The Long Cut ...we'll get there eventually

Citizeness Kane

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Millicent Hearst

Millicent Hearst, née Millicent Veronica Willson (July 16, 1882 – December 5, 1974), was the wife of media tycoon, William Randolph Hearst. Willson was a vaudeville performer in New York City whom Hearst admired, and they married in 1903. The couple had five sons, but began to drift apart in the mid-1920s, when Millicent tired of her husband's longtime affair with the actress Marion Davies. Although they remained legally married until William's death in 1951, Millicent established a separate life in New York as a prominent socialite and philanthropist, and only rarely visited her husband at his estate in California, often referred to as "Hearst Castle".

Hmmm, kind of reminds me of a movie I saw once.

Somebody Left This Wiki In My Drawer

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Gideons International

Gideons International is an evangelical Christian organization, classified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity organization, dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible to those who might not otherwise encounter it, most famously in hotel and motel rooms. Bibles are given away in over 80 languages and more than 180 countries of the world.

OK, that solves one mystery, now what about that "Yellow Pages" cult that keeps putting their book in my hotel rooms?

Where X Is Equal To 2Y And Y Is A Whole Number Greater Than Or Equal To Fish

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Surcomplex Number

A surcomplex number is a reformulation of complex numbers, using surreal numbers instead of real numbers.

Surreal numbers?!? Are they for serious?

And here I thought I was finally getting a handle on this whole advanced mathematics thing.

And My, What A Large Endowment It Is.

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Wreck Beach

Wreck Beach is one of the largest clothing-optional beaches in the world. It is part of Pacific Spirit Regional Park, which is in turn part of the University Endowment Lands just west of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The clothing optional section is clearly marked with signs and stretches approximately 6.5 km from Acadia Beach in the north, down to the Booming Grounds Creek on the north arm of the Fraser River. The park is administered by the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), though aboriginal claims are repeatedly asserted.

You know what would make this beach even bigger of a wreck? Me on it.

Back In 1906, I Bet All They Had Was, Like, Pong And Asteroids

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Central Arcade

The Central Arcade in Newcastle upon Tyne is an elegant Edwardian shopping arcade built in 1906. It houses several shops including Windows, a specialist music shop with a wide selection of sheet music. It should not be confused with the Royal Arcade, built by John Dobson in 1832, which was demolished in the 1960s in order to build Swan House.

It should also not be confused with Hollywood Arcade, the most coolest arcade in all of Ocean City, NJ (at least according to the five year old).

They Might Be Taken A Little More Seriously If They Stopped Giving It To Larry Hagman Every Year

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is an award given by the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association to honor the best achievements in filmmaking.

I was all ready to make fun of the fact that little ol' Dallas has it's own Film Critics Association, until I remembered that they recently passed Philly to become America's fourth-largest metropolitan area. And no, as far as I can tell, the fifth-largest metropolitan does not yet have its own Film Critics Association.

Go Shorty, It Was Your Birthday A Few Days Ago

Let me tell you, that whole "and a pinch to grow an inch" thing is a load of malarkey.

Try it for yourself over at Newsweek.

[Via Verbatim (I'm 7 inches taller than the avg. Karen).]

Um, What Is "A Straight Line," Alex?

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Shortest Path Problem

In graph theory, the shortest path problem is the problem of finding a path between two vertices such that the sum of the weights of its constituent edges is minimized. An example is finding the quickest way to get from one location to another on a road map; in this case, the vertices represent locations and the edges represent segments of road and are weighted by the time needed to travel that segment.

This Wiki entry has no business being on a blog called "the Long Cut."

I Especially Liked How The Winner Would Drink A Big Post-Race Bottle Of Ensure

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Fastmasters

Fastmasters was an auto racing series in 1993 that featured notable drivers over the age of 50. Most were retired from professional racing at the time. The summer-long competition took place at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Bobby Unser won the first and only championship.

I'm not saying these guys were old, but Unser ran the entire race with his left blinker on.

[Okay, I kind of "borrowed" that joke from John Stewart.]

There's No Mention Of Them Having An IHOP, But Come On, They Just Gotta Have An IHOP

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Flippin, Arkansas
 
Flippin is a city in Marion County, Arkansas, United States. In 2005, the census estimated Flippin population at 1,396.
 
