I've noticed today, as I've read my past entries, that my blogs are boring.
Sorry about that...
I think the last couple of entries are okay, but most of those early ones really suck. I'll try to fix that, but please realize that such an undertaking requires some changes in my write/thought processor unit. As soon as the firmware on the processor is updated, then I can promise I will at least have interesting blogs, building even farther to entertaining blogs as I continue development.
So my system may be down for a few days, but what's that to everyone else who reads this? Wait... Does anyone else read this? What a predicament to be in... I announce the update of a system only to realize that no one utilizes said system and all my work is, perhaps, going to rot. How depressing.
Nevertheless, I shall keep up my good spirit (stiff upper lip and all that), and bid you all (even if that only means me) a fond good evening.
LB
PS I feel a little bit foolish... I was just looking at my options and happened to click on the Moderate Comments, and realized that there were these 5 comments waiting for my approval so they could be published. I apologize now for complaining about no one reading this blog, since I now have concrete evidence staring me in the face that people do, in fact read it. In a way it's kind of embarrassing. Funny, but slightly embarrassing... Thanks for the comments though. :)
06 August 2006
05 August 2006
I hate money
I hate it because everything requires money, and I can never seem to get enough to get what I think I may need (or at least want really bad).
K, now that that's over with, I have an amusing little anecdote:
Lichen can survive the vacuum of space.
True. At least 15 days in the vacuum of space with no signs of damage whatever. All that exposure to ridiculously extreme temperatures, solar radiation, solar winds, and a severe lack of atmospheric pressure didn't seem to phase the lichen at all.
Here's the site to prove it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen
It's near the end of the entry, in the last paragraph of the last section (well, before "Growth Form"). Pretty interesting... To me anyway...
I found it while looking up information about Biodiesel, which is an alternate fuel source made from animal fat and/or vegetable oils, mixed with methane and a few other chemicals. Works as good as diesel, but burns cleaner, cleans your engine out, and isn't a depleting resource. On the downsides, it gels faster than diesel in cold weather, and can have problems with water contamination and bacteria growth. There are, of course, measures to fix those difficulties. I find it interesting that it is cheap to produce, cheaper than gasoline in almost any country but the US. Funny that... Again, Wikipedia has a great article on it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel
And the great thing is, they're developing a way to make biodiesel from algae (an algae that's about 50% oil...), and we all know there is virtually no limit to that plant type. Heh, Should be cool, if it ever reaches full production. If I was a little more interested in Chemistry, I might just eventually get my own processor (since you can do that for a few grand)... But then, I don't own a diesel vehicle... Wait, the only vehicle I have is a bicycle. Yeah, it's going to take me a while to feel the need to get that. But you can make your own.
So there's the environmentalist in me, I guess. I'm almost always up for higher efficiency, lower costs, and more world friendliness, whenever possible.
Especially the part about lower costs, because I still hate money. Mostly my dependence on it and my lack of possession of it.
K, now that that's over with, I have an amusing little anecdote:
Lichen can survive the vacuum of space.
True. At least 15 days in the vacuum of space with no signs of damage whatever. All that exposure to ridiculously extreme temperatures, solar radiation, solar winds, and a severe lack of atmospheric pressure didn't seem to phase the lichen at all.
Here's the site to prove it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen
It's near the end of the entry, in the last paragraph of the last section (well, before "Growth Form"). Pretty interesting... To me anyway...
I found it while looking up information about Biodiesel, which is an alternate fuel source made from animal fat and/or vegetable oils, mixed with methane and a few other chemicals. Works as good as diesel, but burns cleaner, cleans your engine out, and isn't a depleting resource. On the downsides, it gels faster than diesel in cold weather, and can have problems with water contamination and bacteria growth. There are, of course, measures to fix those difficulties. I find it interesting that it is cheap to produce, cheaper than gasoline in almost any country but the US. Funny that... Again, Wikipedia has a great article on it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel
And the great thing is, they're developing a way to make biodiesel from algae (an algae that's about 50% oil...), and we all know there is virtually no limit to that plant type. Heh, Should be cool, if it ever reaches full production. If I was a little more interested in Chemistry, I might just eventually get my own processor (since you can do that for a few grand)... But then, I don't own a diesel vehicle... Wait, the only vehicle I have is a bicycle. Yeah, it's going to take me a while to feel the need to get that. But you can make your own.
