T Time

Remember

2008-05-26T11:24:00.007-04:00

They shall grow not old
As we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them . .
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them!
-- Lawrence Binyon

Apartment dweller's lament

2008-04-06T19:08:00.001-04:00

To the tune of "Home on the Range:"

We live in a home
Where the buffalo roam
In the apartment up above us.
They clomp and they stomp
They crash and they romp
Oh why must they make such a fuss?

Apartment dwellers beware
Of the elephants climbing the stairs
They smash and they shake
It's a f***ing earthquake
Please move and relieve our despair.

A not so bright idea

2008-03-29T15:58:00.008-04:00

My Mother-In-Law asked me yesterday if I was participating in "Earth Hour" tonight. I'm not sure where this idea germinated, but apparently we are supposed to turn off all the lights from 8 - 9 pm and enjoy an hour of darkness in order to save the planet. I think the folks who brainstormed this one didn't really think through the implications. Do you think most people are going to while away the hour of darkness twiddling their thumbs? I predict a mini baby boom nine months from now. More here.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T11:41:00.004-04:00

Yes, this is a teapot; an Easter Bunny Teapot! I particularly like the bug on the windshield.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T12:28:00.001-04:00

Be sure to drink some Irish Breakfast or green tea! And what better way to serve than from a Blarney Castle teapot?

One hundreth post!

2008-03-15T10:40:00.000-04:00

I noticed this morning that I've managed to attain a milestone of sorts with this blog: 100 posts! It took a tad over 5 months, which is a little longer than I had anticipated, as I had to take some time off from playing with my blog to address some other matters. Hopefully I'll be able to post more silly stuff more often.

As always, if you're looking for thoughtful and insightful analysis of world issues, you won't find it here. But if you like silliness, trivia or the just plain insignificant, this is your place!

Happy Pi Day!

2008-03-14T10:29:00.002-04:00

The digits of Pi mapped to notes in a melody, played on the piano. Visit the official Pi Day website for more fun Pi stuff.

Musical math theater

2008-02-24T16:16:00.005-05:00

Mathamaniacs rejoice! You too can enjoy a slice of the musical theater pi. Calculus: The Musical promises an infinitely good time. Derive pleasure by indulging in all your singing, dancing and calculating urges. Integrate this mathical into your schedule. Even advanced mathematicians will find that it meets the measure. It's wonders are too many to enumerate.

Thought for the day

2008-02-20T19:51:00.004-05:00

Old mathematicians never die; they just lose some of their functions.

More Michael Jackson oddities

2008-02-17T19:06:00.007-05:00

Not to be outdone by this little guy, here's moonwalking Legos in a full length Thriller remake. Frankly, both vids give me unfortunate '80's aerobic class flashbacks. Enjoy while I go find some Bengay.

Sky Rats

2008-02-11T06:14:00.000-05:00

Sky Rats is the derogatory term boaters use for seagulls. Seagull poop is corrosive to fiberglass boats, and seagulls are prodigious poopers. Not surprisingly, their favorite targets are boats!

Born to be wild

2008-02-05T06:32:00.000-05:00

I doubt Steppenwolf had this Easy Rider in mind.

Easier browsing with labels

2008-02-04T06:31:00.000-05:00

For my legions of loyal readers...okay, for the handful who actually bother to read my nonsense, I have added labels to all my posts.

Super Bowl Sunday Tea

2008-02-03T13:09:00.000-05:00

Teapots for the football fan. While the rest of the gang guzzles beer and sodas, tea lovers can sip their favorite blend while enjoying (or enduring) the day's spectacle.

Completing the set

2008-01-29T06:46:00.000-05:00

Just for klw1026 and Sugar³, a green eyed lion. Well, actually a green eyed kitty with a lion haircut, and looking none too happy about it, but at least I tried.

More unintentionally hilarious lion kitty pictures here.

Take your vitamins

2008-01-28T18:34:00.001-05:00

Not my cup of tea

2008-01-22T06:13:00.000-05:00

I recently attended a concert by trumpeter Peter Evans. His performance can be succinctly described as avant-garde. My impression? Let's just say I won't be buying the album.

Words to live by

2008-01-17T06:25:00.000-05:00

"Vessels large may venture more, But little boats should keep near shore."

Wise words from Benjamin Franklin who was born on this day, January 17, 1706.

More minaturized mammals...

