Sir Paul Nurse

Here is the lovely Moth segment of Sir Paul Nurse, a Nobel laureate who researches genetics and the irony of his own family history.

Very much worth the listen, quite well presented.

I heard it while semi-sleeping at around 3:30 in the morning on PRX.

PRX is wonderful and chock full of Moth and TED.

Screw T.V., there is so much to enjoy simply through Moth and TED.

His voice reminds me of a friend of mine, who is a nurse, pursues science (participated in a field excursion for possibly the rarest extant bird on Earth, in Africa), has a beer named after him, and was an extreme marathoner. (One of the most amusing and impressing things I have ever heard said was something on the order of "Kenyans, yah. They're great for a regular marathon but that's all they have. They suck after 26 miles.") Very, very funny as well, this chap.

He is also generous, he saves his New Scientists and gives them to me,

Thank You! Thank You!

Was hoping I might see him at the charity event yesterday, but did not.

I have a couple of photos from yesterday, which I will post shortly.

Did something unfortunate to my back wrestling with an enormous generator, dangit.

Uh Oh

Something else I "need":

http://www.lasergenetics.com/

and a couple of bookmarks:

Encyclopedia of LASER Physics and Technology

Sam's Practical Guide to LASER for Hobbyists and Experimenters

Which brings me back to wicked lasers and that brings me back to the DIY which I haven't done because I haven't come across someone throwing out a CD/DVD burner yet, I posted the how to vid a long time ago:


Laser Flashlight Hack! - The funniest videos are a click away

Michael Caine

I love Michael Caine and look forward to watching Harry Brown.

I spoke with someone this week who defended themselves in an attempted mugging in 1975 and I was disgusted at the ensuing drama and entanglement.

The courts and the police are not there to protect you at the time of an assault and as a bureaucracy they are a grave threat to you afterwards.

The criminal, however, has them as a rock solid asset throughout.

England is a disaster regarding crime, punishment and the liberty endowed by our creator to defend oneself and one's property.

Caines response to an interview question is amusing (via Ed Driscoll on Instapundit):

AVC: It has drawn criticism for presenting what some have called a “Daily Mail take” on things—that it’s tabloid fear-mongering.

MC: That was exactly the reaction. Because one of the things is that if you’re a Socialist newspaper, well, the Socialists have been in power for 12 years, and these are the very poorest people in England, and this is what’s happened to them. So you’ve got to say it’s a load of crap. [Laughs.]

Blumenthal and Latitude

This man made a career of attention grubbing and throwing the book to grub attention.

To wish we had a Blumenthal to crucify this Blumenthal would only leave us with a...well...

He deserves an inquisitor and prosecutor that exceeds his exhibitionist zeal with a notion of slobbering pursuit...He deserves a heinous enemy in his looking glass.

We, however, need better.

Hailstorm

Update: Timing is everything. I should have just waited till this morning as I see the video is now "an internet sensation" and viral like nobody's business. The cycle of interwebs popularity continues to accelerate...

I was aware that a serious and amazing hail had beset the Midwest recently.

This is the best video I have managed to dig up though, I understand there are other areas which received strange and different poundings within minutes also...something like 6 inches in one quarter of an hour? I will look further, but this video speaks volumes of the violence regarding seasonal transition and weather in those parts, yow...via Haha.nu

Everybody Draw Mohammed Day

I drew one a few days back but will draw another just for today when I get a chance.

Zombie has an interesting article with these images:


The original “Draw Winky”
ad from a 1971 comic book


Updated 2010 version of “Draw Winky” (parody by buzzsawmonkey)

At top now is a quick one for today. Mohammed has visited that oasis, and he is quickly passing by very close to our frame of reference with a crazed bloodshot eye...I was going to place it down here but that is how blogger placed it, which is just as well...


Apple handles Muslim and Christian criticism quite differently.

In islam, are humans allowed to be rendered?

qur'an?

hadith?

what involving architecture?

Must I stop enjoying music?

Will this inflame the "Muslim Street"?

Perhaps that street "drove me" to draw this, just as we must have driven them to bomb.

I link to "Bible Thumper" now.

No Sea-Monster Archive?

The Royal Navy should have all the logs digitized and searchable...

via Hit and Run

Blumenthal

He was never the captain of Harvard's varsity swim team, despite his assertions, according to this here.

He is under scrutiny, liberal scrutiny, something must be up.

I must go back and look at all of the Blumenthal that acid reflux can stand.

How many links will the terms "Blumenthal Tobacco Settlement" return?

"Our agreement will revolutionize the way the industry does business, punish it for past misconduct, and improve the health of all Americans," Blumenthal said in Washington, D.C., as he and the other negotiators announced the agreement. "This agreement will do more for the public health of our nation than all of the states' lawsuits combined -- even if we had won all of our individual suits. If enacted by Congress, it will save more lives than any public health initiative."

"Just a short time ago, a settlement of this magnitude was unimaginable," Blumenthal said. "Now, Joe Camel is as familiar to young children as Mickey Mouse. But with this settlement Joe Camel will be history and the next generation of children won't even know who he is. This is a great win for Connecticut and for Connecticut's children. We have taken the tobacco giants to task for their legacy of death, lies, and addiction."

"This agreement sets forth unparalleled public health policy to aggressively regulate the tobacco industry, force it to fund programs to reduce the number of children who begin smoking, and help smokers kick the nicotine habit," Blumenthal said.

I want Peter Schiff for our Senator.

I will spend some time thinking of Blumenthal and his need for attention and trying to recall his nanny fueled notions.

What a field day this would be for the press if only...only...oh, what could that one thing be? Hmmmmmm....What would make it different for that hard working fourth estate?

Keep notes on the politicians but heat up the tar and fluff up the feathers for the media. They deserve to luxuriate in an exfoliating catharsis immediately. Then they can use their legendary communication skills to ask, for once, difficult questions and follow ups of the political class for we, the people, to glean pertinent and useful information.

Big Journalism quotes NPR: "An extensive search of the news database Nexis conducted by NPR shows several Connecticut newspapers repeatedly mischaracterized Blumenthal’s service, especially the Connecticut Post."

I am saddened that no daring journo-aspiree would dare get their hands dirty looking into matters.

They would rather relax and print PR releases as their own material.

"JOURNALISTS TODAY PRODUCE three times more copy but less original reportage than they did 20 years ago, according to a Cardiff University study.

The Quality and Independence of British Journalism: Tracking the changes over 20 years has found a reporter now files an average of 4.5 stories a day — up from the one or two earlier.

The result is that journalists rely heavily on ‘pre-packaged’ news — PR material or wire services — rather than produce independent copy.

And worse, this trend is set to continue."

I would suggest that applies to the Anglosphere and Western culture as well as locally, especially as long as the liberal east coast machine is churning.

As long as these deluded jerks, the fourth estate, consider Carlos Slim's New York Times the neutral spigot of high end information this civilization is doomed down the porcelain vortex.

UGH

Dogs Inspire

I had a conversation with a woman today involving her wonderful dogs, one of whom met an untimely end, which generated many sympathy cards and calls and...Dogs are wonderful, full stop.

So Paddy sent over a couple of photos of hyenas being kept. I would use the term domesticated but I will simply clip the photos and ponder, and hesitate with that term. Impressive animals those hyenas, though I think there is something of the urban trunk fighter evident in the postures of those who are proudly depicted at the other end of the leash.







I noticed shortly after Paddy's email a post on Maggies Farm regarding foxes listening and locating, diving into and snatching their vermin prey through lovely powdery snow(--er, on second look that snow looks like it has a layer of crunch and isn't powdery much at all. Even more impressive.):



That is some stunning 3D imaging on the pooch's behalf. Through sound and smell and vibration and just raw sense. To make it look like the fun it must be as well, my hat is off to the sharp fox.

Make Something

Freeze a lock and break it with compressed air.

Make a fire piston from a AA maglight.

Walk through and locate the origin of an I.P. address.

Make an elephant from a towel.

All sorts of neat stuff.

Over at WonderHowTo.com

I very much want to try this one:


Impact Flash Grenades ! - Funny video clips are a click away

Through Wonderhowto I found Andy's world of Knots which is very helpful with it's animation.

Some of the more complicated in's and out's make more sense than in the books, you can follow the rabbit more naturally.

All sorts of knots, nice.

Oh My God In Heaven

Only true evil would give rise to such a concept and only true genius could work out the surgical technicalities...

The Human Centipede!

Paddy tipped me off on this one, though he found a longer lecture snip.

Update: Paddy left the other link in the comments, I will embed it now:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Diving Board

This reminds me of much...complexity...

I love looking...

Afghanistan

So in their "downtime" they ferret out deadly insects and snakes.

Very cool.

God Bless our troops, and Michael Yon, who had the link on his facebook page.

He is in Bangkok right now and just took this photo, man is he a great reporter and photographer:



Update:

The region has issues.

Care to guess?

The Poll

Regarding the poll below, I must say any decent person would only shove their feet into socks.

If you thought otherwise you are depraved!

My Islam Art

I think it is nice, no joke!

(I do notice the bridal and the reins...they represent a gordion knot, an impossible tangle, a cultural moebius of violence which is where we are at this stage in our religious and secular, and civilizational impasses! To be freed by a sword? Who's? A Minimalist Gordian knot, as you can see. Yet vexing!)

OR I find it infuriating that I can't draw without fear!!!!

Gotta go with that last!

That's Mohammed with his filthy lucre from a raid where he took slaves, in my pen!

Update: Does anyone notice the gold?

It is a struggling individual on one knee attempting to lareate the islamic beast, uphill. Woe be Western civilization!

One of my favorites, from my favorite, Winston Churchill:

"The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.^[13]"

Another update:

NASA

NASA please help Islam!!!

The problem is they have only a few books, and worship them as much as they loathe civilization.