So there's the environmentalist in me, I guess. I'm almost always up for higher efficiency, lower costs, and more world friendliness, whenever possible.
Especially the part about lower costs, because I still hate money. Mostly my dependence on it and my lack of possession of it.
01 August 2006
First of August
Ahhh, Thunderstorms...
That's like that famous line from the cartoon... "Ahh, Charles..."
Only different...
yeah...
What do the Dead Sea Scrolls, a total Solar Eclipse on 23 November 2003, a total Lunar Eclipse on 24 October 2004, and the Perseids Meteor Shower on 12 August 2004 have in common?
Hah. Like I'm gonna say. It's not like there's a certain answer anyway.
It's just stuff that most people ignore, and yet, if you think about it, could be a bit of really important information.
Background info:
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956. There were 11 caves, in all, and the texts contain Old Testament stuff for the most part, dating around 300 BC, so they say. They started getting fully published in the late 90s and into these last years, too.
Solar Eclipses are just really cool. The interesting thing about them is that in a total eclipse, you can see planets and some stars like it's night, only it's definitely not. They only happen once every couple of years or so, with the total Lunars coming the year after.
Lunar Eclipses are also among my favorite pieces of astronomy, partially because the moon goes dark, like the sun, only instead of having that flare at the moment of totality, it goes all red. It looks kinda creepy, to be honest, but really cool. The light comes from the defracting light around the Earth's atmosphere, and the deepness of the red varies from eclipse to eclipse.
Perseids Meteor Shower is prolly the most famous one (certainly one of them) and it's been going on for about the last 2000 years every August. It peaks on that date, but can be seen from as early as late July. Shooting stars from a point in the Perseus constellation, just below Cassiopia. Yeah... cool...
Just one of those things that makes me think sometimes...
I could add some more things to that list of "in commonness," but that might make this too easy...
K, I'm done being silly.
That's like that famous line from the cartoon... "Ahh, Charles..."
Only different...
yeah...
What do the Dead Sea Scrolls, a total Solar Eclipse on 23 November 2003, a total Lunar Eclipse on 24 October 2004, and the Perseids Meteor Shower on 12 August 2004 have in common?
Hah. Like I'm gonna say. It's not like there's a certain answer anyway.
It's just stuff that most people ignore, and yet, if you think about it, could be a bit of really important information.
Background info:
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956. There were 11 caves, in all, and the texts contain Old Testament stuff for the most part, dating around 300 BC, so they say. They started getting fully published in the late 90s and into these last years, too.
Solar Eclipses are just really cool. The interesting thing about them is that in a total eclipse, you can see planets and some stars like it's night, only it's definitely not. They only happen once every couple of years or so, with the total Lunars coming the year after.
Lunar Eclipses are also among my favorite pieces of astronomy, partially because the moon goes dark, like the sun, only instead of having that flare at the moment of totality, it goes all red. It looks kinda creepy, to be honest, but really cool. The light comes from the defracting light around the Earth's atmosphere, and the deepness of the red varies from eclipse to eclipse.
Perseids Meteor Shower is prolly the most famous one (certainly one of them) and it's been going on for about the last 2000 years every August. It peaks on that date, but can be seen from as early as late July. Shooting stars from a point in the Perseus constellation, just below Cassiopia. Yeah... cool...
Just one of those things that makes me think sometimes...
I could add some more things to that list of "in commonness," but that might make this too easy...
K, I'm done being silly.
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