Some quick notes about numbers

Real Numbers: million, billion, quintillion, googolplex

Imaginary Numbers*: jillion, kajilion, zillion, gazillion, berylian, majilion

More interestingly:

In the PBS science program Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, Episode 9: “The Lives of the Stars”, astronomer and television personality Carl Sagan estimated that writing a googolplex in numerals (i.e., “10,000,000,000…”) would be physically impossible, since doing so would require more space than the known universe occupies. – wikipedia

* Not the kind Descartes would have made fun of.

9/11 Truth

Judy Wood is a name well known in some circles – some regard her as an expert on her topic of choice, the truth behind 9/11.

She has a fairly large section on her website debunking the myth of a thermite-based controlled demolition, (the most common story I’ve encountered when I’ve bothered to wet my toes in crazy,) while constantly expounding the importance of the scientific method.

So, if not a case of basic engineering meeting fiery airplanes, nor a thermite conspiracy, what then is the truth according to Judy Woods?

SPACE LASERS.

My generation has finally found its own puff of smoke on the grassy knoll.

lost-in-space-laser-pistol

When in Rome

Sort of an odd fact, but: did you know that after being seriously pummeled by Hannibal, the Romans not only refused to negotiate, they outlawed the use of the word peace?

So firm were these measures that the word “peace” was prohibited, mourning was limited to only thirty days, and public tears were prohibited even to women. – wikipedia

I’m looking at you, Iraq War Protesters* (and Private Ryan’s Mom).

*This isn’t to imply I think people should be silent, it’s to point out that, despite modern worship, the Romans were basically barbarians.

Functional Friday

I’m five scripts away from completing the first batch of strips for the gag comic. Its my intention to kick those out this weekend, and hopefully hassle the artist about getting the first few drawn. It’d be nice to come back Monday with something to post here as a teaser.

I’m completing second edits on the first small ‘arc’ of the serial story, and I really need to start moving the words from their scripts and into the design phase. I want to present it in a series of screenshots: a blog, a news story, I.M.s, etc, and I’m concerned that the story threads are going to get muddled in the transitions. It’s definitely leading me to believe its time to start laying things out and see how it looks. I’m sort of wondering if I should take Scott Sigler’s words of advice, (even though he was talking about podcasting your novel,) and complete the whole story before beginning any of it.

Vince Offer – The Slap Chop Guy

I realize I’m kicking around the bowels of TV-commercialism a bit, but it reminded me that I needed to look into something; I’ve been getting funny looks when I imply the “Stop having a boring tuna, stop having a boring life.” guy has a name beyond Vince – part of the problem was that I couldn’t recall his show-surname, I just knew it was something like “Vince Sales” or “Vince Crapyouwannabuy”.

Now, thanks to wikipedia, my memory is refreshed:

Offer “Vince” Shlomi (born April 25, 1964 in Haifa, Israel) also known as Vince Offer or the ShamWow! Guy, is a writer, director, and comedian widely known as the owner and pitchman of two sold-on-TV products: ShamWow! absorbent towels and the Slap Chop food chopper.

– more

Almost more interestingly: Vince Offer is apparently a failed comedian. While hawking his unsellable film, The Underground Comedy Movie, he accidentally stumbled into the fact that people will buy anything at 3 in the morning.

Comedy movie? Well – sort of:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQZXta68jlc]

Spacey

150px-SpaceMOHIt’s the kind of day that starts with me thinking I’m digging myself out from under a pile of work, and ends with me realizing all I’ve done is dug a massive work containment pool.

Still, I’ve found inspiration in something I previously didn’t even know existed: the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

First awarded by President Jimmy Carter, it’s recipients include Neil Armstrong, for his valiant defense of LM-5 “Eagle” against wave after wave of Zombie Nazi Moon men; Charles “Pete” Conrad, for his saving of the Skylab 2 mission by engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the station’s own Artificial Intelligence; and Robert Crippen , whose life was later recounted in the major motion picture, The Last Starfighter.

Joking aside, (well, except maybe about Pete, I wouldn’t want to meet him in a well lit, yet underpowered, alley,) there’s one person not on the list that comes immediately to mind as deserving this medal: Buzz Aldrin. For punching that guy in the face. (And boy, did that guy deserve it.)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaUqaVj51w4]

Real American Huh?

Did you know that G.I. Joe has put out several real people as Joes?

Wikipedia has a complete list, but I like the idea of a Buzz Aldrin, Robert Crippen or Bob Hope with life like kung fu grip.

I was a little surprised that they mix the list with people who fake their heroism though – people like movie alien puncher Rowdy Roddy Piper, ’80s wrestler Sergeant Slaughter, and dramatic actor Colin Powell.

I wonder if Powell was considered because of his Emmy award winning presentation at the U.N. or his sleeper hit, the My Lai 4 cover up.

Fake Colin Powell