Orange is the new orange...

...

I love the color orange...
































































































...tom...
.

Remembering 9/11 ...in 2008

...
noamgalai at flickr dot com

WTC Tribute in lights, from Brooklyn Bridge, September 11, 2007


Various links found today in reference to the events on this date, 2001



Neatorama's simple, stark, and stoic 'roll call' of the victims of that day:

Remembering the Victims of 9/11



A video from a neighboring building of the towers on Sept. 11, 2001

September 11, 2001: What we saw from our apartment



Personal reflections of a New Yorker...

Personal reflections on a September 11th (9/11) hero



NASA image of Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001

Photo



My reviews of various 9/11-related books and films at Epinions dot com

sleeper54's reviews



The incomparable, as always, Big Picture look at the day...

Seven years since -- looking back and forward on 9/11



...tom...
.

International Rock-Flipping Day

...
It is not every day when someone invites you to go outside and 'flip a rock'.

So when I found a link to the International Rock-Flipping Day event . . .well, boy was I excited..!! Who does not want an excuse to go out and flip rocks over..?? The very idea just exudes 'BIG FUN'..!!


Hosted since 2007 (yes,it has a long and storied history...) by Via Negativa it has caught fire like only a . . .well, like a rock might..?? (Note to self: work on that metaphor.)


I actually discovered this event, scheduled for the first Sunday in September, late in the afternoon of the very day. To say I was a bit unprepared to 'flip a rock' would be an understatement.

I searched my urban yard for a suitable rock ...and searched ...and searched. Finally I gave up and decided a split log that had fallen from the neighbor's wood pile would have to suffice. I hope the rock-flipping gods might show a bit of mercy to this 'flipping newbie'.



At the right is a picture of my 'rock' (be quiet..!!) in situ. That means like where it was. I learned that from KatDoc at her flipping post. She obviously knows her Latin phrases.



When I flipped my 'rock' over . . .well lets just say I was neither shocked nor overwhelmed with biological diversity. Certainly nothing like others have found under their rocks.




Uhmm... most of what I saw when I 'flipped my rock' was like . . .dirt. Man, an urban lawn can certainly be a seemingly sterile place, especially under a *cough* rock.








But on closer examination, I found several earthworms and at least one of these little centipede or millipede bugs that we commonly find here in Central Iowa. I have no idea what they are or what they are called.






Of course, when the 'rock' was first flipped over, the ubiquitous pill bugs all scurried for cover. There are a larger and smaller examples in this picture of my *cough* rock's bottom surface.

I remember when the kids were younger they had to do a 'pill bug' project for their grade-school science project. I think we made them keep it outside.



The Bottom Line:

So what is the point of this holiday..?? What did I learn from participating..?? Will I do it again next year..??

Well, I never did find a good summary of why we all would want to do this, other than to recognize that there is whole hidden world hidden underneath our feet. Creatures small and smaller all use the coolness and moisture and protection found under a rock to live at least a portion of their lives.

Who among us does not welcome a warm, inviting, and protective place to relax our guard and just be ourselves..?? I think we can understand why many creatures find the same type of place so inviting.


I learned that my yard has very few large rocks in it. Lots of 'river rock' but most of them seemed not at all conducive for sheltering the smaller creatures around us. Perhaps next year I will plan ahead and find that perfect rock that might mirror Charlie Brown's 'Great Pumpkin' in my imagination.


Will I do it again next year..?? Oh my gosh yes, I mean how exciting is flipping a rock..?!? Wait, do not answer that.


To Learn More:

IRFD group on Flickr
IRFD gallery on Via Negativa


2008 participants links found here


...tom...
.

What I learned today...

...
I learned today the reason eye doctors, be they optometrists or ophthalmologists, recommend you have someone available to drive for you after an eye exam that includes dilation of your pupils.

I had my annual (read: every 15 months, for some reason...) eye exam today and did not think about the fact that my eyes would probably be dilated for my normal vascular and and other checks.

