tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55219198457061659802023-11-16T08:53:46.625-08:00Science in FictionAddressing the science in books, movies, and on T.V.J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-6268847369165589672011-05-04T16:51:00.001-07:002011-05-04T16:51:53.661-07:00Woot! Done with school!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqpoh18K5bWV2W59b_o507l_Evm2o1l0MI-ABeg1zYS4VvjZsqx0hs31q9-b6OlXM-eY4TyUzpnnTPatJR_NEdXY_mhafM-skJiPAZMhqnVNuTYpmcEjmxUc6rELMqt9wvWHLUgZmCjwa/s1600/schools_out_4_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqpoh18K5bWV2W59b_o507l_Evm2o1l0MI-ABeg1zYS4VvjZsqx0hs31q9-b6OlXM-eY4TyUzpnnTPatJR_NEdXY_mhafM-skJiPAZMhqnVNuTYpmcEjmxUc6rELMqt9wvWHLUgZmCjwa/s200/schools_out_4_web.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">popunie.nl</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">As I mentioned in the very beginning of this blog, this blog is done as a requirement for my communicating science class. And, as I'm not an avid participator, more of a lurker, of the online community, any of them, I am not continuing the blog.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm graduating and as such I want to enjoy doing nothing. I can't remember what that feels like and look forward to growing bored of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Good luck to my readers!</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-55966826140935494462011-05-04T16:51:00.000-07:002011-05-04T16:54:38.982-07:00Blog Evaluation the Third<div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGv2aQqqwxVzP8P7VMPJFsFZ-ifMMBc7up2KeImdhBAoep_6i8H9aTL0jDGlLTrCvQ5u23ofnM6SQhyphenhypheneHUt9L7mv2A7ikN3apZOtNqAoAN8MED_8fzYBgs-FwZjV-7f5tpzn-wI2pMy-7/s1600/self_description.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGv2aQqqwxVzP8P7VMPJFsFZ-ifMMBc7up2KeImdhBAoep_6i8H9aTL0jDGlLTrCvQ5u23ofnM6SQhyphenhypheneHUt9L7mv2A7ikN3apZOtNqAoAN8MED_8fzYBgs-FwZjV-7f5tpzn-wI2pMy-7/s640/self_description.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">xkcd.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Blog Format and Design (A)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think my blog continues to be simple and easy to read. The background is still not overwhelming or distracting from the content, though feminine. The link colors are different enough from the regular font to be highly visible. I make use of font syles to give emphasis while still being easy to read. I believe that the layout is simple and makes it easy to navigate my blog. My posts are being categorized with labels to make it easy to search for only one type of media. I keep my paragraphs small for ease of skimming.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Posts (B)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since quantity is being taken into concern, I have made my posts shorter but more numerous. And I have done more than the required amount this cycle. I continue to make sure to embed videos when possible. I include images to clarify topics or jazz up the post. I am cycling through different forms of media in order to engage a variety of people. My posts remain on topic, or at least cycle back around to topic. I found other blogs and articles to relate to my posts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Commenting on my blog (B)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I make sure to read comments on my posts often and try to respond to them in a timely fashion. I've had lost interest in my blog, and I accidentally deleted my comments not that long ago. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Commenting on other blogs (A)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Though I am reading a lot of posts, I am not commenting on each one. I don't like my comments to be compliments. So I only really comment when I have a question or something, that I feel, contributes to the topic at hand. I still think that this adds up to an ample amount, though.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Engaging with blogs/publications of similar topic (A)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have been searching around to find other blogs and articles that relate to my blog and have found quite a bit and have utilized them for my posts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>I give myself a B+ overall.</b></div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-36962177328834887372011-05-04T16:50:00.000-07:002011-05-04T16:55:43.922-07:00What an Odd Couple<div style="text-align: justify;">Not that long ago, I was taking to one of my friends on how my fiance and I want to make a secret room in a house and tell no one about it, even our kids. That I want to see how long it takes them to notice there is something off about the house. And my friend said we were really odd, and he laughed about us planning experiments on our children long before we even have them. All I have to say is that I am getting too good of ideas from television these days.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/xGWvCAo4wG8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And pretty much any prank between Jim and Dwight, that NBC wont allow me to find a clip of.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://meralyn.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/3626808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://meralyn.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/3626808.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-77934211941688567352011-05-04T16:00:00.000-07:002011-05-04T16:00:50.329-07:00Is Lie to Me Lying to You?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jXytQOkNaq4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, I absolutely adore this show. But, how true to life is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lie_to_Me">Lie to Me</a>? I recently read an article from Popular Mechanics, of all places, on the science behind the show. It really is interesting what you can find on the internet when you're bored.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">The main character, Cal Lightman, is based off of an actual person who has done research for many years on facial expressions. This person is <a href="http://www.paulekman.com/">Dr. Paul Ekman</a> and he has assisted people on expressions from the DoD to Pixar. His research has been on how people, no matter ethnicity or origin, exhibit expressions that portray their actual intentions. And also, as the show is called, lying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, it's only natural that Dr. Ekman is an advisor for the show. And he claims that the show is 90% accurate, according to the article. He even has a <a href="http://www.paulekman.com/newsletter/pauls-blog/season-3-episode-1-in-the-red/">Lie to Me blog</a> where he goes through each episode; it's a lot like the House blog I wrote about earlier.<br />
<br />
I highly recommend checking out the show and Dr, Ekman's site.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-36633428728686332902011-05-04T14:35:00.000-07:002011-05-04T14:35:01.482-07:00First of May, First of May<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSsTedvEkaDb35GH2Ax-lCwtDy25WpvddmB_XFaxnHDRoPkqbezBT3Fg7c-t7u_1rxuxOoSoKZIKjQa6_zDb6gj6JsFug_HseWxybLAvs8MmeBdKQXoL8Xw8Dto_rOdImiFHtowTwP8cp/s1600/whatsupdoc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSsTedvEkaDb35GH2Ax-lCwtDy25WpvddmB_XFaxnHDRoPkqbezBT3Fg7c-t7u_1rxuxOoSoKZIKjQa6_zDb6gj6JsFug_HseWxybLAvs8MmeBdKQXoL8Xw8Dto_rOdImiFHtowTwP8cp/s320/whatsupdoc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.roadsideoregon.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Well, it's not the first of May, but that song is too catchy to not think of when I think of May. I decided on a floral theme, because April showers, that were nonexistent, bring May flowers, through the acts of planting them.J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-41798195281875974402011-05-04T14:22:00.000-07:002011-05-04T14:22:33.890-07:00Science of Doctor Who? What Science?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev6ZdvtJz3dx_DC45a1xOGjlTO9uNmZtPMSXSbokOnJzHevinwVh-ODldahsVnoN9HLMu0y0Rg40JTL3bkjGiPd0DveP_WiLPiOD2C4Ent03yIaosnXFl8UKlr9bMEbQwsrNQnMPefUTc/s1600/whatsupdoc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgev6ZdvtJz3dx_DC45a1xOGjlTO9uNmZtPMSXSbokOnJzHevinwVh-ODldahsVnoN9HLMu0y0Rg40JTL3bkjGiPd0DveP_WiLPiOD2C4Ent03yIaosnXFl8UKlr9bMEbQwsrNQnMPefUTc/s320/whatsupdoc.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tvscoop.tv</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Some people are of the belief that all fiction needs to portray factual science. I'm in agreement with Doctor Who, to the right; "Eh?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I do have this blog to explain science in works of fiction. But there are times, and all of Doctor Who are those times, that you ignore science and enjoy yourself. That's why I have been staying away from shows like this and Star Trek. Even my post on the shrink ray from Despicable Me was as a "what if," a "how <i>could</i> this be possible."</div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Quite honestly, nothing in the show makes sense. It's just fun. So, when I came across <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/7681937/Doctor-Whos-science-is-pixel-thin-says-Terry-Pratchett.html" target="_blank">this article</a>, I couldn't help but chuckle.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For those of you who don't want to read it the headline reads "Doctor Who's sc<span style="font-family: inherit;">ience is 'pixel thin' says Terry Pratchett," to give you an idea of where the article is headed. Pratchett has issues with how the Doctor solves mysteries. He claims that the doctor just all of a sudden knows the answer, or knew it before and didn't say anything. He said, "</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Doctor Who</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> replaces this with speed, fast talking and what appears to be that wonderful element 'makeitupasyougalongeum.'" </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even though Pratchett has issues with how the show is done, he is like me in realizing that it's about having fun. He even stated that he'll continue to watch it, since he finds it to be "</span>very very entertaining, with its heart in the right place, even if its head is often in orbit around Jupiter."