Category: News

Red Bull Flugtag Arizona 2006

Red Bull Flutag 

Looks like there will be no shortage of crazy people here in Phoenix (ok, Tempe if your going to split hairs) this weekend. Loads of people will be trying to go the farthest off a ramp into a lake in their human powered flying machine. Leave all your science and physics behind, it’s not needed here. The stranger the better is the basic rule for this event.

More than 200 teams from around the country applied for the chance to launch into aviation history as a part of Red Bull Flugtag Arizona. After carefully reviewing the applications, 33 outstanding teams were selected to soar or swan dive into the Tempe Town Lake on April 29, 2006. “Flugtag” means “flying day” in German, but don’t expect to see anything resembling a plane on the flight deck – instead the skies above Tempe will be filled with a flying toilet, a trailer home, a giant taco, a flying fish and a Shaggin’ Waggin’…anyone remember Dumb & Dumber? That’s what we’re talking about people.

[via Metroblog Phoenix] 

Red Bull Flugtag Arizona 2006

Doctor Who – New Earth – Review

Doctor Who 

Ah, the new Who is here! The much anticipated second season of the new Doctor Who TV series has just aired it’s first episode on British television. A new actor, David Tennant, takes over as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in this season.  You might remember him as Barty Crouch Junior in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire‘, or as Dr. Gordon Briscoe in the live performance of ‘The Quatermass Experiment‘. So far he has been doing a bang up job of filling the shoes of this historic role. I expect that the SciFi channel will air the new season of Who once the run is over in the UK. It’s a pity that the viewers in the states will have to wait to see the new episodes but when they do it will be worth it.
For more information on the history of the Doctor Who phenomenon check out this entry in the Wikipedia.

Now, for those who don’t mind knowing what going to happen many many episodes in the future if you follow this link you can read all about episode one (New Earth). But be warned, it might spoil your viewing experience if you do… 

Lone Locust Productions – Doctor Who – New Earth – Review

 

 

Erawan Shrine – Hammered Down.

Brahma statue

I was reading Metroblog Bangkok the other day and saw that a crazy guy went on a rampage and smashed the famous Erawan shrine. He didn’t get away, two street sweepers have been charged with second degree murder for beating him after he got hung up on a fence as he was trying to escape. I don’t think he was that crazy if he knew to escape after  destroying the Hindu statue.

Man beaten to death after desecrating the Erawan Shrine

 

Weinberger Memories

My friend Mark remarked upon the death of Casper Weinberger, that he was reminded of the poem that appeared in the comic strip Bloom County (my generation’s ‘Doonesbury’):

How I love to watch the morn,
with golden sun that shines,
up above to nicely warm
these frosty toes of mine.

The wind doth taste of bittersweet,
like jasper wine and sugar
I bet it’s blown though other’s feet,
like those of… Casper Weinberger

Tarnished Cold War warrior Weinberger dies

Mushroom Cloud Over Las Vegas

Come June the military is going to run some tests to the effects of study ground shock effects on deeply buried tunnels. To do this they will detonate 700 tons (a little less power than 600 tons of TNT) of heavy AN/FO in a shallow pit 65 miles north west of Las Vegas some time in the summer of 2006. Should be quite a bang but not the biggest done by the propeller heads That was in the 80’s it weighed in at around 4000 tonnes of AN/FO over at White Sands.

US to test 700-tonne explosive