pseudorandom tidbits and chads

• If you have't heard already, our fair nation is being plagued by a horrific wave of Barbie mutilations. I'm not 100% convinced by the "rite of passage" hypothesis advanced by some researchers, and the talk about it being an "exciting" rejection of consumerism is just giggle-inducing.
  
• On a happier nuclear note (vs. the previous post), the nice folks at Tugboat have something they call "Chernobyl Bock" on tap. Doesn't taste exactly like a bock, and it sure doesn't feel like a 13%+ ABV beer.
  
• A little video clip of an echidna waddling about. [~2MB, Quicktime].
  
• In an earlier astronomical tidbit, I said something about TV frequencies being at the other end of the spectrum vs. gamma rays. Before anyone picks this particular nit, I ought to have said *toward* the other end, while actually *at* the other end you'll find interesting stuff like the upcoming LOFAR telescope, and a variety of proposals for very-low-frequency projects in orbit. Below a certain frequency, the Earth's ionosphere is opaque, so obviously you need to put your telescope somewhere else than on the Earth's surface. This range hasn't been explored yet in any great detail, so who knows what might be out there?
  
• An anti-GWB rant that mentions the 9th Amendment. It's great to see people start to pay attention to that often-overlooked but crucial bit of the Constitution.