Battlestar Galactica
In the picture below, it’s called Battlestar Galactica:
The final supper. In the picture is a goblet by itself at the table. Is
there some significant clue by this missing representation of a figure
or the cornerstone to the answer? It is such a simple goblet or cup,
yet by itself, being pondered heavily by Lee Adama.If you click on the number representing the goblet, they point out that
Moore insinuates the missing Cylon is not at the table. Well, there go
a a few theories.
(to see the whole picture, you have to scroll to the right by using the gray scroll bar at the bottom of the picture animation)
https://robdurdle.com/images/bsg_supper3.swf
Who is the final five?
Don’t
forget you have to scroll the above picture animation (by using the
dark horizontal lift) to see the whole Battlestar Galactica Last Supper:
(Click on the picture to enlarge it.)
If you did check the hints, and you know that the final five is NOT on the picture. Well that’s what Ron Moore asserted.
So who’s missing?
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The Nike of Nonconformity
Emily the Strange has been
the Hello Kitty for teenage girls who prefer black to pink for some 17
years now (if she were a real teenager she’d have grown out of her
merchandise). Unfortunately for her creator, someone noticed that
nonconformist gloomy teens are nothing new…
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Sharpen Your Chess Game
Whether you’d like to increase your mental health
or just relax after a stressful holiday visit, there aren’t many games
more classic than chess. Over at tips and tricks blog MakeUseOf, they
have rounded up a variety of ways you can both play and sharpen your
chess game. The screenshot above is from FlashChessIII,
a beautifully rendered flash-based and free for download chess game. If
you’re concerned that all the playing in the world won’t make you any
better, they have a variety of resources listed for helping you not
just play but increase your grasp of the game. My favorite was Chess Problems,
a site which generates “puzzles” based on chess board setups ranging
from simple to extremely complicated. After some practice at Chess
Problems you won’t find yourself often staring down a chess board
without a clue what your next move will be. If you’re absolutely brand
new to the game, make sure to check out a beginner’s guide to getting good at chess.
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That’ll be HOW much?!
Every single ticket issued in New York City from July 2007 to June 2008 in interactive map form.
Most ticketed street? 14th Street between 7th and 8th avenue.
Related article.
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Metal Council Convenes To Discuss ‘Metal Hand Sign’ Abuse
In an emergency session
Tuesday, members of the Supreme Metal Council strongly condemned the
increasing use of the metal hand sign in lay society, claiming that its
meaning has become perverted by overuse.
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Ancient Stash found in China
The Western press is heralding the discovery of the “world’s oldest marijuana stash” (789 grams) in the tomb of a 2,700-year-old blond-haired, blue-eyed mummy in the Xinjiang region of China. The mummy is believed to be a Nordic-featured Gushi shaman from the Tarim Basin. Scientists conjecture that the cannabis was being saved for use in the afterlife. In actuality, according to the Journal of Experimental Botany, the stash is the oldest pot to be tested for its properties. In 2006, the Chinese press
reported that Chinese scientists had unearthed an older marijuana
“baggy” in a 2,800-year-old Caucasian shaman’s Xinjiang tomb.
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Deconstructing Dinner
Produced and recorded in the studios of Kootenay Co-op Radio in Nelson, British Columbia, Deconstructing Dinner has been designed to dispense and discuss current food issues.
This weekly radio show hosted by Jon Steinman features a wide range of topics revolving around food security.
Some highlights include:
Packaged Foods Exposed, which shines the spotlight on the worlds largest food manufacturers including PepsiCo, Nestle and Unilever.
Agri-Business Exposed, a two part exposé on Cargill
Biotechnology Myths?,
recordings of speakers at the 2007 CropLife Canada Conference and
responses to the message’s coming out of corporate agri-business in
canada.
The Local Grain Revolution, an ongoing series documenting the adventure of starting up Canada’s first grain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
Farming in the City, a series on urban agriculture including backyard chickens.
The show has also dedicated episodes to broadcasting the work of others
The GMO Trilogy produced by Jeffrey Smith
Part 1 – You’re Eating What?
Part 2 – Unnatural Selection
Part 3 – Hidden Dangers in Kids Meals: Genetically Modifed Foods
This show runs on donations and is distributed for free to college and community radio stations and is also available online as a podcast.
