2020 Hindsight

Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day is a Manhattan sunset

(or sunrise). It's the Manhattan equinox, the day that the sun's rising and setting is perfectly aligned with Manhattan streets in a kind of latter-day skyscrapery stonehenge. [via q daily news]

Inconceivable!

Childless couple told to try having sex.

Googol may sue Google

(so of course I had to file this in the giggle department)

Animals. Tools. Mixed up together

Wonderful Fark photoshop contest. [via Al]

Randomness abounds

At Stopdesign comes this request:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

"But Singspiel was to have a telling influence."

heh. the 5th sentence was short. (Book: Opera: A Crash Course by Stephen Petit. A Christmas Present.)

It's too bad they didn't make it public

I guess that Gummint institutions can't show their funny sides to the public, even on April Fools. I have it on good authority that the JPL Intranet home page had fun yesterday.

Elvis was photoshopped into a Martian landscape, and the accompanying text said that Spirit (or Opportunity, can't remember which) was going to investigate a certain Jailhouse Rock.

Store clerk catches thief using his own stolen credit card

The credit card that didn't show up in the mail showed up at the store.

It's a small world after all.... when you get a celebrity's old phone number

Laura got a new cel fone. Laura got a bunch of calls. For Chris. Chris who? Chris Rock (who's Chris Rock? I didn't know. Google? That's who). She didn't know who some of the callers were, either. Like Ken Burns (!!). She did know Adam Sandler, though. What a hoot. So glad she got his fone. So glad she's sharing her cel fone stories on her blog. [via Jeff Jarvis via Adam Curry ]

This behavior has certainly come a long way from the days when my brother frequently expressed his annoyance at me for never answering my cell phone. After every time he tried to reach me on my cell and couldn't, when we did speak he'd disdainfully say, "Laura! What good is having a cell phone if you never have it on?!" Well, dearest bro', times have a' changed, and sis has a' changed with them. You can thank Chris Rock for that.

Squawks

My brother (the Air Force pilot) is in town; I'll see him later today. Will hafta show him this:

"Squawks" are problem listings that pilots leave for maintenance crews to fix before the next flight. This is a compilation of some maintenance complaints submitted by Air Force pilots, along with replies by the maintenance crews.

(It has also been attributed to Qantas airline pilots)

Pilot Squawk: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement

Response: Almost replaced left inside main tire

Pilot Squawk: #2 propeller seeping prop fluid

Response: #2 propeller seepage normal - #'s 1, 3, and 4 propellers lacking normal seepage

Pilot Squawk: Something loose in cockpit

Response: Something tightened in cockpit

Pilot Squawk: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.

Response: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

Pilot Squawk: Evidence of hydraulic leak on right main landing gear

Response: Evidence removed

Pilot Squawk: DME volume unbelievably loud

Response: DME volume set to more believable level

Pilot Squawk: Aileron control very light

Response: What aileron?

Pilot Squawk: Starboard wing has greater flutter than Port one

Response: Loosened Port wing fixing.

Pilot Squawk: Dead bugs on windshield

Response: Live bugs on order

Pilot Squawk: Autopilot in altitude hold mode produces a 200 fpm descent

Response: Unable to reproduce problem on ground

Pilot Squawk: IFF inoperative

Response: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode

Pilot Squawk: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick

Response: That's what they're there for

Pilot Squawk: Number 3 engine missing

Response: Engine found on right wing after brief search

Pilot Squawk: Target radar hums.

Response: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

Pilot Squawk: Aircraft handles funny

Response: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious

Pilot Squawk: Mouse found in cockpit

Response: Cat installed

Pilot Squawk: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.

Response: Took hammer away from midget

Ordering pizza a decade from now

Got this in email, searched the web, and lo, it's traveling around...

Operator: "Thank you for calling Pizza Hut. May I have your..."

Customer: "Hi, I'd like to order."

Operator: "May I have your NIDN first, sir?"

Customer: "My National ID Number, yeah, hold on, eh, it's

6102049998-45-54610."

Operator: "Thank you, Mr. Sheehan. I see you live at 1742 Meadowland

Drive, and the phone number's 494-2366. Your office number over at Lincoln

Insurance is 745-2302 and your cell number's 266-2566. Which number are

you calling from, sir?"

Customer: "Huh? I'm at home. Where d'ya get all this information?"

Operator: "We're wired into the system, sir." [Read More]

So... how much will Orkut/Google be contributing to making this a reality? Do no evil? Be not gullible. (Talk about approach/avoidance: their datamining capabilities are as scary as some of the possibilities are interesting)