Holy cow.
Downhill more than 700 ft.
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Category Archives: Fun
Some good questions
I have, of all the inglorious things, a malignant hemorrhoid. What color bracelet does one wear for that? And where does one wear it? And what slogan is apropos? Perhaps that slogan can be sewn in needlepoint around the ruffle on a cover for my embarrassing little doughnut buttocks pillow.
You never know when you many need to know the answers to those questions. Sadly, O’Rourke does not provide the answers. Instead, he offers up some really bad philosophy.
Three Strange Maps
Strange Maps is a good blog to keep an eye on. Most of the maps on that blog are so ridiculous they are of interest only those people who have a fetish for maps (though as a web site that has its own map maybe we should not cast stones). But amongst the dross there are quite a few gems.
For example, this map charting how people ask for a “soda” is pretty fascinating.
Also worth checking out is this map comparing the population of China’s various provinces to the population of various nations.
And last but not least is this map of genetic variation in Europe.
Some people are getting hysterical over the lack of gas in Nashville
Man Flies Over The English Channel With A Jet Pack
Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy flew from England to France Friday propelled by a jetpack strapped to his back — the first person to cross the English Channel in such a way.
The sad part of this story is that the man cheated during the takeoff and landing. So there is still a ways to go before jetpack’s become the things that all little boys dream of.
Music For Our Time
I never realized that it took so much work to produce evil sounding music. That guy must be in good shape. (h/t Sippican Cottage)
Could you get into 11th grade in a third world school?
This of course is not true. American students’ academic achievement has been declining vis-à-vis other developed countries for more than 20 years. What is now surprising and worrisome is US students are even lagging the developing world.
If our athletic performance at the Olympics were as poor as our global academic performance it would be a national crisis and every level of government would be attempting to respond. That we blithely ignore the declining intellectual standards of American students seems almost insane. The cognitive skills of our children will determine both America’s economic future and the economic future of each child.
But perhaps I overstate the high standards of the developing world, particularly India and China. So, to test that assumption, my company Indian Math Online has created the “Third World Challenge” – this is a shortened and greatly simplified version of the multi-day proficiency test that every 10th grader in India must pass to go on to the 11th grade.
If you click on the link, you can see if you measure up.
Poem of the Week: 9/21/08-9/27/08
Macro Man’s remake of an A.E. Houseman’s To An Athlete Dying Young is this week’s poem of the week.
Poem of the Week: 9/14/08-9/20/08
Below is an advertisement for AIG that ran some time ago. That same insurance company is now asking the Fed’s for a bridge loan and is fighting for its life. If you don’t recognize the words right off the bat look up T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”.
We are sorry that Eilot got dragged into this and we would like to point out that it was not our fault. But the irony was so rich we could not resist posting it.
A Coast Guard Rescue
The one thing I don’t understand is why they are doing it from such a height. I am sure they have their reasons. Maybe it is easier to control the copter the further you are from the ground?