[Learning is Fun] Density

Density = mass /volume

Diet cola is less dense than regular cola. If you took a diet Pepsi and a regular Pepsi and placed them in a bucket of water, the regular Pepsi would sink, while the diet Pepsi would float. The reason is because the regular Pepsi is more dense than water -probably due to the fact that the manufacturer packed 41g of sugar in to a 355ml can. (around 7 teaspoons of sugar equivalent)

Here's another learning fun bit about density. Saturn is less dense than water. So if you had a scoop of Saturn, it would float in your bathtub.

[Learning is Fun] Lunar Orbit

Moon5crop, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

1 Lunar Orbit = 23.7 days on earth = 655.2 hours

[Learning is Fun] C = ?

Speed of Light, originally uploaded by jpctalbot.

C = 299,752,458 m/s

C = 1,079,252,848.8 km/h

[Learning is Fun] What is smog?

Blue sky, brown haze, originally uploaded by davidreid.

What we know and call "smog" is made up of sulfur dioxide (SO₂₎ and nitrogen oxide (NO).

[Learning is Fun] Don't eat burnt food

yum burnt hot dog, originally uploaded by mkreeder.

Mostly burnt meat or proteins. The char marks and black areas of burnt food (usually proteins but also vegetables and toast) have benzopyrene (C₂₀H₁₂₎. Its highly toxic and carcinogenic.

Don't believe me?

Read this report and be careful to not burn that shrimp on the barbie :)

To the global warming deniers

To those who use phrases like "environmental whackos" et al.

You need to read this study

it goes in depth. But here are the opening paragraphs:

GISS Surface Temperature Analysis
Global Temperature Trends: 2007 Summation

The year 2007 tied for second warmest in the period of instrumental data, behind the record warmth of 2005, in the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) analysis. 2007 tied 1998, which had leapt a remarkable 0.2°C above the prior record with the help of the "El Niño of the century". The unusual warmth in 2007 is noteworthy because it occurs at a time when solar irradiance is at a minimum and the equatorial Pacific Ocean is in the cool phase of its natural El Niño-La Niña cycle.

Figure 1 shows 2007 temperature anomalies relative to the 1951-1980 base period mean. The global mean temperature anomaly, 0.57°C (about 1°F) warmer than the 1951-1980 mean, continues the strong warming trend of the past thirty years that has been confidently attributed to the effect of increasing human-made greenhouse gases (GHGs) (Hansen et al. 2007). The eight warmest years in the GISS record have all occurred since 1998, and the 14 warmest years in the record have all occurred since 1990.

When the President Talks to God

Heard this on the DSC I had to repost. (check out "When the President Talks to God") Its like its the 1960s all over again. Hippies and the anti-war movement. Its a great tune and needs more publicity. It will NOT be heard on terrestrial radio. you can be sure about that so give it a listen.

Obama rumors + Matt Drudge is stupid

As read this morning on my rss reader.

A photo of US presidential candidate Barack Obama wearing Somali clothing is causing a storm after it got released to the Drudge Report website.

Yusuf Garaad Omar, head of the BBC's Somali Service, explains the meaning of the robes.

These are the normal clothes that nomadic people wear.

The head turban is especially used by elderly people as a suggestion of respect. It is something that has no meaning whatsoever in Somalia culture.

If you see someone dressed like that in Somalia, you think it is a nomadic person - that is all.

There is no religious significance to it whatsoever. It is mainly the nomadic people who use it. Some of them are religious, some are not.

It is simply a tradition of the place where they are from.

In this particular place, Wajir in north-east Kenya, the community is majority ethnic Somali.

I tried to search Drudge's pathetic website and couldn't find anything - of where he initially posted the "breaking news" story about Obama in a turban. If anyone else has any luck please leave a comment.

A light dusting

A light dusting, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

Glad it doesn't even stick to the driveway. Nothing like having to shovel 3 feet (in Boston) -several times in a year.

The tide is turning toward free enquiry

I came across this article.

The study released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life is unusual for it sheer scope, relying on interviews with more than 35,000 adults to document a diverse and dynamic U.S. religious population.

While much of the study confirms earlier findings -- mainline Protestant churches are in decline, non-denominational churches are gaining and the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing -- it also provides a deeper look behind those trends, and of smaller religious groups.

"The American religious economy is like a marketplace -- very dynamic, very competitive," said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum. "Everyone is losing, everyone is gaining. There are net winners and losers, but no one can stand still. Those groups that are losing significant numbers have to recoup them to stay vibrant."

The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey estimates the United States is 78 percent Christian and about to lose its status as a majority Protestant nation, at 51 percent and slipping.

More than one-quarter of American adults have left the faith of their childhood for another religion or no religion at all, the survey found. Factoring in moves from one stream or denomination of Protestantism to another, the number rises to 44 percent.

One in four adults ages 18 to 29 claim no affiliation with a religious institution.

"In the past, certain religions had a real holding power, where people from one

We still have a long way to go but the churches are slowly losing their power. Maybe its because people are starting to realize that churches are just a means of control - financially and also inter-generational. Part of their power lies in the ability to span generation after generation of church "members" - knowing full well, that parents are going to indoctrinate their children, and if they do an especially good job, their children's children.

