Raising the flag

Alexander Hamilton's house, Hamilton Grange [updated. thanks, notElon] is being moved. I was watching two guys take down a No Parking sign at the current site, and took this photo:
For a similar picture, see here: [wikipedia]

On The Prowl In the Mechanical Engineering Department

This was on the door outside one of the professors in the departments office.

Office for Mac Icons

I wonder if I'm the only person who thinks that the icons for Microsoft Office for Mac look like the Hebrew letters aleph, kuf and shin.

In related news, this post is posted from a Mac. And I claim that any OS where it takes over 15 mins (with the help of Google) to figure out how to take, edit and save a screenshot is NOT userfriendly.

great atmosphere

I don't remember how I came across this college's website but I recently found this picture in my hard drive when cleaning my computer for Pesach (it was left in a bad place in Nov 2007).
Clearly I found it funny that she liked the atmosphere despite the lack of oxygen in her current location. Oxygen normally isn't on my list of reason's for picking a school, but generally I'd rather go somewhere with plenty of it.

The Future of NYC Buses?

It seems that the NYC MTA is looking for some new buses. Yesterday I saw a Mercedes-Benz Citaro G bus undergoing a dangerous "Engineering Test":

I guess the test wasn't so dangerous, because I was allowed on:
If this bus is adopted by the MTA, I imagine it will get a different paint job (do you really think New Yorkers would let those nice painted orange poles go unmolested?), and those nice cloth seats will likely be replaced with something hard and plasticy.

Additionally, it seems that the current influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants, and the discussion surrounding dual-language signage, etc. has been resolved; in a few short years everyone will be speaking German:
In case you can't read it:

Nothahn
Im notfall:
1. Griff in Pfeilrichtung drehen
2. Tür öffnen

Google translate suggests it means:

Nothahn
In case of emergency:
1. Handle in the direction of the arrow turn
2. Door open

But what does Nothahn mean? Any German speakers care to enlighten us?

Mis-Intended Emails, SPLAM!

SPLAM

Definition: Innocent email in your inbox that is meant for someone else.

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I got an e-mail the other day from Cecille, about a fundraiser. I do not know this person and this person does not know me. The email was intended for Ms. "Lynne Fung." Thats right, the name in the list of six people who the email was sent to included Ms. Fung with my email adress assigned to her name.

Although I did not want this email, I thought it harsh to call it Spam. I will suggest that innocent emails like these be named "SPLAM"
In another funny incedent earlier this academic year, I recieved an official correspondence from a company who intended the e-mail for my own Mom- to whom I then forwarded it to.

I am now wondering how often Splam is sent aound cyberspace, and I am thinking it is quite common. For another example, the NYU admissions office has an archaic system whereby the online applications are printed and all the information re-typed. For this reason the lucky person with the NJIT ID:jc17 will have gotten a suprise Splamming response where as I, jcl7 would have to wait for snail mail. (Could you tell the difference if this was in print, font size 10???)

Have you ever recieved SPLAM, sent SPLAM, or had SPLAM sent in your name?

Alabama on the Volga River

I'm sorry - it just keeps turning up! I recently came across the Leningrad Cowboys and the Red Army Choir singing Sweet Home Alabama. Ordinarily, this would just be ridiculous. And as you all know, we generally don't blog ridiculous things. But then, at the very end of the song, they switched into the Song of the Volga Boatmen/Gremlins from the Kremlin! Check it out on YouTube:

Lactose

At some point earlier this year I was entering the Rutgers Engineering building via the loading dock when I noticed the delivery. A whole bunch of big barrels of Lactose. I was rather confused, I couldn't figure out what an engineer needed lactose for. Well recently I was walking through the Chemical Engineering wing of the building when I discovered this.

This isn't very comforting barrels of Lactose right next to barrels labeled Hazardous Waste

What is Pharmaceutical grade lactose? Is it somehow better than the lactose I get in milk?

Next door to the room with the lactose is this room, with devices that look like mixers/churns, which kind of explains the lactose.