Science
Friday, June 17, 2011
I'll Become Vegetarian First
You ever tell someone to, “eat shit and die”? Looks like that might not be so far fetched if this scientist gets his way:
Japanese scientist Mitsuyuki Ikeda from the Okayama Laboratory certainly doesn’t believe in human waste. He thinks that’s perfectly good protein you’re sending out to sea, and he’s found a way to extract it, mix it with steak sauce and create a fecal feast fit for a king.
Woo-hoo! Let’s all have a picnic at the local sewage plant! I’ll bring the “potato salad”...muhahahaha!
Why would he even think of it, you might ask. Because Tokyo Sewage asked him to. Tokyo is swimming in sewage mud, it seems, and there’s only one way it can save itself and that’s eat it.
We’ll never go hungry again! Gasp! This could solve world hunger! Feed everyone a pile of shit! We are the wooorld, we are the children...we are the ones who eat a shit sandwich from our bbq grillin’....
Prof Ikeda found the mud was loaded with protein due to the high bacteria content. Combine it with reaction enhancer and put it in a magical machine called an “exploder” and artificial steak comes out the other end. According to Digital Trends, it’s 63 percent protein, 25 percent carbohydrates, 3 percent lipids and 9 percent minerals. It’s colored red so you don’t know it’s poo.
Yee-haw! Red poo! Bloody red poo! From an “exploder”! It comes out the other end....oh hell, there’s way too many puns here...So, how do you like your “steak”? Rare? Bloody? Just a hint of pink? You want corn with that? Oh Lawd, the jokes are endless.
"Initial tests have people saying it even tastes like beef,” Digital Trends reports. Prof Ikeda and his colleagues say it’s the perfect solution for reducing waste and emissions from flatulent cows.
It tastes....like.....CHICKEN! I mean, BEEF! Right now it’s expensive but give it time, soon you’ll be looking forward to 99cent Shit Stack Sundays!!! Huzzah!
We are the worllllld......
(Link thanks to Paula)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Perspective
Ever had one of those bad days where you’ve just about had it with the human species, specifically those around you? Well, remember this next time as it illustrates just how small they are in the big picture:
See? They aren’t even significant enough to be the zit on an elephant’s ass.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
"The Governments Never Ending Thrist"
Did you know that refracted light was invented less than 20 years ago by the government who is using us all as guinea pigs in their thrist for energy sources? Their “never ending thrist”? As she records her sprinkler watering her lawn, a lady from California, (the state name alone should be ample warning for what you are about to witness), becomes alarmed when she sees a rainbow so close to the ground. Before the government got involved, rainbows only happened around the sun and the moon. She shares her thoughts on her unanswered questions:
“...what the heck is in our water supply, what the heck is in our oxygen supply, that creates a rainbow effect in a sprinkler? What is oozing out of our ground, that allows this type of effect to happen? ...This cannot be natural. We all know, this wasn’t something that happened 20 years ago but now it’s happening now. We as a nation have got to ask ourselves, ‘What the hell is going on?’ What is oozing out of our ground?”
Well, ma’am, that is a very good question and I have a very serious answer. This is something that the government doesn’t want you to know. That which is oozing out of our ground is a chemical compound known as Dihydrogen Monoxide and it can be dangerous, even lethal! Do you think the government is going to hold a press conference about this? Of course they aren’t! They don’t want you to know these things because they make money off of this chemical compound. They pump it through our pipes every day and make us pay for it! Damn Commies! Damn Commie leprechauns! It’s all about lining their pockets, to hell with the citizens.
