Monday, June 29, 2009
Splash two
Vehicles belonging to the Man-Bunny Transportation and Safety Board were seen leaving the Man-Bunny Matrix shortly after dark on Monday. MBTSB fursonnel told reporters they were headed for San Francisco International Airport, but would not discuss their ultimate destination. Pressed again for comment immediately before their departure, one investigator simply shook his head, saying only, “Here we go again.”
Bang for your lempira
U.S. MARPAT battle dress uniform, U.S. kevlar helmet, U.S. M16 automatic rifle, U.S. head-bonking stick, Honduran government installed by military coup. Priceless.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Pack lots of dandelions
“We choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy but because we can build optical telescopes that make Hubble seem like a pair of binoculars."
B. Anna Bunny, PhD
Man-Bunny Matrix Center for Cosmology
June 24, 2009
B. Anna Bunny, PhD
Man-Bunny Matrix Center for Cosmology
June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Grey area
In today's Boston Globe, Carolyn Y. Johnson writes that the blood-brain barrier is a "wall of tightly packed cells, which line the tiny blood vessels that permeate the brain..." She goes on to say, "The barrier is not a solid wall -- it lets in oxygen and nutrients."
The word "solid" is being used as an unfortunate shortcut for "completely impermeable". Since the blood-brain barrier discriminates on size, electric charge and solubility, there are many small, uncharged, or hydrophobic molecules that easily squish right through. Protein pumps in the cell membrane transfer other useful non-squishable substances, as Johnson points out later in her article.
And like all cells, a lot of water goes into endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier, but the tissue itself is neither liquid, gas, nor plasma. A solid wall indeed.
The word "solid" is being used as an unfortunate shortcut for "completely impermeable". Since the blood-brain barrier discriminates on size, electric charge and solubility, there are many small, uncharged, or hydrophobic molecules that easily squish right through. Protein pumps in the cell membrane transfer other useful non-squishable substances, as Johnson points out later in her article.
And like all cells, a lot of water goes into endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier, but the tissue itself is neither liquid, gas, nor plasma. A solid wall indeed.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
SIGINT
In Thursday's Washington Times,
EXCLUSIVE: Cuban spies' shortwave radios go undetected
Low-tech transmissions no big deal for U.S. intelligence
For reasons of national security, the Man-Bunny Matrix can neither confirm nor deny the premise of this article as being 100% factually inaccurate.
EXCLUSIVE: Cuban spies' shortwave radios go undetected
Low-tech transmissions no big deal for U.S. intelligence
For reasons of national security, the Man-Bunny Matrix can neither confirm nor deny the premise of this article as being 100% factually inaccurate.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Shall we play a game?
Today, Alexandra Marks of the Christian Science Monitor writes:
"As they work to unravel the mystery of Air France Flight 447, aviation analysts and pilots are now urging investigators to focus attention on the plane's tail fin, known as the vertical stabilizer, in addition to the design of the Airbus's computerized flight controls.
"The vertical stabilizer is one of the largest intact pieces of the plane recovered so far, and the Times of London reported this week that 'one of the 24 automatic messages sent from the plane minutes before it disappeared pointed to a problem in the "rudder limiter," a mechanism that limits how far the plane's rudder can move.'"
Later in the same article, she writes:
"Judging from the wreckage and bodies recovered so far, and the few clues sent electronically in the last four minutes of the flight, investigators believe the Airbus 330-200 jet probably broke apart in flight, then scattered over several miles."
It is the belief of the Man-Bunny Matrix that a rudder malfunction had nothing to do with this accident, but more importantly: the randomness with which damaged computer systems tend to report error messages renders this sort of investigative track useless. A simple and fun home experiment should demonstrate this nicely. We in the Man-Bunny Matrix call this "Guess What's Broken".
All you will need is:
1 magnifying glass
1 pair of needle-nose pliers
~2 dozen personal computers, complete with monitors (The game "Guess What's Broken" is compatible with both Mac and PC)
Connect each computer. Turn on each computer. Open the CPU case. Select a different spot at random on the motherboard, and select at random just one of the tiny surface-mount resistors or capacitors soldered to the board. Gently slide the jaws of the needle-nose pliers over the surface-mount component, and crush it like a bug.
