Space Links!

Via io9 & MSNBC.

Lovely, Pristine Beaches off the Shores of Titan's Great Methane Lake

Branson's New Virgin Mothership Sneak Peek

RAWR! Shake it Sir Richard Branson!

Links! Oh boy!

Wanna see some HOT space shuttle processing pix? You know you do, Nerd.


Jezebel brings us a Statistical Guide to Why You're Not Getting Laid. Showing the statistical imbalance between the genders by geographical location. (AKA the chart in National Geographic that my Grammy used to point out that I have no excuse for not having provided her with grandbabies.)
Summary:
If you live in Seattle you are not getting laid because you are either:
1. A dude
2. Utterly useless (see: Quiana)
If you live in New York it is because you are either:
1. A lady-person
2. Not wearing the new Prada Spring Collection.


Rush Limbaugh is a pathetic piece of shit who doesn't deserve a name and who will be roasting in the pits of hell (and judging by his physical condition- rather soon).
RL says that feminists hate men and get 2 0r 3 abortions and that is why they vote for Hillary Clinton.
I know that my hating of men often culminates in huge amounts of unprotected sex. I always fuck that which I hate. (Strange side note: I also hate seafood. Anyone up for an aquarium run?)


Having now slithered through the slime which is RL's uncomplicated, bigoted, misogynistic, drug-addled mind, I think it is time for some Muppets.

Dean Kamen, are you hitting on me?

I'm just going to assume that every time you do something awesome, such as inventing a prosthetic arm based upon Luke Skywalker's prosthetic arm, that you are totally flirting.
Dean Kamen, isn't it time for a midlife crisis girlfriend? Call me!

Thanks for the link, Drew.

Is Space Exploration Worth the Cost?

Neat article on space exploration.

Hamstringing the Energy Bill

House approves big energy bill
"[Pelosi's] decision to insist on including the tax increases on oil companies — costing them $13.5 billion in taxes over 10 years — surprised even some environmentalists and set the stage for a contentious fight in the Senate where Republican leaders have indicated they will try to strip it from the bill."

So here is the question. Did strategists choose to add the 13.5 Billion Dollar issue in order to kill the bill in Senate OR did they put it in to give Republicans something to cut?

I'm not sure how I feel about this bill, but lessening our dependence on foreign energy sources sounds pretty appealing. I wonder if the bill's emphasis on bio-diesel and corn-derived ethanol is really a long term environmentally sound strategy or if those persuasive corn growing conglomerates are at it again. I hate it when the government pens in science with all of their money and incentives. I would much rather the government throw more money into public transportation and research into renewable energy resources to fuel our lives in general (and perhaps electric cars) than into troubled yet lucrative, existing areas of fuel creation.

I'm a Terrible Person; Hoover Edition

Please note headline:
Dinosaur found with vacuum-cleaner mouth

Please note dinosaur's vacuum mouth placement in the accompanying picture.















*sigh* Sometimes it is a burden to have the mind of a 15 year old boy.

It came from outer space!

Interesting NYT article on NASA's research about germs and space.

After 25 days, 40 percent of the mice given the Earth-bound salmonella were still alive, compared with just 10 percent of those dosed with the germs from space. And the researchers found it took about one-third as much of the space germs to kill half the mice, compared with the germs that had been on Earth.

Why? Well, because everything is scarier once space is involved. Insert creepy theremin noises here.

Privatizing NASA.

Lately I’ve been thinking about libertarians (I know, weird.) And NASA (pretty par for the course if you know me at all.)

Which brought me to the thought that: why is NASA not privatized? The US Navy doesn’t build its own ships and the Air Force doesn’t build its own planes. Would science be better served by high paid Boeing engineers with a financial reason to build space ships rather than the government? Wouldn’t it be better having engineers and people in the aeronautic/astronautic field manage NASA than congress. Do we really want poli-sci majors determining the funding of NASA?

Isn’t engineering primarily influenced by one factor: money? Our greatest scientific progress has come about in times of war; times when science and engineering are most profitable.

