Schierer Space

I think two or three other movies could fit into this framework. Feel free to name them in the comments.

Avatar ~= Pocohontas

This speaks entirely for itself. Those crazy Canadians.

http://failblog.org/2010/01/05/news-segment-fail/

Optics Picture of the Day brings us this beautiful video of a circumzenithal arc that appears periodically as the high altitude clouds float by.

This link to Dragon*Con TV goes out to my sister.

We knew all along.

Thanks to a post at Me and My Boys, I learned that Nantucket island is actually mining their landfill.

Beyond the environment winning here, I’m am amused because this is truth following fiction as this is just what Stirling predicted would happen in his book Island in The Sea of Time.

For those unfamiliar with the book, the island of Nantucket is arbitrarily plucked from the modern era and transported to circa 1250 B.C. Geographically, they are still on Nantucket Island, it is only the when that changes. Faced with a lack of refining and technological assets they eventually begin mining the landfill for electronic components and other refined materials. Cool, huh? This was one of my favorite details from the book. Necessity meets ingenuity and bang: elegant solution.

With the price of copper and some precious metals skyrocketing, it does make you wonder when this becomes financially worthwhile on a grand scale. What percent of the material needs to be useful for the separation process to be worthwhile? I have no idea, but it is a compelling thought.

Yes, I love our new world order.

Skip to 1:04 for the launch. I especially like the sound they make… like some cross between a light saber and an electric mixer. ^[1]

Check out more Tesla drag racing:

• Article at Autopia: Teslas Look Sexy in Drag.
• Videos at the Tesla Motors Club.
• World record for an electric car: Tesla Roadster Sport ^[2] 12.64 second 1/4 mile. ^[3]
• Also check out speedometer zoom with audio.

1. Even better audio on this video. [↩]
2. Stock/Street Legal [↩]
3. For the record the little Honda in the other lane is just obnoxious. [↩]

XKCD has given away the secret, check out today’s cartoon.

First read John Scalzi’s Guide to the Most Epic FAILs in Star Wars Design at AMC.

And then, if you still need more, you can try The Inbox of Nardo Pace, The Empire’s Worst Engineer.

This last item could pretty much be a blog all on its own consisting of nothing but engineering gaffs from various movies.

So USAA Federal Savings bank has allowed remote check cashing via PC and scanner for some time (USAA Deposit@Home). This is a truly awesome feature. Now they are setting a new standard for banking by allowing a mobile phone^[1] to capture the check with the built in camera and send it in. They call it USAA Deposit@Mobile.

P.S.: They are claiming to extend this app to other mobile devices by the end of the year.
P.P.S.: A video is also available.

1. Specifically the iPhone… which of course we do not have. [↩]

I received an email from Delta Airlines today which said:

“Hello Mr. Schierer,
Want to be adventurous this summer? Delta now flies to all six continents, so you’re certain to find a destination that will satisfy the traveler in you.”

Um…. only six?

If you follow the link, apparently “Mexico and Latin America” ^[1] consists entirely of Brazil. Was I the only one that thought Latin America referred only to Central America? It’s on wikipedia. It must be true.

1. Which is somewhat redundant in my thinking. [↩]