The thing that best shows that the Universe is Really Weird is the double-slit diffraction experiment, particularly in the single-particle-at-time case.

Wikipedia, bless its heart, has a very understandable write-up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment

Congratulations on a great kit, bc.

Those blue stones look like broken swimming pool tiles to me. Now, you know how scientific I can get.

Excellent exposition, bc, even if it makes my neurons go into overdrive on a holiday morning!

Indeed, TexLex.

I think about the double-slit experiment a lot, and what it says about Everything.

bc

Good job bc. Rainforest, don't short yourself in the science department. I enjoyed the whole kit but the thing that struck me was that bc voted for Anderson in '80 too.

In my defense, Carter didn't have a prayer in ND and I knew Anderson needed to hit a certain level to get federal matching funds. Didn't want a very nice guy to end up in debt. Maybe in one of those multiverses debt did not become the universal social constant it is here and I accidentally got something right.

Re-posted from the last boodle-

Morning boodle. A wet, and unusually cool morning, even here. Lows nearing 30 again tonight, sheesh.

CP-rejoicing in your great good fortune (making a valiant effort to anyway, envy is a hard beast to subdue). On the hunt for more Jacob's Ladder plants myself. My "Ikea blue" delphie bit the dust, or is exceedingly slow in breaking dormancy. I have little hope. Without the Jacob's ladder, and the little wisps of late season flowers from Russian Sage there'd be no blue at all. Not sure we'll have a long enough summer to see Heavenly Blue morning glories.

Yello-Oh no, wheeler dealers pick up the phone and make calls. My theory is Franken was making the calls on Sunday evening of a holiday weekend in hopes of making it go faster by getting a lot of answering machines. Besides, I'm just an alternate to the state convention and won't even be going because I'll be house hunting with Mr. F.

Sort of a work day for me today-just trying to use this bonus day to catch up on a dozen loose ends that just never make it to the top of the "to do" list. Having them done will make life a lot easier though. I hope.

Very good, bc. Why did I have to re-read David Gerrold's "The Man Who Folded Himself" last week? It was synchronicity, I guess.

I wonder sometimes if we live in a world where we also have a constantly changing quantum past, as well as future. How would we know?

Now for a new breakfast idea; mine is slowly simmering to completion: grits and black beans. Normally black beans, I decided, lack flavor. But with the mild flavor of the grits, they are perfect. A bit of sauteed onion, a bit of olive oil, a smidge of garlic. I certainly envision crumbles of bacon, but not today.

Is this all just a mental exercise, or is there some way in which it matters? The fact that some of us are willing to spend a substantial amount of energy pondering the big questions leads me to believe there is survival value in it somewhere, but I tend to think the value is secondary; i.e. thinking big thoughts makes your brain stronger so when a real-life problem come up you're more likely to be able to solve it.

Anyway, I had a thought the other day that relates somewhat to this--since it has to do with my "it's all about the information" theory, which relates to the "black holes as information storage" idea and also the "if science gets big enough it eventually turns into religion" thread. Here it is: Jesus once said that "if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed" you can do great things. What I realized this week is that it is significant that Jesus did not say "faith as a grain of sand" or a "speck." What is a seed, after all, but INFORMATION. And in fact, a tiny seed that grows to be a tree does play its part in moving mountains. So I take the subtext of this parable to be that information is powerful, even in small amounts. People of faith who have disdain for science miss ths message. [Science-minded people who have disdain for faith also limit themselves, I think.]

Thanks for the brain massage this morning, bc!!

And I can't help but add that your offhand remark about, "Oh, I was just discussing the meaning of life with Joel the other day," is, here on the boodle, a totally successful one-upmanship-move on frostbitten's personal phone call with Al Franken yesterday. You win.

Talk about one-upmanship. This jumper trumps:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/24/sports/othersports/24jump.html?em&ex=1211947200&en=6973e26087cadc38&ei=5087%0A

The TBG in another world somewhere (or did she decide to just be TG?) who decided not to read this Kit will be sorry. Excellent stuff, bc.

Looks like he's going for it this morning. This link/story is one hour old:
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=9f39b392-c61f-460b-bc68-2842f0b91995

Good show bc but seriously, "He created the World in 6 days" is a much less migraine-inducing explanation.

That Fournier guy is some seriously crazy Frenchman. Certifiable if not certified yet.

Thanks for all the kind words, folks.

kbertocci, I didn't intend to one-up anyone. I win? Trust me - somewhen, I've made catastropic mistakes that have messed everything up royally, possibly resutling in my being tried and convicted as a witch, boiled in oil, drawn & quartered, and what was left burned at the stake(s), and fed to swine.

And I probably wasn't wearing clean underwear at the time. Mom would *not* be happy about that last.

bc

Great kit, bc!

frosti, what's the outcome on the househunting pre-planning? 7 visits, no more? x days? infinity? :-) And how's rwf going?

TBG, on to level 2 of the gardens, then out to the cemetary.

Have a great Memorial Day, everyone!

bc, did I forget to put the smiley face on that comment? Sorry! :-)

Thanks again for the deep thoughts, and be assured I have nothing but admiration and positive feelings coming your way. And I will confine my comments to this particular Universe, because venturing into Multiverse-land does tend to make my head explode, as others have already remarked.

And one more thing kbertocci, I think there *is* a difference between science and faith, and IMO there's room for both though it is easy to get those streams crossed, as I point out towards the end of the Kit there.

That mustard seed can grow into anything: religions, countries, works of art, weapons, Mars landers, particle colliders, children...

I think the important thing is to be a responsible gardener.

bc

Kber, I like your thought on seeds and information. The perfect tie-in!

Repost:

Does anyone else remember selling poppies made by veterans to support veterans charities? My dad was a member of the American Legion and my mom the Legion Auxiliary, so that was a ritual during my growing up years. I helped even though it wasn't something I liked doing. I'm sure there was a drive around Veterans Day but I seem to recall doing it around Memorial Day also.

Exceptional kit, bc.

For those who would benefit from a more visual representation of the double-slit experiment, here's a fun cartoon to watch:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1005391949403496551&q=&hl=en

slyness... Every Memorial Day at the beach the Veterans would be selling paper poppies at the local shopping center. I would invariably end up winding the wire end around my sunvisor and would see that poppy the whole summer... it always reminded me of the first summer days at the beach, so full of promise of hot, fun days to come.

I'm loving the Phoenix Lander photos. For some reason, I really like the ones that show the shadow of the lander itself. I guess it's because it shows that the same sun is shining there that is shining here.

I know... duh... but still it gives me a little thrill.

One more bit o' boodle hogging... I leave you with this drawing of a Venus Pie Trap...

http://www.nataliedee.com/052608/venus-pie-trap.jpg

kbertocci, you didn't need to add a smiley face to your comment.

I didn't *really* take any umbrage to it at all. My own comment about making mistakes that earn me horrific demises in alternate Worlds somwhen was supposed to indicate that (think) I took it in the spirit you intended.

