"Peacock spider"

Cool (but tiny) spider!

Micro Train

A Nice Hike

I took a hike today on and around the Mt. Beacon area, in the Hudson River Valley part of New York. For some reason, most of the pictures never made it into the camera. Conditions were great, and I was lucky enough to come home with a small sample of moss for use in a peat moss terrarium. Next time, liverworts.

Cool twin ducks!

Two ducks, one egg.

Interesting watercress

Tonight, I prepared one bundle of watercress for a snack. I cleaned it carefully under lots of tap water, and then steamed it for a few minutes. Watercress is among the most risky plants for pathogens and parasites because it is grown in swampy water most of the time. For this reason, I always clean carefully and (as above) steam it or cook it in some way.

After the bundle was ready, I added some soy sauce, and sat down to eat. In the bowl, one at a time, I found the following:

A ball of pearlite
A snail
A spider.

I continued eating after the pearlite, stopped after the snail, and threw it all out after the spider. The snail is probably the worst of the three because they often carry parasites.

Sadly, it would have been best to simply dump the watercress into a terrarium and watch what critters come out of it.

Europa Island

"Europa Island (French: Île Europa) is a 28 km² low-lying tropical island in the Mozambique Channel, about a third of the way from southern Madagascar to southern Mozambique, at 22°22′06″S 40°21′48″ECoordinates: 22°22′06″S 40°21′48″E. It has 22.2 kilometres of coastline, but no ports or harbours. Anchorage is possible offshore. The airstrip is 1,500 metres long.
The island is surrounded by coral beaches and a fringing reef and encloses a mangrove lagoon of around 9 km². Its vegetation also consists of dry forest, scrub, euphorbia and the remains of a sisal plantation.

Europa Island is a nature reserve and host to migratory seabirds. It is one of the world's largest nesting sites for green turtles (Chelonia mydas). It is also home to goats introduced by settlers in the late 18th century.

The island takes its name from the British ship Europa, which visited it in 1774. It has been a possession of France since 1897, but is also claimed by Madagascar. Ruins and graves on Europa island attest to several attempts at settlement from the 1860s to the 1920s.
Its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), contiguous with that of Bassas da India, is 127,300 km². The island, garrisoned by a detachment from Réunion, has a meteorological station and is visited by scientists. Europa, though uninhabited, is formally part of the "Îles Eparses" district ("Scattered Islands") of the TAAF ("Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises") administrative region, which comprises islands such as Kerguelen and the French Antarctic possessions."

-Wiki

Humming Bird Baby!

Velpics

Interesting images from the world of nuclear power

Some great cave diving images!

From Wired

Because of a video card problem, and moving to a new apartment, there have been only a few updates here. See below the old, and new video cards... Clearly the old card is suffering from a severe case of "blurry AGP syndrome." The new card is not that great either, but it does the basics; plays quake ok and surfs the "net."





Here are some plant updates: The avocado tree is growing well, there is one new avocado on the way. Two lychee plants are starting to grow, as is an unknown plant to be identified later. The fish and frogs have survived the move to a new apartment, but are in limbo awaiting a more stable place to live, rather than the kitchen table.

Ebola

Giant man eating pitcher!
(Well no actually just mice and rats from time to time.)

Some interesting new plants from the Philippines (Ignore the misleading information about pitchers and the size of the new species.)

584 - The reason why you should never play me in Q3...

583 - How NOT to wash your car.

582 - Remember when I told you Lil' Wayne was a horrible rapper?

Lil Wayne

581 - Sorry for the lack of posts; moving into a new apartment

(Yeah spida man!)

580 - The end of the beginning, but not yet the beginning of the end, for the F22 Raptor

This great jet has been decades in the planning. The basic requirements for this, the replacement for the F15, have been on hand since 1981. That is, a year before I was born. It took many more years to pick a contractor, and start work. The cost per jet is exorbitant (but not nearly as bad as the B2), more than $100,000,000. However, the costs are not a huge deal (though even flyaway per unit costs are something that should be reduced when possible). What does matter, is the absurd number of jets and other weapons the US produces. Well over 100 F22s have been made to date. This is just an insane number. The initial (cold war) plan called for over 600 jets. It is unlikely that the Airforce could possibly support 500 of these jets in a war at one instant, let alone need them. A war of that severity, where hundreds of fighters attempt to achieve air superiority over a continent while thousands of tanks fight it out and thousands of bombers make runs... would as a matter of course be a nuclear war. The introduction of nuclear weapons of any size almost automatically (despite what many claim) render all other weapons irrelevant, and likely escalate into a full exchange. The point is, we could get away with only a few dozen F22s in our fleet and still have enough for local use, and use in Iraq and Afghanistan, or a single high intensity war such as a war between India and Pakistan.