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, people, when something is fun go with it. Even in Angels & Demons, when I cringed with revulsion at how the antimatter was portrayed, I still enjoyed the story. Because that's what it is, a story.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-46375358434160225902011-05-04T13:47:00.000-07:002011-05-04T14:23:14.819-07:00You Don't Worry About Velociraptors Attacking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/w5nO7rf0vzM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ever have nightmares from this? Exhibit paranoid behavior around paleontologists? Worry about how far genetic research will come?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thankfully, the <a href="http://www.sdnhm.org/research/paleontology/jp_qanda.html" target="_blank">San Diego Natural History Museum</a> (SDNHM) has put to rest any worries about velociraptors being born in my time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">SDNHM informs us that it is unlikely that dinosaurs can be recreated using blood captured from an insect solidified in amber because DNA deteriorates over time. And that even if an insect were to be found with perfectly preserved DNA, the blood of the dinosaurs would have to be separated from the dinosaurs, and that this is a very difficult process.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, rest easy my friends! And don't be plagued by nightmares of these horrendous beasts.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnDrOqSdVi1n19QdXdBSG9czwxFOuAUKTW6r1c7AM_VP0qcnABnvAJRYlhwYf20-zbjljmfk2UoUPFa9j5OLqhoGCWLSWpyOq76GzUEQaKQ2_Q50bUFdwepKcFLTgF_RXz8loy-pZlxPy/s1600/raptor_square_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnDrOqSdVi1n19QdXdBSG9czwxFOuAUKTW6r1c7AM_VP0qcnABnvAJRYlhwYf20-zbjljmfk2UoUPFa9j5OLqhoGCWLSWpyOq76GzUEQaKQ2_Q50bUFdwepKcFLTgF_RXz8loy-pZlxPy/s1600/raptor_square_1.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">xkcd.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-68868461811504202522011-05-04T13:24:00.000-07:002011-05-04T13:48:56.478-07:00Angels & Demons & Biometrics<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://strangeherring.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/angels_and_demons_ver6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://strangeherring.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/angels_and_demons_ver6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">strangeherring.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">As some of you may have already read on <a href="http://scanmein.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Carlos' blog</a>. We teamed up to do a joint post relating biometrics and fiction. I recommend reading his <a href="http://scanmein.blogspot.com/2011/05/angels-demons.html" target="_blank">original post</a>, as I'll only highlight over it. Carlos is more the expert here than I.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the book and movie, the main chick's dad, Vetra, get's offed and his eye is stolen to be used on a retinal scanner to gain access to a high security area. The is that this can't be done. First, retinas just don't work the same once the tissue is no longer living. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Carlos gives a beautiful explanation of why:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Consider the retinas a thin piece of tissue paper lining the surface of a sink full of water. When</div><div style="text-align: justify;">the water is moved the retina would detach and thus ruin it for scanning. In a younger person</div><div style="text-align: justify;">the sink would be full of a material with a consistency closer to jello. However in the book it</div><div style="text-align: justify;">mentions that Vetra is elderly and thus his retina would be very fragile."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also, as Carlos has mentioned on his blog, retinal scanners work by the person being scanned having to focus on a certain point. So, if the eye is dead, the muscles are dead so there is no way that it can focus. In fact, the pupils will dilate. Additionally, if you wait too long after death the eyes will start to cloud over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many thanks to Carlos for his work here!!</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-54335604964763547952011-05-04T12:49:00.000-07:002011-05-04T14:26:03.504-07:00You'll never believe what happened...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGreJy2kgT_OZbp5-Rcg3GJcGZIGyvzRFrSmlEhVlGJoSmNqhOM8RP2N6S3TcJBQldwSP9GMiEfRz_mHK-UDoUsBesRf3Jxu3hg9QyrEL6ii2PirNjTMdWgzA-l6LvkjOSczIzS5gB4u_/s1600/I%2527m+sorry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGreJy2kgT_OZbp5-Rcg3GJcGZIGyvzRFrSmlEhVlGJoSmNqhOM8RP2N6S3TcJBQldwSP9GMiEfRz_mHK-UDoUsBesRf3Jxu3hg9QyrEL6ii2PirNjTMdWgzA-l6LvkjOSczIzS5gB4u_/s320/I%2527m+sorry.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ichacorner.blogspot.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Sorry, for not posting in a while. My life became really busy as of late. I have some back posts that I was working on, that I'll publish momentarily.<br />
<br />
I'll give you a little anecdote as example of how my life has been going. An example of how the universe hates me:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">For my history of science class I needed to write a 10 page paper. I decided on my topic early, ordered all the books I would need to research and write it, and thought I was all set to go. Then, as I was trying to write the paper for the first time, my AC adapter died. And I lost my paper because I like to write in one go, and I hadn't saved my paper along the way. Also, I have an older laptop and can't readily acquire a new adapter. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, so I email the professor let him know what's happened, that I have to rewrite it all over again. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let me side step here to explain that I am an <i>incredibly</i> slow writer/typist. It probably takes me 2 hours at minimum to get out a page, double spaced. I'm such a perfectionist when I write, that I can't move forward until I like what I have already written. It makes for slow progress.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, back on topic, I rewrite it in the middle of studying for a test and finishing up for the final presentation for my senior design project. I get the paper done, email it to myself and set out to get to school to print a copy to turn in—I don't have a working printer at home. Then, my car wont start. So, back up to the apartment to email a copy to the professor, and explain the situation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then, after much persistence and a bum elbow, I get my car to start and get to school. I found a computer and pulled up my email, only to find that the document file is corrupted and just shows a bunch of symbols. I fell into despair and my fiance attempted to make me feel better with "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure we will go home and the file will be okay there. I've had files corrupt in email before, but the original is fine."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, I cheered up and enjoyed a boring evening with free food at the Mines Alumni dinner for graduating seniors. The next day I checked the file, and it really was corrupted on the computer. <i></i>So, I had to write it again. My fiance turned to me at this point and offered to type it for me because I'm so slow. So, I dictated some of my paper for him—it took about an hour, but must have saved me 5. From there, I figured I would just wake up early and fill in with explanations and quotes to get the 10 pages.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I woke up, started up the computer, to find that Winblows wont start. Luckily, my fiance dual boots, and as such has Linux too—which is working, thankfully. And I could still access my file from the Windows partition. I finished up my paper, and my fiance came home as I was emailing the file to myself to print. He advised me to check to make sure the file would open.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, I first saved it as .docx; that file wouldn't show the images when opened. Next I saved it as a .odt; that had the images in the correct spots and displayed, but, for some reason, were also in the top left corner. So, finally, I saved it as .doc, and it worked!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I went to school and turned it in! I took my fiance along to help explain the situation. Because, seriously, would you believe this story if you were a teacher? The professor, took it and seemed fine, but I still don't think he believes me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope you enjoyed my tale, and gained a little understanding on why I have been busy.</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-7095091030617779392011-04-18T14:22:00.000-07:002011-05-04T13:57:19.190-07:00Clowns & Scientists<div style="text-align: center;">*WARNING STRONG LANGUAGE!*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/_-agl0pOQfs/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_-agl0pOQfs&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_-agl0pOQfs&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><br />
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My fiancé's brother suggested this video to me for my blog. And while I don't condone the language in the video, I wish to address a section of the video. Feel free to skip ahead to 1:52 min, because those are the lines that pertain to my point. Here's the lyrics:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">F***ing magnets, how do they work?<br />
And I don't wanna talk to a scientist.<br />
Y'all motherf***ers lying, and getting me pissed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, so, ICP has trust issues with scientists. I will offer an alternative person to answer how magnets work in the next post.<br />