No worries, lady.

And Dreamer, nice to see you, and thanks for that nifty cartoon.

bc

And if you grind a handful of mustard seeds, with the help of a mortar and pestle, adding a swish of white wine and maybe a pinch of salt to the coarse mustard flour you get a very good condiment. Goes great with sausage, ham or even hamburgers.

Shrieking: exactly. I am about to enjoy some good ol' American mustard on my kosher hot dogs; I think I've found the activity that perfectly captures the tone of Memorial Days of my youth: eating hot dogs and watching old Mary Tyler Moore shows on hulu.com...

bc, hats doffed to you, fine Sir. Many hats of course, including the gardening hat of saucer-like penumbra.

We actually talked about this in my class last semester, with the caution about some schools of thought leading to a soft and pernicious determinism....one school of thought says that perhaps at the "normal" scale of small enough/bit enough that we life forms occupy, there is only one world. The trick is knowing it! Artifact effect still applies and the total number of observers is practically infinite...

makes me whoozy in a good way, this talk of cabbages and kings and spirit and reality and the knitted fabric of this astonishing structure that is always a brave new world with such people in it (Thank you, Wil Shakespeare for that way of saying and thank you Alvin Toffler for passing the nugget forward to we moderns).

Back to pulling out the English ivy....drat this stuff.

A Hat! An excellent idea. Where's the Renoyld's Wrap?

A Hat! An excellent idea. Where's the Reynolds Wrap?

Boko, I've got a big roll of the heavy-duty stuff. Shall I fax it to you?

Good luck with the ivy, CP. It is pernicious, that vine. I've pulled enough in my day to know.

Nice work, bc. I have a new appreciation for entropy.

Oooh, here's a story to think about on Memorial Day:

http://www.washingtonpost.com//wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/23/AR2008052302455.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

My dad finished exams at Carolina and left before commencement to join the Army in June 1918. He was a second lieutenant in the artillery at Ft. Lewis, Washington, with orders for France when the war ended in November. Sometime during his year in the service, his horse fell with him, and he injured his spine. He limped for the rest of his life and later qualified for a hundred-percent service connected disability. That slowed him down but never stopped him from doing whatever he wanted to, though.

My brother has his Colt 45, which he was allowed to keep. (Did he have to buy it? I don't remember.) It was still in its original holster when my mother and I took it to him.

dmd, thank you for the compliment!

slyness, TBG, I gave a donation and received a poppy just last Friday. I twisted it around my rear-view mirror, where I believe you'll see it next October.

2 more loads of topsoil to go. The Subaru gets better mileage, but just won't haul as much as the Jeep did.

No need slyness, I found some.

It's nice to think that in another universe there is a Boko who didn't lose the silver cigarette case his great-aunt Mary gave to her fiance on his return from fighting the Kaiser with the AEF.
From the file of: Things That Wake Me Up In The Middle Of The Night.

This is for College Parkian. And to pull, gently, at one of wilbrodog's leg...
Poodle retrievers. Really. I wonder if the supercilious hunter shows up in the blind with the pooch in full lion-cut.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/16345381/detail.html

There are a load of very disturbing news on that page. What's wrong with Colorado?

SCC There IS...

My dad sold poppies every Memorial Day, and usually read General Logan's orders at a ceremony. I planted red poppies many years ago and they reminded me of all that, and Flanders Field, etc.

Great Kit, bc. I got the funny bits, at least.

Here is the Newport News Victory Arch, first built in 1919 to honor returning soldiers from the great war.
http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=12043

The site is also known by the EPA as the "Victory Arch Brownfields Initiative Target Zone." Is that irony in a city that lives and dies with the fortunes of ship building and other defense related industries?

dbG- RWF is going as well as expected in week 4 of my training plan. It should be week 5 but week 4 was a bit painful so I'm redoing it. Had 3 weeks to spare so it's all good. Re: house hunting. Six buildings, 10-12 units, 2.5 days (June 6-8), piece of cake. Or, we'll be looking for campground space for Mr. F.

Words of wisdom from Petticoat Junction...

It's in the eyes.
There's an old saying:
Eyes wide apart,
goodness in the heart.
Eyes close together,
look out for stormy weather.

Still haven't backboodled, catch up later...

Looks like the big jump over Saskatchewan is delayed. Aiming for midnight tomorrow-
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080526.wjumpupdate0526/BNStory/National/home?cid=al_gam_mostview

2 hours ago
NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. - A problem with his oxygen generator forced French balloonist Michel Fournier to postpone his attempt to skydive from an altitude of 130,000 feet on Monday.

Fournier, 64, and his team will make a second attempt on Tuesday

I see them selling poppies, plastic ones nowadays, on Veterans Day. That makes sense because of the "Flanders Field" poem and that November 11 used to be Armistice Day marking the end of WWI. I recall it going by both names as I was growing up, but now it is just called Veterans Day.

Several years ago on Veterans Day, a vet had a table set up in front of one of the grocery stores near me. He was selling poppies and he also had several newspapers from WWII, including a Honolulu paper about the Pearl Harbor attack. They were in great shape - he had done an excellent job of protecting them - and they were fascinating to look at. It would have been even more fun to leaf through them, but then they wouldn't be in such great shape. Now that I think about it, that's the only time I saw that guy.

Didn't yet see yours when posting mine, frosti.

http://www.af.mil/news/airman/1299/ballon.htm

More on Kittinger at Wikipedia

Lots of curves you bet,
and even more when you get,
to the junction...

The real question is why does Fournier start his journey from North Battleford SK?
1. North Battleford meets the definition of "the middle of nowhere".
2. Like all jumpers Fournier has a phobia of trees (no native tree in South SK, if you see a tree it has been planted).
3. He really enjoys a few ends of curling to relax between jumps.

you all know what I'm talkin' about in my 1:32 post, right

So! Then the alterVintageLady stayed in France with her newfound sweetheart, while responsible old frumpy VL returned to hearth & home. Perfect, best of two worlds. Thanks, bc, for resolving my daydream. Unfortunately, your double slit reference has brought forth a slitted sheet itch of the brain.

... looks like Joel is still on vacation... I'm confused... aren't those ROCKS from the beach in Australia Joel? ... nice work bc!

Getting back to topic. I heard a while back a feminist griping that only a man would put Schrodinger's concept in terms of killing a cat in a box with a radioactive decay. She had a point, I believe.

In a similar vein, I noticed how so many times a definition of "reality" involves a thought-experiment wherein an object falls and hits someone on the head. Often killing them. Or in bc's more gentle image, merely conking Sir Isaac.

I have simplified this into Jumpers First Law of Reality: If it conks you on the head and kills you, then it exists. This leads by a few flawed but simple steps of logic to the annoyingly obtuse First Corollary of Jumper's Law: If it makes you stronger, it isn't real.

Nice kit bc.

North Battleford is NOT in the middle of nowhere, it is in the middle of somewhere. Having passed thorugh it's hallowed halls (to the bathroom at the gas station, to the Macdonalds, to the Timmy's) millions of times, I am qualified to say it is the 'next stop'.

