Aerogel, Smuf communism, ferrofluids, the Nazi rocketplane, the Bobbits, Mehran Karimi Nasseri, a nuclear car, carbon nanotubes, and the Kalinin K-7

Today, we will look at three wondrous technological materials, a couple of unusual aircraft, the man who lived in a Paris airport for 18 years, communism in The Smurfs, the Ford Nucleon, and the wife who sliced off her husband's genitalia.

The railplane, a town of one, Islamic sex therapist, the first porno, a computer you fixed by dropping, bee battle, and February 30th

Sorry for the lack of recent updates; this is a trend that will likely continue for the foreseeable future. I'm ramping up to go on terminal leave as my contract draws closer to expiration, and there are many things to do as I prepare to become a civilian again. On top of that, the date I can finally file for divorce approaches, and there is sudden doubt that this will actually occur. The patience of my only follower is needed as my personal life tumults.

Today, we will examine the career of Dr. Heba Kotb, Le Coucher de la Marie, the ill-designed Apple III, Monowi, Nebraska, the Battle of Tanga, February 30, and the Bennie Railplane.

Some unusual headlines

I figured I would take a slight change of pace, and poke some fun at some of the funny news stories I've seen links to lately. Quotes after the fold.

Mackinac mania, driving on the left, satellite collisions, mammary-shaped mountains, in rem Supreme Court plaintiffs, and the Senate sweet tooth

Today, we take a close look a series of Supreme Court cases used with in rem jurisdiction, breast-shaped hills, Kessler syndrome, the Senate candy desk, Mackinac Island, and the diverging diamond interchange.

GeekDump #11: 26 Mar, 2011

Random fun stuff after the fold.

Elephant crushing, pyroflatulence, lawn mower racing, some unusual place names, and the Impact of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on the video game industry

With an eye to the recent disaster in Japan, we look at the effects it has had on that nation's massive video game industry, execution by elephant, lawnmower racing, and the lighting of farts. We also have a couple of follow-ups to examine.

Tiny warship, high-rise with a highway, the Jeopardy!-playing computer, The world's shortest street, and the Voyager gold disks

Today, we take a look at Ebenezer Place, Watson the AI system, the Voyager Golden Records, the smallest ships of the US Navy, and the Gate Tower Building.

GeekDump #4: 23 Feb, 2011

• If you liked Freddie Wong (mentioned in GD#2), then you'll probably enjoy Cardboard Warfare and Cardboard Warfare 1.5.
• Have you seen the trailer for Dead Island? A Minecrafter made a spoof.
• One of the oddities I picked up from Portal was a strange fascination with cake. Not cake in general, mind you, but I like seeing video game-themed cakes. Some fo them are so cool it makes me jealous that my beloved mother stuck to either plain white and chocolate mixes or bought them from the grocery store bakery. For example, this Angry Birds cake comes with a slingshot and little frosting birds to shoot. The fact that I'm not much a fan of the game (it's just a cartoony rip-off of good catapult games like Crush the Castle) doesn't make the cake less awesome.
• While I'm not exactly a huge champion for indie games, I do have a sizable collection of links for flash games I can play at work (take that, stupid taxpayers!). One of my favorite sites is Armor Games, and especially the works of jmtb02 (This Is The Only Level, This Is The Only Level Too, Achievement Unlocked, Achievement Unlocked 2 all have an elephant as the main character). The latest, Elephant Quest is a type of RPG-shooter that is much larger and a lot of fun.
• Wikipedia humor: WikiProject Antarctica Highways. If you didn't know, WikiProjects are collaborations of editors to improve articles within a certain scope, some more narrow than others.

Interstate 180, a secret nuclear test, MacQuariums, Space Shuttle rescue, and a naughty street name

Today, we will examine Gropecunt Lane, the Wyoming Interstate that isn't even a highway, the desecration of a Macintosh computer, the Vela Incident, and the Space Shuttle's Launch On Need missions.

The world's most dangerous golf course, @#$%ing Michigan, how to be "niggardly", DHMO, a chicken nuke, and FIRE!!!

Today's post is a tad late, being Sunday. but I came in to work on my day off for my reader (yes, singular, I think I have one follower at the moment). We will examine when two lefts and a right make a left, dihydrogen monoxide, people who take pictures of fire, the Blue Peacock bomb, a golf course featuring a minefield, and how a white guy can get away with saying the word "niggar" without being racist.

Firing squads, funny landing gear, American Nazis, unsuspicious numbers, and shark attacks!

Today's post takes a look a cryptography, the German American Bund, Ronnie Lee Gardner's execution, shark attacks, and an unusual B-36.

The legislation of fruit, Boner Church, Xenu, and bazooka Vespa

Well, that was quite a snowstorm for North Carolina. Gosh, I really don't miss brushing ice off of my car and shovelling my driveway. Anyway, we should have some fun today: armed scooters, Scientology, a church that worships the phallus, and a Supreme Court case about tomatoes.