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News too good to skip

David Copperfield has magically escaped getting robbed.

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Today’s educating bit of the day – learn a few tidbits about quantum physics and how everything ties together (not really). Learn a bit about light, matter, gravity, and more.

When small cannot get any smaller, you enter the quantum world of quarks, photons, and space-time foam. You’re welcome to take a look at this indivisible side of nature, but just remember to leave your common sense at the door.

. . .

If you split a banana, and then split it again, and again, and again… you eventually get down to cells, molecules, atoms. Each atom has a nucleus of protons and neutrons, with tiny electrons buzzing around. Both protons and neutrons contain three quarks.

But the dissection stops there: electrons and quarks are the smallest pieces of ordinary matter.

Then again, that’s what they said first about the atom, then the proton/neutron/electron. Is that really the smallest piece? Or does the answer to that depend on what “ordinary matter” is? That’s not answered in the article, but I think it’s a question worth asking. I suppose in a few years, we’ll learn there really is something smaller.

Technorati Tags: Quantum physics in brief, On light and matter and other quantum things

Debunking the whole polygraph test method

When you wonder “What were they thinking?”

Another day, another fine fine airport security idiocy to report. This time, the danger is a rubber-band ball – probably about the size of a soccer ball. The end result is jail time with no actual charges.

I was departing a small commuter airport in Southern California last week and I found myself in jail! Here’s the story with the facts, and without any “emotional hype.”

About two years ago I made a big, rubber band ball. It’s bigger than a softball, but not as big as a basketball. It’s made of 100% rubber bands, and the core is nothing but knotted rubber bands. It’s been in the trunk of a car that I own and keep down there for most of that time.

I decided to bring it home to Anchorage to work on more, and that proved to be a bad decision.

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The robots are learning humor. Perhaps in an effort to catch us all off-guard? Regardless – don’t be fooled by friendly utterances from robots!

How do you stop a robot from destroying you and the rest of civilization?
You don’t.

Little Susie tosses a clock out the window. A robot inquires, “Why did you do that?” She replies, “I wanted to see time fly!” The robot says, “Ah … A perfect subject for elimination,” and shoots her with a laser beam through the face.

(via boingboing)

Technorati Tags: Robot humor, Signs of the coming robot uprising

This is going on the Give me gifts page when I can access the site to update it. Sure, this is pricey, but for $80, you can get constant lightning in a tall glass tube. What’s not to love about that?

Technorati Tags: Lightning in a tube, Stuff I want, Give me gifts

Refrigerator marble tracks? How could that not be considered cool? Get your own set at Firebox.com for only $30.

And if that doesn’t quite catch your fancy but you like the marble theme, try out Marble Racer instead, for just $30-$40 (depending on which set you buy).

(via shinyshiny)

Technorati Tags: Marble gadgetry, Marble racing, Refrigerator marble toys

I’m not sure I’d actually celebrate on mass circumsion day – would you?

I just snagged this from Neatorama. This is a political cartoon from Steve Sack (of the Star Tribune) characterizing Saddam Hussein’s death sentence. I like it.

Technorati Tags: Hussein political cartoon, Saddam’s death sentence – reaping what he sowed