Links

Stuff I find around the web that interests or amuses me.

The latest from Mars

by

Two LiveJournals have popped up to keep us informed of what’s really going on on Mars, without being filtered through the publicists at NASA.

First, Spirit Rover…

Monday, February 9th, 2004

9:56 pm

i’ve been staring at the same rock for two weeks.

stupid, boring rock.

this weekend i got my revenge. first i got to grind into it, then i drove right over it.

okay, i admit it, i had fun. i’d like to do more of this autonomous navigation thing. i knew i didn’t really need nasa telling me what to do.

And sister Opportunity:

**Friday, February 6th, 2004 **

8:23 am

squee!

I got to drive today! It’s so cool! I didn’t think I’d ever be allowed to go out on my own. NASA is so protective sometimes; it’s like they wanted to keep me swaddled in airbags forever. But anyways, I keep finding these round pebbly things. They get stuck in my treads. Do you think they’ll leave a mark? OMG what if Stardust saw me like this? No, it’s cool. It’s not like he’d ever come by this planet again…

Spirit is still “sick.” She swears she’s gonna drive to that crater any time now, though. She just wants to do it on her time and not when NASA orders her to. Like, whatever. Don’t tell anyone but sometimes I miss her.

Personally, I think this stuff is brilliant.

(via Boing Boing)

Toilet tourism

by

Ever wanted to use a public toilet? Usually, they’re items to be avoided, not sought out. Seattle looks to be trying to change that, though, with our new high-tech public lavatories…

The doors open and close like those on an elevator. You step in. They softly seal shut behind you.

“Welcome to Seattle’s public toilet,” says the kind of voice you might hear as you board a space ride at Disneyland.

[…]

Tour the potties at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square, Hing Hay Park in the International District, Victor Steinbrueck Park at Pike Place Market, Waterfront Park at Pier 59 and the 1800 block of Broadway on Capitol Hill.

I just may have to check one of these things out at some point…just because. ;)

(via Pops)

I wanna push da button!

by

Okay, so this article is New York specific, but I’d be willing to bet that just about any city works the same way. But y’know…I’m probably going to keep pushing the button.

For years, at thousands of New York City intersections, well-worn push buttons have offered harried walkers a rare promise of control over their pedestrian lives.

[…]

Millions of dutiful city residents and tourists have pushed them over the years, thinking it would help speed them in their journeys. Many trusting souls might have believed they actually worked. Others, more cynical, might have suspected they were broken but pushed anyway, out of habit, or in the off chance they might bring a walk sign more quickly.

As it turns out, the cynics were right.

(via Anil)

iTunes: “Cominagetcha” by Propellerheads from the album Decksandrumsandrockandroll (1998, 7:02).

Violence is ( bad | good ) !

by

Interesting ruminations from Alan today…

Group One blames violence in video games and movies for the behavior of today’s youth.

Group Two buys out entire theaters for church groups, youth groups and families to see Mel Gibson’s “The Passion”.

Any bets on just how separate those two groups really are?

I’m guessing that while there are definitely people solidly in one camp or another, there are probably quite a few people in both groups (and I’ll be damned if I can remember the name of that kind of diagram — you know, the two overlapping circles…) that see absolutely no conflict between the two positions. How they would manage that, I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised.

iTunes: “Mission Accomplished” by DJ Wüdi from the album Difficult Listening Hour (2001, 27:41).

Biosphere

by

There’s an interesting article from the Philadelphia Inquirer looking at the early-90’s Biosphere experiment. I remember being fascinated by this at the time it was going on, but thought I remembered that it eventually fell apart. Apparently I was wrong — the experiment did last the full two years planned, though not without problems…

Living inside the glass enclosure known as Biosphere 2 for two years wasn’t easy. If its eight pioneering residents wanted pizza, they had to grow their own wheat and milk a goat for cheese. They contended with thinning air, insufficient food, constant work and, worst of all, each other.

Things like this might be more and more important as we look more seriously at exploring the universe outside of our little planet. It’s neat to see people looking back on this again, and nice to be able to get a little more information on how things actually went during those two years.

(via The Mediaburn Radio Weblog)

May 7th is No Pants Day

by

I don’t think I’ll be able to get away with it at work, but afterwards… :-D

You Should Wear Nothing!
NOTHING?!?!?! There are no limits or boundaries for you. No pants, no clothes, whatever. But, hey, if you’re going to get arrested, this is definitely the way to go.
Find out which No Pants Day outfit YOU should wear!

No Pants Day is May 7th, 2004. To find out more about No Pants Day, visit
www.NoPantsDay.com

(via Dad)

iTunes: “Schiff Ahoi” by Totenmond from the album Cold Hands Seduction IV (3:55).

Help send flowers to the newlyweds

by

Another nice project springing up over the past few days — Flowers for Al and Don.

This afternoon, on Boing Boing, I read about this great idea. Basically, people are generously sending flowers to random gay couples waiting in line to get married in San Francisco. This is a brilliant idea, but I immediately recognized a problem. The flower shop cited, Flowers by the Bay, is apparently charging a minimum of US \$47 to deliver these flowers. That’s probably market value, but it’s a bit steep for individuals who might want to help out (particularly if they’re paying in Canadian dollars or other weaker currencies) but can’t spare fifty bucks.

Hence, Flowers for Al and Don. I’m using a PayPal account to collect money, with which I’ll buy bouquets in bulk for the couples in line. You can donate as much or little as you please, and I pledge that every cent (minus the PayPal fees) that I receive will go to this project. If make a donation, and want your name and/or Web site to be listed below, let me know when making your payment in PayPal.

He’s raised over \$4000 dollars so far — that’s a lot of flowers! But I’m sure there are still some happy couples waiting…

Also worth checking out: Justly Married, a gallery of images of legally married couples coming out of City Hall in San Francisco. I don’t see how anyone could go through that photo gallery without a grin on their face.

(both links via Arcterex)

Smoke and mirrors

by

Related to the previous post, a new whitepaper from security consulting firm BoydForbes Security states that the nation’s aviation security system is “smoke and mirrors.”

“Today we do not have anything resembling real security to protect the commercial aviation system and the traveling public,” asserts David Forbes, president of Colorado-based BoydForbes Security. “The sham pretense on stage now, and the implied direction of the future, is Oscar winning material of the ‘smoke and mirrors’ variety.”

[…]

Among the major conclusions of the white paper:

  • Security upgrades are aimed at show, not substance.
  • There’s been a failure to replace incompetent management.
  • An enormous bureaucracy hinders security flexibility.
  • A lack of accountability continues to persist.
  • There’s a lack of cohesion.

Clumsy Brits

by

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, in 2002…

  • 12,300 people slipped and fell on wood floors.
  • 20,000 people injured themselves while riding microscooters.
  • 5,310 people fell while pulling on trousers.
  • And 700 people (assumedly men) injured themselves while zipping their trouser zippers.

\<cringe>Ow.\</cringe>

(via Prairie)

iTunes: “Golden Dawn” by Ministry from the album Land of Rape and Honey (1988, 5:42).