jonathan butz

Make a Hand Turkey.

Two more issues essentially ignored by both candidates (because they’re too complicated for voters?), our massive trade and budget deficits, have pushed the dollar to a new low against seemingly more reliable currencies.

For the foreseeable future, travel and adventure will cost 50% more than just four years ago.

“It ain’t through the eyes that you feel beauty. It’s how the heart hungers for something that makes it beautiful.” -Alfie, 1966

Elevation indicates population density; note the heavy correlation between bumpage and blueness. Oh…and I keep hearing about ‘red states’ and ‘blue states’. There’s a whole lotta purple out there…

So, someone built a Microbus with a sub 15s 1/4 mile. Well…maybe it does that. I haven’t seen many cubes that will go 175. It does have a 2.7l Porsche engine with a large turbo borrowed from something else and a matched five-speed.

An astronomer, a physicist and a mathematician (it is said) were holidaying in Scotland. Glancing from a train window, they observed a black sheep in the middle of a field.

“How interesting,” observed the astronomer, “all scottish sheep are black!”

To which the physicist responded, “No, no! Some Scottish sheep are black!”

The mathematician gazed heavenward in supplication, and then intoned, “In Scotland there exists at least one field, containing at least one sheep, at least one side of which is black.”

Upon which the others chorused “Shut up, you f-ing pedant!” and hurled him out the train window.

source: the ether

Apparently, Pioneer’s next generation disc technology can use discs derived from corn. This inspired a slew of nerdy puns on Slashdot.

Universe Today is running an article on the upcoming close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter tomorrow morning.

More interesting is a rather famous close conjunction, which occurred in 3 BC: “This historic conjunction occurred on August 12th at 03:00 UTC and was widely visible from the Middle East. That year Venus and Jupiter were only 10 arc-minutes or 0.16 degrees apart in the constellation of Leo the Lion. With such a narrow separation, light reflected from the two would seem to merge into one as seen with the unaided eye.”

We currently celebrate Christmas on December 25 because it was the birth of the infant god Mithra, said to be born of rock on that day, regarded by many Romans as the holiest day of the year.
This holiday came during Saturnalia, the Roman harvest, solstice and solar celebration which lasted an entire month.

In America, it’s spelled and pronounced “Nukular” — for at least four more years.
-Slashdot tagline

Using insulating and conducting ink, Epson has technology that will print 1mm thick 20 layer circuit boards. (from Engadget.com)