Friday, 7. October 2005, 07:53:07
I'm making a big departure from my usual habits here: I'm not going into details.
I've been given a new perspective on something. It's a little bit paralyzing, too. For example, lay a bird on its back and it's unable to move. It's because they spend no time on their backs. You can lay a bird on its back in your hand and it will lie there just as still as can be.
Unlike the birds, however, my nervous system can accommodate disorientation. My feet will find the ground again.
Wednesday, 5. October 2005, 16:14:33
My roommate Carrie said that I missed out on the real weather this past weekend. We had hail, lotsa hail. She was good enough
to take some pictures of it.
Tuesday, 4. October 2005, 20:16:45
Parapsychology, unexplained
Many have a fear of the unknonwn. Others are obsessed with it. A couple of the links on my page are to such things as some people assert cannot be known: Fortean Times and Coast to Coast AM. The thing about these two sites is that they are full of weird stuff that isn't easily explained.
The paranormal is a source of fascination to some and a thorn in the sides of others. I'm ambivalent towards it or rather agnostic on it: maybe it's true, maybe it isn't. What gets me is not the unexplained so much as the inexplicable. For example, St. Bernadette of Lourdes died over a century ago and her body has yet to show any signs of decay. Check it out.
Some dedicate their lives to skepticism. And it's important that they do so. Under a skeptical analysis, one finds a lot of truth and can disprove the illusions that have held back progress. On the other hand, skepticism can become an obsession. The Flat Earth Society is one example of this. They cling to their beliefs in spite of all proof to the contrary.
If they took a skeptical view of their stance, they would find that they can't explain eclipses with a flat earth at the center of the universe. Eclipses would be visible from all points on the earth at the same time. Moreover, a lunar eclipse occurs when the earth is between the sun and the moon. The earth's shadow would be a single line across the moon if it were flat. By the way, Copernicus was not the first to realize that. Aristotle was.
Me, I'm a scientist whose mission is balancing skepticism with a belief that things will work out. My current research project, for example, failed about a million times before the kinks were all worked out. In the meantime, I had to keep doing experiments. Finally, I got some results. Without some faith, I would have given up a long time ago. Next somebody else has to ask the questions that we haven't thought of. If we can answer them, then we've really got something. Until then it's still in the realm of the unexplained.
Spooky, huh?
Monday, 3. October 2005, 20:10:41
I've posted a few (as in... um... more than a couple and less than a lot of) photos. The star of all this is my girlfriend's dog Ashley. She's a Boston terrier, a truly American breed.
She only has one trick: sleeping 20 hours a day. Oh, wait, she also does a great impression of somebody with an almost mortal fear of getting wet. Come to think of it, she has a third trick: eating an entire bagel (it's nearly 10% of her own weight) in one gulp.
No, really. I've seen her do it, and it's scary!
Despite the fright, having a dog is pretty cool. It does come with plenty of responsibility, like making sure that you can dole out huge amounts of affection at a moment's notice. You should also be willing to let the dog sleep in any position at any time. That part is easy for me, though, because my dad prepared us especially well in that regard. In fact, my mom has a particular picture of dad that is quite meaningful to her. He's fast asleep, sitting upright, mouth wide open in a room with (I think) all four of his brothers and their dad - all of whom are asleep with similar proficiency... on Mother's Day.
Sunday, 2. October 2005, 00:24:25
Yep, there is something unusual in the atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest this afternoon. We call it lightning. The thing about Seattle is that it rarely sees lightning in spite of all the rain. Not that it rains in Seattle proper all that much. It usually tops out at 45 inches or 115cm per year. The copious mountains here, however, predicate wide swings in the precipitation and temperature ranges that relatively close regions experience. For example, the Snoqualmie Valley lies 30 miles (50km) directly east of Seattle. That area receives more than double the annual rainfall that Seattle does. Quinault, a small town 120 miles (200km) directly west of Seattle receives more than four times the rainfall that Seattle does.
For the most part, 'rain' in Seattle means that it's merely misting. And it mists here about 150 to 200 days a year. So, yeah, it can get kinda dreary. It's ironic to me that we don't have much in the way of lightning anywhere in the state. Most of the lifelong residents, however, like it that way. To them, a lightning storm means nothing but trouble. In 1999, the first year that I lived here after moving 2200 miles (3500km) away from my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, one such storm rolled into Seattle and put on a tremendous show of light and sound. Both of my then roommates were locals, and they stared out the window trembling in thought of what might be about to happen.
