Saturday, May 2, 2009

Paleogeology


I don't know why, but I just find this stuff fascinating.

I usually like to do things the hard way, but I must be going at it backward this time. I'm surfing Google Earth, like always, and I come across the most puzzling things. I'm looking off New York's Long Island and right there at the continental shelf, I see this sharp gash eroded away by what can only be an ancient Hudson River way back when the ice shelf covered North America. Then there's a smooth indentation connecting the present-day Hudson with the gash in the shelf. Interesting.

What might have caused this? Maybe this:

Catastrophic Flooding From Ancient Lake May Have Triggered Cold Period

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Hey, at least it's not crack!

Huh, I thought I had posted this a long time ago. Some of ideas listed here are more efficient than others. This was not written by me but was an email I received years ago, so I take no claim to it. I did make some spelling changes, reordered them some, and added a few of my own notes.

The Hundreds of Wonderful Uses for
Baking Soda!

Forget everything you know from the commercials advertised on TV for everything from Aquafresh Whitening toothpaste to soap scum-removing Comet.

This simple, naturally abundant, water-soluable, naturally-occurring, effervescent, pH-neutralizing, odor-absorbent, drain-declogging, fire-suppressing, teeth-whitening, plaque-dissolving, antihistaminic, exfoliating, bloodstream-cleansing, stain-removing, fabric-softening, grease-lifting, dishwasher safe, fine granular chemical compound, NaHCO3, commonly called Sodium Bicarbonate or Baking Soda, is found in the earth, in the world's oceans, in the air we breathe and is produced by our own bodies. *Breathes*

You can use this shit for everything!!

1. Like turn cocaine into crack! (although not recommended)

2. Keep an extra box of baking soda by your stove in case of grease or electrical fire. Scatter the powder by the handful to safely put it out.

3. Keep a container of baking soda in your garage as well as in your car to put out a fire. It won't damage anything it touches.

4. Baking soda will also put out fires in clothing, fuel, wood, upholstery and rugs.

5. You can also use it to dissolves battery acid build-up around your battery connectors.

6. Clean vegetables and fruit with baking soda. Sprinkle in water, soak and rise the produce.

7. Wash garbage cans with baking soda to clean and eliminate odors.

8. Removes tar build up behind tires.

9. Soak and wash diapers with baking soda. (I say throw that shit away!)

10. Add a cup of Baking Soda to your wash. Oil- and grease-stained clothing wash out better with soda added to the washing water.

11. Clean your fridge and freezer with dry soda sprinkled on a damp cloth. rinse with clear water.

12. Deodorize your fridge and freezer by putting in an open container of baking soda to absorb odors. Stir and turn over the soda from time to time. Replace every 2 months.

13. Soda absorbs kitty litter odors. Cover the bottom of the kitty box with 1 part soda; then add a layer of three parts kitty litter on top.

14. Add 1/2 cup soda to your washing machine load to boost stain-lifting power & eliminate odors.

15. Clean combs and brushes in a soda solution.

16. Wash food and drink containers with soda and water. (Eww, use soap and kill shit!)

17. Wash marble-topped furniture with a solution of 3 tablespoons of soda in 1 quart of warm water. Let stand awhile, then rinse.

18. Clean Formica counter tops with baking soda on a damp sponge.

19. Wash out thermos bottles and coolers with baking soda and water to get rid of stale smells.

20. To remove stubborn stains from marble, Formica or plastic surfaces, scour with a paste of soda and water.

21. Wash glass or stainless steel coffee pots (but not aluminum) in a soda solution (3 tablespoons soda to 1 quart water).

22. Run you coffee maker through its cycle with a soda solution. Rinse.

23. Give baby bottles a good cleaning with soda and hot water.

24. Sprinkle soda on barbecue grills, let soak, then rinse off.

25. Sprinkle soda on greasy garage floor. Let stand, scrub and rinse.

26. Polish silverware with dry soda on a damp cloth. Rub, rinse and dry.

27. For silver pieces without raised patterns or cemented-on handles: place the silver on aluminum foil in an enamel pot. Add boiling water and 4 tablespoons baking soda. Let stand, rinse and dry.

28. Reduce odor build-up in your dishwasher by sprinkling some soda on the bottom.

29. Run your dishwasher through its cycle with soda in it instead of soap to give it a good cleaning. Look on the ingredients list of your detergent, you may find you're already adding sodium bicarbonate.

30. To remove burned-on food from a pan: let the pan soak in soda and water for 10 minutes before washing. Or scrub the pot with dry soda and a moist scouring pad.

31. For a badly-burned pan with a thick layer of burned-on food: pour a thick layer of soda directly onto the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle on just enough water so as to moisten the soda. Leave the pot overnight, then scrub it clean next day.

31. Rub stainless steel and chrome with a moist cloth and dry baking soda to shine it up. Rinse and dry. On stainless steel, scrub in the direction of the grain.

