Link Banana

NPR has built a fantastic set of maps about how energy is produced and distributed across the United States.

Something I learned: the Hoover Dam, which I naively assumed to be the biggest hydroelectric producer, is pretty average. The real heavyweights are in Washington.

(via BBG)

This is a bit old, but I enjoyed perusing Rob Beschizza’s attempt to highlight the hardware preferences of certain types of people.

Until I saw this Flickr set of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s sign shop, I’d never stopped to think about where exactly those road signs come from.

Also, the Washington State Department of Transportation has a Flickr account?

(via BB Gadgets)

Disney’s 57 page EULA before you can watch Sleeping Beauty on Blu-ray is why we should remove any legal force from EULAs. Or ban them outright. Or at least require an executive summary so that people will know what cr*p they’re accepting before they (inevitably) blindly do so.

(via BBG)

Wow:

Here’s a number to savor: 2^43,112,609-1.

Its size is mind-boggling. With nearly 13 million digits, it makes the number of atoms in the known universe seem negligible, a mere 80 digits.

And its form is tidy and lovely: 2ⁿ-1.

(via BBG)

Sometimes SkyMall products perfectly straddle the thin line between “useless junk” and “cool idea.” The PizzaPro — a long pair of scissors with a spatula attached — is such a product.

(via BB Gadgets)

This may be the greatest thing I’ve seen today.

From: Bill Gates
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 10:05 AM
To: Jim Allchin
Cc: Chris Jones (WINDOWS); Bharat Shah (NT); Joe Peterson; Will Poole; Brian Valentine; Anoop Gupta (RESEARCH)
Subject: Windows Usability Systematic degradation flame

I am quite disappointed at how Windows Usability has been going backwards and the program management groups don’t drive usability issues.

He goes on — and on and on — to personally make just about every gripe that every other user of Microsoft software has.

(via BBGadgets)