I started trying to reassure them but soon stopped. Not that I lost interest in reassuring them. Anybody that grows up with copious lightning storms can tell you that they are soporific to the habituated. The storm put me to sleep.
Given my scientific leanings and my lifelong fascination with lightning, I'm looking forward to an upcoming lecture at the University of Washington. On October 4th at 7:00p.m. in Kane Hall, Richard Dowden, one of the preeminent researchers in the field will be talking about his research.
If you're interested, read up on lightning basics: http://thunder.msfc.nasa.gov/primer/
There's more info here about worldwide research: http://webflash.ess.washington.edu/
For those that can't attend, I'll let ya know how it goes.
Thursday, 29. September 2005, 20:53:33
physics, chemistry, quantum mechanics, astronomy
I was stricken at a young age by some scientific insights of my very own. For example, I had just seen a program explaining that the ancient Greeks thought that the eye produced light. Hence, where there were no eyes there could be no light. They reasoned that the light from our eyes was what enabled us to see things as they were in different environments: in the sun, next to a candle, next to a fire, etc. None of the aforementioned things really produced light by the Greeks' explanation. Rather, those things reacted to the light from our eyes.
I was thinking about this later that day while filling the tank on our lawnmower. The mower and I were inside a shed whose door faced away from the sun. In the gasoline that was pouring into the tank I saw it: an image of the grass in front of the shed. That image indicated that light was coming from outside my eyes. Otherwise, I'd have only seen the gasoline.
I was twelve years old at the time.
Since then, I've gone on to study physical chemistry (or chemical physics depending on the day). Among other things that struck me as a child, the similarity betwen electrons orbiting nuclei and planets orbiting the sun stood out. I knew that I'd eventually do graduate work in science, but it was always a question of what field: physics or chemistry.
Well, I'm much more a chemist than a physicist and my undergraduate degree was in chemistry by a matter of sheer fate. I was on the fence and tossed a coin to set my life's path. The coin came up heads and that meant chemistry. I've often wondered since if that was the correct path, because physics is still quite intriguing to me.
It so happens that it eventually won't matter. A new article attests to the similarity between planetary orbits and electron trajectories. They are quite likely governed by the same set of laws according to a new article in Notices of the American Mathematical Society:
http://www.ams.org/notices/200509/fea-porter.pdf
For those interested, you'll need to register an account (it's free) with their website. A more succinct summary is to be found here:
http://space.com/scienceastronomy/050927_cool_math.html
Tuesday, 27. September 2005, 17:01:21
cycling
My name is James and I have CBCS: Competitive Bicycle Commuter Syndrome.
Seattle is a very bike-friendly city. That is a relative statement. Motorists are respectful, and those that aren't usually confine their animosity to cutting you off in traffic or passing a little too closely. It's the kind of thing that makes riders nervous but doesn't really scare them. I've been in places that had bike lanes that people used en masse as parking spots. Despite their trappings to the contrary, those cities were just not bicycle-friendly.
Given Seattle's copious bike lanes and tolerance, bicycle commuting is very popular. It's so popular that regular commuters are regularly competitors with one another. Leading up to my house on Dexter Avenue North is one of Seattle's longest hills. It's not steep either. A strong rider can take its entire length, about 0.6 miles (1 km), in a big gear.
This morning, I was about to ride up this long hill with several other commuters. The air was thick with anticipation. Picture if you will, several people on expensive commuter bikes: high test aluminum, titanium, and even Italian steel custom cut to fit the rider (mine!). Each is toting the obligatory courier bag with work clothes and other accoutrments necessary for the upcoming day at the office. Each is wearing a helmet and cycling-specific shoes replete with cleats to lock into the pedals. They make climbing and sprinting easier. At the red light at the bottom of the hill, everybody is twitchy. We honestly believe ourselves to be horses at the gate waiting to hear "Aaaand... they're off!" on the PA.