Flippin is located on a major non-interstate highway, US 412/62, in the Ozark Mountains near the South Shore of Bull Shoals Lake. The town lies between the White River and the Buffalo National River.
 
Flippin is located at 36°16′38″N, 92°35′32″W (36.277086, -92.592222)GR1.
 
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²), all land.

The article goes on to mention the Flippin economy, the Flippin Public Schools, the Flippin mayor and, of course, the Flippin Wal-Mart.

For some reason I find all of this Flippin talk flippin' hilarious.

Accent Mark

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Mid Atlantic Also known as a "Philadelphia accent" but also heard in south Jersey, Baltimore, and thereabouts.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

[Still catching up on all the memes I've been missing. This is another one Karen over at Verbatim had done, way back on June 14.]

Please Exercise Caution When Opening The Overhead Compartment, Seeing How It's The Door And All

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Handley Page Hampden

The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane raid on Cologne. The newest of the three medium bombers, the Hampden, known as the "Flying Suitcase," was still unsuited to the modern air war and, after operating mainly at night, it was retired from Bomber Command service in late 1942.

The Flying Suitcase? No wonder it wasn't very successful, the airports kept misplacing it. [rimshot]

Thank you, I'll be here all week. Be sure to tip your stewardesses.

Wow, He's The Greatest Thing Since... Well, Himself

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Otto Frederick Rohwedder

Otto Frederick Rohwedder (July 7, 1880, Des Moines, Iowa–November 8, 1960, Concord, Michigan), who grew up in Davenport, Iowa, United States, invented the first automatic bread-slicing machine.

The so-called father of sliced bread realized around 1912 that if he was to develop a successful machine for automatically slicing bread it would need to prevent the bread from going stale. His initial prototype designs held the bread firmly together with metal pins and was unsuccessful. In 1927 he designed a machine that not only sliced the bread but also wrapped it. The first machine was installed at the Chillicothe Baking Company, in Chillicothe, Missouri in 1928 and the first loaf of sliced bread was sold on July 7, 1928.

Man, I bet - no matter how you slice it - that guy was rolling in the dough.

The Duke of Er...dvilas

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Erdvilas

Erdvilas (Erdywił, Ердивил, Erdiwił, Erdwil) was one of the 21 early dukes of Lithuania who signed a treaty with Halych-Volhynia in 1219. He and Vykintas are the two dukes of Samogitia mentioned in the treaty. This is supported by the fact that the eastern part of Samogitia supported King of Lithuania Mindaugas, while the western part, ruled by Vykintas, was more hostile. That is the only mention of him in written sources. Few historians consider that Treniota, Mindaugas' nephew, was son of Erdvilas. However more prefer Vykintas as Treniota's father.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Erdvilas has left the building.

Uncultured Pearl

Wiki Wednesday - with a much-needed change-of-venue twist!

You know - you go to Wikipedia LyricWiki you click on "random article page," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Janis Joplin: Happy Birthday, John (Happy Trails)

Am I on ? OK.

Hello, John, this is Janis,
Who'd just like to wish you a very happy birthday and
Happy trails to you until we meet again
Happy trails to you, keep smiling until then.
Happy trails to you until we meet again!

Happy Birthday, John, from the Full Tilt Band!!
What'd I say ?
You wrote another song.
No, it's this song.
I'd like to do it.
Are you ready ?
Of course.
Is the tape moving ? I can do this one in one take.
I'm gonna do it again ?
Yeah.

OK by me. What ? Well, I'll do the best I can I'd like to do a song of great social and political import.
It goes like this:

And people say Janis was on drugs.

This is actually one of the last two songs Joplin record before she died. The John she's singing to is John Lennon.

I did not know that.

When You're A Node, You're A Node All The Way

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Pursuit-evasion

Pursuit-evasion (also sometimes referred to as cops and robbers) is a family of mathematical problems in which one group attempts to track down members of another group in an environment. Although early work on problems of this type modeled the environment geometrically (see e.g. Isaacs 1965) it is now common to use a formulation introduced by Parsons in 1976 in which movement is constrained by a graph.

There are innumerable possible variants of pursuit-evasion, though they tend to share many elements. A typical, basic example is as follows: Pursuers and evaders occupy nodes of a graph. The two sides take alternate turns, which consist of each member either staying put or moving along an edge to an adjacent node. If a pursuer occupies the same node as an evader the evader is captured and removed from the graph. The question usually posed is how many pursuers are necessary to ensure the eventual capture of all the evaders. [etc, etc, etc]

Dang, there are scary math problems and then there are scary math problems.

