So I was thinking of watching the good ol’ New Year ball drop at Times Square tonight, but then I saw the ball…
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Hey, that’s not the New Year’s Eve ball! It’s the Fesarius!
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That means Dick Clark is really Balok. OK then, I can deal with that. I’ll just swap out my champagne for tranya.
Ah HA hahahahaha!
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Phil Plait, the creator of Bad Astronomy, is an astronomer, lecturer, and author. After ten years working on Hubble Space Telescope and six more working on astronomy education, he struck out on his own as a writer. He has written two books, dozens of magazine articles, and 12 bazillion blog articles. He is a skeptic, and fights misuses of science as well as praising the wonder of real science.
Contact me: The Bad Astronomer "at" gmail "dot" com
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December 31st, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Oh noes the the new year theme is italics!
December 31st, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Wow, I just watched that episode last night! COINCIDENCE?!?!
December 31st, 2008 at 10:08 pm
As soon as I saw the picture of the “big ball” I knew what you were going to say. So what does that say about me?
December 31st, 2008 at 10:28 pm
That’s no moon!
December 31st, 2008 at 10:57 pm
happy new years
December 31st, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Someone forgot to close his italics tag.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Wait … you mean … the ball’s resemblance to the Fesarius is not intentional?
December 31st, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Sydney’s NYE display was still better ^_^
December 31st, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Speaking of Sydney’s NYE, Happy New Year BA and all the BABloggees.
January 1st, 2009 at 12:07 am
The nerdiest of that reference made me cringe. Then I realized I’m no better, as I “got” it. For shame, Phil.
January 1st, 2009 at 12:45 am
And anything is better than Star Trek . . .
January 1st, 2009 at 12:58 am
My last comment will probably been in moderation for a while so Happy New Year BA and all BABloggees. Click my name for the best view of the Sydney fireworks.
January 1st, 2009 at 1:18 am
I was thinking Buckyball.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:01 am
Happy new year – and especially WELCOME IN 2009 the INTERNATIOBAL YEAR of ASTRONOMY!!
Now if onlywe couldarrange areally bright comet or neraby (but not to-oo close) supernova for it!
PS. Italics – they really are a pain to stuff up aren’t they? Why not find some different better way of doing them like, say, the “italics” button you get for word and emails? Or at least get this editing /preview ability taht’s supposed tobecoming here sooner -it can’t come soon enough!
January 1st, 2009 at 4:08 am
Well I tried the old gretaer than /lesser than brackets backslash ‘i’ to fix italics.
Didn’t work. Yeah I know a bet its been tried already by othermore computer-skilled folks than me and failed too.
Emoticons also not working?
That coz o’ italics?
& correctimng typos here because ist stilltheonly way Iknow how to :
****
Happy New Year everyone – and especially (in bold big letetrs if I knew how to do ‘em)
(Smiley big grin emoticon!)
WELCOME IN 2009 the INTERNATIONAL YEAR of ASTRONOMY!!!
Now if only we could arrange a really bright comet or nearby (but not too-oo close) supernova for it!
(wink emotiocon)
PS. Italics – they really are a pain to stuff up aren’t they? Why not find some different better way of doing them like, say, the “italics” button you get for word and emails? Or at least get this editing /preview ability that’s supposed to becoming here soonish – it can’t come soon enough for myliking! (Wink emoticon)
January 1st, 2009 at 4:13 am
Happy new year, Phil. This post was exactly what I needed tonight.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:56 am
Hey Phil, I thought the same thing when I saw the picture!
Anyway, Happy New Year to you and yours.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:57 am
Happy new year!
Wish you all the best and joy and wonderful things to become true this year!
It’s 2009!
January 1st, 2009 at 5:01 am
Hey..in related sci fi news, apparently the Death Star appeared over San Francisco..
http://current.com/items/89204971/death_star_over_san_francisco.htm
January 1st, 2009 at 5:06 am
Uhhhh… pleasepleaseplease close your “italics” tags…
It’s probably the footnote.
January 1st, 2009 at 5:46 am
THE ITALICS ARE BACK…. AAAARRRGHHH, HIDE!!!!
January 1st, 2009 at 6:36 am
Happy New Year everyone!
January 1st, 2009 at 6:45 am
“Mmmmm…slanty…” —Homer Simpson
January 1st, 2009 at 8:00 am
I won’t envy Phil’s hangover this morning.
January 1st, 2009 at 8:05 am
That’s really a stretch. They’re both spheres with regular geometric surface features, but any resemblance ends there.
January 1st, 2009 at 8:21 am
This reminds me of something my parents told me about. Apparently this town is about 30 minutes away from them and they heard about this:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE2DA113EF932A05751C1A9659C8B63
January 1st, 2009 at 8:24 am
@wb4: No stretch at all. Both spheres are *really* shiny.
Happy New Year, and may the worst things of 2009 be better than the best things of 2008!
January 1st, 2009 at 8:51 am
Happy New Year all… I feel so alive, so wonderful, so…. italic….
(crooks a finger toward BA and says, “Oh Phillllll…..”)
January 1st, 2009 at 9:07 am
So… it’s Ron Howard’s Little Brother Clint Howard who’s the REAL show business tital.
A toast of Tranya. He hopes you relish it as much as I.
January 1st, 2009 at 9:20 am
2009, the Year of Astronomy, Darwin’s 200th birthday, the 150th year since “The Origin of Species”., 400 years since Galileo pointed his little ’scope at the sky,,,So far we’ve come, so much further we have to go. Of course, we have the woo-woo network in full play as we spiral in to the year 2012,,,Ack, evolution, why does it have to be so danged SLOOOOW?
,,,and the battle for minds continues unabated,,,
2009. May it be the year rational thought becomes a new standard for excellence.
Peace Y’All,
GAry 7
January 1st, 2009 at 11:43 am
I thought it was a non-Haylean representation via the Wick of the Geometer’s Icosaheadron.
January 1st, 2009 at 11:44 am
Happy New Year! And what does it say about one, when one sees that Times Square ball on this blog… and immediately anticipates a shot of the Fesarius? … And then one proceeds directly via stream of consciousness to a mental image of Balok laughing like the Ghost of Christmas Geeky, and offering one “Have some tranya!”?
It says much, I daresay.
January 1st, 2009 at 12:48 pm
The new ball is just plain ugly, it doesn’t sparkle or thrill me like the old glimmering Waterford Crystal ball. I read that the new one saves energy. then have people stay home if it that important.
January 1st, 2009 at 1:24 pm
hey, that’s a buckyball with the hexagons and pentagons split into triangles.
January 1st, 2009 at 1:35 pm
It was even more sinister than you think. They replaced Dick Clark with Billary!
January 1st, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Someone knows way too much Star Treck trivia….you sure you’re not hidin’ pointed ears under that hat?
Happy New Year!
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:07 am
Bucky Fuller would have liked the new ball.
I hope it’s not made of Corbomite!
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
I’m glad I wasn’t the ONLY person to think that same thing, Phil. Every time they cut to a shot of the ball, I kept having that music from the episode play in my head…
“1500 yards away, and it still fills the screen…”
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:44 pm
[...] Happy New Year: I hope you relish it as much as I [...]
January 4th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
BWAHAHAHA!
I thought of Tranya as soon as I read the title even before I saw the picture of the Fesarius. It does my heart good to know that there are people out there like me!