Snow Does Blow

(A Pantoum)

Yo, ho, snow does flow....
A rising puff of Santa.
Winds of methane blow.
Typical Jovian banter.

A rising puff of Santa.
Trading frozen diamond rain.
Typical Jovian banter.
Saturn rings but does not feign.

Trading frozen diamond rain.
Gaseous blowhards tilt and sway.
Saturn rings but does not feign.
Mars turns red; Earth blues play.

Gaseous blowhards tilt and sway,
Catching killer planetoids.
Mars turns red; Earth blues play.
What luck to be not void.

Catching killer planetoids.
Venus chokes; Mercury burns.
What luck to be not void.
On Martian dust our future turns.

Venus chokes; Mercury burns;
Winds of methane blow.
On Martian dust our future turns.
Yo, ho, snow does flow....

Copyright (c) 2016 Tom Arnone

Two Men Arrested For Trying To Build An X-Ray Gun | Popular Science

We never cease the pursuit of discovering more extravagant and efficient methods of destroying one another….

Two Men Arrested For Trying To Build An X-Ray Gun | Popular Science

Zooey Deschanel declares her feminism

Zooey Deschanel declares her feminism

Mirror Mirror - I Believe (In Love) - Lily Collins

How could you not love this enchanting Hollywood/Bollywood style music video from the 2012 movie, Mirror Mirror.  Lily Collins is the fairest Snow White of all....

Marissa Mayer enters the Yahoo pressure cooker

I truly hope she (Marissa Mayer) does something miraculous. I've been disappointed with Yahoo since the infamous GeoCities holocaust (where thousands of websites were obliterated from existence). GeoCities should have, at least, been saved and designated an Internet landmark.  What a loss of history (save for the remnants contained within the Internet Archive).  That was the beginning of the end as far as I was concerned. You can't even add WebRing code to Yahoo groups. It's those (little?) things that push people away....

Click here to read article on CNET....

Seen for the First Time: Starless Galaxies

Now that we've, apparently, discovered dark galaxies, does this upend the theory of (invisible) dark matter?  (Probably not -- but, one can hope!) 

Seen for the First Time: Starless Galaxies
POPULAR SCIENCE - NEW TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE NEWS, THE FUTURE NOW | JULY 12, 2012
Read Article Here....

B612 Sentinel: The First Privately-Funded Deep Space Mission

The privately funded B612 Foundation may not be engaged in asteroid
tagging for financial gain; but, I'm sure they're thinking that any
extraterrestrial causing extinction event can not be good for
business....

B612 Sentinel: The First Privately-Funded Deep Space Mission
POPULAR SCIENCE - NEW TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE NEWS, THE FUTURE NOW | JUNE 28, 2012
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-06/first-privately-funded-deep-space-mission-will-chart-all-asteroids-inner-solar-system

How to Make Anything Disappear

Invisibility cloaks and devices are only a time slip away with advances in the proper bending of light so that the physical appearance of matter may elude our eyes and senses....

 

How to Make Anything Disappear
DISCOVER MAGAZINE | JUNE 29, 2012
http://discovermagazine.com/2012/jul-aug/06-how-to-make-anything-disappear

The Future Of Microsoft Is Sunny With A Chance Of Thunderstorms

Microsoft is entrenched in PC (and other OS) users' brains and their loyalties are legendary (okay, I'm partially exaggerating).  But you have to love them!  Stolen, copied and/or improved upon designs and programs notwithstanding, Bill Gates changed the world of personal computing forever -- and I'm sure he uses his third eye to check in every now and then.  The Microsoft Surface is, without a doubt, a most extraordinary tablet hybrid computer (for content creation as well as consumer consumption)....

 

The Future Of Microsoft Is Sunny With A Chance Of Thunderstorms
TECHCRUNCH | JUNE 20, 2012
http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/20/the-future-of-microsoft-is-sunny-with-a-chance-of-thunderstorms/

Microsoft Surface shows Apple could be wrong

"Did Microsoft actually come up with a better design than Apple? Maybe the better question is, why not?"  (OMG, I love the slick, built-in keyboard/cover!)

Microsoft Surface shows Apple could be wrong
CNET | JUNE 19, 2012
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57456484-92/microsoft-surface-shows-apple-could-be-wrong/

Game of Thrones Week 10: Destiny and Other Foolish Notions

Excellent io9 synopsis of the Season 2 Finale and the total culmination of events so far....

Game of Thrones Week10: Destiny and Other Foolish Notions [Tv Recap]
IO9 | JUNE 4, 2012

Citizens United Attacks From Justice Stevens Continue

One of the worst contemporary Supreme Court decisions:  Citizens United….

Citizens United Attacks From Justice Stevens Continue

8 Prehistoric Creatures Ripped Directly from Your Nightmares | Cracked.com

I am still fascinated by these fantastic hybrid (reptile/bird/?) creatures that once ruled the Earth for more than 165 Ma (million years)….

