Naxxfish

I’ve just finished a big uni project, and I feel like doing something frivolous.  Twig has provided me with something to do:

* Twigathy wonders how many kittens is as noisy as a aircraft taking off >_>

Thank you!

We need some guestimates to start off with.  I’m going to say that an aircraft taking off is about 120dB (from this page), and a kitten’s mew is about 64dB (quite a noisy kitten). Both these figures are dBSPL.

We will say that we have n kittens, and that their mews are incoherant (i.e. at different phases and frequencies – unless they’re exceedingly well trained kittens).  We’re going to assume that they all meow at the same 64dB.  The equation to sum sound pressure levels is:

L_pt = L_ps + 20 log(n)

Where

L_pt = total sound pressure level (dB)

L_ps = sound pressure level from each single source (dB)

n = number of sources

(stolen from Engineering-toolbox.com)

We want to extract the n from the log and make it the subject.

Some algebra later, we get

n = 10 ^ ((L_pt-L_ps) / 20)

If we plug in 120dB for L_pt and 64dB for L_ps.

n = 10 ^ ((120-64) / 20)

n = 630.957

So, there you have it.  It takes 631 kittens all meowing simultaneously to be equivilant to an aircraft taking off.

EDIT: I’ve realised I’ve left a lot of things out, so expect another update with more detail :p

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/430094/

Free Mini Eggs!  Woolworths, 1PM, Saturday the 16th 2008.  GO!

The Three Little Pigs are apparently offensive according to the government.  This isn’t the first time this has happened,  despite the fact that

No complaints had been made about the pigs appearing in the Kirklees Primary Music Festival event.

I think that the only solution is the outright public denial that pigs exist.  Instead they should be replaced by “Nondescript Farmyard Animals” or NFA’s, to ensure their presence does not offend people.  Whilst we’re at it, lets clean up a few more nursery rhymes.

Original:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

Non-offensive Edition:

Humpty Dumpty, aged 18 or more, sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the territorial leader’s horses and all the territorial leader’s men and women
Couldn’t perform surgery to Humpty to aid his recovery.

Original:

Hickory Dickory Dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one
The mouse ran down (or “and down he run”, or “down the mouse ran”)
Hickory Dickory Dock

Non offensive:

 Fissery Nissery Knock
The small rodent ran up the clock
The clock chimed a non-specific hour
The mouse ran down
Fissery Nissery Knock

Original:

Five little speckled frogs

Sat on a speckled log

Eating some most delicious grubs.

One jumped into the pool

Where it was nice and cool

Then there were four green speckled frogs

Non offensive:

Five little frogs

Sat on a dead piece of tree

Eating some most delicious frog food.

One jumped into the body of water

Where it was nice and cool

Then there were four frogs.

 

Original

Hot cross buns,

Hot cross buns,

one ha’ penny,

two ha’ penny,

hot cross buns.

If you have no daughters,

give them to your sons,

one ha’ penny,

two ha’ penny,

Hot Cross Buns

Non offensive:

Hot buns,

Hot buns,

one currency unit,

two currency units

hot buns.

Give them to your descendants,

Regardless of their gender, 

one currency unit,

two currency units

Hot Buns

The Queen likes Wii

According to The People, Wii console-owner Prince William is finding it difficult to use the Wii as the Queen is apparently “hooked” on using his machine.

The Queen is already said to be something of a technical whizz, with reports that she owns a BlackBerry, an iPod and a number of mobile phones.

Possibly one of the most hilarious things I’ve heard recently!   I’m glad our queen’s a bit of a geek