Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it possible?
I’ve been interested in superheroes for a long time, and not only because I think telekinesis would be useful. No, what really intrigues me is that your average superhero story is a fantasy dressed up as science fiction. As I see it, there are three basic types of superheroes: – The Mutated Hero, who’s undergone…
The physics of the wet dog shake
Behold the basic physics of the wet dog shake, as explored by Andrew Dickerson, Grant Mills, Jay Bauman, Young-Hui Chang, David Hu of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Their (skimpy, introductory) paper is available on arxiv – it’s really an introduction to this entrancing video (also available in a higher-res version): (Thanks to Joseph Amaslab…
Air Force Academy now welcomes spell-casters
Just a few years ago, the Air Force Academy was considered such an evangelical hothouse that the place got sued for its alleged discrimination against non-Christians. Today, the Academy is boasting of its thriving pagan community…and its friendliness towards spell-casters. In a press release issued Thursday, the Academy features Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier (pictured), “the…
Boozie Movies loses its mind at PFF 2010 with Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan has been pulling in the plaudits on the film festival circuit, but Greg Christie of Twitch was less than impressed. Christie saw the ballerina thriller at the Philadelphia Film Festival, armed with his reviewing flask. [This is your *SPOILER* Warning folks, there are some details of the film given away below,…