Luke.stirling

It finally happened! This new creation by Angelo Favretti has me at a loss for words. So instead of coming up with the words you can fill them all in Mad Libs style and post them in the comments section.

This (adjective) spaceship is totally the (possessive noun) knees! I like how it is divided into (a number) sections, each more (adjective) than the last. I’m willing to wager my (noun) that this took a metric (unit of measure) of time and LEGO to complete. We’re all (adverb) blown away by the amount of (verb ending in “ing”) greebling this thing has! It’s like a (noun) exploded in (a place) and this is the (adjective) result. I think the gray (plural noun) and the white (plural noun) are (adverb) nice parts usage. (Brothers Brick staff member) says this might be the (adjective ending in “est”) spaceship we’ve seen all year and (famous person) just might agree. Let’s hope for more (adjective) (plural noun) like this in 2020!

The post Greebling with a side of more greebling! appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

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If you make this, you owe me a hug.

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Just 2 weeks left to enter your proposal for BAHFest! This year we have a little budget to fly in non-local people, so submit even if you're non-local! 

When we last checked in with Christophe Pujaletplaa almost a year ago, he’d just finished adding roads to the microscale LEGO city he calls Microville. It’s now grown to more than 11 meters squared, or close to 100 large 48×48-stud baseplates and gained a waterfront.

Christophe has been continuously working on the city since 2010, slowly adding more streets with detailed buildings, along with the occasional larger upgrade. The waterfront section adds new beach real estate and an industrial port next to the airport.

Seeing shots of Microville stretching to as far as you can see makes me feel like I’m playing a flight simulator, buzzing around tiny buildings.

You can read more about Microville at Christophe’s French-language website, as well as in our previous article on Microville.

The post This huge LEGO microscale city continues to grow appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Atlantic: Kris Karnauskas, a professor of ocean sciences at the University of Colorado, has started walking around campus with a pocket-size carbon-dioxide detector. He's not doing it to measure the amount of carbon pollution in the atmosphere. He's interested in the amount of CO2 in each room. The indoor concentration of carbon dioxide concerns him -- and not only for the usual reason. Karnauskas is worried that indoor CO2 levels are getting so high that they are starting to impair human cognition. In other words: Carbon dioxide, the same odorless and invisible gas that causes global warming, may be making us dumber. He proposed the idea last week at the American Geophysical Union's fall meeting, the largest annual gathering of earth and space scientists in the world. He also previewed it in an online paper written with Shelly Miller, a mechanical-engineering professor at the University of Colorado, and Anna Schapiro, a neuroscience professor at the University of Pennsylvania. The paper, while not yet peer-reviewed, was uploaded to a website where academics can discuss early-stage or provocative research. The science is, at first glance, surprisingly fundamental. Researchers have long believed that carbon dioxide harms the brain at very high concentrations. [...] Two centuries of rampant fossil-fuel use have already spiked the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from about 280 parts per million before the Industrial Revolution to about 410 parts per million today. For Earth as a whole, that pollution traps heat in the atmosphere and causes climate change. But more locally, it also sets a baseline for indoor levels of carbon dioxide: You cannot ventilate a room's carbon-dioxide levels below the global average. In fact, many rooms have a much higher CO2 level than the atmosphere, since ventilation systems don't work perfectly. On top of that, some rooms -- in places such as offices, hospitals, and schools -- are filled with many breathing people, that is, many people who are themselves exhaling carbon dioxide. "As the amount of atmospheric CO2 keeps rising, indoor CO2 will climb as well," the report adds. "They project that, in a worst-case emissions scenario, it may be impossible to ventilate a crowded room below about 1,300 parts per million. That could induce some real cognitive damage." The report goes on to cite a 2016 study by researchers at Harvard and Syracuse University, which found that human cognitive function declined by about 15 percent when indoor CO2 reached 945 parts per million, and crashed by 50 percent when indoor CO2 reached 1,400 parts per million.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Should've saved this one for New Year's.

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Hey, Houston and London! Have you submitted your BAHFest proposal?