32. Clean plastic, porcelain and glass with dry soda on a damp cloth. Rinse and dry.

33. Remove that bad smell from ashtrays with soda and water.

34. Sprinkle a bit of dry soda in your ashtrays to prevent smoldering.

35. Clean your bathroom with dry soda on a moist sponge - sink, tub, tiles, shower stall, etc. It removes soap scum and eliminates odors.

36. Keep your drains clean and free-flowing by putting 4 tablespoons of soda in them each week. Flush the soda down with hot water.

37. Soak your shower curtains in water and soda to clean them.

38. To remove strong odors from your hands, wet your hands and rub them hard with soda, then rinse.

39. Sprinkle baking soda on your wet toothbrush and brush your teeth and dentures with it.

40. Sprinkle soda in tennis shoes, socks, boots and slippers to eliminate odor.

41. Add 1/2 cups or more of baking soda to your bath water to soften your skin.

42. Putting 2 tablespoons of baking soda in your baby´s bath water will help relieve diaper rash irritations.

43. Apply soda directly to insect bites, rashes and poison ivy to relieve discomfort. Make a paste with water.

44. Take a soda bath to relieve general skin irritations such as measles and chicken pox.

45. Take 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 glass of water to relieve acid indigestion or heartburn.

46. Gargle with 1/2 tsp. baking soda in 1/2 glass of water. Freshens and cleans your mouth.

47. Used as a mouthwash, baking soda will also relieve canker sore pain.

48. Use a tablespoon of soda and enough water to form a paste and massage into face for a skin-softening, exfoliant.

49. To relieve sunburn: use a paste of baking soda and water.

50. Mosquito bites: use a paste of baking soda and vinegar.

51. Bee sting: use a paste of baking soda and water.

52. Windburn: moisten some baking soda and apply directly.

53. Making Play Clay with baking soda: combine 1 1/4 cups water, 2 cups soda, 1 cup cornstarch.

54. Use soda as an underarm deodorant.

55. If your baby spits up on his clothes after feeding, moisten a cloth, dip it in baking soda and dab at the stain. The odor will go away.

56. When scalding a chicken, add 1 tsp. of soda to the boiling water. The feathers will come off easier and flesh will be clean and white.

57. Repel rain from windshield. Put gobs of baking soda on a dampened cloth and wipe windows inside and out. (I wonder if this works, but "gobs"? Really?? I saw you're just cleaning the window.)

58. Add to water to soak dried beans to make them more digestible.

59. Add to water to remove the gamy taste from wild game.

60. Use to remove orders and lift stains from sour dishcloths.

61. Use dry with a small brush to rub canvas handbags clean.

62. Use to remove melted plastic bread wrapper from toaster. Dampen cloth and make a mild abrasive with baking soda. (I've always wondered if there was a way to take that off.)

63. Baking soda mixed with a little water works great for removing bugs from car paint, headlights, and windshields, and does not damage the paint.

64. It's said that if you put a small amount of baking soda in a 8 oz. glass of water and drink it, it will clean out your kidneys.

65. Sprinkle a fine layer along door thresholds and paths that ants travel to deter them from coming inside your house. (They navigate by scents, as you know.)

66. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to a gallon of water to make an excellent homemade fungicide for water plants.

67. Scrub scuff marks off the floor and your tennis shoes with a soda paste.

68. Get crayons out of your clothes and off your walls with a watery soda mix.

69. Wash out hair product build up and remove water impurities with a little soda in your shampoo once a week.

70. Sprinkle a dusting on your carpet to remove odors and stains and to kill fleas. Trample it in for a couple hours or so and vacuum it up. Do not do this on a rainy or humid day as the salts suck in moisture.

71. Sprinkle a dusting on your dog or cat a couple hours before their bath as it kills fleas within an hour or two.

72. Dump some baking soda into a foot bath to smooth the skin and alleviate irritations.

73. Put a pinch of it in my Padgett sauce. It removes the acid taste from the tomatoes.

74. Apply a soda and water paste to jellyfish or sea nettle stings to remove the burn.

75. Put a tablespoon of baking soda in a large pot of beans while soaking them and keep the flatulence to a minimum. (LOL!)

76. Takes kool-aid stains out of counter tops. (This does work.)

77. Takes permanent marker off plastic, linoleum, painted, and metal surfaces. (Holy crap, what? I gotta try that!)

Friday, March 20, 2009

Is it safe to go outside again?

Sunburn in 5 minutes?! Damn that's cooking the planet... as in a microwave. I can imagine the havoc that would wreak on the atmosphere. Maybe this is kinda old news but not in geologic terms.

Yahoo News article: "NASA: Environmental disaster avoided on ozone loss"

Thursday, March 12, 2009

I'm waiting here in Allentown....

Waiting to see Elton John and Billy Joel tickle the ivories together that is. They're going on tour across the States playing "face-to-face" as it's been dubbed, and they've just stopped by Charlotte last Saturday. "How was it?" you ask, assuming that I went, of course, having been a fan of both artists for many years -- both the source of fond memories, childhood and recent. But to your utter shock ... I did not go.

Oh, I bought tickets! I bought them the morning they went on sale in fact back in December when everyone was thinking of Christmas shopping. I got two, because let's face it -- I'm not going alone, and there must be *somebody* who would want to go with me or at least someone who could be persuaded to join me. The sad thing is if I polled my gay friends, most of them would say they don't even like Elton John. I KNOW!! How shameful is that?! It makes me want to reevaluate my friends it's so disturbing. They should go back to listening to the self-proclaimed "hit music station" and drinking their Kool Aid. (Brought to you by Carl's Junior. LOL)

About a month or so went by, and I got several rejections from coworkers and friend's moms alike. (She went with me to Elton's last concert in Charlotte.) None wanted to or could spare the expense in light of this dollar menu economic Roche limit we're rapidly approaching. So the concomitant seat remained vacant until it was learned that the Piano Man and Captain Fantastic would me performing together two months later in the town of a good friend I regrettably, rarely get a chance to see. (Hopefully summer will arrive in the Arctic by May this year. Maybe we can even catch the Aurora and go hit the clubs with his seal friends.) Frankly, I was shocked to hear he actually LIKED the two pianists. A quick check of the calendar told me I was free, and the decision was made. I sold my one uncommitted seat along with my own on the day of the concert to a seemingly overly suspicious young tag football mom on Craiglist.

So while we wait, enjoy this unnecessarily homoerotic music video of Billy Joel's "Allentown". I mean there's a nude shower scene for the love of penis. (New favorite line thanks to Family Gay.)

Lexicomic

I'm not trying to go all XKCD on ya, but someone at work asked me to define for him the difference between "complement" and "compliment" and this illustration came as a result.



You know you want to give me props for squeezing in TWO definitions for "complement." =)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Green Comet makes Bright Exit

Look out to the west-southwest on the night of the 24th of Feb. and you'll see streaming in front of Mars the comet Lulin making its first and final pass around the Sun. You'll be joined in your observance by a 19-year-old fellow astronomy nerd in China, Quanzhi Ye, who discovered it two years ago.

So I read the whole NASA article and all, but now I'm wondering... If this thing is making its first and only pass at the Sun from a trillion miles away, then ... is this really just a Oort Cloud object that bumped into some other object? The other would-be comet gets bumped out and the other, Lulin, gets sent sunward at an angle that would send it too close to the Sun -- its eccentricity is 1.002 -- for the Sun to retain its tug. Then my real question is -- if it's going this close to the Sun, will it break up like Shoemaker-Levy? It would be impossible to predict how it would break apart and which pieces, if any, would remain in the inner solar system to join the other swarm of asteroids.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Go Obama Yourself!

http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Planet simulator

Dan Ball Planet simulator

WEEEE!!!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

President Obama Day

Today I got in my car on my way to work today and heard the words "President Barack Obama" and "former President Bush"...and it was quite something to finally hear after a torturous last --mmm, 8 years now, really. "Horrible downward spiral" is right, Will Ferrell. They said immediately after the inauguration itself, former President Bush --love those words-- was whisked away to an awaiting jet in a whirlybird, bound for a huge ranch in WhoWouldJesusBomb, Texas.



As I later watched streaming in high definition on company bandwidth, Senator Barack Obama was quite uncharacteristically inarticulately sworn into the office in this country, resting one palm on a Bible used by Abraham Lincoln.

And then I saw this cool pic on the internet of a waterfall of dignitaries spilling out of the front steps of the Capitol and into sea of onlookers, and I'm sure Oprah was in there, too. I just can't remember all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the last two Bush inaugurations. In fact, the last I remember was when Reagan died. Shit, people all over the world are watching hopefully. Thanks to Al Gore and the Internet we can see pictures of Muslim men in Pakistan watching Obama on Al-Jazeera, talking of hope for improved relations and kids in a classroom in Seoul, South Korea watching the inauguration in school. (I just made those up, but I'm sure there are pictures of those exact scenes, LOL.)

That being said, it was a long, difficult transition for all of us, arguing with each other and pitting family members against each other. And you know, as I watched our first black president get sworn in and created my cubicle stalactite made out of a magnet and handful of wasted staples, I thought we're finally point we are today, where we have someone in office who I believe has our best interests at heart and will not disappoint us but feels immense challenge and displays the conviction that they are conquerable ones. And then I overhear some redneck in a restaurant saying, "And I don't even wanna talk about Obama," a reminder of the reality of living in the Rip Van Winkle state.

Monday, December 29, 2008

That crazy Ston Jewart guy...

That's funny that Jon Stewart talks about flipping words like sock cucker fother mucker after my roommate and I have been doing that for a while, flipping the names of everyone at work and laughing at them. LOL.

Watch Mike Huckabee, former presidential candidate, talk about redefining marriage and then watch Jon Stewart stick 'em with a zinger and the crowd goes wild.