stories

i'm off to the big city - london! this is my first visit and i'm pretty excited... the forecast doesnt even call for rain!

here are a couple articles of interest that i wanted to share.

1) an interesting internal view of investigation techniques used by the US in iraq: what i saw in iraq, an article from the washington post that i first spied from mike's meandering mind.

2) charles platt on his experience with a texas prison, well-written in an article called: life in prison.

rainbows over pompeii

while walking around the ruins of pompeii, italy, the most famous of the cities devastated by the 79 AD eruption of mt. vesuvius, a rain storm hit, and the few visitors who braved the november chill, were covered by water from the sky. i didnt mind the rain, as i was prepared for the potential downpour, and the finals stages of the storm created a fantastic rainbow!


at the appearance of the rainbow, i scrambled around the larger-than-expected ancient city to find the best place to catch a glimpse of the full arch, and to take a few photos!


after finding my favorite spot, i relaxed for a while to look at the refractive phenomenon. the top color of the primary rainbow is red - then moving on down towards the inside of the arc you see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet - roy g. biv. the colors are created because the raindrops act like little prisms as the sun rays pass thru them. sunlight gets reflected and refracted all over as it encounters the different surfaces of raindrops. the primary rainbow is created by those rays that pass into the raindrop, get reflected off the back surface, and then pass thru the surface of the raindrop again upon exiting! the light gets refracted twice - once for each time it passes through the raindrop's surface.


refraction occurs because the speed of light thru water is less than the speed of light thru the air. the change of speed causes a change in the direction the light is traveling, which is dependent on the wavelength, as determined by snell's law... longer, red wavelengths are refracted less than shorter, blue wavelengths.

some parts of the rainbow appear brighter than others, dependent on the droplet size, and it also appears as if the sky below the rainbow is brighter than the sky above the rainbow!


in fact, the sky really is brighter below the rainbow! there is a lot of light exiting the raindrop after being once reflected inside. the most light emerges at 40-42 degrees, where we see the concentrated primary rainbow. there is also a lot of light that emerges at smaller angles than the rainbow ray, but almost no light emerges from the single internal reflection with angles greater than the rainbow ray. as a result, the excess of light scattered inside the arc causes the sky below the rainbow to look brighter than above!


i just love these phenomena of the sky!

(more pictures from italy)

distance and time

i heard a funny saying this week:

to an american 100 years is a long time
to an englishman 100 miles is a long way

green santa?

no, at least not according to nottingham's holiday decorations! santa's sleigh produces quite a lot of exhaust!



the city center has a nice german market where you can drink tasty hot gluhwein, but there is a creepy moose head looming over the drinkers that moves, and sings, and looks around at everyone!


'tis the season...

6 billion others

yann arthus-bertrand is undertaking a fascinating project called 6 billion others. people talk honestly into a camera about various topics, like money, discrimination, lovers, nature, happiness, et cetera.

the camera angles of the people are very intimate, showing close-up head shots with great lighting. the people interviewed come from all over the world and their words are translated alongside their image. several times i listened to a few minute passage, with several people speaking on a particular topic... first time thru i read the translations, then the second time, i just listened without reading, watching their faces and listening to their sounds. i really enjoyed just listening to how the languages sound. fascinating!

its worth checking out: 6 billion others.

dark matter: poems of space

combine a poet, maurice riordan, and an astrophysicist, jocelyn bell burnell, who has collected space-related poetry throughout her life, and you get a new book, dark matter: poems of space! its about time, really!


i havent read this book yet, but i'm quite excited about its existence and will probably buy it soon. most physicists i know have active hobbies: music, art, sports (running seems the most popular, but i always find people to play soccer with)... but i wonder why there are not more ("out of the closet") astrophysicist writers and poets?

in light of this question, i want to share a poem i wrote quite a long time ago. i'm not saying this poem has a whole lot to do with actual astrophysics, or that i'm a poet... but still, i like it, so here it is.

angstrom anarchy

wishing on a star consoles for a minute and deceives
me into thinking my desires will come to be
but i can't feel a star's touch or see and star smile
and a twinkle only goes so far
then leaves a void that something must fill
and yet again that something turns into loneliness
but not the kind of loneliness you feel while driving your car
its the loneliness you feel when you alone
sit in your room fumbling through every

gift given
picture taken
smile revealed
look shown
kiss shared
every memory of him

floods my mind until my belly aches to

touch
smell
feel
taste
hold
laugh

with the one person that means everything to me
and then i look out the open window on this clear night
and see my first shooting star in two years
and its a joyous occasion for shooting star wishes
are worth at least ten eyelash wishes
so i smile a colossal smile because i already know my wish
which is to be ready and willing to let go and be free
the day that anarchy once again meets utopia

christmas tree thru the roof!

greig howe created a fantastic illusion this year, by putting up a three-story tree in his two-story home!


apparently his son "wasnt impressed" with last years decorations, so greig wanted to make an unforgettable impression this year!

the skate park designer cut the huge tree into three pieces, then squeezed one into the ground floor, one upstairs, and one on the roof. very clever and good execution!

life of a star: 12 billion years in 6 min

mark hammonds at the supernova condensate blog created this excellent visual representation of the life cycle of a G-star star, like our sun! click the link to read his explanation of the video details and stellar evolution!



as an aside, everytime i see someone with g-star clothing, i cant help but giggle to myself.

awesome rocking chair

i found it on the internet without a reference, but i must have it! can anyone find this fabulous rocking chair on the grand interwebs?


