The obligatory link: UFO science key to halting climate change: former Canadian defense minister
The title really does say it all here. A former government official who is calling on the governments of the world to take the covers off all that alien technology they've been holding back from the UFO crashes... to help stop global warming.
No, it's not scientific. The only value is that it's worth a laugh. At least he's got his science fiction down, to an extent:
"Alien spacecrafts would have traveled vast distances to reach Earth, and so must be equipped with advanced propulsion systems or used exceptional fuels"
Showing posts with label odd news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label odd news. Show all posts
2007/03/05
2007/03/02
Bring In The Stunt Double!
The obligatory link: Stand-in mistress sought to take wife's abuse
This is definitely one of those stories that sounds too odd to be true. Then again, I'm still sitting on another one about what is essentially rent-a-wife, so maybe this does fit right in. Essentially, a guy wants to hire a lady to take the fall as his mistress so that his wife won't find out about his real mistress. Not quite enough to set one's head to spinning, but it's certainly getting there.
Still, all things considered, as long as the guy can keep knives and heavy weaponry out of it, the equivalent of $2,400/hour isn't exactly a bad take...
This is definitely one of those stories that sounds too odd to be true. Then again, I'm still sitting on another one about what is essentially rent-a-wife, so maybe this does fit right in. Essentially, a guy wants to hire a lady to take the fall as his mistress so that his wife won't find out about his real mistress. Not quite enough to set one's head to spinning, but it's certainly getting there.
Still, all things considered, as long as the guy can keep knives and heavy weaponry out of it, the equivalent of $2,400/hour isn't exactly a bad take...
Another Trope Bites The Dust
The obligatory link: Petrol lit with a cigarette? Only in the movies.
Sounds like an episode of Myth Busters to me, but apparently tests have been done by the ATF to see whether or not a lighted cigarette can cause gasoline to combust. Unsurprisingly (if you read either the title or the link title), it won't. Not even if the cigarette is currently being puffed on (which increases the temperature by 200 degrees Celsius or so). Now it's just another thing requiring a suspension of disbelief.
The real question here is, "Why doesn't it work?" After all, the temperatures seem conducive to it. Unfortunately, the folks conducting the test don't have an answer for us. And since it's a rather obscure focus for further scientific study, the world may never know.
Sounds like an episode of Myth Busters to me, but apparently tests have been done by the ATF to see whether or not a lighted cigarette can cause gasoline to combust. Unsurprisingly (if you read either the title or the link title), it won't. Not even if the cigarette is currently being puffed on (which increases the temperature by 200 degrees Celsius or so). Now it's just another thing requiring a suspension of disbelief.
The real question here is, "Why doesn't it work?" After all, the temperatures seem conducive to it. Unfortunately, the folks conducting the test don't have an answer for us. And since it's a rather obscure focus for further scientific study, the world may never know.
2007/03/01
Let's Go Fly A Kite
The obligatory link: Pakistan: 11 dead, 100 injured in kite flying festival
Okay, I expected the deaths from stray bullets. What I didn't expect where the sharpened kite strings. ... ... ... Yes, you heard me right. I said, "Sharpened kite strings."
And yes, the article is going to tell you how such a thing happens. Instead of thread, or maybe fishing line, the use of wires or glass coatings is involved. What possible reason could there be to turn kite flying into combat, though? I don't get it.
Okay, I expected the deaths from stray bullets. What I didn't expect where the sharpened kite strings. ... ... ... Yes, you heard me right. I said, "Sharpened kite strings."
And yes, the article is going to tell you how such a thing happens. Instead of thread, or maybe fishing line, the use of wires or glass coatings is involved. What possible reason could there be to turn kite flying into combat, though? I don't get it.
2007/02/12
Technology That Talks Back
The obligatory link: Talking Urinal Cakes Offer Drinking And Driving Advice
Well, why not? Our cars can talk to us. Our computers can talk to us. Why not talking urinal cakes? Is the fact that the government in New Mexico is wasting taxpayer money on this, compared to people spending their own money on something they want a good enough reason for you? ... Because it sure is for me.
Y'know, I suppose I could try to go the nice road and say that NM is trying an interesting technological solution to the problem of drinking and driving... but I won't. The only people this will stop are the people who still have enough reasoning left after their time drinking to summon up a cab, or other mode of transportation that they don't have to pilot personally. Pretty expensive way to spend 10K$, isn't it... as a back-up for the people who know better?
Well, why not? Our cars can talk to us. Our computers can talk to us. Why not talking urinal cakes? Is the fact that the government in New Mexico is wasting taxpayer money on this, compared to people spending their own money on something they want a good enough reason for you? ... Because it sure is for me.
