You may need to diagram this next sentence; I’ll triple check to make sure it’s accurate. This past weekend, I accompanied my good friend E to her old roomie and since-forever friend J’s wedding – already a little odd because J was marrying someone I work with (neither I nor my coworker knew about the link until 2 months ago – I hadn’t seen J in 25 years) – only to find that my ex-wife S’s college roommate and noted nature writer (who I’ve wanted to meet forever) was the mistress of ceremonies. E, J, and NNW are friends! Also – not the same schools. E, J and I (me) -> UNH; S and NNW -> Syracuse.

A great wedding, too. Wonderful people, good food, and writer husband of NNW told me one of the best strange-but-true stories ever.

NNW is off to western Mongolia/Altai to investigate Snow Leopards; I’m prepping a care package of Eagle Dreams and Women of the Gobi for her. Steve – she sends her best!

THIS IS MADE OF WIN!

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via BB

Words to live by from Schneier’s latest Cryptogram:

I tell people that if it’s in the news, don’t worry about it. The very definition of “news” is “something that hardly ever happens.” It’s when something isn’t in the news, when it’s so common that it’s no longer news — car crashes, domestic violence — that you should start worrying.

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Both Bruce Schneier and John Robb have commented favorably on The Black Swan: the Impact of the Highly Improbable – looks like it’s time to add it to my wish list (or to suggest it to my friendly neighborhood spiderman librarian).

Russian Cthulhu amulets:

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Via ToM.

Lex10 tagged me up with the ‘8 Random Facts’ internet thang – here goes nothing. First, the rules:

The Rules: Players start with 8 random facts about themselves. Those who are tagged should post these rules [done!] and their 8 random facts. Players should tag eight other people and notify them that they have been tagged.

1. I love limes. They can provide 2 (the toughest 2 to do well) of the 5 tastes: sour and bitter. Match with sweet -> limeade, Key Lime Pie. Match with salt -> “I’m so wrecked”. Match with umami -> ceviche.
2. I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused.
3. Two (realistic) places I want to see before they box me up: Barranca del Cobre and someplace in Central America (likely Costa Rica) where I can fish (tarpon and offshore), swim, herp-splore and birdwatch.
4. I believe in normal distributions and in muddling through. Once-in-a-million events are just that – don’t be looking for miracles.
5. Speaking of miracles, the problem of evil and powers of 10 are why I’m an atheist.
6. Three more go go, eh? Oh, wait – now just two…
7. I’m ridiculously cheap about some things and spendthrift when it comes to others.
8. For my tenth birthday, a buddy and I went to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in a real movie theater (huge screen). ‘Nuff said.

If you want me to officially tag you for this, just let me know – otherwise I’ll be pinging folks over the next few weeks (with, of course, no expectation of anything other than instant email deletion).

I read somewhere that in the reactor control area of nuclear submarines there is a long brass grab-rail. In case of emergency, submariners are required to grab the rail with both hands and count to ten before they do anything else. The story may or may not be true (I can’t find where I read it), but it does make a good point. When faced with a problem, our first instinct is often to do something, dammit! Taking a second to calm down a bit and then to actually look at the problem is time well spent. To remind myself, I posted a label on an equipment rack near where most panic situations are likely to occur.

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When in danger
Or in doubt,
Run in circles,
Scream and shout.

(I respond well to sarcasm)

“I’m passionate about exceeding customer expectations every day as I greet people entering this lovely Wally-Mart”.

“Um, no.”

Passion is not enthusiasm. It is not love. It is not enjoyment, and it is not flow. Passion is an unstoppable overflowing of emotion that destroys in its satisfaction, that torpedoes lives and marriages and nations, that shoots husbands or coworkers or strangers in rage. It is the hot lava of the soul, and it burns what it pours over. It is not the positive team-building thing your sup­ervisor would have you believe. Passion causes wars and brutal killings and divorces, and has astronauts wearing Depends and the headmistresses of girls’ schools going to jail, and gets husbands run over in parking lots. To say that a bunch of software engineers or graphic designers are passionate about their work is to try to interject sex and confusion and addiction and desire into a kind of work that is essentially asexual, organized, left brain, and sober.

RTWT. via Bruce

I saw this on the way home this afternoon and grabbed my camera. If you can’t see the name on the roof sign, click the picture for a larger version. I guess Ebola, Genocide et Frères Driving School was too long for the sign, and Apocalyptic Death was a little over the top.

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. Rev. 6:8

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I hope that the owner of this concern is a huge Clint Eastwood fan who doesn’t pay much attention to dialog (or anything else) – it’s pretty tough to watch Pale Rider and not get the point – there’s a scene where Megan reads the verse quoted above. The alternatives are all pretty crazy – I’m left hoping it’s (rotting) tongue in (corpse-like) cheek. In any event, I think I’d want to speak to the driving instructor before I let him take my child out for a lesson.

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In October of 1872 the Utopian Antarctic colony of Nadiria printed it’s first paper money. For the next twenty seven years, until the community’s strange disappearance in 1899, a variety of beautiful currency was produced. For the complete story, click over to Dream Dollars.

h/t Table of Malcontents – a great stop for all your Cthulhu/steampunk needs (for the next month and a half – word is that Wired is going to pull the plug on them in June). Refresh the page a couple times – there’s a title banner that features a school (shoal? rabble?) of fez-wearing krill.

A few months ago, Steve posted about John McLoughlin’s visit to the Black Hole in Los Alamos. Last night, while wandering around Flickr, I came across Telstar Logistics’ Black Hole photoset. It’s well worth a look, and man – that is one great Kachina string tie!

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Via BB, I found the Reading Stack photo pool – pictures of the To Be Read stack that folks have staged and ready. I find it reassuring – my bibliomania may only be garden variety – though I might be BS-ing myself…

One of the Reading Stack pictures featured a Sticklebook. Aside from a good name, it is a very interesting gadget. I’ll bet it would allow me to double or triple the number of books on or around my nightstand (actually clean my nightstand off? ha ha ha ha – it is to laugh!).

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Later – by way of explanation: I can’t think of sticklebacks without thinking of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, and I can’t think of Mr. Jeremy Fisher without also remembering the “I know a good place” quote (also the title – not coincidentally – of an enjoyable book).