With two numbers and a single arithmetic operation...

With two numbers and a single arithmetic operation ... generate the Fibonacci sequence up to 24 digit results.  How could you possibly do this?  Here's how: divide 1 by 999,999,999,999,999,999,999,998,999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999!

Who thinks of these things?!?!

Is this really funny?

Is this really funny?  A “joke” sent along by my brother Scott:

Hillary Clinton goes to a gifted-student primary school in New York to talk about the world. After her talk she offers question time. One little boy puts up his hand.  Hillary asks him what his name is.
"Kenneth," he answers.

"And what is your question, Kenneth?"

"I have three questions: First - whatever happened in Benghazi? Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office? And, Third - “whatever happened to the missing 6 billion dollars while you were Secretary of State?"

Just then the bell rings for recess. Hillary Clinton informs the kiddies they will continue after recess.

When they resume Hillary says, "Okay where were we? Oh, that's right, question time. Who has a question?"

A different boy puts his hand up; Hillary points to him and asks him what his name is.

"Johnny," he answers.

"And what is your question, Johnny?"

"I have five questions: First - whatever happened in Benghazi? Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office? Third- whatever happened to the missing 6 billion dollars while you were Secretary of State? Fourth - why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early? And, Fifth - where's Kenneth?"

This reminds me, strongly, of the dark Russian humor of the Soviet era.  My first reaction was ... that it wouldn't surprise me at all to find that this was a true story.  My second reaction was ... the story actually is implausible – but only because Hillary doesn't answer unscripted questions.  My last reaction was ... this isn't funny, though I know it's supposed to be a joke.

Sad about my country, I am...

Ricochet's Daily Shot...

Ricochet's Daily Shot...  I've blogged about Ricochet on several occasions.  It's one of my favorite sites, and it's part of my morning reading routine.  I love their commenting Code of Conduct, which keeps the comment threads civil.  The writers and commenters are top drawer.  One of the features of that web site is a daily email called the Daily Shot, and it's something I look forward to reading every morning.  It's a free subscription even if you don't join Ricochet; just go to their home page, look on the upper right, and sign up.  Highly recommended!  I'd pay for Ricochet membership just to get that email :)

Here's a sample from this morning's Daily Shot:

Want to Understand Greece? Take This and Extrapolate it Across a Whole Economy

Greece is in quite a pickle. It has defaulted on its debt payments to the IMF, it’s cut off (for the time being) from a European bailout, and its prime minister ... is a piece of work. Alexis Tsipras seems to be in over his head.

First, he left bailout negotiations, insisting on a public referendum on the conditions Greece’s creditors were demanding. Then he let his nation go into default on its debt payments. Then, he suddenly realized how bad an idea that was, so he wrote a letter late Tuesday to other European leaders and the IMF, accepting the terms of their bailout. Then he started telling his voters to reject the measure.

On Wednesday, finance ministers from Eurozone countries held a conference call to collectively facepalm ... and then to talk about Tsipras. They decided that, rather than jump in and help, they’re going to wait for the outcome of Sunday’s referendum. You know, rather than rely on the whims of the prime minister/hormonal teenager. Many of Greece’s creditors also have serious doubts that, even if bailed out, Tsipras’s left-wing government would make the necessary reforms.

So now it’s in the lap of the gods and the hands of Greek voters. (You know, the folks who elected Tsipras to begin with). Well, at least until Tsipras changes his mind six more times tomorrow.

Friends, we should applaud the man. It takes an extra level of ineptness of make even Barack Obama look like a decisive leader.

Love that last paragraph :)

Morning in Paradise...

Morning in Paradise...  Two of the dogs (Miki and Race) and I took a brisk morning walk just after 5 am this morning.  Mo'i can only walk about a half mile before he starts getting tired, but without him we did just over a mile (each way) this morning.

It was a beautiful morning, cool and crisp.  A full moon hung over the Wellsville Mountains to our west, with wispy little clouds occasionally scudding across its orb.  When we set out, the first hints of dawn showed over the Wasatch Mountains to our east.  By the time we came back, we had a gorgeous sunrise behind us, which I kept stopping to spin about and look at.  We passed barley fields that in the space of a single day had their crowns turn from green to brown.  In another day or two, the entire plants will be brown, and it will be time to harvest it.

We also passed a very active striped skunk in a recently mowed alfalfa field just south of the road we were walking on.  Though the skunk got to within about 20' of us, the two dogs never saw it.  It was downwind, so they couldn't smell it either.  That skunk was moving faster than I've ever seen a skunk move before, foraging for bugs and whatever else that skunks eat.  It was headed straight for us, and showed no signs of hesitating – so I hurried the mutts along to get out of its way.  Sure enough, just 30 seconds or so after we zoomed by it, it crossed the road behind us. 

Photos taken along the way: