Mudd Math Fun Facts: Bike with Square Wheels

Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments

Are you a kid? Does your microwave oven belong to your parents? If so, then don't even THINK about trying any of these experiments. I'm serious. If I wreck my microwave oven, I can buy another. Also, I'm a professional electrical engineer. I know enough physics and RF effects to take correct safety precautions when I'm experimenting. But you don't know the precautions, so you should be smart: read and enjoy my writing, but don't duplicate my tests unless you grow up to become an electronics tech, engineer, etc., and buy your OWN microwave oven.

Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments

Terrible week for Cindy Sheehan, peace protester

By Sam Knight, Times Online

...

Instead of coming outside to visit the protest camp, Mr Bush has sent two senior officials, including Stephen Hadley, his National Security Adviser, to talk to Mrs Sheehan. For the most part, Mr Bush seems determined to enjoy his month-long holiday.

He has been spending his time fly-fishing and using his chainsaw. Tomorrow, Lance Armstrong, the Texan winner of seven Tour de France races, is coming over for a mountain bike ride. Mr Bush is also catching up on his history, reading books on Tsar Alexander II, the influenza epidemic of 1919 and salt.

America, United States, Times Online, The Times, Sunday Times

Adbusters : Veg My Ride

I want every person on this planet to know about this. I just spent the day in Ojai, California with Joel and Rebecca Woolf. Joel installed one of his custom designed fuel systems in my diesel sedan and I am now driving around LA burning nothing but used restaurant vegetable oil as fuel. This is one of the best choices I have ever made.

Stephen Baughman


Adbusters : Veg My Ride

The Book of Earths

by Edna Kenton

[1928]

This is a compendium of theories of the shape of the Earth, along with a great deal of 'Earth Mystery' lore. Richly illustrated, the Book of Earths includes many unusual theories, including Columbus' idea that the Earth is literally pear-shaped, modern theories that the Earth was originally tetrahedral, and so on. Kenton also covers many traditional theories including the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians, Hindu and Buddhist cosmology, and those of the Peruvians, Aztecs and Mongols. She also discusses modern alternative theories such as that of Reed and Koresh. Strangely enough, she misses or ignores the modern flat earth theory of Rowbotham. This is the only apparent omission in this definitive study.

The Book of Earths

Love Those Kids - Optical Illusions and Mind Tricks

Optical illusions and Mind Tricks

What Do You Really See?

NASA's Spitzer Finds Hidden, Hungry Black Holes

Most of the biggest black holes in the universe have been eating cosmic meals behind closed doors – until now.



This false-color image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a distant galaxy (yellow) that houses a quasar, a super-massive black hole circled by a ring, or torus, of gas and dust.

Credit: NASA

With its sharp infrared eyes, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope peered through walls of galactic dust to uncover what may be the long-sought missing population of hungry black holes known as quasars.


NASA's Spitzer Finds Hidden, Hungry Black Holes

tetka is falling

tetka.swf