
10 Ways the Next 10 Years Are Going To Be Mind-Blowing
Reposted from
Jordan Lejuwaan
at High Existence
10 Ways the Next 10 Years Are Going To Be Mind-Blowing
We are living in an extremely exciting time in terms of science and technology. Things that have always been considered science fiction are becoming normal day-to-day components of our lives. And while we have been seeing invention after breakthrough over and over in the last couple of decades, this next ten years is going to blow everything else out of the water.
The awesome thing about all these scientific discoveries it that they create technology that allows us to make more breakthroughs even faster. Our ability to innovate is increasing exponentially as the years go by. To give you an idea of the magnitude of this reality, here are 10 amazing innovations to different sectors of life. They should give you a pretty good idea of what changes will be made by 2020.
1) Bio Technology
Bionic Hand controlled by brain signals
Okay, it doesn’t let you crush rocks like you would think, BUT it does allow people without fingers to have fully functional hands that can pick up and handle delicate objects. It is completely controlled by the brain and requires no surgery. Touch Bionics, the company the produces the Pro Digits hand, is able to install the hand complete with “living skin,” a plastic covering resembling human skin, for under $50,000. A small price to pay for a new hand I think.
2) Architecture
Revolving Tower in Dubai
While Dubai is currently known for it’s ridiculous extravagance, developers in the region are building a tower that has fancy andextremely practical applications.
This beautiful building is going to be made of 59 independently rotating modules/floors so that inhabitants will have a constantly shifting view of the outside world. Each floor will rotate at approximately 6 meters per minute so that the inhabitants will not notice the movement. The independent rotations will also give the building an ever-changing exterior that can warp into very complex designs.
All of that aesthetic stuff is great and all, but the real innovation comes from the wind turbines built in between each floor. The resulting pollution-free energy will be enough to power the tower and several buildings in the surrounding area. Just Wow.
3) Computer Speed, Size and Usability
Speed
Most people tech-nerds know of Moore’s Law from 1965 (the number of transistors we are able to cheaply put in computer chips doubles every year, thereby doubling the speed). However, most people don’t know that Moore, himself, came out and said his law will most likely fail finally in 2020 where the number of transistors we can put on chips will be limited by the laws of physics. Does this mean the exponential rise in computer processing speed will come to a halt in ten years?
Not a chance, says Jim Tully, chief of research for semi-conductors at Gartner. “The technology which will replace this is a bottom-up approach, where chips will be assembled using individual atoms or molecules, a type of nanotechnology.”
Ray Kurzweil, a well-respected Futurist, stated in 2008 that when this molecular computing technology comes out in 2020, computers will have the intellectual capability of human beings. You might want to digest that for a minute before moving onto the next section.
Size and Usability
That Macbook Air is pretty damn thin. So thin, in fact, that it makes you wonder if physical computers will even exist in 2020. Well according to developers at Intel, the keyboard and mouse surely won’t. Who needs QWERTY when you can control a computer with your mind?
“We’re trying to prove you can do interesting things with brain waves,” said Intel researcher Dean Pomerleau. “Eventually people may be willing to be more committed … to brain implants. Imagine being able to surf the Web with the power of your thoughts.”
Pomerleau and countless research groups around the world are working with brain scanning devices to map blood flow in the brain. They have found that when different individual focus on the same image, they have very similar patterns of blood flow in their brains. For example, oneBritish group announced that they could discern where subjects where in a computer generated virtual environment by looking at where blood flowed in their brains.
4) Cars and Fuel
There are tons of different fuel-types for the “automobiles of tomorrow” but the only kind that seems to have any realistic chance of actually being used by the masses in the next ten years is electric. We still can’t figure out how to make hydrogen fuel cells efficient, safe and practical and hybrids/deisal cars are yesterday’s news. Fossil fuels are so 2009…
This is the Tesla Model S sedan that will be coming out in 2011 for the modest price of $57,000 (very good for a luxury, electric car).
Besides the sexy curves, you get 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge depending on the battery size you choose. And another small detail, it goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds while seating 7 people.
So despite all of the automaker’s best attempts at making alternative-fuel cars so hideous that no one would ever buy them, it looks like market competition will soon push some very attractive and efficient cars onto the market.
5) How We Interact With the World
The way in which we interact with the outside world has changed SO much since the introduction of the internet, smart phones, etc. In the very near future, another huge jump will be made: integrating the information on the internet with our surroundings.
