A 350-cc motorbike made of granite!

Filed in General Interest, October 1, 2005, 1:00 am by

A 20-year old entrepreneur in Chennai, India has created   
a motorbike made of granite with a 350cc Royal Enfield engine and wants to sell it in the US market as a novelty. The petrol tank, front and rear fenders, foot-pegs and rear seat housing are made of pure granite.(Via The Hindu)

PSFK idea hunt

Filed in General Interest, September 29, 2005, 12:00 pm by

Piers says “we need some more ideas and we only have 2.5 days left”. Any of you that have creative ideas, please submit them per these instructions. This could be a good opportunity to get your idea funded.

Why you may never have a girlfriend

Filed in Uncategorized, , 1:00 am by

Tristan Miller mathematically proves why  you may never have a girlfriend. Make sure you read the email he received from some one through the link he provides.  Hilarious! (Via Stumbleupon).

Mark Kurlansky’s Salt

Filed in Uncategorized, September 28, 2005, 1:00 am by

Having been thoroughly impressed by Cod, I picked up Mark’s previous book – Salt and finished reading it recently. How he makes something as mundane as salt into an all-encompassing story on the history of mankind is amazing. It includes a whole chapter on Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt Satyagraha and a lot of little-known details on the role of salt in India’s freedom movement. Another interesting thing that caught my attention is the fact that the chinese have 6 tastes like the Tamils (more on this later). Compared to Cod, this one makes for a slower read as the story meanders a bit and the style is a bit long-winded. But don’t let that deter you from reading this great book.

Intelligent Design round up – Carl Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit

Filed in Uncategorized, September 26, 2005, 1:00 am by

1. I am sure all of you are following this Intelligent Design (ID) Vs. Theory of Evolution controversy. In the most recent turn of events, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) has jumped into the fray and is fighting a case in Pennsylvania to prevent Intelligent Design from entering the schools. (Via Livescience, be sure to read the links on this page to some excellent articles on this topic). 2. Enjoy this entertaining smackdown of Deepak Chopra by Pharyngula (Via Kottke.org).  3. UK’s Guardian weighing in on the debate. 4. Visit here for a point-by-point takedown of ID (Via Pharyngula). 5. Interestingly, a recent Pew Research Poll Center poll shows that 64% of those polled support the view that – “Creationism” should be taught alongside “Evolution”. If after reading all this, you don’t know which side you are on, use Carl Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit.  Pay special attention to point no.5 under common fallacies. Wonder why no one has brought up this famous tool! (Via Priya Raju).