8 Prehistoric Creatures Ripped Directly from Your Nightmares | Cracked.com

Coding Horror: So You Want to be a Programmer

Back in the day, I tried to learn assembly language on my Atari.  It was difficult and I was exposed to countless distractions.  I didn’t stick with it.  I did, however, learn Atari Basic.  It was fun typing programs from the back of computer magazines like Compute! (and getting them to work).  Fun, I believe, is the key word.  Stress and frustration pail in comparison to the joy of discovering and/or learning a new passion.

Coding Horror: So You Want to be a Programmer

6 Ridiculous Lies You Believe About the Founding of America

"History was written by the victors." -- Winston Churchhill

By Jack O'Brien,Elford Alley Published: May 15th, 2012 When it comes to the birth of America, most of us are working from a stew of elementary scho... read more

Smart People Don't Think Others Are Stupid

Think before you speak.  Don't jump to conclusions (at least, not until you have all the facts)....

Picture by cool-slayer on DeviantArt

The woman seemed to be making some pretty good points, until she stopped with, “Ugh! Those (people she disagrees with) are just so stupid!!” She could have said Southerners,… read more

What Cool Things Can I Do with All This Free Cloud Storage Space?

An over abundance of clouds may lead to confusion – and rain….  ;-(
Ask Lifehacker News, Videos, Reviews and Gossip - Lifehacker

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You Can't Afford to Miss in May

Harmomy (by Keith Brooke) and The Weird (edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer) look like good bets (for my taste, at least)....

Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You Can't Afford to Miss in May.

It's Consumers, Stupid -- Not The Ultra Rich....

The real job creators

James Cameron Mining Asteroids: Is It Possible? - TIME

James Cameron Mining Asteroids: Is It Possible? - TIME

Note: Too bad we can’t mine asteroids for oil — only planetary bodies that support (or once supported) life can bless us with fossil fuels. Of course, there is the abiogenic hypothesis of petroleum origin to consider….

Jack Tramiel Remembered: The Legacy of the Commodore Founder and PC Pioneer

Jack Tramiel Remembered: The Legacy of the Commodore Founder and PC Pioneer

The Hunger Games: First Impressions

First and foremost: A well done book, film, radio drama, etc., must, at the very least, appear to be somewhat plausible for my mind to fit comfortably around whatever respective world is being offered -- no matter how outrageous the plot line and/or setting. The Hunger Games fits my definition of an implausible future or alternate universe. I, simply, could not accept the whole, combined premise of nuclear war, starvation (they all looked pretty, healthy and nourished), rebellion, districts and gladiator style human sacrifice (of varying ages and genders). Even a film like, Never Let Me Go (which greatly disturbed me), did not stretch credibility to the same degree.
That and a lack of character chemistry aside -- especially between Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) -- the survival and action scenes were extremely satisfying. I would rate this movie no higher than three stars. It was good. Perhaps, if I had read the books, I would be more of a believer....

Mobile voicemail: Why ‘saved’ isn’t really saved, and your messages aren’t really yours - GeekWire

Mobile voicemail: Why ‘saved’ isn’t really saved, and your messages aren’t really yours - GeekWire

HTML5 for mobiles: fact or fiction?

HTML5 for mobiles: fact or fiction?

My Valentine - Paul McCartney

Nice, Paul. Natural and meaningful tune. You're starting to sound like Sinatra ;-)
My Valentine - Paul McCartney

Bus to Jerusalem stopped after woman refuses to move to back

Bus to Jerusalem stopped after woman refuses to move to back

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1 (2011)

A solid four out of five stars -- I'm subtracting one-half star for a few prolonged (potential yawns) scenes and some overly gushy/mushy, cliched dialog; and, one-half star simply because it's not the greatest movie in existence. That being said, however, TBD proved to be a thoroughly intense and engaging, preternatural (Anne Rice word) romance/thriller. I can't wait for part 2. Without providing any spoilers (hopefully): Bella (Kristen Stewart) slew me with her emotional and extremely realistic wedding isle walk. There is a fantastic confrontation between Jacob (Taylor Lauther) and the other werewolves. Lastly, the ending moments (I won't tell you what happens) were suspenseful, riveting and all together satisfying. Highly recommended. Go see it!

Commodore USA Announces C64x Extreme: Quad Core in a Classic Commodore Chassis

Commodore USA Announces C64x Extreme: Quad Core in a Classic Commodore Chassis

Rand Not Too Grand!

Here I am worrying daily over the horrible treatment President Obama has consistently received (mostly from republicans) since his term began, and it seems that I've been worrying for naught -- the tea-people are proving to be the GOP's own worse enemy. Rand Paul must retract and/or clarify the Civil Rights comments he made (or refused to make) on the Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 9:00 pm).