I don’t, and a couple of months ago I decided I probably wouldn’t, because of apparent possible connection to Russian hacking.
Check this out:
There is absolutely nothing to see here.
I don’t, and a couple of months ago I decided I probably wouldn’t, because of apparent possible connection to Russian hacking.
Check this out:
There is absolutely nothing to see here.
I did some research on mice, and I thought I’d pass it on. First, though, let me suggest that you get some of this stuff
There is some interesting and exciting stuff going on with mice.
The Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse, Long Range Wireless Mouse
This mouse uses a small USB dongle or bluetgooth (Bluetooth Smart Ready). You can pair up to three different devices. It has hyper-speed scrolling.
There are several mice in this category ranging across price. One of them is the Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse with FLOW Cross-Computer Control and File Sharing for PC and Mac – 910-005132
This supposedly works on Linux, Macs and Windows.
I am suspicious of the whole ergonomic thing. Ergonomic, in mice and similar devices, seems to be “we fit your hand so well you will only move one or two muscles ever,” which seems a bad idea. I think a mouse should require more movement and adjustment by the hand in order to Not cause repetitive motion syndrome. Note that this is entirely my non-expert opinion and I may be quite wrong.
Anyway, one of the top rated and coolest Ergonomic mice is probably the Anker 2.4G Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse
The affordable Logitech M720 Triathalon Multi-Device Wireless Mouse 
. This $100 computer critter is a high end gaming mouse, and note that the interface is a wire. Proof that new technology (in this case, wireless interface to mouse) is sometimes inferior, and the old technology gets you more.
The Logitech M330 Silent Plus Wireless Large Mouse 
The super accruate, wired, Corsair Gaming M65 Pro RGB FPS Gaming Mouse, Backlit RGB LED, 12000 DPI, Optical
The mouse I need is probably the one I hope to find over at Goodwill; I need a plug in USB mouse to allow quick access to any computer any time without needing a dongle dangling off the back of something.
I did some research on mice, and I thought I’d pass it on. First, though, let me suggest that you get some of this stuff
There is some interesting and exciting stuff going on with mice.
The Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse, Long Range Wireless Mouse
This mouse uses a small USB dongle or bluetgooth (Bluetooth Smart Ready). You can pair up to three different devices. It has hyper-speed scrolling.
There are several mice in this category ranging across price. One of them is the Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse with FLOW Cross-Computer Control and File Sharing for PC and Mac – 910-005132
This supposedly works on Linux, Macs and Windows.
I am suspicious of the whole ergonomic thing. Ergonomic, in mice and similar devices, seems to be “we fit your hand so well you will only move one or two muscles ever,” which seems a bad idea. I think a mouse should require more movement and adjustment by the hand in order to Not cause repetitive motion syndrome. Note that this is entirely my non-expert opinion and I may be quite wrong.
Anyway, one of the top rated and coolest Ergonomic mice is probably the Anker 2.4G Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse
The affordable Logitech M720 Triathalon Multi-Device Wireless Mouse
. This $100 computer critter is a high end gaming mouse, and note that the interface is a wire. Proof that new technology (in this case, wireless interface to mouse) is sometimes inferior, and the old technology gets you more.
The Logitech M330 Silent Plus Wireless Large Mouse
The super accruate, wired, Corsair Gaming M65 Pro RGB FPS Gaming Mouse, Backlit RGB LED, 12000 DPI, Optical
The mouse I need is probably the one I hope to find over at Goodwill; I need a plug in USB mouse to allow quick access to any computer any time without needing a dongle dangling off the back of something.
Energy poverty is a real problem. Coal is a bogus solution
Coal only makes global poverty worse.
A recent paper from 12 international poverty and development organizations (led by the Overseas Development Institute) argues the negative. In fact, the opposite is true: Not only will more coal plants do nothing for energy access, they will impose unnecessary suffering on the poor.