The results should run the gamut, from absolutely nothing; to simply powering down; fireworks from the power-supply; blue screens of death; seizing of magnetic or optical media; and strange error messages such as "Cannot write to drive C:", "Windows Registry Corrupted", and "BLARGH! I'm dying."
Let's say you manage to receive a straight-forward error message such as "Cannot write to drive C:". Following the logic Ms. Marks' "aviation analyists and pilots" are using, you might go to your local computer store and replace the hard-drive. Try this, see if it works.
"As they work to unravel the mystery of Air France Flight 447, aviation analysts and pilots are now urging investigators to focus attention on the plane's tail fin, known as the vertical stabilizer, in addition to the design of the Airbus's computerized flight controls.
"The vertical stabilizer is one of the largest intact pieces of the plane recovered so far, and the Times of London reported this week that 'one of the 24 automatic messages sent from the plane minutes before it disappeared pointed to a problem in the "rudder limiter," a mechanism that limits how far the plane's rudder can move.'"
Later in the same article, she writes:
"Judging from the wreckage and bodies recovered so far, and the few clues sent electronically in the last four minutes of the flight, investigators believe the Airbus 330-200 jet probably broke apart in flight, then scattered over several miles."
It is the belief of the Man-Bunny Matrix that a rudder malfunction had nothing to do with this accident, but more importantly: the randomness with which damaged computer systems tend to report error messages renders this sort of investigative track useless. A simple and fun home experiment should demonstrate this nicely. We in the Man-Bunny Matrix call this "Guess What's Broken".
All you will need is:
1 magnifying glass
1 pair of needle-nose pliers
~2 dozen personal computers, complete with monitors (The game "Guess What's Broken" is compatible with both Mac and PC)
Connect each computer. Turn on each computer. Open the CPU case. Select a different spot at random on the motherboard, and select at random just one of the tiny surface-mount resistors or capacitors soldered to the board. Gently slide the jaws of the needle-nose pliers over the surface-mount component, and crush it like a bug.
The results should run the gamut, from absolutely nothing; to simply powering down; fireworks from the power-supply; blue screens of death; seizing of magnetic or optical media; and strange error messages such as "Cannot write to drive C:", "Windows Registry Corrupted", and "BLARGH! I'm dying."
Let's say you manage to receive a straight-forward error message such as "Cannot write to drive C:". Following the logic Ms. Marks' "aviation analyists and pilots" are using, you might go to your local computer store and replace the hard-drive. Try this, see if it works.
Not fair
"You know, do me a favor. Could you say 'senator' instead of 'ma’am?' ... It’s just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title."
Sen. Barbara Boxer to Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh
June 17, 2009
Saluting just a few other hard-working ma'ams in General Walsh's life.
Sen. Barbara Boxer to Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh
June 17, 2009
Saluting just a few other hard-working ma'ams in General Walsh's life.
Sniffing out clues
Investigators at the Man-Bunny Matrix Transportation and Safety Board have concluded their investigation of Air France flight 447 in advance of a self-imposed deadline for release of findings. One bunny who has been briefed on the investigation, squeaking on condition of anonymity, informed the Matrix on Thursday that the report will consider mid-air disintegration a "virtual certainty", and will likely support earlier speculation that the airliner fell victim to an explosive event penetrating the lower fuselage.
Several news outlets have already cited the lack of burns on the bodies of victims recovered from the Atlantic Ocean as evidence sufficient to "all but rule out" a mid-air explosion. Asked to reconcile these reports with the MBM agency's findings, the rabbit we spoke to shook its head. "This is the same thing we were facing with that imbecilic Defense Minister. Let me be clear: small, non-incendiary explosions can take apart an aircraft traveling at altitude and at high speed, and small explosions do not always result in secondary fires. You ever set off a firecracker? Bang, end of story. I don't know why people are having so much trouble with this."
Another member of the investigative team tells the Man-Bunny Matrix, "How big might a fire be? For how long would it burn? Where in the aircraft did it ignite? How many people were aboard? How many bodies have been recovered? That some small fraction of passengers has not been cooked tells us nothing, nothing at all."