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Taco, Taco, and his other brother, Shit Himself
Stolen shamelessly from PaulFirlotte.com
This post dedicated to AllJenn.com, thanks for the tacos!
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Oh you pretty little things
Smoke if you got ’em. Today is the Great American Smokeout, a time to reflect on how great people look when smoking, and the terrible things the additives do to you.
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Spice up your inbox with colors and themes
Gmail fans have been building unofficial extensions to spice up their
inboxes for a while, but up til now themes haven’t been an integral
part of Gmail. We wanted to go beyond simple color customization, so
out of the 30 odd themes we’re launching today, there’s a shiny theme
with chrome styling, another one that turns your inbox into a retro
notepad, nature themes that change scenery over time, weather driven
themes that can rain on your mailbox, and fun characters to keep you in
good company. There’s even an old school ascii theme (Terminal) which
was the result of a bet between two engineers — it’s not exactly
practical, but it’s great for testing out your geek cred. We’ve also
done a minor facelift to Gmail’s default look to make it crisper and
cleaner — you might notice a few colors and pixels shifted around here
and there.
To customize your inbox, go to the Themes tab under Settings.
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The Genesis of Doctor Who.
“A frail old man lost in space and time. They give him this name
because they don’t know who he is. He seems not to remember where he
has come from; he is suspicious and capable of sudden malignance; he
seems to have some undefined energy; he is searching for something as
well as fleeing from something. He has a ‘machine’ which enables them
to travel together through time, through space, and through matter.”
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Grim Fandango, I knew you had hard puzzles.
Grim Fandango,
which was released in 1998, is considered by many to be one of the best
Lucas Arts adventure games ever made. It tells the story of Manny
Calavera, a travel agent working in the land of the dead. The game
combines Aztec and film noir imagery to create a game that is wholly
unique and still has a rabid fan base. Tim Schafer, the primary writer for the original (and a mastermind behind recently critically appreciated games such as Psychonauts through his company Double Fine Productions has released the full 72 page design document that was written in 1996. [direct pdf link]. This is great reading for those who get nostalgic just thinking about the game.
Here’s the opening scene of the game to help you develop an appreciation, if you haven’t done so already: youtube link
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David Tennant Calls it Quits On Dr Who :(
The Doctor is set to regenerate once again as David Tennant calls time on Doctor Who. “When Doctor Who returns in 2010 it won’t be with me” Tennant, widely acknowledged as one of the most popular actors ever to play the Doctor, said. “Now don’t make me cry. The 2009 shows will be my last playing the doctor.”
Speculation now turns to who will play the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor. With the 2008 Christmas special named ‘The Next Doctor‘, it is possible that we may not have long to wait until we get some clues. Check out the trailer for ‘The Next Doctor‘ here.
I’ve got to say, Tennant is probably my 2nd favorite Doctor (next to the Legendary Tom Baker), I’m gonna miss him, its going to be neat to see who they get next… New Writer, New Doctor, heres to hoping it doesn’t mess with the chemistry too much.
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Stargate Worlds: Closed Beta Invite
Congratulations!
You have been selected to join us in closed beta! Your recent
participation in our Friends and Family stress test has earned you a
spot in our next phase of development. We would like you to try
Stargate Worlds again and see all the new content that you did not see
in the Friends and Family phase. Please return to us and be active in
our beta community once more. You will see a lot of changes within
Stargate Worlds over the next months. We hope that you will continue to
be active in our community and further experience and explore Stargate
Worlds.
Closed beta is a significant release of content
into Stargate Worlds. You can now play as a member of the Stargate
Union and travel to many new worlds. This is the start of closed beta,
therefore new content will constantly be updated. We will be providing
you with information about upcoming patches, as well as Event Night
information. Check the beta forums and your e-mail often!
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8 Close Calls in the Nuclear Age
Here’s a formula for fun: Arm two superpowers to the teeth with thousands of nuclear warheads. Make sure they are deeply hostile and suspicious of each other. Now, cut off diplomatic communication, stir in about 50 smaller countries with their own agendas on each side, and–voilà!–you’ve got yourself a cold war!
