That's Pretty Lame

Huffy Bike Manufacturer Sees Unintended Acceleration Reports

2010-03-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

TUNGNCHIEK, WI - Bike manufacturer Huffy has recently been laden with reports that several of their most popular bicycle models have been exhibiting unintended and unforeseen acceleration, endangering riders. According to reports, several cyclists have been caught unaware by the problem, in some cases sustaining crippling injury. "I was just riding to work taking my usual route when the bike sped up and went straight into the intersection" reported Mrs. Larson, one victim of the phenomenon from their hospital bed, "it was like I couldn't even control [it]."

One rider, operating one of Huffy's mountain-sport model bicycles reports: "I was coming down the east side of Mt. Goshen on the Little Lion Trail and, I don't know, the bike just shot off the side of the trail, like I couldn't keep it on, you know? I've been down [the trail] like, two times before and never had the problem. I hit the brakes but the bike just kept going."

Intersection where Mrs. Larson's bicycle accelerated out of control, nearly killing it's rider.

The cause of the unexplained accelerations is currently being investigated by both Huffy laboratory accelerologists as well as by outside consumer watchdog groups. One spokesperson from S.A.V.-T., a consumer rights outfit based in Portland, OR said over a phone interview: "We suspect one likely cause of the unintended acceleration people are seeing might be from a new anti-rust coating that Huffy has been applying to the bikes' drive systems" and after further questioning, "the notably massive retro-reflectors on the pedals are also being considered as a source of the problem."

Huffy officials have not yet been available for comment, and it is not yet known whether the acceleration phenomena will affect bike sales. The reports come as Toyota, as well as every other auto manufacturer with the exception of Gua-zhi, a small scale western Mongolian manufacturer, suffer similar reports of dangerous, unforeseen acceleration.

Infographic: Sales of Various Recording Media

2009-11-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

The horizontal axis represents time.

Click for higher resolution image.
NYT [via DRB]

Health Care Reform - What Do the People Say?

2009-11-12T11:44:00.001-08:00

They have no idea what they say, but those who aren't confused enough to have "no opinion" are pretty sure they should blame Obama for something.

From The Economist:

Mysteries of Star Wars -- Revealed!

2009-11-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

You remember this line from Star Wars IV?

"You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?…It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs."

-Han Solo

If you're like me you have always wondered what the hell Solo was talking about, since a parsec is a unit of distance. Was he perhaps talking about Lorentz contraction that in turn represented his speed? Ugh.

Well. Here's the answer. I have a sneaking suspicion that that explanation came after the fact...and that in the original screenplay the meaning of "parsec" was misunderstood.

Regretsy - Etsy Submissions from Hell

2009-10-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Regretsy - Rock Solid, Heart Touching*.

These Etsy submissions are X-rated, insane, or just plan BAD. In all cases, however, they are funny as hell.

Link

* the ASUS slogan transcends both brand and good taste!

US Electrical Grid Upgrades and Renewable Energy

2009-10-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Some people ask me if solar is ever going to "catch on" and what needs to be the first step to making solar a large contributor to our power requirements in the USA. I always tell them that the first step is already being taken. And that is to upgrade the power grid.

A wonderful interactive map provided my NPR online nicely illustrates how and why upgrading the grid is the crucial first step toward a greener (or at least substantially less underwater) world.

Darker colors show where sun "shines the most" and therefore where the most solar power will be generated in the future. An updated electrical grid (orange lines) is needed to port this generated power around the nation to wherever it is needed. The interactive map also discusses wind power generation, and other upgrades to the US power network.

Link (via BB)

Paintings of Blood

2009-10-01T13:06:00.001-07:00

"Bride Stripped Bare" by Robert Sheer - Click the above image or the link below to see his whole collection of art produced with human blood.