2008-01-16T08:55:00.000-05:00

...pygmy marmosets. These newborns look like tiny little Chewbaccas. Who would have thought marmosets could make wookie?

But did he pull out a rabbit?

2008-01-15T06:24:00.000-05:00

London haberdasher James Hetherington stepped out on the town wearing the first top hat in public on January 15, 1797. He attracted a large crowd of onlookers and was later fined 50 pounds for causing a public nuisance by, "on the public highway wearing upon his head a tall structure of shining luster and calculated to disturb timid people."

Today, Brooks Brothers should be similarly fined for foisting these abominations upon the unsuspecting public.

Tweety dances

2008-01-14T06:28:00.001-05:00

If you think dancing is for the birds, then this clip is for you:

Old Salt

2008-01-13T08:59:00.000-05:00

This little guy is poised to man the winches.

Washing the cat

2008-01-11T06:40:00.000-05:00

A colleague read my soggy cats post and sent me this short based on a popular email that made the rounds a few years ago.

Feeling a bit flaky

2008-01-10T06:33:00.000-05:00

Snowed under at work or school? Surrounded by flakes? Take a minute or two to appreciate the real deal. SnowCrystals.com is a website with dozens of lovely pictures of delicate snowflakes and feathery frost. My favorite section is the Myths and Nonsense page.

It was bound to happen

2008-01-09T06:45:00.001-05:00

Two atoms are walking down the street and one atom says to the other, "Wait a minute, I think I lost an electron." The other atom asks, "Are you sure?" to which the first atom responds, "Yes, I'm positive."

The father of information processing

2008-01-08T12:17:00.000-05:00

American Herman Hollerith, pictured left, invented a mechanical tabulating machine for counting the 1890 census. He was issued a patent for his invention on January 8, 1889. The company he founded, with the descriptive name of Tabulating Machine Company eventually became IBM.

2007 year in review

2008-01-07T16:10:00.002-05:00

In 2007 | Funny Jokes at JibJab

Brought to you by the nutty folks at JibJab.

Roller derby

2008-01-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

For those of you under a certain age, pictured at left is a pair of clamp-on roller skates. Generations of children learned to skate on a pair similar to these, sans helmet and other protective gear. We just strapped them on and away we went! Mine had metal wheels for skating on sidewalks. They would adjust with a key or wing nut to fit the shoes of a growing child. To skate indoors, we wore these. (And they certainly didn't cost that much either!)

Considered the father of modern roller skating, American James L. Plimpton invented and patented a roller skate on January 4, 1863.

I met Sugar³ while roller skating. I fell on him.

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-03T08:12:00.000-05:00

Years ago I made a resolution to never again make New Year's Resolutions. It's the only one I've been able keep. If you're so inclined, here's a list of this year's top resolutions, compiled by the U.S. Government.

Lose Weight, Pay Off Debt, Save Money, Get a Better Job, Get Fit, Eat Right, Get a Better Education, Drink Less Alcohol, Quit Smoking, Reduce Stress Overall, Reduce Stress at Work, Take a Trip, Volunteer to Help Others

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T15:11:00.000-05:00

Felix Sit Annus Novus!
Feliz Año Nuevo!
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!
Bonne Année!
And just for you, klw1026, Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

Ouch

2007-12-26T13:54:00.000-05:00

Little did everyone know, I was actually taking up a new hobby. CrackedPot indeed.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T13:13:00.000-05:00

Spend Christmas with Mr. Bean:

And here's the rest of the skit:

Surprise Santa

2007-12-24T10:36:00.000-05:00

Instead of the usual milk and cookies, this year surprise Santa with tea and truffles, naturally served from a holiday tea set.

Christmas lights extravaganza

2007-12-23T09:58:00.000-05:00

Sugar³ and I have a Christmas tradition of driving around town looking at Christmas lights and then returning home to a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate. But the place where we reside now only has a pathetic handful of Christmas displays, with these lurking about. However, through the magic of the internet, we can enjoy excesses like the one below. Snoopy would be proud, but I'd hate to see their electric bill next month.

How to untangle Christmas lights

2007-12-22T17:30:00.000-05:00

This method has always worked for me.

The teapots are back!

2007-12-21T09:01:00.000-05:00

About a week ago, the folks at Blogger tinkered with something in the way Headers (where my lovely green floral tea set resides) are set up, and it resulted in the truncation of my tea set, which was cut off at the knees. Last night, Sugar³ kindly pulled up the Html for my Header and fixed the problem. So now my teapots are whole again! In celebration, here's the same beautiful tea set in lilac and blue.

