Physics and Felines

Experiment: feline subject J (Jedi) is in the great room at the far end of the house. Human (me) opens window W in the bedroom because it is a nice day. Measure time required for J to reach W to look out it and sniff. Time appears to be zero. Conclusion: felines can violate relativity and achieve faster-than-light speeds when sufficiently motivated.

(Yes, yes, there are other possible explanations. Jedi might be clairvoyant, for example, knowing that I am *going* to open the window, and thus has set out for the bedroom before I began opening it. Or he might be employing some form of quantum tunneling. Either way, though, it's a fine topic for future research...)

Physics and Felines

Experiment: feline subject J (Jedi) is in the great room at the far end of the house. Human (me) opens window W in the bedroom because it is a nice day. Measure time required for J to reach W to look out it and sniff. Time appears to be zero. Conclusion: felines can violate relativity and achieve faster-than-light speeds when sufficiently motivated.

(Yes, yes, there are other possible explanations. Jedi might be clairvoyant, for example, knowing that I am *going* to open the window, and thus has set out for the bedroom before I began opening it. Or he might be employing some form of quantum tunneling. Either way, though, it's a fine topic for future research...)

That was a good speech

Not sure what I'd expected from Clinton's speech, but that wasn't it. Smart choices, though, in retrospect.

She didn't try to sugarcoat the situation, which probably would have been interpreted as insincere. She made it damned clear that she was proud of her run and of her supporters, and didn't much try to hide her disappointment that she isn't the candidate. But that just underscored her core point, that it's time to get past the personal rivalries and focus on the issues -- and that on the issues, Clinton and Obama were always pretty much in agreement. The whole speech boiled down to an impassioned demand that her supporters not cut off their collective noses to spite their faces -- that anyone who believed in what she stood for should be standing up for her principles, and that requires supporting Obama.

And she really did seem to enjoy being in a position where she doesn't have to blunt her claws, as she had to do too often as a candidate. Now, she could really let loose with every bit of passion and anger in her, and the result is the best speech I've ever heard her make...

That was a good speech

Not sure what I'd expected from Clinton's speech, but that wasn't it. Smart choices, though, in retrospect.

She didn't try to sugarcoat the situation, which probably would have been interpreted as insincere. She made it damned clear that she was proud of her run and of her supporters, and didn't much try to hide her disappointment that she isn't the candidate. But that just underscored her core point, that it's time to get past the personal rivalries and focus on the issues -- and that on the issues, Clinton and Obama were always pretty much in agreement. The whole speech boiled down to an impassioned demand that her supporters not cut off their collective noses to spite their faces -- that anyone who believed in what she stood for should be standing up for her principles, and that requires supporting Obama.

And she really did seem to enjoy being in a position where she doesn't have to blunt her claws, as she had to do too often as a candidate. Now, she could really let loose with every bit of passion and anger in her, and the result is the best speech I've ever heard her make...