Swans on Tea

Why a Greyhound or a Racehorse Doesn’t “Pop a Wheelie”
The ability to gain speed quickly is crucial for survival, but there’s a limit as to how rapidly an animal can accelerate. Researchers wondered whether the “wheelie” problem experienced by cars during a drag race could be a factor in four-legged animals’ ability to speed up. [...]

Over at incoherently scattered ponderings, there’s a post on safety at academic labs, which links to an article at Slate about an explosion at a lab which killed a worker, and discusses the difference in safety standards for students vs workers, and academia vs industry.
Why the difference between industry and academe? For one thing, the [...]

It’s Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado
I had no idea water rights apply/applied to rainfall.

Dot Physics: The physics of Michael Jackson’s moonwalk
Neither a spherical Michael Jackson nor a point Michael Jackson is assumed.

Dean Dad asks
Why do so many states require only two years of math in high school?
[…]
We have anecdotal evidence that suggests that students who actually take math for all four years of high school do better in math here than those who don’t. We also have anecdotal evidence that bears crap in the woods. Why [...]

Apparently “Swan flu” is a common search term, supposedly a mistake by people researching swine flu, but I think we know what’s really going on.
You don’t have the flu. You’re just hot for this blog.

The Ultimate Spy Plane
One nit:
Created as the ultimate spy plane, the SR-71, which first took to the air in December 1964, flew reconnaissance missions until 1990, capable of hurtling along at more than Mach 3, about 2,280 miles per hour—faster than a rifle bullet—at 85,000 feet, or 16 miles above the earth. It is the [...]

If anyone is missing the recently-late Billy Mays … you can either tune into cable and wait 5 minutes, or go here:
5 Strangest Products Pitched by Billy Mays
(I am not lamenting his loss any more than the other ~150,000 people that die every day)

The Big Picture: Recent scenes from the ISS

Circle the Cat
I’ve done it, but it isn’t easy

Food, energy outpace production
By 2050, world population is expected to exceed 9 billion people, up from 6.5 billion today. Already, according to the report, a gap is emerging between agricultural production and demand, and the disconnect is expected to be amplified by climate change, increasing demand for biofuels, and a growing scarcity of water.

Another video, reminiscent of the viral popcorn-popped-with-a-cellphone video I discussed a while back
You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video
And, in fact one of the response videos is with popcorn
You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video
Also one involving toast
Objections: One is electrostatic. Matt has [...]