Setzen Sie Gescheiten Titel Hier Ein

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Inchenhofen

Inchenhofen is a town in the district of Aichach-Friedberg in Bavaria in Germany.

Hmm... I'd like to put my usual clever little comment here, but I don't have much to work with, do I? These snarky posts don't write themselves, you know. They're hard work sometimes. So if you can think of something good, leave it (in English or German) in the comment section.

Yeah, not so easy, is it?

With Half The Fat Of The Leading Brand Of Car-Parrinello Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics!

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

LeanCP

LeanCP is a quantum chemistry application. Many important problems in material science, chemistry, solid-state physics, and biophysics require a modeling approach based on fundamental [quantum mechanics|quantum mechanical]] principles. A particular approach that has proved to be relatively efficient and useful is Car-Parrinello ab initio molecular dynamics (CPAIMD). Parallelization of this approach beyond a few hundred processors is challenging, due to the complex dependencies among various subcomputations, which lead to complex communication optimization and load balancing problems.

LeanCP is a quantum chemistry application aimed at parallelizing CPAIMD using the Charm++ parallel programming model. The computation is modeled using a large number of virtual processors, which are mapped flexibly to available processors with assistance from the Charm++ runtime system.

Now, I know that Wiki works by trusting users to check the accuracy of entries, but how many people out there feel qualified to review an entry like this one? And yet, someone stuck this warning on the LeanCP page:

This article or section is written like an advertisement.

Oh, yeah. Let me tell you, if I see one more commercial for yet another quantum chemistry application I may just throw my TV out the window - although I did like the one where those two hot chicks got into a Schrödinger's cat-fight. Rowwr!

[For those of you who are keeping track, that's my second dumb cat joke in as many weeks.]

Mr. President, I Would Like To Yield My Remaining Three Hours Of Pointless Staring To Councilman Bunnykins

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Governing Council of the Cat Fancy

The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF), is a cat registry established 1910, is the organization that registers pedigree cats in the United Kingdom.

No doubt presided over by the Honorable Chairman Meow.

[And judging by the bizarre syntax of this wiki entry, I'm pretty sure it was written by a cat.]

Some Like It Hot And Some Sweat When The Heat Is On

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

GRES-2 Power Station

The GRES-2 Power Station (or Power Station Ekibastusz) is a power generating station in Ekibastusz, Kazakhstan. It is one of the largest coal-fired power stations in the world. GRES-2, built in 1987, has installed capacities of 2x500MW and has the world's tallest flue gas stack at 419.7 meters high. The chimney is about 38 meters taller than the Inco Superstack. Locals refer to it as "the Cigarette Lighter".

The Cigarette Lighter? It's It's 419.7 meters tall! Just how big are the cigarettes in Kazakhstan?!?

Their ashtrays must be the size of swimming pools.

Oh, and GRES-2, you may be taller, but the Inco Superstack has the much cooler name. As the missus always says, size isn't everything. Or at least that's what she always says to me.

Mailing It In

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Postal Reorganization Act

The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 abolished the United States Post Office Department, a part of the cabinet, and created the United States Postal Service, a corporation-like independent agency with an official monopoly on the delivery of mail in the United States. Pub.L. 91-375 was signed by President Richard Nixon on August 12, 1970.

The legislation was a direct outcome of the U.S. Postal Service strike of 1970.

A Postal Service strike? Good thing they stamped that out. Ha!

[Wait a minute... how could there be a "U.S. Postal Service strike" before it was even called the "U.S. Postal Service"? Looks like Wiki's made a mistake somewhere. I do believe I've found the first piece of misinformation ever to be posted on Wikipedia.]

Keepon Keeping On

It took MTV about eight years before they were airing videos this good.

[More info about Keepon here (it's a pretty cool project). Music by Spoon.]

Around Here The Only Super-Pet We're Familiar With is MJ, The Goldfish Who Will Never, Ever, Ever, Just Die Already

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Legion of Super-Pets

The Legion of Super-Pets is a fictional team of super-powered pets in the Pre-Crisis DC Universe. Members included Krypto the Super-Dog and Streaky the Supercat. The team first appeared in Adventure Comics #293 (February 1962), though most of the members had appeared in earlier issues. The alien creatures known as the Brain-Globes of Rambat decided that, in order to succeed in their plan to move Earth to their own solar system, they must defeat Superboy. When they are unable to gain control of Superboy, they summon Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the future and mentally command the trio to capture him.

