Small Katrina Story

Thanks to the Columbia Review of Journalism daily feed, in a story about a presentation by Josh Norman, who was part of the Biloxi Sun Herald's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

One of his best was of going door-to-door with two firefighters who were urging residents to evacuate before the storm hit. Norman said they would often encounter residents who were insistent on staying; some bragged of having survived Hurricane Camille in 1969. At one house, the firefighters encountered a woman who stubbornly brushed off three attempts to get her to leave. Finally one of the firemen, visibly frustrated, tried a new tack.

"You know we're going to find you naked, right?" he said.

"Huh?"

"Well, that's what happens. There will be a surge; it will rip your house apart, destroy the neighborhood, and then we'll find you dead -- with no clothes on."

Without hesitation, the woman turned to her husband: "Pack!"

Small Katrina Story

Thanks to the Columbia Review of Journalism daily feed, in a story about a presentation by Josh Norman, who was part of the Biloxi Sun Herald's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

One of his best was of going door-to-door with two firefighters who were urging residents to evacuate before the storm hit. Norman said they would often encounter residents who were insistent on staying; some bragged of having survived Hurricane Camille in 1969. At one house, the firefighters encountered a woman who stubbornly brushed off three attempts to get her to leave. Finally one of the firemen, visibly frustrated, tried a new tack.

"You know we're going to find you naked, right?" he said.

"Huh?"

"Well, that's what happens. There will be a surge; it will rip your house apart, destroy the neighborhood, and then we'll find you dead -- with no clothes on."

Without hesitation, the woman turned to her husband: "Pack!"

Sticking With the Classics

Thanks to tilthouse, a video test of whether the Trojan Horse trick would work today -- definitely giggle-worthy.

Sticking With the Classics

Thanks to tilthouse, a video test of whether the Trojan Horse trick would work today -- definitely giggle-worthy.

The Future's Getting Closer All the Time

First the jetpack convention and now teleportation! From the longer CNN report:

The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further.

"Teleportation between two single atoms had been done two years ago by two teams but this was done at a distance of a fraction of a millimeter," Polzik, of the Danish National Research Foundation Center for Quantum Optics, explained.

"Our method allows teleportation to be taken over longer distances because it involves light as the carrier of entanglement," he added.

Quantum entanglement involves entwining two or more particles without physical contact.

Although teleportation is associated with the science-fiction series Star Trek, no one is likely to be beamed anywhere soon.

The Future's Getting Closer All the Time

First the jetpack convention and now teleportation! From the longer CNN report:

The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be extended further.

"Teleportation between two single atoms had been done two years ago by two teams but this was done at a distance of a fraction of a millimeter," Polzik, of the Danish National Research Foundation Center for Quantum Optics, explained.

"Our method allows teleportation to be taken over longer distances because it involves light as the carrier of entanglement," he added.

Quantum entanglement involves entwining two or more particles without physical contact.

Although teleportation is associated with the science-fiction series Star Trek, no one is likely to be beamed anywhere soon.

Bill Maher on the Foley Incident

On CNN's "Situation Room," after mentioning how the Republicans set themselves up as the family values party and then some get caught doing the very thing they've been railing against (Bill Bennett with gambling, Rush Limbaugh with drug abuse), Bill Maher said: "If the Republicans didn't make gay marriage a campaign issue, this man could have come out of the closet a long time ago. He could be openly gay, like the mayor of Berlin is openly gay. And then he'd be living in Falls Church, Virginia with his long-time companion, Steve, who works at the Smithsonian, you know? He wouldn't have to be trolling for 17-year-olds on the Internet."

Bill Maher on the Foley Incident

On CNN's "Situation Room," after mentioning how the Republicans set themselves up as the family values party and then some get caught doing the very thing they've been railing against (Bill Bennett with gambling, Rush Limbaugh with drug abuse), Bill Maher said: "If the Republicans didn't make gay marriage a campaign issue, this man could have come out of the closet a long time ago. He could be openly gay, like the mayor of Berlin is openly gay. And then he'd be living in Falls Church, Virginia with his long-time companion, Steve, who works at the Smithsonian, you know? He wouldn't have to be trolling for 17-year-olds on the Internet."

The Devil Wears Prada

Once again, my inability to shut my brain off while watching a feature film meant that I was disappointed with The Devil Wears Prada, which is getting rave reviews. ( Spoilers ahead )

Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci were great, the dresses and shoes were mahvelous, and Simon Baker is really cute so this wasn't a complete waste of time but I did have to grit my teeth through some of it.

The Devil Wears Prada

Once again, my inability to shut my brain off while watching a feature film meant that I was disappointed with The Devil Wears Prada, which is getting rave reviews. ( Spoilers ahead )

Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci were great, the dresses and shoes were mahvelous, and Simon Baker is really cute so this wasn't a complete waste of time but I did have to grit my teeth through some of it.