Minor Wisdom

Take a dump truck

The first time I saw this video on-line, I thought it was a parody. Then I saw the actual commercial on TV, and discovered that, no, it’s not a parody — just the product of some creative advertising folks, paid for by a company with a sense of humor.

Bulls in a china shop

What happens when you turn a few Mexican fighting bulls loose in a china shop? The folks at Mythbusters ran an experiment to answer this question. The results are surprising.

Analytics, linguistics, and Star Trek

1. Applying science to science fiction, Matt Bailey analyzes Star Trek’s “Red Shirt Phenomenon.” What’s that, you ask? It’s simple: If you beam down to the planet with Captain Kirk while wearing a red shirt, you die. At least that’s the common thinking among Star Trek fans. Matt decided to put the RSP to the test, crunching the numbers and correlating red-shirt death to Captain Kirk’s taste in alien females.
2. Meanwhile, on the other side of the quadrant, some Klingon-speaking humanoids have founded the Klingon Language Institute. Their web site has links to new Klingon words (those not yet in the dictionary), common Klingon phrases, and other information about “the galaxy’s fastest-growing language.” (Hint: If you want to insult a Klingon, tell him “Hab SoSlI' Quch!” That means “Your mother has a smooth forehead!”)