“Interesting” is always an interesting choice for an adjective. Every time I hear it used, I am reminded of an anecdote that was related to me by a knowledgeable friend. It goes something like this. An art critic walks into an art gallery, and finds a famous artist staring at a painting. He grabs a drink and walks over, looks on the painting for a few moments, and then turns to the artist. “Very interesting,” he announces. The artist turns back and says, “yes. I hate it too.”

No surprises there. (via CocktailPartyPhysics)

(edited by Demis Lyall-Wilson.)

Did you know that balloons, not strings, are the fundamental building blocks of matter? balloonmolecules.com shows the basic steps of making molecules using model balloons. Here’s an impressive one (emphasis mine):

This two-and-a-half-metre-model of the DNA-helix with a diameter of 1 metre shows that a lot is possible. If the PO4-units and the sugar are adjusted correctly, the helical structure will form without any pressure. For understandable reasons a construction manual is not available.

(via inkycircuis)

Don’t shoot the puppy
It did nothing to hurt you
Except waste your time

(h/t Marcus)

From rickygervais.com:

Ricky Gervais and his team were … awarded the Guinness World Record for the most downloaded podcast, gaining an average of 261,670 downloads per episode of ‘The Ricky Gervais Show’ during its first month.

for evolution schmevolution. (via The Quantum Pontiff (via Pharyngula)):

Science vs. Religion. Evolution vs. Creation. It is an age-old battle whose time has come. “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” will gather together all the experts (or at least those who will talk to them), travel to the places that matter in the debate (basic cable budget permitting) and ultimately settle the controversy once and for all. “Evolution Schmevolution: A Daily Show Special Report” will premiere on Monday, September 12 and air nightly at 11:00 p.m. through September 15.

(For those who don’t get the broadcast, some Daily Show clips are available from comedycentral — in crappy old windows-media stream, as it were. If you prefer bittorrents, then you probably already know where to find them.)