Well once I was there it was a wee bit late to arrange someone to drive me soooo...



Ouch. What happened to all those cloudy, rainy, and dark days we had been having lately..?!?

Yowzy..!! How painful was that 15 minute drive home..?!?



You really come to appreciate what a complicated instrument the human eye is; how finely controlled, regulated, and powered it is. Normally the pupil easily constricts and relaxes to control the amount of light entering the eye. Use of topical eye drops allow the pupil to be artificially opened. The effect takes a few hours to 'wear off'.



Anyway... luckily no changes in the eyes and an uneventful drive home. I am now sitting in our darkened den/PC room while the effect wears off. Still squinting a bit, due to the ambient light and the monitor's glow.


An interesting chapter in what I learned today.


...tom...
.

What is this 'Labor Day' Holiday all about..??

...
I think we all know the purpose of most of the American holidays we celebrate.


Fourth of July: that patriotism thing, the flag, fireworks, the Declaration Of Independence...

Memorial Day: remembering those who served in their country's stead. Flags massed, parades, too-old veterans in now-too-small uniforms, remembering those who currently serve our country...

Thanksgiving Day: 'Turkey Day', Pilgrims, Indians and Indian corn, pie, celebrating our bountiful (once again) harvest...

Christmas: Baby Jesus, Christmas trees, mangers, gifts/presents...

New Years Day: Football..!! A new year, a new beginning, Auld Lang Syne,


I listed them in the order they came to my mind, just free-associated a few thoughts with each. There are more of course. But those are the major ones.



Except for one: Labor Day


I sit here pondering the purpose of celebrating a day for 'Labor'. Perhaps the only thoughts that comes to mind for it are a traditional marker of the end of summer, a day for grilling and barbecuing, a day for anything but 'labor'

A little online reading points to that last thought as not being so far from the mark. Turns out the holiday originated in the late 1800s as "...a day off for the working citizens." Often a parade to celebrate "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" was held, which was then "followed by a festival for the workers and their families."

Dang, that sounds fine to me. Though I think over the years the holiday has fallen down the list of 'celebratory' holidays and perhaps now serves more as a marker of the end of summer, a chance to gird (one last time) ones children for the rigors of the coming school year, perhaps that weekend for one last road trip.

Which all works for me. I deliberately avoided my wife's 'honey-do' list and wasted the day barbecuing, surfing the Internet, watching some sports on TV, anything and everything but actually engaging in 'labor'. After all: we must honor the holiday and the working man..!!



A toast to all the workers out there. I am sharing my hope that you all had a fine and relaxing (and labor-free..!!) Labor Day holiday..!!




...tom...

.

Game on...

...
It is finally here: college football 2008..!!


Fourteen games tonight in Division 1-A and probably that many more in the other divisions to fill out the evenings schedule. And many more to follow through the rest of the weekend..!!




All the prognosticating is over, no more pre-season hype, and unrealistic expectations ...well maybe some until the first games are played out.

Time for the tailgaiting to begin and the parties to commence..!!

Time for cheerleaders and marching bands and rivalries being turned up to a rolling boil.

Time for first downs, completed passes, and touchdowns.

Time for sacks in the backfield, dropped balls, and turnovers.

Time for cheerleaders and silly mascots, game-dates and bringing the kids.

Time to get it on..!!

(edited to note: Gee. I mentioned 'cheerleaders' twice. Imagine that.)











Yahoo..!! 'Hook 'em Horns' and 'Roll Tide' and 'Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk' ..!!

This is gonna be fun...



...tom...
.

' Starstruck '

...
I have written before of my 'love' for Astronomy Picture of the Day.

The images they send to my inbox every day continually amaze me. Not to mention their years of archived photos, explanatory text, and abundant links to more photos and information within their domain and across the web. The site truly is 'most helpful'.



Today's image, for example, is a fantastic look at "47 Tuc: A Great Globular Cluster of Stars".

"...the dense cluster is made up of several million stars in a volume only about 120 light-years across." They also note the light we see in this image took 13,000 years to reach us. Several million stars clustered in an area incredibly small (relatively speaking..!!) far from us in the Universe.