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<b>[Edit] Stop motion videos take longer, and more effort than I realized. Will post my response when I have more time.</b></div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-28217939842650200222011-04-14T14:24:00.000-07:002011-05-04T12:50:02.412-07:00So, I feel stupid...I think I somehow deleted all the comments on my blog because they're not there anymore. So, if you had a comment or question that I did not answer yet, please post again and I will respond promptly. Sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused.J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-56053585379731211952011-04-11T18:45:00.000-07:002011-04-11T19:29:20.949-07:00Can You Give Thoughts or Memories?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mGv2Nz1uLCVT5gbzoceLZqypCBpiPqsqhNHzefogXJVceWk9rjqIH5QxW0JZspR3zVx3Ixrc3QHDDvDWWy3uBHxh2lS-vbB9yjw32gSm136i5JY5MlNUsa54jmLTNqyZx7djEWxqFW5A/s1600/telepathy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mGv2Nz1uLCVT5gbzoceLZqypCBpiPqsqhNHzefogXJVceWk9rjqIH5QxW0JZspR3zVx3Ixrc3QHDDvDWWy3uBHxh2lS-vbB9yjw32gSm136i5JY5MlNUsa54jmLTNqyZx7djEWxqFW5A/s1600/telepathy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.onlineweblibrary.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>About a month ago, my fiancé and I were driving down 93. Out of the blue, I thought about <a href="http://www.spyderco.com/" target="_blank">Spiderco</a> and made a comment to him about how I thought it was impressive that such a good company started in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden,_Colorado" target="_blank">Golden</a>. Turns out he was thinking <i>just </i>that; and he was thinking about it because we were driving right by it then. I had no idea that Spiderco was there—I was looking out the opposite window a the time—and I don't know what made me think about it.<br />
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This wasn't the first time I'd made a comment about what my fiancé was thinking. We even joke that I can read his mind sometimes. But can thoughts or memories be transferred from one person to another? I've often pondered about telepathy since I read <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giver">The Giver</a> by Lois Lowry in 6th grade.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinM8UzSEudRakg-fctuo5w-o98Ztt_XWavl8_8LuaBsxzamPrCWGnKsCMbGXL6Ww8YMpO0Mjkjd2oDcu1lRosk3lRpJEyrrFu5CDcp6fmAXSf30qR5USrjvc131NEal5B7dw8J4QCwdyyH/s1600/lgiver.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinM8UzSEudRakg-fctuo5w-o98Ztt_XWavl8_8LuaBsxzamPrCWGnKsCMbGXL6Ww8YMpO0Mjkjd2oDcu1lRosk3lRpJEyrrFu5CDcp6fmAXSf30qR5USrjvc131NEal5B7dw8J4QCwdyyH/s200/lgiver.gif" width="131" /></a></div>The plot of the book is not important to this post, but I do highly recommend reading the book. Here's what you do need to know. The book takes place in a futuristic society where love, loss, color, and music is unknown to all but The Giver. Jonas, the main character, is picked, when he comes of age, to receive these memories. And, that the memories are transferred telepathically.<br />
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I don't know if telepathy is real but I do think it's <i>possible</i>. Why does a cynical physics major think it's possible? Because of things like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/cZn46l7uEKg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
The brain uses electricity, so it is sending out an electrical signal. This is quite a new technology and will be exceptionally useful for amputee patients. However, it's not perfect. Since every person thinks a little differently, you can't just hook up to the machine and awesome away. You have to train your mind to use it. Just like someone going through physical therapy after a stroke.<br />
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So, I think it might be possible for someone to be able to pick up another's thoughts under certain circumstances.</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-15470590085434298222011-04-06T15:48:00.000-07:002011-04-06T15:50:40.055-07:00The Milgram Experiment<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dH2y8MLvQIm4I2ZEAMTSCyY3Ms2PSzjdkwquhgobySJvh3q7izDzJAV4DiED0BA2G5aOmz8-5TKvgIxuHMSrmTXCaJ74DJd1kXEwZ_H0hCxW-k3U4xwjPzDAkYirLEwJcMiwSOPFVq76/s1600/milgram-experiment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4dH2y8MLvQIm4I2ZEAMTSCyY3Ms2PSzjdkwquhgobySJvh3q7izDzJAV4DiED0BA2G5aOmz8-5TKvgIxuHMSrmTXCaJ74DJd1kXEwZ_H0hCxW-k3U4xwjPzDAkYirLEwJcMiwSOPFVq76/s1600/milgram-experiment.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.huffingtonpost.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment" target="_blank">The Milgram experiment</a> was preformed in 1961 by Stanley Milgram of Yale University. Milgram wanted to find answers to if someone will obey an authority figure even if he knows they are doing something that conflicts with his personal ethics/morals.</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><br />
<a name='more'></a>I first heard about this experiment in my world literature class in high school and then again in my ethics class my sophomore year. However, I'm writing this now because I had to write about an ethical issue in my senior project class and I chose this one. (Though, I wont be discussing the ethics in the post feel free to discuss it with me in the comments.) I found it to be really interesting and was surprised—okay, I really wasn't <i>that</i> surprised—when I can across a video of Derren Brown rehashing this experiment for one of his specials, The Heist. For those of you who don't know, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derren_Brown" target="_blank">Derren Brown</a> is an illusionist and a mentalist among other things. He is a rather famous television personality in the UK, with a couple of shows and many specials. <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">The experimental involved three roles: the experimenter, the teacher, and the student. The teacher and the experimenter were in a room together and the student was in an adjoining room. In front of the teacher is a microphone to talk to the student and a switch board. The switch board has switches from 15 to 450 V in increments of 15 V. To put this into perspective, the voltage in an outlet of a typical US home is 125 V. The teacher asks the student questions and when the student answers incorrectly the teacher shocks them. Additionally, each time the student is incorrect the voltage increases by 15 V.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUXTNIePCw1_owV0I0u8Mt9HF9ZeO7fsiOQ7f_qitmAqnpx8hXKy0eVoq3Xr-0aDjmTlg5k-jyfID9PrWzes9vAB48Zi_faj5bavHNz8oc-xa15rQ8dO32pusAPqH1WHrirFx8ctogacD/s1600/Milgram_experiment.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUXTNIePCw1_owV0I0u8Mt9HF9ZeO7fsiOQ7f_qitmAqnpx8hXKy0eVoq3Xr-0aDjmTlg5k-jyfID9PrWzes9vAB48Zi_faj5bavHNz8oc-xa15rQ8dO32pusAPqH1WHrirFx8ctogacD/s320/Milgram_experiment.png" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">psychology.wikia.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The participant in the teacher position was lead to believe that the experiment was on shock therapy for teaching with both the student and the teacher being test subjects. The teacher also believed that he was chosen randomly for the teacher position. However, only the teacher was an actual test subject, while the student and the experimenter were in on it. The student wasn't actually being shocked, but there was some pre-taped audio that would would play based on the voltage level. It began at 75 V with "Ugh!!!" noises and escalated from there. Here's a brief overview, for more detail visit <a href="http://www.experiment-resources.com/stanley-milgram-experiment.html" target="_blank">www.experiment-resources.com</a>:<br />
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75 V: "Ugh!!!"<br />
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120 V: "Ugh!!! Hey, this really hurts."<br />
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150 V: <span style="font-family: inherit;">“Ugh!!! Experimenter! That's all. Get me out of here. I told you I had heart trouble. My heart's starting to bother me now. Get me out of here, please. My heart's starting to bother me. I refuse to go on. Let me out.”</span><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">300 volts: (Screaming) “I absolutely refuse to answer any more. Get me out of here. You can't hold me here. Get me out. Get me out of here.”</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">330 volts: (Intense and prolonged screaming) “Let me out of here. Let me out of here. My heart's bothering me. Let me out, I tell you. (Hysterically) Let me out of here. Let me out of here. You have no right to hold me here. Let me out! Let me out! Let me out! Let me out of here! Let me out. Let me out.”</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">From 345 V on, there was only silence.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Additionally, if the teacher showed or stated unwillingness to continue, the experimenter would command him to continue, while steadily increasing the authority of his commands.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">The original experiment was performed with 40 male test subjects from various professions. 25 of whom continued the shocks until the end and all complied until 300 V. It was believed by Milgram that at most only 3% of the teachers would continue until the end. You can read more about the results at <a href="http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7article/article35.htm" target="_blank">Berkley's website</a>.</div><br />
