Recently in the random section:

Top Midnight Sun Pictures in Northern Norway from 2007

This is my favorite of all of his or her pictures:

The explanation, for those who've never heard of it: the Earth's axis is tilted (~23%), so while we orbit in our ellipse around the sun, parts of the Earth are tilted towards the sun and the opposite parts are tilted away. In the northern hemisphere's winter, the earth is closer to the sun than in summer, but the northern hemisphere is tilted away, meaning that it receives less (amount) and less (downtoner) direct sunlight than the southern hemisphere. This makes days shorter in lower latitudes and causes the polar night event in higher latitudes that there recently was a crazy vampire movie involving that I wanted to see (30 Days of Night). But that would mean that the picture should be dark, no, because Norway is in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, yes? So then the only alternative: these pictures were taken in summer, when the northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun.

Yeah, that's not the best explanation, so here's a link: axial tilt

A quicker way of figuring this out would've been just to read the photographer's description.

Barking and baying up a storm, Uno lived up to his name Tuesday night by becoming the first beagle to win best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club.

The nation's new top dog was clearly the fan favorite and drew a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden when he was picked.

... The only dog consistently listed among America's most popular breeds for nearly 100 years, a beagle had never won in the 100 times Westminster picked a winner.

Look at that cute face!

My family has a pure-bred Beagle that we rescued from the pound, it's actually a rather interesting story:

My brother found her wondering around outside in the street with no tags, so my family took her in. Thinking she might be a lost dog, my family took her to the authorities, where they found out she was heavily infected with heart worms.

The vet also commented that she was pure-bred, no more than 2 years old, and had already had a littler of puppies.

This immediately led us to believe she had been part of a puppy mill operation and had escaped; you see, these puppy mill operations set up shops along the highway near my house, which would explain her wondering around nearby.

However, because we were not her registered owners, and because she was infected with heart worms, they would not release her to us, and told us she would be put down!

We promised to treat the heartworms, we showed them we were already dog owners (we also have a chocolate pure-bred lab) with a large house and yard, and still they refused because of her medical condition.

Obviously, we didn't want her put down, so eventually we found an organisation called Houston Beagle Rescue that was able to get the pound to release her to them, and Beagle Rescue then turned around and released her to us as her new owners.

Since then, she's become a wonderful (and cute!) member of the family. The only minus: as a side effect of the heartworm infection she had (she is now completely heartworm free), she now has a sinus topography that makes her the loudest snorer in the whole house. You can hear her in every room of my family's two story house!

Many of you out there are getting ready to fly for the holidays (or perhaps have already done so) so this list of "five ways to get an edge over other air travelers" might prove helpful.

I've used #3 myself:

3) Playing contract lawyer can be fun.

Though the rules that govern your ticket aren’t pre-printed on your boarding pass, you’re still bound by them. So bring a copy! Since I usually travel with a laptop, I keep a downloaded copy of the airline’s contract of carriage on the hard drive. The contract includes rules such as compensation for being bumped and the infamous “Rule 240″ that lives on in some contracts, governing the transferability of your itinerary to another airline in case of delay. (Knowing the real reason for delays is useful, too.) I also keep screenshots (or PDFs) of terms & conditions pages related to upgrades, frequent flyer mile redemption, etc., in case anyone gives me a hard time. Know your rights, and exert them. I’ve had to break out that legal mumbo jumbo with airline representatives (and their supervisors) on a few occasions, and with paperwork at the ready, I’ve always won.

A few tips I've found in my many years of air travel:

1. Be ready for the security gate: This means a few things. Wear shoes that are easy to take off and put back on. Try to avoid wearing a belt if possible. Skip the jewelry - you can do without it on one flight and it's annoying should it set off the detector. Move your change to a pocket in your carry on bags. Make sure that if you're travelling with a laptop or games console in your carry-ons (you should NEVER check these in, for fear of damage) that they're easily accessible - you'll have to take them out and put them in the x-ray machine separately. Have a photo ID easily accessible with your boarding pass.
2. Check your liquids: If you're taking or bringing back liquids like wine (or in my case, Japanese soy sauce from a grocery store near home) make sure you have a bag that you can check-in to put them in. Check all your carry-ons for liquids or gels, this includes hand creams, toothpaste, everything. If it's over 2.5 ounces, put them in the check-in bag. If they're less than 2.5 ounces, put them all into one small plastic zip up bag. Oh, and if you're putting liquids into your check-in bags, be sure to put them in a zip-up bag and surround them with soft padding (like clothes); opening your checked-in bags only to find a wine soaked mess could ruin any holiday.
3. Be nice to the clerks: You won't get anywhere if you're a jerk. Be nice to the clerks and security personnel. I always say "Hello," "Have a nice day," ask them how their day's been (and be attentive at the response and add to it so they know you listened to them) and sprinkle copious amounts of "Yes, Sir" and "Yes, Ma'am" into your responses (though that's the Texan in me, but it works.) You'll be amazed how much more headway you'll make with requests here and there if they see you as a nice person. Few people are nice to them that day, so they'll open up to you.
4. Dress to impress: I always fly dressed up as if I'm going somewhere important. I'm not talking black-tie here, I'm talking a nice dinner with friends dressed up. If you look like you're important and have somewhere to be, people are more likely to be nice. This is specially important if you're likely to be racially profiled like I am. I also like meeting people at the airport, specially the international terminals, so looking nice is a good way to get them to open up and talk.
5. Bring a copy of your ticket receipts: Many of us do e-tickets nowadays. Make sure to bring a copy of your confirmation e-mails and receipts. If you're environmentally conscious and don't want to kill trees for an e-ticket (like me), make sure you have copies of the documents on your laptop or iPhone (or other portable device.) I've had to pull out the receipt for a ticket dispute and it saved my spot on the flight.
6. Try not to check-in bags: Take a look at what you're packing. Do you really need it? Chances are you could pack a lot less. You generally only need one dress set of clothes and a couple of jeans and a 2-3 shirts/tops to carry you over the holidays. If you can find a way to slim down to just a carry-on suitcase and a backpack, do it. You'll thank yourself by avoiding the check-in lines and skipping the conveyor belt after your flight. I intentionally limit myself to carry-ons only unless I really need to cart around liquids (which have to be checked in), and that's the only excuse I give myself.
7. Keep your passport current: Even if you have no plans to travel outside the country, it's always a good idea to keep your passport current. You never know when a last minute opportunity to go on a cruise or trip comes up. It'd be a shame to miss it because you had to wait over a month to get your passport.
8. Know your Frequent Flyer Number: If you don't have one, get one anyways, even if you rarely fly. Frequent Flyer numbers help cut through a good bit of red tape if you have to call the airline and correct issues (I once had a flight cancelled on me, and as the plane emptied and everyone headed for the massive lines at the ticket counter to wait to change their tickets, I merely called the airline, gave them my frequent flyer number, asked for the next flight available and was done rebooking by the time people had finished lining up in the back of the line, allowing me to calmly walk past the crowd and sit down to relax with a book.) You'd also be surprised how your miles add up (though most airlines now require you to fly at least once every 18 months to keep your balance from expiring.)
9. Get your free meals: Speaking of cancelled flights, if your flight gets cancelled or rescheduled and you're stuck at the airport, don't be afraid to ask the agents at the counter for meal vouchers, or even hotel stay compensation. I've gotten a few free meals this way when I've had to reschedule my flight. These vouchers are usually valid at any food provider in the airport.
10. Keep your boarding pass: Once you get home, file away your boarding passes from the flight. This is the paranoid in me, but you can always use a record of where you've been, and flight boarding passes will aid you in that endeavour.

Reuters has released their slideshow of the 2007 "Pictures of the Year." It's always amazing to see how much can happen in one year.

WARNING: The link resizes your window. I really, really hate it when websites resize my window. It's incredibly bad interface design. Leave my window how I want it, damn it. You're not the only tab open in my window, so hands off!

Saddam Hussein's massive, lavishly furnished yacht is up for sale for a cool $34m:

The Middle Eastern despot-chic decor features plenty of gold, silver, and marble, Arabesque arches, fancy fountains, gold-tap bathrooms, table and silverware for 200, a medi-clinic with surgical suite (who wants to play doctor?), helipad, 14 cabins for 28 passengers, bunk space for 35 crew members, and—because god made this all possible—prayer rooms.

And because the former dictator had reason to be paranoid, the boat has bulletproof glass, closed-circuit television, storage space for a large cache of weapons, including heavy machine guns and surface-to-air missiles, and a secret passage that runs the length of the boat for easy access to a fast patrol boat and a mini-submarine pod for emergency exits.