A link in the text for today's picture leads to a broader view of this cluster 'near' the Small Cloud of Magellan. Of course, they are not really 'near' each other but appear so only in two dimensions, as we see them from Earth. The Small Cloud of Magellan is actually much farther distant from us.






Also a today's pic/page (first photo above) is a link to a picture and discussion of "exotic x-ray binary star systems" that are found in 47 Tuc










If you have a pair of eyeballs (or even one), the imagination to think beyond your immediate surroundings, and the curiosity to wonder what is 'out there' ...you will find much to educate and amaze you at Astronomy Picture of the Day.


...tom...
.

'Beer goggles' and 'looking good..!! '

...
We have all heard the term 'beer goggles'. Indeed some of us kept a pair of 'em handy all through our college days.



Turns out that the effect is real, at even lower levels of alcohol than previously suspected. Certainly at levels much less than those required at the college bar:

I am not taking her home ...she has a mustache..!!

British scientists gave small, measured doses of an alcoholic drink or a placebo drink to the subjects. They then measured the subjects ratings of the 'attractiveness' of photos of males and females.




They found the effect of finding the faces more attractive was consistently higher for those who had consumed the equivalent of a large glass of wine or a pint-and-a-half of beer. It was also noted that the increase was not related to a general increase in a 'happy' mood.

Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA, 2005
Shelley Henning, Miss Teen USA, 2004
Some lucky military stiff
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Published earlier this month in the Oxford Journals Alcohol and Alcoholism, the abstract (available here) of the published article notes that the 'he/she looks great..!!' effect is not only at work for the opposite sex but also has a measurable effect on . . .hey, quit looking at your buddy like that..!! ...the perception of same-sex faces.

Perhaps even better (or worse, depending on your point of view) the study noted the 'increased attractiveness' effect lasted up to 24 hours ...but only for the males in the study.

So, when you wake up in the morning ...well, just remember guys, she probably looks better to you than your ugly mug does to her..!!


Cheers..!!



...tom...
.

Hey, move over..!! You are blocking my light..!!

...

Link





...tom...
.

So when do you not comment..??

...
I am curious about what others might think about leaving a comment at any given blog post.

Is there a point when you just do not bother..?? 5 comments..?? 10..?? ...a hundred comments..??

Do you ever read through them, two or a hundred, to see if anyone has made your point already..?? Or do you even bother to read past the first few comments..??

If someone has made your point already . . do you add your thought anyway..?? Do you reference that 'similar' comment you already found in your comment..??

Too many questions, I know. Perhaps too much thinking about it.


Me..??

I will often read the first screen or two of comments, particularly at a post about a topic that really interests me. Or a comment thread that has value in and of itself. I find that I really enjoy the threads where readers play off each other, amplifying this thought or that thought.

But too often they just seem to be a bunch of disconnected thoughts, some over and over again. Others totally off-topic and often moronic.


But not that I will ever have to worry about such problems. I am perfectly content for my rare comment and the smile it brings to my face.


Anyway, just some random questions and thoughts about comments.


...tom...
.

Random after-work pics...

...
Walking about the neighborhood, looking for a vantage point for some pictures of big, fluffy clouds...








Found some bricks stacked, waiting to be used...








...and some flowers and an odd hydrant.






. . .just another day in the neighborhood...


...tom...
.

Peeking through your window...

...
OK. I confess. I am an online voyuerist.

(Is that a real word..?? The Firefox spellchecker tells me it is not. Harrumph..!!)

Anyway . . .where was I..?? Oh yeah.


I love to surf the web randomly, seeing what I can find. The world of users like me and you randomly noting and marking our passage through this vale of tears has made this 'hobby' even more interesting recently. As the number of people out here blogging increases so does the opportunity to find new and interesting stuff.

At the top of all the main pages of these 'blogger' pages is a link to go to the 'Next Blog' What the..?? What exactly defines 'the next blog'..?? Apparently it is a random selection, a roll of the dice. You never know what is going to come up next.


