Tag: just for fun

  • Securing Philadelphia for the Papal Visit

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    For those not from Philadelphia, you might not know the Pope is visiting the city in September for a global conference of sorts. While that is great news for the followers and believers, it means absolute hell for the other residents of the city. So finally the security map has been published, detailing just where…

  • Where in the World Have I Been?

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    Brendan Barry
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    In January 2011, I made a map of counties I had visited in my life. I just rediscovered the file last weekend, and so today I decided to update the map. So below is 2011 and then after is 2015.

  • Diagramming the Phases of Water

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    Brendan Barry
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    Even when things are funny, I do not always laugh aloud. This xkcd post, however, made me do just that. And for that, it’s going up on the blog as today’s graphic of choice. Credit for the piece goes to Randall Munroe.

  • What We Have Learned About Pluto

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    And of course a week with awesome science-y space news is not complete without a little bit of xkcd. Credit for the piece goes to Randall Munroe.

  • Cruel and Unusual Punishment

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    It’s Friday, everybody, so let’s lighten the mood with cruel and unusual punishment. Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds. No, today we look at a simple two-axis plot or matrix used by Jon Stewart to classify means of death and whether or not they would unconstitutional based on the cruel and unusual…

  • New Horizons

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    So this is generally a more serious post than usual for a Friday. Because, it is about New Horizons, the probe we launched almost a decade ago to explore Pluto, which at that point was still technically a planet. Anyway, the Washington Post has a nice illustration detailing the various sensors and orbits and trajectories.…

  • Donald Trump is Running for President

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    Brendan Barry
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    This week saw a few new people officially jump into the 2016 election: Jeb Bush and Donald Trump. Next week I want to at least look at some design-related elements to the forthcoming primaries. But, today is Friday. So let’s get to the important stuff first: Donald Trump’s hair. Thankfully, Time has that covered. (Get…

  • Mountain of Friendships

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    Brendan Barry
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    I read this piece quite some time ago. But, the other night at the bar, I ended up drawing it to explain the concept to people. So, I figured I would share the original. The whole post is worth the read. Credit for the piece goes to Tim Urban.

  • Where in the United States is Your Film’s Protagonist?

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    It is finally Friday. And if you are in one of those areas where it is forecast to rain this weekend, you may find yourself watching a film. If you do, then xkcd has a post that will help you identify the movie by its background scenery. Personally, my favourite is the reference to the…

  • Moon Bases

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    Today’s post falls somewhere between just for fun and science reality. Remember moon bases? Newt Gingrich’s ridiculed comment about a habitable moon base by 2020? Well, one problem with colonies on other planets—or even interstellar transport for that matter—is radiation. The moon has no magnetosphere and no atmosphere. So it can be bombarded by both…