Pizza Cognition Theory

From Serious Eats comes the Pizza Cognition Theory which stems from how people learn what something is — which is that they first must learn what that thing is *not*: The first slice of pizza a child sees and tastes (and somehow appreciates on something more than a childlike, mmmgoood, thanks-mom level), becomes, for him, […]

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An Oldie But a Goodie

This is back from 2000.  I still think about this every now and then and thought I’d post it (or re-post it): Postal Experiments from the Annals of Improbable Research.  Experiments include trying to send all sorts of objects (including a $20 bill in a clear envelope, to a ski, to a deer tibia) through […]

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Time Traveler’s Crib Sheet

Just in case you’re sent back in time 1,000 years, here’s all the basics you need to know.  Like heavier-than-air flight and the basics of fighting infections.  Just hang this up in your time machine. Time Traveler’s Crib Sheet. (from BoingBoing) (P.S. Apparently, I’m just a transparent proxy for BoingBoing.  Go read that site, they […]

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Wants For Sale

This couple from New York paints pictures of the things they want, and sell the paintings for the price of the real item. When the painting sells, they buy that item. Really neat concept. Wants for Sale (from Kottke)

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“Sometimes doing nothing is the best option”

Great post by NASA’s Wayne Hale on his blog regarding conjuctions, or close encounters between the Space Shuttle and space junk.  When a conjunction is going to occur during the crew sleep period and there is sufficient reason to believe there will not be a collision, mission controllers will set a timer to expire at […]

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Ares I-X Rollout

I tried to stay up to watch the start of the rollout live – scheduled for 12:01AM this morning, but it got delayed about an hour, so I’m glad I didn’t.  The last bit of the rollout is happening right now. Someone on the nasaspaceflight.com forum this morning noted that the last rocked to rollout […]

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Spaceflight, Helicopters, and Nomads

Before launches at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Helicopters search the downrange path of rockets to find any nomads in the vast grasslands of Kazakhstan.  If any are found they are warned of the upcoming launches. Link This picture of this activity was particularly interesting: (image from russianspaceweb.com, copyright noted) The americans launch with ocean downrange. […]

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