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Here is a video clip from Derren Brown's special. This is from 2006.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/FE5M_qp6lg4/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FE5M_qp6lg4&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FE5M_qp6lg4&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">If you thought that the results would be better in 2006, than from 1961, you were greatly mistaken. Over 50% of the subjects continued until the end.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">For comparison of participants reactions, here is a sample of the original experiment.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QrMxl-T-HwY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So, why do I mention this on my blog? Because the results really freak me out! I think the results like these and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese" target="_blank">Kitty Genovese</a> need to spread and because lot can be learned from these experiences. <b> Sometimes, it <i>is</i> up to you to react and stand up and say "That's wrong." </b> Don't always expect that someone else will react. There are more cases like these than I like. If you want me to name others, feel free to ask me in the comments.</div></div><div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"></div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-38535040371507353092011-04-06T13:33:00.000-07:002011-04-06T13:33:27.237-07:00New Image for April!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBlvxFXSb77zZviwYMW6KKFRoN4fJ2F-BJuRcmbcrV-dCBbnUhfCtiA883gflQjOJSgdAWIju_usa_BmbhrNahB7w1YZE3KMOKwRf1sw7_owvQyHWcH_aB6qlmmF-DO7fwT862wFKxk-f/s1600/home-rain-collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBlvxFXSb77zZviwYMW6KKFRoN4fJ2F-BJuRcmbcrV-dCBbnUhfCtiA883gflQjOJSgdAWIju_usa_BmbhrNahB7w1YZE3KMOKwRf1sw7_owvQyHWcH_aB6qlmmF-DO7fwT862wFKxk-f/s400/home-rain-collection.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I picked blue for April in the hope that Colorado will be getting early rainstorms this year. I didn't change much for the layout; though, I am concerned that the link color isn't that visible to everyone. Please give me some feed back on whether you can clearly see the link color or not for the poll to the left.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zombo.com/">I'M A LINK!!</a> I'M NOT A LINK!!</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-44020357602181049752011-03-23T15:17:00.000-07:002011-03-23T15:29:11.236-07:00The Second Blog EvaluationI'm up for my second evaluation for the class.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBoUOu0xUlDJImurnw_5_wE8KSRZfOJ0JFiR75WLsrH7x4wikQ7tcUBsWuHQpegm3ynyL5GYR561yrDzagr6ky7UFJojFTwp8AsEOtT__ImyytZGHqDTZorcSWru1XLop51Epcr9OfzXw/s1600/mispronouncing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBoUOu0xUlDJImurnw_5_wE8KSRZfOJ0JFiR75WLsrH7x4wikQ7tcUBsWuHQpegm3ynyL5GYR561yrDzagr6ky7UFJojFTwp8AsEOtT__ImyytZGHqDTZorcSWru1XLop51Epcr9OfzXw/s320/mispronouncing.png" width="267" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<b>Blog Format and Design</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I think my blog is still simple and easy to read. I updated to look recently, but the background continues to not be overwhelming or distracting from the content. The link colors are different enough from the regular font to be highly visible. I make use of font styles to give emphasis or to make things easier to read. I am trying new font to make my blog look jazzier and more approachable. I believe that the layout is simple and makes it easy to navigate my blog and it wasn't changed when changed to look. My posts are being categorized with labels to make it easy to search for only one type of media. I'd still give myself a A here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Posts</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My post still may not boast in number, but I feel that they still heavy in content. I make sure to embed videos when possible and make/find images to spice up things. I'm laying off asking questions as a self experiment to see if it helps me get more comments or not. I am still cycling through different forms of media in order to engage a variety of people. My posts stay related to my blog topic. I am improving on my writing and think I sound less stiff and more Dickens-y and personable. I'd give myself a B here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Commenting on my blog</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I continue to make sure I read comments on my posts often and try to respond to them in a timely fashion. I feel that I am having a good amount of interest in my posts since a good number of people are commenting. I'm also proud to announce that I have a follower outside of class and I don't know him, at least i think I don't. I'd give myself an A here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Commenting on other blogs</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am still reading more posts than I'm commenting on. I still don't like my comments to be compliments. I still have a good number of comments I think. I'd give myself an A- here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Engaging with blogs/publications of similar topic</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have been able to find some blogs to connect to, such as the <i>House</i> blog. And am searching for new sites all the time. I don't link to blogs for every post, because I feel that I should write my own content instead of just summarizing others content. As can be seen, most of my blog relates are because I found it interesting and though others would like the site as well. I'd give myself a B+ here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, I give myself a B+ overall.</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-81755979100844416802011-03-21T21:40:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:30:39.660-07:00Working to Enrich Our Cell Walls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/E3uqbVfH7UU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Back from spring break and ready to do a follow up to my previous <a href="http://ficscience.blogspot.com/2011/01/nature-made-vitamin-commercial.html" target="_blank">Nature Made post</a>. I received this tip from an anonymous commenter; so, thank you Anonymous!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Basically, <a href="http://naturemade.com/" target="_blank">Nature Made</a> states this vitamin is supposed to enrich the cell wall... the problem is that animal cells don't have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_wall" target="_blank">cell walls</a>. Cell walls is a rigid layer that exists outside the cell membrane for things like plants and fungi. I'm guess they meant that the vitamin is supposed to enrich the cell <i>membrane</i>, but can't say for sure.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FqlQHmd0l5K9n7ts13uaplauFRdnlE_9_wQL2q_lOPCqXGpjXdT5H3te7BAWJ4AeA5RjN4AkUNRTG3Qvd3Pdz-ZhhPxUUk1tf0T70_QP2GkczLpfiEo1h0VdHgmVLSHtJDlXhMrJRmej/s1600/Animal20Cell20vs20Plant20Cell.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3FqlQHmd0l5K9n7ts13uaplauFRdnlE_9_wQL2q_lOPCqXGpjXdT5H3te7BAWJ4AeA5RjN4AkUNRTG3Qvd3Pdz-ZhhPxUUk1tf0T70_QP2GkczLpfiEo1h0VdHgmVLSHtJDlXhMrJRmej/s400/Animal20Cell20vs20Plant20Cell.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brownish lettering indicates it's specific to that kind of cell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">To be honest, I find the lack of correct science from Nature Made to be rather disconcerting. The metals from the first post and the cell walls from this one are things I learned about in high school. I am rapidly losing my faith in this company. The saddest part about this is that, I'm sure, the scientists from their company know these things. They really need to get a marketing person and a scientist to communicate. These awful science mistakes are an embarrassment for such a large company.</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-4990514573044219622011-03-07T15:49:00.000-08:002011-03-07T21:57:48.058-08:00UPDATES to The Technicalities of Technical Terms<div style="text-align: justify;">As I mentioned in the original post, I was going to continually update that blog post in order to build a comprehensive list. All new words will have a "*" next to it.</div><br />
Go to <a href="http://ficscience.blogspot.com/2011/02/technicalities-of-technical-terms.html" target="_blank">The Technicalities of Technical Terms</a>.<br />
<br />
This week:<br />
<br />
Accuracy vs. Precision<br />
Effect vs. Affect<br />
Heat<br />
Speed, Velocity, & AccerlationJ.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-44270566008200181502011-03-04T14:48:00.000-08:002011-03-07T21:36:45.094-08:00A New Layout!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJcaT0OlJKppnvtH4lek7f8bpss4WzoeIaxYzLf7yL6wnhXLfkf7VyEVJZAmko7i-PINI0pLipiNgphKoGMU_3iDJLuSKBRTQvrg8XKNuJ2-5QvejvLx0HJy46H7gD4M3Q7RoWTgOIPLS/s1600/11949847081767838062shamrock_for_march_natha_01.svg.med.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJcaT0OlJKppnvtH4lek7f8bpss4WzoeIaxYzLf7yL6wnhXLfkf7VyEVJZAmko7i-PINI0pLipiNgphKoGMU_3iDJLuSKBRTQvrg8XKNuJ2-5QvejvLx0HJy46H7gD4M3Q7RoWTgOIPLS/s200/11949847081767838062shamrock_for_march_natha_01.svg.med.png" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.clker.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a new month, so I felt like updating the blog image. I'm, also, trying new font. Hopefully it's legible to all. I went with green because it's my favorite color and when better to use green than the month of St. Patrick's Day! And, now, my blog is safe from being pinched. ;P</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Please answer the poll on the left so I know if this was a positive move.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">And feel free to leave feed back here. Especially, if the poll doesn't address how you feel about it.</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-91176692828276181812011-03-04T13:00:00.000-08:002011-03-04T13:00:04.048-08:00Angels & Demons & Science<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTO3oZRfyIazmOZMJp_upec-XMyyHBPmvaE3EN2U5di4j3htzgMP9ogLGhH5f3ad7mF_b1PMwgC1yHIlNx81qv03lrcIXOWecZMYFMKG2ZosZIgQnbj-QNDvHHrdy5uOrqhjHyBF6qZmm7/s1600/Angels%2526Demons.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTO3oZRfyIazmOZMJp_upec-XMyyHBPmvaE3EN2U5di4j3htzgMP9ogLGhH5f3ad7mF_b1PMwgC1yHIlNx81qv03lrcIXOWecZMYFMKG2ZosZIgQnbj-QNDvHHrdy5uOrqhjHyBF6qZmm7/s200/Angels%2526Demons.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">specialscreening.blogspot.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">For <i>Angels & Demons</i> I will be covering both <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_%26_Demons" target="_blank">the book</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_%26_Demons_%28film%29" target="_blank">the movie</a>. <i>Angels & Demons</i> is about a symbologist who is enlisted to help stop a secret society called the Illuminati from setting off an antimatter "bomb" in Vatican City.</div><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">For starters, I recommend watching the following video. The video covers the shots of them making the antimatter and when the antimatter "bomb" goes off.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1JH0cX57hcQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">These two parts are what make me cringe the most. Let me cover the making of antimatter first.