Investigators apparently have been unable to rule out mechanical causes for the disaster, but consider such scenarios unlikely. While this may seem to significantly raise the spectre of terrorism, or at least the probability for involvement of an explosive device, several senior investigative rabbits familiar with the process have told the Man-Bunny Matrix that the MTSB will most likely leave such questions to its human counterparts.
Several news outlets have already cited the lack of burns on the bodies of victims recovered from the Atlantic Ocean as evidence sufficient to "all but rule out" a mid-air explosion. Asked to reconcile these reports with the MBM agency's findings, the rabbit we spoke to shook its head. "This is the same thing we were facing with that imbecilic Defense Minister. Let me be clear: small, non-incendiary explosions can take apart an aircraft traveling at altitude and at high speed, and small explosions do not always result in secondary fires. You ever set off a firecracker? Bang, end of story. I don't know why people are having so much trouble with this."
Another member of the investigative team tells the Man-Bunny Matrix, "How big might a fire be? For how long would it burn? Where in the aircraft did it ignite? How many people were aboard? How many bodies have been recovered? That some small fraction of passengers has not been cooked tells us nothing, nothing at all."
Investigators apparently have been unable to rule out mechanical causes for the disaster, but consider such scenarios unlikely. While this may seem to significantly raise the spectre of terrorism, or at least the probability for involvement of an explosive device, several senior investigative rabbits familiar with the process have told the Man-Bunny Matrix that the MTSB will most likely leave such questions to its human counterparts.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Contradiction in term
In the June 14, 2009 issue of The New York Times Magazine, William Safire writes: "That calls for a thesaurus, which Webster's New World College Dictionary defines as 'a book containing a store of words, specif., a book of synonyms and antomynms.' (The New World guys chop off the ically; maybe this lexie taciturnity led to the younger generation's rampant abbreviationitis.)"
Tacking -itis onto any random word to denote some pathology always drives us crazy, but it seems particularly inappropriate in the case of someone who makes words smaller, as this suffix is used clinically to describe cases of inflammation.
Tacking -itis onto any random word to denote some pathology always drives us crazy, but it seems particularly inappropriate in the case of someone who makes words smaller, as this suffix is used clinically to describe cases of inflammation.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Three mammals flying
“‘Suddenly, we saw in the distance a strong and intense flash of white light, which followed a descending and vertical trajectory and which broke up in six seconds,’ the captain wrote.
“Air Comet declined to identify the pilot's name, but said he waited until landing to inform Air Comet management about what he saw. Air Comet then informed Spanish civil aviation authorities. The Air Comet co-pilot, and a passenger aboard the same flight, also saw the light.”
And then three navies scoured 30,000 square miles for more than 24 hours.
“Air Comet declined to identify the pilot's name, but said he waited until landing to inform Air Comet management about what he saw. Air Comet then informed Spanish civil aviation authorities. The Air Comet co-pilot, and a passenger aboard the same flight, also saw the light.”
And then three navies scoured 30,000 square miles for more than 24 hours.
Two wrongs make the news
In today's New York Times, Matthew Wald writes, "Nelson Jobim, the Brazilian defense minister, said late Wednesday that the presence of the fuel slick 'could exclude the possibility of a fire or explosion' because, in those circumstances, high-octane aviation fuel would have ignited, leaving no slick, news services reported. 'If we have oil stains, it means it wasn’t burned,' he said, according to Reuters."
There is no 'high-octane' aviation fuel involved here. Octane ratings measure a fuel's ability to resist detonation under compression. They are not a measure of general flammability. Such ratings are useful only in the context of a piston engine, and jet engines have no pistons. Jet fuel is pure kerosene. It has an octane rating of about 20.
The job of Brazilian defense minister cannot possibly come with a lot of headaches. If this incident turns out to involve foul play, that will change in a hurry. It is the opinion of the Man-Bunny Matrix that Nelson Jobim may exist today in a delusory trance of hopeful thinking.
There is no 'high-octane' aviation fuel involved here. Octane ratings measure a fuel's ability to resist detonation under compression. They are not a measure of general flammability. Such ratings are useful only in the context of a piston engine, and jet engines have no pistons. Jet fuel is pure kerosene. It has an octane rating of about 20.
