Metal-based life? (Via Radley Balko.)

"Things We Say Today And Owe To Shakespeare". Larger version here.

"If the IRS had discovered the quadratic formula". (Click on image to see full size. Via Instapundit.)

"Neutrinos: Ghostly Particles With Unstable Egos"

"The Importance of Selection Effects":

During WWII, statistician Abraham Wald was asked to help the British decide where to add armor to their bombers. After analyzing the records, he recommended adding more armor to the places where there was no damage!

Although it may be counter-intuitive, the reasoning is sound.

The world's funniest analogies. Some good ones:

Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

(Via Kottke.)

"Near-Death Experiences Now Found to Have Scientific Explanations"

Scientists find Star Wars planet with two suns"

"Researchers find a method to extract just a single photon from a beam of light, a development that could have an impact on quantum mechanics research"

"The 7 Types of Physician Bad Handwriting". (Via @internetcases.)

"Why The Trip Home Seems To Go By Faster"

How rational are NFL coaches in their 4th down decision-making? According to this article, not very.

Bruce Schneier: "New Lows in Secret Questions"

Economist: "Digitisation may have came late to book publishing, but it is transforming the business in short order"

The mathematical sculptures of Henry Segerman, utilizing 3-d printing. Example: "Hilbert Curve":



More examples at his YouTube channel.

Hsieh/Minton OpEd: Durbin's Dietary Paternalism

Off-topic: The September 13, 2011 edition of HumanEvents.com has just published an OpEd co-authored by myself and Michelle Minton of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, "Durbin's Bill Is Dietary Paternalism".

The proposed new regulations would require many dietary supplement manufacturers to submit proofs of safety to the FDA before they could be marketed -- including many that are already freely available in drugstores and supermarkets without a prescription. This would raise the prices for many supplements and force others off the shelves entirely.

On a personal level, I am taking some of these supplements (in consultation with physician colleagues) to help with my hip fracture healing. So anything that would restrict my ability to purchase such supplements to promote my health greatly alarms me.

Many thanks to my co-author Michelle Minton and her colleagues at CEI for her excellent work and for facilitating the publication of this piece!

"Because sometimes, you just need to look at a photo of a really goddamned happy elephant":

(Via @radleybalko.)

"The Curious Science of Counting a Crowd"

Monopoly Property Value Calculator. The advanced version.

(Via Tyler Cowen.)

"Battery Storage Could Get a Huge Boost from Seaweed". (Via Howard R.)