Y'know, I suppose I could try to go the nice road and say that NM is trying an interesting technological solution to the problem of drinking and driving... but I won't. The only people this will stop are the people who still have enough reasoning left after their time drinking to summon up a cab, or other mode of transportation that they don't have to pilot personally. Pretty expensive way to spend 10K$, isn't it... as a back-up for the people who know better?
2007/01/23
It Just Takes One Idiot... And A Bunch Of Enablers
The obligatory link: Unilever sends knives to families, children hurt
Y'know, just once, I'd like to be in the meetings where people discuss how to try to drum up more business by sending out random stuff in the mail. After all, plain old letters don't cut it anymore, and coupons are almost as cliche. So, ladies and gentlemen, what else could we possibly send to our mailing list of consumers to entice them to buy more of our margarine? A pen? Nah... A keychain? What are we, a tourist destination? I know, I know! A knife! They can use it to spread the margarine!
How is it that the people in the room don't collectively smack their hands into their foreheads upon hearing something like that? Leaving aside the safety implications, which obviously came up, what person in their right mind is going to attach "knife" to "brand XYZ margarine"?
Marketing... go figure.
Y'know, just once, I'd like to be in the meetings where people discuss how to try to drum up more business by sending out random stuff in the mail. After all, plain old letters don't cut it anymore, and coupons are almost as cliche. So, ladies and gentlemen, what else could we possibly send to our mailing list of consumers to entice them to buy more of our margarine? A pen? Nah... A keychain? What are we, a tourist destination? I know, I know! A knife! They can use it to spread the margarine!
How is it that the people in the room don't collectively smack their hands into their foreheads upon hearing something like that? Leaving aside the safety implications, which obviously came up, what person in their right mind is going to attach "knife" to "brand XYZ margarine"?
Marketing... go figure.
2007/01/16
Things Worth Seeing
A few things worth your reading time, if I may... Not in any particular order, but if you're only going to read one, it really ought to be the first one.
From the Radio Patriots, Mark and Andrea, the obligatory link #1: It always ends with one word.
From RealClearPolitics, the obligatory link #2: Thomas Sowell's Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene
From the Richmond TimesDispatch, the obligatory link #3: Non-father must pay past-due child support, Ark. court says
From KSTP Channel 5 (Minneapolis), the obligatory link #4: Kids kicked off bus (for speaking English!)
From the Radio Patriots, Mark and Andrea, the obligatory link #1: It always ends with one word.
From RealClearPolitics, the obligatory link #2: Thomas Sowell's Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene
From the Richmond TimesDispatch, the obligatory link #3: Non-father must pay past-due child support, Ark. court says
From KSTP Channel 5 (Minneapolis), the obligatory link #4: Kids kicked off bus (for speaking English!)
2007/01/11
Think The SAT Is Bad?
The obligatory link: The Chopstick Test
We hear periodically about how this or that test is unfair to... take your pick of race, class, gender, age, or whatever else might come to mind. In that vein, I hope everyone can appreciate this story, about a school which uses a test of basic hashi, or chopsticks, skills as part of its screening process.
We hear periodically about how this or that test is unfair to... take your pick of race, class, gender, age, or whatever else might come to mind. In that vein, I hope everyone can appreciate this story, about a school which uses a test of basic hashi, or chopsticks, skills as part of its screening process.
2007/01/10
Medicating Society, and...
The obligatory link: Fido's Little Helper
I could hardly believe the headline, honestly. People are giving their pets prozac now? Really? Now, don't misunderstand me here. I get that people love their pets, and are willing to go to great lengths for them in many cases. But... prozac? The champion drug of millions of school kids... coming soon to a cat near you? If I hadn't sworn off emoticons for posting purposes, that one would earn a sweatdrop in no time.
I could hardly believe the headline, honestly. People are giving their pets prozac now? Really? Now, don't misunderstand me here. I get that people love their pets, and are willing to go to great lengths for them in many cases. But... prozac? The champion drug of millions of school kids... coming soon to a cat near you? If I hadn't sworn off emoticons for posting purposes, that one would earn a sweatdrop in no time.
2007/01/02
Sickened By Music
Back on the 27th of December, I made reference to a story that some British busybodies were talking up Christmas music as torture. Well, I'd almost forgotten about the following story... probably would have if I hadn't bookmarked it, which seems to bookend it pretty well.
The obligatory link: 59-year-old woman given longer prison term for sickening neighbor with music
Of course, it wasn't Christmas music, to be best of my knowledge, but it's probably close enough for the standards of people who'd like to use international law in their decisions. Quick, somebody get Justice Breyer on the line... we could use his informed opinion.
The obligatory link: 59-year-old woman given longer prison term for sickening neighbor with music
Of course, it wasn't Christmas music, to be best of my knowledge, but it's probably close enough for the standards of people who'd like to use international law in their decisions. Quick, somebody get Justice Breyer on the line... we could use his informed opinion.