After Superboy is defeated, the Brain-Globes of Rambat release their hold on the Legionnaires. When they notice that the Brain-Globes cannot control animals, the Legionnaires gather Krypto the Super-Dog (from Superboy's present), Streaky the Supercat and Beppo the Super-Monkey (from Superman's present), and Comet the Super-Horse (from a few weeks in Superman's future) to battle the aliens. The pets defeat the aliens and are named the Legion of Super-Pets, the animal branch of the super club. They are then returned to their proper time periods. Proty II would later join the team.

Whizzy has also been listed as a member.

Whizzy, as I'm sure you already know, is the telepathic 30th-Century descendant of Streaky the Supercat.

Of course he is.

[And I love how the Wiki page for Whizzy makes sure you know right off the bat that he's a fictional character.]

Get Bent

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Dysbarism

Dysbarism refers to medical conditions resulting from changes in ambient pressure. Various activities are associated with pressure changes. Scuba diving is the most frequently cited example, but pressure changes also affect people who work in pressurized environments (for example, caisson workers), and people who move between different altitudes.

This must be what Freddie Mercury was talking about when he said, "Ee do ba be Ee da ba ba ba Um bo bo Be lap."

All About The Benjamins

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Representative money

Representative money refers to money that consists of token coins a token or certificate that can be exchanged for a fixed quantity of a commodity such as gold, silver or potentially water, oil or food. This is to be distinguished from commodity money which is actually made of that real physical commodity.

Unless you're actually using a member of Congress to pay for something, in which case your representative money would in fact be an example of commodity money. Got that?

Good Luck Getting A Seat On Mischief Night

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

List of Egged bus lines

The Egged Bus Cooperative is the largest bus company in Israel, and the second largest in the world. It operates over a hundred bus lines, including internal city lines in many of Israel's cities (in others, the Dan Bus Company, Kavim, Superbus, etc. operate the internal lines), as well as most of Israel's inter-city lines. Below is a list.

While there is no consistent numbering scheme for Egged's lines, it seems to follow a few basic rules:

Internal lines, and intercity lines in rural areas, are numbered below 100
Short inter-city and suburban lines are numbered 100-299
Long-distance lines are numbered 300-999, following some basic rules:
300-399 is for lines that operate in the Southern District (and some northern lines)
400-499 is for lines that operate in the Jerusalem District (and some northern lines)
500-699 is for lines that operate in the Sharon area (and very few northern lines)
700-899 is for lines that connect the North District to more southernly parts of Israel
900-999 is for lines that connect the Haifa District and surrounding areas to more southernly parts of Israel.

Some of these routes sound like they offer some real scenic views. If only those damn kids didn't soap-up all the windows.

Pony Boy

I'm a Ford Mustang!

You're an American classic -- fast, strong, and bold.  You're not snobby or pretentious, but you have what it takes to give anyone a run for their money.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

[Via Karen, and exactly the sportscar I want most (but a '66, not that '07 up there).]

This Is How We Unroll

[Oh, man, I got so excited about Pi(e) Day that I forgot all about Wiki Wednesday (so many geeky events, so little time). Here it is, just be sure to change "Wednesday" to "Thursday" and write in "pizza" where it says "machine gun."]
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Unrolled linked list

In computer programming, an unrolled linked list is a variation on the linked list which stores multiple elements in each node. It can drastically increase cache performance, while decreasing the memory overhead associated with storing list metadata such as references. It is related to the skip list and the B-tree.

Does anyone remember Skip List and the B-Trees?. I had all their records.

Pie Pie Nerdy

Jim over the Velvet Blog (your source for spontaneous combustion vietnamese meatballs) made a joke of the fact that today is Pi Day (since it's March 14th, which would be written "3.14" - the value of pi - if anyone actually wrote dates like that).

He pretty much implied that only the nerdiest of nerds would celebrate such a nerdy holiday, but it was too late - he had mentioned pies. The idea was instantly and quite firmly planted in my brain.

So I stopped at the Ac-a-me on the way home and we celebrated Pi(e) Day. Except for the four-year-old who didn't want any pie! (I might just do a DNA test on him tomorrow).