</div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Making Antimatter</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">So, what is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter" target="_blank">antimatter</a>? Let me explain by example; consider an electron. An electron has negative charge and has certain mass. An anti-electron, called a positron, will have the same mass, but will be positive instead. So, you can think of antimatter as oppositely charged matter.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Now, to make antimatter takes <i>A LOT</i> of energy. And it produces so little antimatter that, unlike the book states, it is not practical or efficient. Also, in the history of the world, the amount of artificially produced antimatter is about a billionth of a gram. To put this in prospective, a sugar packet is about 4 g. And a billionth of a gram is 0.000000001 grams. That's a tiny, tiny amount. Additionally, antimatter is made, pretty much, particle by particle. So, one collision gets you about one particle. So, if we're talking about a gram of antimatter made from antiprotons, that's 1,672,621,637,000,000,000,000,000 antiprotons.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">In the video, you can see that from they're one collision they are getting a visible amount of antimatter. In three containers to boot! The combined one billionth of a gram is not visible to the naked eye.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">What's fascinating is that that billionth of a gram of matter has the energy equivalent to half a stick of dynamite!</div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Annihilating Antimatter</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">First, I must correct the physicist lady in the movie. She said that antimatter "combusts." And I must also correct Dan Brown when when he writes, "[Antimatter] ignites when it comes into contact with absolutely anything... even air." Antimatter does not "combust" or "ignite" it annihilates. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion" target="_blank">Combustion</a> is when something is consumed by fire; more exactly an exothermic—produces heat—chemical reaction between fuel (e.g. methane) and an oxidant (e.g. oxygen). And to <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ignite" target="_blank">ignite</a> means to set on fire. While, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annihilation" target="_blank">annihilation</a> is the term used for what happens when a particle collides with its antiparticle. Though, a little later in the book, the physicist lady (same one I was talking about from the movie) says, "[Antimatter and matter] instantly cancel each other out if they come into contact with each other." This is, pretty much, what annihilation is, but this statement is missing two major components of annihilation. </div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFoLOX01FScnBiVGUoxlceo7sFSM4gw8Tb0kYRBqdMM1fY0oQhe6zCIyq2AZ3TRvQYy0vs09VF8avsPMmN4x23aUaYhRplF93zBUyj6tQMbX0p9XQ3DkPlZa6ay3fH0XuFV3Ur5QbGSb_/s1600/e-p_annihilation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFoLOX01FScnBiVGUoxlceo7sFSM4gw8Tb0kYRBqdMM1fY0oQhe6zCIyq2AZ3TRvQYy0vs09VF8avsPMmN4x23aUaYhRplF93zBUyj6tQMbX0p9XQ3DkPlZa6ay3fH0XuFV3Ur5QbGSb_/s200/e-p_annihilation.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">astronomy.swin.edu</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">First, when annihilation occurs, energy is released. For example, when an electron and positron annihilate two <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photon" target="_blank">photons</a> are produced. Photons are the particles that make up light and they can be thought of as little packets of energy. When physicists use the word "light" they mean more than what your eyes perceive. Gamma rays, x rays, ultraviolet, infrared, microwave, and radio waves are all made of photons; physicists will take all these into account when they say light.</div><br />
Second, annihilation only occurs between a antimatter particle and it's respective matter particle. For example, an electron can only annihilate with a positron, not with an antiproton. So, unlike what Dan Brown states, that antimatter, he uses antiprotons in the book, will annihilate (my term, not his) when it "comes into contact with absolutely anything...," is incorrect. But his little addition at the end, "... even air," is correct because protons are in the air.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Getting Hit by Gamma Rays</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The photons released from annihilation are usually at the high energy end of the spectrum, gamma rays. We normally refer to this as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_ray" target="blank">gamma radiation</a>. Unlike what Stan Lee will lead you to believe, gamma radiation will not turn you into Hulk. Instead it can cause <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_sickness" target="_blank">radiation poisoning</a>, increase chances of cancer/tumors, and genetic mutations; it's like getting a really, really, <i>really</i> bad sunburn inside and out of your body.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqj-Mb4Eh5t2SNWRIIGKZDdQLDZzeUDsONrE3gvUZTC6e000LW1Ie4IxC31PQsjbm7iqlcPDcPT1jpn5hVtOCRQlVxeRjRJmd1WfH2jF2h4uLr50fBie9JZbs3PU61MbNqRhc7km89Y65G/s1600/drawing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqj-Mb4Eh5t2SNWRIIGKZDdQLDZzeUDsONrE3gvUZTC6e000LW1Ie4IxC31PQsjbm7iqlcPDcPT1jpn5hVtOCRQlVxeRjRJmd1WfH2jF2h4uLr50fBie9JZbs3PU61MbNqRhc7km89Y65G/s320/drawing.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wikipedia.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The reason that this happens to you is because gamma radiation penetrates deeply. So, it will get right into you and your organs and all that important stuff. It is the most penetrating of the 3 common types of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation" target="_blank">radiation</a> (i.e. alpha, beta & gamma). Sorry, but I'm not going to go into the other radiation types here; it would take to long to explain them.<br />
<br />
That said, in the movie and book, a gram of antimatter annihilates in the sky above Vatican City. A bunch of light is released, but all is well with the people below. This would not be so in real life. While some of the energy released will be in the visible—what human eyes can see—range, most of the energy would be in the high energy range that is harmful to people. Therefore, most likely, everyone in the area would be dead. The result of the antimatter annihilating would be more devastating than the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima.<br />
<br />
<br />
These were my biggest problems with the book and movie, but there are others.</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-52399301046114099702011-03-01T00:03:00.000-08:002011-03-07T21:52:16.600-08:00Medical Truth of House<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vrau9GVcejsCI9i_oaPiwlbqrJljhutWCszm8zpC6C441lkoSe3-lI6QVQxzFPj0XUh0onWaFD2fRPQRoxSZyJXHvmoP143NSrOBIKXcWAgZ9GV1ahZpBZw4HYTscB5WX4ljDx83tcey/s1600/house1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vrau9GVcejsCI9i_oaPiwlbqrJljhutWCszm8zpC6C441lkoSe3-lI6QVQxzFPj0XUh0onWaFD2fRPQRoxSZyJXHvmoP143NSrOBIKXcWAgZ9GV1ahZpBZw4HYTscB5WX4ljDx83tcey/s200/house1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">greenshieldintl.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today I found a blog, <a href="http://www.politedissent.com/house_pd.html" target="_blank">Polite Dissent</a>, that discuss the medicine of House. The site covers all the seasons, 7 currently. For each episode a synopsis and review of the medical what-have-yous are given. The episode is also rated (A,B,C,D,F) for mystery, final solution, medicine, and "soap opera". Soap opera is the drama between the characters. It's a very thorough and well down site, and I <i> highly</i> recommend checking it out.</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-70429646407217010722011-02-24T17:32:00.000-08:002011-03-29T14:28:59.098-07:00The Technicalities of Technical Terms<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>EDIT: NEW WORDS ADDED FOR THIS WEEK MARKED WITH "*".</b></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">In this post, I'm going to go over some technical terms that I find are commonly misunderstood or misused. I decided to write this post because of a teacher in one of my classes. Now, it's not really because of the teacher that I'm writing this, but more because he made me realize that the media commonly uses words incorrectly and then this carries on to the people who learn the terms that way.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">The class I'm talking about is History of Science. The class is done from a literary and historical perspective and not a technical one. And, therefore, is taught by someone educated in literature. And he does a <i>great</i> job in that respect. However, he sometimes gets his science-y things wrong. And I know this isn't because he's stupid, it just comes from hearing the terms used incorrectly all the time.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I started to do some research online for some websites that list some incorrectly used terms, but none were really all inclusive. Here's a list of some of the sites I came across: <a href="http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/glossary.htm" target="_blank"> A Glossary of Frequently Misused or Misunderstood Physics Terms and Concepts</a>, <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/06/06/873506/-Pique-the-Geek-20100606:-Misused-Technical-Terms" target="_blank">Misused Technical Terms</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commonly_misused_English_words" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>. I will be pulling the nontechnical definitions from <a href="http://www.m-w.com/" target="_blank">Merriam-Webster</a>.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Some of the following terms have layman's definitions and technical ones. So, please note that I only mean when they are used in a technical sense, that they are incorrect. However, I will cover both definitions where applicable. Without further ado, here is a list of technical terms I have heard used incorrectly.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</div><br />