Hit the link for photos on board.

I'm not sure how credible the story is, but apparently a couple of fishermen found a deer swimming 1.5 miles away from shore. They brought the poor tired animal onto the boat and released it back on shore.

Now that's a "catch of the day" story.

Some amazing video of a cool little Japanese toy called ロクロク(Lokuloku) that can be completely squashed down to a flat puddle and will return to its original shape in seconds:

They're available for about $3 in Japan. Want.

Via Gizmodo Japan.

Via MAKE Magazine, a better mousetrap:

Using everyday household objects like a clear drinking glass, metal springs, paper clips, and a metal nut, this "friendlier" mousetrap won't kill off your rodent infestation, but instead will just provide an easy way for you to transport them outside. The designer's intent is that you can re-use the objects after you catch the mouse. I think I would probably wash them a few hundred times first.

I much prefer this method. I don't kill any pests that I find; instead I usually pick them up and place them outside, and then try to find and eliminate the reason they came in in the first place so that they don't return.

Top Gear reviews the the tiniest of cars, the 1964 Peel P50:

Instructables brings us an instructional video on a lightning-fast way to tie a tie:

I wish more guys knew how to tie a tie. I seem to always be the only one in my group that knows how to tie one, and end up having to either teach a whole group how to tie them, or get frustrated and just tie the ties myself. This video might save me some time in the latter case.

I just realised how weird it is to type "tie a tie."

Via: Lifehacker.

I recently purchased the Sony HT-DDW995 Surround Sound System on Amazon only to have it drop in price by $30 three days later. No problem, Amazon will refund the difference.

I was on hold for ten minutes, and, due to my pet peeve about repetition, I started wondering how often the on hold computer reminds you that they'll "be with you shortly."

Since I had nothing else to do while on hold, I measured it.

Result: An average of every 15 seconds.

Do you really need to remind me that often that you'll be with me shortly? It's like some form of Chinese audio torture.

Forbes posts a slideshow and profiles of the world's frugal billionaires, including Warren Buffett (shown in the picture) and Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA:

Ikea's pennywise founder is famous for being cheap. He flies coach, drives a 1993 Volvo and often dines at lower-tier restaurants. He also reportedly furnishes his home with Ikea's affordable merchandise. Kamprad was recently quoted as saying that the only luxuries he splurges on are the occasional upscale cravat and Swedish fish roe.

Sometimes, people do some touching things:

Yes, I'm aware I did not post on Monday and it's the first time I skipped a day, but I promise to make up for it by posting double my usual two posts today.

Continuing my tradition of following lots of politics/heavy posts with cute breaks, I bring you, via Cute Overload, the purring kitty page.

Perfect for people like me who love the purring kitty sound but are either allergic or aren't allowed to have their own cats. (*grumble*)

Once per year at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse they shut down the weak insipid modern (presumably electric) light and switch over the the 5 kerosene lamps and fresnel lens of the original, as it was 135 years ago.

Capturing a shot like this is tricky because the lens itself actually rotates, which looks great but is tough for long exposures. But for the first 5 minutes they leave it static to indulge all of the photographers who turn out and want this shot (this highly unique and one-of-a-kind shot of course).

Click to enlarge:

That is one powerful light.

The public transportation system here in Miami is less than optimal, leading to low usage and this "Only in Miami" moment:

According to Ignatius Carroll, a woman driving her three teenage children and a teenage friend to meet another family member were heading west on Northeast 13 Street around 7:40 a.m. in a Ford Explorer when they crashed with a bus heading south on Northeast First Avenue.

The bus driver and his three passengers were uninjured, but the driver was shaken up.

(Thanks Clarke.)

5 hurt as Dade bus, SUV collide [Miami Herald]

/film has photos of the coolest theme home theatre ever:

Someone thought it would be a good idea to model their home theater after the Enterprise NCC-1701D from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The result is super geeky, but actually rather cool. Named the best theme theater installation at CEDIA 2007, this Palm Beach County, FL home features motion-activated air-lock doors with series sound effects, and a “Red Alert” button on the Crestron TPMC-10 controller to turn all of the LEDs bright red and flashing. The system also features “one of the largest Kaleidescape hard-drive based storage systems” ever created, amassing eight servers with 3,816 DVDs.