Celebrating Pi(e) Day not nerdy enough for you? Fine, how about this?

That's right, it's pie squared! Ha!

I'd give that joke a 9.8696044.

In '65 '85 Tension Was Running High At My High School

Hey! Still here, still alive, feeling much, much, better but still taking it easy. I appreciate all the concern people have shown for my well-being, but you should all know that passing out is kind of a hobby of mine. Some people enjoy canasta, I like waking up on bathroom floors. Maybe one day when I'm feeling better I'll tell you guys all about my many moments of unconsciousness.

Rather than stay up late writing posts and reading other blogs like I usually do, I'm going to try to get some more of the type of sleep that doesn't leave tile marks on my face. For the time being expect the kind of posts from me that don't involve a lot of thinking (yeah, I know, what else is new).

Like this one: this was a meme that went around a little bit a while back but I forgot to do it, which is unusual since it involves that other meme favorite of mine, Wikipedia.

It's real simple: on your blog or in the comments, post your high school's wiki entry. Here's mine:

Holy Cross High School (New Jersey). Class of '86, by the way.

I Don't Even Want To Know What They Call The Class That Were Named After Villages Like Sussex and Essex

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

HMS Wexham

HMS Wexham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.

Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Wexham in Berkshire.

Mmmm.... ham.

Well, That Certainly Would Explain The 1,313,973,713 Hits I Got Today

I'm getting through, are you?

[via Howard, who wonders if I may have been born a poor, computer-generated child.]

If I Lived In A Town With That Name, I'd Be Moving

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Shellow Bowels

Shellow Bowels is a village and civil parish in Essex, United Kingdom. It is located 6 miles (9.6km) to the west of Chelmsford. The village church, dedicated to St Peter and St Paul, is no longer in use as such, having become a private dwelling.

Heh, heh, you said "bowels."

And How Would One Say "Hell, No" In Sardinian?

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Casu marzu

Casu marzu (also called casu modde, casu cundhídu, or in Italian formaggio marcio) is a cheese found in Sardinia, Italy, notable for being riddled with live insect larvae. Casu marzu means "rotten cheese" in Sardinian.

Derived from Pecorino Sardo, casu marzu goes beyond typical fermentation to a stage most would consider to be decomposition, brought about by the digestive action of the larvae of the cheese fly, Piophila casei. These larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese, promoting an advanced level of fermentation and breaking down the cheese's fats. The texture of the cheese becomes very soft, with some liquid (called "lagrima", from the Sardinian for "tears") seeping out. The larvae themselves appear as translucent, white worms, about 8 mm (1/3 inch) long. When disturbed, the larvae can jump for distances up to 15 cm (6 inches), prompting recommendations of eye protection for those eating the cheese. Some people clear the larvae from the cheese before consuming; others do not.

Here's your Long Cut tip of the day: if your waitress asks "with or without the larvae," quickly change your order to something from the kiddie menu. Same goes for food that requires eye protection.

[Sorry if anybody was eating while they read this. Now excuse me while I contemplate a vegan lifestyle.]

I Don't Know About You, But When I Hear "Outstanding National Beauty" I'm Thinking "Nuclear Power Station"

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Cemaes

Cemaes is a village on the north coast of Anglesey in Wales (grid reference SH369933), on Cemaes Bay, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is partly owned by the National Trust. It is home to both a wind farm and a nuclear power station (Wylfa). It is also a fishing port and is known for its beach. The village also has a football team, Cemaes Bay F.C., that play in the Welsh Alliance League, but once got as high as the League of Wales, becoming the first team on Anglesey to do so.

Cemaes is the most northerly village in Wales and its development has been shaped by the natural resources available to it. Cemaes Bay is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, some of which is owned by the National Trust. The village includes a sheltered natural harbour that looks north to the Irish Sea and is a site of an ancient settlement that in more recent centuries has become a centre for maritime activities. [etc. etc. etc.]

Why do I get the feeling that "Outstanding National Beauty" is proudly and boldly stated by the residents of Cemaes as often as possible?

"I was out there at the area of OUTSTANDING NATIONAL BEAUTY today just admiring those cooling towers."

"I hear those windmills over at the area of OUTSTANDING NATIONAL BEAUTY are killing hundreds of birds a day."