So raise that voice. Lead the march to Washington demanding that they explain, exactly, what the hell they think they’re doing allowing Dihydrogen Monoxide to “ooze” from our ground. Refuse to budge until they admit how they got refracted light so close to Earth. How could they not think of the children? Millions of children play in sprinklers, just like yours, in the summertime. The dangers of earth bound rainbows and chemicals touching their precious, fragile skin! Shame them for not warning the citizens of the planet. Share your fancy camera angles with them. Show them what you caught on film. You have evidence! Stand up. Stand up I say and fight for your constituional rights! We will be guinea pigs no more! Thank God people like you are paying attention!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Ma'am? Sir? Would You Kindly Shut Up? Just Shut Up
People are idiots. There. I said it. You probably had no idea I felt that way but I’m glad it’s now out in the open for all to see. If you want any indication of just how stupid people are, click on your t.v. and watch the news or one of those stupid sitcoms on your local channels. Better yet, tune in to ANY talk show. Or, just wait until later this month when our new overload, chosen simply because of his skin color gets sworn in to office. Then go buy yourself a plate and coin, morons. Just this morning I about threw up my breakfast as I watched a local news anchor cream herself over the idea of making The Messiah’s sandwich, oh how lucky those people are in Hawaii!!!!
But I’m not here to talk about all the reasons people are idiots...this would be the world’s longest blog/journal/whatever this is post. I’m going to narrow it down to one topic today and that topic is the issue of so called “Global Warming”.
Every once in awhile I get some douche bag on tour asking stupid questions like, “Don’t the airboats scare all the animals away?” Hey! Einstein! Why yes they do and yet, here you are, ON the fucking thing! So don’t get all uppity with me when you’re the ass who purchased the ticket....and now, towards the end of your tour you want to get self righteous about the whole thing?
This is typically the same douche bag who asks what effect has global warming had on the Everglades. Why am I not legally allowed to smack people? I cannot believe that people are falling for this tripe. Does anyone read anymore? Does anyone study history anymore? What the hell are they teaching in those science classes in school these days? How to make paper mache solar systems? (And are we still including Pluto anymore? God, seriously.)
Before we go any further, of course I think we shouldn’t be littering or throwing oil and such in to rivers and I’m still one who believes in recycling regardless how many tell me it “costs too much”....dude, fuck off. What a selfish thing to say. But this whole global warming crap and purchasing carbon footprints to make ourselves feel better is one of the biggest hoaxes this decade. (Second to the dog and pony show that got St. Hope and Change elected and third to the whole housing bullshit.)
Check out this article that I stole from GOC:
Like Stealing Candy From A Baby
"Environmentally conscious travelers flying out of San Francisco International Airport will soon be able to assuage their guilt and minimize the impact of their air travel by buying certified carbon offsets at airport kiosks."
So if you’re not too stupid to fall for this it means you don’t care about the environment? Love the spin, SF Gate.
"The experimental program, scheduled to start this spring, would make SFO the first airport in the nation - possibly the world - to offer fliers the opportunity to purchase carbon offsets.
“We’d like people to stop and consider the impacts of flying,” said Steve McDougal, executive vice president for 3Degrees, a San Francisco firm that sells renewable-energy and carbon-reduction investments and is teaming up with the airport and the city on the project. “Obviously, people need to fly sometimes. No one expects them to stop, but they should consider taking steps to reduce their impacts."
The impacts of flying mean, “how much fuel is being burned” and “how much ethylene glycol is used to de-ice planes”. Ok, let’s start with the first bit. How much pollution is being used and the impact on the environment. People enjoy carrying on about how CO2 causes global warming.
Oh hell, let’s not let facts get in the way here.
Now, about that ethylene glycol, seems you can find that in “automotive antifreeze, hydraulic brake fluids, inks used in some stamp pads, ballpoint pens, solvents, paints, plastics, and solar energy systems” as well. (emph mine, source: ASTDR.)
I don’t really have to spell this out, do I?
"San Francisco’s Airport Commission has authorized the program, which will involve a $163,000 investment from SFO, but is still working out the details with 3Degrees. Because of that, McDougal said, he can’t yet discuss specifics, such as the cost to purchase carbon offsets and what programs would benefit from travelers’ purchases."
I have to agree with Denny here, they’re still trying to figure out just how much they can swindle out of people. How far can they push that envelope, what’s the very edge that people are willing to pay to “assuage their guilt”? Find out where the line is and take one, teensy, tiny step back and set the price there. “A fool and his money are soon departed.”