Along with so many other weapons, I welcome a reduction in numbers produced and operated. We simply do not need as many nuclear "boomer" submarines anymore, nor do we need so many bombers, or any of the other most expensive machines. Our nuclear deterrent (also something that could use a modest reduction to say 500 warheads) is more than enough to protect us in the event of a severe war, like WWII. In regional conflicts, what we need is more things like UAVs and wheeled tanks, and fewer B2s, and Warsaw pact super tanks like the M1. Yes keep some on hand, they are very valuable. But 20 B2 bombers at a cost of 2 billion each? Or 140 F22s at a total cost of 65 billion?

We spend most of our federal money on health care, the military, and paying interest on our debt. We really need to cut back our spending to improve the health of our country. To me, this is a matter of national security. Like it or not, we are a capitalist nation. And nothing hurts us more than wasting money. My suggestion is that we save money on less military spending, looking for better and cheaper options (two things that are not, I propose, mutually exclusive). Then, we can use this saved money to reduce and eventually erase our national debt.

579 - S.P. aka Styles P. aka Styles Paniro aka The Ghost aka The Phantom aka SP The God aka The Ghost that Sat by the door

578 - Doin' your mom.

577 - Propofol

"Despite a lack of analgesic properties, propofol has been reported to be used safely for the purposes of short-term recreation (though hazardous for long-term use)[18], as it produces mild euphoria, sexual hallucinations, and disinhibition[19][20] Use of propofol for recreation has occasionally been described, usually among medical staff such as anaesthetists who have access to the drug.

However, abuse of the drug is rare due to its potency and the level of monitoring required to take it, and it has not been scheduled by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.[22] The steep dose response curve of the drug makes such abuse very dangerous without proper monitoring, and at least three deaths from self-administration have been recorded.[23][24]"

I am tempted to ultimately blame the addict for his addiction and eventual death from drug use, but any doctors who give him the drugs are also somewhat guilty of a crime.

Propofol Wiki

Jackson's Doctor

576 - A blast from the past

575 - Cap tape explosion

Pea Plant!

A small pea plant was found in the worm bin, and quickly moved to a pot with a stick by the window. The plant wound and grew well, creeping along the stick and also reaching the windowsill and wall. Soon after, it produced a single white flower. A few days back, I noticed a pea pod at the base of the flower, and today I found a single pea in that pod. After taking the above pictures, I promptly ate the pea. It was really quite good! Obviously, somehow, I threw out a pea that was viable. Probably this was from a fresh pod, but the last time I had a pod of this kind was months ago! Is it possible that a frozen or cooked pea could still grow? That really seems unlikely. Anyway, one must never look a gift pea in the pod...

574 - President Obama acted stupidly when he speculated on a local police matter.

It is massively irresponsible for the president to comment on a local police matter without all the evidence. It is bordering on criminal for him, as president, to undermine local government at all. You would think such a smart guy has gotten past race, but obviously even he is stuck in the black Americans as perpetual victims attitude. This professor is the last person to be stereotyped; he is wealthy and was probably wearing a jacket and tie. A crummy looking white guy would be far more likely to get police attention. The professor probably resisted the police efforts, and being such a snob, must have had lots of nasty comments. Those will come out eventually, there seems to be a recording of them. My only hope is that the police department does not cave to pressure and give in, even to say sorry. If anything, this guy should be mad at his neighbor who thought he was breaking in. This same professor would probably flip out if the police failed to stop a robbery at his house (which had already happened btw.)

In New York, many or most black people refuse to be victims. Americans need to stop acting guilty, and stop allowing a double standard to exist. It does not help black Americans to walk on egg shells around them, or allow them to be ridiculous just because of race. Indeed the only way to get rid of race problems, is to totally disregard race. People my age, for the most part, are much better. But even slightly older members of other generations, like Obama, are tainted by history. When Obama assumes that white cops are racist, he is just as racist as when a white cop perhaps assumes a black guy is a criminal. There is evidence of both in the past. Cops are often racist, way too often. And also black Americans have a disproportionately high crime rate. But that is not enough information to allow us to assume anything.

A quick comment on racial profiling and descrimination. Descrimination and profiling have become bad words. But this is exactly what smart police, investigators, and all humans at times do. There is a difference between looking for a suspect based on a profile or physical description, and looking for a black guy just because you hate them. If someone commits a crime, and is black, should the police stop white people also? What an utter waste of time that would be! There is a difference between what I would call police harassment; when black people are stopped just because, and when suspects in a crime look like you. Black males aged 16 - 35 should consider taking some ownership. If they are mad about the situation, do something about your age group. Here are the facts on the matter:

Crime Rates

Does this mean all black people should be stopped at any time? Certainly not. But should they possibly understand why they could be stopped? If you live in West Baltimore, in addition to the risk of getting robbed or shot, or aids, you are also at an increased risk of getting stopped by the police. Same for Trenton, Rochester, and several dozen other midcap cities.