Energy poverty is a real problem. Coal is a bogus solution. by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, July 24, 2017
Sun July 23 2017
Mon July 24 2017
Tue July 25 2017
Wed July 26 2017
Thu July 27 2017
Fri July 28 2017
Sat July 29 2017
Energy poverty is a real problem. Coal is a bogus solution
Coal only makes global poverty worse.
A recent paper from 12 international poverty and development organizations (led by the Overseas Development Institute) argues the negative. In fact, the opposite is true: Not only will more coal plants do nothing for energy access, they will impose unnecessary suffering on the poor.
Energy poverty is a real problem. Coal is a bogus solution. by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, July 24, 2017
Sun July 23 2017
Mon July 24 2017
Tue July 25 2017
Wed July 26 2017
Thu July 27 2017
Fri July 28 2017
Sat July 29 2017
“There was a young lady named Bright,
Whose speed was far faster than light;
She set out one day
In a relative way,
And returned on the previous night.” -A.H. Reginald Butler
Throughout the entire Universe, there’s a fundamental law that governs the motions of all particles: Einstein’s relativity. It states that all particles with mass can never attain the speed of light, no matter how much energy you put into it. Additionally, all massless particles only move at the speed of light, no matter what you do to either them or to the device/person observing them. No matter what reference frame you’re in, the speed of light in a vacuum is a constant.
The size, wavelength and temperature/energy scales that correspond to various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Image credit: NASA and Wikimedia Commons user Inductiveload.
But light isn’t always in a vacuum! From air to quartz to acrylic to glass to many other media, light can pass through transparent material, and when it does, it slows down. Not only that, but light of different energy slows down by different amounts. In what ways is the speed of light always the same, and in what ways can it change?
The behavior of white light as it passes through a prism demonstrates how light of different energies move at different speeds through a medium, but not through a vacuum. Image credit: University of Iowa.
“There was a young lady named Bright,
Whose speed was far faster than light;
She set out one day
In a relative way,
And returned on the previous night.” -A.H. Reginald Butler
Throughout the entire Universe, there’s a fundamental law that governs the motions of all particles: Einstein’s relativity. It states that all particles with mass can never attain the speed of light, no matter how much energy you put into it. Additionally, all massless particles only move at the speed of light, no matter what you do to either them or to the device/person observing them. No matter what reference frame you’re in, the speed of light in a vacuum is a constant.
The size, wavelength and temperature/energy scales that correspond to various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Image credit: NASA and Wikimedia Commons user Inductiveload.
But light isn’t always in a vacuum! From air to quartz to acrylic to glass to many other media, light can pass through transparent material, and when it does, it slows down. Not only that, but light of different energy slows down by different amounts. In what ways is the speed of light always the same, and in what ways can it change?
The behavior of white light as it passes through a prism demonstrates how light of different energies move at different speeds through a medium, but not through a vacuum. Image credit: University of Iowa.
The American Geophysical Union - the pre-eminent organization of Earth scientists - presents annual awards to celebrate the achievements of scientists. The awards, which are often named after famous historical scientists, reflect the contributions to science in the area of the award namesake. With the 2017 award winners just announced, it’s appropriate to showcase one of the winners here.
The 2017 winner of the Roger Revelle medal is Dr. Kevin E. Trenberth. One of the most well-known scientists in the world, he is certainly the person most knowledgeable about climate change that I know.
The Roger Revelle award is given to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to the understanding of the atmosphere and its interactions with other parts of the climate system. Named after Roger Revelle, who was critical in bringing the idea of human-caused climate change to the scientific community, it is amongst the highest honors. Revelle wrote regarding increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 1957:
human beings are now carrying out a large scale geophysical experiment
Certainly the other scientists nominated were of incredible quality. Why was Kevin granted the award? I cannot answer this for certain because I was not on the committee, but it’s possible that he won strictly because of his scientific contributions.
Dr. Trenberth is a leading voice in the concept of Earth Energy Imbalance (which is really the rate of global warming). He also pioneered research related to the interactions of the atmosphere with the oceans, particularly the El Niño/La Niña cycle. He has worked on advancements to climate models and to experimental observations of climate. Another major area of contribution is the changes in precipitation with climate change, and especially the frequency and intensity of extremes. He has also changed the approaches to attribution of human-caused climate change.
