"And in one of those dreaded realizations pilots are advised to avoid, that insulation between cockpit calm and atmospheric anarchy looks thin indeed. An extrapolated horror: the riveted aluminum planks bending apart, the wind rushing in, explosive depressurization, death, the first airliner — no, the first vehicle — in history to crash because of an overflowing toilet." This guy tells a good story. Via marnanel (tags: flyingtoiletpilotaircraftfunny)
"But our brains are fooling us. Even though this will be in the news for weeks, we should recognize this for what it is: a rare event. That’s the very definition of news: something that is unusual — in this case, something that almost never happens. " (tags: terrorismbruce-schneiersecurity)
Peter Hurford’s summary of his beliefs, which links to a lot of his interesting essays. I should do myself one of these, I reckon. (tags: religionbeliefphilosophyepistemologyscience)
If you drive at the average speed of the traffic and leave a gap in front of you, you can alleviate traffic jams, apparently. (tags: trafficwavescarsdriving)
An American Christian on why they’re losing their youth. Obviously, they’re not going to say "because it’s all lies", but I don’t think an atheist has to support the idea that all de-converts thought very hard about it and left on rational grounds. (tags: religionchristianityde-conversionatheism)
Jo and Kevin recap a course they did a couple of years ago, which has some of the same material they taught in Cambridge recently, but in a Charleston context. (tags: dancingcharlestonlindy)
"The amazing influence of unconscious cues is among the most fascinating discoveries of our time—that is, if it’s true." Attempts to replicate some of the classic experiments in psychological priming have failed. Interesting article about the role of reputations in science (as well as about priming). (tags: primingpsychologyscience)
Nice song, cool lindy in the video (almost all lead and followed apparently, there’s no choreography apart from one tiny bit) illustrating that it’s not all about the aerials. (tags: musiclindylindyhopdance)
Cherie Booth looks at the recent European court decisions on religious expression at work (decisions which seemed pretty sensible to me). (tags: lawreligiondiscriminationeuropehomosexuality)
“She reveals her body, plastic with fat, bulging in unwholesome ways like Willendorf’s Venus with painted face. What brood or species produces such a creature? What transpires next left me shattered, my mind recoiling from what I had seen, the nauseating sound of rippling tissue still echoing in my ears. Trust that I dare not relate to you the horror that to this day fills my veins with ice.” (tags: pornpornographylovecrafthorrorparodyfunny)
Kipling’s classic about Real Engineers: “They do not preach that their God will rouse them a little before the nuts work loose.They do not preach that His Pity allows them to drop their job when they damn-well choose. “ (tags: poemkiplingengineering)