17th December 2021

My new red, flooding strobe

The current public healt strategy seems to be based on the use of a ratchet strap. Today, the rules went one click further towards a required and eventual lock down. And, like many others, I want to know. What is the goal? We all know that the greatest risk is from travel to/from other jurisdictions. Why not lock the door to our island castle? Pull up the proverbial drawbridge. Every additional case brings risks that far exceed the “cost to doing business”. Can we get a good winter storm, and pull the plows for a bit? I’ve been going with a “careful” plan for over two years, while the idiots continue to undo efforts. It’s not just here; this is nation wide. And it’s getting a little old as a game.

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posted in science | Comments Off on My new red, flooding strobe | 259 words

16th November 2021

Whose plan?

Every year, the same reacion: Look, that might be snow! It won’t stay just yet, but it brings all of the other items on the to do list into focus. Find your boots and mitts. Plaan to shift the tires. Find the scraper. Get timcets to a southern location (that one doesn’t happen in our family, but it could be a plan).

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posted in science | Comments Off on Whose plan? | 269 words

14th October 2021

Is that a rare rock (on your pillow)?

Probably there is a list of things that go bang in the night. The dog, stumbling around. A peal of thunder. A rock coming through the ceiling and landing on your pillow. The last one is a real event; happened in BC earlier this week. We have photos, thanks to the media.

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posted in science | Comments Off on Is that a rare rock (on your pillow)? | 277 words

2nd October 2021

Better masks? Maybe

If I take advice from Scientific American, my masks are insufficient. Inefficient. Inexpensive, actually. We’re not done with facewear just yet, and so the need

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posted in environment, science | Comments Off on Better masks? Maybe | 266 words

14th April 2021

Back when toys were dangerous

I must be really old, because I once owned a chemistry set. Turns out, with evolving safety measures, this stopped being a toy of choice for curious boys around the time that we were putting people on the moon. Coincidence?

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posted in history, science | Comments Off on Back when toys were dangerous | 277 words

7th April 2021

Applied science

This morning, we turned our home into a tiny laboratory, to perform some applied science experiments. The new “juice box”, received yesterday, needed to be tested for its intended purposes. For example, could we use it to evaporate excess water from scalp hair? Yes. How about, extract essential oils from crushed seeds, to prepare an essential beverage (brewing coffee)? Again, yes. And finally, would we be able to prepare simple menu items, such as grilled cheese sandwiches? On all tests, success. Two thumbs up. Now we just need the green light for some camping/glamping. I will delay any other tests, such as recharging the “juice box” using solar panels until we actually acquire some.

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posted in science, travel | Comments Off on Applied science | 263 words

14th December 2020

First question for my next math test

On the next math exam, expect the following question:

“If a container of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats weighing 900 grams falls 1 meter (due to gravity), onto a solid surface, how much of a mess will it make? Assume that the container has a lid, albeit poorly fitting.”

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posted in politics, science | Comments Off on First question for my next math test | 258 words

7th July 2020

My return to retail

In a play on a song from my childhood, I learned that there was “No Mulch Today”Every couple of seasons, the flower beds require a facelift, and bags filled with mulch are an acceptable material. And so, off I went to shop. Didn’t find any (in the usual places), but I did have the chance to see how local retail has responded to the pandemic

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posted in economy, science | Comments Off on My return to retail | 275 words

25th February 2020

Bread and (m)ore

While reading history (fact or fiction, combined), I have often taken note of the diet. Specifically, the ration of bread, which seemed to satisfy soldier and criminal alike.  Did it really? Satisfy, I mean. Today, I tried my own test, relying on that last batch of bread for a full pair of meals. Now, the quality is surely part of the equation; they would have killed for something as “light and white and tasty”. I’ll know better, several hours hence, but for the moment I’m satiated. For those of you who exclaim “But it’s not a balanced diet”, I disagree. Grains, dairy, that egg I threw into the machine just for the fun of it; all came together in a manner that makes me want to repeat the plan before I forget my details.

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posted in food, science | Comments Off on Bread and (m)ore | 305 words

10th April 2019

No longer invisible

If current trends continue, I will have to go back to school. My education is filling up with knowledge gaps, as improbable as that idea might seem. Most recently, that photo of a black hole.

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posted in education, science | Comments Off on No longer invisible | 253 words

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