But the general idea, officials said, is that a traveler would approach a kiosk resembling the self-service check-in stations used by airlines, then punch in his or her destination. The computer would calculate the carbon footprint and the cost of an investment to offset the damage. The traveler could then swipe a credit card to help save the planet. Travelers would receive a printed receipt listing the projects benefiting from their environmental largesse.
The carbon offsets are not tax deductible, said Krista Canellakis, a 3Degrees spokeswoman.
“While the carbon offsets purchased at kiosks can’t be seen or touched, they are an actual product with a specific environmental claim whose ownership is transferred at the time of purchase,” she said."
You mean, can’t be seen or touched by the suckers who put their credit card in to the machine. It apparently will be seen and touched by those scam artists who will be lining their pockets every night. In other words, you give money to some random machine, get nothing to hold or even look at, except a receipt, (made of paper, which comes from trees...think of the TREES!!!!) and it’s not considered a donation? You’ll have to excuse my cynicism but if I donate money to an organization and it’s not tax deductible, that’s a big, gigantic red flag for me. I may as well just drop money on the ground at random points--I’m sure I’d get pretty much the same result. Oh, it’s not an organization? That flag just got bigger and brighter.
"Mike McCarron, airport spokesman, said the projects offered will be chosen by the mayor’s office, in conjunction with 3Degrees, from a list certified by the city’s Environment Department. Airport Director John Martin told the commission that projects could include renewable energy ventures in developing countries, agriculture and organic waste capture, coal mine methane capture, and sustainable forestry.
Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom, said a portion of each offset purchase would go to the San Francisco Carbon Fund, which supports local projects such as energy-efficiency programs and solar panel installations for low-income housing, as well as efforts to convert waste oils into biodiesel fuels."
Solar panel installations for low income housing. Excuse me a minute, I need to die laughing now.
Ok, I’m back.
Not that you’ll ever ‘see or touch’ the evidence that this ever happened. And when they say, ‘portion’, just how much are they talking? For every dollar, what amount goes to this “worthy cause”. A penny? Two pennies? Where does the rest of it go? Let me take one guess, pockets, right next to all that lint.
"The cost of offsets for SFO travelers is still being negotiated, McDougal said, but figures on the company’s Web-based “carbon calculator” suggest that a two-hour trip uses about 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per person, and the cost to offset that would be about $4. Offsetting a trip to Europe would cost $36."
Eeeeerrrccchhh! Hold the phone. I thought they were all up in arms over us producing CO2, not USING it. Isn’t that the argument? That we emit far, far too much CO2 in to the atmosphere thus causing global warming? Now they’re here saying we are USING about 1000 pounds per person? So, according to that statement, air travel should be viewed as a good thing for the planet and there is no need for this ridiculous carbon kiosk. Right? They can’t even keep their own lies straight.
"It’s definitely not going to double your ticket or anything,” he said. “It’s going to end up being a small percentage of your total airfare."
Actually, twat, it won’t be any percentage of my airfare because I’m not stupid enough to fall for this bullshit. But, again, here we go with the spin: “Look, polluting, horrible children! You are destroying the world! Feel the shame! FEEL IT! It doesn’t feel good at all, does it? Well, for the low, low price of $19.99, you can clear your head of any worries, (pat, pat, pat). If you don’t, it means you don’t CARE about the planet! Pay us, I mean, Mother Earth, Gaia, pay her for your filthy ways, HEATHENS! Or go to your grave, WRACKED WITH GUILT! You disgust me! Give me your credit card now, imbecile! Oh, by the way, would you like to register as a Democrat? It doesn’t matter if you’ve already done so....you can do it again and again.”
"Under the agreement, the airport will provide the kiosks and 3Degrees will supply the software and the certified carbon offsets being sold and will operate the program. Kiosks will be placed throughout the airport, with locations at the customer service desk in Terminal 3 and two wings of the International Terminal. 3Degrees will get 30 percent of each purchase, with the rest going to carbon-reduction projects. The agreement calls for a one-year program, with a possible extension.
“The carbon kiosks will not only reduce global warming,” Ballard said, “they will serve an educational function. It’s something interesting to do while you’re killing time at the airport."
