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By cvining, 27 March, 2014

I think I can, I think I can

Here's an idea. Use electric trains to pull very heavy loads uphill during periods of low electricity use. Then, when you need it, let gravity pull the mass back downhill generating electricity. Will it scale to the power levels actually needed? I dunno, but it's an interesting (and apparently old) idea.

Read about it in the March 25, 2014 issue of Scientific American.

Commentary
Climate
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By cvining, 26 March, 2014

The Morals of Chess by Ben Franklin

The Morals of Chess
by Benjamin Franklin
originally appeared in The Columbian Magazine in December 1786​

 

See the Wikipedia article for image credits

 

Commentary
Philosophy
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By cvining, 24 July, 2013

The Original Website

The very first website ever was created at CERN in 1989. Here is their official recreation of that original site:

http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html

and, for the record, a CNN article about the website

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/30/tech/web/first-website-cern

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Internet
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By cvining, 22 April, 2013

The Bigfoot Prize

Everyone talks about Bigfoot, but nobody ever does anything about them. Until now.

The Olympia Beer, the brewing company is offering a very generous $1,000,000 for "irrefutable evidence" for the existence of Bigfoot. They've set the bar pretty high. You need DNA and visual proof of a live physical body. Basically hair and a photo.

I'll post again if I hear about an award being made. Here's the full story:

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Science
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By cvining, 21 January, 2013

I Dunno

By Randall Munroe, http://xkcd.com/171/
String Theory

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Humor
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By cvining, 3 January, 2013

Sam Harris's 'Riddle of the Gun'

On his blog, Sam Harris has posted a powerful commentary on guns. His position is not readily pigeon-holed as pro or anti gun, but rather he concedes certain realities and necessities with his customary rationality, logic and clarity. I find myself not always comfortable with his conclusions and positions, but I am nevertheless in essentially complete agreement.

I've chosen one paragraph from his commentary which seems to me right to the point:

Commentary
Politics
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By cvining, 15 November, 2012

Wounded Veterans

This is the actual lead sentence from a USAToday story today:

Train crashes into Texas veterans parade; 4 dead

 
MIDLAND, Texas (AP) — An event organizer says there are four dead and 17 hospitalized after a train crashed into a trailer carrying veterans during a West Texas parade.
 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/15/texas-train-crash/…

 
 
Now, doesn't that sentence imply the "event organizer" arranged for the train crash? The event was intended to honor wounded veterans, but I couldn't help but wonder if that's how we GET wounded veterans in the first place.

Commentary
Humor
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By cvining, 28 June, 2012

On the origin of 'Nature is perverse'

origins diverse
from throughout the universe
there is no better verse
than 'nature is perverse'

Commentary
Philosophy
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By cvining, 7 March, 2012

A Better World for nothing.

Joel Pett, a cartoonist with the Lexington-Herald Leader, has brilliantly captured the silliness of opposition to climate friendly policies with the caption:

"What if it's all a hoax and we create a better world for nothing?"

The cartoon itself is widely reproduced on the internet, but I haven't paid the fees to reproduce it here. Still, you should be able to find it at one of these links:

  • Arlo Hemphill's blog
  • Kash Farooq's blog
  • The Hoyden's blog
  • or Joel Pett's own Facebook page.
  •  
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Climate
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By cvining, 3 March, 2012

Bad Netflix Picks

OK, I do mostly like Netflix. Even though they often won't stream the film I'd really like to watch, usually I can find something I haven't seen. But their "Suggestions For You" are, often as not, just silly.

Here are two examples Netflix thought I'd like, and why:

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Reviews
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