Update: Blogger apparently received a lot of complaints about the Header change, so they reverted it back to the original way they were doing things. I don't believe this made any difference, as Sugar³ manually corrected the Header yesterday. At any rate, the teapots are back!

Holiday travel in Europe

2007-12-20T12:33:00.000-05:00

Tired of traveling to Grandma's house every year for Christmas? Always wanted to tour Europe for the holidays? Well here's your chance. Take a virtual holiday tour of Europe. Click on the link and then click "Choose a Destination." Enjoy!

http://downloads.raileurope.com/holidayCard/06_christmas_card.html

Bah Humbug

2007-12-19T06:24:00.000-05:00

A perennial Christmas favorite, Charles Dickens' serial potboiler, "A Christmas Carol", was first published on December 19, 1843. Not only did it help pay his bills, but it was an instant success, and has spawned countless adaptations throughout the years.

But wouldn't it get sticky?

2007-12-18T08:02:00.000-05:00

I stumbled across this website the other day. It sells giant stuffed animals and features a woman standing in line at an ice cream shop. That struck me as a little odd. Is it really advisable to take a giant stuffed monkey with you everywhere? Then again, I suppose it's cheaper than therapy. And when it gets matted and dirty, you can wash it like this. I would imagine it wouldn't freak out quite so dramatically.

Ghosts of venison past

2007-12-17T08:29:00.000-05:00

Why are lighted reindeer so popular? By day they appear skeletal, by night, spectral. I keep expecting the ghost of Marley to stand beside them. Yet they infest almost every neighborhood. Some yards even have little piles of green lights for them to graze upon. Then there's Vlad Deer. Vlad Deer are lighted leaping reindeer who look like they've been impaled on a stake by this guy.

Eccentric astronomer

2007-12-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

Danish nobleman turned astronomer Tycho Brahe was born on December 14, 1546. His accurate astronomical observations were later used by his assistant Johannes Kepler to derive the Laws of Planetary Motion. But he was anything but another boring scientist. Brahe wrangled with mathematicians, lost his nose in a duel and apparently kept a pet moose and a dwarf. Even his death is controversial. He may have been poisoned by his famous assistant.

Tie one on

2007-12-13T09:52:00.000-05:00

Or not. The clip on tie was invented on December 13, 1928. Although eminently practical for law enforcement officers and very young little boys, clip on ties have somehow become regarded as slightly seedy and a little tacky. Of course, with examples like these, I can see why.

Prefer wrestling with a "proper" tie? Here's instructions on how to become fit to be tied.

Tea and cookies

2007-12-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

Now that you've made plenty of cookies for those holiday parties, enjoy these gingerbread cookies that won't pack on the pounds. And while you're decorating your gingerbread creation, don't forget to enjoy a pot of gingerbread tea.

Torment your pet...

2007-12-11T09:01:00.000-05:00

...by dressing them up as Santa Claus for Christmas. Does this pooch look the least bit happy? No, it looks humiliated!

The long awaited couch

2007-12-10T09:45:00.000-05:00

Sugar³ and I ordered this couch back in August. We wanted it in an oak natural finish (shown) with a navy blue cover (use your imagination). After three months, the retailer finally discovered the manufacturer couldn't get their hands on any oak lumber for some reason and asked us if we would accept, for a discount, a couch in birch instead. So we agreed and two weeks later we received a couch...with a red teak finish, and no futon cover. So back it went. In the meantime, the futon cover wholesaler sent a dark burgundy red cover, and continued to send a red cover with each reorder until the retailer switched to another company. Even then we received a royal blue cover, but by that time, we were really tired of sitting on lawn chairs and accepted the royal blue cover. It helped that the retailer upgraded to a nicer cover at no extra cost, and threw in the dark burgundy red one too. Saturday, our new couch finally arrived, in a natural birch finish with a royal blue cover and an extra dark burgundy cover, nearly five months later! Our backs feel better already.

The arms open to hold remotes and small items and the front conceals drawers underneath. Each end also sports a magazine rack.

"A date which will live in infamy..."

2007-12-07T08:22:00.000-05:00

Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Overview with pictures and more links here.

FAQ's here.

National Geographic multimedia timeline and map with firsthand accounts and narration here.

Account from USS Arizona survivor, Marine Corporal E.C. Nightingale.

Pictures and sequence of events here.