By that I mean being able to look at a building, product or place and immediately seeing information about the subject on our devices and eventually just with our eyes.
If you’re still confused as to what I mean, check out the earliest innovation of this concept, Goggles by Google. This app allows you to take a picture of whatever you are looking at and instantly receive info about it on your Android phone.
Like the video says, Goggle is only scratching at the surface of this technology. Kurzweil says that “By 2020 we’ll routinely have pop ups in our visual field of view that give us background about the people and places that we’re looking at.” Your memory and the vast information bank of the internet will be one at all times.
Until we can do this with a chip in our brain, a new device has come out that overlays video onto our normal vision using special glasses. It’s called the Vuzix display Wrap 920AR and it goes on sale soon for around $800.
6) Energy
Solar energy will soon leave fossil fuels and inefficient wind farms in the dust. According to Kurzweil, “the cost per watt of solar energy is coming down rapidly and the total amount of solar energy is growing exponentially. It has in fact been doubling every two years for the past 20 years and is now only eight doublings away from meeting all of the world’s energy needs.”
Emerging technology from a company called Sandia is making the reality that much closer:
Sandia’s solar cells are made of 100 times less material than the current top solar cells while operating at the same efficiency. Since the biggest hurdle in the path of solar power is the expensive and large nature of solar panels, these new microscopic cells will make a huge difference. For example, current panels are massive and require large motors to move them to track the sun. Sandia’s cells, on the other hand, would only need to be moved a fraction of a millimeter to track the sun efficiently while weighing next to nothing.
Even more amazing, they can be suspended in liquids and printed on flexible materials, allowing the cells to be places on any surface. What if your entire car was covered in these powerhouses? Bye bye, Chevron.
7) Health
While we still can’t cure the common cold, custom-made organs are just around the corner.
A company called Organovo has developed the first commercial 3-D bio printer that builds custom organs cell-by-cell. Each individual cell is based upon sample cells from the body of the customer. Organovo reports that veins and arteries will be available in 5 years, and more complex organs like hearts and livers in 10.
On a more general note, nanotechnology is revolutionizing the health world. The awesome combination of a higher understanding of how DNA works and the ability to create very small cellular parts is painting a very bright future for medicine.
Scientists are finding specific sequences of DNA that code for conditions like schizophrenia, autism and even aging. The cures are actually in sight.
8) Success and Popularity Accessibility
By that, I mean the ability of a Joe Nobody to come from nowhere and suddenly gain recognition and become a well known someone. The internet has been continually leveling the playing field so that you don’t need million in capital or marketing to get your ideas, creations and business into the spotlight.
10 year-olds are making thousands off their viral YouTube videos. Anyone with a business idea can start a website and get going for little to no capital. Even Twitter (which I am not a big fan of) can launch people into the spotlight if they can work the system in the right way.
Many people are getting huge jobs because companies are seeing how well their content does on the web. For example, Fede Alvarez, a director from Uruguay, recently had this short film go viral and was offered $30 million from a Hollywood company to direct a film for them.
The internet is the perfect tool for capitalism, entrepreneurship, and dreaming. Whatever you can dream up, you can make possible on the World Wide Web.
9) Robots
The first decade of the 21st century has been a remarkable time for innovation in robotics. While we’re still far away from having bots helping around the house or doing our construction, big strides have been made towards that future.
Recently a robot was able to teach itself human facial expressions by randomly contorting its face and receiving feedback on what resembled real expressions.
Here’s another robot called BigDog that came out a couple of years ago, but if you haven’t seen the video, you really should. It’s a 4-legged robot that can navigate difficult terrain and correct its balance when shoved. If you can’t watch the whole video, at least fast-forward to 1:50 where the robot can be seen running and jumping.
And finally here is the bipedal version of BigDog that walks heel-to-toe just like humans do. Again, it can regain balance when shoved.
10) Clothing
Nanotechnology in Clothing
– Nano-fibres will make garments tremendously more comfortable and durable. “By this process the textile products can be made more attractive, strong and responsive to customers’ choice.”
– Fiber-based nanogenerators will build up electrical energy in clothing from physical movement, ultrasonic waves and even blood flow. “If we can combine many of these fibers in double or triple layers in clothing, we could provide a flexible, foldable and wearable power source that, for example, would allow people to generate their own electrical current while walking.”
