Winnar!

I hereby declare the ASU squad the winners by virtue of upping the ante with wicked, wicked hand gestures.

Suddenly, a challeger appears...

What a Coincidence

Earlier this week, Weevil suggested that I should name some potential future free-energy discovery I make after him. Today I found out about Orbo. By Irish company Stoern. My first thought was something along the lines of: "Sweet. A prepetual motion device powered by natural magnetism. I made one of those in junior high, only I used a 9-volt battery to power electromagnets."

Then I found this article, and watched this video. It seems Orbo is just like my middle-school science project. They claim the energy output is three times the energy used by the battery. Some of that energy is used to recharge the battery to keep the device going.

Since I am neither an engineer or physicist, there are a couple of questions I have:

1. Why does it need an external power source? If it generates so much energy, one could theoretically start it manually, and use the recharging energy to maintain the motion.

2. I thought this would violate the first law of thermodynamics. Upon further consideration, I am not so sure. It is likely not a closed system. If their claim is true, the device could simply convert the magnetic energy, ambient heat, etc. into electrical energy. Still, I doubt there exists sufficient potential energy in the system for the conversion.

Would anyone care to chime in with further information or explanation?

Retail Flashbacks

I used to work at GameStop. At times, I even enjoyed it. The people I worked with tended toward funny, engaging, and generally pleasant to be around. There were a couple of tools, but by and large, my co workers were what made the job fun. I did not even mind working Black Friday. The day went by so quickly, I did not have time to complain.

From time to time, I seemed to encounter a customer like this:



Said customer would invariably return and blame me for not talking him down from the ledge of their terrible purchase.

There really seems to be a Penny-Arcade for all occasions. The full context of this panel can be found here. If you haven't read PA, do yourself a humorous favor and take some time and poke through the archives.

'tis the Season

NFL cheerleaders have a special place in the hearts and minds of most football fans. Many will pretend that they don't understand why such women dance around the sidelines, but will still stop and watch when they are shown. During the Christmas season, the cheerleaders seem to do it up right (with the possible exception of the Carolina Panthers). Intellectually, I am not sure what the appeal of the Mrs. Claus-esque suit is, but the id simply doesn't care.

I think the cheerleaders for the Brettesota Favres are my favorite Christmas cheerleaders, but I am ready to take arguments. Please note, if you would like to make an argument, provide or link or picture for proper consideration. There are rules and protocols to follow, here.

Anyhow, Merry Christmas:

I Want to Believe

There is probably a mundane explanation for this, but apparently strange lights, unrelated to the Aurora Borealis, have been appearing in Norway.

Popular Science reports, and proffers some speculation, but no solid conclusion.

Fair and Balanced, but Not So Good at Math

First, let me say that I am not a fan of FOX News. I realize that bias and partisanship have become a mainstay of cable news, but FOX seems to revel in taking opinion and conjecture and presenting it as news. I am sure MSNBC, CNN and other news outlets do this as well, but FOX seems to revel in it.

This screencapture, however, is fantastic.

source: Media Matters.

For those who are either unwilling or unable to do the math, FOX is reporting that 120% of people polled have an opinion on global warming research.