Update and backpedaling.

"Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Police Report

"I'll speak with your mama outside," Harvard prof told Cambridge cops

JULY 23--Here are the police reports detailing the confrontation last week between Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cambridge cops, who were condemned last night by President Barack Obama for acting "stupidly" in arresting the African-American scholar. Cops responded to Gates's house after neighbor Lucia Whalen reported spotting "two black males with backpacks" trying to gain entry to the home (Gates, returning home from a trip overseas, and his driver were contending with a stuck front door). The Cambridge Police Department reports, authored by Sergeant James Crowley and Officer James Figueroa, quote an incensed Gates yelling, "This is what happens to black men in America!," and, when asked by Crowley to speak with him outside the residence, Gates replied, "ya, I'll speak with your mama outside." A disorderly conduct rap was filed against Gates, but quickly dropped by prosecutors. Gates is reportedly considering legal action against the Cambridge police."

573 - Misleading internet images

As long as R2K is locked and under review, the posts will be placed here at Microimages because this is a fairly underused blog. These two little pics were taken (ripped you might say) from the internet.

The first is essentially true; anyone who checks internet referrals will have noticed Bing is gaining quite a bit of ground, particularly in the porn arena. But the graph above shows a clear trend; Google is rapidly increasing it's share of search traffic, while Microsoft appears to have lost just a bit. The number of bad graphs one can find when reading about economic issues is simply staggering. What is an MBA for anyway? Obviously no one learns about how to root the graph at zero. Why do this you ask? Because with the most common type of graph found on Bloomberg tv, or CNN, or any other economic news show or web page, you go from 61.23 to 62.34. And a stock appears to make a sudden drastic move during only an hour or two! Talk about day trading! But in reality, the stock has hardly moved. Because we lost perspective on the magnitude of change relative to the value of the stock. Yes for a whole index or large numbers, there is no need to go back to zero in short term reports. But seriously consider zooming out a bit.

Next, we see an honest ad for CD accounts at a bank. They call it a "High Yield CD", and guarantee a return on your next egg. Here is why this is misleading:

The average inflation rate, from the early 1900s to date is about 3.4%. And CD accounts pay taxes on interest. So assuming you invest 10,000, you will get about $135 dollars at the end of term (assuming the APY accounts for all compounding of interest.) You will be taxed on this money, perhaps taking your net down to about $100. Well this is a pretty sad return on so much money, first of all. But the real problem is this: in order to beat inflation, you have to NET $340 a year on average (some years much more, other much less.) So with this account, and with an investment of $10,000... you will have lost $240 in your first year. It is akin to keeping money in a shoe box. Now all CDs and bank accounts offer pathetic interest rates (or scam variable rates). That isn't really the problem - you can offer a lousy product. The problem is that they are implying that this is a good investment, that you get lots of return, or any return at all really. Even getting 1 percent doesn't justify locking your money up for 12 months... Your nest egg needs to be in debts and equities, not just a CD. A CD is a nice insured way to keep your money under the bed. But what is also upsetting is the fact that just a few years back, CD rates were in the 4%s and even 5%s.

After nearly 5 years of posting, with over 500 posts, Google has decided R2K should be suspended.

Hopefully the situation will be fixed quickly, and this post will be removed. Hopefully the next post on this matter will be me commending Google for doing the right thing, and supporting the freedom of bloggers to post what they want so long as it is legal. If not, see you all at another host.

Quick Update:

Things are going well in the plant department. The Avocado tree is rapidly growing larger, using over a cup of water a day in this heat. The tropical cuttings continue to root and spread, eventually these will be hanging plants. A funny little pea plant was pulled from the compost, and given a stick on which to wind. Finally, a large tomato plant has grown in the window box "bee garden" which is now just a tomato plant because of the size. All of the other plants were removed or killed to make room. Because this is a hybrid plant, like the two others which will now spend the rest of the season in a country garden (not a bad way to go!), it is unclear if it can produce proper ripe tomatoes. They are growing, but may never fully mature. Only time will tell.

Great SEM zoom in image

This is a really great ant image. Check it out!

Giga Pan SEM Ant

Celery

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, and the fact that most of them are not mine... Some projects are in the works now, posts to follow.

Baby Armadillos

Baby Armadillos