USS Arizona Memorial here and here.

Longest running holiday special

2007-12-06T07:57:00.000-05:00

NBC first aired the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Christmas special on December 6, 1964. Painstakingly filmed in stop motion animation, the program took nearly a year and a half to complete. Like most other Hollywood celebrities, Rudolph and his castmates underwent extensive cosmetic surgery over the years in order to retain their youthful countenances. CBS took over airing Rudolph in 1972.

Here are parts two, three, four and five of Rick Goldschmidt's extensive and definitive histories of everything Rudolph.

Hanukkah hounds

2007-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Is this really kosher?

Happy Hanukkah!

Soggy felines

2007-12-04T10:24:00.001-05:00

Cats are always so smug and self assured, except when they are wet. CrackedPot stumbled across a website that features Damp Cats. Most of the kittys are amusingly waterlogged,but whoever invented the dishwasher style kitty washer should have their head examined. Poor cat.

Bugs vs. Books

2007-12-03T09:39:00.000-05:00

Hmmmm...do you think this was a copy of Metamorphisis?

Cookies Galore!

2007-12-02T10:21:00.000-05:00

Fill your cookie jars with just about every cookie imaginable. Just click on the name of the cookie and the recipe is there! But don't tell this guy, he's fresh out of rehab and is now a fresh produce connoisseur.

Bygone building

2007-11-30T12:38:00.000-05:00

London's Crystal Palace, was an enormous cast iron and glass Victorian monstrosity built for the 1851 Great Exhibition, which showcased Great Britain's industrial, economic and military might. It was moved to a new location in 1854 and eventually destroyed in a fire on November 30, 1936.

Cool computer animation of the interior and exterior here.

Proof positive

2007-11-29T08:12:00.000-05:00

The age old question is finally answered. The Pope could not be reached for comment.

Gone to the dogs

2007-11-28T08:02:00.000-05:00

Think your boss is doggone awful? How about this guy? He barks at everyone, and never throws his employees a bone.

Tea Time

2007-11-26T08:01:00.000-05:00

CrackedPot and a friend spent a lovely afternoon pampering ourselves at a tea room, where we sampled various tea blends from delicate porcelain teacups and nibbled on scrumptious desserts. While prowling the tea room, which was jammed with various types of teapots for sale, CrackedPot found herself.

Someone please think of the children!

2007-11-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

The original episodes of Sesame Street from the early 1970's are now available on DVD. They come with warnings that they are not suitable for children. Because, goodness knows, this might traumatize today's child. And look what poor Cookie Monster has been reduced to these days; he's now Organic Produce ~~Monster~~ Blue Fuzzy Puppet. If Jim Henson were still alive he'd likely be horrified.

Avoiding Black Friday

2007-11-23T10:23:00.000-05:00

Although tradition has it that Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, this isn't necessarily so. Nevertheless, the thought of all those bargain crazed crowds and the ensuing melee doesn't appeal to CrackedPot who won't be venturing near any stores this day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T08:39:00.000-05:00

If Norman Rockwell had been a redneck.

Turkey wrestling

2007-11-21T17:25:00.001-05:00

CrackedPot had a similar experience with a turkey years ago, only the slippery ~~bas~~ bird kept ending up on the floor...along with CrackedPot. Since then, CrackedPot has preferred Cornish Game hens; they're much easier to manage.

More turkey commercials here, here and here.

Would you like fries with your order?

2007-11-20T16:04:00.000-05:00

McDonald's sold its 50 billionth burger on November 20, 1984. Presumably it tasted just as bland as the previous 49,999,999,999 burgers.

CrackedPot dined as a child at the original McDonald's, pictured above left, which was located in San Bernardino, California. It has since been torn down. Corporate McDonald's doesn't really explain its existence, and instead claims the first McDonald's was built by Ray Kroc in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955, a full 15 years after Dick and Mac MacDonald began serving up burgers. Ray Kroc built the empire, but it all started with a little hamburger stand in California.

Caffeine crisis

2007-11-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

Not being a coffee drinker, CrackedPot, (who prefers tea, and caffeine free herbal teas at that), has never set foot in a Starbucks. Sugar³ is a big coffee drinker, but prefers to brew his own at home. We may be the only two people in the country who have never been to Starbucks. But Starbucks has apparently reached the saturation point. After growing like gangbusters for the past few years, the company reported huge losses for the third quarter.