The official born again atheist presidential endorsement

Working in the industry that I work in, I am feeling the sting of a presidential administration who is spending all the money in a lost cause that is the Iraq War, when it should be spent on things like infrastructure and the rebuild of New Orleans.



I was at work today and I was reading the latest edition of ENR and came across an interesting article. You are going to to have to click on the image to enlarge it so you can read it.



So this kind of puts the last nail in the coffin so to speak. I liked McCain in 2000 and was disappointed in what finally happened to him. It was completely unfair how fucktards like Rush Limbaugh continually bashed him day in and day out. I absolutely do not agree with his position on the war at all, and these statements he made about infrastructure seal the deal for me to endorse Obama.

His parents were secularists I am told, and although he put his Christianity punch card out there, he is the most sensible choice. The recent announcement of Ralph Nader kind of throws a monkey wrench in the works, (if he could only win!) but I believe the best choice is going to be Obama. I believe in lesser party politics, but we cannot hand the country over to another republican who thinks its ok if we spend another 100 years in Iraq.

I initially liked the ideas of Ron Paul (not that he ever had a chance to begin with) although I disagreed with him on some points, his points on how government should be run outweighed his points that I disagreed with. It is worth noting that both Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich got completely shafted by the main stream media.

The next 8.3 months are going to be a roller coaster ride of accusations, counter-accusations and smearing and mudslinging. I hope it is at least half as tolerable as the swift boat debacle.

This is the man you need to be supporting. This is the man who should be the next president. We have had 43 White Guys. Isn't it about time for a change?

One of my favorite blogs

Phil Platt over at Bad Astronomy gave some insight on the next supernovae we might see here on earth. I wish I could see one in my lifetime.

You tube is back up :)

And they wonder why us Atheists are scared to admit to family members.

No you're not crazy

You tube is in fact down.

To make up for this I'll post a music video.

You tubing again

On the way home

White tree, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

took a few photos on the way home. Most sucked but some were ok. Used the kit lens.

A whole shitpile of cash

Shitpile of cash, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

I filled up the company vehicle. Even though I am not forking over the shitpile of cash that is $50.89 I feel very bad paying so much. Then I think of the UK and other parts of the world. And how in Australia they were paying the equivalent of $3.36 USD per USG since 2001. Then I think of the UK, and how they pay £0.90 for one liter of gas. Which is equivalent to $7.20 USD per USG. Which is indeed a whole shitpile of money.

America isn't #1

I was watching the Lewis Black related videos and came across this one. Its pretty funny. He makes valid points. He could ave expanded more too but it would not have been as funny.

(i.e. America has a higher infant mortality rate than other countries, a lower literacy rate, a higher obesity rate, and a pretty fucked up welfare system for retirees and underprivileged children. And they also want to teach creationism in the science classes of schools here in America too.)

[Learning is Fun] Viruses, Bacterium & evolution

Influenza virus invades Nashville



Fig 1. The influenza virus

It may be sweeping the country, but I am glad we have scientists hard at work at the WHO and the CDC researching, developing and combating things that want to kill us. A perfect example is the battle against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.


Fig 2. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

This mean mofo is a clear example of evolution right before our eyes. It is on the move as well as the influenza virus. Changing, adapting, evolving via Natural Selection. Its a thing of beauty - even if it wants to kill us. I got hit with the flu 2 weeks ago and I honestly have no idea where I got it from. No one from work had it, and no one that I can remember was sneezing or coughing. I practice good hygiene and yet -still, I was wiped out for several days with the flu. I tried very hard to isolate myself, but when you have a wife and child, living in the same house -it becomes nearly impossible to isolate yourself and prevent the spread of the virus. Despite all my efforts, both caught a virus - although not flu, it may have been a variant. These are clever organisms. A lot of times, people talk about "strains" but they fail to acknowledge what they are truly saying. More often than not, people who have creationist tendencies speak about strains and "different strains of the virus" and are completely unaware that they are contradicting creationism with their own tongues. Viruses and bacterium evolve by natural selection. Bacterium were one of the first forms of life on Earth 4 B years ago. So although it is quite unpleasant to be ill with the flu, I am quite happy in the knowledge that scientific record and findings are being validated daily and the spooky language of the bible and the explanations of the dark ages are being laughed out of existence in today's modern society. It appears the flu has hit Nashville hard, as I come across a lot of stories lately, of everyone having the flu. The CDC gathers this info and passes it on to the WHO for development of a flu vaccination for the southern hemisphere come March. And the same process happens all over again, in September for the northern hemisphere, mutatis mutandis.

I guess I don't really have a point, but to report on the spread of the flu and other viruses, and to point out examples of Darwin's natural selection in the real world, right in front of our eyes. And whether or not they are aware, creationists invalidate creationism and "intelligent design" (two cheeks of the same ass) when they mention viruses and a "new strain". The same goes for lice in people's hair. They adapt and resist - special shampoos year after year. I like the video I posted on 10 FEB of Lewis Black cause he said it best. "Evolution is a major thread in the larger tapestry that I like to call... REALITY!"