UPDATE: thanks angie f. for leading me to discover that this "rocking wheel chair" was designed by mathias koehler. now i wish i could find a picture of someone sitting in it!

snowy holidays

continuing with the holiday spirit - here's a popular christmas song, especially for those of us living where winter is the season of christmas. i heard irving berlin's white christmas a few weeks ago performed by the halle orchestra and sung by tenor alfie boe. i'm not a huge fan of opera singing, but the words of the song felt so true to my situation this year, that i unexpectedly started crying, right there, alone in my seat at the royal concert hall! doesnt look likely that we'll have a white christmas in my part of the UK, but i'm still comforted by hearing the soothing bing crosby and marjorie reynolds sing this beautiful song!

space disco

get your fill of space news at the 82nd carnival of space at space disco. dave mosher summarized the carnival in this nice video!

something cool

one of my favorite xkcd comics is available as a big signed poster! awesome.

winter vegetables

the day after thanksgiving, i received a huge box of fruit and vegetables that i signed up for from eden farms. i was a little burnt out on cooking, so i took a few days off from food preparation to eat my thanksgiving leftovers, all the while mulling over what i would cook. my favorite of the series was a butternut squash and carrot stew with quinoa pilaf, which was pretty close to the recipe i found at in my box.



my favorite part of using a "veg box" is that i cook very fresh produce that represents what is just to the point of ripening in my part of the world as i eat it. the winter vegetables are hearty roots and thick-leaf deep green greens, and those are exactly what i'm in the mood to cook right now! i dont want salads, i want stews, and curries, and hefty meals that will keep me warm amid this chilly british rain! yum!

tchaikovsky's nutcracker suite

to get into the holiday spirit, listen to the brilliance of tchaikovsky's nutcracker suite, composed in 1891 and 92. here are videos of the piece performed by the berliner philharmoniker. the conductor, seiji ozawa, is also quite entertaining!



my favorite movement from the first part is the dance of the sugar plum fairies, starting around 3:40. and in the second video, dont miss the flower waltz, starting around 4:00, which includes an ethereal harp solo.

life's too short to drink bad coffee

Christoph Niemann tells the story of his lifelong relationship with coffee thru several brilliant illustrations and captions. here are my favorites, but you should check out the whole collection at NY times.

homemade thanksgiving - evidence

it was 100% worth all the effort! the surprising big hits were the cranberry sauce, which i had never made before, and the couscous stuffing, a long time favorite. both recipes are included below!













cranberry sauce

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (i used a bit less)
1 cup cranberries (fresh are better, frozen are fine)
optional, but tasty: sprinkle nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel, handful of sultanas (white-grape raisins)

clean cranberries. boil water. add sugar. mix to dissolve sugar. add cranberries. boil again. simmer 10 minutes, or until cranberries burst. add any combination of optional items... or dont.

the sauce will still be thin at this point, so cool thoroughly, then place in refrigerator to cool and increase viscosity. i left mine to chill overnight, then stirred it a couple times throughout the day before serving it cold.


couscous stuffing

2 cups veggie stock (or bird stock)
2 Tbl butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 cup couscous
1 cup any combination of dried apricots, cranberries, raisins, sultanas

boil stock. mix spices and couscous then add to stock. remove from heat, stir, cover, let sit for 5 minutes. stir in fruit. its yummy to eat alone, or use as a chicken or turkey stuffing! enjoy!

d'oh!

not a great way to start the morning...!


seen at cynical-c

bloomin' cactus!

i'm notoriously good at ending the blooming cycle of any plant that is supposed to flower. so i'm incredibly pleased that the office plant i inherited from the former user of this desk decided to flower this week!!

space art - an exhibition

in october of this year, there was a workshop held called "The Impact of Simulations in Cosmology and Galaxy Formation with associated exhibition: “Space Art” at Immaginario Scientifico. included in the exhibition are scientific simulations created by some of the leading theoretical astrophysicists in the world, interpreted as art for all to enjoy (finally)!


i think it remains unintutive, for the non-initiated, to imagine what it looks like when two galaxies collide, or what large-scale structure in the universe looks like. simulations created using the basic knowledge of gravitational interactions provide a lot of insight towards our understanding of structures in our universe, but they can also be incredibly beautiful on their own!

here is the trailer for the space art exhibition:



to view some more scientific (and gorgeous) movies of galaxy mergers, visit phil hopkins's old site at harvard. enjoy!

venus, jupiter, and the moon over los angeles

today's APOD shows a beautiful view of venus, jupiter, and the moon over los angeles, california.


i find this image beautiful and slightly disturbing! i've never been to LA or seen this view with my own eyes, but that is sooo.... much... city!! wow!

which came first....?

