short takes

[cellio]

And now for something completely different...
The husband of a member of the Debatable Choir posted video from our Pennsic performance:

Click to view

I didn't know enough chemistry to fully parse this geeky comic by ohiblather, but I still laughed out loud when I saw it.
xiphias reports research that seems to be begging for an IgNobel award. As he points out, it's

Comments

[miz_hatbox]

re Pirates: Yaaarrr, so what be yer answers?

[cellio]

If you have a hook instead of a hand, which arm do you put teffillin on?

You place t'fillin on the weaker arm. The stronger arm is considered to be the one you write with. Unless the pirate has learned to write with a hook, this means the t'fillin go on the arm with the hook. I am not sure what the law is in the case of one who is illiterate.

Does your treasure map show how far the eruv extends?

I don't know; do you usually make an eiruv around buried treasure? I wouldn't; you have to wait until after Shabbat to carry it out anyway...

How long do you wait till after capturing a ship to put up a mezzuzah in the cabin?

Do you intend to occupy the ship? If it is your residence, you must do so immediately. If it is merely a vehicle or a temporary dwelling, you don't need one at all. We recommend having a non-Jewish crew member sail the ship home if you do not intend to keep it.

If Kalhua doesnt have a hashgacha, what rum do you make kiddush on?(Kalhua isn't a rum. ?) You make kiddush on a good drink, one suitable for

[mabfan]

I like these. :-)

[zevabe]

If the captured pirate ship will be a temporary dwelling for more than 30 days, a mezuza should be affixed

[merle_]

I feel fortunate that "talk like a pirate day" fell on Rosh Hashana, meaning I was shielded from most of the antics.

It was also some sort of "worldwide spin in public" day for those affiliated with yarn.

I will spare you the extra 'r's in "yarn". *sigh*

[kyleri]

Heck, I'm just pleased I knew more-or-less what all ten questions _meant_...

Thanks for the signal boost!

[cellio]

Yeah, the language and hidden assumptions can be challenging to the outsider. :-)

[osewalrus]

Heh. Cute. and I can't help but observe that Kahlua isn't a rum.

[cellio]

Yeah, I wondered about that too. I am not knowledgeable enough about rum to know if that's similar to the name of some rum and he just had a brain cramp, or if it's the bigger glitch that it appears to be.

[osewalrus]

There was a thing some years back when Kahlua lost it's heksher. It was probably a reference to that rather than looking for a rum.

[fauxklore]

Re: Jewish pirates, you do know that Jean Lafitte was Jewish, right? He actually endowed one of the major shuls in New Orleans.

[cellio]

No, I didn't know that. Thanks! (I'm going to guess that he probably didn't have a hook, peg leg, and parrot, so he didn't have to face all of these questions. :-) )

[osewalrus]

I just finished reading a non-fiction book called Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean, which gives some famous Jewish pirates.