Feline ballistics

February 1st, 2008 | by KFC | Tiger leap

Here’s a straightforward question in ballistics: What velocity do you need to launch a 350 pound object over a 12.5 foot barrier that is 33 feet away?

The answer, thanks to Raza Syed, a physicist at Northeastern University in Boston, and a pal is: 26.7 miles per hour at an angle of about 55 degrees.

Now let’s make a few substitutions. Replace 350 pound object with a female Siberian Tiger called Tatiana. And for 12.5 foot barrier 33 feet away substitute the dimensions of the tiger enclosure at San Francisco zoo.

Is this kind of speed possible for a tiger? Apparently yes. Syed says tigers can reach speeds of 35 miles per hour with a run up of only a few feet so this enclosure was clearly no barrier to Tatiana.

After her leap for freedom, Tatiana killed 17-year old Carlos Souza.

The Straight Dope: Who or what are Fig Newton cookies named after?

from: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980508.html

Dear Cecil: You probably answered this one years ago, but in 1973, I was in junior high. Fig Newton cookies . . . who the heck was Newton? --William Killinger, via the Internet

Dear William: Much as I like Fig Newtons and the other fine products of the Nabisco company, you can appreciate this is not the kind of fact I keep stored in my frontal lobes. I figured I could leave it to Nabisco to keep track. When will I learn?

Visiting the Nabisco Web site (www.nabisco.com), I found the following: "There are two theories as to the origin of the Fig Newtons name. One familiar tale says the gentleman who invented the machinery that makes Fig Newtons Cookies was so proud of his work that he named the cookies after the great physicist, Sir Isaac Newton. The second theory holds that the cookies took their name from the Massachusetts town of Newton, near the home of Kennedy Biscuit Works (forerunner to Nabisco)."

I thought: Theories? We've got a product that sells in excess of 7.2 gazillion a year and the best we can come up with is theories? I decided to see if I could scare up somebody at Nabisco who had a clue.

By and by I reached John Barrows, senior manager for marketing communications. John was my kind of guy. "There is no truth at all to the Isaac Newton theory," he wrote. Fig Newtons had been introduced in 1891 by the Kennedy Biscuit Company, one of a number of regional bakeries that merged in 1898 to form the National Biscuit Company, later known as Nabisco. "The Kennedy Biscuit Company named all their products after surrounding communities, including cookies and crackers called 'Shrewsbury,' 'Harvard,' 'Beacon Hill,' and so on. There is no doubt (in our minds) whatsoever that the Fig Newton is named for Newton, Massachusetts." Studying my map of the commonwealth, all I can say is, thank God Kennedy Biscuit wasn't near Belchertown.

FW: Super Bowl could be heart health hazard

Super Bowl excitement may be hazardous; doctors note heart attacks
during World Cup

The Associated Press - 6:43 AM EST, January 31, 2008

NEW YORK -- For rabid fans of the New York Giants and New England
Patriots, this Sunday's Super Bowl won't be just a game. It may be a
health hazard.

Heart attacks and other cardiac emergencies doubled in Munich, Germany,
when that nation's soccer team played in World Cup matches, a new study
reports.

While history suggests European soccer fans can get a bit more worked up
than the average American football fan, doctors think there are some
valid warnings to be shared...

MORE:
http://www.amny.com/news/health/ny-spbowl0201,0,6745580.story?track=rss

BONUS: Whack a Patriot:

http://www.newsday.com/ny-giants-whackgame,0,4099793.flash?track=rss

NYC Scavenger Hunt - A Photo contest in the NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/03/05/travel/20070305_HUNT_SLIDESH
OW_index.html

RPI Club Sites for Metro NYC.

Our group for the NYC club: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rpinyc

Steve Fabrikant's NYC RPI Founder's Group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7206380876

Alumni Office Searchable events page: https://arpinet.rpi.edu/default.aspx?page=EVNTEventSearchResults

RPI Club of NJ: www.rcnj.org

There are 4 people in the groups on linked in:
http://www.linkedin.com/search?search=&sortCriteria=3&groupFilter=45863
and RPIEntrepreneur.com: http://www.linkedin.com/search?search=&sortCriteria=3&groupFilter=50057

Wikipedia contributors from RPI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedians_by_alma_mater:_Rensselaer_Polytechnic_Institute

These are the RPI people on myspace:
http://search.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=find&circuitaction=search&searchType=network&f_first_name=&InterestType=SCH&f_search_criteria=3233&x=46&y=12

RPI-NYC: John Perez is playing at the Mean Fiddler tomorrow night

8 PM. Details @ http://www.hogweedlives.com/shows.htm

TTYL, Mark

THE MEAN FIDDLER 266 West 47 Street New York 10036
212-354-2950 212 354-2491

47 Street Between Broadway and 8 Ave Next door To China Club

SUBWAY N or R Train To 49 Street 7 Th Ave C or E to 50 St 8 Ave 1 or 9 to 50 St 8 Ave http://www.themeanfiddlernyc.com/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=3

Bookmarklets for the Web 2.0 Jedi Master

you http://www.micropersuasion.com/2007/10/essential-bookm.html

Lifehacker Code: Supercharged GmailThis Bookmarklet

This is a great add-in for your browser and Gmail:
http://lifehacker.com/242811/lifehacker-code-supercharged-gmailthis-bookmarklet/

♠Sports Betting -- Ask the Wizard

This site may have a odds for your numbers in a superbowl pool.

http://wizardofodds.com/askthewizard/sports.html

Emo Phillips: Are you a Christian?

Other links: RSS Hacks

QOTD

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." Mario Andretti.

Twas the night before Christmas

We have not tried this yet, but it may be funny: CrazyLibs before Christmas

Shrimp Running On A Treadmill Video

I did not know that you could build a Treadmill for shrimp.

You may also have some time to Elf Yourself.

My gift list

This needs more work, but in honor of Black Friday, here we go:

Blue crocs, r/c fighting helicopters, world peace, clothes for Elizabeth, a hip for Dorothy, low potassium bacon for Jimmy, Sling box solo, school supplies Manolo shoes for Sherry Lynn, horseshoes for Hector, ...

[Updates to follow ...]

Happy Holidays, Mark
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

ThinkGeek :: PlusDeck 2c

ThinkGeek :: PlusDeck 2c: "A Cassette Deck for the PC: Use it to archive your old cassette tapes of 80s bands into digital files on your PC. "