Translated: “The carbon kiosks will not only do nothing to reduce non existent global warming, hahahahaha, ahem, (damn, how will I say this with a straight face? Keep serious, they’re watching.) They will serve an educational function on how to spot a scam from a million miles away. It’s something interesting for us to do; watch how many fucking idiots we can count in the airport. Er, I mean, while you kill the planet, kill time, too! Wait, I mean, uh...this interview is over.”
"Given the innovative nature of the venture, airport officials said they don’t expect 3Degrees will turn a profit - at least not at the outset. McDougal said it’s impossible to predict how many passengers will want to make what is essentially a voluntary contribution to compensate for the impacts of their air travel. But he hopes the program takes off.
“Hopefully, it will be successful,” he said. “But if we just have a lot of people stop and read the information and think about it, that’s something we’ve accomplished."
So, they just admitted it. They are in this to turn a profit. “Hey, Barry, what’s the quickest way we can screw people out of their hard earned money?” “Well, Al, just tell them they are acting like insolent children and that they need to give us money to make all the bad go away. If we turn a profit, we can buy the whole world a Coke, unicorns and lollipops.” “Brilliant, Barry, let’s build a kiosk and put it in the airport.” “Al, I like the way you think.”
Here’s some more facts to check out if you’re still not convinced:
From the left’s own bible, the UN: There is NO Global Warming
Don’t worry, America, the Aussies and Brits got it all wrong, as well: Top 10 Dud Predictions
A few, miniscule facts about plane pollution, buried in the middle: EHP
Or, if you would rather, here’s a video on what Al Gore has done for the planet: (also stolen from GOC
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Eewww!
Eeewwwww! Eew! Eew! Eew!
This is why, when I go to sleep at night, I always pull my hair over my ear because I don’t want this to happen. YES, I’m AWARE that it could still happen. Let me live in my fantasy world that this ritual of mine prevents it. OK?
EEEEWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:::Shudder:::
Monday, November 29, 2004
Jupiter Glows...And So Do Thongs
It has been far too long since I’ve posted about anything scientific, despite the requests for it. So, to make up for that, I’m linking three stories today.
Skywatchers: On December 7th, just before sunrise in various cities across the states, you will be able to see Jupiter rise over the moon. No telescope assembly required.
Oh and for those readers in Alaska and Canada, you should be able to see auroras in your neck of the woods today.
Girlwatchers: A TX MBA student has developed glow in the dark thongs that will retail at around $50.
Now Beau Carpenter is marketing a neon thong that’s so far attracted eager customers at a strip club. The Houston Chronicle reported that Carpenter had no trouble enlisting help in his venture from a chemistry lab manager and electrical engineering student.
The GloThongs have batteries that, when fully charged, illuminate the straps for two hours in various neon colors. Customers can use a wall adapter to charge them up, but car chargers are also available.
Is it really newsworthy that he had no trouble enlisting help for this project? Anyway, I’m sure his father must be proud. No comment from his mother yet.
Bathroom watchers: It’s all over the news that some woman in S. Korea is able to walk again after stem cell research helped her spinal cord injury, but did you know that stem cell research may also help those with activity induced incontinence? Just think, no more embarrassing adult diapers or, for us younger crowd, no more fear of ever having to wear a pair of Depends at some point in life.
We can debate all we want about where we get stem cells from, what is ethical and what isn’t, but stem cells used to help rebuild organs and such are here to stay. Frankly, I’m all for it.
Ok kidlets, class is over...you are dismissed.
Friday, April 30, 2004
Liquid Protection
Science fiction has always fascinated me. It is one of the few genres of fiction that can completely absorb me and close off the rest of the world. In fact, many times I have been so engrossed in a story that several hours later, I will suddenly jerk back into reality and it can take me a minute to get my bearings...much like waking from a dream. In science fiction you will find a mixture of science and soldiers...or warriors.One of the reasons I love science so much is because we get to see technology advance; things that were once merely imagined in a writer's mind, come to life.
Our soldiers have come a long way since WWII, the Korean war, Vietnam...even Gulf War I. Some of the technology being used today by our military is simply amazing. The accuracy of our weapons is beyond words and I know that they are only going to get better, more precise.
