XXXI

It’s ’bout that time again.

Party at my place

This Friday, starting ’round ten, my buddy Owen and I are celebrating our December birthdays.

Details in the English Club forum here.

Ten baffling ancient artifacts.

The Baghdad Battery. The Antikythera Mechanism. My favorite, the Dropa Stones. Tee-hee.

I’m on a roll. Here’s one about corn burning stoves.

Even with a retail price of 1,600 to 3,000 dollars, the stoves often pay for themselves within a year or two.
...
Corn-generated heat costs less than a fifth of the current rate for propane and about a third of electrical heat, according to Haefner. Homeowners report savings of anywhere from 600 to 1,500 dollars a year.

Assimilation state-side-style:
High school kid suspendido for speaking spanish in the hall.

Once again, it’s unit 4…
…but I just love this drawing.

“Further out, scientists salivate over the prospect of data manipulation and storage on an atomic level.” (From unit 5.)

A “Bazillion” thanks to Onkel Roman for the cartoon.

Check it.

This week marks the 25th aniversary of John Lennon’s death.

This Saturday, the BBC was to air a never before aired interview with John from 1970–recollect that was when the Beatles disbanded, kids–where he supposedly said all sorts of nasty things about Paul, Mick, the Beatles’ sell-out etc.

Alas, I missed it. If anyone finds a link to it, please send it my way.

Build the Best Paper Airplane in the World. Yow!

PC Pool Time again.

Okay. Here’s what we’re doing today.

Interview with Linus Torvald. It’s pretty long — about 30 minutes — but Linus is fun to listen to. Of course, you’ll already know what he’s going to say — even I did — but he does a truly stellar job explaining complex stuff in a very lucid, simple way. This interview was brought to us by Fresh Air.

Take note of his accent. Does it sound more to you like British or American English? Also, take note of how he pronounces “Linux”.

XML project some nice student made this project a while back. Very edutaining, but there are a few blaring errors — pretend they aren’t there.

Google Speed Test. Some of these questions — you have to search for them in Google — are absolute killers.

Listen to a short radio documentary about the Smothers Brothers. Narrated by Steve Martin.
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