Tomorrow is Pi Day...

So go out and party like it's 3.13...

I Don't Know Why This Makes Me Laugh

But it does...


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Words of Wisdom... True Then, True Now

I just got back from an extended trip back east for leadership training. The one thing that really stood out to me is all the lessons that we've learned collectively, but forgotten individually.

Here's one in particular that I wish our current political "leadership" (and some of the recent past ones as well) would have learned. The quote (with my emphasis):

As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is, to use it as sparingly as possible; avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace, but remembering also that timely disbursements to prepare for danger frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it; avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to discharge the debts, which unavoidable wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden, which we ourselves ought to bear.

The source of this apparently long forgotten wisdom?

The Farewell Address of President George Washington.

Beautiful, But a Bit Bothersome

Over at Astronomy Picture of the Day they have this beautiful picture of the Cosmic Microwave Background - Beautiful.

They point out that the dipole nature of the colors you see are due to us moving "600 kilometers per second relative" to it. See that's bothersome to me. To me it implies that there is a preferred "stationary" frame of reference. Such a thing is contrary to Einstein's Theory of General Relativity.

(For those versed in the theory, Yes, "contrary" is too strong a word. But certainly there is an implied preferred frame which is not supposed to exist.)

Everythings Great, Go About Your Business

See it's like this.

The Vice President of the United States says "The Recovery Act is doing more, faster and more efficiently and more effectively than most people expected," and that the accomplishments over the past 100 days provide proof of promises kept when he and President Obama began rolling out the plan earlier this year. here for full story.

But see there's this problem...

The fact is that SOMEBODY did expect more, the President. See his folks put out data on how much better things would be (one could argue promised the improvement), and then it turned out worse than their worst projections for what would have happened without the orgy of spending. Here's the data.



Bummer for the Veep.

Spectacular Einstein "Ring" Image

This image just blows me away.

If you want a description of why there are so many blue image that seem to form a circle around the center of this image go to the description at Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Hugs...

Bucket List Item #6

Of the things I want to see with my own eyes...

Mt Rushmore (not necessarily at night).