The downside to war is, of course, casualties and science is always looking for ways to minimize, if not completely eradicate, wounded and killed.
Liquid Body Armor--Coming Soon
Army scientists are working on a liquid body armor for clothing that stays flexible during normal use but can harden to stop a projectile when hit suddenly...
... The liquid, hard particles suspended in a fluid, is soaked into layers of Kevlar, which holds it in place...
..."If it's impacted suddenly by a projectile or a knife, say, it rigidifies and somehow restricts the ability of the fabric to move."
This research is still in its early stages, (three years), and it is unknown if it can yet stop bullets. Additionally, the current idea is for this to be utilized by prison guards and police. The article also states it may help in car and plane crashes.
However, if they continue working on this, I believe it is very possible to make it usable for our soldiers. It will depend on how light they can make it, if it can stop bullets, what caliber, at what distance and what are the possibilities for as much coverage as possible.
I would like to know if they can develop it to prevent injuries from explosions such as bomb blasts or IEDs. If they can make a full liquid body armor suit that will stop bullets and shrapnel from very close distances......sigh...that would be a very good thing.
One debate we always had in my science classes was if there was a limit to what is possible. My answer has always been...."Where there is an idea, a passion, an intellectual curiosty and backing, there is a way."
What was impossible just 50 years ago is now done everyday. I hope that science finds a way to keep all of our troops alive someday.
Monday, December 15, 2003
Look In The Sky...
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s our gorgeous Universe.
I sat and watched this entire file with a serene smile on my face. Damn it’s beautiful. Amazing.
[link thanks to Jeff at Side Salad]
Monday, December 08, 2003
Space-The Final Frontier
It may appear that I’m crazy, out of control blogging today but there is a method to my madness, see?
Tomorrow is my first day of work, (ok James, now you know). Just saying that makes me feel kinda dorky...like it’s my first day of Kindergarten or something....course, I do have my purple Bugs Bunny lunchbox....ahem. It was a birthday gift a few years ago, so mach mal langsam! I don’t pack lunches anyway, I just wait till I get home to eat.
Now where the hell was I? You threw me off track with your sneers and stifled giggles....oh yah....so, because I have no idea how exhausted I’m going to be, (considering at the very least, this will be a 10 hour day), I’ve decided to slap a few more posts on today so that there is plenty of material. I’ve also decided to cover many topics cause I’m a worldly kinda girl.
Any....hoo, I said all that to say this, thanks to Rocket Jones for the following link:
More than 2200 links to SPACE STUFF!
Oh sure, I find this the day before I start working again. It couldn’t have been found a few months ago when I had ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD!
I will discipline myself, I will not stay up all night clicking links, I will go to bed at a reasonable hour and conduct myself like an adult....I will not lose track of time, forget to eat, forget the world outside exists, I will maintain control.
Let’s see...it’s 1:30pm now...I don’t have to go to bed till 9 or so....that gives me almost 8 FULL SURFING HOURS.....
Oh yah, youse guys....ok, look--if you actually make it through all the posts before I get back and post more...whenever, be sure to check out all the blogs on my main page blogroll and, AND on the Extended Blogroll. (Just cause they are on extended doesn’t mean they aren’t good....it just means I don’t have the room for everyone on the main page.) Now...leave me to my space links....mmmmm....space links....preciousssssssssssssssss!
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Never Enough
I simply love it when I am outside at night time and look up at the sky just as a meteor streaks across the sky, like happened just 5 minutes ago.
Sigh....I never get tired of that.
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Encke The Comet
Been a lot going on lately out in space that we have been able to see and hopefully you have all enjoyed the shows. I have missed most of them because of cloud coverage although I did get to see the meteor shower in Orion’s belt back in October.
Get ready for more because you will soon be able to see the comet, Encke...just know that more than likely you will need binoculars or a telescope.
"Currently, the comet is in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan, located in the Swan�s outspread right wing and shining at around ninth magnitude, too dim to see with the naked eye.
On Friday evening, Nov. 14, it will be passing close to the second-magnitude star Gienah. For the next couple of weeks, the comet will move swiftly south and west against the background stars.
