A few minutes ago, things started to fall off the shelves in our shower. There was nothing near and nothing bumping things as best I could tell. (As it happens I was only a few feet away from the shower.) I quickly checked the USGS website and discovered that, within a minute of the things … Read more
It hasn’t rained in Phoenix since October 18th. It’s been the longest dry streak ever. 143 days without rain, but this morning I awoke to the most glorious sound. Water dripping outside my bedroom window. (Or, if it had turned out to be not raining, a most distressing sound.) I decided I’d better sneak out … Read more
One of the cool things you occasionally see in Taiwan, is the Mitsubishi Jet Towel. It’s a air hand dryer that actually works. You shove your hands into a trough and high pressure air jets push the water right off them. It’s rather like the way they simulate high-G acceleration in movies, where they air … Read more
…and people wonder why I don’t like for my daughter to just play with any kids you see on the playground. Technorati Tags: Blog, Kids
We were returning home this evening around 10:00PM, driving down Thomas, near 3rd Avenue, when I spied a person in the middle of the road. He crouching down along the center line, about 10 feet from the intersection, facing our direction. He was an older man, wearing a levi jacket and baseball cap. He was … Read more
The Biggest Carnivore: Dinosaur History Rewritten This is an interesting little report from livescience.com on the Spinosaurus. The history of the paleontology of the Spinosaurus is s fascinating story. Spinosaurus, a large theropod dinosaur was discovered in Egypt around the turn of the 20th century by the German paleontologist, Ernst Stromer. Stromer’s collection went to … Read more
My friend John is doing the second-wedding ceremony thing in Thailand. Don’t you think these figurines on his wedding cake are an amazing likeness? Incidentally, you can look at more of his Thailand photos on his flickr page. Technorati Tags: Blog, Friends
This has been a big week for James! He said “beep” the other day (but not repeated the feat) and today he decided he wanted to walk. Grandpa was over and he just started walking. he’s been trying for weeks, but he’s only managed 2 “steps” before collapsing. Today he just started with 3 steps … Read more
Jurassic beaver swims into view - Large early mammal was first to get furry. From nature.com Ever see the cliché ending to virtually every program on the extinction of the dinosaurs where the Tyrannosaurus Rex skull lies in the sand with the mouse-like mammal crawling out its eye socket? Until now, the fossil record has only yielded … Read more
Many Dino Fossils Could Have Soft Tissue Inside from the National Geographic Society This is a fascinating report concerning the “fossilized” soft tissue discovered last year. The traditional view of the fossilization process should result in no soft tissue remaining. In a nutshell, when a creature dies, it’s soft tissue rots (or is eaten) away, … Read more