"Seriously? The local footballers have made it into the Welsh Alliance League? Wow, that just makes living in an area of OUTSTANDING NATIONAL BEAUTY that much more OUTSTANDING."

Eh, maybe not.

[In my mind's ear all those quotes were said as if they were spoken by the two guys in the Brilliant! Guinness ads. This post is a lot funnier if you read them that way.]

[Eh, maybe not.]

Do I Buy Myself A Mustang Or A Corvette?

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Crisis of the Late Middle Ages

Around the start of the 14th century a series of events began that brought centuries of European prosperity and growth to a halt. Three major crises would lead to radical changes in all areas of society - they were demographic collapse, political instabilities and lastly religious upheavals.

A series of famines and plagues, beginning with the Great Famine of 1315-1317 and specially the Black Death of 1348, reduced the population perhaps by half or more. Along with depopulation came social unrest and endemic warfare. Popular revolts in late medieval Europe were common, civil wars between nobles within countries were common such as the War of the Roses, and there were international conflicts between kings such as France and England in the Hundred Years' War. The unity of the Catholic Church was shattered by the Great Schism. The Holy Roman Empire was also in decline, in the aftermath of the Interregnum (1247-1273), the Empire lost cohesion and politically the separate dynasties of the various German states became more important than their common empire.

Hmm, maybe a new Corvette wouldn't be a solution here, seeing how fourteenth century men hit their mid-life crisis crisis of the late middle ages at about age twelve. That's way before they would have gotten their driver's license.

Playing Baseball Is A Perfectly Fine Way To Make A Living, Son, But Your Mother And I Were Kind Of Hoping You'd Grow Up To Be President Or A Roman Emperor Or At The Very Least A Small Town In Oklahoma

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Cal McLish

Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish (born December 1, 1925 in Anadarko, Oklahoma) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1944, 1946), Pittsburgh Pirates (1947-1948), Chicago Cubs (1949, 1951), Cleveland Indians (1956-1959), Cincinnati Reds (1960), Chicago White Sox (1961) and Philadelphia Phillies (1962-1964). He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.

In a 15-season career, McLish posted a 92-92 record with 713 strikeouts and a 4.00 ERA in 1609.0 innings pitched.

I even went and did a little more research on Cal: he ended his career with my Phillies and had the distinction of being both the youngest National League player during the 1956 season and the oldest National League player during the 1964 season. Though Phillies phans would rather you not mention the 1964 season.

Nice Going, Einstein

I rock the house, big time. How 'bout you?

[Via The Morning News]

I'm Not Bad, I'm Just Recorded That Way

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Bad Sector

Bad Sector is ambient/noise project formed in 1992 in Tuscany, Italy by Massimo Magrini. Genre of Bad Sector could be discussed, though this project is well recognized as industrial and Magrini himself name it as "deeply emotional dark ambient noise" [1].

Bad Sector music has been also presented live in several European countries.

Well, if I'm ever in the mood for deeply emotional dark ambient noise, I'll know just where to go.

To a shrink.

Enlaaaarge Y0ur Cocksureness Now!

Am I the only one overcome by uncertainty every time this message appears while emptying the spam folder?

Well. I was pretty sure I was sure, but now I'm not so sure.

Then I double check, and it's always all spam. But, but, but.... I still feel like I have to double check.

Advance Token To The Nearest Meme And Pay Wiki Twice The Rental To Which He Is Otherwise Entitled.

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) is one of the oldest railroads in the United States, with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland, west to the Ohio River at Wheeling and Parkersburg, West Virginia. It is now part of the CSX network, and includes the oldest operational railroad bridge in the world. The B&O also included the Leiper Railroad, the first permanent railroad in the U.S.

The railroad's former shops in Baltimore, including the Mt. Clare roundhouse, now house the B&O Railroad Museum.

And it's a bargain at just $200.

Perhaps You're Familiar With His "Ode To A Bananaphone"?

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Raffi (poet)

Hakob Melik-Hakobian (also Hagop Hagopian) (1835 Bayajuk (Salmas area), Persia – 1888 Tbilisi, Georgia), better known by his pen name Raffi (Armenian: Րաֆֆի), was an Armenian author and poet. Raffi was a seminal novelist, often called the founder of the Armenian historical novel.

