The history of coffee goes back to the 9th century AD.
Over 4 billion cups of coffee are now consumed each year, making coffee second only to oil as top commodity!
Coffee is now prepared many ways, and you can find coffee-flavored ice cream and yogurt.
Today is National Coffee Day, so please enjoy a cup of coffee, or use the beans in a recipe while preparing a meal.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Occam’s Razor
This is a brief inquiry into why the term Occam's Razor is achieving a meteoric rise in searches on Google now.
The term has been around for hundreds of years, being especially well-known in the fields of philosophy and the sciences.
One of my favorite sources for learning about Occam's Razor is here. There is also the Wikipedia article.
In short, occam's razor is a principle first promoted by a 14th-century monk that the simplest explanation or theory is better than a more complex one.
So why is the term getting so many searches now?
Looks like there is a band called Porcupine Tree that recently released a recording (The Incident) that includes a brief song with the title "Occam's Razor".
Perhaps a bigger contributor to the search volume is the repeated use of the term in news reports about recent political wrangling, especially in the health care debates. Here is just one example.
A very interesting usage is in the efforts to explain away the conspiracy theorists, whether it be the 9/11 conspiracy advocates, or the "Death Star Truthers".
No matter what the cause of the peak in interest in the term, everyone should be acquianted with Occam's Razor because it really works! In the majority of cases when one is driven to choose between competing possible explanations or theories, the application of Occam's Razor will most often lead you closer to the truth.
The term has been around for hundreds of years, being especially well-known in the fields of philosophy and the sciences.
One of my favorite sources for learning about Occam's Razor is here. There is also the Wikipedia article.
In short, occam's razor is a principle first promoted by a 14th-century monk that the simplest explanation or theory is better than a more complex one.
So why is the term getting so many searches now?
Looks like there is a band called Porcupine Tree that recently released a recording (The Incident) that includes a brief song with the title "Occam's Razor".
Perhaps a bigger contributor to the search volume is the repeated use of the term in news reports about recent political wrangling, especially in the health care debates. Here is just one example.
A very interesting usage is in the efforts to explain away the conspiracy theorists, whether it be the 9/11 conspiracy advocates, or the "Death Star Truthers".
No matter what the cause of the peak in interest in the term, everyone should be acquianted with Occam's Razor because it really works! In the majority of cases when one is driven to choose between competing possible explanations or theories, the application of Occam's Razor will most often lead you closer to the truth.
Six Flags Under Water in Deadly Georgia Floods
Torrential rains across the Southeast have caused widespread flooding. The storms have claimed 15 lives.
In Georgia, Governor Sonny Purdue declared a state of emergency in 17 counties!
The amusement park, "Six Flags Over Georgia" is flooded, see a picture here.
Other pictures are here.
The park, in the Atlanta area, is closed, and much cleanup will have to be completed before it reopens fully. More rains are expected in the area, with perhaps 3 to 5 more inches to come down in the next few days. If you are planning to visit Six Flags soon, you'd better check first with them to see if they are open.
I visited their website but I don't see any announcement of the closing!
People in Atlanta, Georgia are being told to stay home. Emergency workers were busy Monday night rescuing stranded motorists.
In Georgia, Governor Sonny Purdue declared a state of emergency in 17 counties!
The amusement park, "Six Flags Over Georgia" is flooded, see a picture here.
Other pictures are here.
The park, in the Atlanta area, is closed, and much cleanup will have to be completed before it reopens fully. More rains are expected in the area, with perhaps 3 to 5 more inches to come down in the next few days. If you are planning to visit Six Flags soon, you'd better check first with them to see if they are open.
I visited their website but I don't see any announcement of the closing!
People in Atlanta, Georgia are being told to stay home. Emergency workers were busy Monday night rescuing stranded motorists.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sea Serpent - the Monster of Monterey - and the sudden disappearance of Sharon Novak
A very compelling tale is told about the mysterious disappearance of a professional sailor during a solo trip around the world.
The story raises the question of the existence of Plesiosaurs, a type of dinasaur that most scientists say are extinct.
Trouble is, this tale is from a TV show, "Animal Planet" and their series "Lost Tapes", and the episode that tells the story of Sharon Novak does not claim it is totally true. In fact, the show does include the disclaimer that is was "inspired by the possibility that hidden creatures exist".
