The xkcd “What if?” blog has a great analysis of the people most eligible for the title of Loneliest Human. Not that I ever thought I had even come close, but it makes my whole “6 miles from the nearest light bulb” (at Philmont Scout Ranch) thing seem way less impressive.
Backslash
So true:
Thank you, xkcd!
Heavy Memory
This is just odd.
You know, there are times, ya just gotta rip that RAM right out of the computer, drop it in your pocket, and GO. You just, you know, gotta move. And you might need 4 gigs of RAM when you get… wherever you’re going. Somebody might need RAM! Think of the children!!!
Dog on a Ham Slicer
Jeremy Clarkson is one of the geniuses featured on the BBC series Top Gear. He is also author of possibly the most amazing review of a new car I have ever read.
Money quote:
It feels like the clutch is slipping. It feels horrid.
And the sound is worse. The Honda’s petrol engine is a much-shaved, built-for-economy, low-friction 1.3 that, at full chat, makes a noise worse than someone else’s crying baby on an airliner. It’s worse than the sound of your parachute failing to open. Really, to get an idea of how awful it is, you’d have to sit a dog on a ham slicer.
So you’re sitting there with the engine screaming its head off, and your ears bleeding, and you’re doing only 23mph because that’s about the top speed, and you’re thinking things can’t get any worse, and then they do because you run over a small piece of grit.
Genius.
(h/t Arts & Letters Daily)
Brilliant a Cappella Geekery
For all the Lucas/Spielberg/Williams fans out there (and probably most of the critics, as well), I present the best use of YouTube I have seen in a while.
(h/t American Elephants)
Brain Fail
Source: Serious Eats
Fun Video (Matt Harding)
Matthew Harding, a former computer programmer, decided a while back to just travel until his money ran out. Eventually, he picked up a sponsor (now, why didn’t I think of this?) and started travelling the world. Fourteen months, forty-two countries, and all seven continents later, Matt has danced, on video, in more countries than most of us will ever see. This amazing – and surprisingly uplifting – video is the result:
There’s also a pretty amusing outtakes video here, or you can check out his entire site at WhereTheHellIsMatt.com.
Hat tips: Tim Challies, Bill’s Poker Blog.
Lark – er, starling – of a Story
Simply amazing. Hat tip: Pros and Cons
Priceless Reading
Sarah discovered – and has gotten me hooked on – The Food Whore, a blog by a Seattle caterer and restaurant owner. If you’ve ever worked in a service industry, I think you’ll find this site hilarious. In particular, be sure to check out the “Tricks” and “The Restaurant” post categories.
Another what coming?
After my last post, Sarah pointed out to me that she has only ever heard the phrase “another thing coming.” In fact, she thought I must have made a typo. I, on the other hand, had only ever heard “another think coming,” until about a year ago. My take was that it was a play on words; hers, that it was to be taken less literally, as “something else is coming to change your mind.”
So, Google to the rescue, right? Wrong! The “thing” version has 253,000 hits (and a hit Judas Priest song), while the “think” version has only 50,300 hits. But wait, there’s more! Many of the non-song hits for “thing” are criticizing that version as a mistake for “think.” But… the earliest recorded form may be “thing.” Wiktionary claims that “think” is correct in British usage, while “thing” is the “only common form in US.” This last bit is patently false, as it’s a very common saying in the South, and, like I said, I had never heard “thing” until a year or so ago. This has inspired some impassioned debate over at wordreference, with Americans, Brits, and Aussies all offering different opinions.
So, which is it? Chime in in the comments!
P.S. Personally, I just like “think,” so proper usage be damned, that’s what I’m going with!