1. Suez Crisis
On November 5, 1956, during the Suez crisis, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) received warnings that seemed to indicate that a large-scale Soviet attack was under way: a Soviet fleet was moving from the Black Sea to a more aggressive posture in the Aegean, 100 Soviet MiGs were detected flying over Syria, a British bomber had just been shot down in Syria, and unidentified aircraft were in flight over Turkey, causing the Turkish air force to go on high alert. All signs pointed to the ominous, except that, not long after, each of the four warnings was found to have a completely innocent explanation. The Soviet fleet was conducting routine exercises, the MiGs were part of a normal escort–whose size had been exaggerated–for the president of Syria, the British bomber had made an emergency landing after mechanical problems, and, last but not least, the unidentified planes over Turkey? Well, they turned out to be a large flock of swans.
2. SAC-NORAD Communication Failure
On November 24, 1961, all communication links between the U.S. Strategic Air Command (SAC) and NORAD suddenly went dead, cutting off the SAC from three early warning radar stations in England, Greenland, and Alaska. The communication breakdown made no sense, though. After all, a widespread, total failure of all communication circuits was considered impossible, because the network included so many redundant systems that it should have been failsafe. The only alternative explanation was that a full-scale Soviet nuclear first strike had occurred. As a result, all SAC bases were put on alert, and B-52 bomber crews warmed up their engines and moved their planes onto runways, awaiting orders to counterattack the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons. Luckily, those orders were never given. It was discovered that the circuits were not in fact redundant because they all ran through one relay station in Colorado, where a single motor had overheated and caused the entire system to fail.
3. U2 Spy Plane Accidentally Violates Soviet Airspace
U2 spy planes were high-altitude aircraft that took pictures of the Soviet Union with extremely powerful long-distance telephoto lenses. During the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, U2 pilots were ordered not to fly within 100 miles of the Soviet Union to avoid antagonizing the Soviets. However, on October 26, 1962, a U2 pilot flying over the North Pole made a series of navigational errors because the shifting lights of the Aurora Borealis prevented him from taking accurate readings with his sextant. As a result, he ended up flying over the Chukotski Peninsula in northern Siberia, causing the Soviets to order a number of MiG interceptors to shoot his plane down immediately. Instead of letting him be shot down, however, the United States responded quickly by sending out F-102A fighters armed with nuclear missiles to escort the U2 back to American airspace and prevent the MiGs from following it. Unbelievably, the tactic worked. Even more amazing: the decision whether to use their nuclear missiles was left to the American pilots, and could have easily resulted in a nuclear conflict.
4. When Camping, Make Sure to Hide Your Nuclear Weapons
On October 25, 1962, again during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a security guard at an air base in Duluth, Minnesota, saw a shadowy figure scaling one of the fences enclosing the base. He shot at the intruder and activated an intruder alarm, automatically setting off intruder alarms at neighboring bases. However, at the Volk Field air base in Wisconsin, the Klaxon loudspeaker had been wired incorrectly, and instead sounded an alarm ordering F-106A interceptors armed with nuclear missiles to take off. The pilots assumed that a full-scale nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union had begun. The planes were about to take off when a car from the air traffic control tower raced down the tarmac and signaled the planes to stop. The intruder in Duluth had finally been identified: it was a bear.
5. A Terrifying Crash
On January 21, 1968, fire broke out on a B-52 carrying a nuclear payload near Greenland, forcing the crew to bail out. The unmanned plane then crashed about seven miles from the early warning radar station in Greenland. The damage done could have been remarkable. The plane exploded, as did the explosives surrounding the radioactive core of the nuclear weapons (which require conventional explosives to detonate). Given the state of nuclear weapons technology at the time, this type of unintentional detonation of conventional first-stage explosives could have theoretically triggered the second-stage fission reaction, resulting in a nuclear explosion. Luckily for the world, it didn’t. The resulting explosion would have not only severed regular communications between the early warning station and NORAD, it would have also triggered an emergency alarm based on radiation readings taken by sensors near the station. The only conclusion at NORAD headquarters, in this grisly hypothetical but very plausible scenario, would have been that the Soviets were launching a preemptive nuclear strike, and the United States would have responded in kind.