A big segment from this show is on YouTube.
Also, various aspects of the video are debunked by those with much more experience in video editing than I possess.
Nonetheless, the show is entertaining, and makes us think about the possibilities of "unknown creatures".
If there are still millions of species to be discovered (as most biologists agree), surely there are some that will be surprising. And some of those will likely be "living fossils", species largely unchanged from fossil samples originating long ago.
Interestingly, there is a branch of science called cryptobiology (some would label pseudoscience) that endeavors to search for organisms thought not to exist by mainstream biologists. Since the majority of these studies focus on animals rather than plants, we have the field of cryptozoology.
The story raises the question of the existence of Plesiosaurs, a type of dinasaur that most scientists say are extinct.
Trouble is, this tale is from a TV show, "Animal Planet" and their series "Lost Tapes", and the episode that tells the story of Sharon Novak does not claim it is totally true. In fact, the show does include the disclaimer that is was "inspired by the possibility that hidden creatures exist".
A big segment from this show is on YouTube.
Also, various aspects of the video are debunked by those with much more experience in video editing than I possess.
Nonetheless, the show is entertaining, and makes us think about the possibilities of "unknown creatures".
If there are still millions of species to be discovered (as most biologists agree), surely there are some that will be surprising. And some of those will likely be "living fossils", species largely unchanged from fossil samples originating long ago.
Interestingly, there is a branch of science called cryptobiology (some would label pseudoscience) that endeavors to search for organisms thought not to exist by mainstream biologists. Since the majority of these studies focus on animals rather than plants, we have the field of cryptozoology.
Film U-571 to be shown on TV ONE Sept 28
U-571 is a film released in year 2000, directed by Jonathan Mostow, and starring Jon Bon Jovi, Will Estes, Tom Guiry, Harvey Keitel, Thomas Kretschmann, Matthew McConaughey, Jack Noseworthy, and Bill Paxton.
In the film, disguised United States Navy submariners board a World War II German submarine (u 571, uboat 571) in 1942, seeking to capture her Enigma cipher machine.
Although the plot is fictional and implausible, the film won an Academy Award.
The cinematography is exceptional, and the suspense level is great. The sound and visual effects are extraordinary. The battle scenes, especially those involving depth charges and torpedoes, are incredible!
The film has received criticism for historical inaccuracies. For example, the first Enigma machine to be captured by the allies was obtained by the British from U-110 in the North Atlantic May 1941, before the United Stated entered the war. Also, the film portrays German u-boat sailors in a falsely negative manner.
The film U-571 will be shown on the channel TV ONE on Monday 28 September, at 8:30pm.
More recently, Jonathan Mostow directed the movie Surrogates starring Bruce Willis.
In the film, disguised United States Navy submariners board a World War II German submarine (u 571, uboat 571) in 1942, seeking to capture her Enigma cipher machine.
Although the plot is fictional and implausible, the film won an Academy Award.
The cinematography is exceptional, and the suspense level is great. The sound and visual effects are extraordinary. The battle scenes, especially those involving depth charges and torpedoes, are incredible!
The film has received criticism for historical inaccuracies. For example, the first Enigma machine to be captured by the allies was obtained by the British from U-110 in the North Atlantic May 1941, before the United Stated entered the war. Also, the film portrays German u-boat sailors in a falsely negative manner.
The film U-571 will be shown on the channel TV ONE on Monday 28 September, at 8:30pm.
More recently, Jonathan Mostow directed the movie Surrogates starring Bruce Willis.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Brother Speed Motorcycle Club Pileup in Oregon
Oregon State Police reported yesterday that two dozen motorcycles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 5 in Oregon, south of Portland. Two motorcyclists with critical injuries were flown to Portland hospitals by helicopter. Seven others were driven to area hospitals by ambulance, and treated for shoulder and hip injuries and broken bones.
Most of the bikers belonged to the Brother Speed Motorcycle Club. Seems the bikers were not able to stop when a car they were following slowed for traffic.
Reports did not mention bad weather. Apparently the mayhem was caused by operator error. Can anyone say "too fast, too close"?
The Brother Speed Motorcycle Club was founded in 1969. It is one of six in Oregon identified by the state Department of Justice as an "outlaw biker gang".
Most of the bikers belonged to the Brother Speed Motorcycle Club. Seems the bikers were not able to stop when a car they were following slowed for traffic.
