POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/30/2009
Microgravity (aka weightlessness), it is a condition that causes all sorts of interesting phenomena…like bubbles that sit in water without floating.
The reason that bubbles float on earth has to do with the relative density of water compared to air. At sea level, water is 784 times denser than air and so gravity pulls it down towards the earth more than it does air, thus the air rises out of the water. Perhaps a more accurate way to see it would be to say that the water sinks. In microgravity, such as being on the space shuttle in orbit, there is no gravity to pull harder on the water than on the air, so the air has no reason to rise and ends up staying in the middle of the water. NASA has put together some very interesting videos on the behavior of water and bubbles in space. See them here.
Difference in density also explains why steel sinks but wood floats. For information on why steel boats float instead of sink, see Bouyancy.
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POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/29/2009
Ever wonder how the people who build huge oil tankers and ocean liners get their creations into the water?
They launch them!
There are three different ways to “launch” a ship. The most known one is the stern first launch. In a stern first launch the ship is built on a slipway (a long ramp that leads to the water and some of the way into it). When the hull is completed, the ship is released and slides down the slipway and into the water. Drag chains are used to slow it down and prevent it from moving too far away from the dock. It is then tied up at the dock and the super structure is completed.
Another form of ship launch is the side launch. This is often used in cases where there is not sufficient room for a stern first launch, such as in a river or other narrow body of water. In this case, the ship is built next to the water, facing parallel to the shore. When it is ready to be launched, it slides sideways over the edge of the shore and into the water. This method also helps reduce the stresses in the keel that are caused by a stern first launch.
The final form of ship launch is not actually a real launch. Instead, the ship is built in dry dock and when it is completed, the dry dock is flooded and the ship floated out.
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POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/28/2009
Here in Southern California, earthquakes are a continual and major threat, you never know when or where they will strike, and the larger ones can cause immeasurable damage to life and property. So, naturally, most people in the area are well acquainted with the standard method of measuring them: the Richter Scale.
The Richter Scale was developed in 1935 by Charles Richter as a way to measure the strength of earthquakes. The Richter scale originally started at zero and each whole number step represented a release of about 31 times more energy than the previous number. While in theory, the Richter scale has no upper or lower limit, it tends to become “saturated” around a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, and thus can be innaccurate for larger quakes.
In response to the problems with the Richter scale, a new more modern scale was developed in the 1970′s. It is known as the Moment Magnitude Scale. The main difference between the two is that the Richter scale is designed to measure intensity, while the Moment Magnitude scale measures the total energy released. In most cases the magnitudes correspond to the same number on the other scale, but in the case of larger earthquakes, the readings may be different.
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POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/27/2009
One of the most famous sled dog races is the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska. It is run every year to commemorate the 1925 “Serum Run” and to celebrate the sport of dog mushing. This nearly 1,200 mile race tests dogs and mushers to the limit as they struggle to cross icy terrain in subzero weather. The Iditarod is one thing that I try to follow every year, but I didn’t know that there are quite a few other races out there. For example, the Yukon Quest race is another annual sled do race and is widely considered to be even tougher and more dangerous than the Iditarod. In addition to these two races, there are numerous other long and short distance events for mushers and sled dogs.
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POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/26/2009
A friend and I were discussing the dangers of Immortality and what it would take to “survive” it. One thing we decided was that to prevent extreme boredom, an immortal would have to continually learn new things, perhaps even one new thing a day, however small that new thing may be. Remember, you are never to old to learn new things, even if u are 100,000 years old.
On top of this discussion, I am continually interested in learning new things and have been known to complain that there is so much to learn, that I couldn’t possibly learn it all in the course of one lifetime.
So, in order to help out any random immortals and mostly to satisfy my own interest in learning new things, I will try to post something new to learn every day here. What I post will be on a very wide range of topics. My goal will be one thing every day. The scope of human knowledge is so vast that it will be impossible for me to run out of subject matter…Theoretically.
The Series will be called “Daily Curiosities“.
POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/24/2009
This Saturday the Smithsonian Magazine is sponsoring “Museum Day,” a nationwide event where participating museums offer free admission for one day. There are quite a few participating locations in the Los Angeles Area, including the California Science Museum. Also participating is perhaps my most favorite museum, The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Be sure to check out this event. Fill out the form on the website for your free admission card.
POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/23/2009
The MIT Museum is hosting an exhibit called “Metropath(ologies)”, exploring the modern world of communication around us. Part of that exhibit is a webapp that focuses on data mining and the building of profiles based on information mined by computer programs. It searches the web for your name using a sophisticated computer algorithm and then attempts to show who you are based on the results. It is quite interesting.
Link: Personas|Metropath(ologies)
My persona can be found on Flickr or by searching for “Scott McKittrick” on the above website.
POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/15/2009
This is a fascinating infographic that I found on DarkRoastedBlend.com It describes the sheer volume of information found on the web: If You Printed the Internet. Needless to say, there are tons of interesting infographics out there that can help you visualize information in a quick and entertaining way.
Other Interesting Infographics
POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/12/2009
We redid the seasonal section at The Thematic Attic and part of that included an Edgar Allan Poe themed vignette.
It is mostly black and white with a few small colors interspersed and has an old typewriter, a picture of Lenore, a Raven, some greco-roman sculptures and an empty picture frame. The frame hangs above the desk and will later contain a silhouette of Poe and a raven. The silhouette will be placed back a little from the frame, thus allowing it to appear to move around in the frame as you move around it.
POSTED by: Scott McKittrick on 09/05/2009
The Fairplex Garden Railroad
Today was the first day of the LA County Fair. I spent the day assigned to operations running trains and making sure they stayed on course.
You should check out the garden railroad. It is in Park Square by the skyrides.
Related Links
Fairplex Garden Railroad
Los Angeles County