­xkcd thread

This periodic table amuses me more:

I totally want that device, too!

I’m totally picturing that as someone saying the words “wee ooo”, instead of a siren.

I heard that “weee ooooo” in my head like the theme song from Dr Who.

Did someone (falsely) claim that Betelgeuse had gone supernova recently? Because suddenly I’m encountering references to Betelgeuse all over the place.

They’re releasing a sequel to the movie this week.

Something about that it’s really two star system with a small partner has been theorized.

It grew dimmer a few years ago, then brighter again. Turns out it was just some dust.

My wife has one of these things.

It’s me.

If they can now image Betelgeuse that finely, wouldn’t they spot a companion star that formerly couldn’t be resolved?

Yeah, I’d be very surprised if Betelgeuse actually had a hitherto-unknown companion. There are lots of ways we would have found it, if it existed.

How DID he do that?

Black Hat works in mysterious ways…

All you need is more power …
Laser Pointer (xkcd.com)

It’s an interesting observation. If everyone thinks that a volcano has a crater full of lava, then that is what the word “volcano” has come to mean. Perhaps someday the word will mean the crater of lava itself. We’re not there yet, but this is how linguistic evolution works.