MSNBC: What Cars Would the Founding Fathers Drive?

Given what we know of the Founding Father's personalities, what kind of car would each of them drive, if they could? This slideshow offers some educated guesses:

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/what-would-our-founding-fathers-drive?icid=autos_2389

I'm not terribly familiar with cars, but the analyses of the various men's personalities are quite good. The entries on Samuel Adams and Alexander Hamilton, I think, capture them to a T. (The writer's clearly put effort into researching the piece -- see the James Monroe entry.)

MSNBC: Don't Eat Armadillos, or If You Do, Get Tested for Leprosy

Exactly as it says:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42788111

Apparently, armadillo tastes pretty good -- rather like a game bird. The eating thereof used to be fairly common in the South; the idea that commonly edible meat consists of beef, pork, fowl, and seafood (and occasionally venison) is actually rather new in human history. Of course, the fact that common meats are usually bred and controlled in the modern day, and therefore much less likely to contain pathogens, contributes to the narrowing of our palates.

And the line, "I would not cuddle armadillos" is priceless.

MSNBC: Endeavour Crew Recreates Star Trek Movie Poster

The space shuttle Endeavour embarked on its last mission four days ago (after its decommissioning, the only remaining operational shuttle of the original NASA fleet will be the Atlantis). Traditionally, every mission has a themed poster. This mission, STS-134, modeled its poster on the recent Star Trek film poster, which I think is quite fitting, and quite clever. (The inner geek (or maybe not-so-inner geek) in me just had a field day.)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43038704/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/endeavour-crew-recreates-star-trek-movie-poster/

What would have been even better would be if it were the shuttle Enterprise, but that was mostly a test shuttle and was decommissioned early in the shuttle program. Still, a girl can dream.

MSNBC: Two Suns Spotted in China Defy Explanation

A very interesting optical phenomenon spotted about a month ago:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41927089/ns/technology_and_science-space/GT1=43001

I'm inclined to believe that it's an issue of atmospheric refraction, as the article says. I don't think a faulty lens could produce an image of such clarity.

MSNBC: Holiday Bauble Made by Supernova

A belatedly festive astronomical phenomenon:

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/14/5648858-holiday-bauble-made-by-supernova?gt1=43001

It's marvellous and shiny -- what can I say?

MSNBC: New Species from New Guinea

And this is why conservation matters:

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/10/05/5235675-new-species-from-new-guinea?GT1=43001

 I especially like the "bug with bugged-out pink eyes". It's actually kind of pretty, in a bright, insectoid sort of way.

The Most Efficient Way to Mow a Lawn (article)

A whimsical, fun article on how to mow one's lawn in the most geometrically efficient way possible:

http://realestate.msn.com/listarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=25152485>1=35000

As was mentioned, we don't take particular care of our lawn (especially in the back), but my parents engage the local troupe of mowing-people (if there is a technical term for such, I don't know it) once a year in the spring. I wish they wouldn't; the mowing-people are rather careless with flowers, and have chopped the blooms off our daffodils every year since I've been in high school. I wouldn't mind if the yard were overgrown with weeds and wildflowers and sprawling hedges taller than I am -- I would rather enjoy the Secret Garden-esque feel of it, methinks. It's a pity my mother likes things neat, and that both my parents are afflicted with varying degrees of hayfever.

MSNBC: Anne Rice No Longer Christian

For those of you unfamiliar with her, Anne Rice is a very well-regarded gothic novelist, one of the old-guard (pre-Twilight) vampire writers. Her Lestat drinks human blood, burns up in sunlight (for the majority of the series, anyways), and certainly doesn't sparkle.