Link

Republicans, Obamacare, and Federal Power

2009-09-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ok. Let's stop and think for a moment. Why do many Americans:

1.) Oppose heath care changes on grounds that it would produce a "communist state" and an overly powerful government, yet

2.) Support security measures enacted by the Bush administration (the Patriot Act) that allows for unwarranted wiretaps

Are you people concerned about personal freedom and worried that the federal government shouldn't have too much power? ME TOO. Think about things this way. Pretend for a moment that Democrats and Republicans don't exist. Wipe those terms from your mind. Now, who do you think you should support:

1.) A regime that cites unpredictable violent behavior by a small militia of middle easterners to a) create a $50 billion new branch of government whose task it is to maintain "security" in the USA, b) create a domestic spy-net with the cooperation of phone and media companies which is given the power to spy on any American they deem "suspect"...for any reason. For example, because they recently purchased a gun. c) Creates a new, special ID that Americans will be required to carry in order to travel, conduct business, etc. -- essentially taking power away from individual States who currently control this security through the issue of drivers' licenses.

or

2.) A regime that wishes to provide health care for all Americans by setting up a special federal fund that will be used to insure the health coverage of even the poorest Americans.

Is there even an argument here? This is not a case of Republicans vs. Democrats, it's a case of common sense. Forget about all the rhetoric being thrown around and take a calm look at the facts. What invades your liberty more -- free health care, or a domestic government spy program. I mean...come on.

Obama on...Kayne West?

2009-09-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

I really really hope Obama isn't forced into retracting this statement.

But really...? What can you expect from a gay fish?

Link

Parents to Perpetuate Non-Thinking

2009-09-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

This from the NYT,

Texas parents wish to have their children excused from "hearing" a speech by Mr. Obama which he will give on Tuesday. In order to protect the youngsters from the potentially "socialist ideas" that the president could unleash during his speech - which will ostensibly focus on hard work and staying in school.

Way to go, mom and dad. Teach your children to obey and no to learn to think for themselves. You are not only doing your children a disservice by robbing them of reason, but you also manage to do the the nation a disservice by securing the existence of a new generation of sensationalist idiots.

Let your children hear the president, then over dinner that evening ask them to explain what they heard - then give them *reasons* to adopt your point of view. Otherwise, you are teaching them absolutely nothing apart from being irrationally biased.

Link

United States' Justice?

2009-07-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

The military hearings for some of the Guananamo detainee suspects is now in full swing. Or, perhaps I should say: in full nosedive. Detainees are refused any but military lawyers (grats, JAG fans). While one of these lawyers claimed that her client suffered from a "dilusional distorder" (is that her defense?) another began discussing how extreme sleep deprivation affected her client's health...and, lo! How the power of the holy spirit was with the court at this point, for the lawyer's microphone was struck by the omnipresent fist of god and went dead at this exact moment.

A few minutes later the lawyer agreed to a gag order regarding the discussion of "classified information" during the hearings.

I have no love for anyone who would wish to harm my countrymen (if, in fact, any of the detainees are guilty) - but some of them are so incensed with the court they are refusing to come out of their cells to attend hearings. --and I sense that their reasons for doing so go beyond a casual contempt for western culture.

What a tangled web we weave.

Link

Happy Independance Day, Bastards!

2009-07-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

This BBC news piece "celebrating" the 233rd anniversary of the USA reads a bit like an entry-level job application. The BBC's chief USA correspondent Matt Frei wrote the piece. I am not sure if he meant to sound a bit non plussed or not - or he is perhaps simply exercising a wry sense of humor.

Among the US's chief innovations? Chewing gum, dancing on the wings of airplanes, and American cheese - "an industrially processed foodstuff chiefly valued for its ability to melt evenly on to a hamburger".

Link

World's Largest Solar Project on the Drawing Board

2009-06-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Saharan desert in North Africa. The topmost solid red square shows the area of land needed to meet the world's energy needs as of 2005.

The faithful reader of this blog, O., sends in this fantastic link.

Germany has always been at the forefront of green technology development. Currently, a list of large german companies like Siemens and Deutsche Bank are planning a huge 100GW solar development project in the Saharan desert. If completed, the array would be able to supply about 1/4 of the world's power needs primarily by using solar concentrators like the well known PS10 installation in Seville, Spain.

At this stage many aspects of the project seem problematic -- the article cites such issues as difficult relations with foreign governments and sandstorms. Despite the severity of issues like these, the initiative demonstrated by german investors to get in on the "green revolution" does seem to make it clear that Germany is quite serious about having a 100% green energy economy by the year 2050.

Link

Dorm Fire Detective Work

2009-06-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

Watch the video through once before you read the rest of this post.