More Mobius

2007-11-17T19:11:00.001-05:00

August Ferdinand Mobius was born on November 17, 1790. He is best known for his co-discovery of the Mobius strip and as a pioneer in Topology, which Sugar³ is studying at present.

If you haven't already, check out yesterday's post featuring a cool video of Mobius Transformations.

Pretty math

2007-11-16T08:59:00.000-05:00

Sugar³ often discusses Mobius Transformations but CrackedPot found them hard to visualize. This video not only shows how it works, but makes it beautiful.

Monet boats

2007-11-14T10:02:00.003-05:00

Claude Monet, pictured right, was born on November 14, 1840. His Water Lilies (scroll down) are ubiquitous, but CrackedPot's favorite Monet paintings are the ones with boats,especially sailboats.

Far Side Favorite

2007-11-13T09:36:00.000-05:00

Pictured is CrackedPot's favorite Far Side cartoon. I gave Sugar³ a boneless chicken ranch t-shirt for his birthday that he wore for years until it literally fell apart. Now it's a boat rag, so at least I get to chuckle when swabbing the decks.

Honoring those who served

2007-11-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

See past Veteran's Day posters here. You may need to scroll down a little.

History of Veteran's Day here and here.

The President's 2007 Veteran's Day proclamation here.

Disclaimer: CrackedPot didn't have access to a computer yesterday, but wanted to post this anyway.

Happy 232nd Birthday USMC!

2007-11-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Semper Fi.

Ghost Ship

2007-11-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Mary Celeste set sail from Staten Island, New York on November 7, 1872. She was later found abandoned near the Straits of Gibralter, and passed into history as a legendary ghost ship. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a fictionalized account of her abandonment that over the years came to be regarded as fact.

Dreamboat vs. reality

2007-11-06T08:20:00.000-05:00

Someday CrackedPot and Sugar³ would like to own one of these. Here's an older 1979 Cabo Rico for sale with some nice pictures.

And here's what we have now. A 1974 Grampian 26.

Candy conundrum

2007-11-05T05:55:00.000-05:00

Overheard from a trick-or-treater on Halloween, "If I eat these, does that make me a cannibal?"

A classic beauty

2007-11-04T00:01:00.000-04:00

The boat pictured right is a scale model of "Columbia" the 1901 winner of the America's Cup. She also captured the cup in 1899, becoming the first America's Cup winner to defend a title. Columbia was designed and built by Nathaniel Herreshoff, one of America's greatest yacht makers.

The classic lines of Columbia and her sisters are much prettier than these ugly things.

The Father of Frozen Foods

2007-11-03T09:26:00.000-04:00

Thanks to inventor Clarence Birdseye we can have DiGiorno instead of delivery.

The photo of Mr. Birdseye in the bio looks like a Norman Rockwell painting.

The "Flying Lumberyard"

2007-11-02T10:58:00.001-04:00

Howard Hughes flew his Spruce Goose sixty years ago today. Disney Corporation took quite a drubbing from the local public, press and politicians when they evicted the Goose from its home in Long Beach, CA in the early 1990's. Fortunately the Goose found a new home. The last CrackedPot heard, the huge custom built hangar in Long Beach was being used as a soundstage for filming TV shows and movies. More on Hughes here, and movies of the Goose here.

Weather or not

2007-11-01T12:59:00.000-04:00

In 1870, the U.S. Weather Bureau made its first meteorological observations. They were probably wrong.

In Southern California, where there really isn't any weather to speak of most of the time, tv weatherpeople find a multitude of ways to say, "Sunny with a light breeze," and then move on to spend most of their weather segments describing the smog levels and the earthquake reports. Really.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T08:02:00.000-04:00

After a ghoulish night of trick-or-treating, relax with a nice cup of tea from a Halloween Teapot.

Pixie piglets populate pumpkin

2007-10-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

These little porkers were just too cute not to feature again for Halloween.

On the other hand, this plethora of pork are for those with an appetite for larger sausage links. They would need to inhabit pumpkins like this. No pumpkin, however, will hold these nightmare inducing hellish hogs.

Black Tuesday

2007-10-29T08:01:00.001-04:00

October 29th, "Black Tuesday" was the culmination of a three day financial meltdown in 1929 that abruptly ended the the Roaring Twenties and marked the start of the Great Depression of the 1930's. The stock market didn't completely recover from the great stock market crash until the mid 1950's.

Doesn't look her age...

