2011.02 Wallpaper Desktop Calendar

A few years ago, near Rexville, an intrepid group of birders wandered up to the local grocery. In back, a fair amount of snow and bird seed brought out some rather fascinating individuals, among them this little cutie, a Varied Thrush.

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.

My Name, Mathematically?

Wow.  Long time no type.

Anyway, if you type this:
   caren park
into here:
   http://www.xamuel.com/inverse-graphing-calculator.php
you get:

((y-(1/2)x-2)^2+|x-2|+|x-4|-2)^2((y+(1/2)x-4)^2+|x-2|+|x-4|-2)^2(y-2x+8)^2(y+2x-16)^2
((y-3)^2+|x-(11/2)|+|x-(13/2)|-1)^2(x-8)^2((y+(1/4)x-6)^2+|x-8|+|x-10|-2)^2((y-(1/8)x-(9/4))^2+|x-8|+|x-10|-2)^2
((y+(5/8)x-(33/4))^2+|x-8|+|x-10|-2)^2(x-11)^2((y-2)^2+|x-11|+|x-13|-2)^2((y-3)^2+|x-11|+|x-12|-1)^2
((y-4)^2+|x-11|+|x-13|-2)^2(x-14)^2(y+x-18)^2(x-16)^2(x-19)^2((y+(1/4)x-(35/4))^2+|x-19|+|x-21|-2)^2
((y-(1/8)x-(7/8))^2+|x-19|+|x-21|-2)^2(y-2x+42)^2(y+2x-50)^2((y-3)^2+|x-(45/2)|+|x-(47/2)|-1)^2(x-25)^2
((y+(1/4)x-(41/4))^2+|x-25|+|x-27|-2)^2((y-(1/8)x-(1/8))^2+|x-25|+|x-27|-2)^2((y+(5/8)x-(151/8))^2+|x-25|+|x-27|-2)^2(x-28)^2
((y-(1/2)x+11)^2+|x-28|+|x-30|-2)^2((y+(1/2)x-17)^2+|x-28|+|x-30|-2)^2+(y^2-6y+8+sqrt(y^4-12y^3+52y^2-96y+64))^2=0

which spells my name on their graphing calculator.

Huh.  :)

Asteroid Animation

An interesting animation detailing the trajectory of 2010-AL30, a very small asteroid recently discovered that will come pretty close to the Earth sometime Wednesday...  The quote from one of the scientists:  “I don’t worry about those that we keep up with…. I am more concerned about the ones we never see coming.”

http://www.dangl.at/2010/2010_al30/2010_al30.avi

Chirp == Schroedinger's Cat?

Of the many quotations I have regarding felines, this one seemed the most appropriate for the photo in question :)

Martin Gardner, 95

Another high-value birth anniversary today: Martin Gardner, who introduced me to mathematics through Scientific American lo these many decades ago, turns 95 today...

A Cambridge interview is here, and a CSICOP interview

Have a happy, Martin, and many more!

Autumn. Already?

For the first time in not long enough, sunshine is funneling directly through my office window, within days of making use of my office desktop difficult...

While I love the season, it's also a bit disheartening.  As the sun's position progresses through the seasons, eventually the shades must come down, causing me to lose my beautiful view for hours each day.

Bach on a Möbius Strip

I've always loved Bach.  Though I believe Mozart was the more natural genius, here is an example of Bach's incredible talent...

Wireless Electricity

A fascinating technology that appears to be possible today.  At least one source believes this will be a normal delivery system within 20 years, possibly even 10...

This Week, 9 Months Earlier

Not sure what to make of this, so I'll just put it out there:

From 01 July to 25 July, my friends and family have one birth anniversary.
From 02 August to 31 August, there are two.

During the week of 26 July to 01 August, there are six.

I've never thought of the Halloween holiday as a time for fecund sex, but the data point seems obvious...

Bonne Grande Fête, Madame Simone. Happy Birth Anniversary Roger, Heather, Sandy, Spike, and Riley! :)

Vote for the Kennedy of Your Choice

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2009/06/the_gift_of_an_adventure_of_a.php

The lady in question here needs votes. Tons of votes. Votes to help her get to Antarctica in the near future as a professional blogger/scientist. She has the credentials; She has the chutzpah; She has the luggage AND the blonde hair.

Do it for her. Do it for me. Do it because you know in your heart it's the right thing to do. Do it because. :)

National Center for Biotechnology Information knows FUNNY

From a reputable science magazine, one of the strangest things I've seen in a while.

Not sure why I was thinking of a 1970s TV ad: "I can't believe I ate the WHOLE thing."

:)

2009.07 Desktop Calendar

The Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle hosted for a number of summer seasons an exhibit called "Butterflies in Bloom."

It was a marvelous and inexpensive way to see and admire all sorts of butterflies that aren't normally found in close proximity to each other, and photograph them for posterity.

Here, we have a Queen Butterfly drinking nectar from a purple flower (that I couldn't name if my life depended on it). I love the colours, the composition, and the fact said butterfly wasn't in a hurry to be somewhere else. [LATER: I've been informed it is an African Daisy.]