Reports did not mention bad weather. Apparently the mayhem was caused by operator error. Can anyone say "too fast, too close"?
The Brother Speed Motorcycle Club was founded in 1969. It is one of six in Oregon identified by the state Department of Justice as an "outlaw biker gang".
Friday, September 18, 2009
Mystery Creature Found Dead in Panama
At first the mystery creature seems very bizarre. Kids in Panama reported they encountered a strange creature last Saturday, killed it, and tossed it into a creek. Later they went back and now we have photos!
I must admit to being startled at first. News of a "mystery creature found dead" got me clicking, but if not a hoax, the "Panama creature" is most certainly a tree sloth. In Panama there are two-toed and three-toed sloths, and their bodies are really bizarre-looking, very close to the "creature" in the photos. The Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth is quite rare, with a range limited to one small island off Panama.
Previously, a weird-looking corpse allegedly washed ashore near Montauk, New York, and was called the Montauk Monster, although it was likely a dog or raccoon.
I must admit to being startled at first. News of a "mystery creature found dead" got me clicking, but if not a hoax, the "Panama creature" is most certainly a tree sloth. In Panama there are two-toed and three-toed sloths, and their bodies are really bizarre-looking, very close to the "creature" in the photos. The Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth is quite rare, with a range limited to one small island off Panama.
Previously, a weird-looking corpse allegedly washed ashore near Montauk, New York, and was called the Montauk Monster, although it was likely a dog or raccoon.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Crop circle pictures on Google logo cause quite a stir
Huge weird and intricate patterns in grain fields have long been a mystery. Google caused a stir today with their logo showing a UFO hovering over a crop circle pattern.
Some say crop circles are the work of alien craft. Some are obvious hoaxes. For example, some are known to have been produced by self-avowed "circle-makers":
Circle Makers
It's the second time this month that a UFO has appeared on the Google logo. The first time, this appeared to be a tribute to the Japanese video game Zero Wing.
Crop circles are really fascinating phenomena. The apparent frequency of their appearance, and the huge size of many of the designs, seems to indicate something more is going on than a trendy teenage prank.
If you want to look into this topic, there are a few good online resources that will put you in touch with actual research being done on crop circles. Here are some links to get you started:
Crop Circle Research
Crop Circle on Wikipedia
Crop Circle Connector
Crop Circle Secrets
Crop Circles
Crop Circles Go Worldwide Overnight
Weird stuff is reported to happen at crop circles, like cameras malfunctioning and GPS batteries dying.
Crop Circle Tours
I'm not paranoid and I don't usually get fired up by conspiracy theories. But crop circles are some pretty interesting examples of "unexplained phenomena". Here is a site with some amazing pictures:
Web Urbanist
Enjoy pondering the physics, the mystery, and the weirdness!
Some say crop circles are the work of alien craft. Some are obvious hoaxes. For example, some are known to have been produced by self-avowed "circle-makers":
Circle Makers
It's the second time this month that a UFO has appeared on the Google logo. The first time, this appeared to be a tribute to the Japanese video game Zero Wing.
Crop circles are really fascinating phenomena. The apparent frequency of their appearance, and the huge size of many of the designs, seems to indicate something more is going on than a trendy teenage prank.
If you want to look into this topic, there are a few good online resources that will put you in touch with actual research being done on crop circles. Here are some links to get you started:
Crop Circle Research
Crop Circle on Wikipedia
Crop Circle Connector
Crop Circle Secrets
Crop Circles
Crop Circles Go Worldwide Overnight
Weird stuff is reported to happen at crop circles, like cameras malfunctioning and GPS batteries dying.
Crop Circle Tours
I'm not paranoid and I don't usually get fired up by conspiracy theories. But crop circles are some pretty interesting examples of "unexplained phenomena". Here is a site with some amazing pictures:
Web Urbanist
Enjoy pondering the physics, the mystery, and the weirdness!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
National Granparents Day 2009
It almost got by me. Yes, today is National Grandparents Day here in the USA. Not that I've noticed in any years past. Seems there are so many holidays and designated days and weeks, that keeping up requires more time than I'm able. In fact, if I was cynical, I may be tempted to think that the proliferation if special days and holidays is a conspiracy by the greeting card companies, or maybe a coalition of marketing gurus. Surely National Grandparents Day is not marked by crass commercialism, right?