2007-10-28T17:54:00.001-04:00

...although she has had some cosmetic procedures over the years.

A gift to the people of the United States from the people of France, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.

Pint size porkers

2007-10-26T08:07:00.000-04:00

First there were these, and now CrackedPot has discovered yet another miniaturized critter...Teacup Pigs. A friend told me that Good Morning America featured a segment about them. What is it with morning shows and miniaturized mammals?

Teacup Pigs apparently grow up to be roughly the size of a Cocker Spaniel. More bacon bits here and here (scroll down a tad).

It's all relative

2007-10-25T11:19:00.000-04:00

One of Sugar³'s favorite quotes:

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."

~ Albert Einstein

The perils of aging

2007-10-24T11:15:00.000-04:00

One of the downsides of aging in the digital age is your friends can post your picture on their blog and announce to any and all that you're now officially ~~Over-the-Hill~~ Middle-Aged. Happy 40th to Bob and 50th to Steve!

They Came in Peace

2007-10-23T16:13:00.001-04:00

CrackedPot and Sugar³ had friends who were asleep in their racks when terrorists detonated a truck bomb at their Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Two hundred and forty-one Marines, sailors and soldiers were killed on October 23, 2003. The Beirut Memorial, located in Jacksonville, NC is dedicated to those who lost their lives that day. In addition, a bradford pear tree was planted along highway 24 for each fallen man.

Here's to you Jerry, wherever you are.

Censoring colorful cliches confounds collaboration

2007-10-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well I'll be damned....

Sugar³ ran across this article on swearing in the workplace.

Not sure about an all out expletive fest, but "golly, gosh, darn" does feel woefully inadequate when CrackedPot has just slipped and jabbed a needle through the webbing between forefinger and thumb or nicked a finger with the scalpel.

Old Ironsides

2007-10-21T09:01:00.000-04:00

The oldest commissioned warship in the world, USS Constitution "Old Ironsides" turns 210 years old today. Construction on the frigate began in 1794 and she was launched on October 21, 1797. Currently she is undergoing a two year re-fit to spruce her up and bring her back to "fighting" condition.

The Captain's Clerk features some beautiful "Old Ironsides" artwork and nifty historical facts about the USS Constitution.

Black Monday for Friday

2007-10-19T08:06:00.002-04:00

Twenty years ago today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average took a nosedive, plummeting over 500 points in one day. The 1987 crash was the largest single day drop in stock market history, resulting in a nearly 23% decline, which in turn triggered stock market crashes around the world. Because so many factors contributed to the crisis, to this day, ~~astrologists~~ economists can't agree on why this crash occurred.

Many Gekko "Greed is Good" investors from the late '80s lost their tailored shirts that day. CrackedPot remembers news coverage of distraught investors leaping from their high rise corner offices, or of unhinged investors shooting their brokers.

Mysterious malfunction makes mission miss moon mark

2007-10-18T07:58:00.000-04:00

On October 18, 1962 NASA launched Ranger 5 on a mission to impact the moon. It never made it. A malfunction caused Ranger 5 to switch from solar power to battery power, and the batteries ran down. This guy could not be reached for comment.

Why catamarans are fast

2007-10-17T07:59:00.000-04:00

Catamarans sail much faster than monohull sailboats. Not mentioned among the points outlined in this Wikipedia entry about catamarans is the main reason cats sail faster:

Because They Are So Ugly, Land Repels Them.

A man of his words

2007-10-16T12:40:00.000-04:00

Noah Webster, famous author, lexicographer and Americanizer of the English language was born on this day 249 years ago.

Birthday \Birth"day`\, a.
Of or pertaining to the day of birth, or its anniversary; as,
birthday gifts or festivities.  [1913 Webster]

Flying high

2007-10-15T12:15:00.000-04:00

The New York Municipial Airport was dedicated on this day in 1939. It's name was later changed to LaGuardia Airport. Minutes after the dedication, the first piece of luggage was lost.

Not particularly concerned with luggage was Chuck Yeager, who was the first human to break the sound barrier in an aircraft sixty years ago yesterday (October 14, 1947.)

"What's your sine?"

2007-10-14T14:59:00.000-04:00

CrackedPot overheard this bad math pick-up line while at dinner the other night with Sugar³ and several of his math friends, "Can I get your integral because I want to know the area under your curve."

Perhaps the speaker would have had better luck with, "I don't have a perfect pick-up line that'll get you to take me home, but I can prove that one exists."

