subdivision naming: piece of cake

Arthur C. Clarke R.I.P.

"The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."

Indeed.

For your creativity and prodigious output, for your clarity and devotion to the life of ideas, and for your steady gaze into the poetic reaches of space, you will be missed.

ridiculous

Why restaurants failed in Dubai.

cool concept of the day

A "desire path" is a term in landscape architecture used to describe a path that isn't designed but rather is worn casually away by people finding the shortest distance between two points.

water, water

this is an oasis if I ever saw one.

true dat

50 things I've learned in 50 years, a partial list in no particular order, by Eric Zorn.

good question

The Edge Foundation is a public idea crucible with the purpose of promoting "inquiry into and discussion of intellectual, philosophical, artistic, and literary issues, as well as to work for the intellectual and social achievement of society." Each year they ask a very serious question and ask leading minds to answer it. The question for 2008 is this:

When thinking changes your mind, that's philosophy.
When God changes your mind, that's faith.
When facts change your mind, that's science.

WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT? WHY?

Science is based on evidence. What happens when the data change? How have scientific findings or arguments changed your mind?

165 very smart people from around the world have answered. You can read their answers here.

numba crunchin

I love statistics. I love looking at how numbers match up in various parts of the country and reflect our crazy patchwork culture. When I was a reporter for the Birmingham Post-Herald I used to scour the 2000 U.S. Census report for interesting trends and could almost always find something newsworthy. Did you know that Alabama's population increased by 3.4% over the last six years? Or that 26.4% of the businesses in Alabama are owned by women? This stuff is endlessly fascinating. Anyway, I recently found another site that ranks 101 U.S. cities in a similar manner as the census, with hundreds of categories. I'm not sure how relevant it is to know the top 101 cities with the highest average wind speeds, but you never know. You could end up on the Family Feud..

wretched excess

Sometimes I am filled with the overwhelming desire to punch someone. In the face.

hegemony

Wow. In Saudi Arabia women are just now petitioning the king for permission to drive. The traditional ban on women drivers comes from a strict interpretations of the Koran, and as a result Saudi and foreign women cannot travel, marry, or rent lodging without permission from a male guardian. I guess Shirley Muldowney doesn't visit the country often.

enhanced bigotry

Unfortunately, James Watson, of the Watson & Crick duo who won the Nobel Prize for their discovery of DNA secrets, has recently made public his theory that certain races are in fact more intelligent than others. His theory is all the more distressing as it is rooted, correctly or not, in genetic distinctions. All the more reason why everyone on this planet needs to read Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel.

silly

These crazy European climbers actually climbed to the top of Mount Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, and set up a jaccuzi. Why can't I do things like this on the weekends?

clarification

In the previous post I pointed out that you do not owe me a beer. I just wanted to be perfectly clear on the fact that you do not owe me a beer.

You do not owe me a beer

Let me first attempt to dispel the myth that you owe me a beer. A lot of people have said that the next time we meet, you should buy me a beer. Others have said that you should send me a six-pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale every month. But these rumors are really false.

I repeat, you do not owe me a beer.

whoops

Couple divorce after online 'affair'

A Bosnian couple are getting divorced after finding out they had been secretly chatting each other up online under fake names.

Sana Klaric, 27, and husband Adnan, 32, from Zenica, poured out their hearts to each other over their marriage troubles, and both felt they had found their real soul mate.

The couple met on an online chat forum while he was at work and she in an internet cafe, and started chatting under the names 'Sweetie' and 'Prince of Joy.'

They eventually decided to meet up - but there was no happy ending when they realised what had happened.

find yourself a city to live in

Get the skinny with demographic data based on your area as compared with other areas: zipskinny.com

thanks, mom!

close, but no cigar

Paleo-future is a rather fun blog that showcases that future of the past, or the images and perceptions of the future as imagined in the past. If you find that description confusing, as I do, just check out the site. Be sure and check out these French prints from 1910 showing what life will be like in Paris in the year 2000.

all that glitters

The world's largest diamond has been unearthed in South Africa. It's estimated to bid for almost $30 million.

"The black miner who discovered the diamond received a horse and saddle, and a sum of money."

depressing word of the day

Glamping.

Thanks, Sharon!

old salt

Right now I'm reading Mark Kurlansky's Salt: A World History, a fascinating story of how important salt has been to human society. While I figured salt was an important commodity to certain cultures for millenia, I had no idea that in fact it was a crucial commodity to most cultures, playing a pivotal role in the fortunes of many countries. Because salt could be used to preserve meats and vegetables, it made food mobile and allowed long-range travel possible both on land and water. It was used as money in many places and was the direct cause of countless armed conflicts across Europe and eventually in America. I'll let you read the rest. In the meantime, you can get a glimpse into the strange world of salt mining by exploring the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a massive multi-level mine in Poland that has has been producing salt since around the tenth century. In addition to salt carvings and salt chandeliers, the mine contains chapels and ballrooms carved from the salt rock. You can take a virtual tour of the mine here.