<b>*Accuracy vs. Precision:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">For the quick and dirty <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_and_precision" target="_blank">definitions</a>, accuracy is how close to the theoretical value you are and precision is how close together your measured values are. Let me give some pictorial examples.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dLKacjxRh8OI-dpiCKTy06WOUns37tgDPA78pPCzaBlaQIvFNtJPhtQ3s3Ni0mFf7Kt1KvJrXv85jc6pQ-_Jjd8LL_P5phNlZWJZFg0opfAKzO8bdKhkuwE3fs-fKrTI55yJtAW7yhHN/s1600/acc_prec.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2dLKacjxRh8OI-dpiCKTy06WOUns37tgDPA78pPCzaBlaQIvFNtJPhtQ3s3Ni0mFf7Kt1KvJrXv85jc6pQ-_Jjd8LL_P5phNlZWJZFg0opfAKzO8bdKhkuwE3fs-fKrTI55yJtAW7yhHN/s400/acc_prec.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>*Effect vs. Affect:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/effect_an_effect.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/effect_an_effect.png" width="257" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I know I am certainly one who has to think about which one I want, so don't get yourself down about <a href="http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/affect-versus-effect.aspx" target="_blank">this mistake</a>. Usually, if you mean it as a noun, you want effect; and, if you mean it as a verb you want affect. However, both have a verb and noun meaning (complicated much?!).</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Let's take a look at <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affect" target="_blank">affect</a> first. Affect as a noun means "the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion apart from bodily changes;" so, it's about emotions. Affect as a verb means "to influence or cause." Affect as a verb can also mean "to put on a pretense of," but this is not easily mistaken as effect.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Now, let's look at <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effect" target="_blank">effect</a>. Effect as a noun means various things, such as: "intent," "appearance," "power to bring about a result," or "distinctive impression." Scientists use it in the "cause and effect" way. Such as, "If you take this medicine, then you may feel this effect." Effect as a verb means "to cause to come into being." As Merriam-Webster puts effect, "The verb effect goes beyond mere influence; it refers to actual achievement of a final result."</div><br />
<br />
<b>*Heat:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">You can never measure the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat#Definitions">heat</a>" of a body. Instead, it is the difference between final and initial values of the body's energy. Furthermore, energy is exchanged from the more energetic body to the less energetic body. Temperature is related to the energy of a system; the hotter it is the more energy it has and.visa versa. So, the energy flows from hot to cold.</div><br />
<br />
<b>I.e. vs. E.g.: </b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Actually <a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/abbreviations/f/ievseg.htm">About.com</a> has a great article on this. But, to sum it up, you can think of i.e. as also known as (AKA) and e.g. as for example.</div><br />
<br />
<b>Imply vs. Infer:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">As you guys have probably noticed, I like The Big Bang Theory. So <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MBV-mKq8no">here is a great clip</a> of Sheldon saying the difference between imply and infer. <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imply">Imply</a> means to suggest something, <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infer">infer</a> means to make an educated conclusion.</div><br />
<br />
<b>Mass vs. Weight:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">People typically think of weight and mass to be the same thing. This is ok if you are on Earth; however, once you leave our fair planet, weight gains a whole new meaning. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight" target="_blank">Weight</a> is actually how much the <i>force</i> of gravity is pulling something down. While, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass" target="_blank">mass</a> is how much of something there is. We think of them as the same because the weight is, basically, constant as we see it. To relate the two, weight is the mass multiplied by the acceleration from gravity. This acceleration will change as one moves away from Earth. For example, the acceleration of the moon is only 17% of Earth's. So, if someone weights 100 lb on Earth, they will only weight 17 lb on the moon. That's why the astronauts could jump around like they did.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HKdwcLytloU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, your mass will remain the same no matter where you are. <i>Magic School Bus</i> also did an episode on how your weight will change called "<a href="http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDcwMzQ4ODA=.html" target="_blank">The Magic School Bus Gains Weight</a>."</div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Thrust:</b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust" target="_blank">Thrust</a> as physicists or engineers use it, means the change in momentum due to a change in mass. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momentum" target="_blank">Momentum</a> can be a hard concept to grasp, so, to simplify, you may think of it as the "motion" of an object. Therefore, thrust is a change in the objects motion caused by a change in mass. For instance, rockets are a great example of thrust. They are forced forward by thrust as the fuel decreases. Here's a quick little picture (with über sweet flames!) to visualize what I mean.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP9rCHL4qJlDPDbwagP87sDz-sz7mMO6kYOmBUBAMTbkVmI5CClRMRt_KHjAjOUIRciz_UkyHafFBWs8eJLaE7-EBRVyn5FEnYVCNFHFOl9sULEScqzNSusQMnlj_U2T98K_DHItv0uLv/s1600/thurst.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP9rCHL4qJlDPDbwagP87sDz-sz7mMO6kYOmBUBAMTbkVmI5CClRMRt_KHjAjOUIRciz_UkyHafFBWs8eJLaE7-EBRVyn5FEnYVCNFHFOl9sULEScqzNSusQMnlj_U2T98K_DHItv0uLv/s1600/thurst.png" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Additionally, <a href="http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktth1.html" target="_blank">NASA</a> has a good explanation. There is also a nontechnical definition for <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thrust" target="_blank">thrust</a>. However, thrust used in this context is a verb, while, in the technical sense it is a noun. The definition states, "to push or drive with force."</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">There is a car commercial that was boasting of the car's "thrust" (sorry can't remember which company). Thus, it uses thrust as a noun. And, while, yes, a car has thrust, it is, or should be, minimal. So, if the car has such great "thrust," then it has pretty poor gas mileage.</div><br />
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<b>*Velocity, Speed, & Acceleration:</b> <br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed" target="_blank">Speed</a> is often said when people mean <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velocity" target="_blank">velocity</a>. However, there is a subtle difference that makes what people say incorrect at times. I wouldn't feel too bad if you've made this mistake. I've had a physics professor of mine do this very thing, and I probably have too.<br />
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Velocity is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_%28geometry%29" target="_blank">vector</a> quantity, which means it is a value that has a certain direction associated with it, or it has "...both direction and magnitude! Oh yeah!".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/KbrEBpCw3Ag?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speed is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnitude_%28vector%29" target="_blank">magnitude</a>, or the "length", of the velocity. First, let me explain the math symbols (I know that can be scary but hold on!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIMU0VMykg-h8fH5cRe5l4LBy4bxqmqHo2kVs9q5yD-Yf-3TmJZddpTqRVJyzaZzcKP0qXpJXeMj9Xfaq7TVljC3wVVzSRl8yU-ewR88RysR_97HgeCuFxRaI31JnUOjn2vHLSh60oPeB/s1600/drawing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="30" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIMU0VMykg-h8fH5cRe5l4LBy4bxqmqHo2kVs9q5yD-Yf-3TmJZddpTqRVJyzaZzcKP0qXpJXeMj9Xfaq7TVljC3wVVzSRl8yU-ewR88RysR_97HgeCuFxRaI31JnUOjn2vHLSh60oPeB/s200/drawing.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Vectors, (1), are typically denoted with an arrow above whatever your vector is, in my example <span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">"</span>a</span>". While, the "<span style="color: #38761d;">a hat</span>," (2), means, roughly, <span style="color: #38761d;">a</span> direction. So vector <span style="color: #6aa84f;">a</span> will have a value in the <span style="color: #38761d;">a</span> direction. Consider the following example.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibt2UCGwPnCTjc8Ex3zyMj7Qv9i4cwEZLgnjvAT7Lgmz6rMloVMklvtUJdX6KNOLoJq0B2MtMJD6wrN3ls-PaeTDGgu3zrFHur-7Neb9PaBjWO05k86v_ePfQLj8dd0VosdAjsmhxTfVxA/s1600/vel_speed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibt2UCGwPnCTjc8Ex3zyMj7Qv9i4cwEZLgnjvAT7Lgmz6rMloVMklvtUJdX6KNOLoJq0B2MtMJD6wrN3ls-PaeTDGgu3zrFHur-7Neb9PaBjWO05k86v_ePfQLj8dd0VosdAjsmhxTfVxA/s400/vel_speed.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>We have a vector that I have called "<span style="color: #38761d;">a</span>". <span style="color: #38761d;">a <span style="color: black;">is made of an <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="color: black;">x</span> </span>value and a y value. So, <span style="color: #38761d;">a</span> is equal to a value, 2, in the <span style="color: #3d85c6;">x </span>direction plus a value, 1, in the<span style="color: #cc0000;"> y</span> direction. If we look in the <span style="color: #38761d;">a</span> direction, <span style="color: #38761d;">a</span> vector equals 1/2 in the <span style="color: #38761d;">a</span> direction. To get the magnitude of a vector, we, basically, just take the number in front of the direction. So, the magnitude of<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> x</span> is 2, <span style="color: #cc0000;">y</span> is 1, and <span style="color: #38761d;">a</span> is 1/2. And the magnitude of <span style="color: #38761d;">a</span> is the speed. Thus, the speed <span style="color: #38761d;"></span>is 1/2.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: black;">Acceleration is a change in velocity. So, both of the following are examples of acceleration: a change in direction and a change in magnitude.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8v8n7fW2w215zrQmSIdCPIp-uOuB0NbJ2sc0AvYVJIxtmv5luHzmaRtDeNo5xHizovNbpRMebyk7h6d073eIbjknE7cmp-tDINMXvc41JNGIJWWtMarhSesJgMkPIFyeHy5hdsmjtCTB/s1600/acc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8v8n7fW2w215zrQmSIdCPIp-uOuB0NbJ2sc0AvYVJIxtmv5luHzmaRtDeNo5xHizovNbpRMebyk7h6d073eIbjknE7cmp-tDINMXvc41JNGIJWWtMarhSesJgMkPIFyeHy5hdsmjtCTB/s320/acc.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Like Carlos did in the first comment, feel free to recommend words you would like me to cover here.</div><br />
