In the science fiction world, “technobabble” refers to the use of technical or scientific jargon strung together so that to listeners unfamiliar with the language, it sounds like made-up nonsense. When relating to Star Trek, a derivative and more derogatory concept shows up: “treknobabble,” which, in the words of Wikipedia, “is used humorously by fans… Continue reading Treknobabble on Slashdot
Month: May 2005
Friday the 13th
You gotta love superstition. It’s widely considered to be the unluckiest day of the year today, but does anyone really know why? Wikipedia has a good article, and Snopes debunks most of the myths. The conclusions? Nobody knows for sure. I’ve always rather liked Friday the 13th. I don’t believe there’s anything inherently lucky about… Continue reading Friday the 13th
Stranded on a desert isle…
I guess this post spins out of watching the TV show “Lost” and a post by Isaac Laquedem a while back. The question is, what three books would you take with you if you were stranded on a desert isle? (Isaac’s post considers five books; do that if you can’t keep yourself to three.) My… Continue reading Stranded on a desert isle…
Things about Bend that I don’t like
So, continuing in my “Things I X about Bend” series: I don’t like… …the traffic; the disproportionate amount of congestion and the bad drivers. …not having a mass transit system. …how the north end of town is a stripmall/boxstore eyesore. …skyrocketing real estate prices. …the roundabouts. Actually, I’m kind of on the fence about them;… Continue reading Things about Bend that I don’t like
20 questions
Okay, so I must be easily impressed. From this post on Boing Boing I found the 20Q.net site and began trying to stump the system. I can’t do it. No wonder; the guy that created the neural net (a type of artificial intelligence software) started it back in 1988, and it’s been “learning” ever since,… Continue reading 20 questions
INTJ
My friend Kerry at work had a bunch of people take the Jung Typology Test to determine personality types and see how well they applied to the real world. I’m not really sure why, perhaps as a group-building exercise. Whatever the reason, they’ve been good for a laugh, but the best part is the analysis… Continue reading INTJ
Followup to the Time Traveler Convention
Wired News has a followup article about the time traveler convention that I blogged about the other day. Apparently no one from the future showed up. But when attendees gathered outside for a raucous countdown at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, nothing appeared on the makeshift landing pad at the coordinates Dorai set for the… Continue reading Followup to the Time Traveler Convention
Waxing
Holy cow… you must go read Jack Bogdanski’s blog entry titled The short hairs!
Morse code wins!
I thought this was funny: Morse code trumps SMS in head-to-head speed texting combat. 93-year-old telegraph operator Gordon Hill delivered a resounding ass-whoopin’ to his rival, 13-year-old Brittany Devlin, using Morse Code. Man, there’s retro, and there’s retro.
15-pound burger
This is crazy; a 15 pound hamburger is being offered free to any two people who can eat the entire thing in one three-hour sitting. the “Beer Barrel Belly Buster” weighs in with 10 pounds of meat molded into a 20-inch patty on a specially baked, 17-inch bun. The balance of the weight comes from… Continue reading 15-pound burger