Missing! Can you help?

from Jeff Sherffius.

Pluto is not a planet, get over it!

Since this blog is called "Sr. Space Monkey", I might as well have some space news, right?

So, I came across pleasesavepluto.org today. They are starting a petition to get the IAU to reconsider their decision. Each signer can leave a "comment". There are nearly zero intellegent comments... but tons of funny ones.. These people are crazy.

Here are some good ones... read the rest at pleasesavepluto.org!

• 631. Jordan Jodway | September 8th, 2006 at 1:46 am

  The astronomers who say that Pluto is not a planet are f***ing retarded. I think I made my point! SAVE PLUTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• 571. Sarah | September 5th, 2006 at 7:57 pm

  OMG I LUV PLUTO DONT TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME!!!!! DON’T!!!!!!!!!!!

• 387. Jim Vaillancourt | August 31st, 2006 at 2:25 am

  I am compelled not to let a mere 5 % of the worlds astronomers decide what I have learned as fact.

• 381. Rufus Bocephus | August 31st, 2006 at 12:00 am

  Maybe we should change the name of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to IDIOTS AMONG US. No scientific reason for this at all. Not to mention the cost associated with rewriting text books. All because some group of worms wanted to go down in history. Oh, believe me, you’re going down in history…as the group of 424 astronomers who needed to feel important and were overturned by public outcry.

  You mean to tell me the quorum for a decision this big is only 5 percent of the Professional Astronomers?

  You shouldn’t call yourselves Astronomers; you should be called Asscucumbers.

• 332. Adam Morehart | August 30th, 2006 at 2:23 am

  What did Pluto ever do to you? It is a historically significant discovery and as such deserves recognition in it’s original form…A PLANET!

• 223. Tim Rocks Everyday | August 28th, 2006 at 7:54 pm

  Give us the *\%&@#! planet back!

Asscucumbers? seriously?

Californians are worried about the instability of universal constants!

I came across this California HR assembly house resolution (it's real!) condeming the IAU for demoting Pluto from planetary status.

I've highlighted the good bits. Serisously, don't they have something better to do?


BILL NUMBER: HR 36 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Richman and Canciamilla
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Aghazarian, Bass, Benoit, Berg,
Bermudez, Blakeslee, Bogh, Calderon, Chan, Chavez, Cogdill, Cohn,
Coto, Daucher, DeVore, Emmerson, Frommer, Garcia, Goldberg, Haynes,
Jerome Horton, Shirley Horton, Houston, Huff, Karnette, Keene,
Koretz, La Malfa, Laird, Leno, Lieber, Liu, Matthews, Maze, Mountjoy,
Mullin, Nakanishi, Nation, Negrete McLeod, Niello, Parra, Plescia,
Ridley-Thomas, Sharon Runner, Ruskin, Salinas, Strickland, Tran,
Walters, Wolk, Wyland, and Yee)

AUGUST 24, 2006

Relative to Pluto's planetary status.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST




WHEREAS, Recent astronomical discoveries, including Pluto's oblong
orbit and the sighting of a slightly larger Kuiper Belt object, have
led astronomers to question the planetary status of Pluto; and
WHEREAS, The mean-spirited International Astronomical Union
decided on August 24, 2006, to disrespect Pluto by stripping Pluto of
its planetary status and reclassifying it as a lowly dwarf planet;
and
WHEREAS, Pluto was discovered in 1930 by an American, Clyde
Tombaugh, at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, and this discovery
resulted in millions of Californians being taught that Pluto was the
ninth planet in the solar system; and
WHEREAS, Pluto, named after the Roman God of the underworld and
affectionately sharing the name of California's most famous animated
dog, has a special connection to California history and culture; and
WHEREAS, Downgrading Pluto's status will cause psychological harm
to some Californians who question their place in the universe and
worry about the instability of universal constants; and
WHEREAS, The deletion of Pluto as a planet renders millions of
text books, museum displays, and children's refrigerator art projects
obsolete, and represents a substantial unfunded mandate that must be
paid by dwindling Proposition 98 education funds, thereby harming
California's children and widening its budget deficits; and
WHEREAS, The deletion of Pluto as a planet is a hasty,
ill-considered scientific heresy similar to questioning the
Copernican theory, drawing maps of a round world, and proving the
existence of the time and space continuum; and
WHEREAS, The downgrading of Pluto reduces the number of planets
available for legislative leaders to hide redistricting legislation
and other inconvenient political reform measures; and
WHEREAS, The California Legislature, in the closing days of the
2005-06 session, has been considering few matters important to the
future of California, and the status of Pluto takes precedence and is
worthy of this body's immediate attention; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the
Assembly hereby condemns the International Astronomical Union's
decision to strip Pluto of its planetary status for its tremendous
impact on the people of California and the state's long term fiscal
health; and be it further
Resolved, That the Assembly Clerk shall send a copy of the
resolution to the International Astronomical Union and to any
Californian who, believing that his or her legislator is addressing
the problems that threaten the future of the Golden State, requests a
copy of the resolution.

Crikey!

Long live the crocodile hunter!

Sometimes you get the sting ray, sometimes the sting ray gets you...., mate..

A sad, but expected, end for one crazy dude.

Are you sure you want to read this post?

A great post by Matti:

Stupid questions

My Nokia E61-phone has an irritating habit of asking for confirmations. If I select "close application", it always ask "are you sure?". It does not make any sense. When I say I want to close an application, I mean it. Windows application have similar habits.

Imagine how fun it will be, when the engineers of stupid questions will design and build a house. You close a door, it pops open and asks you whether you really want to close it. Turning of lights when leaving a room will require repetitive flipping of the light switch. And when you try to get some snacks from the fridge, the door will shut down on you fingers while a nasty voice ask whether you really want to open the fridge.

I agree. This is annoying. Especially on slow devices like a cell phone.

I think the refrigerator idea might actually be a good weight loss technique. I used to have car that would shock me every time I opened the door. I suppose this made me a little weary of driving, and therefore encouraged me to burn less gas.