If any more evidence was needed that parody of the useless lives of the intensely wealthy was impossible, consider this: An intricate Swiss watch that doesn’t tell time, for only $300,000. From Robert Frank’s “The Wealth Report” blog at the Wall Street Journal, we learn about Swiss watchmaker Romain Jerome’s new “Day & Night” watch.… Continue reading Annals of the imponderably vapid
Waiting for kidot
So we’re in the middle of Week 39 now, rapidly cruising towards D-Day. It’s funny how everyone treats you like a bomb that’s about to go off when you show up to things a few days before your due date. When I went to a friend’s dissertation defense yesterday morning, people seemed astonished: “You made… Continue reading Waiting for kidot
Umbrage
Waddling home from the Supreme Shop-n-Bag last weekend, B and H encounter a panhandler in a wheelchair. P: Hey guys, can you help me out? B and H: Sorry, not today. P (observing the waddle): What’re you having, hon, a boy or a girl? H: We don’t know yet. P: Oh. But when it comes… Continue reading Umbrage
If a star explodes and no one sees it, is it visible?
Scientists (astronomers and astrophysicists, actually) announced last week that a star in a heretofore unknown galaxy exploded about 7.5 billion years ago. The light from the explosion finally reached earth last Wednesday, about 2:12 a.m. (presumably EDT). The exploding star, situated about half way to the edge of the known universe, was the brightest gamma… Continue reading If a star explodes and no one sees it, is it visible?
Welcome to the Uncanny Valley
On the Wired blog Danger Room I found this YouTube video of a new four-legged robot designed as a transport device. I can’t put my finger on exactly why I find this so creepy. I guess it’s the “uncanny valley.”