Well, not so fast. This day was used to launch a new "affordable" service, Grandchild Connection. It's an "interactive online resource for educational and social play between grandparents and their grandchildren". Basically, it's an online video conferencing platform. Their website is:
http://www.grandchildconnection.com
More information on National Grandparents Day 2009 and Grandchild Connection is here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS135646+08-Sep-2009+BW20090908
And just in case you are putting together your own calendar of holidays and special days, National Grandparents Day is celebrated in the USA on the third Sunday of September. For about 30 years, it's been touted as a time for honoring grandparents, and a chance for grandparents to show their love to their grandchildren. Now aren't you glad you know?
Well, not so fast. This day was used to launch a new "affordable" service, Grandchild Connection. It's an "interactive online resource for educational and social play between grandparents and their grandchildren". Basically, it's an online video conferencing platform. Their website is:
http://www.grandchildconnection.com
More information on National Grandparents Day 2009 and Grandchild Connection is here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS135646+08-Sep-2009+BW20090908
And just in case you are putting together your own calendar of holidays and special days, National Grandparents Day is celebrated in the USA on the third Sunday of September. For about 30 years, it's been touted as a time for honoring grandparents, and a chance for grandparents to show their love to their grandchildren. Now aren't you glad you know?
Friday, September 11, 2009
Reborn Dolls
Everyone knows about dolls. Little girls love playing with dolls that are toys. Even boys started playing with them when "GI Joe" started being marketed as an "action figure".
Nowadays there is a new kind of doll, so life-like that even policemen mistake them for real babies!
Craftsmanship in producing realistic dolls has improved so much that now there is a new flourishing art-form. It's called reborn dolls. These dolls look extremely life-like, often including veins and skin spots.
The life-like dolls are starting to find a new niche - helping to comfort victims of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, through "reborn doll therapy":
http://www.abcarticledirectory.com/Article/How-Making-Reborn-Dolls-Help-The-Elderly/503186
Collectors are also snapping up the reborn dolls, with people seeking not only their life-like qualities, but their uniqueness.
http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/reborn-dolls-the-unique-and-interesting-world-of-reborn-dolls.html
Indeed, the production of reborn dolls is mainly done by individual entrepreneurs, each doll skillfully created as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/news/Living-dolls-proving-popular/article-1266092-detail/article.html
http://www.epworthbells.co.uk/news/Making-babies-comes-natural-for.5585643.jp
Of course, once a trend is started, there are inevitable sellers of information on how to jump into the game. Same for these dolls - you can now order course materials for building your own reborn doll business!
http://www.reborndollsforfunandprofit.com/
Owners often display a high degree of emotional attachment to these dolls. In fact, there is some controversy over the dependence on these dolls, or their use, as some counselors warn against investing emotionally into a doll as a substitute for developing fulfilling human relationships. Nonetheless, the popularity of these dolls seems to be growing fast!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reborn_doll
Nowadays there is a new kind of doll, so life-like that even policemen mistake them for real babies!
Craftsmanship in producing realistic dolls has improved so much that now there is a new flourishing art-form. It's called reborn dolls. These dolls look extremely life-like, often including veins and skin spots.
The life-like dolls are starting to find a new niche - helping to comfort victims of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, through "reborn doll therapy":
http://www.abcarticledirectory.com/Article/How-Making-Reborn-Dolls-Help-The-Elderly/503186
Collectors are also snapping up the reborn dolls, with people seeking not only their life-like qualities, but their uniqueness.
http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/reborn-dolls-the-unique-and-interesting-world-of-reborn-dolls.html
Indeed, the production of reborn dolls is mainly done by individual entrepreneurs, each doll skillfully created as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/news/Living-dolls-proving-popular/article-1266092-detail/article.html
http://www.epworthbells.co.uk/news/Making-babies-comes-natural-for.5585643.jp
Of course, once a trend is started, there are inevitable sellers of information on how to jump into the game. Same for these dolls - you can now order course materials for building your own reborn doll business!
http://www.reborndollsforfunandprofit.com/
Owners often display a high degree of emotional attachment to these dolls. In fact, there is some controversy over the dependence on these dolls, or their use, as some counselors warn against investing emotionally into a doll as a substitute for developing fulfilling human relationships. Nonetheless, the popularity of these dolls seems to be growing fast!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reborn_doll
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Motorola Cliq looks like a hot new phone!