Interestingly, Encke will be passing through two unusual star patterns...On Nov. 18 it will passing across the upper part of the �Cowboy Boot� of Vulpecula, while on Nov. 22 it will be very close to the �Coat Hanger� star cluster.
Although the comet will be moving away from the Earth after Nov. 17, its continued approach to the Sun should offset its fading. In fact, Encke will noticeably brighten, probably reaching magnitude 6.5 � the threshold of naked-eye visibility � by Dec. 5."
As the article states at the end, if you do see it, you will have seen it one more time than the astronomer, Encke did. To each their own but half the fun of astronomy for me is getting out there and seeing things with or without the telescope.
Saturday, November 15, 2003
Lightning
Today we had a quick storm, it lasted about 30-45 minutes and brought down heavy rain. I was looking out the window, enjoying this, (because I’m still not used to it), when I heard thunder start to rumble. Cool.
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Cool
You probably already missed it this morning but you can still see it again tomorrow.
"This week, Jupiter will have a close encounter with the crescent moon. Dozens of meteors will shoot out of the constellation Orion. And Saturn will shine down over it all.
“The meteors come from Halley’s comet,” says Bill Cooke, a member of the Space Environments Team at the Marshall Space Flight Center. “Every year in October Earth glides through a stream of dusty debris from the comet. The bits of comet dust, most no larger than grains of sand, disintegrate in the atmosphere and become shooting stars.”
“It’s not an intense shower, but it is a pretty one."
So get your lazy behind outta bed and go look at it.
[update] Sweet! Patience pays off! TOTAL. GLEE! Now I can go to sleep.
Space....sigh....G-d I love it.
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
More Planets to View
"Mars is so in the past, let’s move on”, you say? Very well. Now you can also view Saturn and Jupiter but you’re gonna have to get up early....Does 5 a.m. sound good to you? Excellent.
If you still haven’t seen Mars, you can, right before bedtime. Pity I had to leave my telescope behind...at least I’ll get it back in a year.
Sunday, August 24, 2003
More Science! Glee!
What will we discover next? How will this shape the way we look at space?
New NASA Satellite to probe the darkest corners of space
"The universe will look quite different to astronomers after the launch on Monday of NASA’s latest satellite observatory, built to see objects either too cold to cast their own light or obscured by interstellar dust.
From failed stars that never turned on, to the galaxy’s own dust-shrouded heart, the Space Infra Red Telescope Facility will look into the dark, cold corners of the universe, making itself sensitive to the faintest heat signatures by cooling its own instruments to just a degree or two above absolute zero."
I’m giddy with excitement! One of the first places I’m going to visit when I get to Houston is Space Center. If I could get a job there, I might just die of happiness.
Friday, August 22, 2003
Squeezing Water From a Boulder
Since I'm on this science kick, thought I'd share this article I found.How To Use Carbon Dioxide To Your Advantage On Your Next Trip To Mars
"When astronauts first go to Mars, it'll be difficult for them to bring everything they need to survive. Even the first tentative explorations could last as long as two years--but spaceships can only carry a limited amount.
"We might have to do what explorers have done for ages: live off the land," says chemical engineer Ken Debelak of Vanderbilt University...
...It's a meager atmosphere, compared to Earth's, and it's about 95 percent carbon dioxide (CO2). But that turns out to be an advantage. The carbon dioxide, says Debelak, can be used to harvest almost everything else.
Inside martian rocks and soil lies a bounty of useful elements: magnesium and hydrogen for rocket fuel, oxygen to breathe, water to drink. What's needed is a solvent to get them out, and that's where the carbon dioxide comes in handy..."
As the article says, once they figure out the rules, we can start playing the game. JOY!
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Things In The Night Sky
If you have no interest in science, (which I would find horrifying), you may have no interest in this post.I have been plowing through this book, A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, that I just received from a very generous individual, (see below). As I was reading about the universe, our galaxy, our solar system, two memories popped into my head and have refused to depart for now until I write about them. So here goes:
Besides looking into the night sky for "UFO's" with my dad in addition to seeing rockets' "smoke trails" decorate the sky in a vertical inspiration to a 5 year old while living in the desert, my earliest memories of seeing something, "odd" in the night sky begin at about the age of 12 or 13.
