Category: Not-politics

Atlantis tsunami!

…No, almost certainly not: 300 BC is well within the historical era. Still, this is interesting:

Ancient tsunami ‘hit New York’

A huge wave crashed into the New York City region 2,300 years ago, dumping sediment and shells across Long Island and New Jersey and casting wood debris far up the Hudson River.

The scenario, proposed by scientists, is undergoing further examination to verify radiocarbon dates and to rule out other causes of the upheaval.

Sedimentary deposits from more than 20 cores in New York and New Jersey indicate that some sort of violent force swept the Northeast coastal region in 300BC.

…if only because I don’t think that there are contemporary reports of anything happening on the other side of the Atlantic, although at that latitude… no, the Iberian peninsula had cities at that point; somebody would have noticed, say, a big honking asteroid hitting the ocean.

Ach, well: link it up with the legend of Ys and hope that your players only half-remember their Poul Anderson. Or that they like big honking asteroids more than they do accurate mythological references.

“Michael Vick in Talks to Become PETA Spokesman.”

No, really. Via AoSHQ Headlines:

Michael Vick in Talks to Become PETA Spokesman

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Michael Vick is in talks to become the new spokesman for PETA.

Yes, you read that correctly. The disgraced one-time NFL superstar serving prison time for funding an illegal dog-fighting ring is primed to do public-service ads for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals upon his release later this month. According to three people with knowledge of the matter, the proposed endorsement is part of a comprehensive PR scheme aimed at rehabilitating the quarterback’s image and gaining him readmission to the league that banned him from playing.

That’s almost a “I got nothing, sorry” – but not quite. It’s because of this:

Before doing a deal, however, PETA wants Mr. Vick to undergo a psychological evaluation for antisocial personality disorder.

Ach, well. Broken clock, twice a day, and all that.

I may actually have to pick this game up.

Disturbing final song and everything.

I mean, Portal’s
bloody cheap now. Of course, so was Tomb Raider Anniversary, and that might take me a while to run through. I think that this is the secret: wait until the cool games are sufficiently old enough that you can buy them for cheap and play them on obsolete computers.

Hey: I’m lame. I admit it.

Moe Lane

Giant, scary-looking bug given computer control chip.

What could possibly go wrong? (Via Steve Jackson Games)

The Army’s Remote-Controlled Beetle
The insect’s flight path can be wirelessly controlled via a neural implant.

A giant flower beetle with implanted electrodes and a radio receiver on its back can be wirelessly controlled, according to research presented this week. Scientists at the University of California developed a tiny rig that receives control signals from a nearby computer. Electrical signals delivered via the electrodes command the insect to take off, turn left or right, or hover in midflight. The research, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), could one day be used for surveillance purposes or for search-and-rescue missions.

Ah, DARPA: Eager to have you show them; to show them ALL!!!!! since 1972.  Not that I mind… just so long as they avoid putting the X-Ray lasers or psionic hallucination projectors that DARPA-of-course-doesn’t-have on these suckers.  Mad science is all very well, but WiFi isn’t what you’d call secure, you know what I mean?

cyborg_x220

I’m missing the “Outrageous” part of Outrageous Military Experiments.

The 10 Most Outrageous Military Experiments, via Fark.

Going down the list: the plutonium one might be a bit dicey, although I presume that the accident victim was brain-dead already. The hallucinogenic warfare one, likewise kind of ethically challenging. And the psychic vision one… well, no moral objections there. But the rest of them seem pretty straightforward. Pretty impressive heroism there on the part of the volunteers, even. Especially the guys that volunteered for bioweapons vaccine testing.

Your random evocation of Opus for the day.

No real reason.


George the Kiwi: ALBATROSS. Just be glad your wife didn’t leave you for an albatross.
Ronald-Anne: Good, George, confront your feelings.
George the Kiwi: My puny kiwi wings weren’t big enough for Delores. Oh no, oh no… she had to have AN ALBATROSS. With great big huge LONG WINGS. He was on hormones. You heard me, read my beak: HORMONES.
Opus: Uh, maybe we shouldn’t confront those particular feelings.