Smart Engineering

Personal, Wonderful Things No Comments »

As I’ve posted before, I’m doing some home remodeling. This has required tearing out the old to make way for the new.

Photo of Stanely Super Wonder Pry BarIn the process I spent about $12 and purchased a tool that simply amazes me in how well thought out it is and how well it works. I’m referring to the Stanley 55-525 15-inch Super Wonder Bar Pry Bar.

You wouldn’t think of a pry bar as being a wonder in engineering, but this baby struts its stuff at first glance. Ingenious use of bends in the metal produce both safety and power through provision of a built in fulcrum which does not exist on other pry bars.

In actual use it has been nothing short of amazing.  The yellow end (with the 90 degree bend) works like any standard pry bar, but the normally “flat” end is where the beauty of the design shines.  With a built in fulcrum you can apply amazing amounts of power through the lever and not risk hand injury, because the 90 degree bend at the other end hits before your knuckles do.

Simple.  Elegant.  Damn effective.

It’s nice to know that some engineers out there are paying attention to true functional improvments on the old.

Blogosphere Hole

Asides, Wonderful Things No Comments »

LackHead sent me this one. The Onion, in prime form.

I don’t claim to be this newly discovered object. I’m only on the outer rim. :twisted:

Hello Kitty CPR

Asides, Wonderful Things 1 Comment »

A friend sent me this link and I’m stilling laughing!  This has to be one of the best practical assaults on the anti-gun stupidity of the loony left that I have ever seen.

Metal Work

Asides, Wonderful Things No Comments »

Chunlei Guo at the University of Rochester has come up with a method to alter the surface of any metal to reflect the wavelength of light desired, using a femtosecond discharge of a powerful laser.  The end result, we should be able color any metal to any hue we care to, by altering the metal itself.  Currently only certain hues have been done, but Guo is confident that the entire spectrum lies at our fingertips.

This is a really interesting use of the now ubiquitous laser.  No, it’s not like your pen laser, making a little red dot for your cats to chase, but the principal is no different - concentrating light to emit a coherent beam.  From surgical techniques to metal manipulation, the laser has to go down as one of the most amazing technological developments man has created.

Satire as Reality

Asides, Wonderful Things 2 Comments »

I stumbled over to the Onion today and just about died laughing over this blurb on Al Gore. It’s rare to see satire hit the mark this well.

Enough out of me…read the page yourself.

For Pony

Wonderful Things No Comments »

The World of Warcraft clans are probably well aware of this site, but it was my youngest who pointed it out to me. He knows I’m a fan of comic and anime art, and an old D&D player, so the theme of the comic would fit into my interests.

There are a handful of somewhat stereotypical characters, in a somewhat stereotypical plot at times. For me, it’s the noble, honest and good hearted efforts of the character named Richard, which appeals the most. After all, anyone who dedicates their ambitions for the honor of ponies is hard to dislike. Plus, he has a way with children.

Check out Looking for Group if you have some time and a few trolls to kill.

Bastard Fairies

Wonderful Things 2 Comments »

I stumbled onto this band by accident through a news site, of all places, and found the music to be refreshingly interesting: all because of a rant by Bill O’Reilly against a video that Bastard Fairies made with the intent of tickling his ego. Ah, the irony.

Not for the kids, Yellow Thunder Woman’s lyrics are more than a bit caustic and the music is an odd blend of simplistic, sometimes even childlike quality, which somehow just seems to work with the intent of the message. Not for everyone, but check it out if you’re into the indie scene. You can download 12 of the 17 songs featured on their latest album, “Memento Mori”.

Bastard Fairies website.

Short article about the Bastard Fairies in LA Weekly.

Amazing Shark Photos

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Great White breachingI stumbled onto this site accidentally while doing a manual Web link crawl. They have some amazing photos of Great Whites in action.

Chris Fallows has a real passion for oceanic photography and his skills are self evident. Have a look!

God of the Sun

Religion, Wonderful Things No Comments »

This video has to be one of the best synopsis of the Christian myth and it’s origins. Think of it as the Reader’s Digest version of the history involved. There are other sites putting this video up, but I’ve made a direct link here for convenience.

Ron Paul

Political, Wonderful Things No Comments »

Ron Paul may be the only Presidential candidate in the running who has the slightest clue as to what the Constitution says. Listening to him is like a breath of fresh air. A great example of Dr. Paul’s integrity can be found in his recent interview with Tucker Carlson.


While the rest of the Republican party and the Democrats flounder around who can suck up to the war machine best, Paul exhibits a level of common sense much needed amidst the hype.I wish him luck, so far he has my vote. He understands what this republic stands for and why - which probably means there’s no chance in Hell that he’ll win.