I understand that space travel is an imperial issue and that air power = power, but would we save money and further science by outsourcing NASA?

Ponder this and let me know.

Sci-Fi movie plot coming true

Mystery illness strikes after meteorite hits Peruvian village
There you go kids. It's all over. Forget global warming, we are all going to die in exactly the way I've always feared.

NASA explores for answers that power our future.

Blech! What an awful slogan! It is a very awkward thing to try to say.

Wired Science is holding a contest for awesome new NASA slogans. You should enter. I would, but I can't come up with anything super-von-awesome.

I would like something positive, but all I've got is 'Reaching for the stars from the backs of the poor.'

busy busy busy

Hooray! Another link dump:

Interesting new bee theory
Blame Israel. This has proved to be an effective strategy for YEARS.

Leech invasion makes Japan residents see red
Details that you would rather not know about:
"Yamabiru will climb into people's socks and stay for about an hour, growing five to 10 times in size. Unlike with water leeches, people don't immediately realise they've been bitten. Only later when they see their blood-soaked feet, do they realise what has happened," said Shigekazu Tani, the institute's director.
You may file this under things that make me wish for death.

Cops cracking down on Craigslist prostitution.
Apparently they gave up on dealing with the ACTUAL problem. Street walkers on drugs and the men that get them hooked in the first place.

Popcorn Lung claims another victim
Proving that popcorn is not only disgusting, but also dangerous.

So are Cheetos.
BLECH!

Airline sacrifices goats to appease sky god
Whatever works, my friends, whatever works.

That which I have feared has come to pass

Everything about this article is absolutely terrifying.
Some excerpts (which made me wet myself):

Entomologists are debating the origin and rarity of a sprawling spider web that blankets several trees, shrubs and the ground along a 200-yard stretch of trail in a North Texas park.

"Now it [the massive web is] filled with so many mosquitoes that it's turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs."

Spider experts say the web may have been constructed by social cobweb spiders, which work together...

"I've been hearing from entomologists from Ohio, Kansas, British Columbia — all over the place..."

These spiders are organizing and creating webs that are clearly large enough to catch Quianas and they have been documented in our Canadian backyard. Nature is poised to attack and we are totally screwed.

I can never visit my parents in BC again. Sorry Mom! I will really miss you after the spiders get you!



Here is another pic with people in it for perspective.

freak display of nature

No, not me, this.
Nifty article on a strange aquatic phenomenon.

Dorky TV for dorks.

Wednesday 9pm on Discovery Channel

MythBusters
Superhero Hour
TV-PG
You're not seeing things. As uncomfortable as it is, it's true. The Mythbusters are wearing their underpants on the outside. And why? Because this episode is the Superhero Hour --- the Marvel comic maestros are put under the MythBusters microscope.

Learning a lesson from lemurs

Ringtails participate in "stink fights," by waving their tails about after brushing them across scent glands on their wrists. Whoever is more odorous is the winner. Disputes over rank can be settled this way too, and rarely are there violent fights.

Now all we need are scent glands. Thanks National Geographic, you're a life saver- literally!

In other news, I think I will start referring to all bickering as 'stink fighting.'

Random assortment of what-not.

Monkey Girl shares my distaste for kitty-mouth.


H&M is opening a store at the University Village. Hooray for cheap trendy clothes that will fall apart after the 4th washing!


Most disappointingly misleading headline: T-rex versus Beckham? Sorry David, you're lunch
If you actually want to read about new dinosaur theory (to be followed by alternate theory this time next year)*click the link. What? You're not clicking?
*This actually reminds me of the iPod. You get a new one and by the next year it is obsolete.



Japan, still a total dick. Japan omits China, asks Asian Democracies to unite
I don't want to be cheeky, but seriously, can you have a Asian Union without them? They basically are Asia. Furthermore, what? You're not inviting Russia, but you are inviting India?
"By Japan and India coming together in this way, this 'broader Asia' will evolve into an immense network spanning the entirety of the Pacific Ocean, incorporating the United States of America and Australia."
Oh, and the US and Australia. As 7th grade Quiana would say, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO buuuuuuuuuuurn!"
While Abe has improved ties with China, which had frayed under his predecessor, he has also stressed the need to forge closer links with democracies in what analysts have said was a tacit criticism of Beijing.
You think?