I was at a friend's house for a slumber-birthday party and we had decided to take our sleeping bags outside on the front lawn. It was a clear night and since we lived in a small town, we could see many, many stars. We were, all 8 of us, lying on our backs, telling stories when I noticed something moving across the sky. The object was moving from the right of my field of vision. I pointed this out to the other girls and suddenly another girl noticed another object moving from the left of our field of vision. We pondered what they might be. Space junk? Satellites? Stars? What we did know is that they were not planes or helicopters...they were not in our atmosphere. We laid there and watched these two objects moving towards each other. They were moving at a high rate of speed and we nervously joked about them crashing into each other as they appeared to be on the same flight path. Even at 12, we understood perception and figured we were safe in our mock scientific assumptions.
Suddenly, we weren't laughing anymore. The objects did indeed "crash" into each other and we saw a flash of bright white light and then nothing. The objects had disappeared.
As we were only 12, we freaked out and ran into the house faster than Carl Lewis in a 100 meter sprint. We stayed inside, peeking through the curtains, scared to death. After awhile, we started to ease our tension by laughing at each other over who was the most scared. We felt foolish....sort of.
I never did find out what those two objects were and to this day, it still makes me wonder.
Second story on extended entry:
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Crystal Ball
It was Feb 2001 and I was sitting at my desk at work. In the middle of my phone conversation, I felt my chair shake. Then I felt my desk shake and things started to fall. I looked to my left and outside the windows and saw the windows of the building, bowing in and out. The rumbling, like a train or a semi truck, got louder as the shaking intensified.Shit! We're having an earthquake! We dove under our desks, some dismissing their phones, some bringing their phones with them to explain to the person on the other end who was NOT in Seattle, what was going on.
Some people panicked and ran outside, (idiots), and some people stood at their desks, running in place. (I wish I was making that up.) After what seemed like an eternity finally the earthquake stopped. We stayed under our desks, glued to the floor as if it were somehow our savior.
Someone from Safety got on the loudspeaker and told us all to file outside to our designated spots in cases of emergencies. We all did so and stood across the street for about 30 minutes, wondering if there would be aftershocks.
Being in an earthquake is no fun, as many of Mother Nature's furies are no fun. What makes an earthquake scary is that you never know when it's going to hit. There is no warning, there is no "spotting" of one 200 miles out. It just hits and you have to hang on and hope for the best.
However! Now scientists are working on being able to predict them!
Anticipating Earthquakes.
"That may be changing, however. Satellite technologies being developed at NASA and elsewhere might be able to spot the signs of an impending quake days or weeks before it strikes, giving the public and emergency planners time to prepare."
I have said this before and I'll say it again. I love science and I love scientists! For those of you who think there is no reason for NASA, you could not be more misinformed!
Sunday, August 10, 2003
I'm Melting
Wanna try something cool?You will need:
Clear night skies
One good telescope
One Red Planet
All during the month of August you can watch Mars Melt Before Your Very Eyes!
"Mars has gotten so big in recent weeks that even a backyard telescope will show details on the planet's surface: dust clouds, volcanic terrains, impact basins. Best of all is the polar ice cap. The southern hemisphere of Mars is tipped toward Earth and its bright southern cap, which reflects more sunlight than any other part of the planet, is remarkably easy to see.
Don't wait too long to look, though, because the ice is melting."
Time to start playing around with my telescope and camera again.
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Aliens!
Mark Twain once wrote:"It lies in a lifeless, treeless, hideous desert. This solemn, silent, sailless sea--this lonely tenant of the loneliest spot on earth--is little graced with the picturesque...The venomous waters are nearly pure lye and twice as salty as sea water. There are no fish...no frogs, no snakes, no polliwogs--nothing to make life desirable..."
But it does have scuba diving flies!
And, a life form recently unknown:
NASA scientists have discovered a new extreme-loving microorganism in California's exotic Mono Lake.
Damn I love science! Go...read. And tell me that second picture doesn't look like the cover of every other science fiction novel.
