The Off Topic Topic

[Josquius]

Auto insurance always sucks.
Its just some horrible money sink the government makes you use to be able to legally drive.

[Josephus]

Auto insurance brings out the closet liberterian in me.

[Eddie Teach]

Please tell me it's not USAA.

I suppose it's a case of getting what you pay for. I pay less a year for USAA insurance than the major companies claim you save when you switch to them. Though I suspect a lot of that extra money goes into their bloated advertising budgets.

[Razgovory]

Auto insurance brings out the closet liberterian in me.

Well put it back in!

[Caliga]

From FB: "Chick-fil-A - We have 4 new stores opening tomorrow - Orlando, Little Rock, Newark, and Yukon. First 100 receive free meals for a year!"

Beeb gets Chick-fil-A before fahdiz does.  :canuck:

[Eddie Teach]

That'd be funnier if Fahdiz hadn't gone all health nut on us.

[Tonitrus]

From FB: "Chick-fil-A - We have 4 new stores opening tomorrow - Orlando, Little Rock, Newark, and Yukon. First 100 receive free meals for a year!"

Beeb gets Chick-fil-A before fahdiz does.  :canuck:

Unfortunately for Beeb, it seems "Yukon" is in the vicinity of Oklahoma City.

[Grey Fox]

I'm dieing here or about to commit murder. 50/50

Most annoying co-worker ever with the most annoying voice has been talking to the people around me for 45mins.

I want her to shut up! SHUT UP!

[Razgovory]

That'd be funnier if Fahdiz hadn't gone all health nut on us.

He tends to go in fazes.  Catholic nut, Classical Liberal nut, Divorce nut, and so on.

[Eddie Teach]

I'm eating Chick-fil-A right now. 

[MadImmortalMan]

Stars are made of Vodka.

SCIENTISTS TAP INTO CLOUDS OF PURE ALCOHOL IN OUTER SPACE

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Using data collected by researchers at Ohio State University, astronomers have found vast quantities of pure alcohol in an interstellar cloud some 10,000 light years from Earth.

Scientists said the cloud, located near the constellation Aquila, contains enough alcohol to make 400 trillion trillion pints of beer.

The discovery was made during a study of how stars begin. Stars form from interstellar clouds, large conglomerations of gases and dust particles which can extend hundreds of light years across. Scientists have known for some time that the largest component of these clouds is hydrogen, but until now, they were not sure if ethyl alcohol molecules were also an ingredient.

"Over the course of the last 25 years or so, a number of molecules have been observed in space and scientists identify them by studying the frequencies of radiation they emit," said Eric Herbst, a professor of physics and astronomy at Ohio State. Herbst and Frank De Lucia, professor and chair of the physics department, authored a study on the specific radio frequencies of

ethyl alcohol.

Ethyl alcohol can only be observed in its gaseous phase. To observe the frequencies of ethanol, De Lucia and Herbst used a laboratory microwave spectrometer developed by De Lucia, a tabletop apparatus that shoots waves of radiation through a gaseous molecular sample. The molecule absorbs the radiation at selected radio frequencies, which are identical with the frequencies emitted by the molecules in space. A detector on the spectrometer records the frequencies for study.

On a visit to Ohio State, Tom Millar, an astronomer from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in England, discovered the research done by Herbst and De Lucia and used it in his study of star formation.

"It seems the ethanol molecule is found in relatively high concentrations in regions where stars are forming," Herbst said. "The current thought is that ethanol is formed on the surface of tiny sand-like particles in interstellar clouds. The heat from the star that is forming transforms the molecule to a gas and we are able to observe it."

Millar, along with Geoff Macdonald and Rolf Habing of the University of Kent in England, found 350 spectral lines emitted from molecules in an interstellar cloud. About 70 of these lines could not be matched to any molecule until Millar found out about the work done by Herbst and De Lucia.

"By studying these frequencies, the astronomers were able to learn more than just what molecule was there," Herbst said. "They were able to get information about the cloud's environment, such as temperature and density, by studying the intensity of the frequencies."

