Tag: xkcd

  • Not the Momma

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in , ,

    Well, we made it to the weekend once again. Sometimes—often if I’m being honest—I will sit and watch birds hop around on my balcony, chirping to each other for a minute or two before they fly off to destinations unknown. And in the back of my mind I am always thinking, that little guy is…

  • Space Is Cool

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in ,

    Well we made it to Friday. One of my longtime goals is to see the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. My plan for the winter of 2020 was to travel to Norway, maybe visit a friend, and then head north to Tromsø and take in the Polar Night and, fingers crossed, catch the show. Then…

  • The Sun’s Over the Yardarm

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in ,

    After all, matey, ’tis Friday. For those unfamiliar with the expression, what is a yardarm you ask? On traditional sailing vessels the tall thing holding the sail is the mast. Back in the day it was often crafted from a tall tree—see the critical timber industry of New England and the white pines provided to…

  • Flow Diagram from Hell

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in ,

    Well, not hell, but xkcd. The last several months I have had to use a number of websites where the user experience broke down and I was forced to switch to using a phone. Only to have the phone try and direct me back to the website. Nightmarish stuff, people. So Happy Friday! Credit for…

  • Pick Your Pizza

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in , ,

    As many longtime readers know, I lived in Chicago for eight years. I probably had Chicago-style pizza fewer than eight times in my life. I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and for the last nine years I have lived in central Philadelphia, where pizza is very much a different thing. And in my life…

  • Sharing a Coastline Between Friends

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in ,

    Another week has ended. Another weekend begins. I saw this a little while ago and flagged it for myself to share on a just for fun Friday. And since I posted a few things this week I figured I would share this as well. It is remarkable it took the similarity of the two coastlines…

  • Bridging the Difference

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in ,

    When I was a wee lad, I entered the school science fair and made models of different types of bridges. Suspension, cantilever, &c. I saw this a little while back and bookmarked it. As I am trying to get back into the swing of publishing here on Coffee Spoons, it’s time to bring back the…

  • Twelve-Mile Circle

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in ,

    As a wee lad I grew up south of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, an old mill town situated along the banks of the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek. Drop a little stick in the Brandywine and it would float downstream until it joins the Christina River in Wilmington, Delaware and thereafter shortly into the Delaware River.…

  • Electing An Expert in Nameology

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in ,

    Congratulations on making it to Friday. Though it was a short week for my American audience. Now that the State’s Labour Day holiday has passed, the 2024 electoral season can begin in earnest. And to begin the insanity we have a helpful graphic from xkcd. Clearly I’m not cut out for high office with a…

  • James Webb

    —

    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    It’s cool. In the darkness of space. We made it to the end of the week, a big week for space news. So with that, enjoy this illustration from xkcd about the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit for the piece goes to Randall Munroe.