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Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Bushonics
Learn about this newly acceptable American dialect.
Salon.com Politics | Bushonics speakers strike back
"The most striking features of Bushonics -- tangled syntax, mispronunciations, run-on sentences, misplaced modifiers and a wanton disregard for subject-verb agreement -- are generally considered to be "bad" or "ungrammatical" by linguists and society at large."
"It's difficult to say just how many Bushonics speakers there are in America, although professor Bundy claims "their numbers are legionary.""
posted at 3/28/2001 09:33:17 PM
Monday, March 26, 2001
It's that time of year again. Well, not here in Nova Scotia, but with this map I'll be able to know just when to put my Hummingbird feeders out. Watch the wave as it progesses northward over the next few months.
hummingbirds.net
posted at 3/26/2001 10:19:56 PM
And interesting and readable article on the different phases of water.
Why water is weird
"At -38 degrees Celsius, however, even the purest water spontaneously turns to ice. When that happens,"it does so with an audible bang, like a little bomb," says Austen Angell, a University of Arizona chemist who holds the world record for supercooling water. From -38 to -120 degrees Celsius, it's ice all the way, a temperature regime that Mr. Stanley calls "no-man's land," by which he means "no liquid." But below -120 degrees Celsius, it's possible to make what's known as ultraviscous water, a liquid as thick as molasses. Below -135 degrees Celsius comes glassy water, a solid having no crystal structure."
posted at 3/26/2001 08:16:01 PM
Sunday, March 25, 2001
Finally something besides the Windsor and Four-in-Hand. Here is the full text, of the Nature Magazine paper. Be aware ( or beware), the paper is very mathematical. There is a small book that has been published for a more popular audiance.
Theory of Tie Knots
"Recently in the magazine Nature, we proposed a mathematical model to calculate and classify all possible tie knots. Of the 85 found, we duly predicted the four knots in widespread use and further introduced nine new aesthetic ones."
via Follow Me Here
posted at 3/25/2001 09:41:05 PM
Tuesday, March 20, 2001
This site lists many indicators of Global Warming. It contains a world map overlaid with icons linking to news items related to climate change.
Global Warming: Early Warning Signs
"Events indicated on the map are divided into two categories:
Fingerprints: Some of the events are direct manifestations of a widespread and long-term trend toward warmer global temperatures, as projected by models of a changing climate. These "fingerprints" of climate change are indicated with yellow icons.
Harbingers: The map also identifies events that foreshadow the types of impacts likely to become more frequent and widespread with continued warming. These "harbingers" of climate change are indicated with red icons. For these events, evidence for a direct link to long-term climate change cannot be confirmed or ruled out at this time."
posted at 3/20/2001 10:51:21 AM
Wednesday, March 14, 2001
This is what can happen if you neglect your lawn in Georgia. Here are some photos of kudzu covered houses, barns and equipment. The natural kudzu sculptures are the most bizarre.
Kudzu-The Vine
"Few houses are abandoned and allowed to be taken over by vegetation. However, in parts of the south those that are, are susceptible to being engulfed by kudzu. Some make interesting natural sculptures."
via Ruins and Lonely Places
posted at 3/14/2001 10:54:07 PM
Monday, March 12, 2001
This is a very interesting circular chart showing the periods throughout a year of traditional Inuvialuit activities and events on Banks Island in Canada's High Arctic. It shows events ranging from the polar bear hunt during the two month winter night to the June ice breakup. This is from a Canadian web site regarding Inuit Observations on Climate Change.
Seasonal Calendar of Traditional Activities
posted at 3/12/2001 04:56:53 PM
In a word - don't. Four authors tested Windows ME, here are their stories.
Windows Me Long-Term Wrap-up
"After several months of real-world experience with Windows Me, Winmag.com now recommends against choosing it. We even recommend against buying a new PC with Windows Me pre-installed."
posted at 3/12/2001 01:58:33 PM
Thursday, March 08, 2001
A small sand tracing pendulum acted like a crude seismograph while running in a shop in Seattle during the recent earthquake.
Gaelic Wolf Consulting ---
"On February 28, 2001, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake, located some thirty miles below the surface of the earth and a few miles away from Olympia Washington, moved the ground for a bit more than half a minute. A sand tracing pendulum, located at a shop in Port Townsend called Mind Over Matter, produced some very interesting patterns."
posted at 3/8/2001 10:09:25 PM
Tuesday, March 06, 2001
This site is focused mainly on the architectural history of America's asylums. There are lots of old photos and drawings of these disappearing complexes. See the foreboding looking Middletown State Hospital, pictured here from a 1908 postcard.
Historic Asylums of America
"A large proportion of these historic institutions are no longer mental hospitals. What remains are the magnificent castle-like buildings wrought of brick and stone in incredible detail, a legacy of an attention to detail in architecture which seems to have been long forgotten."
"Authorized in 1851, the New York State Asylum for Idiots received its first "pupils" in 1883. The Syracuse State School building was torn down in the 1970s, and the number of patients has dwindled to a very few in recent years. "
posted at 3/6/2001 05:43:36 PM
An excellent slideshow of the spring mushrooms, with a western US bias. There are 80 slides, each containing a photo and paragraph sized description of a different mushroom.
Morels, Truffles and other Spring Mushrooms Morels, Truffles and other Spring Mushrooms
posted at 3/6/2001 12:31:52 PM
Some very curious people find out how long batteries really last in a flashlight, or how many Cheerios are in a box. Lots of pictures and answers to the questions of the ages.
How Much Is Inside?
"Throughout the ages, man has pondered the question, "How much is inside?" With a few extra bucks, and a decent spot on the internet, we expose these long-hidden truths."
via Eclectica via PopCultureJunkMail
posted at 3/6/2001 11:20:40 AM
Friday, March 02, 2001
This clickable map shows all earthquakes of magnitude 1 or greater that have occurred in the past 2 weeks. The map includes Oregon, Washington, and the lower part of British Columbia including Vancouver and Victoria.
Recent Earthquakes in Pacific Northwest - Index Map
posted at 3/2/2001 12:52:12 PM