Or they could look here or here for inspiration.

232 years old today

2007-10-13T12:47:00.001-04:00

The United States Navy was established by the Second Continental Congress on October 13, 1775. Happy Birthday!

CrackedPot attended a Navy Birthday Ball where all the Sailors looked very spiffy in their Dress Whites. That is until an unfortunate incident (really, honestly, it was an accident!) involving an exploding bottle of Sunkist Orange Soda. Then the hapless victims resembled these.

Pictured is the Navy's sailing vessel, USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides." She is the oldest commissioned warship in the world.

Columbus sailed the ocean blue...sideways

2007-10-12T10:38:00.000-04:00

Columbus sailed ships like these. They were heavy, beamy, hard to maneuver and didn't move very fast, averaging around 4 knots (roughly 5 mph.) Due to their square sail rigs, they couldn't point to wind very well and they made a lot of leeway. The best these lumbering craft could manage in a stiff breeze was what we would now consider a beam reach, so basically Columbus crabbed his way sideways across the Atlantic.

To Not Quite Infinity and Beyond

2007-10-11T11:49:00.001-04:00

Today marks anniversaries for two American space ventures. Forty-nine years ago, Pioneer I was the first spacecraft launched by a nascent NASA. Originally slated to go to the moon, Pioneer I fell quite a bit short due to a programming error which caused the 2nd stage rocket to shut down early which then threw off the planned trajectory of the spacecraft. Although it didn't reach its intended mark, Pioneer I still gathered some useful scientific information. As mentioned in a previous post, CrackedPot's father was a quality control engineer with NASA, but he didn't join them until 1959.

CrackedPot's father did work on the successful Apollo 7, which launched on this day in 1968. This mission lasted 10 days, much longer than any of the Soviet space missions. It was also the first time live tv images were seen from a manned spacecraft. As was his habit, CrackedPot's father brought back a mission patch when he returned home from either Cape Canaveral or Houston. (CrackedPot doesn't know which place he was at, only that he went. Back in those days, the parents never thought to share this sort of information with a small teacup.)

And the elephants rejoiced

2007-10-10T12:56:00.000-04:00

One hundred and forty two years ago today, the synthetic billiard ball was patented by American inventor John Wesley Hyatt. He marketed his new substance, celluloid, as an ivory substitute. Previously, billiard balls had been crafted from ivory. Hyatt's discovery helped pave the way for the modern plastics industry.

Mysteries for tea lovers

2007-10-09T11:45:00.000-04:00

For a relaxing evening, CrackedPot recommends curling up with a Tea Shop Mystery and a nice cup of tea. These are a series of cozy mysteries where the amateur sleuth is the owner of a tea shop. Like all cozies, the amateur sleuth stumbles across an awful lot of murders. In real life, the local police and probably the Feds would be taking a very close look at someone who always shows up with a body in tow, but suspend your disbelief and enjoy a light read.

Hot time in the old town

2007-10-08T09:40:00.000-04:00

The Great Chicago Fire erupted on October 8, 1871 and burned for two days. Legend has it that Mrs. O'Leary's cow was the culprit, but a reporter for the Chicago Republican newspaper admitted to fabricating the story because it made good copy. Hmmm...journalism hasn't changed much over the years.

But this would cause heartburn

2007-10-07T16:02:00.000-04:00

Wisdom off of a bookmark CrackedPot ran across:

"Eat a live bullfrog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."

Well, at least it's not advocating noshing on these.

Teacup Chihuahua?

2007-10-06T18:05:00.000-04:00

CrackedPot caught a few minutes of some morning show which featured a scrap of fur billed as the world's smallest dog. It stood four inches tall and its weight was measured in ounces. That's not a dog, that's a yapping hamster! What is a minuscule pooch like that good for, other than inhabiting the crockery in the china cabinet? It's not like you could play ball or frisbee with it. And must it live out it's life in a cage, forever treading the tubes of a Habitrail for fear of this happening?

Happy Anniversary Sputnik!

2007-10-04T12:53:00.000-04:00

Google is commemorating Sputnik's 50th anniversary in typical Google style.

Asteroids = Donuts

2007-10-03T19:50:00.000-04:00

Math geek humor from the Sugar³: A topologist is a person who can't tell a teacup from a donut. What CrackedPot wants to know is why anyone would want to mangle a delicate teacup when they can use the old classic video arcade game, Asteroids, as a topological donut analogy?