I’m (very approximately) the 77,711,816,278th person ever born. What number are you?

Data obtained by NASA’s Kepler mission has been put up with a nice, simple interface. And you, yes you, can aid in the ongoing search for extrasolar planets. With a short learning curve, it has already become my favorite ‘wind down’ activity. It seems it may have eclipsed Angry Birds….

So you know how Einstein showed that time is relative? And that time for someone moving quickly is different for someone staying still? And that gravity causes the exact same effect? Now clocks have gotten so precise that a team of researchers has measured time dilation in every-day scenarios: time moves differently for two clocks that are just one meter apart in height — even a tiny difference in gravitational pull changes time’s rate; and time moves differently for a clock on a freaking swing compared to a clock that is stationary. Don’t take my word for it. Read the article. (But you have to subscribe to the journal Science…. Sorry. But you can check out the podcast!)

The Times has an interesting article about our technology-warped brains. Brrrraaaaaaaains. The best part are the interactive tests, one tests your focus, the other your ability to change tasks.

While looking for an online Latin-English translator we discovered that there really isn’t a good one. Or many at all. This one, though it appears to be from 1995, worked the best. Maybe there’s a really good one you’ve come across?

Otherwise, this is still a service that you can pay for on the Internet. And Lord knows how cheap I am. Nice that there’s some work for classicist out there.

Bleah! Another thing to think about when unable to sleep at night.

Stumbled upon while researching warm springs in Oregon.

I had a dream on Tuesday night in which someone explained to me that before records and wax cylinders, snakes were a choice recording medium. I don’t know how you’d use or play them back, maybe like a wire recorder? Anyhow I recall looking into a basket of snakes and each one was a different song. I think a label on the basket lid told you which was what.

It wasn’t this.

I dreamed a song this morning, and just as my eyes opened I realized it was They Might Be Giants playing the song. Their distinctive sound and voices were playing this refrain:

There’s a kaleidoscope on fire
It’s indefensible the way these lenses tend to burn

So my question is, is this a real song by TMBG, or did my brain make it up? It’s so loud, it feels so real… please make it stop….

Random Wikipedia.

Random WikiMedia.

Random Website.

Random Perry Bible Fellowship.

lurch |lərtʃ| |ləːtʃ|
noun (in phrase leave someone in the lurch)
leave an associate or friend abruptly and without assistance or support in a difficult situation.

ORIGIN mid 16th cent. (denoting a state of discomfiture): from French lourche, the name of a game resembling backgammon, used in the phrase demeurer lourche ‘be discomfited.’

The other meaning of lurch has an interesting derivation too:

lurch |lər ch |
noun [usu. in sing. ]
an abrupt uncontrolled movement, esp. an unsteady tilt or roll : the boat gave a violent lurch, and he missed his footing.

verb [ intrans. ]
make an abrupt, unsteady, uncontrolled movement or series of movements; stagger : the car lurched forward | Stuart lurched to his feet | figurative he was lurching from one crisis to the next.

ORIGIN late 17th cent. (as a noun denoting the sudden leaning of a ship to one side): of unknown origin.

Ah, but there’s more; it may be related to the word for lax, or to lurk (as in ambush)–but are the two meanings related to each other?

A bit literal, I’m afraid, if one goes into it.

If I had gotten this inspiring rant, maybe I would have amounted to something. Come to think of it, I don’t know that I’ve ever been the target class for a good commencement address. Martin Scorsese was at my college graduation, picked up his honorary diploma, and sat down without a word to us. I think we got the Assistant Secretary of Education or something.

The lower appellate court opinion reveals the Wiccan group was exempted from paying sales tax on copies of the Bible and Quran, but forced to pay sales tax on the Satanic Bible and the Witches Bible.

(They lost, by the way.) So where to go when you need pagan legal advice? Pagan Village News? Or maybe Witch School dot com, which has a course entitled Pagans and The Law.

Perhaps it’s best to just go to The Pagan Law Firm. Judging from the solicitation they just stuck in my mail box, I think they are calling it that because it’s Spanish for “they pay.” But they may be surprised by the number of wiccans who contact them….

Here’s a nice optical illusion from the Australian Herald Sun. I wouldn’t read too far into the result, but it’s interesting. Actually, if you see it counter-clockwise, let me know, because I not only see it clockwise but am unable to see how it could be seen counter-clockwise. Is this a “trick” trick?

And here’s an article and discussion about the dancer with a more “sciencey” tilt.

First season of this excellent silly British science educational television show parody is available on YouTube. Music, voice-over, and appearance is spot-on for late 1970s-early 80s programs of this ilk. Just watch the opening credits with the BASIC programming, cheesy music, and that globe in the word “you” and you’ll get it pretty quick. Preposterous stuff. Each episode is about 9 minutes long. Get your copy books ready.

1.Maths
2.Water
3.Germs
4.Ghosts
5.Sulphur
6.Music
7.Iron
8.Brain

Season two changed format to longer shows with hosts and guest inventors–also funny stuff, but so far I prefer the first season.

Googlegwork: research done on-line.

Gazealot (ga-ZELL-ut) noun: one whose spiritual explorations hop about as quickly as fashion trends, but who, at any given time, is ultra-enthusiastic and insistent on the veracity of their current beliefs. Can also be applied to non-spiritual pursuits.

etymology: gazelle and zealot, methinks.

Perhaps these functions are somewhere on their regular, overly-busy, premium site — I don’t know. Sure is nice to have it plain and simple like this, though.

Hours of wordly fun.