Random Thursday

Some random thoughts (hey, it’s what we do) while contemplating what I’d do with an electric car that generates more torque than an M1 Abrams tank (well, other than pulling my house – slab and all – to the vacant lot across the street that has a better view of the pond).

• I got another of those African scam emails this week, and I decided that the world’s most difficult job would be a new account marketer for the Central Bank of Nigeria. I mean, how would you ever convince someone that you’re on the level? I’m pretty sure that emailing potential customers would be verboten.
• This is pretty cool. Some dude took a digital photograph of a handcuff key hanging from a policeman’s belt, then used a 3D “printer” to create a plastic replica. Turns out that it actually worked. (H/T Schneier on Security)
• At dinner last night, we were discussing whether you could actually explode a nitroglycerin tablet. That made me think of this video (H/T Geeks are Sexy):

• To be honest, I didn’t know anything about liquid oxygen (aka “condensed oxygen”). Googling it turned up some misleading ads for a kind of sports or health drink. But the real stuff is used for rocket fuel, and, according to Wikipedia, was discontinued in weapons production due to excessive “accidents.” But, if you’re serious about LOX, you can make your own.
• Are you a baseball fan? Even if you’re not a rabid fan, you might enjoy this account of the first baseball game, played on a sunny afternoon on June 19, 1846. (H/T Columbia University Press via Twitter)
• And, finally, having seen its fruit, some of you were wondering what the pomegranate tree looks like. Your wish is my command (for a sense of scale, the brick wall in the background is about 7′ tall):

<