The assassin's teapot

The above video demonstrates the workings of an assassin's teapot. It has multiple chambers and can be used to covertly pour different liquids, one of which is presumably poison so's you can eliminate your rivals in a civilized manner. He built a transparent model of one to demonstrate its functioning.

I did like his verbal disclaimer, 'Don't try to poison people', added for legal reasons. That got me thinking... I should add some declaimers to this post to assist my regular readers as they go about their daily business. Take heed, following them will lead to a more prosperous and happy life. 

Ice cream

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Summer is upon us and so many people's thoughts turn to ice cream. Here are some paintings of ice cream still lifes, ice cream shops, and people eating ice cream. As you enjoy your summer be sure to give yourself some ice cream headaches along the way.

St. James Infirmary (Gambler's Blues)

Get ready for a dissolute weekend with Dave Van Ronk.

 

Pythagoras transcends space and time

The genesis of this post was muons. They are created when cosmic rays strike particles in the outer atmosphere. They are extremely short lived (~2 microseconds) and so logic would tell you they should not last long enough to travel the distance from their creation to the Earth's surface. However, since they are traveling at near the speed of light the time dilation and length contraction predicted by relativity comes into play and they can make the journey.

So, what's this traveling at the speed of light business and the relativistic effects that so effect the muons? The above video, inspired by Lewis Carroll Epstein's book Relatively Visualized, gives a nice and simple explanation of it. I did like the enthusiasm of the presenter. 

 

In Remembrance

The Peleliu Invasion by Tom Lea

Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it.

It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.

— anonymous —

  

Gustave Caillebotte

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Gustave Caillebotte was a 19th century French impressionist painter. He came from a wealthy family and so he did not need to paint to support himself. In fact, he retired from painting in his mid-30s to pursue his other interests. Along with his works, one of his major contributions to the impressionist movement was financially supporting a number of other painters including Monet, Degas, Renoir and others. 

Gustave Caillebotte self-portrait

Manana (Is Soon Enough for Me)

Get ready for a quiescent weekend with The Harden Trio.