COLBERT treadmill arrives at space station
September 1st, 2009 | NASA | Posted by Steve Losey
NASA's official Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, or COLBERT, patch
What may be the most expensive consolation prize in NASA history will soon be aboard the International Space Station. A $5 million treadmill named for political satirist and faux TV pundit Stephen Colbert will be one of the first items unloaded this afternoon from a cargo container docked at the station, according to the Associated Press.
The Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, now as elevated as its namesake’s ego, will soon be used by astronauts to stay healthy and strengthen their muscles in the zero-G environment.
Earlier this year, NASA started an online poll allowing Web site visitors to vote on a name for the space station’s latest module, Node 3. But NASA also allowed visitors to write in their own suggestion. That’s when Colbert implored the viewers of his Comedy Central program “The Colbert Report” to write his name in. And boy, did they — members of the Colbert Nation cast more than 230,000 votes for their hero, far more than the second-place choice, “Serenity.” *
Though Colbert won the vote fair and square, NASA instead chose to name Node 3 “Tranquility,” in honor of the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Colbert was, of course, outraged at the subversion of democracy. But when astronaut Sunita Williams told him that a treadmill would instead bear his name, he quickly changed his tune. Video of the announcement after the jump:
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Tags: fun, NASA, Space Station, Stephen Colbert
Things I didn't know government did: Certify TV prizes are green
May 14th, 2009 | Environmental Protection Agency | Posted by Elise Castelli
As a condo dweller with precious little outdoor space, I naturally love Home and Garden Television (HGTV). And like many network viewers, I’ve drooled over the spacious HGTV “Green Home” in Port St. Lucie, Fla., which the network is raffling off. But I did not realize the home had a government connection: It’s EPA certified!
I also didn’t know EPA certified TV prizes, but according to this EPA press release the home has “earned EPA’s Indoor AirPlus and Energy Star labels.”
Tags: fun
Nancy Pelosi has too much time on her hands
January 19th, 2009 | Congress | Posted by Steve Losey
If you’re killing time before the inauguration and looking for a laugh, head on over to Nancy Pelosi’s official YouTube page. The highlighted video, which we’ve embedded below, appears to be a parody of the Bush administration’s Barney Cam videos. But this one has a twist that we’re never gonna give up.
Tags: fun, Nancy Pelosi, RickRoll
In case you missed it: Federal Times on the Daily Show
January 15th, 2009 | Postal Service | Posted by Elise Castelli
Back in November, Gregg wrote about the potential for a bailout of the Postal Service, which had a $2.8 billion shortfall last year. Well someone has finally taken notice. And that someone is Lewis Black of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Federal Times does not endorse the views of Lewis Black, but we are a little excited about the screen time on the Daily Show.
The Daily Show With Jon StewartM – Th 11p / 10c
Tags: bailout, Daily Show, fun, Lewis Black
Happy Halloween from the Census Bureau
October 24th, 2008 | Uncategorized | Posted by Steve Losey
Here’s a little something light for your Friday afternoon: The crack statisticians at the Census Bureau have pulled together some figures estimating what Halloween might bring next Friday night, such as:
•36 million potential trick-or-treaters. That’s how many kids between the ages of 5 and 13 are estimated to be in this country, but it doesn’t take into account immature adults — like this reporter — who might try to score some candy anyway. And those trick-or-treaters will visit…
•110 million occupied households in the United States. All of which had better be stocked with something good, unless they like cleaning up eggs and toilet paper.
•Almost 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins for jack-o’-lanterns and pie. And where should you go to find the perfect pumpkin to carve? Illinois, which grew 542 million pounds of pumpkin in 2007.
•24.5 pounds of candy. That’s how much the average American eats each year, but many trick-or-treaters will easily top that.
•And North Carolina seems to be the ideal state to celebrate Halloween. The Census Bureau points out that the Tarheel State is the home of Transylvania County, a city called Pumpkin Center, and not one, but two Cape Fears.
Sadly, the Census Bureau doesn’t estimate how many hapless trick-or-treaters might get the Charlie Brown treatment: rocks.
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Tags: Census Bureau, fun, Halloween