2006/12/19
Now There's Competition
The obligatory link: Medal Revoked After Runner Fails Gender Test
This can really split down two separate lines, one serious, one much less so. For the first, I'm no genetics expert, so I'll leave the amount of Y chromosome in the supposed woman's genetic make-up to someone who is (or, at least, to someone with enough time to do all the necessary research!).
My initial thought, though, after reading nothing but the headline, was this: A man went to all the trouble of getting into the women's section of the 800m race, and still didn't manage to win? Now, I'll grant you, I certainly couldn't, but at the same time, I'm not training daily for olympic-level running, either. The line of thought goes something like this: "He couldn't compete with the men, so he went to all this trouble to compete with the women instead... and still failed to come out ahead." Read that way, it certainly would've made for a more interesting human interest story.
This can really split down two separate lines, one serious, one much less so. For the first, I'm no genetics expert, so I'll leave the amount of Y chromosome in the supposed woman's genetic make-up to someone who is (or, at least, to someone with enough time to do all the necessary research!).
My initial thought, though, after reading nothing but the headline, was this: A man went to all the trouble of getting into the women's section of the 800m race, and still didn't manage to win? Now, I'll grant you, I certainly couldn't, but at the same time, I'm not training daily for olympic-level running, either. The line of thought goes something like this: "He couldn't compete with the men, so he went to all this trouble to compete with the women instead... and still failed to come out ahead." Read that way, it certainly would've made for a more interesting human interest story.
2006/12/11
Strangest Baby Jesus Theft of the Year?
The obligatory link: Baby Jesus Stolen From Nativity Scene And Replaced With Beer Can
Take the baby Jesus figure out of a nativity and leave a beer can in its place? I suppose it's a step above just taking it and leaving nothing, if not by much. Now, here's the one question that the article didn't answer, but it must be on everyone's mind: Was it a full can, or an empty one?
Take the baby Jesus figure out of a nativity and leave a beer can in its place? I suppose it's a step above just taking it and leaving nothing, if not by much. Now, here's the one question that the article didn't answer, but it must be on everyone's mind: Was it a full can, or an empty one?
2006/12/07
Lightening Up (If Only For A Moment)
It's the time of year for heart-warming stories, so in return for the previous offering, which was of a much more serious bent, I thought I'd offer up a story I ran across in my perusing of news today, about a man whose wedding ring became a needle in a haystack, and was found. Just a nice, sweet story, in keeping with the season.
2006/12/05
Jumping Right In, or What You're In For
Instead of starting with something along the lines of a "who am I, why am I here" type of post, we're going right in with the kind of bizarre thing which can be expected to turn up here from time to time. First, the article: Child Arrested After Opening Holiday Gift Early
A few things... Isn't the title excellent? It's exactly the kind of thing that's going to grab people's imaginations and draw them right in. "What happened, some kind of overreaction? How does a thing like this happen?"
Once you actually get into the article, though, you land on this quote: "I'm trying to get him some kind of help," the 27-year-old mother told the paper. "He's the type of kid who doesn't believe anything until it happens."
I do hope the police in Rock Hill, S.C. have a great deal of free time on their hands, because even though the kid's obviously got issues, getting into Christmas presents early isn't exactly something I can rationalize as any kind of priority for those who protect and serve. Seriously, the first instance of a kid trying to get into their gifts early probably occurred five minutes after the inception of the wrapped gift. There's an order of magnitude difference between that and, say, stealing money and punching police officers.
It's a bizarre thing to be a last straw, at the very least, but that's what makes last straws so interesting.
As a side note, isn't it interesting that the easy-to-find link goes not to a station in South Carolina, but one in Connecticut? Keep an eye out for that, as it happens quite a bit. The local-local-local now makes the news half a continent away.
A few things... Isn't the title excellent? It's exactly the kind of thing that's going to grab people's imaginations and draw them right in. "What happened, some kind of overreaction? How does a thing like this happen?"
Once you actually get into the article, though, you land on this quote: "I'm trying to get him some kind of help," the 27-year-old mother told the paper. "He's the type of kid who doesn't believe anything until it happens."
I do hope the police in Rock Hill, S.C. have a great deal of free time on their hands, because even though the kid's obviously got issues, getting into Christmas presents early isn't exactly something I can rationalize as any kind of priority for those who protect and serve. Seriously, the first instance of a kid trying to get into their gifts early probably occurred five minutes after the inception of the wrapped gift. There's an order of magnitude difference between that and, say, stealing money and punching police officers.
It's a bizarre thing to be a last straw, at the very least, but that's what makes last straws so interesting.
As a side note, isn't it interesting that the easy-to-find link goes not to a station in South Carolina, but one in Connecticut? Keep an eye out for that, as it happens quite a bit. The local-local-local now makes the news half a continent away.
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