Friday Ephemera

Wingsuits and a cloud tunnel, above Toogoolawah, Australia. || Elephant Rock, Iceland. || It’s a head-scratcher. || Sea slugs and stolen venom. || Today’s word is inevitable. || Cuttings from the Clown Quarter, #3,096. || For Martian coin collectors. || A map of corruption. || A museum of web design. (h/t, Coudal) || Behold this year’s finalists in World Championship Death Diving. || Dubai’s desert highways. || On the edge(s) of the Universe. || 2001 in tweet form. (h/t, Things) || Spare arms. || Smoothly done, Mr Burke. || Heh. || How to keep the cat downstairs. || Yes, it sagged and was prone to melting, but on the upside, it was easy to lift when hoovering. || And finally, a crafty peek at a butterfly’s genitalia.

Comments

[Pogonip]

David, the Heh tweet has been taken down. What was it about?

[Pogonip]

Good news, gentlemen! Cuddles the pickled “egg” has been recaptured, it is now safe to enter the men’s room. You will no longer have to run down to the Golden Arches and try to sneak into the McPotty.

Although I think it’s high time McDonald’s unbanned us. The devastation wasn’t THAT extensive.

[Daniel Ream]

Cuttings from the Clown Quarter, #3,096

Time to call the alumni affairs office and remind them why I don't give them money.

Spare arms

I'll be at the table in the corner, waving my glow-in-the-dark watch at this spider and trying to get it to bite me.

[Fred the Fourth]

Oh, Mr. Burke. Great timing, but...
I seriously doubt any of the rocket in that clip were firing just hydrogen and oxygen. That smoke and the orange glow? That's from carbon compounds and other complexes. H2+O2 gives 2H2O and a basically invisible flame.
The second shown, with side boosters on a central core, is probably a Titan III-C. Those boosters are solid fuel rockets, very different chemistry than the subject of Burke's commentary.
Wanna know more than you want to know about rocket fuels?
Look at
https://library.sciencemadness.org/library/books/ignition.pdf
/pedantmode

[Ted S., Catskill Mtns., NY, USA]

If you're going to be a pedant, it's 2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O, since it has to balance out. :-p

[PiperPaul]

"pair of arms that can be controlled by a remote operator"

Just think of the practical joke opportunities!

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Better acting than comes from Hollywood, as this lady takes on an IRS scammer from the subcontinent - stick with it, it gets pretty funny.

[Darleen Click]

Ladies of a certain age are mourning this evening.

Yes, I'm of that certain age.

[Pogonip]

Me too.

[Governor Squid]

David, the Heh tweet has been taken down. What was it about?

It's not just that tweet. @Mellecon seems to be no more.

Did somebody poke fun at a Democrat? You know that's not allowed...

[Governor Squid]

Dubai’s desert highways.

The folks in Minot take a look at those photos and just laugh and laugh. "Those drifts are only a couple of feet deep! What are they worried about?"

[Daniel Ream]

Ladies of a certain age are mourning this evening.

Not just the ladies. Man, Burt made it look easy. In an age where snark and ironic detachment amongst 'heroes' is the norm, I miss a little honest swagger.

Saw the trailer for Glass today. It's going to be a nice palate cleanser after the MCU.

[Hal]

Smoothly done, Mr Burke.

I saw hm talk in person a couple of times a bit back. Friends were wondering what the fuss was about, so I gave 'em a description.

Imagine the average metal rock concert. You've got the band up on stage, they're screaming their heads off, bouncing around with their instruments. In turn, the audience is bouncing along, screaming their heads off, applauding wildly.

Imagine the average Uni physics or history lecture. You've got some middle aged guy up at the podium commenting on this thing, that thing, consider this view of that, Etc. In turn, the audience is nodding along, mebbe taking some notes, some nodding along, mebbe taking a nap.

Now imagine the average James Burke lecture. Quite by contrast, you've got some middle aged guy up at the podium commenting on this thing, that thing, consider this view of that, Etc. In turn, the audience is bouncing along, screaming their heads off, applauding wildly.

[Fred the Fourth]

Oops.
My excuse is i was a comp sci guy, not a chemist. Which probably also explains those neural side effects from that "alcohol" I had to consume myself after David's purchasing manager henchlesbian refused to accept my last delivery. Fat cow.

[[+]]

Antifa Arrests. https://antifaarrests.wordpress.com/

[Clam]

Genius.

[David]

Morning, all.

David, the Heh tweet has been taken down. What was it about?

