So, aside from having made myself some stuff from off of knitty, there’s also some great classical patterns floating out there (though check out the vagueries of the pattern instructions!), and also these really funky leg warmers.
I love listening to The Naked Scientists at work. Mind you, they are going on vacation until September, but their archive is fully available and downloadable to listen to. I absolutely adore it and it keeps me going often at work.
On the question and answer show from August 6th there was a fantastic question and answer moment:
Question: My question is, if you have a star, say like the sun, which is approximately 860,000 miles across, and it explodes like a supernova, would the matter coming from it travel faster than the speed of light?
Answer: Well, first thing is to reassure everyone at home that the sun is actually probably too small to turn into a supernova and explode, it’s more likely to turn into a red giant and sort of fluff up about the size of a, which will kill us all anyway, but slightly less violently. But fundamentally no, nothing can go faster than the speed of light. In a supernova things would get very very close and be incredibly energetic.
There you go folks. My fears are assuaged. If the sun dies on us we will all die slightly less violently than if it exploded. Now I can sleep calmly at night. I’m off, snickering, to return to my tiny benthic bivalves (for now, Thyasira brevis).
Two links of interest today. First off, Josh pointed me to this fantastic size comparison of various planets and stars. Some of the image resolution is prettier than on other pictures, but the concept is great. The thought of sitting some size comparison planets on my desk is a lot of fun.
The second is an issue where museum preservation of biological species meets art. An ineffectively preserved shark is shrinking, so the artist wants to replace it with one more properly preserved. Not a bad idea. The question then becomes whether or not this modification changes the value of the art. Heck, does the rotting of the current shark in the container change the value of the art? Big questions.
Do any other folks listen to the naked scientists program? I’ve been checking out the podcast and have been much amused…. but more amusing is that people will eat lousy food if you serve it to them in a big bucket (the research was on popcorn), and people discount the calorie content if they don’t like it. Really, check it out!
The Future of Life ~Edward O. Wilson
I learned a lot from the first six chapters of this book. Enlightening, insightful, and interesting bits of information about the diversity found on earth, the places it can be found, and how it benefits humans to have other organisms around. Wilson gives so many examples from various ecosystems around the globe, and its easy to find inspiration in even the smallest microbe. This is the mark of excellent writing and awe of the environment.
Unfortunately, to me, the book falls short in the last chapter. Wilson is trying to give suggestions and possible solutions for the future, but they feel week and a little too tree hugging to be practical to me.
peristalsis
peri: around + stellein: constrict (greek)
undulating muscle action that propels material along the axis of a tube, such as the digestive tract. (google define)
lath
(middle english)
thin narrow strips of wood used as a foundation for plaster; any foundation for plaster. (m-w.com)
mellifluous
mel: honey + fluere: flow (latin)
sounding sweet and smooth; filled with something that sweetens (m-w.com)
meerschaum
meer: sea + schaum: foam (german)
a soft mineral found in the sea initially thought to be petrified sea foam, is a magnesium silicate used for tobacco pipes; a pipe made from meerschaum (google define)
patronymic
patr: father + onyma: name (greek)
a name derived from the name of the father or paternal ancestor and the addition of an affix (as in the Gaelic tradition: Mackenzie) or suffix (as in the Scandanavian: Edmundson and Russian: Sergyavich tradition)(google define)
This word is interesting because it’s used in so many company names and yet every definition I’ve looked for is a bit different. The word pieces are clear:
telos: end + osis: condition (greek)
The deliberate, purposeful utilization of the processes of nature and society to obtain particular goals. (wikipedia)
Progress that is intelligently planned and directed; the attainment of desired ends by the application of intelligent human effort to the means. (m-w.com)
A goal to be attained by planned product. (On-line Medical Dictionary)
When I miss China, it always helps to eat something i would snack on when I was there.
I love citrus fruits. Oranges grapefruit really make me happy, but tangerines are a little too sweet. If you know Chinese medicine, things are usually separated into things that raise your internal heat, and things that lower your internal heat. This isn’t the same a temperature or spiciness, but there is some carry over.
Things that raise your internal heat can give you problems like a fever, acne, smelly sweat, infections, phlegm, and other problems like a scratchy throat or bloating. Why? When the body has too much heat energy it will then try to get rid of it.
What raises heat? Anything with lots of oil, so most meats, and many things that have a strong flavour, high caffeine, etc. Most citrus lowers heat, but not all of it is reducing enough. What is a girl with high internal heat and vitamin C craving to do? Well, pomelos and grapefruits are considered “cold” fruits.
Even beyond the whole idea of heat inducing and heat reducing foods, I really like them. They’re yummy and like massively oversized pear-shaped grapefruits. If my local grocery has them, they must be available at an awful lot of places. Unlike citrus, you can’t eat the skin surrounding the sections, it’s too tough, but the pulpy stuff inside the segments stays together much better than in an orange, so it’s a pretty clean snack.
When I wrote about drugs in kids today I found myself wondering where in the world I would be able to find the proceedings of this ongoing hearing regarding the FDA.
While ranting at length, a friend pointed me to Congress’ publications online. (thanks Joe!)
To be more specific, what I am looking for will probably show up here with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee Hearings for the 108th Congress . Here we can read about all kinds of interesting hearings:
- SARS: Assessment, Outlook, and Lessons Learned
- A System Overwhelmed: The Avalanche of Imported, Counterfeit, and Unapproved Drugs into the U.S.
- Can Tobacco Cure Smoking? A Review of Tobacco Harm Reduction
- Legislative Efforts to Combat Spam
- Blackout 2003: How did it Happen and Why?
- Identity Theft: Assessing the Problem and Efforts to Combat it
- College Recruiting: Are Student Athletes Being Protected?
- The Ultra Deepwater Research and Development: What are The Benefits?
- EPA’s Resource Conservation Challenge
- Online Pornography: Closing the Door on Pervasive Smut
- Problems with the E-Rate Program: Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Concerns in the Wiring of Our Nation’s Schools to the Internet Part 1
- Parents Be Aware: Health Concerns about Dietary Supplements for Overweight Children
See, a little something for everyone!
I have a new culinary hero. Anyone who knows me knows that I like the Food Network, and I’ve scrubbed many a good recipe from their resources. I think that last amazing success I had was a mango glazed stir-fry that was pretty spectacular, and that was back when I was still at Hampshire.
Well, currently I am frustrated with tv. I know I sound like I’m whinging, but I can’t be bothered to find much of anything on tv. It’s a hassle. Instead, I occasionally stick on a channel I know to get me through a meal.
Alton Brown struck me as a tv show host who is funny and nerdy, and communicates in a why that I identify with, and on top of that his recipes are straightforward and easy, and he talks about the science of the whole thing. That’s what i want in a cooking show! Less culinary mysticism and more scientific insight into why and how. That way when I want to tinker with a recipe I have an idea whether i am screwing up the elasticity, or sacraficing butteriness for more airiness. Good Eats recipe list is available online, but I highly recommend checking out the show.