Enigmas in the News...

Enigma machines, that is: WWII-era German cryptographic machines.  I had no idea that so many had survived the war...

Hope and Change, Australian Style...

The state of Queensland, Australia is afflicted with a liberal-dominated government comparable to California's, with predictable consequences.  Make that was afflicted – in yesterday's election, the liberal majority was absolutely demolished.  The results were the largest political swing in Australia's history, and it was away from the liberals.

Let us hope that's infectious...

Comeback of the Week...

Rick Santorum had a bit of a dustup with New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleny the other day.  It went like this:

Zeleny: "You said Mitt Romney was the worst Republican in the country. Is that true?"

Santorum (visibly angry): "What speech did you listen to? Stop lying! I said he was the worst Republican to run on the issue of Obamacare. And that’s what I was talking about! Would you guys quit distorting what I’m saying? Quit distorting my words! If I see it, it’s bullshit! Come on, man! What are you doing?"

Zeleny: "You sound upset about something."

Santorum: "I'm upset when the media distorts what I say, yeah, I am, I do get upset. What are you guys in the business of doing, reporting the truth or are you here to try to spin and make news? Stop it! You don’t care about the truth, do you? Asking that question shows me you don’t care at all about the truth."

That's the kind of moment the press loves to pounce on, and that the candidates' handlers wish they could just outlaw.  You can almost see those handler cringing in the background as Santorum lets loose with that one.  How can their candidate take back the high ground?

Here's how.  Later, when asked about his outburst, Santorum said this:

"If you haven't cursed out a New York Times reporter during the presidential campaign, you aren't a real Republican."

Heh! Now that's one hell of a response!  Nice comeback, Rick...

Rachel is Back!

Rachel Lucas, one of my favorite bloggers, is back on the air after a months-long hiatus.  Her rude and irreverant humor is back on display, as in this post discussing the Tex-Mex Ramen noodles she found in an Italian grocery store.

When I visit her blog and see that she's got a new post, I'm careful to put down my cup of tea and swallow before I start reading.  Otherwise, there's a good chance I'm going to spew tea all over my computer!

Rachel, please don't disappear again...

Who's on Government Assistance?

The New York Times has a fascinating map of the U.S. (view of a small section at right), showing county-by-county the percentage of people taking government assistance (of any kind).  There were lots of surprises on here for me...

The Weird Blue “Hollows” on Mercury...

The robotic MESSENGER mission to the planet Mercury has vastly extended our knowledge of that little orb.  One of the oddest things MESSENGER has found are bluish “hollows” dotting the surface, a feature not found so far on any other planet.  The photograph at right (click to enlarge) is on APOD.  You can learn more about the hollows here.

Once again, NASA's little robots are quietly pouring fascinating science data back to Earth – and at a bargain price compared with the relatively useless ISS...

Emmy Noether...

I'd never heard of Emmy Noether before I read this article, and I've read a lot of science history...

and One Drug to Shrink Them All...

I just had to sneak a LOTR reference in there!  But seriously, this looks very promising...

Headline of the Month...

From ScienceDaily:

Slime Mold Mimics Canadian Highway Network

The article involves oatmeal, maps, slime mold, and Canadians. What could go wrong?

Dave Carroll: 1, United Airlines: 0...

Via my lovely bride:

A musician named Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines. United apparently damaged his treasured Taylor guitar (worth $3,500) during a flight. Dave spent over 9 months trying to get United to pay for damages caused by baggage handlers to his custom Taylor guitar. During his final exchange with the United Customer Relations Manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for YouTube exposing their lack of cooperation. The Manager responded: "Good luck with that one, pal."

So he posted a retaliatory video on YouTube. The video has since received over 11 million hits. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally his response was: "Good luck with that one, pal."

Taylor Guitars sent the musician 2 new custom guitars in appreciation for the product recognition from the video that has led to a sharp increase in orders.

The Internet empowers ordinary people in ways that we're all still learning to recognize. As United found out to their chagrin, YouTube gives everybody a potential bully pulpit.

I'll be there have been a few revisions in the way they handle damaged or lost baggage claims!

Here's the (rather delicious) video: