Sunday, March 15, 2009

Slug Sex

Nature is an amazing, odd, an often time erotic thing. In the case of slugs, if you had come upon these two, would you have ever assumed they were having sex?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Book Club-Physics of the Impossible


I just finished reading Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku. Kaku, who is a theoretical physicist, writes with an exceptionally clear and straightforward style that makes even the most daunting concepts in physics graspable by the layman. I, having no background in physics and being rubbish at mathematics, was able to comprehend most every topic covered. Granted some theories are just beyond most laymen's reach, that is no reason to be scared away from Physics of the Impossible. Kaku's book primarily focuses on technologies that, to us, are nothing more than science fiction; he explains each technology using current studies in physics and places them in three categories: Class I Impossibilities (within our reach in the next century) , Class II Impossibilities (within our reach in the next several centuries), and Class III Impossibilities (either these being impossible or the entire book on physics would have to be rewritten to make these a possibility). Interestingly enough, everything from invisibility cloaks, starship exploration, and robots are within our reach based on the current laws of the universe. With such rich science fiction fodder, you would except Kaku to at least mention some of the most beloved science fiction stories, and he does. In fact, Star Trek may as well be one of his primary resources. The beging of every section starts with some example of how we have seen these technologies used in film, comics, literature, and television. Aside from excellent geek references, he also includes brief history lessons and biographies of some of the most well known men and women in physics. For instance, I never knew Stephen Hawking was such a ladies man or that Apple may have gotten their famous logo as an homage to Alan Turing. Physics of the Impossible is addictive, entertaining, thought provoking, and scratches that itchy part of the brain that ponders the nature of the universe.



Also, in my last post I mentioned that that was a robotic dinosaur, but it is obviously someone in a costume. Some of the facial expressions maybe robotic, but it is still cool.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Robotic Dinosaur

I cannot think of two things that I like more than robots and dinosaurs. So it should be no surprise that this caught my eye. This guy was made by Erth Visual and Physical Inc. This video was shot at the Natural History Museum in L.A.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

The Mothman


"On a chilly, fall night in November 1966, two young couples drove into the TNT area north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, when they realized they were not alone."

This is on a plaque in Point Pleasant West Virginia, at the Mothman Statue. According to local legend, a mysterious creature appeared in Point Pleasant and Charleston was seen several time between 1966 and 1967. The creature was described as being between 6 and 7 feet, with an enormous wing span, and glowing red eyes. The movie the Mothman Prophecies starring Richard Gere is roughly based on the Mothman legend. Fox Mulder refers to the Mothman as well in an episode of the X-Files. While no explanation has been agreed upon, many have made attempts to explain the Mothman. Aside from the supernatural explanation, some have gone as far to say the Mothman is an unidentified bird. Regardless, this is a nice juicy bit of local folklore. Every year the residents of Pleasant point celebrate The Mothman Festival, which takes place the third weekend of September. For a complete history, including all the documented sightings, go here.