Now play the video again and pay attention to the bottom-most news ticker. This vid is courtesy of the Onion News Network.

Pilot Dies Mid-Flight. Lack of Sufficient Carry-on Liquids to Blame?

2009-06-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

Here's an idea. I'm just gonna' toss it out there. Instead of the airlines spending so much time and effort to make sure that you don't have over a certain critical volume of toothpaste during the flight, how about they work a little harder on the 'work to maintain a pool of pilots that will not drop dead mid-flight' front?

I ain't sayin' nuthin' bad. I'm just sayin'.

You jus' take what I'm sayin' and put 'er in yer pocket. Take 'er out and think about 'er every now and again...turn 'er around. Then you can put 'er right back in that pocket.

Jus' sayin'.

Palin: Just Go Away

2009-06-16T17:22:00.001-07:00

As if we needed any further reason to think Palin is a complete fool - this just in:

David Letterman makes a joke about a baseball player "knocking up" (get it? knocking?) one of Palin's daughters. The joke isn't that funny, but just about everyone can appreciate the irony of the Palinspawn stuffing extra-marital buns in the oven given the GOP's spirited views on the subject. Bringing up this fact never gets old, actually...and is really funny.

But the redoubtable governor of Alaska has trouble enjoying this irony. And by summoning all the decorum of, well... something completely decorum-less, Palin submitted a complaint to Letterman about the comment. That's right. The woman who wants to be the first female (vice?)president of the most powerful country on earth thinks her time is well spent sending complaints to comedians over their material -- and furthermore has demonstrated that she can't take public ridicule.

It's amazing to me that even a governor would be able to hold office without having thicker skin than this...or, if on the other hand this is some kind political scheming (a bid to keep Palin in the headlines?) then exactly how it is helping Palin's ascent to the most ridiculous presidency in history is beyond me. But what do I know? I've yet to have a chair pulled out for me at the white house.

Magic Chinese Tiles

2009-06-14T16:33:00.001-07:00

A pretty cool little magic trick video.

I'm pretty sure the player has some embed code around somewhere...but I can't seem to find it. =/

So, clicky the linky.

Interesting Reviews of Easily Overlooked 1980's Sci-Fi Novels

2009-06-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

These interesting sounding 1980's SF book reviews from Dark Roasted Blend.

"Fall in love again with the no-holds-barred, edge-of-your-seat science fiction, featuring inexhaustible flow of ideas, rich language, and skillfully-plotted adventure. Even though the following two novels were published back in the 1980s, there are highly recommended for those who can not stand run-of-the-mill bland SF fare and wants to feel excitement about reading SF again. "

Sounds good to me! Don't miss this SF/Fantasy guide, also from Dark Roasted Blend...those clever beavers!

Let's Go Out for Dinner and See a Movie

2009-05-29T17:40:00.001-07:00

This movie:

No. I'm not joking: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1350498/

That writers' strike isn't still going on....is it?

via

Obama Administration Pushing Disabled, Taking Lunch Money

2009-05-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

The administration is lending an ear to publisher interest groups who wish to restrict the writes of digital media copyright holders (i.e. - you). Specifically, a U.S. negotiating team is fighting against consumer representatives to restrict the lawful use of digital media that is designed just for handicapped people - the blind, those with restricted limb function, and so on.

These kind of materials are relatively rare, and expensive to make. The treaty that the Obama administration officials are fighting against would allow cross-border trade of these items with the rationale that such flexibility would greatly increase their availability to disabled people. Publishers don't want this treaty to pass because they are extremely cautious about shifting the power and influence "center of mass" toward consumers and away from themselves.

Read here: Link

Gene Wolfe: Shadow and Claw

2009-05-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

[src]

Upon a little reflection I see that most fantasy novels aren't truly fantasy, if that word means mystery, the unknown, and the unexplainable. Oppositely, most fantasy novels are familiar to us, the readers. We pick up any number of well-written fantasy novels and before we turn the first page we are already familiar with the worlds they describe - the scenes, the magic, and the language. We understand, along with most of the characters, more or less how things will work in the less-than-strange new worlds we are exploring.