But perhaps Dr. Trenberth won the award because of the sheer volume and impact of his scholarship. He is closing in on 70,000 citations to his work. This puts him near the top of the list worldwide for impact.
Or maybe he won because of his tireless efforts in service to the scientific community, with leadership roles in the IPCC, the World Climate Research Programme, NOAA, and other groups. Or lastly, it could be because he is tireless as both a researcher and a communicator. Dr. Trenberth can be heard or read almost weekly in major newspapers, magazine articles, radio and television shows. When reporters need complex climate science explained, he is a go-to person, and has been for years.
His personal life is interesting too. Born in New Zealand, he studied mathematics before embarking on meteorology. His time in New Zealand provided him with a different geographic perspective than his American and European colleagues. New Zealand is more impacted by certain climate oscillations, like fluctuations in the temperature of the Pacific Ocean surface waters. Certainly these experiences affected his climate views.
Growing up, family, school, and sports – he was a top rugby player - were important. He was somehow able to balance these three pillars of life without sacrifice to his academics. Born into a family of very modest means, Kevin had to make his own fortunes. His early academic performance resulted in financial scholarships for school.
After some time spent in the New Zealand army, he was ready to embark upon his scientific career. After winning a New Zealand government fellowship to do his doctorate at MIT, he met his future wife Gail who was as ever energetic, smart, and involved in life as was Kevin. They had a daughter in New Zealand, and, after moving to the U.S. as a professor at the University of Illinois, began fostering, which led to the adoption of their second child.
Somehow Kevin and his wife kept both career and family center in their lives and Kevin’s reputation as a top-rated scientist increased. He moved to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in 1984. His scientific work and his public communication efforts meant that he became a frequent target of groups that try to deny human-caused climate change or diminish its importance. The problem with Kevin is, he knows so much you can just assume he is smarter than you.
Well-known contrarians such as Richard Lindzen, Roy Spencer, and John Christy have had their works rebutted by Trenberth for technical errors.
The American Geophysical Union - the pre-eminent organization of Earth scientists - presents annual awards to celebrate the achievements of scientists. The awards, which are often named after famous historical scientists, reflect the contributions to science in the area of the award namesake. With the 2017 award winners just announced, it’s appropriate to showcase one of the winners here.
The 2017 winner of the Roger Revelle medal is Dr. Kevin E. Trenberth. One of the most well-known scientists in the world, he is certainly the person most knowledgeable about climate change that I know.
The Roger Revelle award is given to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to the understanding of the atmosphere and its interactions with other parts of the climate system. Named after Roger Revelle, who was critical in bringing the idea of human-caused climate change to the scientific community, it is amongst the highest honors. Revelle wrote regarding increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 1957:
human beings are now carrying out a large scale geophysical experiment
Certainly the other scientists nominated were of incredible quality. Why was Kevin granted the award? I cannot answer this for certain because I was not on the committee, but it’s possible that he won strictly because of his scientific contributions.
Dr. Trenberth is a leading voice in the concept of Earth Energy Imbalance (which is really the rate of global warming). He also pioneered research related to the interactions of the atmosphere with the oceans, particularly the El Niño/La Niña cycle. He has worked on advancements to climate models and to experimental observations of climate. Another major area of contribution is the changes in precipitation with climate change, and especially the frequency and intensity of extremes. He has also changed the approaches to attribution of human-caused climate change.
But perhaps Dr. Trenberth won the award because of the sheer volume and impact of his scholarship. He is closing in on 70,000 citations to his work. This puts him near the top of the list worldwide for impact.
Or maybe he won because of his tireless efforts in service to the scientific community, with leadership roles in the IPCC, the World Climate Research Programme, NOAA, and other groups. Or lastly, it could be because he is tireless as both a researcher and a communicator. Dr. Trenberth can be heard or read almost weekly in major newspapers, magazine articles, radio and television shows. When reporters need complex climate science explained, he is a go-to person, and has been for years.
