2.11.2009

A Bird, a Turbine, Some Snarge.



Where to start, where to start...First things first. I found this video as a result of the secondary coverage of the story of US Airways Flight 1549 that flared up again recently, what with Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger interviewing with Katie Couric and the whole crew being awarded keys to New York City by the mayor himself.

I've never quite understood what a key to the city represented. It's some kind of giant novelty key, isn't it? But is it actually modeled on a key that opens a real door? Or is it just an empty gesture? Or is there a lock somewhere that it fits exactly that only a select group of people can open with their giant golden keys? You see? So many questions.

As for the video, ho man. I mean, first of all, look at those chickens just vaporize when they hit the engine. Second of all, think about this: those chickens are being launched from somewhere. And are apparently frozen when that happens. This implies that there is some sort of frozen chicken launcher in a wind tunnel somewhere just endlessly chucking chicken carcasses into jet engines. And further, it implies that there is at least one person--but probably a whole team of people--whose job it is to operate that chicken launcher.

Can you imagine having that job?

Also, did you know that the term for the gory slurry of feathers, pulverized flesh and bones and other random bird remains resulting from a bird's collision with a plane had a name? Did you know that that name was snarge? I'll just leave you with that.

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