Its only a mere hour and 20 minutes to Saskatoon which is, of course somewhere. Really.

shriek, My definition of the middle of nowhere is the North-East section of South-West Bumf***

I still haven't back boodled...so don't know what that's all about

Tomorrow, when I'm sober, and at work. between program runs...I'll try to catch up

(actually, I mean: while programs run...)

Dreamer. My mind is obviously in the gutter. I can't help but think dirty thoughts while watching that slits vid.

OK, maybe I shouldn't post this. I've had too much to drink. OBV

PartAy

Very nice kit, bc.

It wouldn't surprise me if there were parallel universes of, well, "people" (in whatever way, shape or form) out there somewhere. I would suspect, however, that the immediate reaction of some with or without too much Reynolds Wrap on their heads would try to kill 'em ("afore they git us-ins, ya know"). *sigh*

I've been trying to get some work done today -- fair to middling in completion. Just thought of putting up some more framed artwork on the walls in my bedroom, but I think I'll want someone to eyeball it to make sure I've got those three-in-a-row on the same level. It's gonna take awhile, I think.

A predilection to sun poisoning is keeping me out of the sun today, but there are plenty of people getting all those UVA and UVB rays at the pool right outside my window. I'll leave them at it.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday, all. Or your day, if it's not a holiday where you are.

Precisely, dr. I thought we had some great sister city potential there. Partner the middle of nowhere on both sides of the border. Then I googled North Battleford and find it has 14,000 people. That's nearly as many as we have in our whole county, 6,000 more than our largest city. It is not only somewhere in it's own right, as you point out, it is near somewhere else.

Nicely done, bc. I recall many a mildly inebriated discussions of the various interpretations of Quantum Mechanics back in college. MWI, while elegant in many ways, just kinda feels wrong. I dunno. Maybe it is that parsimonious business.

I still feel that there has to be more to QM then what we know now. Although the implications of the Bell Inequality have became pretty well accepted, I still find myself pining for some kind of hidden variables.

But then, who amongst us does not?

TBG - I like those kinda pics too. It really highlights the fact that something made on Earth is now on Mars.

From that slit vid, I went here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5600512548846787888&ei=&hl=en

Lovely Brit accent.

Which brings to mind, not the accent, the experiment...Something I came up with ( don't ask me how, I've no idea)

Take a spent Bic or Cricket. Break off the wind shield. Carefully remove the sprocket and retain the spring and flint. Stretch the spring out a bit and wrap the flint into the coil. Put the flint under heat ( you'll need another lighter, DO THIS OUTSIDE) until red hot. (no longer, i've never done that, and have no idea what can happen).

Once it is red hot, toss it on the ground. Amazing sparkles...

Whatever you do, don't throw it at a window, cause it so hot, it will score it. And don't throw it near pets or people cause it is as bad as a phosphor burn.

Ah, all the topsoil is bought, and a little over half is sitting in my driveway near the garage. Over 2,300 lbs of topsoil and peat purchased and moved to within 100 feet of its final resting place. Lowe's was offering $10 back with each purchase over $50, so actually, 90% of the topsoil turned out to be free after I bought soaker hoses, daylilies, black-eyed susans. I may go for a Rose of Sharon or 2 next, or just call it a year. When I lived in Ohio, it was >35 miles to a HD or Lowe's, so this would have been folly. Now that they're 10 minutes away, piece of cake.

frosti, you're an inspiration to us all! Best of luck to Mr. F. living in that tent. Will the frostcats stay with you?

When I think of all the reasons I shouldn't be alive, I really don't view "Many Worlds" in an egocentric way (I did do this instead!).

On the other hand, the whole premise is great speculative fiction fodder, and I enjoy writers riffing on that idea. (So yeah, I liked the kit, bc.)

What if folks trying to recall their past lives were really tapping into their parallel realities instead?

Therefore, everybody who comes out believeing they were Cleopatra in a past life were merely glimpsing themselves playing the role, or locked up for thinking they're Cleopatra.

And who knows, Bc's predilection for olive oil, fast driving, and gladiator outfits is his metauniversal connection to his gladiator alter-ego in a newly revived Roman Empire.

That then begs further questions on why we should be aware of the other worlds, and whether that connection doesn't somehow collapse the many worlds model into one... so all the connected bcs somehow exchange information that lead to the same screw-ups a million times over.

Time for a cuppa of tea and a crash helmet, I think, before I think about this further.

By the way, I don't know if I want to know what a feminist would consider a better version of Schroedinger's cat. I fear it may involve castration.

After 4 male genomes have been mapped, they finally started mapping a woman's DNA.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080526/ap_on_sc/woman_s_dna

Now that I call truly biased, not imaginary kittycide.

Nice kit bc, but there were a couple of times when my mouth was hanging open,saying what does that mean? Perhaps in a parallel universe I know what your talking about.

I did like the goatee and evil references.

Somewhen the alternate frostbitten didn't let herself go to seed. Just finished a run and my goodness, this whole training thing is easier when it doesn't take you two trips to haul a$$.

Wilbrod-you made me choke on my water with your feminist's Schroedinger quip. A reverse spew as it were.

dbG-I too have a big pile of topsoil sitting in the driveway. Delivered just this week it still looks like a mountain of possibilities; won't be describing it thusly for long. Frostcats 1 and 2 will be moving to St. Paul. #1 is nearly 18 and not too enamored of 3 and 4.

For those who still have unexploded heads, there's the "delayed choice" refinement of the double-slit experiment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheeler's_delayed_choice_experiment

What's significant about this stuff is that it is a matter of observing things that actually do happen, not just airy hypothesizing.

Yes, that is interesting, TexLex, and welcome back to the boodle.

Even with the gravitional lensing, I see no particular reason why there should be only 2 images, but then it's an "all conditions ideal" thought-experiment.

I suppose there's no way to have a slit experiment that would change the frequency of the photons depending on which slit it passes through, like 3D glasses, or strong magnetic fields, something?

I was ready to believe anything, especially flying rods.

> I suppose there's no way to have a slit experiment that would change the frequency of the photons depending on which slit it passes through, like 3D glasses, or strong magnetic fields, something?

Hmm. Interesting question.

I'm not sure how to do it with photons, but electrons and other charged particles should be easy: Just put an opposing along-track electric field on the down-stream side of one slit.

Quantum-philosophically, I'd expect that to count as an observation, but since the field can be varied from nothing to STOP, how does the interference pattern change along the way?

Anybody know?

"The quantum theory of parallel universes is not the problem, it is the solution. It is not some troublesome, optional interpretation emerging from arcane theoretical considerations. It is the explanation -- the only one that is tenable -- of a remarkable and counter-intuitive reality."

-- from "The Fabric of Reality," by David Deutsch

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ.