6. Comp Fear
On November 9, 1979, four command centers for the U.S. nuclear arsenal received data on their radar screens indicating that the Soviet Union had launched a full-scale nuclear first strike on the United States. Over the next six minutes, planes were launched and nuclear missiles initialized for an immediate retaliatory strike. The president’s National Emergency Airborne Command Post–an armored jumbo jet (pictured) with radiation shielding and advanced communications capabilities, meant to allow the president to remain in contact with the government and armed forces during a nuclear war–was also launched, though curiously without the president aboard. However, the alarm was canceled because no sensors or satellites detected an actual Soviet missile launch. The alarm had been caused by computer software used for training exercises depicting a nightmare scenario Soviet first strike. Senator Charles Percy, who happened to be at NORAD headquarters during this event, said the reaction was one of overwhelming panic and terror. Justifiably so.
7. Comp Fear, Part 2
Electronic displays at NORAD, the SAC, and the Pentagon included prominent, highly visible numeric counters showing the number of enemy nuclear missiles detected. They normally displayed four zeros–“0000”–indicating that no nuclear missiles had been launched. However, on June 3, 1980, at 2:25 in the morning, the counters started randomly substituting the number “2” for “0.” As a result, crews manning bombers carrying nuclear weapons were ordered to begin to warm up their engines, Minuteman missiles were initialized for launch, and airborne command posts were also launched. It was determined that this
first event was a false alarm, but three days later it happened a second time–causing the entire emergency response procedure to start rolling once again. The problem was eventually traced back to a single faulty computer chip combined with faulty wiring.
8. WarGames!
Once more, a wise-guy teenager tries to prove he’s smarter than any
adult-and nearly destroys the whole world in the process-in WarGames.
Computer-game aficionado Matthew Broderick inadvertently taps into a
hush-hush Pentagon computer, then proceeds to inaugurate his favorite
game, “Global Thermonuclear War”. What we know, but Broderick doesn’t,
is that the Pentagon, hoping to eliminate the chancy “human element” in
the event of an actual war, has given its computer total, irreversible
control over the launching of nuclear weaponry. Broderick and
government official Dabney Coleman race against time to reverse the
computer’s resolve to send bombers to Russia.
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White House Tower Defence
Friday Flash Fun! It’s two great flavors that taste great together in White House Tower Defence!
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Black Blizzard
The History Channel just aired a 2-hour program about the Dust Bowl in the 1930s in the central United States called Black Blizzard.
What struck me most during the program was the description of a series
of massive storms that hit on April 14th, 1935 known as “Black
Sunday”. The History Channel had computer recreations of what this
looked like. Here is an image from the show (and the History Channel
website) showing one of the storms approaching. Inside the car are a
reporter and photographer who, after stopping and taking pictures of
the approaching storm, are trying to outrun the storm.
During the show they also showed several real photographs of the storms of Black Sunday and doing a quick search on Wikipedia produced one spectacular photograph of a storm as it approached Spearman, Texas:
Here is another photograph of a storm as it approaches Stratford,
Texas. This photo is perhaps even better than the one above as the
buildings are closer to the camera and give a better scale to the size
of the storm:
According to Rogers ‘s listing there is another showing of this
program on 10/25. It is definitely worth
watching. *cough* torrent *cough*
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The broccoli is smiling at you
“She handed me the box and I studied it carefully, squinting, even
allowing my eyes to blur, to try and see what I was missing. She
pointed- ‘Do you see?’ See what? I didn’t see anything. Just broccoli.
Her finger tapped on a certain part of the box and she urged me to look
closer. ‘There- right there. Do you see it? I’m not going to tell you
what it is if you don’t see it.’ And then, it suddenly became clear to
me. WHAT THE HELL?”
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Plastic Surgeon General Warns Of Small Breasts Epidemic – TheOnion
The National Center for Cosmetic Enhancement rails against A-cups.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA–According to a report released Monday by U.S.
plastic surgeon general Dr. Louis T. Saddler, an alarming number of
American women are suffering from dangerously small breasts.
The Office of the plastic surgeon General–headed by a presidential
appointee tasked with monitoring the national aesthetic, alerting the
public to any small flaws, and offering a wide range of affordable,
noninvasive laser resurfacing options–first addressed the countrywide
plague of undersized breasts in the mid-1980s by demanding that
manufacturers of A- through C-cup bras place large warning labels on
their products informing female consumers of the potential risk of
having deficient bosoms. Since taking the position in 2001, Dr. Saddler
has continued these education efforts, launching several ad campaigns
and personally reaching out to women all across the nation.
