technician humor

Posted on Wednesday, 2002 May 01 by Anton

Short Attention Span Blogger vectors this list of airline maintenance log notes, allegedly from Qantas.

Left inside main tire almost needs replacement
Almost replaced left inside main tire.

Test flight OK, except autoland very rough
Autoland not installed on this aircraft.

Something loose in cockpit
Something tightened in cockpit.

Dead bugs on windshield
Live bugs on backorder.

Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200-fpm descent
Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
Evidence removed.

DME volume unbelievably loud
DME volume set to more believable level.

Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick
That’s what they’re there for!

IFF inoperative
IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

Suspected crack in windscreen
Suspect you’re right.

Number 3 engine missing. (note: this was for a piston-engined airplane; the pilot meant the engine was not running smoothly)
Engine found on right wing after brief search.

Aircraft handles funny
Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

Radar hums
Reprogrammed radar with words.

Mouse in cockpit.
Cat installed

Posted in technology | Leave a comment

testing their faith

Posted on Wednesday, 2002 May 01 by Anton

CNN.com – Greek mystery virus spreads

“It should be considered blasphemous, to say the least, to consider it possible that epidemic ailments could be transferred through holy communion and endanger human life,” the Athens diocese said in a statement released to Reuters news agency.

Déjà vu, anyone? Can’t put my finger on why it rings a bell; maybe I read too much scifi.

Posted in medicine, religion | Leave a comment

organized religion

Posted on Wednesday, 2002 May 01 by Anton

I’m a bit puzzled that the recent powwow in Rome was attended by all the American cardinals rather than all the American bishops.

As I misunderstand it, bishop is primarily an office, but cardinal is primarily a personal rank; a cardinal may or may not also be a bishop, in charge of all the churches of a diocese (territory), just as a prince (member of a royal family) may or may not also be a duke (ruler, once upon a time, of a duchy), and vice versa.

How many cardinals are not bishops? How many dioceses have bishops who are not cardinals, and thus were not represented?

Posted in religion | Leave a comment

four puzzled people

Posted on Tuesday, 2002 April 30 by Anton

This month’s most puzzling search: “8 day clock gear train” (4 hits).

2004 Oct 19: I guess it was attracted mostly by Travis’s Lego item.

Posted in me!me!me! | Leave a comment

Escherism

Posted on Monday, 2002 April 29 by Anton

Tessellating Animations, some quite witty. (Cited by Plokta and BoingBoing)

Posted in eye-candy, mathematics | Leave a comment

DOM bait

Posted on Monday, 2002 April 29 by Anton

Craig Schamp grouses:

This state is run by boobs. I wish Condi Rice would return and run against Babs Boxer for Senate in 2004 . . . .

Better Condi’s boobs than Babs’ boobs, eh? The question calls for closer examination.

Posted in California, politics | 1 Comment

race relations

Posted on Monday, 2002 April 29 by Anton

Quoth the Instapundit:

William Raspberry writes that there is a shortage of educated black men and that as a result, successful black women aren’t getting married. This, he says, is a tragedy.

And I suppose it is. But, you know, buried in Raspberry’s piece — and no doubt in the minds of the women he describes — is the assumption that black women should only marry black men. Isn’t that kind of, you know, racist?

If the women in question are needlessly suffering on account of their own irrational moral judgements, isn’t that the very definition of tragedy?

I don’t see a should anywhere in Raspberry’s piece, though it is a bit disappointing that he never touches the question “so why aren’t they marrying non-Blacks?”. Nor does the women’s behavior (what about that of their White non-husbands?) necessarily imply a should; I never eat apricots, but I don’t believe that people should never eat apricots — though admittedly if a behavior approaches unanimity (does it?) it gets hard to say with a straight face that it’s merely personal preference.

I’ve known far more women of pallor who married Black men than the reverse; why is that?

Posted in humanities | Leave a comment