Motorola Cliq is a great phone made by Motorola but made available through T-Mobile.
It uses a slick-looking MOTOBLUR skin for Google's Android OS. The MOTOBLUR Android overlay (A.K.A. a customized user interface) is a full-featured interface to the phone's capabilities. MOTOBLUR lets you stream your emails and social networks into one feed. There is a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard. A directional pad (mouse) is completely covered while the keyboard is stowed. The front-face features a large, wide-format screen and three control buttons.
This phone lets you do email, GPS, and video. It allows you to send rich text e-mails with colors, fonts and emoticons. You can also attach photos to your e-mails. The MOTOBLUR skin aggregates all of your contacts and their information from various sources and displays them in one seamless client. You can also view your contacts by individual network, if you prefer.
Wow, you can track your Motorola Cliq via assisted GPS if it gets lost. You can wipe it remotely and then all of your information is saved on the MOTOBLUR's servers. Way cool.
The Motorola Cliq has Wi-Fi support, turn-by-turn GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, and a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack. It streams video in 24 fps (frames per second). This phone is available in both Winter White and Midnight Titanium (titanium white).
Here are some other informative links to learn about this nice new phone:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/10/motorola-cliq-first-hands-on-impressions/
http://phandroid.com/2009/09/10/motorola-cliq-specs-details-galore/
http://gizmodo.com/5356696/motorola-cliq-quick-hands-on-impressions
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090910/moto-cliq/
http://www.quickpwn.com/2009/09/motorola-cliq-android-smartphone-first-android-phone-moto-blur.html
It uses a slick-looking MOTOBLUR skin for Google's Android OS. The MOTOBLUR Android overlay (A.K.A. a customized user interface) is a full-featured interface to the phone's capabilities. MOTOBLUR lets you stream your emails and social networks into one feed. There is a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard. A directional pad (mouse) is completely covered while the keyboard is stowed. The front-face features a large, wide-format screen and three control buttons.
This phone lets you do email, GPS, and video. It allows you to send rich text e-mails with colors, fonts and emoticons. You can also attach photos to your e-mails. The MOTOBLUR skin aggregates all of your contacts and their information from various sources and displays them in one seamless client. You can also view your contacts by individual network, if you prefer.
Wow, you can track your Motorola Cliq via assisted GPS if it gets lost. You can wipe it remotely and then all of your information is saved on the MOTOBLUR's servers. Way cool.
The Motorola Cliq has Wi-Fi support, turn-by-turn GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, and a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack. It streams video in 24 fps (frames per second). This phone is available in both Winter White and Midnight Titanium (titanium white).
Here are some other informative links to learn about this nice new phone:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/10/motorola-cliq-first-hands-on-impressions/
http://phandroid.com/2009/09/10/motorola-cliq-specs-details-galore/
http://gizmodo.com/5356696/motorola-cliq-quick-hands-on-impressions
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090910/moto-cliq/
http://www.quickpwn.com/2009/09/motorola-cliq-android-smartphone-first-android-phone-moto-blur.html
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Obama's school speech video
President Obama's speech to students across the country today has stirred a lot of interest.
Earlier, the administration had released a plan to ask students to write an essay on how they could help Obama. This was understandably seen as a partisan action. Why not ask the students to think about how they can help America, or their families?
The administration quickly back-pedalled and revised the proposed lesson plan, but many people were still upset that the President's actions with pushing an entire lesson plan seemed to involve the federal government in determining curriculum in the public schools, something that's reserved for the states.
To view the video of Obama's speech, click here:
http://www.examiner.com/x-1146-Seattle-Eastside-Family-Examiners~y2009m9d8-Obamas-school-speech-video-Watch-it-here
Earlier, the administration had released a plan to ask students to write an essay on how they could help Obama. This was understandably seen as a partisan action. Why not ask the students to think about how they can help America, or their families?
The administration quickly back-pedalled and revised the proposed lesson plan, but many people were still upset that the President's actions with pushing an entire lesson plan seemed to involve the federal government in determining curriculum in the public schools, something that's reserved for the states.
To view the video of Obama's speech, click here:
http://www.examiner.com/x-1146-Seattle-Eastside-Family-Examiners~y2009m9d8-Obamas-school-speech-video-Watch-it-here
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