Originally from Iran, he made his debut as a writer in Tiflis, away from his native land, joining the literary school of Mshak, which was an Armenian journal founded by Grigor Arzrouni in 1872. This publication under the leadership of its founder and editor, played a striking role in inspiring enlightenment and causing the awakening of the Armenian people from the lethargy in which the vast majority slumbered for centuries after they lost their political independence in 1393.

"Sure, go on; laugh at Raffi's obscurity in the world of poetry. But one day ONE DAY! - it may be tomorrow, it may take until the turn of the millennium (give or take a few years) - children around the world will beg their parents to purchase my works. Then THEN! Raffi will finally be taken seriously."

Also Stacked On The Price Is Right: Dian Parkinson

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Stack the Deck

Stack the Deck is a pricing game on The Price Is Right. Debuting on October 9, 2006, it is played for a car, and the set pieces have a card game theme, hence the name.

The contestant is shown seven numbered cards for a car with a five-digit price. The contestant must choose the digits in the price of the car in order. However, before picking numbers, the contestant is given an opportunity to "stack the deck" in his favor and be given up to three numbers in their correct positions.

The contestant is shown a pair of grocery items and a price, and must choose which product matches that price (a la 1 Right Price). If successful, the contestant may choose any number in the price of the car to be revealed. There are three pairs of items, so up to three numbers may be revealed.

After the three prices have been guessed, the contestant fills in the remaining slots using the remaining cards. Once all five digits in the car price are guessed, the correct price is revealed; if all of the digits are right, the contestant wins the car. Otherwise, s/he loses.

And please, have your pets stacked or neutered.

[I admit I had to look up Dian Parkinson's name.]

Even Their Name Is Annoying

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Onsert

In advertising, an onsert is a separate advertisement put in a magazine, newspaper, or other publication. Onserts are affixed to a page, and may be a sample of a product, a compact disk, magnet, a small booklet or even a targeted advertisement.

Arrrrg! The Post-It note's evil cousin. I've always hated these things, I just never knew what they were called.

Some Folks Are So Smart That They Can Play Chess Using 96 Pieces That Move 68 Different Ways. I, On The Other Hand, Like To Make Horsey Sounds Whenever I Move My Knights.

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Dai dai shogi

Daidai shōgi ('huge chess') is a large board variant of shogi (Japanese chess). The game dates back to the 15th century and is based on the earlier Dai shogi. Apart from its size, the major difference is in the range of the pieces and the “promotion by capture” rule. It is the smallest board variant to use this rule.

Rules of the game

Objective
The objective is to capture the opponent's king. Unlike standard shogi, pieces may not be dropped back into play after being captured.

Game equipment
Two players, Black and White (or sente and gōte), play on a board composed of squares in a grid of 17 ranks (rows) by 17 files (columns) with a total of 289 squares. The squares are undifferentiated by marking or color.

Each player has a set of 96 wedge-shaped pieces of 64 different types. In all, the players must remember 68 different moves. The pieces are of slightly different sizes, from largest to smallest (or roughly most to least powerful.) they are:

1 King
1 Free king
1 Rushing bird
1 Free demon
1 Free tapir
1 Water buffalo
1 Dragon king
1 Dragon horse
1 Square mover
1 Racing chariot
1 Rook
1 Bishop
1 Golden bird
1 Great dragon
1 Standard bearer
1 Fragrant elephant
1 White elephant
1 Lion
1 Lion dog
1 Dove
1 She-devil
1 Blue dragon
1 White tiger
1 Right chariot
1 Left chariot
1 Phoenix
1 Kirin
1 Poisonous snake
1 Old kite
2 Violent oxen
1 Flying dragon
1 Enchanted fox
1 Old rat
1 Enchanted badger
1 Flying horse
1 Prancing stag
2 Savage tigers
1 Hook mover
1 Long-nosed goblin
1 Northern barbarian
1 Southern barbarian
1 Eastern barbarian
1 Western barbarian
1 Neighboring king
1 Blind monkey
2 Ferocious leopards
2 Evil Wolves
2 Violent bears
1 Right general
1 Left general
2 Gold generals
2 Silver generals
2 Copper generals
2 Iron generals
2 Wood generals
2 Stone generals
2 Angry boars
1 Cat sword
2 Reverse chariots
2 Lances
2 Side movers
2 Vertical movers
2 Howling Dogs
17 Pawns

Many of the English-language names are chosen to correspond to their rough equivalents in Western chess, not necessarily as translations of the Japanese names.

