University of Winterfell, snow flamethrower, curling fashion, hulk the pooh, analog clocks

Sorry about the brief intermission; the holidays happened, then i did a little traveling to celebrate the marriage of two dear friends.

First and foremost, it's pretty cold here. The high today is 1 degree Fahrenheit, which is at least positive. A friend commented that we attend the University of Winterfell (which is strangely appropriate). i came across this (satirical) article whereby a man supposedly tries to clear snow via flamethrower, and it's certainly worth a read. A google image search for 'snow flamethrower' is also appropriately hilarious.

A recent NYTimes article featured the Norwegian curling team's fashion sense in respect to uniforms. i sent this around, and it elicited various responses from friends. KateB pointed out that some of the patterns available from the company who makes those pants are quite pretty. Bryan opinioned that they look like clown pants, a view shared with other internet users (based on this google image search as well as a few corresponding articles).

Some close friends are having children, and i would love to frame these prints, entitled 'Hulk the Pooh', for all their nurseries.

i had lunch with a friend in the break room today, wherein there is a remotely controlled analog clock that is rarely set to the correct time. He mentioned that once while touring a power plant, the tour guide mentioned that the intensity of the electrical current could cause clocks to run either fast (more/too much power) or slow (less/not enough power). We had a brief discussion regarding this, and the internet semi-confirms it, as well as here, "In an analog clock the hands of an electric clock are driven by a synchronous electric motor supplied with alternating current of a stable frequency.  ".

The delightful 'What If' section of xkcd addressed bulk virus volume today: Pile of Viruses.