Russian woman sets fire to ex-husband's penis.
A woman set fire to her ex-husband's penis as he sat naked watching television and drinking vodka, Moscow police said on Wednesday.
Let this be a lesson to you men-folk, sometimes we just get tired of seeing your junk. This is like leaving the Christmas tree out all year, so don't get mad if we're not excited on Christmas morning.

And now for my final news item of the day, saving the best for last:
Murray refuses breath test in Sweeden
Actual text from the article: It isn't illegal to drive a golf cart in city traffic in Sweden, but Holmlund said it is very unusual.
I wonder if he tried to order some flapjacks. Or maybe some Swedish pancakes.
"Too early for flapjacks?"

Boring news for boring people

You should love it.

Squirrels hate small business owners, like chocolate
Squirrels are dirty little thieves, stealing up to two Kinder Surprise Eggs per day.
Excerpt:
"It removes the foil carefully, eats the chocolate and leaves the store with the toy," Irene Lindroos said.
I guess it's nice to know that someone enjoys the chocolate on a Kinder Surprise Egg.

Man Field Tests Those Ricockulous Wheel Shoes
Unravels the mystery behind the allure of these confusing shoes: they make mundane things slightly less boring.
This appeals to me. I hate boring things and people. I believe that everything I own, down to my toilet brush should be interesting. I believe that friends should challenge, intrigue or in some way divert you. Why shouldn't shoes be fun?

Slate's Explainer: Can you survive in space without a space suit?
Super-fascinating, if you're super-nerdy. Which I am.

Not really the news, but really an awesome video if you own a carpet and a dog-door. I'm just saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Be vigilant.

Good news for Republicans, bad news for everyone else.

Study: Hurricane Surge 'Normal'
A study has come out showing that the surge in storm conditions may be part of an unfortunate, but normal cycle.
This is of course problematic, not just for Floridians, but also for those of us who are concerned with the environment, quality of life, and foreign oil dependency. However, given the country's current obsession with global warming, even a flock of such studies will not waver our intentions to win the War on Warming. Especially since we are losing the War on Terror, War in Iraq, War on Drugs, and War on Obesity.

News you (probably) can('t) use.

Finally! A reason to watch Law & Order.
Yes, he looks like a scruffy ne'er-do-well. And he was in Dead and Breakfast. Jeremy Sisto: I'd hit that.























Amateur scientist (aka a guy with a video camera) has "tape of Nessie"
This video is interesting, I'm curious to see what happens. It's probably just a private submarine, like the one is Swans Crossing.

Some lawyer is doing fancy LEGO art.
It is quite cool. But probably won't get him laid....
Right Paul?

Pigs in the news!

70-Year-Old Ham Back on Display in N.C.
Entertaining Excerpt:
The Mecca Restaurant put the rock-hard country ham in its window Tuesday with a sign saying the 25-pound slab of meat would be displayed for only one day, "for security reasons." It was the ham's first appearance in a dozen years.

Is K-Fed behind mysterious bee disappearances?
In short, yes.
Fake Entertaining Excerpt:
The slime, which is expelled by K-Fed in order to locomote, is known to cause many other things, including pandas, manatees, and the careers pop stars to evaporate into thin air. His mating calls have been known to cause bleeding from the ears and the sudden urge to place one's head under the tires of moving vehicles.

Kids Tuned to 'Handy Manny' Get Porn
Entertaining Excerpt:
[Handy Manny,] the popular cartoon, which is about a bilingual handyman, Manny Garcia, and his talking tools.
Oh... I think I've seen that one. Hold on, is that description for the porn or the cartoon?
Entertaining Excerpt from Porn Handy Manny:
"Hola senoritas! Let me show you Jose, my jack hammer. No problema you can touch. Mui bien!"