Overnight Open Thread (3-5-2012)

Bad News: SMOD suspends campaign until 2040

No official reason given but rumors are that several deep pocket donors have switched over to the Solar Flare of Death.

Scientists are keeping a close eye on a big asteroid that may pose an impact threat to Earth in a few decades.

The space rock, which is called 2011 AG5, is about 460 feet (140 meters) wide. It may come close enough to Earth in 2040 that some researchers are calling for a discussion about how to deflect it.

Just another disappointment to bear I guess. Who knew that SMOD would turn out to be just another spineless RINO who prefers the Establishment's orbital cocktail parties?

Rush Limbaugh's Apologies Over the Years

The article's snarkiness aside only 6 apologies over 25 years is a pretty good run. And I'd argue that his description of Amy Carter as "the most unattractive presidential daughter in the history of the country" is just a statement of fact.

A Red Eye Tribute to Andrew Breitbart

This has probably already appeared on the blog a time or two but it's worth watching if you haven't seen it yet.

The Miura Fold

In 1995, Japanese astrophysicist Koryo Miura designed a folding mechanism intended to deploying solar panels in space. The method, called the Miura fold or miura-ori, allows you to open and close a folded piece of paper-like a map-with one swift motion. It's pretty like origami and useful like a fox.

Five Common Misconceptions About the Middle Ages

For years, stories have been circulating that the average person of the Dark Ages would only bathe once a year and that the reason brides carried bouquets was to help them ward off the gross smell of the guests at their wedding, but really, people of the time had pretty decent hygiene. In castles, the wealthy would have a tub with a stool in it so they could sit and bathe for long periods of time. Many castles also had a special room next door to the kitchen that was exclusively for bathing parties.

...Their clothes didn't smell horribly either, laundry soap was introduced from the Orient in the early Middle Ages and while clothing did go unwashed in the freezing winters, as soon as spring hit, laundresses went out in droves washing clothes on the local river banks.

And spices weren't used to hide the smell of rancid meat - most people in those times ate fresher meat than we do.

Miss Belarus 2012

Hawt chicks have overtaken tractors as Belarus' primary export.

How to Make Gunpowder with Sugar, A Cold Pack and Salt Substitute

In making saltpeter, we combined ammonium nitrate from the cold pack with potassium chloride from the salt substitute. Chemically, the equation looks like this:

NH4NO3 + KCl -> KNO3 + NH4Cl

AceCorp LLC not responsible if you blow off your face.

Men: Your Girlfriend Isn't as Fat as You Think She Is

In a study carried out by the Danish Institute of Governmental Research, it turned out that few of us are able to accurately categorize our weight. Perhaps unsurprisingly, men generally underrated their own weight; many of the men whose Body Mass Index (BMI) suggested they were obese regarded their weight as normal, according to Science Nordic. Conversely, women tend to overestimate their own BMI.

But sadly, men also overestimate the weight of women. "This shows us that it's not only us women who have unrealistic perceptions of our weight, but that the perceptions tend to transfer between the sexes, leaving both sexes with this perception," explains sociologist Vibeke Tornhøj Christensen, who conducted the study.

It's unclear whether over-estimating a woman's BMI is the same thing as finding her less attractive. And no word on the categorization of sharp elbows.

The Yahoo AoSHQ group. Bla bla bla.

And don't forget about the Job Bank.

And my twitter thang.

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posted by Maetenloch at 09:16 PM

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