...the building or the road?


found by an englishman is osaka.

stupid clouds...

... blocked my view of venus, jupiter, and the moon last night. typical. oh well, i was able to see the planets approaching each other in the sky over the last week.

here's and nice image i found by mairead at pbase:

dear cincinnati zoo

dear cincinnati zoo and botanical garden,

while i maintain fond memories of walking thru your memorable animal habitats, listening to concerts by my musical favorites on your grounds, and walking around your lit up winter wonderland with my family, i will no longer visit your park if you insist on contradicting your own goals by associating with the creationist museum thru a joint-ticket program.

you have been a part of the public school system of cincinnati since 1975, which i think is wonderful. but i also think that with such involvement comes responsibility. you have the responsibility to educate and inform students and the community about the natural world - without any influence from religion of any kind (see: separation of church and state, introduced by thomas jefferson).

if you would like to collaborate with organizations in cincinnati in order to broaden your community outreach, why not contact the well-known cincinnati museum center, whose facilities you already use?!?!

collaborating with the creationist museum contradicts your own vision statement and promotes their false message about the natural ways of the universe. as stated succinctly by theoretical physicist lawrence m. krauss:

There are many and varied ways that modern science has confirmed the history of the Universe, the Solar System, the Earth, and Life on Earth. All of these methods, while independent, are in agreement and they ALL tell us that Life, the Earth, and the Universe are many orders of magnitude older than 6,000 years. There is no scientific room for errors of this many orders of magnitude. It would be like measuring the distance between New York and Los Angeles, and determining it was less than 1 inch. In order to agree with a Young Earth Creationist picture, essentially every facet of modern science - on which we base every aspect of modern technology, our vehicles, our society - would have to be completely incorrect, implying almost everything we base our modern lives on would not work as it does.

please reconsider your recently acquired collaboration, as i would very much enjoy attending your "fesitval of lights" program again one day. not only am i contacting you today, but i'm also writing to the cincinnati enquirer, and city beat magazine, in hopes of raising awareness of this important issue.

a concerned (former) cincinnatian,
amanda


UPDATE: the zoo canceled their partnership with the creationist museum :) as reported by the cincinnati enquirer.

december 2008 night sky

the night sky welcomes us to the month of december with an alignment of two very bright "stars" (the planets venus and jupiter) and the moon. on DECEMBER 1, look up to spot a small crescent moon right next to venus (the brighter planet) and jupiter!


the first day of winter (summer) in the northern (southern) hemisphere occurs on DECEMBER 21 at 7:00 EST with the solstice!

the ursid meteor shower occurs this month on DECEMBER 22. look towards the north (the direction that the spoon of the big dipper opens up to)...


jupiter continues its venture down along the ecliptic so that on DECEMBER 31, jupiter will be about a degree away from mercury in the night sky. enjoy!

carnival of space #81

enjoy some space reading at the carnival of space #81 - available now at tiny mantras (smooching infinity since 2005)!

ercolano, italy

mt. vesuvius erupted violently in the year 79 AD, quickly throwing several-meter-deep layers of volcanic ash over the city of pompeii, and pouring a 15 meter thick layer of lava on the city of ercolano (historically, called herculaneum).

mt. vesuvius sits on the bay of naples, viewed here from the city of naples:


while pompeii represents the internationally recognized buried city, the dug-out ruins at ercolano are more intimate, intact, and explorable!

this image shows the un-earthered city of herculaneum in the foreground, the 55,000-strong modern city of ercolano built on top, and the ominous volcano, mount vesuvius, looming in the distance.


since herculaneum has been completely excavated from the thick lava, you walk past impressive views down into the old city as you walk to the main entrance.






here you can see the diagonally placed, earthquake-resisting bricks, and the thin, horizontal roman-style bricks.


looks like some of these bricks were made with porous lava rock (?)


the counters of shops were covered with large marble mosaics.




actually, nearly every surface; floors, walls, and ceilings were covered in detailed stone mosaics or intricate paintings! it was amazing that so many survived and that i could walk right on top of some!










this was a fountain and/or pool to put your feet in with a huge window/sky light above it! there must have been a huge statue on top of the column. nice central room for a home!




the bathrooms were especially elaborate.


this intricate mosaic represents neptune and venus (aphrodite).


(see full-size image)

massage table with light pouring in from a hole that was once covered with stained glass.




columns, columns everywhere!






amazing to think that these beautiful artifacts were the homes of people over 2000 years ago!



see the full set of pictures at full size: here... enjoy!