Coming soon!<br />
<br />
Combust:<br />
String Theory:<br />
Ether:<br />
Diffuse vs. Difuse:<br />
<br />
Edits:<br />
1. 24.02.2011<br />
2. 07.03.2011J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-86440806728970482972011-02-09T14:55:00.000-08:002011-03-07T21:38:34.539-08:00When Science Goes Right... For the Most Part Anyway<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://stargate.blogvie.com/files/2009/03/stargate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://stargate.blogvie.com/files/2009/03/stargate.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stargate.blogvie.com/</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargate_SG-1" target="_blank">Stargate SG-1</a> is a science fiction television show. In the show, the US military acquires a device that allows them to connect to other planets via wormholes.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">In the episode "A Matter of Time," one of the military groups begins to explore a planet before they realize that it is being drawn into a black hole. When the earth facility attempts to get in contact with the the group on the foreign planet, the gravitational effects of the black hole are transfered through the wormhole. This causes the facility on earth to experience time dilation.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">For a more complete synopsis go <a href="http://www.gateworld.net/sg1/s2/216.shtml" target="_blank">here</a>. And to watch the episode go <a href="http://www.56.com/u71/v_NTIxMTU1MDg.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">There are a few things in this episode that are correct but I will be focusing on time dilation, since this is a major point of the episode.</div><br />
<b>Time Dilation</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dilation" target="_blank">Time dilation</a> is when time slows down in the presence a great gravitational force, or A LOT of gravity, to an outside observer. Let's consider a person, call him A, and another person, call him B. And let them be separated by a great distance. And let them each have a similar clock that are in sync.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixefSgkQLF9JnDd5bA9RHiqaYr0HGD5S4geLthMEWHi97TTXBPrR8Dl0sMDuTr9kaKTBUAkA5SgYrZUwI3CQKCBvyFOnk_bvccODAuMtBsV5FsG4rXVaIOErMt5ZUPAR8zZjcDJEXT-XXD/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixefSgkQLF9JnDd5bA9RHiqaYr0HGD5S4geLthMEWHi97TTXBPrR8Dl0sMDuTr9kaKTBUAkA5SgYrZUwI3CQKCBvyFOnk_bvccODAuMtBsV5FsG4rXVaIOErMt5ZUPAR8zZjcDJEXT-XXD/s400/1.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As they are now, A and B will observe time to pass the same. Meaning that A sees his time pass exactly like B and B observes A's time to pass exactly like his own. So, three hours later looks like:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWS7vfp2xxG5x-cjz0di8JAms0utO6ipmfzlxrYvWPlJiSjwCbH0z4hEFJ7-CaEVqia2TWWXPrMSjpBe-x6JNBidI8R5JzC1ELtvdME3X75SgNdahpK7hupUkxfGGLAREIgxBpbpJUwfL/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWS7vfp2xxG5x-cjz0di8JAms0utO6ipmfzlxrYvWPlJiSjwCbH0z4hEFJ7-CaEVqia2TWWXPrMSjpBe-x6JNBidI8R5JzC1ELtvdME3X75SgNdahpK7hupUkxfGGLAREIgxBpbpJUwfL/s400/2.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now let's add a little black hole next to A, so that A is effected by the gravitational force. And let's assume that B is far enough away that the black hole doesn't affect him. (The black hole is the dot next to A)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1ZpACXdb5bEYge9oMWpCBXV3xfm9Q3kM5UT5003X1jdFAs5xD8pKlEGafZrxDi111jHFKC89vFfjTF7ieq6ObT5HAvqn8lz1A1BRBkf65smP0IMHCwZdeJPVwVy0lWzlBoM8bPXw0fJJ/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1ZpACXdb5bEYge9oMWpCBXV3xfm9Q3kM5UT5003X1jdFAs5xD8pKlEGafZrxDi111jHFKC89vFfjTF7ieq6ObT5HAvqn8lz1A1BRBkf65smP0IMHCwZdeJPVwVy0lWzlBoM8bPXw0fJJ/s400/3.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, let's view things from B's eyes. B will see his time run normally, but see A going in slow motion. So, when 6 hours have passed for B, only an hour has passed for A.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqKnJ5mdm9AqCwJyHT25LFzP9fF_A92ivEWMbHKkDeq5FSn-YJKaOSIjb54yp2PM1Q4xm3elz59wVxXr9E3gPmPXypQ4RgFzUygjiJfUE0aeJUosMEDpbaNNPV90Lk8m4f3RaStn2vZEO/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqKnJ5mdm9AqCwJyHT25LFzP9fF_A92ivEWMbHKkDeq5FSn-YJKaOSIjb54yp2PM1Q4xm3elz59wVxXr9E3gPmPXypQ4RgFzUygjiJfUE0aeJUosMEDpbaNNPV90Lk8m4f3RaStn2vZEO/s400/4.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">However, if we now view things from A's eyes, we see that time seems to be running at the same rate before. A doesn't notice any of the time effects from his view point, on his own clock, but he'll see that B's time is quicker than his own.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The episode clearly shows this on numerous occasions. For example, a worker is running some checks in front of the wormhole. The personnel watching him from an observation deck view him walking and moving slowly, even his speech has slowed down. This can be seen 21.45 minutes into the episode.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Other Right Things</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Some other correct things are: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_redshift" target="_blank">gravitational redshift</a>, orbiting around a black hole, and tidal effects.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTV60vAWq6-deAikFThWb7ibzS9vCMnvvMfoPm9okovaX49f3gRzzSRJhpX5Z1o9vrIHYMRIa1g2hQfVek-GK548-QojweQQnjk_dERUD4odgBg-rv9wBFlplcEjJC4HYuvTl44zrplr1/s1600/redshift.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTV60vAWq6-deAikFThWb7ibzS9vCMnvvMfoPm9okovaX49f3gRzzSRJhpX5Z1o9vrIHYMRIa1g2hQfVek-GK548-QojweQQnjk_dERUD4odgBg-rv9wBFlplcEjJC4HYuvTl44zrplr1/s1600/redshift.png" /></a>Gravitational redshift is when light waves are stretched. The colors we associate with light waves is due to the wavelength, or how long the waves are. When light gets near a black hole, the waves get stretched. Let's look at the visible spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. So, if we redshift something that is violet it will now look green, and if we red shift green it will now look red.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTV60vAWq6-deAikFThWb7ibzS9vCMnvvMfoPm9okovaX49f3gRzzSRJhpX5Z1o9vrIHYMRIa1g2hQfVek-GK548-QojweQQnjk_dERUD4odgBg-rv9wBFlplcEjJC4HYuvTl44zrplr1/s1600/redshift.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SUn1CZpWSOinFV9M4AwvyP_1okQwdVXFT_IHXyLUZENHHzwOCGRihbr42CCWjGSTsa3VWRkNF7vypColckqwZOgyW2L_VXVsGA6E7o5u0ldxsSlvxDqQaHJiFwvXHv3vsEKlRLUJEHb8/s1600/sg-216_tv-episode.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SUn1CZpWSOinFV9M4AwvyP_1okQwdVXFT_IHXyLUZENHHzwOCGRihbr42CCWjGSTsa3VWRkNF7vypColckqwZOgyW2L_VXVsGA6E7o5u0ldxsSlvxDqQaHJiFwvXHv3vsEKlRLUJEHb8/s1600/sg-216_tv-episode.jpg" /></a>A common misconception about black holes is that they "suck" in stuff. Consider this. If we were to instantaneously swap out the sun for a black hole with the same mass (you can think of mass as your weight) the planets wouldn't be "sucked" into the sun, they would continue to orbit around the black hole. This is shown in the episode, see right, as swirly stuff around the black hole.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SUn1CZpWSOinFV9M4AwvyP_1okQwdVXFT_IHXyLUZENHHzwOCGRihbr42CCWjGSTsa3VWRkNF7vypColckqwZOgyW2L_VXVsGA6E7o5u0ldxsSlvxDqQaHJiFwvXHv3vsEKlRLUJEHb8/s1600/sg-216_tv-episode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIi5JxysJZsdgtqYE4yHSLJsmS8_Zr65qjhONkrJDKIyVs8mRrJS_ERpmDXyx8ihaI2mzrCtRaveDab8UK8CFnmgJi3G80ckr-2cHbS9YAOPB-nHqeZfqoogkXmbfwwumSXd60uQZY942/s1600/tidal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIi5JxysJZsdgtqYE4yHSLJsmS8_Zr65qjhONkrJDKIyVs8mRrJS_ERpmDXyx8ihaI2mzrCtRaveDab8UK8CFnmgJi3G80ckr-2cHbS9YAOPB-nHqeZfqoogkXmbfwwumSXd60uQZY942/s1600/tidal.png" /></a>Tidal effect can be thought of one part of an object is feeling a stronger pull than another part of the object. Remember A from earlier? Tidal effects are how he will die, since he came to close to the black hole. To the left, we see A falling head first into the black hole. His head is stretched out, while his legs are not. I can't even imagine how that would feel, O_o. In the episode, the astrophysicist on the show, the blond lady, mentions how they will be pulled apart by tidal effects.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">What is your favorite representation of a black hole in a movie/show/what-have-you? It doesn't matter if it's a good or bad representation.</div><br />