It was... um. Actually, I can’t remember.

Hey, don’t judge me. I’ve posted over 11,000 of the bloody things. :-)

[Alice]

Behold this year’s finalists in World Championship Death Diving.

Ow. Ow. OW. OW.

[David]

Yes, I’m of that certain age.

[ Fetches comfy chair for Darleen. ]

Are you warm enough, dear?

[David]

“Peace activist.”

[David]

You know when you’ve been enriched.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Well, OK, if you say so, but not exactly a compelling argument.

[Adam]

I find that I am not able to appreciate the wingsuit videos because the demographics of the wingsuiters are not transparent. This omission speaks volumes about the privileged assumptions of the 'suitors'. What efforts has the Wingsuit Community made in outreach to underserved Communities and People of Color? What are they afraid of?

[WTP]

Well, OK, if you say so, but not exactly a compelling argument.

What a dick.

Sorry, I had to.

[Connor]

You know when you’ve been enriched.

The thieving scum don't look frightened because nobody does anything.

[David]

The thieving scum don’t look frightened because nobody does anything.

Well, the odds of them being arrested, let alone of facing adequate punishment, are fairly slim. And of course, an unarmed population is easier to prey upon with impunity, especially if said population is wary that any serious attempt at intervention might result in themselves being arrested for doing the right thing. And that is now very much a common perception.

[pst314]

said population is wary that any serious attempt at intervention might result in themselves being arrested for doing the right thing

I am pretty darn sure that is an intended outcome of current law and policy. And it is a chief (albeit unadmitted) motivation of those in America who want to ban private firearms ownership.

[pst314]

Well, OK, if you say so, but not exactly a compelling argument.

Well there's a thing: A pussy wearing a condom. :-|
(Or is that pushing too far on this blog's boundaries of good taste, David?)

[David]

(Or is that pushing too far on this blog’s boundaries of good taste, David?)

This blog has tags for political nipples, the politics of buttocks and giant vaginas.

[pst314]

:-D
But I was uncertain if calling someone a giant vagina was too uncivil. (Wanders off to begin writing an extended "Jane, you ignorant slut" diatribe.)

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

All of social media explained in one image.

[David]

All of social media explained in one image.

The lady appears to have dislocated one of her buttocks.

[Pogonip]

Because Siamese-type kittens, with their little pansy faces, are the cutest things going next to poodle puppies, I give you:

https://goodmorningkitten.com/kitten/3815/

Don’t let those first couple of pictures scare you off, they did grow hair on their legs. No “nude kittens” need added to the categories of “giant vaginas” and such.

[Peter H]

Amusing:
http://knuckledraggin.com/2018/09/whys-everybody-always-gotta-complicate-shit/

[Pogonip]

Hee hee hee. 😄

[Pogonip]

The ultimate Everyday Feminism headline:

https://everydayfeminism.com/2018/05/decolonizing-nonprofits/

😄

[Sam]

It’s a head-scratcher.

Wait, I thought all rape and incest babies were aborted, right? Isn't that the mic dropper argument for the practice?

[Sam]

Behold this year’s finalists in World Championship Death Diving.

How dare you link to an event that so brazenly objectifies young, fit men?! Women and certain men might derive pleasure from those bodies therefore it should be banned! At the very least it should include 50% fit bikini-clad women to avoid perpetuating the homonormative matriarchy. NOT [clap] OK [clap] DAVID [clap]

[David]

NOT [clap] OK [clap] DAVID [clap]

I denounce myself.

[David]

Um.

[Sam]

What a couple of squares amiright?

[Sam Duncan]

“Smoothly done, Mr Burke.”

Connections is simply the finest TV show ever made.

“That smoke and the orange glow? That's from carbon compounds and other complexes. H2+O2 gives 2H2O and a basically invisible flame.”

Wow, talk about coincidence. (Note the date on the vid. I didn't know any of this stuff until Monday. Well, I mean, I did - school chemistry covered the basics, obviously - but never really took much notice of the colour of rocket exhausts before.)

“Not just the ladies.”

Nope.

“Man, Burt made it look easy. In an age where snark and ironic detachment amongst 'heroes' is the norm, I miss a little honest swagger.”

Yep.

[Sam Duncan]

Barrel organ made with lasers. (Not as spectacular as it sounds. But still pretty cool.)

[Darleen Click]

Are you warm enough, dear?