Hello, friends. Just getting here. I've been so lazy today, just doing absolutely nothing. Well, just a little work.

bc, I took my time and read every word. Of course, I did not understand too much, but I think I got a few of the ideas. It is a great kit.

Kbert, your comment regarding bc's kit and Jesus was very good.

Dreamer, happy to hear from you. I hope all is well with you.

It is time for bed. I hope everyone had a lovely holiday. I've been informed that the hostage taker got away. I don't know if this information is correct, but will probably find out more tomorrow.

Hello, Slyness, Mudge, Scotty,Martooni, and all.*waving*

Night, boodle. Sweet dreams.

Howdy y'all. I'm late to the party but I really like this Kit, bc. Although not sciencey by nature, or perhaps it is edumacation, I really like to think about this stuff. The Multiple Worlds thing hits home because the Boy and I are almost finished reading aloud Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series, which of course relies on multiple universes of one sort or another. Presented so matter-of-factly, it is hard to argue against them. Now Pullman's multiple universes don't always contain different versions of the same people, which makes them more plausible to the parsimonious mind.

Today I spent about four hours digging, lopping off branches and weeding, then topped it off by planting beans. Saw a friend [Mary Catherine Reynolds! Wotta voice!] perform. Took the Boy to the park. It was hot. I spent about five minutes on my rollerblades, which was better than my try on Saturday. Two years ago I had become confortable on rollerblades, enough to buy some decent ones, and sprained/broke my ankle the same day. This weekend I tried to climb back on the horse, only to discover I've got to learn the whole thing all over again. I am determined. If the Boy can do it so can I.

We are waiting on my in-laws. We strongly advised them not to drive up today, so as to miss the Memorial Day traffic. Of course, they traveled today and hit a construction zone that delayed them a good hour. And there's school tomorrow.

When the ladies were out here last week, they took home a little something.

There is not enough I can say to tell these three people how I feel, or to thank TBG, dbg, dmd and yoki, who listened patiently while I cried and tried to explain.

Everyone is welcome of course, but CP, Mo, and Mostlylurking, if you are out there, please read:

http://needlesandthings.blogspot.com/2008/05/imaginary-friends-and-hands-on-our.html

And Mudge, don't think I have forgotten you. My next project will likely be a TV cozy for the Bunker.

I learned something very interesting this weekend. Do you know what happens when blue cheese goes bad? It apparently goes *good*.

I opened a container of blue cheese that's been in the fridge for quite a while. I figured if it had gone bad, it would smell even worse than usual. But it didn't... it had NO SMELL AT ALL.

dr, thanks for sharing! Your scarves are beautiful, and I'm sure the recipients will treasure them as they should.

I also meant to say that I'm honored to be the courier for your beautiful gifts, dr.

A TV cozy for the bunker. Thank you, dr. I'm...no, verklempt isn't it. Not entralled. Let's see, is there a polite way to say "feigning delight"? No, I thought not.

I got five bucks says she'll use pink yarn.

We have babies here! Chicklets! Between our house and our detached garage, we have a pretty sizable pergola. For reasons best known but unto Higher Authority, a bluejay couple have built a nest there some weeks ago up on a pergola rafter, literally about a foot from the back door of the garage, waaaaaay to close to where people come and go. As a result every time we go into the gargare (which is often), we startle the bluejay right out of her nest. Over the past several weeks, however, she has refused to move, and we suspected she was sitting on her eggs. Lo and behold, when we went out this morning we heard peeping. We can't tell if there's three or four of them (we've seen three for certain; my wife thinks there's a fourth. Mothers seem to know these things, don't ask me how), but there they are, raising their scrawny, featherless little heads to the sky and peeping their birdbrains out. Both mother and father have returned to the nest from time to time.

And, in an effort to keep her impeccable and spotless 25-year record of finding stuff for me to do every spare minute until I die and she gets a new husband, my wife decided today would be a good day to take 3/4 of the stuff out of the tool shed so I could build her a big shelf upon which to place the spare lawnmower (which I neither need nor want, but which she got free from a friend, so now I have two lawnmowers whether I want them or not, which is quite easily one and three-quarters more lawnmowers than in my fondest dreams). So no nap this afternoon. No recreation. No Memorial Day festivities. No writing. No leisure. No book-reading. No idly watching the boob tube. It is only now, now, at 8:14 p.m. on the last day of a three-day weekend, do I have some free time to do some writing.

I'm effing exhausted. I can't WAIT to get to work tomorrow so I can get some rest.

And I can nap on the bus on the way in. She can't stop me. Bwahahahahahahaha.

dr, thank you so much, and right back at ya. The Achenblog changes lives, yes it does. Joel, thanks for being the catalyst that has led to a great community springing up. I'm verklempt.

There was an interesting article about social networks - what kb has called the hive mentality, I think:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/25/AR2008052501779.html?hpid=topnews

I cleaned out my sock drawer today. I don't have to buy socks for at least 5 years. I saw some cute ones on sale yesterday and almost got them, but the overflowing sock drawer held me back. Thank goodness. (Handknit socks are an entirely different matter.)

Once again I have proved to myself how bad my spatial reasoning is. I bought a couple of containers to hold my wool yarn. I didn't want a huge container because the room with the wool is so small. But what I got just barely contains it. So, I'll be getting a couple more. I also got the wrong size of ziploc bags - I got half gallon instead of gallon, and I wanted the kind with the slider thing at the top. Must put my reading glasses on in the grocery store.

Great kit, bc, even tho' I'm not sure I understood much. I found the cartoon Dreamer linked to very interesting also, but again, I don't have a head for science at all. Every time I think I'm starting to understand something, it floats away from me like bubbles in the air.

Spent the day entertaining and being entertained by the granddaughters. We took them on a walk to the head of the river near here. There were many different paths, most bordered by poison ivy (eek) and some with very muddy spots. We got down to a spot by the river where the grass went out to some mudflats. Well, the younger g-daughter decided to walk onto the mud with typical results. She sank to her ankles and walked out of her sneakers trying to escape. "S" had to rescuse her. Her shoes were caked with mud and her sister and I were laughing, which was to be expected but was not polite. So younger says to me that she was embarassed because we laughed at her. I had to explain that we weren't laughing at her but at the situation. At first she just wanted to go home, but we found another path that led to the so-called beach. It wasn't muddy and there were rocks to climb and periwinkles and mussels to play with. They brought some home and we put them in salt water and sand. "S" and I are now completely exhausted, but we had fun.

bc, I'd like to order an alternative universe that solves the growing oil crisis please. And not corn, thank you. A good thinking-man's post. There was a TV show a few years ago that played different versions of an experience. Very cool.

On another note, we visited The Black Canyon of the Gunnison (ooh, that sounds so evil rolling off the tongue). Actually a breathtaking place...a mini-Grand Canyon. And, you can (we did) drive to the bottom at a 16% grade. Wow. The rapids are a grade 5--olympian level. Not in the cards for this version of me.

Visited the Blue Mesa Resevoir, too, along with Crested Butte (that's pronounced Beaut, BTW)--incredibly beautiful drive, like driving towards the peaks of snow heaven. But a bit on the pricey side...similar to the Aspen area.

