Warning Signs From the Future
I like "Existential Threat," which strikes me as almost as funny as my favorite real existential road sign, which I spotted in an arroyo on I-25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe: "Gusty Winds may exist."
Warning: You Will Waste Hours
A cool "map" for music lovers. My shopping list is longer already.
Was America Discovered By China in 1418?
That's what a newly discovered 1763 copy of an earlier map is said to "prove." Has anybody else out there read Kim Stanley Robinson's alternative history The Years of Rice and Salt? It's a good 'un.
Was Krazy Kat Really Shrodinger's Cat?
Chet Raymo argues that George Herriman's love struck cat and brick-tossing mouse "turned the deterministic world of Newtonian physics upside down."
Was Steely Dan Really Named After a Dildo?
A website devoted to deciphering the lyrics (and name) of Steely Dan. Not quite as comprehensive as The">http://arts.ucsc.edu/Gdead/AGDL/">The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics, but these collaborative efforts improve with time—and participation.
Wasn't This How Stargate Began?
German scholars think they have deciphered the 3600 year-old sky disc of Nebra. I'll believe almost anything, so long as James Spader doesn't smack himself in the forehead and say, "I just remembered—I do speak ancient Egyptian!"
Watch Malaria At Work
I'm fascinated by how tiny little things affect world history—take the malaria parasite for instance. Forget the Black Death or the Influenza outbreak of 1917, Malaria has had a bigger impact on humanity than any other rampaging pathogen—yet, we still don't completely understand how it works.
Watching All Six Star Wars Movies at the Same Time
Obviously, I am not the Geek King after all.
Watching the Electrons Flow
Japanese physicists have built a bi-directional single-electron ammeter that can detect individual electrons flowing either forwards or backwards. Practical applications might include nanoelectronics, calibration devices, quantum computation, and biology. That banging noise you hear is John Atkinson in Sioux Falls pounding his head against the desk, muttering "Want one!"
We Are Not Amused
Queen Bagheera reigns on my parade.