Not quite a fool...
Mar. 31st, 2006 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
harmlessincGood afternoon dear readers - we're starting off with a bit of news and current events, moving into some trivia, general brain expansion information, some visual fun, and ... hmmm, what else is in the bag today... ah who cares, here are the links.
Some good news so start:
New NASA Policy Backs Free Discussion by Scientists
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/science/31nasa.html?ex=1301461200&en=96dbaa10c80b5ebc&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
"Two months after NASA's top climate scientist complained that political operatives in the agency's press office were trying to censor his views on global warming, Administrator Michael D. Griffin issued a new communications policy on Thursday that he called a "commitment to openness."
The policy, which details the role of those who release information to the public directly or through the news media, ensures that NASA scientists and engineers are free to discuss their work in public and state their opinions, Dr. Griffin said. When stating a personal opinion, he continued, they should make clear that they are speaking for themselves and not for the agency."
Yeah! It's a big step in the right direction.
Bible as a textbook?
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0327/p02s01-ussc.html
"Georgia would become the first to require its Department of Education to put in place a curriculum to teach the history and literature of the Bible. Schools would use the book itself as the classroom textbook. Specifically the bill would establish electives on both the New and Old Testaments."
Ok, on the surface I think this is a great idea! The problem will be when it's not actually being taught as literature. Just to put it in context, let's look back at a story from last week about religion and classrooms:
http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=e7a0f0e1-ecfd-4fc8-bca4-b9997c912a91
How a bill becomes a law
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/politics/14177032.htm
"I'm just a bill.
Yes, I'm only a bill.
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Well, it's a long, long journey
To the capital city.
It's a long, long wait
While I'm sitting in committee,"
Wait..... sorry, wrong text. Can't imagine how I got that confused with the this story - you'll see they have nothing to do with each other.
"But last month, Washington threw all that old-fashioned civics stuff into a tizzy, when President Bush signed into law a bill that never passed the House. Bill – in this case, a major budget-cutting measure that will affect millions of Americans – became a law because it was “certified” by the leaders of the House and Senate."
Yes I know laws passed in both houses of Congress are then "compiled together" by committee to iron out the differences, but even that didn't happen in this case.
Rosemary's baby
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006140191,00.html
No, I'm serious. I grant anyone reading this permission to slap the stupid out of my child and I if it were to come to this.
"The obnoxious 14-year-old, who became Britain’s youngest drink-driver when she was 12, was hauled before magistrates for being boozed-up at the wheel AGAIN."
.... ok, after that last one I need a break. Get comfortable in your chair, turn the speakers down so you don't disturb your coworkers and leaf thru the book.
Book of numbers
http://www.book-of-numbers.com/
It is heavy on the flash, but one of the more entertaining sites I've seen in a while.
I want to post this link, but I know it will be blocked by some web filters thanks to the title of the site.
Lake Peigneur: The Swirling Vortex of Doom
http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=6
"Meanwhile, up on the surface, the tremendous sucking power of the whirlpool was causing violent destruction. It swallowed another nearby drilling platform whole, as well as a barge loading dock, 70 acres of soil from Jefferson Island, trucks, trees, structures, and a parking lot. The sucking force was so strong that it reversed the flow of a 12-mile-long canal which led out to the Gulf of Mexico, and dragged 11 barges from that canal into the swirling vortex, where they disappeared into the flooded mines below."
Here is the Wikipedia link, the story isn't a good but the basic details are there:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Peigneur
There was a meme going around recently in the LJ world that was spawned from a confession website... oddly enough it was about some rather advanced math. So if you can meme it, I can post it.
Prime Numbers Get Hitched
http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/03/prime_numbers_get_hitched.php
"As a mathematician, I've dedicated my life to trying to find patterns, structure and logic in the apparent chaos that surrounds me. Yet this science of patterns seems to be built from a set of numbers which have no logic to them at all. The primes look more like a set of lottery ticket numbers than a sequence generated by some simple formula or law."
And as long as we're in a learning mode:
The Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science
http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i21/21b02001.htm
"1. The discoverer pitches the claim directly to the media."
It's a great list up to number 6... then the author goes and completely blows it. While there is something to the final point, things do change and new ideas and concepts are realized. To discount that discounts how scientific reasoning works.
Geek Trivia
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-10881_11-5897837-2.html
"What real-world test pilot survived the plane crash shown in the opening credits of TV's "The Six Million Dollar Man"?"
Come on, I don't even have to post anything more than that do I? Admit it, you're all curious. The link is to page 2 of the article, but there is some neat bits on the first page if you have the time.
Hiding Nemo
http://utsavp.googlepages.com/home2
I'm just really glad my co-workers know better than to mess with the lab.
"It was at that moment I knew I would appease my need for aquatic ambiance via a desk drawer fishtank. But I didn't want to use my desk. What if that shit leaked?! It dawned on me that if I used my coworkers' desk drawers instead I could enjoy my new office fishtanks and not even have to take care of the fish. I figured they wouldn't get mad because the new fishtanks would promote great Feng-Shui."
Frag games
http://www.sjgames.com/frag/
"Frag is a computer game without a computer. It's a "first-person shooter" on a tabletop. Move your fighter and frag your foes; draw cards for weapons, armor, and gadgets; move through the blood spatters to restore your own health! If you die, you respawn and come back shooting!"
This is just here because I need to remember to pick up a copy, or find someone who has it already... *ahem*... I know one of you does.