Actually, could you open a window? There's a good lad. :)

[Darleen Click]

Re: "decolonizing non-profits"

When advocating for better conditions for myself and co-workers of color, such as livable wages and mandatory anti-oppression training for staff, I’ve been penalized more often than not. It’s been tough to suffer these injustices at places that claim to adhere to social justice.

In other words, while voluntarily choosing to work at a non-profit, instead of focusing on the the organization's mission, it is just another opportunity for this entitled freak to harangue her managers for her own profit and harass her co-workers who are not "woke" enough.

Yep, this is exactly the kind of person I would hire.

[Daniel Ream]

H2+O2 gives 2H2O and a basically invisible flame.
never really took much notice of the colour of rocket exhausts before.

Another addition to the once you've seen it you can't unsee it category, what's burning in that epic photo of the Hindenburg isn't hydrogen.

[pst314]

Yep, this is exactly the kind of person I would hire.

I'd hire her. For the Golgafrincham Ark B.

[David]

Actually, could you open a window? There’s a good lad. :)

[ Rummages in lost property box. Produces enormous, ornately patterned paper fan. ]

[Pogonip]

Darleen, I knew cats would be somewhere in that pompous little bio of hers.

Not that I have anything against CATS, but certain PEOPLE give the poor little critters a bad reputation.

I wonder, why is it always cats? Why not dogs, horses, goats, guinea pigs, goldfish?

[Simen Thoresen]

I'm intolerably late to the game tonight.

Culture and fashion of today;
https://youtu.be/cwQgjq0mCdE

We live in the golden age.

-S

[David]

We live in the golden age.

[ Cough. ]

[Darleen Click]

I wonder, why is it always cats? Why not dogs, horses, goats, guinea pigs, goldfish?

Bet her cats are as aloof and disdainful of all visitors to her house as she is towards anyone who dare disagree with her.

I find that cat ladies end up with cats that reflect them while being both demanding and pseudo independent. If you have at least of couple of cats they rarely miss you if you leave them alone for a weekend (as long as someone feeds them).

I have always had cats and dogs (current sans dog but planning on one after I retire). I socialize my kittens and they are as friendly as dogs and, when I home, follow me from room to room. Unless I'm running the vacuum. ;)

[Pogonip]

Vacuum—Big Scary Thing That Lives In The Closet 😀

My cats have always been friendly and I wouldn’t keep a mean one. Too many nice cats needing homes.

[David]

Think of it as symbolising much of what we cover here.

Context.

[Darleen Click]

Think of it as symbolising much of what we cover here.

ANNNND ...I bet there is some defense attorney right now seeing if the little sh*t has a mental health issue so he can be put on Mental Health Diversion and have his crime dismissed and it wiped off his rap sheet forever.

(good lord, I HATE my state government)

[Darleen Click]

oops... it's called Mental Disorder Diversion. :::::spit::::

[Darleen Click]

A Law Professor reveals his inner totalitarian.

But there is no obvious solution for a president who has not committed a crime or been disabled by illness, but has lost the confidence of the public because of a failure of temperament, ideology or ability.

The current understanding of the 25th Amendment should be enlarged so as to provide authority to address this problem, through creation of a Presidential Oversight Council empowered to recommend removal of the president on political rather than medical grounds.

The procedure to remove any politician for ideological reasons is called "elections".

and some people wonder why Trump was elected.

[WTP]

If any of y'all outside the US are considering a visit, I'd suggest waiting until this whole SCOTUS thing is wrapped up. Condom man is just the tip (heh) of the iceberg. The country appears to now be losing its sh*t over how a woman folded her hand. And I don't know who is more crazed about it, the legitimate left or the NeverTrump (illegitimate left?) crowd...

http://patterico.com/2018/09/07/former-kavanaugh-clerk-zina-bash-flashes-alt-right-symbol-twice-to-own-the-libs-or-something/

[Sam]

A Law Professor reveals his inner totalitarian.

That proposal was bad enough but HOLY SHIT the comments underneath were downright chilling.

[Captain Nemo]

Campus masterplan of note:

https://twitter.com/drhingram/status/1038101869267169286

Bird perch of note:

https://twitter.com/Nestfinders5978/status/1037633294802804737

[R. Sherman]

A Law Professor reveals his inner totalitarian.

Leftists love the demos until they don't. This supreme council the professor envisions could ultimately decide whether the people made the right choice even before an inauguration or before a law takes effect. The schmucks in the hinterlands need to be guided, don'tcha know.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

♫If you're flying to San Fransisco,
Be sure to wear a hazmat suit there...♫

[lotocoti]

You know when you’ve been enriched.