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</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-72083737816339919512011-02-09T13:26:00.000-08:002011-03-07T21:53:40.830-08:00Common Movie Misconceptions<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQCTaMHmnP-x2bDL8773iBYzT714ckUTcAL7stdScxVm_CgBJcxjT0C252AetvxfX9mrkbI_JO14_LQzlq37afBLDkkADXo0ItWECJfbrMs5jbPu9gYz8P1THXRVVzIhCW8U6V1iJ3gHG/s1600/ISMPbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQCTaMHmnP-x2bDL8773iBYzT714ckUTcAL7stdScxVm_CgBJcxjT0C252AetvxfX9mrkbI_JO14_LQzlq37afBLDkkADXo0ItWECJfbrMs5jbPu9gYz8P1THXRVVzIhCW8U6V1iJ3gHG/s200/ISMPbook.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last night I found <a href="http://www.intuitor.com/moviephysics/" target="_blank">this website</a>. The website touches on a few misconceptions that are so popularised in the entertainment world that some people believe that they are true. For example, that people "fly" back when they are shot. I highly recommend reading though all their explanations. They are short but offer a lot of insight.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">What specific movie misconceptions can you think of? From what movies?</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-13152591318995164302011-02-02T19:13:00.000-08:002011-03-07T21:43:48.443-08:00Interviewing & Evaluating Myself<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvptUGKwavhe2xBSt3JW1erdqboDWF6pJKu400PTfqGxioWcEEhbTByvlmoyrxNw0dqpx4kvOTe7yQkaStiWgOcp_ER32kfwKORhY94H7vuJ0J-DxXmmnGqEmgnQvUIUWx8SZNJEyCxpy/s1600/convincing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvptUGKwavhe2xBSt3JW1erdqboDWF6pJKu400PTfqGxioWcEEhbTByvlmoyrxNw0dqpx4kvOTe7yQkaStiWgOcp_ER32kfwKORhY94H7vuJ0J-DxXmmnGqEmgnQvUIUWx8SZNJEyCxpy/s400/convincing.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">xkcd.com/833/</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">This is the first of three personal evaluations with a personal survey included! This is for the class, but I will try to make it easy to read for those you who want to just skim through it. </div><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Now an </i>exclusive<i> look behind me and what this blog is about.</i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is the purpose of this blog?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The purpose of my blog is to discuss whether or not the science in books, movies, or on the television is realistic. And in doing so facilitate an interest in accurate science portrayal in these forms of media. Though I covered a cartoon, I do not believe the science has to be "good" in them. I'm talking more about something like the movie <i>The Core</i>, or <i>2012</i>. Just to put to rest the worries you had about the world ending due to neutrinos, it wont happen. Like Jack O'Neil says, "Nintendos pass through everything.... Everything."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Who is the imagined audience(s) of this blog?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I imagine my audience to be people who have read books or watched movies/television shows and wondered whether the science was possible. Along that line, I'm looking for people who are interested in discussing how the science <i>could</i> be possible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Have my posts matched up with my purpose/audience? What/who might I be overlooking in defining my purpose/audience this way?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I believe that my posts so far have, mostly, achieved my purpose. I am looking for more science discussion. I suppose I am overlooking people who are not interested in the science in books, movies, and television shows. I, also, though unintentionally, may be looking over those uneducated in a science field. I'm trying to provide enough background when I introduce a topic so that people of all backgrounds can discuss it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What can I do to encourage more reader participation with my blog?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I can ask more focused questions at the end. Provide more videos.... People really seem to be liking those videos.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How can I expand my audience in this class? Outside of this class?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For those in the class, I think I need to come up with catchier headlines/titles for my blog that stand out more. For those outside the class, I may need to get my blog name out there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What do I hope to get out of writing this blog?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope to be part of a community interested in and willing to discuss science and entertainment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What would I like others to get out of it?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'd like others to enjoy being a part a that kind of community. Additionally, I hope to facilitate an interest in science and how it is portrayed in the entertainment world. And, maybe, learn some new science-y things they didn't before.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What are the strengths of my blog/my blogging?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think the strengths of my blog are: simple layout, attached videos, and that each topic is open for discussion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What are the weaknesses?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think my weakness is in the lack of creative writing. I'm very literal and dry. I'll be attempting to write more like I talk so that it's easier to read. I'm attempting for the Dickens approach, not the text book. For those of you who may not get what I mean, probably everyone since I made up the term, Dickens is an easy author to read, at least I think so. He narrates his stories like he is actually telling you the story. So it seems like you're listening to a story rather than reading.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How would I describe my tone?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think my tone is dry and uninteresting. Super sad day T_T. I have always been a literal writer with sentences that don't necessarily flow together. Like I just mentioned above, I'll be working on that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Have I used a deficit model in my writing, or something else? How would I know?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't believe that I have been using the deficit model. I am attempting to have all my topics as discussions with readers. Honestly, I wouldn't know I was using the deficit model until someone told me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How have I characterized (implicitly or explicitly) science, engineering, and/or technology in my blog?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think I have, so far, characterized science to be useful, as in the vitamin commercial post. And that it can be fun to think if wacky things, like the shrink ray could be possible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How have I characterized myself?</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think I have characterized myself as nerdy and thinking about things too much. I may have come off as a "know-it-all" with my in-depth science-ness, but I really just want to have fun with this blog.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Now the critical self evaluation</i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Blog Format and Design</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think my blog is simple and easy to read. The background is not overwhelming or distracting from the content. The link colors are different enough from the regular font to be highly visible. I make use of font syles to give emphasis or to make things easier to read. I believe that the layout is simple and makes it easy to navigate my blog. My posts are being categorized with labels to make it easy to search for only one type of media. I'd give myself a A here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Posts</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My post may not boast in number, but I feel that they reflect the amount of thought that went into them. I make sure to embed videos when possible. I include images to clarify topics or jazz up the post. I ask questions at the end to lead readers into a discussion; it helps me, so I thought it'd help others. I am cycling through different forms of media in order to engage a variety of people. My posts remain on topic, or at least cycle back around to topic. I admit that I had trouble relating my blog topic and the readings in a readable fashion. I'd give myself a C+ here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Commenting on my blog</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I make sure to read comments on my posts often and try to respond to them in a timely fashion. I feel that I am having a good amount of interest in my posts since a good number of people are commenting. I'd give myself an A here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Commenting on other blogs</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Though I am reading a lot of posts, I am not commenting on each one. I don't like my comments to be compliments. So I only really comment when I have a question or something, that I feel, contributes to the topic at hand. I still think that this adds up to an ample amount, though. I'd give myself an A here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Engaging with blogs/publications of similar topic</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is a no go on my part so far. Though, I just found out that Michio Kaku had a show on the Science Channel called "Sci Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible" and will be seeing if I can incorporate his stuff into my blog. I have connected to websites that are useful to my blog, but not other blogs. I'd give myself a C here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, I give myself a B overall.</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5521919845706165980.post-33181347274063684762011-02-02T15:13:00.000-08:002011-03-07T21:39:45.582-08:00You Know You're Nerdy When...<div style="text-align: justify;">If any of you have seen <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory" target="_blank">The Big Bang Theory</a>, then you will know that Sheldon takes nerdy to a <i>whole</i> new level. He's so nerdy that he has his own nerdy planet, with a nerdy alien race that normal people can't even communicate with. Well, it turns out that <i>I</i> live on his nerdy planet too. He finds the science in fiction hard not to think about, as well.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Here is Sheldon discussing the scientific inaccuracies and of Superman:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BeheaUjXWpM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I find <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PvwtS0htyk" target="_blank">this video</a> better, but upon user request I cannot embed it. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">And here he is trying to reason out the science of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1tGMlsoWgQ" target="_blank">Superman doing his laundry</a>.</div>J.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01403263015447878554noreply@blogger.com0