The job of Brazilian defense minister cannot possibly come with a lot of headaches. If this incident turns out to involve foul play, that will change in a hurry. It is the opinion of the Man-Bunny Matrix that Nelson Jobim may exist today in a delusory trance of hopeful thinking.
He's still wrong
In this morning's Man-Bunny Matrix article, "Indicates no such thing", some data on the Airbus A330 were inaccurately cited. This aircraft carries 216,000 lbs. of fuel, not 330,000; and Flight 447 would have had roughly 150,000 lbs. on board at the time of the crash. We regret the inconvenience.
Indicates no such thing
"RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (CNN) -- A 12-mile oil slick near where an Air France jet crashed Monday into the Atlantic Ocean indicates the plane likely didn't break up until it hit the water, Brazil's defense minister said Wednesday."
Brazil's defense minister is mistaken. An airliner that goes down at the start of a trans-oceanic flight will slime the water in any event. Even a fireball will fail to consume all 330,000 lbs. of fuel. There may indeed have been no fire, but without critical information not available to the Man-Bunny Matrix, the defense minister is claiming the unknowable.
The Man-Bunny Matrix has thus far been unable to determine the cause of this crash, but the incident warrants suspicion. Absent a major design or manufacturing flaw, or a truly inept pit crew, the weather conditions are probably a coincidence. An Airbus A330 should not just suddenly start screaming error messages and depressurization and fall out of the sky. We will stop short of serious speculation, but one cannot help noticing the resemblence of this evidence trail to that which is likely to remain after a trans-oceanic airliner is brought down with explosives.
If you detonate an improvised explosive device aboard an airliner, you will shred vital electronics fifty times over before you ignite the fuel supply. Fuel tanks are anoxic, isolated and well-protected, but wiring is indefensible and everywhere. If you've punched out some fuselage, your aircraft may then come apart under mechanical stress before it crunches down onto the Atlantic, screaming error messages and depressurization, or it may not. No secondary fires required.
Brazil's defense minister is mistaken. An airliner that goes down at the start of a trans-oceanic flight will slime the water in any event. Even a fireball will fail to consume all 330,000 lbs. of fuel. There may indeed have been no fire, but without critical information not available to the Man-Bunny Matrix, the defense minister is claiming the unknowable.
The Man-Bunny Matrix has thus far been unable to determine the cause of this crash, but the incident warrants suspicion. Absent a major design or manufacturing flaw, or a truly inept pit crew, the weather conditions are probably a coincidence. An Airbus A330 should not just suddenly start screaming error messages and depressurization and fall out of the sky. We will stop short of serious speculation, but one cannot help noticing the resemblence of this evidence trail to that which is likely to remain after a trans-oceanic airliner is brought down with explosives.
If you detonate an improvised explosive device aboard an airliner, you will shred vital electronics fifty times over before you ignite the fuel supply. Fuel tanks are anoxic, isolated and well-protected, but wiring is indefensible and everywhere. If you've punched out some fuselage, your aircraft may then come apart under mechanical stress before it crunches down onto the Atlantic, screaming error messages and depressurization, or it may not. No secondary fires required.
Conspiracy corner
Three minutes elapsed between the onset of telemetry errors and subsequent reports of cabin depressurization. This could be interpreted as suggesting an explosive event originating inside the cargo hold. Due to lax or non-existent security procedures, this also happens to be the easiest target on any airliner. It can’t be the Qaeda - too random - one dinky airplane with a roster like a UN committee. If this is terrorism, it’s a weird terrorist. May we suggest a disaffected airline employee, or maybe a sickly Korean who hates himself and is mad at the world?
Why 195 miles offshore? If the plan is just to disappear the f#ck out of some transatlantic flight, isn’t 1750 miles better? Was the flight delayed?
Who’s coding the Airbus? Do you wish to send an error report?
Why 195 miles offshore? If the plan is just to disappear the f#ck out of some transatlantic flight, isn’t 1750 miles better? Was the flight delayed?
Who’s coding the Airbus? Do you wish to send an error report?
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