Some are pretty tame. For instance, you will find a lot of family blogs. Mom and Dad creating memory records for themselves and for their kids. What better way to record Jake's first haircut..?? Mom is obviously happy and proud...







Others have grand plans for their blog. Perhaps it will be the cornerstone of their online entrepreneurial empire...

Hmmm. Jennifer has the original template for the post, with dummy text and links, and one additional post ten days later of her kid, I assume. Both in May, 2008.

I am sure it is just a temporary hiatus.



Then there are the just 'strange' blogs.

This one for example, barefoothoof, that is a collection of a hundred-and-some pics of ...horse hooves..??

Horse porn maybe..?? Hey, I am still puzzling that one out...










Others use the internet for more serious purpose. Here is a group of Japanese students, of unknown age, apparently blogging about their experiences while on a study (..??) trip to Canada. I am impressed by their blogging efforts.


Others are a bit risque . . .and still others just a bit strange.



But always there is the beauty that can be found on the net. The beauty of nature, as the sun drops to meet the distant horizon at sea...


The beauty of a young smiling face...



















Or simply the beauty of a flower staring you down.


So if you are ever bored of hitting all your 'regular sites', places you feel you must go visit while online . . .stop, take a break from that 'job', and just surf around a while appreciating the value and the beauty of the precious moments and small things that so many others dare to share with you, with me, and with the world.


...tom...
.

Hot air and colorful balloons...

...
 
Indianola Iowa has been a hotbed (no pun intended) of hot air ballooning on the national scene for decades. In 1970 the newly created Balloon Federation of American was looking for a site to hold a sanctioned National Championship event. The Iowa State fairgrounds and sites in the city of Indianola were used that first year and eventually all events moved to the Indianola area.

Sanctioned national championship competitions continued to be held there until the late 80s. Since the sanctioned championships left, Indianola has continued to host ballooning festivals every year. The events are well attended by both competitors and fans alike.

Each year there are ascensions and competitions nearly every night of the week-long-plus event. The cost is reasonable for spectators to enter the actual event launching area and observe the balloons and their crews 'up close and personal'. The website for the event is found here.

There are balloon flights in the morning and evening and free entertainment events scheduled over the full run of the event. A balloon flight for yourself and your family can even be arranged ahead of time.



Our family has a long-running tradition of going to watch the balloons fly each year. We usually watch from properties that surround the launch area and simply watch the balloons as they drift through the dusk air. This year we found a viewing area just a short distance from the launching area. We were able to get some great shots as many balloons floated by directly overhead or nearby.




This year one drifted over not thirty feet above us, making for some wonderful shots of the colorful balloon. Another landed in a field nearby and we were able to observe that process; both the landing and the deflating of the balloon.


Take a look at some of our pictures and imagine drifting lazily on the evening breeze. If you ever get the chance to go see a mass ascension of hot air balloons ...go. And make sure you take your camera.


...tom...
.

" It was a dark and stormy night. "

...

" It was a dark and stormy night. "

This is an oft-recurring theme in the Peanuts cartoons penned over the years by the late Charles Schulz. His cartoons seemed to often feature the world's favorite dog Snoopy lying on the top of his doghouse, putting pen to paper to begin his 'great American novel'.


But little did I realize that there actually is a complete Snoopy novel led by these words.

( Photo by: greymouser / flickr.com )

The 'novel' features pirates, dying patients, lovers torn apart, a cattle stampede, fighting cowboys ...truly a 'tour de force', all in a bare 250 or so words..!! I can almost imagine it put to film and playing on the silver screen . . .or not..!!


There is more Snoopy and Peanuts info to be found at Snoopy dot com.


Enjoy.


...tom...
.

' Alphabet for Beginners ': letters to live by...

 
...
William Hone was a political firebrand in the early days of nineteenth century merry old England. While his efforts in promoting the goals of the London Corresponding Society in parliamentary reform and other political efforts have faded over the years he did publish some works of long-lasting value.