We did chicken out and did not tent camp...found an inexpensive motel, ok, cheap...saved only by a decent pillow and free breakfast, in Gunnison--a town frequently the coldest place in Colorado.

And for only the second time in nearly 7 years, I saw a herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep...in a meadow no less, on edge of the Tarryalls mountains. Double wow!!

All-in-all a marvelous time despite the cost of gas. Hey, it may only get worse so get your car trips in soon. A fatalisitc view? I hope NOT!

Mudge - My three-day weekend sounds much like yours. Painting, shed cleaning, and tending the crops. The term "TGIM" comes to mind.

dr, I was lucky enough to touch those scarves you made - CP and Mo - I have serious frenvy. I feel like I was given a gift just being able to list to dr tell her story.

bc, I really enjoyed your kit, it gives me hope that in some parallel universe there is a dmd out there that has a clue about science stuff and can discuss it in terms other than cool or neat! Of course that is assuming that in these parallel lives to just gain ability without losing and ones that I currently have mastered.

Hey, eidrib, thanks for the description. Once again I get to live vicariously through the pleasures of others. I love the Boodle!

Thank you, Mudge, for making me glad I didn't have to clean out a tool shed this afternoon. I either have escaped the worst of the soreness, by staying active, or I'll really hurt tomorrow.

dr, that blog post was really wonderful. Thank you for sharing. The Achenblog is indeed more than the sum of its parts and can create its own multiple universes. I've forgotten now who above mentioned her Boodle earrings, but I do the same thing, and every time I wear them it is a special day.

The in-laws are here and the take-out pizza has been consumed. Time for the thunderstorms!

eidrib... that sounds like a wonderful trip. Dr G and I are taking a small drive through Pennsylvania next weekend to celebrate our 25th anniversary.

We thought of doing something typical for an anniversary--a cruise, the Caribbean, etc--but decided a small road trip together would actually be more like us, and way more fun.. really!

My paternal grandfather somehow spent the war designing military aircraft. Not bad for someone born in a log cabin south of Roanoke, Va. He made a career of designing and selling railroad equipment for Birdsboro Steel. My maternal grandfather was a peon in the Austro-Hungarian army. Got gassed, ended up alcoholic.

My father was sent off to several colleges including Yale during the second war, and ended up a medic in the Pacific, about which he never said much. Later, as a young dentist, he was sent to the tail end of the Korean conflict and ended up making a career of it.

Meanwhile, we had droughtbreaking rain. The yard plants know rain from the cruddy irrigation water and responded with enthusiasm. Cycads are flushing, rain lilies flowering, and on cue the petunias have died, replaced by caladiums. Plus the usual casualties. The new camellia will replace a dying palm. An expensive and potentially gorgeous palm at that.

Thanks, Ivansmom. It helps having grown and nearly grown children who will watch the dog, collect the papers and actually ENCOURAGE the parents to take a three day trip. :-?

Luckiliy the house was just the same as we left up--which means dusty. Neverfear...now our neverending weekend work begins.

TGB--agree...a couple days road trip really takes one away from the everyday burdens (chores?) of life. In Joel's case, a two-week, on-the-other-side of the world trip...

Of course I meant TBG.

Mudge, I wound up staining the *()^*&^ deck this weekend, along with other chores. It's too cold and wet to toil in the garden, or I'd be dredging weeds as well.

Hope your wife remembers that husbands last longer when taken care of.

Time to convince the Boy that we need an early bedtime before the penultimate day of school.

At least, I do.

Vaya con queso, fondue and - Mudge (ohmigosh I can't find the dash time for bed) say the gnocchi thing again for me. Mind like a sieve.

dr, I really enjoyed your blog post!

Well, Mr. T finished staining the stairs this afternoon. I used carpal tunnel as an excuse not to assist, but I did keep him fed, no small task, that.

Good night, all! TGIT tomorrow...

Buenos gnocchi and toodles boodle. Appears that only the Canuckistanis, who were all at work, got any rest today.

Freeze warning tonight, but I'm taking my chances and not covering my tomatoes or impatiens. Had fog on the river this morning so I think my waterside location will keep them safe.

Got back today from the science fiction convention. Mowed the grass -- took me hours. It was a tad long. Bashed into some rocks, so I'd better get the blade sharpened. Looks to be in good enough condition that it doesn't need to be replaced. Yet.

I'm not a many-worlds man, myself. It's not a testable hypothesis, so that makes it just a notion. An interesting idea, but not something that can make a whit of difference in my decision-making. Except, of course, that if every possible action is in fact taken, then I might as well stop making any effort at moral or ethical living -- I can leave all that for those tiresome and drippy doppelgangers and get on with the sin and depravity. The problem, of course, is that one of me has to suffer the consequences. Which, sadly, remain predictable, in spite of the many-worlds idea.

The conceptual sticking point in the many-worlds idea is that every possible interaction or event constitutes a probabilistic event, and that means that every interaction of an electron with an electric field, every twiddle of a photon through a slit (or through multiple slits, simultaneously!), every minor fluctuation in the quantum foam, constitutes a branching point for the universe. For every particle interaction in the universe, a multitude of new universes are spawned, instantaneously. From every one of the vast array of particles, including the virtual ones that may or may not ever become actual, there arises an infinity of alternate realities. And that is just for one universe at one moment. There is an even greater infinity of universes comprised of all the preceding branching events for all the preceding versions of universes. Frankly, it's all just a little too baroque for me. I'll stick with hypothesizing just the one universe, with probabilistic rules.

But I like the "Born" joke. Come now, folks, be honest: who got it?

Thank you ExplainerTim, I get it now.

Actually, I had no idea what bc was talking about, but he certainly puts the words together nicely.

Coolest picture yet: the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shot a picture of the Phoenix lander under parachute, during the process of landing.

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/05_26_pr.php

Hi, everyone.

I'm glad you all enjoyed my Guest Kit, and thanks for all of the nice comments.

Don't forget to go to the 10thcircle and see the new blog item I posted there. It's a riff on the Brain Bloop Guest Kit that Caitlin posted a few weeks back.

At the moment, I'm watching the extended-version remake of "The Andromeda Strain" on A&E. So far, it's...mmmm... it's OK. A little too much SciFi channel, not enough HBO. I'm trying to get over the idea of Rick Schroeder as a hard-a$$ military dude, too.

A couple of notes while wearing my Quantum Mechanic/Gladiator-Philosopher helm: Experiments - including that delayed choice double-slit experiment - seem to favor QM over local variable states, and that means "spooky action at a distance" with evolving mixed states, at least as far as subatomic particles are concerned.

On a cosmological scale, some recent papers point to the observation that our universe appears to be expanding as evidence supporting MWI. Sort of quantum anthropic Darwinism - we're here, and the math of a single Universe (as we understand it) weighs against Observers happening by chance during cosmic expansion (rather, we'd have our act together just in time for the curtain to come down). But it seems to be more than just a metaphysical exercise, to *Tim's point, as far as that goes. Somewhen in all of the multiverses, we're the result of all the right chances hitting and here we are, wondering what to do with all of this room.