Unless I've misunderstood the Mayor of London, this sort of thing is a consequence of Tory cuts to police budgets.
Because without an overwhelming police presence, part of the population turns feral, not because part of the population is feral.

[Black Ball]

‘I found myself sitting in meetings late last year thinking, “I’m quite stupid because I can’t understand what these people are saying. I don’t know what strategic value alignment is. I don’t know what a KPI is.” I lost a lot of confidence and I thought I mustn’t be very good at this job.’

For someone so accomplished to admit to feelings of imposter syndrome is comforting – and equally, her perseverance shines a light on how to get through such experiences.

A bit of a blurb on Marieke Hardy, who was director of the recently concluded Melbourne Writers Festival. Not sure how she rose to such prominence. But here we are. Perhaps the site title is a clue.

https://www.killyourdarlings.com.au/article/extraordinary-routines-marieke-hardy/?doing_wp_cron=1536227198.5873761177062988281250

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

For those of you following the Kavanaugh confirmation farrgo, Zina Bash, troll level, master.

[Darleen Click]

I don't know who is more crazed about it, the legitimate left or the NeverTrump (illegitimate left?) crowd...

Patrick Frey is APPALLED that a woman - Mexican mom, Jewish father, Holocaust survivors on dad's side - would decide to "flip-off" the people who attacked her as a "white supremacist, white power, alt-right EEEEEEEK" with the same [4chan hoax] symbol they had hysteria over??

Frey should STFU -- with prejudice

-- cuz a lot of us remember his fake apoplexy over Jeff Goldstein's defense of "I hope Obama fails" line then his dirty back-room machinations in an attempt to shut Jeff out and down.

[Darleen Click]

Patrick Frey is the Wesley Crusher of LA DA office.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Meanwhile, harking upthread to the genital discussions, alas, no more "pussy" hats. Why, you ask ?

An Irish woman has withdrawn the “pussy hat” knitting pattern which she had posted online as a service to fellow female protesters preparing for President Trump’s visit to Ireland in November: woke activists had pointed out to her that some women have penises, not vaginas.

Is there no end to this bellendery ?

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Sam has trouble with basic definitions.

[WTP]

Patrick Frey is the Wesley Crusher of LA DA office.

You know, I’ve been trying to put my finger on just what it is. I wouldn’t say that’s perfect but it’s damn near close enough. It scared me a couple years ago when he started to come unhinged given the power that he has over life, liberty, and property as an ADA but this latest rant over how some woman rests her hands and the unchallenged comments comparing such to Colin Kaepernick kneeling is beyond anything I ever expected back then. The thing is, not knowing anyone else in the LA DA office but just SWAG on probabilities, he’s probably the Captain Jean Luc Picard of the LA DA office. California can’t break off and fall into the Pacific soon enough. Any of y’all still out there please GTFO for your own damn good. Well, except the lefties. Check your shoes on the way out IYKWIM.

[Darleen Click]

California can’t break off and fall into the Pacific soon enough.

Can it least wait until me and my family leave? ;-)

[Darleen Click]

bellendery

I love new [to me] words. Thanks, Farnsworth, I'm tucking that one away for an apropos moment.

[WTP]

Can it least wait until me and my family leave?

Well like I said, please do. But please wipe your feet first. That lefty stuff is seriously hard to get out of the carpeting.

[Darleen Click]

Example #5,290 of punishing academic WrongThink

None of them had ever heard of a paper in any field being disappeared after formal publication. Rejected prior to publication? Of course. Retracted? Yes, but only after an investigation, the results of which would then be made public by way of explanation. But simply disappeared? Never. If a formally refereed and published paper can later be erased from the scientific record and replaced by a completely different article, without any discussion with the author or any announcement in the journal, what will this mean for the future of electronic journals?

[Hopp Singg]

If they could only find a way to hook up their low-tech flush toilets to the Internet, then San Franciscans might not resist using them so much. Perhaps some govt funding would help.

[Hal]

♫If you're flying to San Fransisco,
Be sure to wear a hazmat suit there...♫

Well, keeping in mind that "there" is actually called San Bruno and Millbrae and unincorporated San Mateo County . . . But yes, I agree, I just don't see record company executives getting excited over a song called Unincorporated San Mateo County.

[Hal]

Ah, but does her lovely piece of wallpaper also have its own ticket?