In addition to a number of political pamphlets authored and published, Hone also produced some general consumption literature. One of his books is titled:

The Year Book of Daily Recreation and Information, concerning Remarkable Men and Manners, Times and Seasons, Solemnities and Merry-makings, Antiquities and Novelties: forming a Complete History of the Year

Yes, that is quite the mouthful. Perhaps that is why 'Poor Richard's Almanack' is remembered and this one not so much...


Included in 'The Year Book' is an "Alphabet for Beginners", perhaps best described as a secular credo for living based on traits identified by the 26 letters of the alphabet.

Such homilies as:

B e just to others, that you may be just to yourself.

N ever take credit; and, as far as possible, avoid giving it.

R evenge a wrong by forgiving it.

and other familiar and not so familiar advice are included.


It is pretty amazing that so many of the ideas might still be found applicable today, nearly two hundred years later. Perhaps basic human nature changes little over the years and through the generations.


hat tip: Neatorama


...tom...
.

Beating the Reaper: Randy Pausch, 1960-2008

 

...

" But we don't beat the Reaper by living longer. We beat the Reaper by living well. "
—Randy Pausch


A true teacher left his final classroom Friday. Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist Randy Pausch finally succumbed to the ravages of pancreatic cancer.

But he certainly did not go meekly into the night.


The entire mushroom of attention about his health 'problem' and his philosophy of life really began as he sought a way to leave a permanent mark in the lives of his three children, to create a touchstone for them to always find the presence and love of a father taken too, too early from them.

He did so by documenting his life goals and how he worked to reach them. The methods and drive that worked for him will serve his children well in the decades that follow.


That he chose to share this personal story with his students, his colleagues, with us is a gift that we may never be able to re-pay. Except, perhaps, by living our lives as he lived his; sharing our energy, our optimism, our dreams and goals with all those around us to craft a better world and life for all.


You must see the video, you must read the book, you must absorb his message. If you take full measure of it you will find it greatly enriching your life and those you love.

There could be no better fitting gift for any of us to leave for those who will follow in our footsteps.



The Last Lecture video can be found here.
The Last Lecture book can be found here.
My review (and others) of The Last Lecture can be found here.


...tom...
.

Rainy day songs...

...

Songs of rain. Just because...
















And a few youtube vids...


Raining On Sunday ... Keith Urban ...wonderful guitar playing.





Stay Away Joe ... Elvis Presley





Bring On The Rain - Jo Dee Messina & Tim McGraw





A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan ( a memorial of the Vietnam years )





Kiss the Rain - Billie Myers





Like the Rain ( Pride and Prejudice ) - Clint Black



...

Dancing is astronomy..??

...
How can dancing be considered to be astonomy-related..?!?

That was my first thought when checking out a recent APOD 'picture of the day'.

I have talked about APOD before, what a great site it is. It is always good for something new, something refreshing, something awesome indeed. Anyone who can look at the stars on a dark night and not find it awesome is missing a part of their soul.


But back to this dancing thing. how can that be related to astronomy..??

Well, one of their recent daily pics featured that dancing fool Matt Harding and a video of him dancing his fool way around the world. What a life..!! ( And another 'why the h3ll did I not think of that..?!? ' moment for me..!! )


Well, we are all traveling through the universe and through our lives on this same great big ball called Earth. One thing we all share is smiling and joy. As they say at the APOD page: "few people are able to watch the above video without smiling."


Enjoy.


...tom...
.

See anybody you know..??

...
OK, this is pretty cool. I know, I know ...I am easily impressed by modern technology.

But if you are still at the level of enjoying snapshots and pictures from your vacation last year out west, some of which you actually managed to get posted on a free web picture site . . .well, you might be impressed with this bit of pixel prestidigitation also.

Say, isn't that Billy Crystal right there..?!?

July 4th, Yankee Stadium . . .but where did the shortstop and 3rd baseman go..??


...tom...
.