Cool facts and articles

[Just the facts]

The southeastern tip of Oklahoma is closer to the northwestern tip of the Florida panhandle than it is to the northwestern tip of the OK panhandle.

...and it so not even close. Florida is 100 miles closer.

[RadicalModerate]

Personally I believe cool facts and articles are better when
there's at least a modicum of believability.

The graph [at Post #227, above] would have been a lot more effective if the horizontal lines had been placed at a scale that corresponded with the number of years represented. Speaking of "scales" . . . where are the fish in that picture?

Those concerns, among others, cause me to question the veracity and/or accuracy of any other information presented in that particular format.

[Plutonic Panda]

The graph [at Post #227, above] would have been a lot more effective if the horizontal lines had been placed at a scale that corresponded with the number of years represented. Speaking of "scales" . . . where are the fish in that picture?

Those concerns, among others, cause me to question the veracity and/or accuracy of any other information presented in that particular format.

Barnes and Barnes apparently succeeded in their quest to remove every fish from the earth and turn them into 'fish heads'.

[MadMonk]

Please note that the name, El Reno, has nothing at all to do with reindeer. It came from Ft. Reno and here is where Fort Reno got it's name.

Welcome to Historic Fort Reno

Yeah, but what was Major General Reno named after? Huh? A REINDEER, that's what. HAH!


The information presented above bears no resemblance to truth in any way.

I did read that they added the "El" in front of Reno due to mail delivery confusion with Reno, NV. That's according to Wikipedia so take that for what it's worth.

[trousers]

Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it El Reno, which of course in German means "a whales ******."

[Plutonic Panda]

[Plutonic Panda]

[RadicalModerate]

The fact that we are flying around the sun, as the solar system flies around the galaxy, as the galaxy flies around the universe is why time travel (as depicted in various movies) can't happen. If you went back or forward in time, the Earth wouldn't be where it is now and you would re-materialize in space somewhere and immediately cease living.

Since each human being perceives the universe slightly differently there are as many different universes as there are people. (Each universe actually exists only as electro-chemical responses inside of each individual brain.) This doesn't mean that there isn't an "objective" universe that each brain reflects or perceives slightly differently, it just means that it is impossible for us to discern it completely and accurately.

p.s.: Google Ad at the top of the page: "Third Eye Blind" =)
I think that a lot of Dr. Timothy Leary's interests involved exploring this conundrum. Dr. Leary and his pal, Dr. [Something or Other] "Baba Ram Dass" Alpert (not Herb). And Carlos Castaneda's pal, Don Juan the Mexican Indian Shaman. Personally, I never got into psychedelics . . . or psychics for that matter. Probably has something to do with Right Brain/Left Brain Balance. Closest I came to it was some concoction referred to as "synthetic Mescaline" a time or two, two-thirds of a lifetime ago. It was a fairly interesting experience. It is really amazing what automobile headlights can look like, while walking down the side of the road, when your "doors of perception" are opened slightly wider. And even the patterns on a nice, carved briar pipe become fascinating. =)

Dang: I really need to stop attending The Downtown OKC Arts Festival. =)
(that was a trace of "Metacognition.")

[MadMonk]

NASA has put HD cameras on the ISS and is streaming them live. This link has the stream alongside a real-time position map of where the ISS is located.
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/HDEV/

The High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) experiment aboard the ISS was activated April 30, 2014. It is mounted on the External Payload Facility of the European Space Agency’s Columbus module. This experiment includes several commercial HD video cameras aimed at the earth which are enclosed in a pressurized and temperature controlled housing. Video from these cameras is transmitted back to earth and also streamed live on this channel. While the experiment is operational, views will typically sequence though the different cameras. Between camera switches, a gray and then black color slate will briefly appear. Since the ISS is in darkness during part of each orbit, the images will be dark at those times. During periods of loss of signal with the ground or when HDEV is not operating, a gray color slate or previously recorded video may be seen.

[Dustin]

NASA has put HD cameras on the ISS and is streaming them live. This link has the stream alongside a real-time position map of where the ISS is located.
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/HDEV/

That is so fricken cool! OMG!

[MadMonk]

The day/night transitions are pretty cool to observe.

[Plutonic Panda]

I am sooooo going to do this!!!!!!!





What Happens When You Drop A Magnet Through A Copper Tube? | I ****ing Love Science

[Plutonic Panda]

Bugnado!!!



https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...4775258&type=1

[Dustin]

Baby elephant rescue!