I could get into proposed tests of the Hartle-Hawking states, but it's late and I want to go to bed.

G'night, all.

bc

Not I, O Scientific One.

ScienceTim--good rebuttal. BTW, I would like to share a picture of the Black Canyon with the boodle but can't figure out how it done--she said sheepishly. Can anyone help?

Well, I'll ask again another time. You would all enjoy the picture.

Good night.

eidrib, you could save it somewhere like Flickr, or you could email it to one of us with a blog and we could post it there. I'm at scomstoc at nwlink dot com.

I bet it is gorgeous. One of my old radio engineer friends bought a few acres near Gunnison. I've never been there.

RIP the great director Sydney Pollack, 73, of cancer. Pollack directed some of my favorite flicks: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Tootsie, Random Hearts, The Electric Horseman, and Three Days of the Condor. He directed Robert Redford in no less than seven films, including The Way We Were.

'Night, Boodle. Sleep tight. Buenos gnocchis, Ivansmom.

(horribly behind here, and I have only homeownership to blame)

bc -- Bravo, sir, and of course there's a simple explanation that we all know very well...

"And so it goes." :-)

frostbitten, I'll be sending F lots of safe and "job well done" thoughts for the forseeable future.

*off-to-read-the-comments-and-prepare-for-a-short-workweek Grover waves* :-)

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ.

Good morning, friends. I am up and moving. I have the laundry room to visit this morning so I want to get there early. Someone else probably has a mind to do the same, which will make the day long.

I am reading a book, "beautiful boy" by David Sheff. It is about addiction. I can't put it down. Heart wrenching story about a father and his addicted son.

I also read Eugene Robinson this morning. He writes about Hillary Clinton(who hasn't)and her latest misspeak(?). I cannot believe some of the stuff that has come out of her mouth in the past couple of months. Where does it come from? Maybe it's the pressure of the race. Do her advisers help her with this stuff? I don't think I can read enough material to figure out the why.

Mudge, Slyness, Martooni, holiday over folks, time to move. *waving*

Morning, Scotty. I hope your weekend was good, and you got all the work done. Am I dreaming here?

Time to start, and a shower would probably be a good place to begin. I know it is Monday, but try, please try, to have a good day.

Almost forgot, the incident at the church here started because someone entered the church with a rifle. It was not hostage or stealing or any of that. One of the members saw a man enter the church with a rifle and he went upstairs. This man notified the preacher and called 911. Law enforcement did not apprehend this person. He got away. The fact that I came in a back way means all bases were not covered. I can imagine it was very scary for the members. They believe the man had been to church before and the church had provided a place for him to stay at a motel.

I hope churches don't get to the place where they have to locked the doors. The fire codes don't allow locked doors, but people will feel a lot of uneasiness with all doors open after this event.

"I hope churches don't get to the place where they have to lock the doors."

Sorry, fingers like sausages this morning. And the grammar isn't too good either.

Took Daughter to school this morning; she wanted to get there early because this week they're taking SOLs (yeah.. appropriate name for the state-mandated standardized tests... actually called Standards of Learning exams).

Heard a great tribute to Sidney Pollack on NPR. He was way too young to go yet at 73. Apparently a very nice man.. he sure made some great movies.

They mentioned running themes in all his movies and two lines tha appeared in pretty much all of them: "I'm going home" and "not getting caught in a lie doesn't mean you told the truth."

Maybe that's why I like all his movies.

Out of Africa, best ever. Oh, not R. Redford, he always plays himself, but Merle Streep, an enormous role for her, the natives and the sheer beauty of a country.

Good morning to you all. Sweet Casandra? I know it feels like Monday, but truly it is Tuesday, my favorite day of the week.

Before this boodle ends, just want to say how much I have enjoyed your photos Joel, hope there will be more. We plan a trip to Australia sometime next year. My cousin, David, lived there for many years, his description, devotion to the aussies is complete.

bia, it's coming, ;-)

VL - I loved out of Africa as well. It was such a big beautiful old-fashioned movie.

Anyone remember Pollack playing Hoffman's agent in "Tootsie"? Rumor has it the dialog was drawn from real life.

TBG - Yes, I have often thought about the other interpretation of SOL when we are getting my daughter ready to take them...

Crazy day here. But at least I will be sitting down.

Morning boodle!

Thanks s'nuke. Mr. F called last night, looks like he'll be back in Tampa Thursday night.

TBG-good wishes to your daughter on the SOLs. A pain in the rear to be sure, for students and teachers, but if it's any consolation I think some good does come of them. In my first teaching job in VA I couldn't even find a copy of the curriculum I was supposed to teach and the principal wasn't concerned about it, I doubt that could happen today. The SOLs have done a lot for accountability.

Just wasted 30 minutes watching a gang of pelicans on the river fishing. About a dozen of the huge birds swim together driving the fish into shallow water then theyscoop them up, along with a couple gallons of water. The giant birds lower their beaks to let the water drain out then tilt their heads back to swallow. Here's a little info on them:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_White_Pelican.html#conservation

And Vintage Lady - all this traveling reminds me of my Mom. She is about to turn 71 and is celebrating by going to Turkey.

Goodmorning! BC, great guest kit. (even though I got a knot in my head from all the tangled thoughts) My understanding of the physical world peaked for me in my senior year when I tried to solve math problems by letting z = tan(x).

One thing I like about the SOL test is that the kids get the red carpet treatment for about a week and I get a break from nagging them to do their homework.

Hi everyone. I enjoyed bc's kit but I'm in the same way as someone else posted earlier...I would think that I was "getting it" and then "it" would drift out of my grasp. But I had fun lounging on my patio yesterday daydreaming about the other Kims.

TBG -I also listened to that same NPR piece on Pollack on my way to work this a.m. I've enjoyed most of his movies. Three Days of the Condor and They Shoot Horses, Don't They being my faves, I think. I know Robert Redford always plays Robert Redford, but I have always loved him. Tom Cruise is another actor who always plays himself and Robert Redford is infinitely more palatable, IMHO. Anyway, I was very sad to hear of Pollack's passing.

My kids had SOL's last week. They never had to take them in their parochial school, but they love them now that they are in high school. If they have a subject that doesn't require an SOL test, they get to sleep in...so it's all good, as far as they are concerned. They don't appear to sweat the tests, as far as I can see, as they do with their class exams.

RD, bless her, it is one of the perks of the retired set, this traveling freedom. I'll be facing the big 70 in September! I've been reading about the mission work in Haiti in my church online newsletter this morning and wondering if I will ever be bold enough to volunteer...to be of any use there.

