Tag: science

Tuesday’s Theme Music

Tuesday has summoned you. How will you respond? Will you hide and cower or face power with power?

I don’t know. See me after I’ve had my coffee.

It’s the 23rd of August, 2022 Common Era. Headlines could be ripped from last year, except that the droughts are broader, wider, deeper. Old towns and war machines are being exposed where they were stopped. Electricity output is being cut because there isn’t enough water to run the generators.

Night surrendered today at 6:27 AM but don’t worry, cuz night will return after sunset at 8 PM. See how that works? All part of the Earth’s rotation while it revolves around the sun. I think I learned that in my early science years. A GOP lawmaker thinks it’s a good idea to cut science until after fifth grade. I would’ve still learned it, I think, though we didn’t have the web back then. Imagine what those children will learn, depending on the web. Hell, why stop there? Do children need to know math before fifth grade? Just tell them to ask their phones, right? In fact, do they need such geography gems as where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are? If they live beside them, they already know. Otherwise, why do they need to know that? No, just drop all of those classes until after fifth grade. Sounds like they don’t even need to go to school during that period. Let them stay home and learn from TV, right? Or maybe put them to work. Streets are dirty. Teach them how to use a broom and pick up litter.

Sorry. Early morning snark attack. The news sometimes brings that on. And I haven’t had my coffee, which contains caffeine, a stimulant, something that I learned in SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

Right now, it’s 20 C outside, a perfectly chill temperature under a cloudless blue sky awash in sunshine. Our high will kiss the low 90s — F, not C. Wow, can you imagine if it was 90 C out? You can if you take SCIENCE CLASSES.

Anyway…

Today’s theme selection was brought to me by Pacific Ocean waves. I thought of this song the other day, but The Neurons kept song blocking me, slipping other tunes into the morning mental music stream. The Neurons are quiet today — probably because they haven’t had their coffee yet, right? — so I can select whatever song I want. And I want “Waves” by Mr. Probz from 2014.

Here’s the music. The Neurons are clamoring for coffee, and I must abide. Stay positive, test negative, etc. Take care of yourself. Drop a dime. Keep in touch. Cheers

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Tuesday’s Bumper Sticker

I admit to being jaded when seeing this. Given the proliferation of manufactured and fact news being rolled out via the net and reading of how people develop angry confusion after reading reams of misinformation, I need an asterisk on this bumper sticker.

*Please employ critical thinking when reading.

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Lots of science-y info has been in the news recently. An argument that started in the last century continues as people claim that the science behind climate change and human influence on it is wrong! That’s not why the glaciers are melting! They’ve always been melting, and the sea is not rising, and you’re not allowed to say, ‘climate change’ in some states because it’s fake science! Meanwhile, scientists tracked an asteroid that passed our planet. Surprisingly, no one yelled that it was fake science. Maybe they did, and I missed it.

Science has been in the news more frequently about COVID-19 and the difference between the novel coronavirus and the flu, and whether mitigating by SIP and closing businesses is worthwhile, or should we just sacrifice whoever needed to develop a herd immunity. Science! It’s everywhere.

No surprise that my morning musical stream featured “Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby (1982).

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Astfloonomy

Astfloonomy (floofinition) – 1. A practice held by animals of gazing at the night sky; 2. Branch of science devoted to finding the shapes of animals in the stars.

In use: “A professor emeritus of astfloonomy, he pointed and said, “If you connect those stars, you can see a small mouse.” He looked down at the cat. “See it?” The cat did not reply, which was a reply.”

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The Speed of Time

I’m returning to a favorite topic, the speed of time, because I’ve discovered more about about it.

The speed of time is not universal. As everyone knows, according to the School/Work Principle, time’s speed isn’t constant. When you’re waiting for the school or work day to end, time not only slows, but sometimes goes backward, forcing you to repeat several minutes. Some movies, are like that, too.

Learning of this, the NFL manages to employ this in their football games. The last two minutes of an NFL game often takes as long as most of the rest of the game. My wife can attest to that. She’s endured it. “When are we leaving?” she asks.

“As soon as this game is over.”

“How much is left?”

“Not much.”

That waffling, of course, warns her. “How much time is left?” she asks.

“It’s the last two minutes of the fourth quarter.”

“Okay, I’m going to go bake some cookies.”

Using that as a basis for my research, I confirmed that traffic-jam time drags almost as slow as the final two minutes of an NFL game, or the last ten minutes of work or the school day.  Shopping time remains the slowest of all, though. Even the NFL has not been able to slow time like shopping will do. Figuratively speaking, shopping time can literally last an eternity. I’ve endured several election cycles while I’ve been shopping. I found that having a Fitbit helps deal with shopping time. It doesn’t change the rate of speed, but I can get a couple of million steps in while I’m walking around, waiting.

Waiting in line time is almost as bad as shopping time. I’ve had clothes wear out while I’ve been standing in line to pay for my purchases, especially at Costco. Costco cashier lines exist in a weird time zone of their own where time gets very sluggish. I’ve spent hour-minutes in line, gazing at what others have bought and comparing them to our purchases.

On the other end of it, I’ve discovered some periods of time that pass quickly. Sleep time is very fast. I don’t know how many times I thought, I’ll just sleep for a few more minutes, and then close my eyes, and, snap, forty minutes have elapsed.

Writing time is frequently often as fast. I have three hours to write, I think, and a cuppa coffee. Then I begin, and the next thing I know, writing time is ended, and I still have coffee.

Which is sort of weird. Coffee time by itself seems to flow at an ideal pace. That’s not true for all beverages. I can tell you, beer time goes fast. Sit down to have a beer, and next thing you know, it’s hours later.

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In case you’re wondering….

Following the news cycles and stories, I saw that a volcano erupted in the Philippines. This eruption followed a recent eruption in Papua New Guinea, one threatening in Indonesia, and some quakes around Mount St. Helens, I thought that there seems to be a lot of volcanic activity going on. A search revealed a site that tracks these matters.

So, in case you were were wondering, as I was, about volcanic activity and how normal this is, here’s a place where you can track the activity.

Just a little more to think about.

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