Happy Equinox Day

Posted Fri Mar 20, 2009 in

Zoroastrian EquinoxToday is the vernal equinox — a day we traditionally celebrate as the first day of spring. I know I’m ready for spring and the change of the season from the cool days of winter to the warm days of spring.

I’ve already been riding the bike more frequently. I’m looking forward to a few day trips this summer and hope to ride some good roads here in the west.

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Happy Mole Day

Posted Thu Oct 23, 2008 in

Mole DayIt’s that time of the year again when we return to Mole Day, a day in which we celebrate the number of grams comprising a mole of an element or compound.

Avogadro’s Constant (or Avogadro’s Number, 6.02 × 1023, for us old folks) is an important value for those who do chemistry, or use chemistry as part of their work (or play). I still recall first learning the principles of chemistry from my Physical Science teacher in high school. Stoichiometry was fun.

Happy Mole Day!

In other news, Young Son and I head home today about noon. It’s been an intense few days here in Lubbock, far more so than I expected. But, I accomplished much of what I came to do, so it was a good trip. However, I’m now ready to be home again.

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Global Warming

Posted Mon Jul 7, 2008 in

Global WarmingEveryone who knows me understands that I have this “thing” about global warming. It isn’t really about climate change so much as it is all of the alarmism of the rabid environmental community1. It isn’t that I think climate change doesn’t happen. I just have a real issue with the logic behind “we use fossil fuels to create energy — fossil fuels put carbon into the atmosphere — carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas — the global mean temperature appears to be rising2 — therefore, humans are the problem.

So, to climb off my soapbox for a bit (yes, it is my soapbox to climb aboard if I so choose), I found the image to the left funny.

1 Environmentalism is something that only works in developed countries with a wealthy population who can afford it. Try explaining to some poor subsistence farmer why he shouldn’t cut down a few trees so he can feed his family.

2 I say appears to be rising because the signal is so weak and the natural variation is so great. It’s a difficult problem.

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Biofuels

Posted Tue Feb 12, 2008 in

A recent entry on /. reports better estimates of the footprint of biofuels. It isn’t the wonderland we were promised, but should I be surprised?

When the use of biofuels was originally conceived, I wondered at the utility of that approach. It requires energy to make plants, harvest them, process them, and deliver the results. That more energy could be recovered than was expended seems in violation of fundamental thermodynamic principles, a long way of saying there ain’t no such thing as perpetual motion.

Perpetual motion doesn’t work. Neither can you get something for nothing… which many people have trouble believing.

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Happy Sputnik Day

Posted Thu Oct 4, 2007 in

Fifty years ago, the Russians successfully launched Sputnik I. I was four-years old and can barely remember anything about it.

A friend remarked that it’s a shame we haven’t explored the final frontier more than we have. I expected we would have been far further along and never expected we’d still not have approached Mars.

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Texas Large

Posted Fri May 25, 2007 in

LCRA RainfallTexas is a state of the “large.” The penchant of Texans to have the biggest of everything is legendary, to the point where “Texas-Large” jokes are expected. Well, not to be outdone, Mother Nature seems to have a penchant for the large in Texas as well. The image from the Lower Colorado River Authority at the left is a perfect example. The gage north from Fredericksburg is a classic example. Over the last 24-hour period, that gage collected over ten inches of rain. That’s a lot of rain.

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A Day Late…

Posted Fri Dec 22, 2006 in

BLTMany times when we’re out and about we’ll pick up a bite to eat somewhere in town. Sometimes, when we’re around town snagging some food, or on the road snagging some food, I’ll make an image of it to share. In fact, Daughter sometimes chides me because their selection of fine eating establishments in Fairbanks, Alaska is not exactly large. So, as a way of teasing her, just a little bit, I’m posting an image of a BLT (and cheese) I had at a small diner in Minden, Nevada.

Wife and I had been running all morning looking at houses and apartments to gain some insight into what was available. It had been a long time since breakfast. So, I saw a diner (Woodett’s I think) we’d passed several times traveling U.S. 395 through town. I decided to stop. I like local food, most of the time.

It was good. The fries were marvelous. Wife cheated, just a little, and snuck a few of my fries from me. I slapped her hand, of course.

Of course I forgot yesterday was 21 December 2006, the Winter Solstice. I try to remember the seasonal demarcations and mention them here. They are an ancient way of marking time and I enjoy the celebration thereof. So, Happy Solstice Day, a day late (and a dollar short)...

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