– Extremely hydrophobic (water-resistant) nanofilaments allow for completelywaterproof clothing. It can be submerged in water for two months and still remain dry to the touch. “The water comes to rest on the top of the nanofilaments like a fakir sitting on a bed of nails.” (Whatever that means…)
Filed under Humor and Observations
I Have a New Dream Vehicle
I have been blessed to drive lots of cars in my life that were a lot of fun. When I got married and had kids, I had to drive boring cars that had back seats. As soon as both kids could drive, I went back to my two seat roadsters. I have some pictures here of my some of my vehicles, followed by my new dream vehicles…
At 16, this was my first “official car” in my name. An Italian 124 SuperSport Fiat Spyder with dual overhead cams. Burnt rubber in all five gears. Mine was bright yellow.
- Rearview of my first car, interior same, but bright yellow paint. I put an icemaker in the glove compartment and a champagne bottle in the console with glasses for dates. It was called The Italian Stallion.
- Side view of first car. Everything was in Italian, Benzino, Olio, and Kilometers per hour. It had a pull choke and accelerator and buttons that made me feel like James Bond. Unfortunately, it was very hard to keep running.
- As soon as the kids could drive themselves, I got this diamond blue, champagne interior Mercedes 450 SL convertible with both hard and soft tops.
- My interior was light tan, but I had all handcrafted wood. My daughter called it the hungry beast because it was too fast for her and scared her. I could hit 160 mph in it and it felt like 70. Ahh, those trips to Vegas…
- Nothing like driving with the top down by the ocean. It became very expensive to maintain, so my wife and I donated it to a needy family.
- The car I drive now. 0-60 in 5 seconds. They no longer make the Honda S2000 limited production racing car. It redlines at 9000 rpm. Sounds like motorcycle engine.
- All are the same, except my model had the extra capacity engine seen in Fast and Furious and its sequels like Tokyo Drift. I love bright yellow convertibles with cloth tops.
- Again, nothing like driving up the Pacific Coast highway with the top down and my wife next to me. No room to buy things, so you just cruise and hang out.
- Steampunk version of the Shelby Cobra, the fastest production car ever made. All I can say is WOW!
- I would have to test drive this to make sure the third real wheel doesn’t make it to unstable. But if it drives nice, just look at that puppy. Engine and a seat is all you need.
- Steampunk interior, sweet.
- A bit large for me, but built by Captain Nemo and driven by Tom Sawyer (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) I could get past the length.
- Formerly used by Jabba the Hutt, it has some miles on it and damaged interior from Luke Skywalker, but I hear it is great for the desert, and I live in Arizona…
Filed under Humor and Observations
Very Odd Things I Would Like to Have
Here are some odds and ends of things I would like to have mostly because they are cool for me as a sci-fi fan. See if you agree, or if I am just strange, which is always a strong possibility…
Personal Intruder Protection – Slow But Reliable, Lives over a hundred years, works for carrots and lettuce.
- Your own carbonite encased foe. I have some people in mind other than Han Solo. Don’t you have someone you would love to stare down on in triumph while doing your morning blogging?
- Bacon and eggs and awesome!
- To know there is someone even more “corny” than I am.
- Heaven SWAG. The best convention ever, God is the main guest, all the best people are there – AND you get SWAG!
- I am afraid of heights, but I think I could get over it with my own jet pack.
- No photo radar. Only super models in short police outfits can give you tickets. Makes speeding tickets almost ok. I have been pulled over for speeding 24 times and received around 35 photo radar tickets. Luckily, the photo radar were all other people using my car. (that is actually true).
- Forget Octomom, I want Octocar! Travel in style with your own unique historical wheels.
- My own moving, fire breathing, snow capped mountain. Yeah, I think the neighbors would leave me be.
- My own Imperial Star Destroyer Space Yacht. For those days when you are bored and want to hop over to Yavin IV and freak out some rebels.
Filed under Humor and Observations, Uncategorized
Amazing Art from Books!
As a writer, I want my stories to leap out at the reader, but even I cannot write a book that will leap out quite as well as these do. They are simply amazing! Thanks to The Chive for gathering so many cool pictures, including these. If you do not follow The Chive, they have interesting things, as well as PG-13 to R rated women pictures, so be prepared. I named one of the pictures below “Andrew” as an homage to my friend Andrew Terech who writes amazing horror stories.
Filed under Humor and Observations, Uncategorized, Writing
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 