But what if I told you a truly fantastic story? At first you might be turned off by it, actually. You might not understand some of the words I had used, because our society doesn't have words for the concepts, animals, science, or whatever I was referring to. You might be confused by the story because as the storyteller, I might be subject to the prejudices and superstitions of a world completely different from your own. In few words, you would be looking at a strange world through the colored glass window of a strange intellect - an effect not at all common in popular storytelling, perhaps because it requires virtuoso skill and, possibly, a profane mind to achieve properly. Frank Herbert could do it.

Swoboden - Chamber of Secrets

"Shadow and Claw" is the first half of The Book of the New Sun, written by Gene Wolfe, and pulls all this off and more. Set far into the future as inhabitants of "Urth" are watching their ancient sun die, Wolfe plays the storyteller Severian, a member of the understandably marginalized guild of torturers. Severian posseses a perfect memory, and "Shadow and Claw" is his life memoirs. Written in the antiquated, other-worldly and slightly psychotic prose of the torturer (I believe Wolfe wrote the first version of SaC in a language he created himself then translated it painstakingly into English) Wolfe's acheronian universe unfolds before us just as it unfolds before Severian, who has lived a cloistered life in the oddly metallic Matachin Tower, the seat of his guild. The writing makes no efforts to hand-hold the reader as he stumbles about in this future world where an alien ruling class has joined the decendants of humans on the dying face of Urth. Technology is imperceptible from magic, and in fact, the metaphysical and supertitioius is entwined with physically possible in such a way that you should plan to stay confused for a large portion of the book. As you follow Severian on his journey you will be trying to piece together the details of Urth's history: where are the aliens from? why are they here? where does Urth's myths stop and history begin? is Severian a human?

If you want to blast your mind with some serious fantasy run to your nearest bookseller and pick up "Shadow and Claw". Gene Wolfe is a master. If it means anything to you, Neil Gaiman loves him. Here's a snip from Gaiman's blog which is, in turn, a portion of a convention program blurb that he wrote on Wolfe:

There are two kinds of clever writer. The ones that point out how clever they are, and the ones who see no need to point out how clever they are. Gene Wolfe is of the second kind, and the intelligence is less important than the tale. He is not smart to make you feel stupid. He is smart to make you smart as well.

I just picked up the second half of The Book of the New Sun, because I'm so damned intrigued with the details of Wolfe's universe that I MUST figure out answers to all my questions. Maybe you will get hooked too.

Car Wrecks City Hall...Benny Hillified!

2009-05-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

After seeing the following video of some guy pissed off about receiving a ticket taking his car for a spin through city hall, I knew immediately what the video lacked.

The city hallers slowly mill about off camera until....VROOM. The car goes whizzing by, disturbing nearby filing cabinets and overturning stools. Cops chase the car on foot - with impeccable comic timing.

What this video needed was the Benny Hill theme.

Lucky for me, someone had already done it using the Benny Hillifier! Enjoy:

City Hall Car - Benny Hillified

(Apparently, folks were hurt during this little stunt. As amusing as this vid is, condolences to those who are probably much less ready to laugh about it)

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Intro

2009-05-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

So that what once was shall not be lost - I present to you the (very old) cinematic intro to the Warhammer 40k real-time strategy game "Dawn of War". Probably the best game intro I have ever seen. But maybe I am biased...

Burn the heretic. Kill the mutant. Purge the unclean.

SunPower Releases Custom iPhone App

2009-05-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

SunPower (of recently-moved-into-Hillsboro, OR fame) has released a custom application for the iPhone and related Apple devices that allow users to monitor their home electrical grid while on the go. SunPower customers can download the (free) application from iTunes, then from any wireless access point call data on the current power output of their home solar cell array, or the current conversion efficiency, etc. In addition, users will be able to see the history of these types of data in graph form.

This is the first application of it's type that the solar industry has seen.

Do I need this? No. But it's a cool idea - and a great way to push the ideas of renewable energy more fully into the mainstream. Good going, SunPower.

via SolarIndustryMag

also see: Forbes

Wolfram Alpha is Live

2009-05-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

Wolfram Alpha is Live.

Some have attempted to call it a "Google killer", but it's not that. Instead, it's an extremely clever search engine that gives you droves of technical/highly specific data in meaningful formats.

The Alpha homepage is very good at demonstrating the strengths of the search engine (i.e. want a ratio of the population of Brussels to the population of Paris? no problem) so just GO THERE and check it out.