Each piece has its name in the form of two Japanese characters marked on its face. On the reverse side of some pieces are one or two other characters, often in a different color (e.g., red instead of black); this reverse side is used to indicate that the piece has been promoted during play. The pieces of the two sides do not differ in color, but instead each piece is shaped like a wedge, and faces forward, toward the opposing side. This shows who controls the piece during play.

Because regular chess isn't hard enough already.

Murder, Or Murder Not. There Is No Shall.

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Wuest Expanded Translation

The Wuest Expanded Translation (1961, Professor Kenneth S. Wuest) is a literal New Testament translation which follows quite strictly the word order in the Greek.

John 1:1-3

In the beginning the Word was existing. And the Word was in fellowship with God the Father. And the Word was as to His essence absolute deity. This Word was in the beginning in fellowship with God the Father. All things through His intermediate agency came into being, and without Him there came into being not even one thing which has come into existence.

I know there's people out there who translate Shakespeare into Klingon, but it seems a bit sacrilege to imagine the Bible as written by Yoda.

She Really Ought To Give All Those Wickets Back To Their Rightful Owners

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Catherine Campbell

Catherine Anne Campbell (born 20 July 1963 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a former New Zealand cricketer. Campbell played in 9 women's Test matches, in which she took 18 wickets. In her 85 women's one-day internationals, she took 78 wickets. She stood in as captain in two ODIs in 2000/1, which were both won.

Well, she's certainly no slogger when it comes to glancing the half-volley, now is she? (I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. Why can't these blokes and Sheilas just play baseball like normal people?)

Lüsers

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

The Accüsed

The Accüsed is a hardcore punk and crossover band from Seattle, WA.

Formed in 1981 in Oak Harbor, Washington by bassist Chibon Batterman, Dana Collins and guitarist Tom Niemeyer. John Dahlin was the vocalist from 1983-1984, when the addition of Blaine Cook (frontman of Seattle hardcore punk group The Fartz) caused the band to progress towards a more heavy metal-based sound. The band dubbed their style--distinguished by Blaine's unusual choking-sound vocals, buzzsaw guitars, dark metallic riffs, and rapid-fire drumming--"splatter rock," and recorded five full-length albums between their inception and 1990s hiatus... [blah, blah, blah]

"Unusual choking-sound vocals." As opposed to your everyday, run-of-the-mill, choking-sound vocals?

A Right For Which We Must All Fight

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Party (disambiguation)

A party is a social gathering primarily for celebration and recreation.

Party may also mean:

• Party (law), a person or group of persons composing a single entity for the purposes of the law
• Party (pronoun), first party, second party, or third party means me,you, or them
• Political party, an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government
• Third party (politics), any minor party in any two-party system
• Party (role-playing games), a group of characters adventuring together in a role-playing game
• Wedding party, the bride, groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen and sometimes other participants in a wedding
• Architectural parti, the underlying idea behind a work of architecture.

In video games:

• First-party developer, part of a company that actually manufactures a video game console
• Second-party developer, tied to and makes games specifically for one console manufacturer
• Third-party developer, not directly tied to the primary product the consumer is using.

Kick it!

They Forgot "Inconceivable!"

Time for Wiki Wednesday.

You know - you go to Wikipedia, you click on "random article," you report on the outcome.

Here's my random Wiki Wednesday find for this week:

Modal logic

In philosophical logic, a modal logic is any logic for handling modalities: concepts like possibility, impossibility, and necessity. Logics for handling a number of other ideas, such as eventually, formerly, can, could, might, may, must are by extension also called modal logics, since it turns out that these can be treated in similar ways.

A formal modal logic represents modalities using unary modal operators. For example, "Jones's murder was a possibility"; "Jones was possibly murdered"; and "It is possible that Jones was murdered," all contain the notion of possibility; in a modal logic this is represented as an operator, Possibly, attaching to the sentence Jones was murdered.

The basic modal operators are usually written (or L) for Necessarily and (or M) for Possibly. Each can be defined from the other and negation. For example:

Thus it is possible that Jones was murdered if and only if it is not necessary that Jones was not murdered.

Hello! My name is Inigo Jones! It is possible that you killed my father, though not necessary. Prepare to die!

[Can someone give me the proper cinematic response to the title of this post?]