I love humans. They always see patterns in things that aren't there.

Every now and again, some plum turns up in the news because they have found a piece of pizza with an image of Jesus in it, or a tomato personally signed by "He who shall not be named lest I get a Fatwa called down on my infidel head", or Princess Diana in a dog poo.

Invariably, they don't just bin this item, they let the word spread and soon the gullible are loping round in the hope of a miracle cure and someone somewhere gets very rich and the gullible get just a little poorer.

I was watching a series of programmes on either BBC 3 or BBC 4 over the weekend, commemorating the approaching 40th anniversary of the first moon landing and on several occasions they used the now iconic photograph, Earthrise taken from Apollo 8 as it re-emerged from the far side of the moon in 1968. Now I have seen that picture any number of times over the years. But if you look at it closely at different magnifications, you can see different things:

Here, with the picture somewhat reduced, I can see the three quarter profile of a grey haired elderly black gentleman looking off to the left of the picture¹:



That's interesting enough, but if you double the magnification, you see that it isn't the profile of an elderly black gentleman at all. Instead, there's a Chinese dragon emerging from the head of one of the Seven Dwarfs; what had appeared to be the black man's ear is, in fact, the dwarf's face and he looks rather surprised to have the dragon looping up out of his head in a question mark shape across the upper curve of the globe...



Amazing.

Er, what are the butterfly nets for, guys? Er, guys?

¹You may have to click on the pictures and examine them on the gallery pages, I have never worked out how to make them display at the precise size I want.

I love humans. They always see patterns in things that aren't there.

Every now and again, some plum turns up in the news because they have found a piece of pizza with an image of Jesus in it, or a tomato personally signed by "He who shall not be named lest I get a Fatwa called down on my infidel head", or Princess Diana in a dog poo.

Invariably, they don't just bin this item, they let the word spread and soon the gullible are loping round in the hope of a miracle cure and someone somewhere gets very rich and the gullible get just a little poorer.

I was watching a series of programmes on either BBC 3 or BBC 4 over the weekend, commemorating the approaching 40th anniversary of the first moon landing and on several occasions they used the now iconic photograph, Earthrise taken from Apollo 8 as it re-emerged from the far side of the moon in 1968. Now I have seen that picture any number of times over the years. But if you look at it closely at different magnifications, you can see different things:

Here, with the picture somewhat reduced, I can see the three quarter profile of a grey haired elderly black gentleman looking off to the left of the picture¹:



That's interesting enough, but if you double the magnification, you see that it isn't the profile of an elderly black gentleman at all. Instead, there's a Chinese dragon emerging from the head of one of the Seven Dwarfs; what had appeared to be the black man's ear is, in fact, the dwarf's face and he looks rather surprised to have the dragon looping up out of his head in a question mark shape across the upper curve of the globe...



Amazing.

Er, what are the butterfly nets for, guys? Er, guys?

¹You may have to click on the pictures and examine them on the gallery pages, I have never worked out how to make them display at the precise size I want.

Where'd the time come from..?

This morning I seem to have travelled through a time slip, or time warp, or worm hole. Until I got to Victoria, I didn’t encounter a single tourist dragging a wheelie trolley, though there was a bloke on the tube with very hairy arms who looked a bit like that bloke in Love Actually who can’t get a date and decides to emigrate. I doubt these facts are related, but it was worth mentioning.

Anyway, despite leaving The Carpathia a few minutes late, I got into the office fifteen minutes early. I make that door to door, via the Northern and Victoria Lines in thirty-five minutes. This is a new record: I have never managed to get into Victoria that quickly from Totteridge and Whetstone before, even if we discount the walk at either end.

Mulder used to pile out of his car and spray paint a large ‘X’ on the road whenever he encountered an instance of ‘time loss’ in the X-Files. What should you paint on a train platform to indicate ‘time gain’?

My watch seems to be okay. Maybe I misread it on the way out? Or maybe…

Where'd the time come from..?

This morning I seem to have travelled through a time slip, or time warp, or worm hole. Until I got to Victoria, I didn’t encounter a single tourist dragging a wheelie trolley, though there was a bloke on the tube with very hairy arms who looked a bit like that bloke in Love Actually who can’t get a date and decides to emigrate. I doubt these facts are related, but it was worth mentioning.

Anyway, despite leaving The Carpathia a few minutes late, I got into the office fifteen minutes early. I make that door to door, via the Northern and Victoria Lines in thirty-five minutes. This is a new record: I have never managed to get into Victoria that quickly from Totteridge and Whetstone before, even if we discount the walk at either end.

Mulder used to pile out of his car and spray paint a large ‘X’ on the road whenever he encountered an instance of ‘time loss’ in the X-Files. What should you paint on a train platform to indicate ‘time gain’?

My watch seems to be okay. Maybe I misread it on the way out? Or maybe…

Insane Fuds

Context: Ed’s Easy Diner, London near the Trocadero.

Issue: Peanut Butter Milkshake…

Discuss.

Insane Fuds

Context: Ed’s Easy Diner, London near the Trocadero.

Issue: Peanut Butter Milkshake…

Discuss.

Diuretics

We have just bowed our heads and given thanks that Scientology exists. There was a sudden rush of realisation around the office that in these politically correct days where you can get into trouble for even scratching your bum whilst mentioning the titular head honcho of any of the world’s major superstitions, the late L-Ron and his weirdo chums are exempt on account of being even nuttier than the norm¹.

No, we can’t be rude about religion and so the case for Scientology is made. People need an outlet.

The French are like secular versions of Scientologists, aren’t they? That’s why it is still appropriate to say things about the French that would have you strung up by the short and curlies if you said them about any other people.

I wonder if there are any Sciéntologistes out there and if so, who speaks to them?


¹Having adherents like Tom Cruise doesn’t help them, either, it has to be said.

Diuretics

We have just bowed our heads and given thanks that Scientology exists. There was a sudden rush of realisation around the office that in these politically correct days where you can get into trouble for even scratching your bum whilst mentioning the titular head honcho of any of the world’s major superstitions, the late L-Ron and his weirdo chums are exempt on account of being even nuttier than the norm¹.

No, we can’t be rude about religion and so the case for Scientology is made. People need an outlet.

The French are like secular versions of Scientologists, aren’t they? That’s why it is still appropriate to say things about the French that would have you strung up by the short and curlies if you said them about any other people.

I wonder if there are any Sciéntologistes out there and if so, who speaks to them?


¹Having adherents like Tom Cruise doesn’t help them, either, it has to be said.