July 16, 2007
Kangahippopossumouse
From Seattle comes this strange photo of a cryptozoological entity dubbed "The Kangahippopossumouse".
Considering the scale of the leaves in the fore ground, which look something like Chicory or a Sow Thistle, it's actually a pretty small creature. My best guess is that it's a rat, either diseased or hairless.
Update: After consulting with several rat-loving and expert opinions, the following rat characteristics were identified in the "Kangahippopossumouse" picture:
- The feet and posture definitively peg this creature as a rat.
- The ear position slightly akin to a "Dumbo" rat, however the ears are not as round or as large as a standard "Dumbo", which are know for their highly placid demeanours.
- Coat is that of a "Patchwork Rex", much like a fully hairless "Rex", this coat features hair with very fragile follicles that lead to tendency for the hairs to become brittle and break off almost constantly, leading to a very patchy appearance.
- Tail is either bent to the backside and under the rear of the rat, or it is actually a sample of a rather specialized "Tailless Rat", which have a genetic disorder that leads not only to absent tails, but also to a foreshortened body, as seen in the "Kangahippopossumouse" photo.
All in all, the unanimous conclusion is that this was once somebody's very specialized pet which has either escaped or been let go. The chance of this sort of aberration appearing in the wild rat population is almost zero, due to fascinatingly strong wild rat genetics.
May 2, 2007
The "Dead" Shall Rise!
Very interesting story that suggests that physical death may actually be caused by the very techniques used to save people.
The Great Digg DRM Revolt of '07
The most phenomenal thing happened last night when users, frustrated by Digg.com's decision to remove the 32-digit hex key that allows for the decryption of the DRM (Digital Rights Management) on HD-DVD's, literally overwhelmed the site with their votes of dissension.
If nothing else, this proves two things: 1. The voice of Internet users is a power to be reckoned with and can not be ignored and 2. DRM is doomed to failure.
Here is a mainstream news article on the subject of the revolt, here's the official response from one of the founders of Digg.com and here's a sample of a standard "third party" version of the story.
April 26, 2007
Cool Idea
I found a little story about this service in the local paper, it's designed to help people who are looking for rides around and off the island.
http://manitouriders.blogspot.com/
November 30, 2006
Mystery of the Antikythera Mechanism Solved!
After having set for decades, this strange lump of bronze salvaged by a sponge diver off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera was finally recognized by an archaeologist as some kind of analog computer a number of years ago.
What's the big deal? Bronze clockwork mechanisms are pretty common, after all. Well, this particular "computer" happened to be over 2,000 years old, having come from the wreck of a Roman vessel from around 65 BCE.
What is even more amazing is that this mechanism had over 80 parts, including differential gears which were previously thought to have been invented in the 16th century.
After years of painstaking research, including x-rays and hi-resolution surface scans, the purpose of this device has finally been revealed; it's actually a very accurate device for measuring the movement of astronomical bodies, such as the sun and moon through the phases of the zodiac. As well, the device allows for the precise prediction of eclipses and accounts for the first lunar anomaly, which is an irregularity in the orbit of the moon.
Read the full article here. (This article contains an irregularity of it's own, stating that an astronomer named Hipparcus of Rhodes discovered the first lunar anomaly in the 2nd century BCE and that some scientists believe that he my have been consulted in the design of the device. However, the same article suggests that the device was constructed between 150 and 100 BCE, a good century before Hipparcus would have been around to consult with, strange!)
I have often wondered how close the ancient world was to a full blown industrial revolution, we'll never know for sure, but I think it may have been a lot closer than most people suspect! Imagine where we would be today if digital computer technology had been invented 2000 years ago!
November 17, 2006
I am 100% percent sure that I have no idea what that is...
I just came across this interesting little site called “This Is Broken”, due to a post about a subject that had always cracked me up, which is textiles that are labelled as “100% Unknown Fibres”. (I mean, come on, someone, somewhere must know what the heck these fabrics and yarns are made out of!)
Anyhow, this site is a kind of journal where people post pictures and stories about consumer products, signs, instructions and other things in our society that are just plain “broken”. Well worth checking out for a chuckle or two!
November 11, 2006
Apropos for a Saturday Afternoon
The sixth planet of our solar system, Saturn, lends its name to Saturday, the sixth day of our week.
In Greek mythology the Titan Cronus (Saturn), father of Zeus (Jupiter) , not only was not only responsible for the creation of the Giants and Furies (by castrating his own father with a sickle no less!), but also heralded a golden age for Rome after fleeing his own usurper of a son after a war that pretty much destroyed the universe.
This golden age of Rome was celebrated each year with the Feast of Saturnalia, held around the Winter Solstice.
One has to wonder what has now re-awaked the slumbering titan to cast his gaze upon our universe again?
Check out the story of “Saturn’s Eye”.
April 2008