I guess there is a point in there, it just took a while for me to get to it.

Saturn!

Lunar Eclipse105, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

Holy crap I was using my 55-200 and here I am at 200, if you view the photo large on flickr,
look at the lower left hand side and you can just make out Saturn's rings!

Awesome.

[Learning is Fun] Why the moon turns "blood red"

Back when the author of the book of Revelation wrote that part of the bible, they tried to use spooky language to explain what we couldn't understand. "and the moon became as blood" as it says. We now know why the moon turns red with a total umbral eclipse and can predict (calculate) its occurrence to the second. Don't you just love science and reasoning. Critical thinking? Its a thing of beauty when observing the natural universe without mythical superstitions to cloud your judgment.

We lucked out!

Lunar Eclipse109, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

The clouds broke at just the right moment and the freezing rain / wintry mix has not arrived yet. I am so happy - and so was Daniella. I am glad she got to see it.

see the best photos here

Its not looking good for eclipse viewing tonight.

I am a bit pissed off, as the next (partial) lunar eclipse will be visible on Daniella's birthday 6 August 2009. And the next total lunar eclipse visible from here will be 21 December 2010.
And here I was all set to impress biblical fundamentalists with my prediction skills of the moon turning "blood red" as told in the bible (Revelation 6:12) :(

Maybe they can free us of religion

Machines 'to match man by 2029'

Machines will achieve human-level artificial intelligence by 2029, a leading US inventor has predicted.

Humanity is on the brink of advances that will see tiny robots implanted in people's brains to make them more intelligent, said Ray Kurzweil.

The engineer believes machines and humans will eventually merge through devices implanted in the body to boost intelligence and health.

"It's really part of our civilisation," Mr Kurzweil explained.

"But that's not going to be an alien invasion of intelligent machines to displace us."

Machines were already doing hundreds of things humans used to do, at human levels of intelligence or better, in many different areas, he said.

Obligatory commentary (snicker) :

Maybe if they make us smarter, they can cure the human race of the delusion that is religion. And we can advance as a species.

That was quick

thatwasquick, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

After noting the Sharpie marks, they quickly replaced the ad.

Master of Puppets - Seattle 1989

I was living in Tacoma at the time. And also a hard core Metallica fan (still am) although it doesn't reflect in my last.fm

Tons o cash

Great graphic

I came across this in SU and its great. I cant republish it here cause - well I can't figure out how to make a side by side list.

Here is the page

Get outside the bubble!

Why won't God Heal Amputees?

We are all atheists

Religious Test

SharpieArt

SharpieArt, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

I laughed my ass off.

Energy Warning

107, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

2006 was the sixth hottest year since 1850.
The five hottest years in the last 150 years are in descending order: 2005, 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

Hauling ASS

Hauling ASS, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

I will take a better quality photo for the non-believers

The only way this could have happened is

a) a glitch
b) I took the GPS with me on a plane ride
c) I was tear-assing down the highway in a Bugatti Veyron


You decide what happened :)

Waiting for the Lunar Eclipse

Moon5crop, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

21 FEB 08 0300 UTC
20 FEB 08 2100 CST

It better not be cloudy.

Funny

I saw this and laughed my ass off. If this doesnt immediately make you laugh you may want to get a bit of background on a hip hop classic.

OK one more before bed, this is hilarious!

Creationism can be funny

I love SU

Earth shine

Waxing Crescent2, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

taken tonight. (just now)

The car

The car, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

I was taking the dogs out and had the perfect opportunity to take some snaps of the waxing crescent.

small penis compensation

small penis compensation, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

One of these days I am going to get a pair of side cutters and cut those stupid fake steel balls off his hitch and throw them in the nearby garbage can.

(I havent seen him parking there lately though) I notice he was from out of town (coffee co.)

End the war now

sonatfuneral, originally uploaded by truckinon44.

Bring our people home.

Crazy Christian Lady goes apeshit in a coffee shop

I came across this on SU. Incredible display of bigotry and seething hatred.

Ill with the flu? or whatever

Lunch, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

Started getting sick and came in to work today. I think I am going to have to come home early.

I liked the idea of fresh fruit for lunch so I piled it up at the salad bar. I didnt realize that the damn drink was $4.

The Junior Genocide

The Junior Genocide, originally uploaded by Jaume d'Urgell ☭.

I came across this in SU. Its an eye opener. Try viewing the Original size.

Unlocking the potential

dumbass, originally uploaded by Chris1051.

I only just now realized how to unlock the photos from my phone and place them on to the computer using infrared. This will come in handy when I see something cool or funny, I can send it to the PC and then post it on flickr. Its a work phone - so text messaging has been disabled. Its also a VGA quality - so it kind of sucks, but the advantages are- I always have a camera at hand. Like this photo for example. I went to Staples a while back, and saw this retard pull up and just left his van that way. He didn't straighten it out as any decent normal person would do. So he has opened himself up to ridicule from me -publicly.

Another down side, the EXIF data is non existant. So accurate info is going to have to be edited.

:)