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Huh. The amulet of fulfillment isn't doing anything. Is it busted?

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At least in Hell, old dishes left in the common room just burn up.

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There is so much to love about this digital ice breaking scene by Tong Xin Jun. The striking color choices of the Land Rover Defender and the vessel it is pulling is appealing to the eye and seems to be this builder’s signature move. The broken ice patterns are nothing short of mesmerizing in their execution, their glass-smooth tops are accurate for a windswept arctic tundra. This is achieved by lying bricks and slopes on their sides in a SNOT (Studs Not On Top) configuration. The slopes change direction only at the bow of the vessel, accurately depicting how ice chunks would react to being plowed through and the transparent bits in the boat’s wake is an excellent touch. The entire composition is indeed a work of art. The scene seems a bit precarious however. Ice chunks smaller than the Land Rover may not support its weight and, as seen from this view, I squint and wonder why all the minifigs would be shirtless in a frigid arctic scene.

Upon closer inspection it would seem my simmering sense of dread might be validated. Perhaps the occupants of this scene already anticipate disaster as, for some reason, they’re all crash test dummies.

With a sprawling sky backdrop and a little bit of photographic trickery, this shot (complete with crash test dummy driver) is reminiscent of a postcard, one that would say “the weather is here, wish you were beautiful!”

As to why everyone in this scene is a crash test dummy may be an excellent (*ahem*) icebreaker question for the builder but whatever the answer may yield, one thing for certain is we love icebreakers.

The post Alright, break it up, dummies! appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

"The Philco Predicta is a television made in several cabinet models in a 17” or 21” screen by the American company Philco from 1958-1960. The Predicta was marketed as the world's first swivel screen television. The picture tube was surrounded in Eastman plastics new product called “tenite” which protected the glass and gave it its greenish tint... Predicta television sets were constructed with a variety of cabinet configurations, some detachable, but all separate from the tube itself and connected by wires. Initially introduced in 1958 for the Holiday Inn hotel chain and rolled out for general consumers shortly thereafter, the Predicta was discontinued in the early 1960s."

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I'm convinced you could exactly tune the population growth rate via debt.

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Removing the bricks reveals... 25 generations of birds' nests.

Let me be clear: U.S. Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA, for now) did not plead guilty only to using campaign funds for rabbit travel. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to misuse campaign funds, which was only one of the 60 counts in his indictment. But the rabbit travel was one of the 200 overt acts alleged in that count:

This was a rabbit. As previously discussed—back when Hunter was adamantly denying the charges and saying prosecutors were engaged in a Trump-related “witch hunt”—Hunter’s own spokesman admitted that records showed campaign funds had indeed been spent for “in-cabin rabbit-transport fees” (hyphens added; unbearable otherwise). See “Campaign Funds Used for Rabbit Travel” (Aug. 27, 2018). This is not something a spokesman makes up. I therefore felt and still feel comfortable saying that the “family pet” mentioned in Overt Act #98 was, in fact, a rabbit, as had been reported elsewhere.

Now, Hunter’s plea agreement does not specifically mention the rabbit. Technically, on paper, he admitted to only two of the alleged overt acts: spending $511 in campaign funds for a “family celebration” in 2011 (#43), and $409 for “a social outing with several of his closest friends” in 2016 (#191). So is it accurate to say that he “pleaded guilty to” the other 198 alleged overt acts? Which, by the way, included but were not limited to:

• $351 to rent a car for a “personal ski trip with Individual 14” (#2);
• $1008 for expenses during said ski trip (#3);
• $704 for 12 tickets to “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (#19);
• $142 to have Men’s Wearhouse “re-cut” two pairs of pants (#32);
• $162 for a night at the Liaison Hotel with Individual 14 (#33);
• $1,400 in expenses for a family member’s dance competition (#46–48);
• $10,000 for a family vacation in 2012 (#59);
• $59 for a pair of Under Armour shorts (#67);
• $36 for Uber rides to the residence of Individual 15 (#83);
• $2,217 to pay for a family trip to see a Steelers game (#89);
• $3,166 for cable TV (ten payments) (#95);
• $399 for zipline rides (#99);
• $1,528 via Steam for 82 video games (#113);
• $6,289 for a family vacation in Hawaii (#119);
• $995 to fly his mother-in-law and her boyfriend to Warsaw (#121);
• Again, $995 to fly his mother-in-law and her boyfriend to Warsaw, Poland (#121);
• $203 for dinner with a group including Individual 16 (#124);
• $14,261 for a family vacation to Italy (#156);
• $835 for family tickets to see “Riverdance” (#162);
• $815 for a bachelor party (#171–72);
• $1,200 for a garage door (#177); and, of course,
• $250 for rabbit travel.

Did he “plead guilty to” all these? One might argue the answer is no, because the plea agreement only mentions two specific acts, and many of the expenditures were actually made by Hunter’s wife and co-conspirator, Margaret. But another might argue the answer is yes. This was a conspiracy count, meaning each co-conspirator is responsible for all acts in furtherance of the conspiracy even if he or she didn’t personally do them. And unless Hunter breaches the plea agreement, he can’t be prosecuted for any of the charges in the indictment, so I assume he would (if necessary) take the position that all the acts are included. The plea agreement certainly doesn’t deny responsibility for any of them, I assume partly for this reason.

I don’t know (yet) which of those two people would be right, but until told otherwise I’m going with the second.

As for why Hunter changed his position now after denying guilt for so long, the Washington Post notes that his “legal situation” had “become more precarious in recent months.” That’s because wife and co-conspirator Margaret pleaded guilty in June, agreeing as part of the deal to testify against Duncan. Why’d she do that? Well, guilt is one explanation. But her decision was probably made much easier by learning about Individuals 14, 15, and 16 (see above), as well as Individuals 17 and 18, also mentioned in the indictment. Because all of those individuals were female, and none of them were Margaret Hunter.

So that might have something to do with it.

The Liaison Hotel. Seriously.

Anyway, when he announced yesterday that he was changing his plea to guilty, Hunter said there were “three reasons” for that, “and those three reasons are my kids.” (Sparing them the need to see Dad on trial, that is.) Those are three good reasons, no doubt, but they’re hardly the only ones. In the interview, Hunter unsurprisingly minimized the extent of his wrongdoing, saying he had “made mistakes” but that there was “no taxpayer money involved.” Except for the taxpayers who thought they were contributing to his campaign, presumably, and not buying him shorts or picking up the tab for two or three or five extramarital affairs or flying his rabbit across the country.

“Life throws challenges at ya,” Hunter said of the experience, with a straight face, apparently referring to the challenge of trying not to break the law literally hundreds of times by using campaign funds for personal expenses.

I should mention that like former Rep. Chris Collins—who also complained of a witch hunt (see “‘Dumbest Insider-Trading Crime I’ve Ever Seen’ Was Pretty Dumb” (Aug. 9, 2018)) only to later plead guilty—and like several other politicians of both parties, Hunter ran for re-election while under indictment and won. See “Assorted Election Stupidity” (Nov. 8, 2018). Collins said he wouldn’t resign, but then he did. Hunter hasn’t said whether he’ll resign, but he almost certainly will. See “Can a Convicted Felon Serve in Congress?” (Dec. 24, 2014) (answer: probably, but they usually don’t).

I’m not saying a politician who cries “witch hunt” is necessarily lying. I’m just saying that politician is probably lying.

 Via Neatorama, where there are links to the source(s).


There is also a rubber chicken cover of Toto's Africa, and of course of BoRhap.

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Unfortunately, the breeding population of Mars was entirely sysadmins, resulting in dangerous founder effects. On the plus side, their revolution against Earth will be entirely passive-aggressive.

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Excerpts from an absolutely fascinating report in the New York Times:

Three months after his bone marrow transplant, Chris Long of Reno, Nev., learned that the DNA in his blood had changed. It had all been replaced by the DNA of his donor, a German man he had exchanged just a handful of messages with...

