A Local Version of Global Warming

An ice age has hit my refrigerator (and freezer), and it's reached the point that a drink is actually jammed in there and can't be removed because it's stuck in the ice. (This was a glass of vodka that a friend of mine left after my 2009 birthday party. I don't drink, so it's just stayed there for 4.5 years.) My version of global warming is now in progress, and it involves lots of towels. This is what happens if you let something like this wait several years too long.

Update (8/13/13): Operation "Local Warming" has now reached Hour 31. The heavy machinery was brought in on Day 2, and I'm also keeping the door of the kitchen closed so that it stays warm enough to actually melt the ice. The vodka is no longer stuck and the refrigerator seems to finally be out of the ice age now. Here is how things looked in April (and things were even more severe last week, when I finally got around to doing something about it). The vodka in the freezer is literally jammed. (Somebody local should let me know if they want the vodka, by the way. I don't drink, so it's free to a good home.) We have now brought out the heavy machinery.

Its Chief Law is Increase of Entropy... Just Increase of Entropy

It's now May 10th in my time zone, so here goes [and in honor of today's Statistical Mechanics consultation session]...

NOBODY expects Thermodynamics! Its chief law is increase of entropy...increase of entropy and transitivity of thermal equilibrium...thermal equilibrium transitivity and entropy increase.... Its two laws are transitivity of thermal equilibrium and increase of entropy...and conservation of energy.... Its three laws are thermal equilibrium transitivity, entropy increase, and energy conservation...and the fact that entropy approaches a constant value at a temperature of absolute zero.... Its four...no... Amongst its laws.... Amongst its laws...are such elements as transitivity of thermal equilibrium, increase of entropy.... I'll come in again.

(Bows and exits)

Today --- by which I , of course, mean after I wake up --- I am running a consultation session for my Statistical Mechanics course, so I figured that this would be an appropriate way to celebrate International Monty Python Day. (Yes, this is mostly redundant, but I'll just go with it.)

The Thermodynamics of Love

This article is apparently about the thermodynamics of love. I have no further comments. :)

OK, I do have one more comment: In a sequel article, perhaps the author will ask whether sex is endothermic or exothermic.

(Tip of the cap to whoever does the Facebook posts for Physics Today.)