Aston Martin prototype porn, a mysterious blog stat, and evidence that women are smarter than men

Crank up the volume

For those patiently waiting for the sports car world to start racing again, ALMS got some shots of the Muscle Milk Aston Martin testing at Road Atlanta. It’s unclear if they plan to race at Le Mans next month, but you can bet I’ll be seeing it in person at Laguna Seca in September. This video has no particular point or socially redeeming value. It is this weeks prototype porn.



A mystery solved (sort of)

One of the things I’ve started doing again, after not blogging for seven months, is checking my blog stats. To my surprise, I was still getting 5-10 hit’s a day just from google searches. I guess geese and Japanese robot women will always be popular.

I especially like the “recent visitor map.” I received a hit from what at first glance, appeared to be Libya. What was especially intriguing was someone there was reading my old post, How to build a corporate state using a simple yield curve.

I imagined a dusty little border town, with goats in the streets and bearded men in traditional Arab garb with AK-47’s slung over their shoulders. Somewhere within the confines of the white-washed, mud brick buildings, the revolutionary leaders were discussing my theory and plotting strategy.

Upon closer inspection, the hit seemed to come from the middle of the Chott El Fejaj, a large lake in Tunisia. OK, how about a group of rich Arabs, out on a yacht, discussing my theory and plotting revolution?

Not likely. The Chott El Fejaj is a seasonal lake that forms on a salt flat, much like the ones in Nevada, only bigger.


Sunrise on Chott El Fejaj by sianeth

How about a random tourist with some downtime and a nice view?

The feminists may have a point

If you're squeamish about snakes, you may not want to read this. However, if you enjoy stupid human stories, this is can't miss territory. Emily Anthes, writing on Wonderland, researches how people manage to get bit in the face by snakes. If one spends enough time in the countryside, getting bit on the ankle seems like a reasonable possibility, but on the face? Her post includes this gem:

A 24-year-old man with a medical history of mild asthma but otherwise healthy was staying in a house by the ocean for the weekend with some friends. It was early spring time (March), and during a walk on the beach, they found a Common European Adder (Vipera berus) lying in the dunes. Identification of the adder was done by a friend who was an amateur collector. The adder was captured in a box and brought back to the house.

In the evening, under heavy influence of alcohol, the man tried to kiss the adder, which bit him on the tongue.

Ms. Anthes notes that in all her research, she never found a case involving a woman. In stories like this, it's always men. Usually, drunk men. Hopefully, for the sake of humanity, drunk men at the starting point of the intelligence bell curve.