Monthly Archives: August 2013

Original Interstate Numbering Map

Posted on by The Old Wolf

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Official planning map for the US Interstate Highway system. However, during the 4-year freeway reconstruction project for I-15 prior to the 2002 Olympics, we wondered if the good folks at the Utah Department of Transportation were doing this behind closed doors:

UDOT-Small

 

(This is a multi-generation Xerox… I’d pay dearly to have a good copy of the original)

Recently we had to endure three years of freeway widening down south, 24 miles of road torn up at the same time from American Fork to Spanish Fork; I created this video to commemorate the event, with music shamelessly stolen from Salzburger Echo:

As with the Salt Lake project, we did survive… but it was a hellish experience, and I’m glad it’s over. Of course, now they’re adding an extra lane from Spanish Fork to Payson, which will take another two years. There’s no rest for the wicked.

♫ And they tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you can’t get through,
This road is
under construction. ♫

(From MAD Magazine, if I remember correctly)

The Old Wolf has spoken.

The sun, up close and personal

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Sunspot

 

This image of a sunspot (with superimposed USA for approximate scale) was taken by the New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. It is the most precise image of a sunspot ever taken. The granules on the sun’s surface are approximately 1 million meters (621 miles) in diameter, and roughly 2500 miles deep.

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From the BBSO website: “New observations of the solar granulation with the New Solar Telescope (NST) at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) allowed a NJIT-Stanford research team to make the next step in understanding of the solar surface structure. A new complex world of very small granules became visible between normal solar granules. Mini-granules, as small as Maine, form a multi-fractal structure, similar to other systems in nature, such as coast lines, glaciers, earthquakes, stock market, etc. A key property of such systems is their unpredictable, burst-like behavior and jagged, irregular shape. Usually, occurrence of numerous independent random processes lead to the formation of a such system. Studying of such systems is beneficial for understanding both the universe and the social life.”

So much energy there, free for the taking.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Merged Books. Old, but eternal

Posted on by The Old Wolf
A translator colleague first sent me this in 1999. It’s out on the net, but you have to know just what you’re looking for to find it. It is hard to find the right words to express how much I like this.

Mergematic books from the Washington Post Invitational: Readers were asked to combine the works of two authors and provide a suitable blurb. Back to the books.

The overall winner is also the Rookie of the Week:

Second Runner Up: “Machiavelli’s The Little Prince” Antoine de Saint Exupery’s classic children’s tale as presented by Machiavelli. The whimsy of human nature is embodied in many delightful and intriguing characters, all of whom are executed. (Erik Anderson, Tempe, Ariz.)

First Runner Up:

“Green Eggs and Hamlet”
Would you kill him in his bed?
Thrust a dagger through his head?
I would not, could not, kill the King.
I could not do that evil thing.
I would not wed this girl, you see.
Now get her to a nunnery. (Robin Parry, Arlington)

And the Winner of the Dancing Critter: “Fahrenheit 451 of the Vanities” An ’80s yuppie is denied books. He does not object, or even notice. (Mike Long, Burke)

Honorable Mentions:

“2001: A Space Iliad” The Hal 9000 computer wages an insane 10 year war against the Greeks after falling victim to the Y2K bug. (Joseph Romm, Washington)

“Curious Georgefather” The monkey finally sticks his nose where it don’t belong. (Chuck Smith, Woodbridge)

“The Hunchback Also Rises” Hideously deformed fellow is cloistered in bell tower by despicable clergymen. And that’s the good news … (John Verba, Washington)

“The Maltese Faulkner” Is the black bird a tortured symbol of Sam’s struggles with race and family? Does it signify his decay of soul along with the soul of the Old South? Is it merely a crow, mocking his attempts to understand? Or is it worth a cool mil? (Thad Humphries, Warrenton)

“The Silence of the Hams” In this endearing update of the
Seuss classic, young Sam I Am presses unconventional foodstuffs on his friend, Hannibal, who turns the tables. (Mark Eckenwiler, Washington)

“Jane Eyre Jordan”: Plucky English orphan girl survives hardships to lead the Chicago Bulls to the NBA championship. (Dave Pickering, Bowie)

“Nicholas and Alexandra Nickleby” Having narrowly escaped a Bolshevik firing squad, the former czar and czarina join a troupe of actors only to find that playing the Palace isn’t as grand as living in it. (Sandra Hull, Arlington)

“Catch 22 in the Rye” Holden learns that if you’re insane, you’ll probably flunk out of prep school, but if you’re flunking out of prep school, you’re probably not insane. (Brendan Beary, Great Mills)

“Tarzan of the Grapes” The beleaguered Okies of the dust bowl are saved by a strong and brave savage who swings from grapevine to grapevine. (Joseph Romm, Washington)

“Where’s Walden?” Alas, the challenge of locating Henry David Thoreau in each richly detailed drawing loses its appeal when it quickly becomes clear that he is always in the woods. (Sandra Hull, Arlington)

“Looking for Mr. Godot” A young woman waits for Mr. Right to enter her life. She has a looong wait. (Jonathan Paul, Garrett Park)

“Rikki Kon Tiki Tavi” Thor Heyerdahl recounts his attempt to prove Rudyard Kipling’s theory that the mongoose first came to India on a raft from Polynesia. (David Laughton, Washington) The Old Wolf has spoken