The research suggests that ethanol can be found in other interstellar clouds in which stars are forming, Herbst said.

The research by Herbst and De Lucia was published in the April issue of the Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data .

[Josquius]

Doesn't alcohol come from rotten organic stuff?
Are these: Space whales?

[Savonarola]

Happy 40th Birthday, Sesame Street:

'Sesame Street's' been swept, but the magic of show remainsBy Katie McLaughlin, CNN
November 5, 2009 9:49 a.m. EST

When "Sesame Street" premiered, Oscar the Grouch was much grouchier than he is today.STORY HIGHLIGHTS

"Sesame Street" will celebrate its 40th anniversary on November 10
Early years now on DVD with warning label: intended for nostalgia purposes only
On the DVDs, Cookie Monster smokes a pipe; children are seen riding bikes without helmets

Set has been sanitized, but warmth of show remains

(CNN) -- In the early days of "Sesame Street" -- that is, B.E. (Before Elmo) -- Sesame Street was a pretty grimy place.

The brownstone at 123 Sesame Street looked like it needed a serious power washing, the storefront of Mr. Hooper's shop was intentionally dingy and the Fix-It Shop's window was cluttered with toasters. It was gritty, but gritty in a magical way.

When the show started in 1969 ("Sesame Street" will celebrate its 40th anniversary on November 10), the concept of educational television programming was nothing short of revolutionary. "Sesame Street" was originally intended as a learning tool for inner-city children -- not only as a supplement to their lessons in math and the ABCs but to teach them to be good people and show them that learning can be fun.

Those early years are now available on DVD; and the discs contain a disclaimer that essentially states that they are intended for nostalgia purposes only. The warning reads as follows:

"These early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child."

Say what!? Never did I ever think I'd see "Sesame Street" and "intended for grown-ups" in the same sentence. iReport: What letter of the alphabet would you like to pay tribute to?


On the DVDs, Cookie Monster can be seen as his character of Alistair Cookie in his "Monsterpiece Theatre" segment (a spoof of Alistair Cooke's "Masterpiece Theatre") smoking a pipe.

Yep, Cookie Monster smoked.

He later eats the pipe because, as he was often prone to doing, he thinks the pipe is a cookie. Cookie Monster used to become so overwhelmed by his desire for cookies that he'd start seeing (hallucinating about?) cookies that weren't actually there. He'd eat (rotary) telephones, typewriters (what are those?), pencils, almost anything. It was funny.

Today, Cookie Monster's diet is much more balanced, as he has adopted the philosophy that cookies are a "sometimes food." Cookie coincidentally changed his tune in 2006 amidst reports that childhood obesity had reached epidemic proportions.

Early "Sesame Street" had some other elements that would not pass muster today. Oscar the Grouch is just plain nasty, children are seen riding their bikes without helmets, and there's even a sketch where the human character of Gordon can be seen approaching a little girl on the street. He takes her by the hand and brings her into his house for milk and cookies (again with the cookies!). Clearly, that could be misinterpreted by today's standards.

Now, some 4,000 episodes later, 123 Sesame Street has gotten that power washing. Peeling paint is nowhere to be found, and the only visible garbage can has a tenant. It's much more sanitized. I'm tempted to make fun of this, but then I notice the bottle of anti-bacterial hand gel on my desk and bite my proverbial tongue.

For better or worse, today's preschooler is very different from the 1969 version. And children's television programming simply has to reflect that.

But one thing hasn't changed on "Sesame Street": the unflinchingly genuine attitudes of its residents. For 40 years, they have taught us that sometimes we are going to get hurt, cry and be lonely. They've taught us that there'll also be times when we're downright jovial. All the while, those characters have remained sincere.

We may never see Cookie Monster eat a pipe again, but luckily the memories are preserved on DVD, and in our hearts.

In the words of Biggie Smalls "Things done changed."

[Ed Anger]

"These early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child."

Bullshit.

[Josquius]

Ah Sesame Street...one of the most annoying programmes in creation.
It varied so widely between enjoyable and dull as fuck and it seemed to last forever.