It's really sad how people don't have a sense of humor. :-)

(Written on 2015/12/30)(Permalink)

Witch hunt against astronomers! But seriously, only certified astronomy geeks should be allowed to have green lasers. Now, for the test: What's your favorite episode of Cosmos?

(Written on 2015/03/17)(Permalink)

There's a joke about ARFF and abbreviation police in there somewhere...

(Written on 2014/10/17)(Permalink)

As I wrote to sparkie624, I disagree with that premise. Who in Singapore is looking around for articles about some place called DIA? Plus, the first line of the article spells it out: "Denver International Airport." I think that the argument also gives people too much credit for knowing IATA or ICAO codes. They really don't. ACRP 52 suggests that a significant portion of people arriving at an airport don't even know what airline they're flying. So in a Venn diagram, the confused people are at the center of "Knows every IATA and ICAO code" and "Doesn't know the vernacular name of Denver International Airport." That's a small intersection. Finally, all nomenclature is ambiguous. Perfect example: "PHL" isn't just Philadelphia International Airport, it's also a widely recognized abbreviation for the Philippines.

(Written on 2014/10/17)(Permalink)

I disagree with your premise, but I understand it. I would argue, however, that there's a huge difference between a local news article and a conversation in Japan.

(Written on 2014/10/17)(Permalink)

Hebron, Kentucky - despite the name. Covington was the closest city when the airport was planned, but there's now a town/CDP there called Hebron. That's why it's double-or-nothing on the city.

(Written on 2014/10/17)(Permalink)

Calling Denver International Airport "DIA" is akin to calling Chicago-O'Hare International Airport "O'Hare." It's a nickname, not an official designator. It would be commonly understood by the target audience of a Denver-area news station. Do two Google News searches, one for "Denver airport DEN" and one for "Denver airport DIA." Note that the local Denver news stations are essentially the only results in the second one because it's a relatively local nickname. And note that KDVR is a Denver area news station.

(Written on 2014/10/17)(Permalink)

If they get it right, double or nothing on which city it's actually in.

(Written on 2014/10/17)(Permalink)

Other work of Chicago contractors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears_tower

(Written on 2014/08/09)(Permalink)

We were evicted from our cave. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo

(Written on 2014/08/07)(Permalink)