“The undersized breasts problem in the United States has reached
crisis level,” Saddler said during a press conference held at the
National Centers for Rhinoplasty and Microdermabrasion. “Unless they
receive immediate cosmetic treatment, millions of women in this country
will lose the attention of their male acquaintances completely, and
some may never be able to land husbands or, if they are somehow already
married, keep their husbands’ interest.”
Added Saddler, “I urge all Americans to educate themselves about the
differences between silicone and saline, and contact my secretary Linda
to set something up.”
According to information found on the plastic surgeon general’s
website, there are several easily identifiable indications that a woman
may be afflicted with Chronic Breast Deficiency, or CBD. These include
the inability to fill out tight sweaters, as well as invisibility when
in proximity to women who have large breasts. Females with this
disorder may also experience a troubling absence of back pain.
Despite impressive advances in augmentation mammoplasty in recent
years, breast smallness continues to be a scourge on the female
population, in some part due to the difficulty many women have in
recognizing the symptoms. According to Saddler, some can live with a
severe chest deficiency for years without realizing that they have a
problem.
“A woman who suspects that she may have this condition can verify it
with an extremely quick, normally painless test,” said Saddler, later
adding that symptoms such as a fluid, natural movement of the bosom or
any breast shape other than a perfectly round, rock-hard grapefruit
should also serve as definitive warning signs. “It’s as simple as
consulting a trained professional such as a strip-club bouncer or
licensed drywaller to assess your personal risk.”
“I cannot stress enough how important it is for women who believe
they already have large breasts to remember that they can almost always
benefit from having even larger breasts,” Saddler added.
Citing statistics showing that small breasts strike women of every
age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, and that every region of the
United States is uniformly affected with the exception of Southern
California, the plastic surgeon general stressed that a nation of
under-breasted women is “everyone’s problem.” In an attempt to reach
out to as many citizens as possible, including those not directly
afflicted, the Office of the Plastic Surgeon General has released a
series of public service announcements that emphasize the important
role men can play in helping to turn the tide of the epidemic.
“If your daughter, girlfriend, or secretary has small breasts, let
her know that she should get the help she needs,” Saddler says in one
of the televised spots, standing before a diagram of Pamela Anderson.
“Referring to under- endowed women’s mammaries as ‘mosquito bites’ or
likening a female’s appearance to a diving board are just two of the
many effective methods that can encourage those suffering from this
unpleasant disorder to seek treatment.”
The informative PSA also suggests several coping strategies that can
allow small-breasted women to lead a relatively productive life while
securing the funds necessary to have their disorder remedied. These
include giggling at anything a man says, wearing shorter skirts, and
engaging in empty promiscuity.
Although the plastic surgeon general’s office has had a
long-standing and fruitful partnership with the media to promote the
image of a healthy, ample-chested lifestyle, Saddler said legislation
may be the key to solving this crisis. Last week, Congress proposed a
bill that would earmark $600 million to provide high schools nationwide
with educational programs and literature.
“The younger a woman is when she realizes that she has this problem,
the better off we’ll all be,” said Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO), head of
the recently formed Itty-Bitty Titty Senate Subcommittee. “Of course,
we support all women receiving treatment for this disorder, regardless
of how old they are.”
“But after they hit 45 or so, really, what’s the point?” added
Allard, referring to a condition known as aging, which is cited by the
plastic surgeon general as another worrisome but treatable issue
currently affecting 100 percent of American women.
Several studies have found that the dreaded aging syndrome also
affects men, but, in those cases, is known alternatively as
“dignification” and is generally considered to be an asset rather than
an impairment.
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Atomic explosions
Atomic and nuclear explosions.
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=7278951069225366106&hl=en&fs=true
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/mediaplayer.swf
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The Sun – The Big Picture
animation of the sun, seen by NASA’s Extreme ultraviolet Imaging
Telescope (EIT) over the course of 6 days, starting June 27, 2005.
(Courtesy of SOHO/EIT consortium)
RobDurdle.com 
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