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.

2006: Tour l'Argoat

22 June

Along the way, I occasionally stop into Tourist Information offices, and they are even occasionally open. Well, somewhere along the way, I acquired the "Côtes d'Armor (Bretagne) Carte Touristique 2005" tourist map. While the map itself isn't terribly useful (indeed, I have yet to encounter one that does justice to rural Bretagne, period), there are several "tours" located within that are designed to give you the flavour of a particular bit.

And so it was that "Tour l'Argoat" was the plan I would follow for the next few days. While the tour says "Start in Guingamp", I changed things a bit, leaving out the first five or six local towns already visited frequently. So, without further adieu, welcome to Louargat.

The Menhir de Pergat and its current "purpose" have been dated to 5000 BC, and is one huge block of granite, approximately 7.6 metres in height. You can find this stone just north of town and, considering other locations that would be chased over the next few days, remarkably-well marked by directional signs. The menhir can be reached by a footpath that will take you approximately 200 metres from the closest road, and it will continue for another 1.5 kilometres to the eastern edge of town.

Eglise Saint-Eloi is not located in Louargat, but several miles north in the tiny village of St Eloi. (Don't worry. You get used to directional road signs, maps, and tour descriptions that lie. It's easier that way.) It has been a parish church only since 1874, a relatively-short period of time in Europe. Even so, it is beautiful, and situated on the village square opposite the memorials dedicated to those from the town who died in each of the World Wars.

The main church in Louargat is Eglise Notre-Dame des Neiges, "Our Lady of the Snows Church." The original building was constructed in the 15th century, but only the tower today is still intact after a fire in 1832.

Just down the road to the west is what small churches should be. Chapelle de Locmaria can be easily found on the north-eastern boundary of Belle-Isle-en-Terre. It was built in the 15th century, and was originally known as Notre-Dame de Pendréo, or Our Lady of the Whooping Cough. People would make a pilgrimage here to pray to the Virgin Mary for the health of those afflicted. The exterior has a wonderful grace and elegance to it, and the interior, muted and uncluttered, feels lived-in.

While wandering the grounds, I met several young women from the Isle of Jersey, and between us we explored much of this fascinating place. There is a turret on the west of the tower you can climb if you aren't terribly claustrophobic OR thick-footed. In my experiences in Europe, the church/castle turret stairway seems standard for the period, where the width of each step varies from nothing at the centre column to perhaps six inches on the outside edge, and each upward step rises from the lower by much more. Compounding this problem is that the stone has been worn in spots due to traffic. This makes going up feel less harrowing than going down.

I've often wondered whether the size of each step was "not a problem" as people of 400 years ago were much smaller, or if this was done for budget reasons, and safety just wasn't part of the equation. Oh, and the view from the top of the turret is not too bad...

Not far away in the town of Belle-Isle-en-Terre is the Eglise Saint-Jacques. Not sure how, but I managed to smooth-talk myself inside as it was closing for the evening; unfortunately my interior photos do not do it justice.

My next stop was within the town of Plounévez-Moëdec... Well, it was supposed to be. After trusting the map twice, I then asked for directions from four different people at both ends of a four-mile stretch of roadway, and each said I wanted to be where the previous person was. Literally. So, while the Menhirs de Keranscot were apparently famous enough for all to recognize, they could not be found, even with personal directions. The maps and tour descriptions were useless beyond stating they were here somewhere. Quite frustrating, and the first time that even face-to-face interactions with the locals could not trusted.

So, the Fiat Punto turned south to what was described as "...the picturesque village of Loc-Envel...", and the tour description gets it right. There are subtle similarities between Loc-Envel and Tuscany hill towns, and beyond the occasional anachronism of satellite dishes and cars, the village probably looks and sounds much as it had in previous centuries... As I arrive, it is early evening and two locals on horseback were following the road with two hunting dogs in tow... As they reached the peak of the road on the hillside, they meet with a friend to converse and rest the horses... Another villager was performing maintenance on her vegetable garden.

And overlooking this pastoral scene was the small chapel,no name given by road signage or plaque on chapel wall. It appears to be in the throes of repair, and its interior, described as charming, with rood screens, carved beams, and an old vaulted ceiling, could not be explored.

The numerous unusual, frayed, and eroded gargoyles on the outside guarded the secrets within its walls well...

My last stop of the day was Ménez Bré, an old friend. This tallest hilltop in the area has been regarded as sacred for a very long time, and with beautiful weather you really can see for miles in each direction.

The chapel on the mount is named for Saint-Hervé, and it can be visited inside during summer months on Sunday afternoons...

Breaking Up is so Hard to Do

The first minute and 20 are the funniest, and OH so true... Philip just doesn't listen!

JBP, Friday PM

Before appearing at JBP, I made a quick stop at Bellevue Botanical Garden, found this lovely little flower near the western trail, just off the grassy knoll next to the gift centre. If anyone knows what it is, I'd appreciate knowing. There were no markers at the flower itself.