Some good news so start:
New NASA Policy Backs Free Discussion by Scientists
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/science/31nasa.html?ex=1301461200&en=96dbaa10c80b5ebc&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
"Two months after NASA's top climate scientist complained that political operatives in the agency's press office were trying to censor his views on global warming, Administrator Michael D. Griffin issued a new communications policy on Thursday that he called a "commitment to openness."
The policy, which details the role of those who release information to the public directly or through the news media, ensures that NASA scientists and engineers are free to discuss their work in public and state their opinions, Dr. Griffin said. When stating a personal opinion, he continued, they should make clear that they are speaking for themselves and not for the agency."
Yeah! It's a big step in the right direction.
Bible as a textbook?
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0327/p02s01-ussc.html
"Georgia would become the first to require its Department of Education to put in place a curriculum to teach the history and literature of the Bible. Schools would use the book itself as the classroom textbook. Specifically the bill would establish electives on both the New and Old Testaments."
Ok, on the surface I think this is a great idea! The problem will be when it's not actually being taught as literature. Just to put it in context, let's look back at a story from last week about religion and classrooms:
http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=e7a0f0e1-ecfd-4fc8-bca4-b9997c912a91
How a bill becomes a law
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/nation/politics/14177032.htm
"I'm just a bill.
Yes, I'm only a bill.
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Well, it's a long, long journey
To the capital city.
It's a long, long wait
While I'm sitting in committee,"
Wait..... sorry, wrong text. Can't imagine how I got that confused with the this story - you'll see they have nothing to do with each other.
"But last month, Washington threw all that old-fashioned civics stuff into a tizzy, when President Bush signed into law a bill that never passed the House. Bill – in this case, a major budget-cutting measure that will affect millions of Americans – became a law because it was “certified” by the leaders of the House and Senate."
Yes I know laws passed in both houses of Congress are then "compiled together" by committee to iron out the differences, but even that didn't happen in this case.
Rosemary's baby
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006140191,00.html
No, I'm serious. I grant anyone reading this permission to slap the stupid out of my child and I if it were to come to this.
"The obnoxious 14-year-old, who became Britain’s youngest drink-driver when she was 12, was hauled before magistrates for being boozed-up at the wheel AGAIN."
.... ok, after that last one I need a break. Get comfortable in your chair, turn the speakers down so you don't disturb your coworkers and leaf thru the book.
Book of numbers
http://www.book-of-numbers.com/
It is heavy on the flash, but one of the more entertaining sites I've seen in a while.
I want to post this link, but I know it will be blocked by some web filters thanks to the title of the site.
Lake Peigneur: The Swirling Vortex of Doom
http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=6
"Meanwhile, up on the surface, the tremendous sucking power of the whirlpool was causing violent destruction. It swallowed another nearby drilling platform whole, as well as a barge loading dock, 70 acres of soil from Jefferson Island, trucks, trees, structures, and a parking lot. The sucking force was so strong that it reversed the flow of a 12-mile-long canal which led out to the Gulf of Mexico, and dragged 11 barges from that canal into the swirling vortex, where they disappeared into the flooded mines below."
Here is the Wikipedia link, the story isn't a good but the basic details are there:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Peigneur
There was a meme going around recently in the LJ world that was spawned from a confession website... oddly enough it was about some rather advanced math. So if you can meme it, I can post it.
Prime Numbers Get Hitched
http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/03/prime_numbers_get_hitched.php
"As a mathematician, I've dedicated my life to trying to find patterns, structure and logic in the apparent chaos that surrounds me. Yet this science of patterns seems to be built from a set of numbers which have no logic to them at all. The primes look more like a set of lottery ticket numbers than a sequence generated by some simple formula or law."
And as long as we're in a learning mode:
The Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science
http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i21/21b02001.htm
"1. The discoverer pitches the claim directly to the media."
It's a great list up to number 6... then the author goes and completely blows it. While there is something to the final point, things do change and new ideas and concepts are realized. To discount that discounts how scientific reasoning works.
Geek Trivia
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-10881_11-5897837-2.html
"What real-world test pilot survived the plane crash shown in the opening credits of TV's "The Six Million Dollar Man"?"
Come on, I don't even have to post anything more than that do I? Admit it, you're all curious. The link is to page 2 of the article, but there is some neat bits on the first page if you have the time.
Hiding Nemo
http://utsavp.googlepages.com/home2
I'm just really glad my co-workers know better than to mess with the lab.
"It was at that moment I knew I would appease my need for aquatic ambiance via a desk drawer fishtank. But I didn't want to use my desk. What if that shit leaked?! It dawned on me that if I used my coworkers' desk drawers instead I could enjoy my new office fishtanks and not even have to take care of the fish. I figured they wouldn't get mad because the new fishtanks would promote great Feng-Shui."
Frag games
http://www.sjgames.com/frag/
"Frag is a computer game without a computer. It's a "first-person shooter" on a tabletop. Move your fighter and frag your foes; draw cards for weapons, armor, and gadgets; move through the blood spatters to restore your own health! If you die, you respawn and come back shooting!"
This is just here because I need to remember to pick up a copy, or find someone who has it already... *ahem*... I know one of you does.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-03-31 06:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-31 06:52 pm (UTC)I first learned about Riemann's Hypothesis from an episode of Numbers of all places. Interesting stuff.
I am continually surprised...
Date: 2006-04-04 01:16 pm (UTC)I'm thinking there's someone at that paper looking to move up.