I've seen and done this dance dozens of times. The light turns green, riders shuffle for position and try to get some initial momentum before the flat intersection becomes a hilly street. This morning, I decided not to participate in the race up Dexter Hill. What's the point? There's none at all. No, that logic didn't stop me for long. As soon as I saw that nobody else was in a racing mood I jumped to the front. Then somebody got on my wheel (even on a hill, drafting another rider has its advantages). Then somebody else went around us.
It was a cheap shot, too. He saw me pull up to let the other guy go around. I figured that the drafter would jump ahead at the first opportunity, which he did. So the passerby waited for my vulnerable moment and passed. It wasn't cheap, it was strategic. After a few races, however, I was ready for something like this and sprinted ahead to the passerby. I waited until the last 100 meters, shifted to a higher gear, and sprinted away over the hill's summit - the unofficial finish line. Victory was mine!
I picked up what I'd forgotten on the way to work earlier this morning and headed down Dexter Hill secure in my cycling fortitude... until another rider cut me off on the bike path.
I caught and dropped him, too. Tee-hee!
Man, I need to get a life.
Tuesday, 27. September 2005, 05:05:32
There's a loop that people ride in southern Washington called the Triple Bypass. It takes you over three mountain passes... in the short space of 120 miles (200km)... with 5500 feet (1700 meters) of climbing. It's a real pain going over this thing. Fortunately it finishes in the same place that it begins and is riddled with views of snowcapped mountains all year.
This past weekend marked our group's sojourn along the Triple. It's only one of several rides my friends and I have done over the years: DarWin, 118 miles (190km) from Darrington to Winthrop (two small towns in Central Washington) over two mountain passes with 5000 feet (1550 meters) of climbing; STP, a 200 mile (325km) ride between Seattle and Portland that we did in a single day this summer; and RSVP, a 183 mile (300km) ride from Seattle to Vancouver that we did in two days because we didn't want to overdo it.
The hardest thing about the Triple Bypass for me this past weekend was, well, NOT riding it. I'd had a cold this past week and come Saturday felt it unwise to ride. My girlfriend Steph, who has had little time to ride at all since August, did the first half - the half with all the climbing. Of course, somebody had to drive the sag wagon. I was that somebody. It worked out well enough really.
For example, I didn't start a three-bike pileup that ended with my right shin covered in road rash and my friend's wife with a broken clavicle. That happened last year. I didn't set out to meet up with a group of friends for a training ride and wake up on an ambulance with no idea of how I'd gotten there. That was last year, too. I also didn't get knocked down and tear my rotator cuff three months before tearing again. That was two years ago. In fact, I didn't have to spend ten minutes untangling my bike from a seven bike pileup ten kilometers from the end of a 60 kilometer road race. That was this past March. Oh, and my rear brake didn't fail at 25mph (40km/h) causing me to flip over my handlebars and break four ribs. That was four years ago.
This might be a good time to mention that I've had a few bicycle wrecks.
As much as those accidents have left an impression, though, they don't make a dent in an unshakeable passion for riding my bike. It's nice to have something that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning. After a really hard ride or an even harder race, many things seem easier than they did beforehand.
The downside, however, is the contagion that comes with cycling: having watched me race all this past year, my girlfriend is now infected with the cycling bug. There is no cure. She's joining a racing team next year. Unless, that is, she manages to join a team sooner than that.
Wednesday, 21. September 2005, 18:53:59
Well, I sort of got started on that thing I was going to do last night. After my ride, it hit me: I had a fever, a cough, and a sinus headache. Before you judge me, athletes can attest that a quick workout often makes you feel better not worse. That is, unless you're really getting sick. For example, my allergies can be a huge nuisance. When that happens, though, a quick ride (usually) clears it right up.
Last night, those symptoms were just the calm before the storm that hit after working out. Yeah, the symptoms are annoying, but they're comforting, too. Those symptoms say that my immune system is doing its job. My mom would probably say, "If you'd stayed inside and rested, you'd still be okay right now." No, I'd still have a virus and would still have to fight it off eventually. I'd rather face it all at once instead of wrestling with some nagging symptoms for the next few days. This way, well, I'm just miserable for a day.
Wednesday, 21. September 2005, 00:49:26
It has recently been pointed out to me (by my subconscience) that procrastination is my biggest weakness. In other words, I'd get a lot more done if I weren't so busy wasting time. With that, I'm going to glue some samples together and go for a bike ride. Then, I'm going to test those samples. That's multitasking, folks!
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