JBP Highlight: one male Blue-winged Teal sleeping (mostly) with several Gadwalls. At least one person says he's been in the inner cove for the past few days, so it's a good bet he won't be around too much longer. No useful photo (beyond an ID shot), as he decided he wanted to be on the other side of the cove the entire afternoon.
Lots of Red-winged Blackbirds bouncing off everything in sight, including passing crows, several Great Blue Herons, and a person or two. RWBB chicks chirping on at least one nest, females sitting eggs on a few dozen others... Swallow porn still occurring, but there's at least one Tree Swallow couple on eggs.















At the Warbler Willows, a Red-breasted Sapsucker enjoyed banging on both almost-dead willows (middle boardwalk, first bend). Lots of tasty birch and aspen around, and he's choosing dead wood. Go figure :)

























There's a Canada Goose nest in the inner cove about 15 feet from the former beaver lodge. Starlings still on nest in former(?) Red-breasted Sapsucker hole, end of western boardwalk.

Some of the Barn Swallows are incredible combinations of oranges and reds.












To prove no BARS were harmed during the taking of this photograph:















Across the cove, there's a line of logs against the far shoreline. On those logs, approximately 40-50 turtles, queued as if waiting for the new Harry Potter film.














Five Mallard chicks started out across the cove, from the middle boardwalk to the western end; no adult in sight. 15 minutes later, four chicks returned. As they reached the middle's end, they split into two pairs, and I lost sight of them. I'm going to guess we'll not have these guys around too much longer.

Just as I was leaving, two wood duck females flew through...

Electric Food

Originally uploaded by oskay

I have to say, this is one of the most unusual and fascinating ideas since candy sushi: Circuitry made with sugar products.

Truly ingenious, if time-intensive :)

Tips and Tricks

Gotta love GeeksAreSexy!:


Absolutely handy to know, even if you aren't among my time traveler friends :)

Monsoon Season Early

Supposedly, spring occurred around 04:44 this morning, the 20th of March.

This afternoon, not quite 12 hours later, we had hail and, for about 10 minutes, quite torrential rain and some decent winds.

The image on the right here details speeds in the neighbourhood of 47 knots, enough to make too many of the trees outside my picture window bow in unison at alarming angles (by guess, 20-25 degrees from vertical). Colours for rain in the image run from light greens (light drizzle, perhaps enough to require a windshield wiper every minute or so), through yellows to oranges, reds, and finally purple (if you haven't finished your Ark by now, it's too late). It's very unusual for us to venture into orange, and yet radar is showing a pretty stark line of reds.

I'm impressed. This is Seattle, folks. It doesn't rain here, it leaks. Here it is, less than 20 minutes later, and there is a bit of sunshine and blue skies to my south.

Spring is indeed here. Hail Equinox!

Whitewall

It's been a few years since I've thought of him.

Whitewall: a leucistic male Red-winged Blackbird. He owned the Juanita Bay Park middle boardwalk marsh for a number of springs and summers, protecting his territory from all comers real and imagined.

Turns out he was internationally-known as well. People came from all over to see this little cutie scream his call, and flit from cattail to cattail. Frequently, he would land at velocity, and the cattail (with him riding it) would bow to 15-20 degrees from vertical before eventually reasserting its proper point-to-the-sky posture.

Whitewall's fourth (and unfortunately last) full year at the park started poorly. His presence was noted and photographed for a day or two, then wasn't seen again for almost two months. When he did re-appear, he was missing some tail feathers, but seemed unaffected otherwise. The easy money said he'd survived an encounter with someone who thought he was lunch.

I can't recall, but I don't believe he showed up for his fifth year. If he did, he was not seen for long.

Occasionally, the rangers of the park will hear about a second leucistic Red-winged Blackbird, but to the best of my knowledge Whitewall was one-of-a-kind. We believe he was responsible for a fair number of RWBBs over the years, but none we could positively point to as his, with the characteristic white bum.

I Remember When...

... I had to walk to school in snow three feet high!


KRON, San Francisco, 1981

How our lives have changed over the past 30 years. back then, those 300-baud modems (and the computers to connect them) were incredibly high-tech and not cheap. I remember telling people that even the cheap computers i was selling back then (the Apples, the Ataris, the Commodores) were more powerful than anything the US government had perhaps 15 years before. Hard drives and Random-Access Memory were very expensive options. Not quite a year before this video was taken, the DEC Micro-Nova system in the back of our store came with 10 total megabytes of disk storage (5 fixed, 5 removable), and 64k per user in memory: sticker price was $25,000.

Interesting to note:

• we have devices many orders of magnitude greater than those capabilities in devices smaller than thumbnails given away as toys today.

• the same newspapers experimenting with such tech back then haven't been able to monetize their experimentation; many are dying or dead.

• my regular morning wake-up to the world starts by reading bits from 15-20 newspapers (and occasionally TV from the BBC) scattered around the globe, from Seattle to New York to London / Paris to Tokyo, complete with text, photos, and (increasingly) real-time video.

All hail Moore's Law.