How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems

by Randall Munroe

Maybe an idea is bad, but figuring out exactly why it’s a bad idea can teach you a lot—and might help you think of a better approach.

Physics doesn’t care if your question is weird. It just gives you the answer, without judging.

To carry the Space Shuttle orbiter, the carrier aircraft has a special mount that protrudes from the top of the fuselage. This mount fits into a socket in the belly of the Shuttle orbiter. Next to the mount is an instructional plaque, which features the single best joke in the history of the aerospace industry: ATTACH ORBITER HERE NOTE: BLACK SIDE DOWN

“Sin,” she said, “is when you treat people as things.”

There’s no nondestructive test for indestructibility.