[Prunepicker]

l saw this a few years ago. very nice.

[Plutonic Panda]

Underwater Gun Shot - SLOMO!!!!



Slow Motion Video: Underwater Bullet | I ****ing Love Science

[Plutonic Panda]

[Plutonic Panda]

[Plutonic Panda]

I really like this!

[Plutonic Panda]

Some cool clouds!

These are examples of a lenticular clouds, also known as altocumulus standing lenticularis. These are stationary, lens-shaped clouds that are formed at high altitudes. They are included in the middle layer cloud family because the bases of the clouds are stationed between about 2,000 and 7,000 meters. These clouds form when moist air is forced to flow up around mountains and large hills. The water is super cooled and condensed from air below the dew point temperature.

https://www.facebook.com/IFeakingLov...levant_count=1

[Plutonic Panda]

[Plutonic Panda]

This is pretty cool!

How To Build A Smartphone Microscope Stand for $10

Obtaining a high quality microscope for your home or a classroom doesn’t require a massive investment. For only $10, basic supplies from a hardware store can be turned into microscope stand for a smart phone capable of reaching up to 175x magnification. All that is required for this setup is a piece of plywood, some Plexiglass, the lens from a laser pointer, small LED light, and some nuts and bolts to hold it together.

By using a smartphone with the microscope, images and videos of the specimens can be taken easily. This is a great tool for getting up close and personal with everyday small objects like salt and pepper, but it can also be used to see plant cells easily.

Read more at How To Build A Smartphone Microscope Stand for $10 | I ****ing Love Science

[Plutonic Panda]

This seems like an interesting concept

Solar Roads Could Power An Entire Country

A small US-based company called Solar Roadways are developing a solar road surface that, if installed nationwide, has the potential to produce more renewable energy than the entire country uses. In fact, they’ve actually already developed a working prototype that’s been installed in a parking lot, and they’re now crowdsourcing funds in order to tweak the design and move towards production.

Solar Roadways, which was started by Scott and Julie Brusaw in 2006, designed and developed hexagonal glass solar panels studded with LED lights that could be installed on a variety of surfaces such as roads, pavements and playgrounds. These panels would more than pay for themselves and would benefit both businesses and homeowners as the energy generated from driveways and parking lots could be used to power buildings, and any excess can be sold back to the grid.

The panels also contain heating elements to melt ice and snow so are ideal in winter conditions, and LEDs to make road lines and signs which have been previously shown to reduce night time accidents. The surface could also be used to charge electric vehicles as oppose to fossil fuels, and future technology could even allow for charging whilst driving via mutual induction panels. Amazingly, the team also found that car headlights can produce energy in the panels, so cars driving around at night would be producing some electricity.





Read more at Solar Roads Could Power An Entire Country | I ****ing Love Science

Also, here is the people who make it: Solar Roadways - Introduction

[Plutonic Panda]

What Would It Look Like If Saturn Approached the Earth?

e Earthlings are about eight times closer to the Sun than we are to Saturn at our closest point. Even though Saturn’s diameter is about nine times larger than ours, we need powerful telescopes to see anything more than a tiny dot of light. This is kind of a shame, given how many of us are so enamored with Saturn’s trademark rings.

Image that Saturn decided to break out of its orbit and pay Earth a visit. Also image that its intense gravitational pull wouldn’t completely gobble us up. What would Saturn look like if it came as close as Mars?

Nick at Yeti Dynamics has created a video using data from Voyager and Cassini that helps us answer this very question. From the distance of Mars, Saturn would be brighter than the full moon. Although it would appear quite a bit smaller in the night sky, Saturn reflects nearly four times more light than the moon. Even without a telescope, you would still be able to detect Saturn’s rings at this distance and could possibly even see Titan, its largest moon.

If Saturn kept traveling and became even closer to our planet, it would light up the dark side of the moon and even be close enough that Earth’s penumbral and umbral shadows would be visible on Saturn. If Saturn were to pass through over us (ignoring the planet-ending gravity that would come along with it) we could see the back of the planet that is not lit up from the Sun, giving a very different appearance to the rings.

Of course, Saturn is very comfortable in its orbit and it absolutely will not be swinging into our neck of the solar system. The video is very, very cool and you will want to go full screen on this one.



Read more at What Would It Look Like If Saturn Approached the Earth? | I ****ing Love Science

[Dustin]