Tag / Brewster Rockit

by zbicyclist

Another Vocabulary Lesson

Noosignatures were proposed to fill the gap between biosignatures (chemical signs of life) and technosignatures (detectable advanced technology like radio signals). They indicate intelligent activity that is not necessarily technological. Examples include:

  • Stone tools (e.g., Acheulean hand axes) 
  • Architecture or carvings
  • Undeciphered writing systems (e.g., Indus Valley script) 
  • Complex cultural products such as bread, used as a thought experiment for measurable complexity 

Chemical signs of possible life go back billions of years on earth. Production of radio waves, a bit over a hundred. Noosignatures on earth would go back maybe 3 million years or so. Exactly how you could detect these from earth is unclear.

by multipleciduers

Sunday Funnies – LOLs – May 10, 2026

Happy Mothers’ Day!

We’re going to lead off today with a nice Synchronicity sent in by Ian C:

Bonus panel:

The mouseover text also plugs his Patreon page.

Yes, we’ve de-emphasized synchronicities because we were getting too much clutter (really, talking animals show up every day in my feeds), but these from April 23 also qualify as LOLs, so here we are.

We definitely passed on a May 7 synchronicity in which both Reality Check and Real Life Adventures featured cat vomit.

Yorick’s absence: was it due to some skullduggery?

by zbicyclist

Ewws (you’ve been warned)

Chemgal sends this in:

Kedamono sends in this questionable sculptural decision — which, luckily, the Egyptians did not make.

Mark Parisi posted: “It had to be done. (On my Patreon page I drew the view from the other side. I then sent that to my editor asking if it was too much to be published in daily newspapers. He suggested it could be newspaper-friendly if it was shown from the other side. Smart.)”

Actual back of the Sphinx:

Kedamono sends in this one: “I can’t decide if this one is a LOL or an OY. Still, there is something graceful in synchronized garbage tossing.”

Not really that much of an Ewww, but seemed close enough to one to put it here.

And another from Mark Parisi:

by zbicyclist

Still Taxing After All These Years, Schedule 1

Yes, this is a repeat, with some new additions — like that US tax form, which has added new complexities this year. So we’re splitting it into two parts, just as 1040 Schedule 1 has become Schedule 1 and Schedule 1-A.

The short form deserves a geezer alert, as it was discontinued years ago. There’s a 1040-SR now for seniors — the only difference is that it’s printed in larger type.

Actual error message from IRS.gov on the day tax forms (and estimated payments) were due, April 17, 2018. Not funny. Note the difference in the set of dates cited for the outage.

Typos continue in 2026. Here’s a notice from January, 2026 that suggests a form was corrected in the future.

(This wasn’t from the IRS. This is a notice from a well-known brand of tax preparation software.)

by multipleciduers

Saturday Morning OYs – December 20, 2025

Boise Ed sends this in: “This strip takes place on a space station. Florence (on the left) is a canine who has been given human-level intelligence. Her human co-worker’s advice is so right!”

Mitch4 sends this in: “Not strictly speaking a pun, but based on verbal ambiguity and misunderstanding.”

One of the copyist errors in the New Testament?

Similarly:

by zbicyclist

Halloween CIDUs

… and some non-CIDUs

The joke is clear, if hackneyed by now, but what would the kids tip? A 20% trick?

This execution of the same joke is a bit clearer, since it’s the kid asking for money.

Not so much a CIDU as “way too much work”. Post individual clue solutions in the comments. FYI, complete solution is here.

This one tripped me up, because I assumed a Pumpkin Spice Latte only had the spices used in pumpkin pie. This used to be true: introduced in 2003, Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte contained only the spices, and no pumpkin. That made sense. Who thinks steak sauce has steak in it? or shrimp sauce has shrimp in it? Or awlspice has an awl in it? But, in response to complaints, in 2015 they reformulated to add some pumpkin puree. That was really unnecessary, because a bit of pumpkin puree adds little taste. But this does mean Blazek’s joke actually works.

Not a CIDU, but definitely an Ewww.

Not a CIDU, either, but cute.

And one last nod to Peanuts:

And, finally, an OY

There’s this synchronicity, sent in by Nebulous: