Technorama

Error: Printer on Fire via Digg

Remember when…a combination of paper, dust, printer cleaning fluid, a printer drum rotating at 2400 RPM and the inevitable paper jam would sometimes cause a fire? And Unix had a special error code for just that condition. And to think how you would mock the PC LOAD LETTER message for being stupid.

Principles of Economics, Translated via Freakonomics blog

A hilarious spoof of Mankiw’s Ten Principles of Economics. Best line: Microeconomics is when economists are wrong about specific things. Macroeconomics is when they’re wrong about general things.

Astronaut has ‘Wasabi Spill’ in Space via /.

Not sure what kind of wasabi they’re using. The stuff I’m used to seeing doesn’t squirt or spill in any meaningful way.

Marv

Uncomfortable Questions: Was the Death Star Destruction an Inside Job? via Digg

The story has no mirrors and the original server is down due to the Digg effect, but someone reposted the text in the comments. Gotta love this one piece of “evidence” of the conspiracy. I can’t wait to hear TD-0013’s rebuttal:

7) Why has their been no investigation into evidence that the droids who provided the rebels with the Death Star plans were once owned by none other than Lord Vader himself, and were found, conveniently, by the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, and who is also believed to be Lord Vader

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Show #160: Bugs & Creatures

1. Flickr
2. Antarctica
3. VW Beetle

Show Notes for 160

Podcast: Download

Forget a hourse of cards, this guy made a whole city via Digg

I remember seeing this guy’s work on TV. Watching him construct the world record breaking tower of cards was particularly impressive since it was all done by hand and the top most levels were crumbling as he added cards to it. He’s moved onto more historic designs for his structures and Guinness has created a separate World Record for those accomplishments.

Command Sit via CNet

Stackable stools shaped like keyboard keys.

Super Mario snow portrait via Boing Boing

Slick impromptu street art.

Marv

Listener feedback show #159

We’ll get in your head one way or another.

Podcast: Download

Light Saber Umbrella via Boing Boing

This will make you stand out in a crowd, even in the rain.

The Most Thrilling Art Installation in the World via Digg

A five-story tube slide for adults. Makes you long for kindergarten again.

Algorithm helps computers beat humans at Go via Digg

For a while, chess has been the field of battle to determine human vs. computer superiority. Ever since Deep Blue took down Garry Kasparov, the focus moved to Go. An Asian strategy game where human intuition rather than straight computational power. Now, it seems that a new algorithm and multi-process computing has been closing the gap.

Marv

Darth Vader Samurai Helmet via Digg

Babelfish didn’t translate the text very well but the picture speaks for itself.

Voltron-Like Modular Robot Demonstrated via /.

Superbot consists of Lego-like, but autonomous, robotic modules that can reconfigure into different systems for different tasks,

Justice League of America movie announced via Digg

So far they’ve only hired the writers for a potential movie. Rumors are circulating because the lead actors from the recent Batman and Superman movies have options in their contracts for a cross-over. So it’s not entirely out of the question that a live action JLA movie could be a reality some day.

Marv

SETI Finally Finds Something…a stolen laptop via /.

The rightful owner tracked down the IP when the laptop checked into SETI@Home and got the police to investigate.

Hilarious Star Wars Pic! via Digg

Don’t want to spoil the pic but let’s just say “Oh how the mighty have fallen!”. Photoshopped of course, but hilarious just the same.

Show #159: Abbey Normal

1. Anyone want to buy a podcast directory?
2. We can all breath a sigh of relief that more BSG is on the way
3. We found a lost clip in the archives

Show Notes for 159

Podcast: Download