Passenger with PhD ripped for insisting airline call her ‘doctor’

[David]

Example #5,290 of punishing academic WrongThink

The claim by academic woke-lings - that a gifted female mathematician, or would-be mathematician, would be reduced to tears and a career as a seamstress because of an obscure paper on statistical distributions in aptitude - is comical, and is itself insulting to female mathematicians. If a young woman is deterred from a career in mathematics merely by the observation that she is a slightly rarer creature than previously assumed, then this doesn’t speak well of her own determination and focus.

And the article is yet another illustration that academia’s woke contingent is not only intolerant and dishonest, but also organised. And quite shameless.

[Hopp Singg]

"I'm special. How dare you suggest that's unlikely!?!?"

[David]

Sam has trouble with basic definitions.

Let’s see. Hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, gallbladder disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, joint failure, sleep apnea, breathing problems, depression, anxiety and cancer.

I know. Let’s call it “body positivity.”

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

I know. Let’s call it “body positivity.”

As in "I'm positive that when the dorsal side of your hand and even your fingers are fat, you might need to cut back a tad" ?

I know, I know, I'll go denounce myself for body shaming this poor cover girl.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

1970s tonsorial splendor, still, at least none of these are a man bun. It also looks like Pee Wee Herman snuck in, bottom row, 2nd from right.

[WTP]

1970s tonsorial splendor,

The goofier the haircut, the more earnest/serious the facial expression.

[David]

1970s tonsorial splendor,

You could still find those in barber shops well into the 80s. I was traumatised by them as a child.

[WTP]

Would-be vape shop robber drops gun, then pants...

https://wrko.iheart.com/content/2018-09-07-criminal-drops-his-bb-gun-loses-pants-during-failed-armed-robbery/

[R. Sherman]

Example #5,290 of punishing academic WrongThink

N.B. the very smart, vary self-possessed, very feminist U. of C. mathematician had to get daddy to lend intellectual heft to her complaints.

[Henry]

Feminists interfering with the field of psychology. For a change.

https://quillette.com/2018/09/07/academic-activists-send-a-published-paper-down-the-memory-hole/

[jabrwok]

I know. Let’s call it “body positivity.”

Or evolution in action. Whichever.

[David]

I know. Let’s call it “body positivity.”

Somewhat related.

[Richard Cranium]

Since "there" refers to San Francisco International Airport via the link, I don't see the problem with Farnsworth's ditty.

Would ♫If you're flying to San Fransisco International, Be sure to wear a hazmat suit there...♫ pass your desire for precision?

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

Richard - how about, ♫If you're flying to San Fransisco Metropolitan Statistical Area, Be sure to wear a hazmat suit there...♫ ?

[Hopp Singg]

The shit in the city proper is the result of dogs, and the cab drivers' shit at the airport isn't really in the city proper. Or so I've heard. Or maybe the dogs drive cab out there. In any event, SF itself remains unsullied. Or so I've heard.

[David]

This:

Via Dicentra.

Entirely unrelated and posted for no reason whatsoever.

[WTP]

Update for Darleen or anyone else who followed my link above. Gotta give Patterico props. This is one of the most remarkable instances of humble pie consumption I believe that I have ever seen. Internet or otherwise...

http://patterico.com/2018/09/08/i-am-an-idiot-zina-bashs-ok-sign-was-completely-innocent-after-all/#comments

[Darleen Click]

Well now, no one could have ever predicted this.

[Darleen Click]

WTP

I'll give him half props because Wesley Frey still wants to pound on "this still a symbol used by RAAAACISTS and not really a 4chan hoax" with the feeble evidence being a pic of white supremacist Richard Spencer using the "ok" hand sign a few months before.

(Occam's Razor - the internet obsessives at 4chan actually saw that pic and that was the impetus in turning an ubiquitous hand gesture into something sinister -- like they went on to try with drinking milk)

Frey should have just done his mea culpa and disengaged. But that's not his usual M.O.

[Clam]

Well now, no one could have ever predicted this.

"White had been living under the name David Thompson before she began identifying as a woman and began transitioning."

*runs away*

[David]

*runs away*

[ Summons henchlesbians. ]

[WTP]

Darleen,
Agree. But he did go much further than I ever would have expected. But if you want real TDS check out the comments on the WaPo article he links. The degree of certainty the insane have regarding their own sanity is quite chilling.

[Farnsworth M Muldoon]

How to dress like a gentleman, a gentleman with more money than sense and color blind, apparently.