Hit the link for an even more impressive accompanying bar.

Via /.

Reuters has photos of a school in china that's been built in a cave:

Children attend class at the Dongzhong (literally meaning "in cave") primary school at a Miao village in Ziyun county, southwest China's Guizhou province, November 14, 2007. The school is built in a huge, aircraft hanger-sized natural cave, carved out of a mountain over thousands of years by wind, water and seismic shifts.

WARNING: The link will automatically resize your window. I hate it when sites do that.

Cracked.com has a list of the 25 "most baffling toys" (mostly from Japan, of course), including the "Pee&Poo" plushies pictured:

Making toilet training fun and approachable is an admirable goal, but this seems like a good way for your child to develop an unnatural affection toward their own waste products. At a bare minimum, the sympathetic "Why me?" faces on the waste products will make flushing the toilet a psychologically jarring event.

Mice Age reports on the rising trend of relatives spreading ashes of loved ones at favourite rides in Disneyland, with the practice having started at the Haunted Mansion ride and spreading to others around the park. It's even added its own lingo to Disneland employee talk and the purchase of special HEPA filter vacuums to clean up the remains:

Sometimes however the cremated ashes aren't found until the end of the night when the Cast Members close down the rides and walk the tracks looking for lost and found. Just last month that situation occurred when a Cast Member at the Haunted Mansion found several piles and a trail of ashes alongside the ride track. The Anaheim Police and Disneyland Security were summoned, and judging by the large amount of ashes this deposit was likely a small group of deceased people, or perhaps a very large married couple. The police identified the substance as human remains, and the custodial crew came in for the clean up.

To respond to this growing problem, Disneyland's custodial department recently had to purchase special vacuums with very sophisticated HEPA filters that can capture the gritty ash of human remains while also capturing the small bone fragments that can also be present after cremation. The Cast Members who work in Attractions know the code words when calling the custodial hotline, and they tell the custodial dispatcher that they need a "HEPA Cleanup" as soon as possible.

There's been a couple of heavy entries lately, so to lighten the mood I give you double dutch jumping dogs, brought to you by the masters of cute, the Japanese:

Via Cute Overload.

I gave my parents the link to this site, so they can keep up with my writing. My mom wrote an e-mail a few days ago that's the equivalent of blogging gold:

Ed,

I like your blog. I had a good time today reading it. I love the xkcd cartoons. Is there a way of you sending me the video of Na being dumped in the lake? I would like to show it to my students.

Love,

Mom

That's right: my mom likes and now reads XKCD. My geek bloodline is strong.

College Humor posts what T.V. series 24 would look like if aired in 1994.

Ah, memories of Lycos search, Prodigy, AOL 3.0, and Windows 3.1. The college freshmen around me kept asking why I was laughing so hard, and then I realised they were at most 5 years old in 1994 and wouldn't understand the references in the movie. I was using the internet when they were 5... it made me feel a little older:

Deputydog posts a look at some of the more interesting staircase designs out in the world, including a musical staircase that plays notes as you go up or down.

The staircases on the right can be found in the new Longchamp store in New York, designed by Thomas Heatherwick. The steps are formed by continuous steel ribbons that stretch the length of the building and to the ceiling.

Heartbreaking photos of a dog, loyal to his human companion even after death.

WARNING: Graphic photos.

Via Digg.

Stopped Clocks is a blog that collects locations and photos of publicly visible clocks in Britain that are no longer functioning:

This site is a hub for my thinking on stopped clocks, a place to aggregate images and locations of stopped clocks in the UK, as well as a focal point for people to collaborate in actually getting public clocks fixed.

Via BoingBoing.

Michael Zoellner has made a screen saver for Mac OS X that displays images from publicly accessible security cameras:

SurveillanceSaver is an OS X screensaver that shows live images of over 600 network surveillance cameras worldwide. a haunting live soap opera. it is the first release of my ongoing experiments with network surveillance cameras.

Certainly a way to satisfy your inner voyeur. Via BoingBoing.

Friendly reminder to all my readers living in the U.S. that due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, daylight saving time falls today. Set your clocks back one hour!

This change to the start and end times of daylight saving time has been implemented this year as an effort to save more energy. Congress reserves the right to change back to the old dates when an energy consumption study is completed regarding the change's effect.