But four years after his lifesaving procedure, it was not only Mr. Long’s blood that was affected. Swabs of his lips and cheeks contained his DNA — but also that of his donor. Even more surprising to Mr. Long and other colleagues at the crime lab, all of the DNA in his semen belonged to his donor. “I thought that it was pretty incredible that I can disappear and someone else can appear,” he said...

Mr. Long had become a chimera, the technical term for the rare person with two sets of DNA. The word takes its name from a fire-breathing creature in Greek mythology composed of lion, goat and serpent parts. Doctors and forensic scientists have long known that certain medical procedures turn people into chimeras, but where exactly a donor’s DNA shows up — beyond blood — has rarely been studied with criminal applications in mind...

He added that patients also sometimes ask him what it means for a man to have a woman’s chromosomes in their bloodstream or vice versa. “It doesn’t matter,” he said.

But for a forensic scientist, it’s a different story. The assumption among criminal investigators as they gather DNA evidence from a crime scene is that each victim and each perpetrator leaves behind a single identifying code — not two...

In 2004, investigators in Alaska uploaded a DNA profile extracted from semen to a criminal DNA database. It matched a potential suspect. But there was a problem: The man had been in prison at the time of the assault. It turned out that he had received a bone marrow transplant. The donor, his brother, was eventually convicted...

In 2008, he was trying to identify the victim of a traffic accident for the National Forensic Service in Seoul, South Korea. Blood showed that the individual was female. But the body appeared to be male, which was confirmed by DNA in a kidney, but not in the spleen or the lung, which contained male and female DNA. Eventually, he figured out that the victim had received a bone marrow transplant from his daughter.

More worth reading at the link.

It seems one can't browse the 'net these days without finding yet another way that humans are devastating the natural world.  When a hermit crab climbs into a bottle, the surface may be too slippery for it to climb back out.  This report from the Washington Post:

Many of the bottles, cans and containers were not empty. Scores of hermit crabs, mostly dead, were trapped inside... They estimate 570,000 of the crabs have been killed on Cocos, which is composed of 27 islands, and that 61,000 more have died in a similar fashion on Henderson Island, located more than 8,000 miles away...

When a hermit crab dies, it emits a chemical signal to let others know that a potential shell has become available, Bond explained. Thus, a crab that dies after trying to make a home out of plastic sets off an insidious chain reaction: The smell attracts another who dies, and so on, generating an ultra-strong signal that leads even more of the crabs to an almost-certain demise.

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What if we are the Vogons? I mean, how would we know?

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Wild orchids are nice but not all that impressive, so really it's a subtle insult.

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Laugh all you want, but that moth is gonna have total choice of mates.

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I knew they were related; didn't know they were selected in this fashion.  Interesting.  via.

Available here, via BoingBoing.

One of the gallicolumbas.  "This genus includes the bleeding-hearts known from the Philippines. Most are named for their vivid-red patch on the breast, which looks startlingly like a bleeding wound in some species and has reminded naturalists of a dagger stab.

The image reminds me of some birds (seabirds? penguins?) that have patches on their breasts that chicks peck, but in this species the red patches are on the breasts of the males.  Via for the image.

I began making variations on this dish about a year ago and since then it has become — and I’m sorry, I know how annoying unrelenting, gasping praise of every recipe that crosses your social media threshold can sound, despite feeling certain that here it’s warranted — everything. It’s a warm salad for cold weather. It’s Starter Cabbage for people who are cabbage suspect (savoy is lacier and less heavy than the white/red stuff). It’s a quick vegetable dish that’s not a salad or bland broccoli that my kids, by some rare miracle, agree to (they like the crispy crackly outer leaves). It’s even better from the tray (which keeps it hot) than it is from a plate, which is basically a reward for being as lazy as I prefer to be. With prep and even oven-warming, it takes exactly 20 minutes to make. Finally, it’s the kind of humble, economical dish that feels good at a time of year when we need to shell out for so many extra things.

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