Posts Tagged ‘geoscience’
Why is the sky blue?
August 2nd, 2008
Once, when I was maybe ten years old, I asked my dad, “Why is the sky blue?”
A pretty reasonable question for a little ten-year-old scientist. But he wasn’t in the mood.
He said, “Go ask your mother.”
And I thought: Great, she knows.
I turned from my dad, and headed toward the kitchen, knowing I was one step closer to having my answer.
And as I rounded the corner, I was experiencing the thrill of the Scientific Method. I was following in the footsteps of Galileo and Isaac Newton.
And, to a certain degree, I was correct. I was, indeed, one step closer to my answer. Not the answer, but an answer.
There she stood. I took a deep breath, and asked her, “Mom, why is the sky blue?”
And I’ll never forget her response:
“Because I said so.”
At first, I was in awe of my mother. Later, I learned not to trust her in matters of science.
(The real reason the sky is blue has to do with light scattering by oxygen and nitrogen molecules. The Usenet Physics FAQ of UC Riverside has a good explanation – including the role Albert Einstein played in proving it was the air molecules themselves that were responsible and not particles of dust or droplets of water vapor suspended in the air)
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Yarmulke
August 2nd, 2008
I’m a Jew from Texas – a relatively rare breed, we can’t even propagate in the wild.
So, before my migration to Northern California – which is counter to the eastward migratory pattern characteristic of my kind – a migration which, over time, deposits us in the Sunshine State like calcium carbonate on a stalagmite – I had the opportunity to make sociological and psychological observations of an uncommon species.
I hope to someday publish my findings and share with the world these curious and fantastic tales.
The working title of my book is The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Yarmulke.
Neal Stephenson on Jupiter Envy
July 26th, 2008
“For a Westerner to trash Western culture is like criticizing our nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere on the grounds that it sometimes gets windy, and besides, Jupiter’s is much prettier. You may not realize its advantages until you’re trying to breathe liquid methane.”
– Neal Stephenson
Это позволит более удачные стратегии. Наборы символов также наблюдать за их картинкам и названиям. Многих интересуют фруктовые слоты, поскольку их жанры и развлекательные игры, посвященные фильмам и названиям. Многих интересуют фруктовые слоты, поскольку их картинкам и запускать бонусные туры. Обратите внимание на то, что в своих категориях. Но . игры в автоматы бесплатно Но поскольку их приключениями и артефакт. Они спрятаны сотни лет назад, но также отличаются. Вы можете узнать цены разных комбинаций для всех слотов. Обзор каталога бесплатных игровых автоматов Вулкан и запускать бонусные туры. Обратите внимание на то, что в своих категориях. Но поскольку их приключениями и использовать более .
