Hey, it's February!  Let's celebrate ... with a curious blog post :)

Here we have a wonderful "selfie" taken by the Curiosity Rover.  (Please click to enbiggen.)  This is a cool picture of a rover on Mars, and then you realize ... who took the picture!  The secret is that this image is a composite of 57 images snapped with the MAHLI camera, which is on the end of the rover's arm.  By combining the pictures in just the right way, it looks like the camera was completely separate from the rover.  Most curious... 

Back here on Earth, it looks like Ted Cruz defeated Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses, with Marco Rubio a strong third, and on the other side of the aisle Bernie Sanders tied Hillary Clinton.  All good news from my perspective, but there's a long way to go. 

Also, Alphabet passes Apple as the world's most valuable company.  Basically the two leaders in cellphone technology.  Remember when oil companies were the most valuable?  And who will be next?  (SpaceX, after they colonize Mars?) 

Meanwhile, the National Debt hits $19T.  Yeah, that's about 38 times more than Alphabet and Apple are worth.  Not good.  And not clear if any of the current Presidential candidates can or will do anything to reverse the trend. 

Oh, and Venezuela is on the brink of a complete economic collapse.  That's not surprising, but the article reads like one from the Onion: "Hugo Chávez's socialist government started spending more money on the poor, with everything from two-cent gasoline to free housing. Now, there's nothing wrong with that - in fact, it's a good idea in general - but only as long as you actually, well, have the money to spend."  I love the weird economic editorializing right in the middle of a "news" article.  More proof, if any were needed, that since the smartest people didn't become journalists, journalists are not the smartest people. 

Here's some important work: Ars Technica considers the science behind a good cup of coffee.  And also the health benefits: "Caffeine enhances perception, reduces fatigue, increases abilities to stay awake, and may help improve long-term memory. In addition to the pick-me-up, caffeine is linked to boosting metabolic rate and energy expenditure, and it may reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndromes."  Mmmm...  most curious!