Oh, Frostbitten, pelican watching is never a waste of time. We were so thrilled to watch their costal comback in North Carolina and Virginia over the years. DDT, public enemy #1 for so long. I've tried several times to write a dialogue between a porpoise & a pelican, watching the humans on the boardwalk at VA Beach, from their vantage point in the waves, how odd we must be to them. Someday I'll finish it, eating more fish might help.

frosti... there is no such thing as wasting 30 minutes watching pelicans fishing on the river. That is valuable watching time if you ask me (and who did?).

Thanks for the SOL best wishes. Yes, they make sense in many school districts, but I don't think Fairfax is one of them. My son's class was the first to experience them in every grade (that has them) and it was noted by a teacher in his senior year (without realizing the SOL connection) that his class was the first he noticed who wasn't interested in learning... only in passing the tests.

I think they've done our kids a great disservice here in that April and May have become Review For the Tests Month and no new learning takes place after March at all.

My other problem I have with them is that schools are judged by how much they improve. Well.. you can only improve so much once you've reached a pretty high threshold. When Daughter came home with a note encouraging her (and her other GT classmates) in fourth grade to attend SOL prep classes after school, it was revealed that the admin wasn't worried about the kids passing the tests... they were looking for this crop of kids to take them over the top into averaging Pass Advanced for the school.

It also discourages principals and teachers from schools that don't have GT centers into recommending kids for the GT centers in the county. Why would you want the smartest kids to leave the school and bring down your test scores? Never mind what's best for the kids (and this is NOT an intro to a discussion on whether GT classes are a good idea.. please heed!).

Whew. I am finished with my SOL rant. Bring 'em on!

*Tim, I'm glad you got the 'Born' thing, though I think of it more of a pun than a joke.

Feel free to keep your single probabalistic universe if that's what suits you - after all, if it ain't baroque, don't fix it.

MWI has some nice advantages in that it resolves all of the probabilities you have floating around out there in your universe without requiring observers to collapse all of the wavefunctions that exist in it.

Personally, it strikes me as supercilious to believe that Observers are required to collapse a probabilisitc universe into the events that led to - us. Seems to me that it gets into a quantum cosmological geocentricism; circular arguments that lead to the chicken and the egg.

The idea of an infinite universe where everything happens doesn't bother me a bit - after all, who am I to say how big of a house a Creator needs or what goes on in it, anyway?

bc

VintageLady... you remind me of my kids' comment about hearing the dolphins squeaking when you put your head under the water at Va Beach.

The kids figure the dolphins are saying "And if you put your head above the water, you can hear the humans making noises!"

Where are my manners?

Good morning, everyone!

Glad to see that the Boodle has hit the ground running on this first workday of the week...

Cassandra, thanks for the update on your church, and the events of the weekend.

Sydney Pollack did make some good films, Hollywood's going to miss him.

TBG, thanks for making me snort with the dolphin/human noises/

bc

Sorry for my tardiness but I can't believe that an entire day of parallel universe discussion went on without a mention of that seminal work in the field, "Sliders". That show made Jerry O'Connell the star that he is today. Not that we can discount the contributions of Kari Wuhrer.

David Brin has a short story collection called "The River of Time" that centers on various paradoxes and implications of MW-Whatever. The collection features his Hugo-nominated story 'Thor Meets Captain America'. Funny how all this stuff comes full circle.

That story is allegedly available on his website. Maybe you will have better luck reaching it than I have:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Meets_Captain_America

TBG-total agreement with all you've said, for the SOLs have gone too far-punishing the innocent as well as the guilty. But, even in the mostly wonderful school systems of NoVA, and Fairfax is the most wonderful among the mostly wonderful, there was still trouble pre-SOLs. Many teachers, primarily at the elementary level, spent most of their time on what they liked best or where they felt most competent. The days of spending 2 weeks on a rain forest mural at the expense of math are over. Unfortunately, for many schools the SOLs also mean the days of spending 2 class periods on a hands-on, motivating, well developed learning activity are also over. Sigh.... Having said all that, VA is the only state where I'd return to teaching full time.

On another Phoenix Mars landing note, I see that the Mars Recon Orbiter snapped a photo of the Phoenix during the parachute phase of the descent.

http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=080526-mro-phoenix-02.jpg

I think it's pretty flippin' awesome.

bc

Morning, all.

Mr. T and I started the celebration of our 13th anniversary today by sleeping in. Although that did have some problems; there was nailing going on at the house under construction down the street at 6:30. A bit early for that kind of activity, IMHO.

After the exertions of the weekend, this promises to be a lazy day.

That link was to the Wikipedia article on the story (which at 57 words is no threat to Joel). Here is the direct but possibly unreliably link to the story on Brin's official site:

http://www.davidbrin.com/thor1.html

bc, I Neils before your punning ability. At least it's never Bohring around here.

And don't get me started on the statistically suspect method of evaluating schools and teachers based on these SOL style tests.

Okay. Since I'm started:

When my wife was a GT teacher, not only were her students expected to pass the MSAs (Maryland State Assessment), they were all supposed to pass with a Superior. Nevermind that she frequently had students that were placed in her class not because of ability but for the need to placate helicopter parents or meet some diversity requirement.

Even in Lake Wobegon, some of the kids are only average.

Also, since the MSAs were teaching basic skills and her fourth and fifth grade kids were being taught math on a middle school level, she had to bring her objective-heavy fast-paced course to a screeching halt to review concepts they had three years ago.

And I have yet to find any real-life applications of a bar-and-whiskers graph, which seems to be the centerpiece of the elementary school statistical analysis curriculum.

Morning All.
Oops! Someone forgot to tie the balloons to the capsule. No falling Frenchmen over Saskatchabush today.

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/431463

bc - that pic has to be a first. One probe viewing another? Cool stuff.

bc,

Thanks for the pic. An NPR story mentioned the satellite picture of the Phoenix landing. Makes me wonder how good the pictures of my backyard are.

I didn't get the Born reference, I think I got my physics in before QM entered the curriculum...
Boko, I had my first laugh of the day when I heard the lost balloon story driving in this morning. No frozen body with a slightly scorched exterior will be hurtling toward the Great Plains today. In an alternate universe, this guy if falling on his crew.

Sounds like the guy in Saskatchewan might be ready for the State Fair in Kansas.

bc;

'twere indeed Jeffrey Hunter and not some MWI analog, I'm happy to say.

Sal Mineo, as well.

(This has been your Cryptic Boodle Posting of the Day. Thank you.)

:-)

Happy Anniversary slyness.

'Morning, Boodle. Cassandra, I agree--that was a pretty tough but pretty good column about Hillary Gene Robinson wrote; I liked it a lot.

I'm noodling over some comments that "Robert Redford always plays Robert Redford." I guess it may be true, and perhaps it can be said of most of the great actors, that very often they only ever played themselves: Cary Grant, Bogart, Gable, and dozens of others. While it may be valid to say that "X always plays X," the tricky part if, that's perfectly OK if we *like* X in the first place. So, yes, Redford always plays Redford; that's fine by me, because I like Redford. I like Bogart. I like a lot of other actors who essentially only ever play variations of themselves (Harrison Ford, for isntance).

Then there are the other class of actors who specilize in *not* EVER playing themselves: Dustin Hoffman, for instance. Surely the sentence "Dustin Hoffman always plays Dustin Hoffman" has *got* to be a Googlenope untikl now. And that's fine too.

What has put me in the mood to think about this is that last night my son convinced me to watch "Reign Over Me," a flick starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheedle (about as disparate as two different actors as one is ever likely to find). I am not and never was much of an Adam Sandler fan; I thought he was only occasionally mildly amusing. And he is certainly someone who only ever plays a variation of himself. Cheedle, on the other hand, is someone I've always loved watching even from the earliest days of his career in Picket Fences.

So I was pleasantly surprised over how good "Reign Over Me" is. There is no intended comedy in it whatsoever; it is a pretty sad and tearjerker of a movie (not that there's anything wrong with that), and Sandler gets to chew the scenery a bit as a bereaved widower and parent who has lost his wife, three daughters and even the family poodle on board one of the airplanes in 9/11. He is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, refuses to discuss his grieving and loss, and probably ought to be institutionalized -- until Cheedle, his former dentistry school roommate, decides to intervene and get Sandler some help. Hilarity (per se) does *not* ensue. And yes, there were a couple of doubtful plot turns I'm not too sure about. It won't be giving anything away to say that Sandler finally has his breakthrough moment, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how well he handled it when he stopped being "that wacky Adam Sandler guy." And as always, it was a pleasure watching Cheedle work.

Anyone else having an issue with the WaPo site not being able to find the "next" page in a series? Makes me all aggro... In a nebbish sorta way. :-)

Oh, and Neely Tucker has a great piece on Elmore "Dutch" Leonard, author of maybe 20 of the best crime novels and some westerns ever written, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/26/AR2008052602219.html?hpid=features1&hpv=national .

Ah, thanks for that update, Scottynuke. I bow to your identification of Hunter's eyebrows (Ya might as well tell everyone we were watching "The Longest Day" yesterday, though.).

sd, QM's been around for 100 years, with the bulk of the work done before WWII. If it wasn't in your curriculum, er, did they happen to mention Isaac Newton?

yellojkt, I've read "River" and enjoyed it (Hey, I read Startide Rising before it won the Hugo. I'm a Brin fan.) though I found "Sliders" kind of annoying. Now we should stop this punning bfore the Boss makes us walk the Planck.

bc

SCC: Cheadle.

Mudge - I am never fully packed for the beach without an Elmore Leonard novel. The only problem I have with them is that after the second Gin and Tonic the intricate plots can be come a bit too intricate.

Bogart only played Bogart?

"The African Queen"
"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"
"The MalteseFalcon"
"Sabrina"
"The Caine Mutiny"
"To Have and Have Not"

Same guy? Not Hardly. Bogie was too talented (and not pretty enough) to be pushed into the leading man role even when he was a megastar. Sure there have been lots of guys- Gary Cooper, Robert Taylor, Clark Gable- who got boxed into a screen persona which closely paralleled their own personality, but not Bogart.

Duly noted, bc, and I do have a talent for eyebrows, can't imagine why.

;-)

Yes, AMC put "The Longest Day" on for Memorial Day, and between filling in the gaps on the German subtitles, bc and I traded a few rounds in the obligatory "Spot the Supporting Cast" game. We tied on Terry Thomas, though.

:-)

Snuke:
Not sure what Captain Christopher Pike and Rebel Without A Cause have to do with each other for the cryptic comment. That is as far as I'm able to Google. Also, WaPo next-pages have been working fine for me. I've been rereading the "Terminated" article. Chat at 1 pm for the article. I also went to his blog which right now is a single entry consisting of a cut excerpt:

tmshine.blogspot.com

I like the idea of writers putting out DVD bonus features on their personal sites.

K-guy, no one loves Bogart more than I do. But those are all the same guy, with the possible exception of African Queen. YMMV.

(You left out Key Largo and Casablanca, which you disdain. And Passage to Marseilles. The Big Sleep. The Left Hand of God (one of my favs). Deadline U.S.A. (sentimental fav). Sirocco. Dark Passage (another fav). Action in the North Atlantic. Sahara. Love 'em all. But same guy.)

To knit two threads together: "The longest day" maybe one of the reasons parachutists suffer from Ste-Mère-l'Église syndrone, hence the choice of tree-free Saskatchewan for the big jump.

Notice of our "stimulus" direct deposit (the ScienceStimulus) arrived in Saturday's mail. I feel very... stimulated.

We're not in Hippopotmus Lips anymore Toto.
(There's a Moosejaw in Sask.)

We're having a lovely scandal up here in Haute Maine. The Foreign Affairs Minister's, now ex, girlfriend either married , lived with and/or went out with several members af Hells Angels affiliated bike gangs.
After the issue was raised by the opposition in the House the PM said it was a personal matter, called the questioners gossipy old ladies and said he fully supported his Foreign Minister.
The minister resigned yesterday afternoon upon learning that his ex-girlfriend had recorded a TV interview (aired last night) claiming he had left government documents on her coffee table. Ouch!
The Prime Minister 'regretfully' accepted his minister's resignation claiming in was the issue of the documents and not the fact that the lady's past lovers were (or had been until being offed or auto-offing themselves) loan sharks, drug dealers and murderers.
So. Who's Condi been seeing lately?

http://www.thestar.com/article/425990

The dress in the photo was controversial at the time. Little did we know the fun that was in store.
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/431379

New kit.

SCC SyndroMe.
Leonard made me look at Detroit a whole different way.
I just bought his Gold Coast yesterday; this one is about Florida wackos, not Detroit wackos.
Speaking of Motown, looks like there may be a couple of parades out there this summer. Firsttimeblogger should stake her claims for a front row seat, at least for the Stanley cup parade anyway.

Great WaPo headline in a pretty obscure location: atop the "Discussion" list. The hed: "Austin, we have a problem." I'd make it a quiz to name the source, but about eight of you would jump all over it. Still, I admire it's simplicity, and the twist.

BC, Scotty, did you get Richard Greene? (in TLD.)(I'm sure you did.)

kbertocci,
Its refreshing to happen upon someone else that gets IT.
There is much more info to be mined from the Living Word found in the parables

This would mean there are infinite possibilities but which is first the chicken or the egg.

TBG-total agreement with all you've said
http://www.webtelefonkonyv.hu

TBG-total agreement with all you've said
http://www.webtelefonkonyv.hu

The classic approach to LIFE ELSEWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE has been that life may have evolved so differently elsewhere that we will likely have no points of reference to either understand it, or even to recognize it as being life. The multiverse approach to the universe of slight changes being made to an otherwise understandable reality needs to be looked at in that regard. For all we know, the Earth itself and/or the Sun could represent some form of intelligence of which we feeble humans are a mere subset. In that sense, whether or not there is some permutation of our existence elsewhere seems rather inconsequential.