Anyhow, she's personally had a diverse and contentious history with Christianity. She was raised in a Catholic family, renounced religion at eighteen, and returned to Catholicism in her fifties. She recently announced, however, that she is no longer Christian:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38474711/ns/today-books/?gt1=43001

One of the most interesting points: Rice states that while she remains faithful to God, she has renounced the Church (and indeed, the label of "Christian") -- rather like a modern day Luther, actually. In his day, the grievances of the good Christian against the Catholic Church were primarily its sale of indulgences and its general corruption. The Church's problems in the modern day are more insidious; they consist of ideology-based discrimination, obstruction of human rights protections, and systemic degeneracy. Martin Luther was Christian but not Catholic in a world where Catholicism basically was Christianity; Anne Rice is following illustrious footsteps, indeed.

As Gandhi once said, so says Anne Rice: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." A vast generalization, to be sure (I know some very wonderful Christians, myself), but nonetheless, amen to that!

MSNBC: Cops Bust Woman for Pouring Mayonnaise in Book Drop

Hurting books -- things like cracking spines and dog-earring pages -- makes me cry a little inside. (Gosh, I sound like a librarian.) But this, this is a new low:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37693202/ns/us_news/?GT1=43001

This woman sounds like she ought to be institutionalized. I can see drunk college kids doing something like this, but she's a senior citizen! Are they sure she doesn't have dementia or something?

MSNBC: Woman Sues Google over Walking Directions

There is really no one to blame for your own stupidity, dear, but it was a valiant effort:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37453662/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/?gt1=43001

I despair of humankind, sometimes.

MSNBC: Head Bonk Causes Foreign Accent

An odd but very interesting phenomenon:

http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/05/28/4383989-what-iz-zees-head-bonk-causes-foreign-accent?GT1=43001

I've been told by friends (mostly college friends, who have seen me awake at ungodly hours of night/dawn) that I sometimes develop a slightly British accent when I'm very tired. I've never really noticed, myself, but then, a lot of people don't really hear their own accents.

I've always hypothesized that it's due to overcompensation for fatigue. That is, because people tend to mumble or slur their speech when they're very tired, I've subconsciously attempted to compensate for that tendency by enunciating much more clearly when I'm tired, and Americans, or people not well-acquainted with British accents, think it sounds British. (That and the rather antiquated usage of English; I've been told by a friend, who is very well-versed in accents and phonology, that my speech tends to be much more precise than the average American's -- probably a holdover from the way I learned English essentially as a second language -- which everyone thinks sounds British.) But this article brings up a different possible cause: head trauma.

I have a scar running almost vertically down my forehead; the bone underneath is still dented from the impact. It's from a long time ago (I was six years old when the accident happened). My father always jests that I must have become stranger, or more intelligent, as a direct result of the injury. Would that have brought about my sometimes-almost-accent? Hmm...

MSNBC: Space Food

Interesting, whimsical, fun. Here you go:

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2006/08/04/1753.aspx

MSNBC: Nevada Bans Chicken Suits at Polling Booths

I would say something about campaign regulations and voter protections, but I'm too busy laughing. Here you go:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37296098/ns/politics

Chicken suits? There are no words.

MSNBC: The Proliferation of (Odd) Vending Machines

Vending machines: no longer just for snacks and soda. Behold:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37089469/ns/travel-destinations/?GT1=43001

A pizza? A real pizza? Out of a vending machine? I feel a bit like I'm living in a science fiction novel (reminds me a bit of the synthesizers in Star Trek, actually).

It's all a bit unnecessary, but I can see why they'd be fun. I can imagine having pizza vending machines at Stanford; it would definitely help when we've got ten minutes between classes, and we have to bike across campus, too.

(It's labeled humor because I find strange and whimsical things amusing. Go figure.)

MSNBC: Light Bulbs Lead to Bright Ideas, Quite Literally

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36940459/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Awesomeness! Now we know that there's a reason for those dissection room-type lights in public school classrooms. :P (No, seriously, the implications are greater than they'd first appear, even if they're derived somewhat accidentally.)

MSNBC: The World's Biggest Rabbit!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36845356/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals?GT1=43001

Seriously, this creature is the size of a medium-weight dog. It still looks adorable, though. I want to meet it.