More Noise

It's that time of year again here in Dogpatch: the fireworks sellers are open for business. I truly don't understand this American need for blowing shit up. Inevitably, someone will injure themselves or worse yet someone else. Come Tuesday morning, the street will be full of fireworks debris which, of course, they will not clean up. I suppose I should look on the bright side: it only happens two or three times a year.

Gun show attendee shoots himself

The title says it all.

Pete Seeger & Arlo Guthrie

"This Land is OUR Land"

The Damned Engineers

This video highlights the key moments in the Mars Science Laboratory mission (Curiosity). It is an elegant engineering solution to a number of unique challenges.

The title of this post, "The Damned Engineers," refers the reaction of a German tank brigade commander in WWII as American army engineers blew one bridge after another in his face.

Boson's Mate

It would appear the Higgs boson has been found. This is a good day for modern physics as it demonstrates in epic fashion that the Standard Model is here to stay. I'll let Phil Plait take it from here:

Now technically, that’s all the physicists can say: the particle is definitely there. But is it the Higgs? Well, to be fair, they can’t actually say that. But if it walks like a Higgs, looks like a Higgs, and quacks like a Higgs… yeah. So there you have it. A new fundamental particle has been found, and if it’s the Higgs – which it really really really looks like it is – is the first step to our truly understanding such basic concepts as mass and gravity in the Universe. It’s technical, and it’s complicated, and it’s the result of a vast amount of time, money, and effort by thousands upon thousands of people… but it’s real. And it’s only the first step. There’s much work to be done. But oh, what a step. The Universe has once again done something wonderful — let us peek behind the curtain and get a glimpse of its inner workings. Never forget this either: we humans did this. The discovery of this new particle, and the vast potential it has, was all because we’re curious. This huge machine, the LHC, was built solely because we wanted to find things out, and some people had the vision to fund it and build it. When we wish to explore, when we wish to see what’s over the next hill, wonders unfold before us.

All we have to do is want it enough.

Image credit: CERN

Winning

I'm not a huge sports fan. Okay, I admit I follow my alma mater's (U. of Utah) football team, and I do have a soft spot for the San Antonio Spurs. But beyond that, I really don't care about what is essentially a distraction.
But look at the picture on the left. That's in Lexington, KY. That's how U. of Kentucky basketball fans celebrated the Wildcats winning their division. Not the national championship mind you, just the division.

"Lex Fire department says 39 total fires, most of them of couches or trash, one was car fire, and 12 First Aid runs," tweeted the Herald-Leader.

"Lexington E 11 responds to another fully involved couch on State St as the celebration continues…." Collier added.

Keep in mind these are college students, the future of the country. I sure would hate to be around if they lost.

A New Perspective

I'm one of those people who have always marked "Organ Donor" on my driver's license. I can think of no nobler legacy than enabling a fellow human to continue to live, or have a better life,. It costs nothing (we're all going to die sometime) and is perhaps the grandest of gestures.
For the first time, tho, I feel ambivalent about this due to one compelling reason: my donated organ could end up in someone like Dick Cheney. If I thought my death enabled the Dark Lord to continue his avaricious ways, I'd have my body cremated and my ashes mixed with salt.