China already has the most advanced and extensive high speed rail line in the world, and soon that network will be connected all the way to Europe and the UK! With initial negotiations and surveys already complete, China is now making plans to connect its high speed rail line through 17 other countries in Asia and Eastern Europe in order to connect to the existing infrastructure in the EU. Additional rail lines will also be built into South East Asia as well as Russia, in what will likely become the largest infrastructure project in history.

I’d like the opportunity to be able to travel from east Asia to Europe (and vice versa) by train.

Having watched Gigantor when I was kid, I thought this was really cool.

Fun fact: Apparently, Tetsujin 28 was developed by the Japanese military during World War II. A plot point which was unfortunately dropped in the Americanized version.

Four ways to silence Christmas carolers:

• Turn off your lights
• Turn up your music
• Come to the door with a towel
• Come to the door with a phone

United Football League (UFL) plans to debut Aug ’08.

Hey, a new sex survey from the Portland Mercury!

29% of women want “rougher” sex.
19% of men want “rougher” sex.
49% of people have lube “at the ready.”
7% have nipple clamps.
76% have done it in public.
32% have walked in on their parents.
9% have walked in on their parents having affairs.
9% have walked in on their spouse having an affair.
49% have seen others doing it in public.
2% have done “something” with cops that have pulled them over.
5% have had some sort of incest (not necessarily Flowers in the Attic-type stuff).
25% are au naturale (look it up on Urban Dictionary if you don’t know).
12% of women are active with themselves daily.
9% have had more than 16 partners.
3% have used fresh produce.

Top 10 Turn-ons:

10. Salad tossing (Look it up. or don’t, really — don’t).
9. Foot rubs.
8. Watching.
7. Exit area stimulation.
6. “Safe” violence.
5. Exhibitionism.
4. Dirty talk.
3. Porn.
2. French kissing.
1. Kissing.

In the mostly-alternate-universe of Harry Potter, supposedly giving an enslaved house-elf clothing frees the elf. However, the rules for what constitutes “giving” a house-elf clothing are not at all clear. A brief attempt at elucidation over lunch failed, as we lacked a physical copy of the record. A few points of interest follow:

The giving of clothing appears to be strict liability. We don’t care about either the intent of the giver to free an elf (accidentally “passing a sock” frees) or the intent of the elf to be freed (Hermione can leave socks hidden under rubble in order to trick house elves into freedom). So it seems that there’s no intent requirement for the gift of clothing. Leaving aside the question of who does the laundry, what kind of delivery suffices? Clearly, handing a sock to an elf would free it, even if it was handed absent-mindedly. Dobby was freed when his master tossed a sock in the air and Dobby caught it, so the master doesn’t even have to intend to hand the sock to the elf.

…

I dunno, I think most of us are better off with with minds full of mush