His personal life is interesting too. Born in New Zealand, he studied mathematics before embarking on meteorology. His time in New Zealand provided him with a different geographic perspective than his American and European colleagues. New Zealand is more impacted by certain climate oscillations, like fluctuations in the temperature of the Pacific Ocean surface waters. Certainly these experiences affected his climate views.
Growing up, family, school, and sports – he was a top rugby player - were important. He was somehow able to balance these three pillars of life without sacrifice to his academics. Born into a family of very modest means, Kevin had to make his own fortunes. His early academic performance resulted in financial scholarships for school.
After some time spent in the New Zealand army, he was ready to embark upon his scientific career. After winning a New Zealand government fellowship to do his doctorate at MIT, he met his future wife Gail who was as ever energetic, smart, and involved in life as was Kevin. They had a daughter in New Zealand, and, after moving to the U.S. as a professor at the University of Illinois, began fostering, which led to the adoption of their second child.
Somehow Kevin and his wife kept both career and family center in their lives and Kevin’s reputation as a top-rated scientist increased. He moved to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in 1984. His scientific work and his public communication efforts meant that he became a frequent target of groups that try to deny human-caused climate change or diminish its importance. The problem with Kevin is, he knows so much you can just assume he is smarter than you.
Well-known contrarians such as Richard Lindzen, Roy Spencer, and John Christy have had their works rebutted by Trenberth for technical errors.
Natural color image from Cassini spacecraft, showing haze layers in Titan’s upper atmosphere, where methane molecules are being broken apart by solar ultraviolet light. The byproducts of this breakdown combine to form compounds like ethane and acetylene. Lower down in the atmosphere, the haze turns into a globe-enshrouding smog of complex organic molecules.
On July 28, 2017, scientists made two separate announcements of new discoveries of organic molecules in the thick atmosphere of Saturn’s large moon Titan. They’re both interesting, because both relate to the idea that Titan’s atmosphere might resemble Earth’s early atmosphere, and/ or because Titan might even now host exotic lifeforms. Chemical and biological engineer Paulette Clancy of Cornell University, who has worked on theoretical studies related to Titan’s atmosphere, told EarthSky by email that the two molecules that had been discovered:
… aren’t related in a chemical sense, beyond the fact that both are organic. And I suspect they serve different purposes on Titan. However, it’s always important to know what ‘ingredients’ are in the ‘kitchen’ when you are cooking a meal.
In this case, the kitchen would be Titan, and its intricate atmosphere and surface features, and the meal would be life itself.
First, some background. Titan’s atmosphere is unlike that of any other moon in our solar system. It’s made mostly of nitrogen, plus hydrocarbons like methane and ethane, and it’s also known to contain an array of complex organic molecules, that is, molecules containing carbon (since earthly life is carbon-based, our definition of “organic” skews that way).
To scientists, organic molecules in Titan’s atmosphere are welcome clues to the mystery of life on other worlds. And that’s why this week’s newly announced discoveries are important.
One was of molecules of vinyl cyanide (acrylonitrile) in Titan’s atmosphere. Astronomers uncovered evidence for it in archival data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. Under the right conditions, possibly like those found at Titan, vinyl cyanide might naturally coalesce into microscopic spheres resembling cell membranes. If you’ll recall your high school science class, you’ll remember that all living things are made of cells. Could there be some form of cellular life on Titan’s surface, perhaps within the large bodies of liquid methane and ethane that scientists call Titan’s lakes?
Read more about the discovery of Titan’s vinyl cyanide via NRAO
The other discovery was of a particular type of negatively charged molecule at Titan. Scientists didn’t expect to find these carbon chain anions, because they’re highly reactive and quickly change form. But they did find them, in data from the Cassini spacecraft, which is now in its final year in orbit around Saturn. The scientists noted they are building blocks towards more complex molecules, and might have acted as the basis for the earliest forms of life on Earth.
Read more about the discovery of Titan’s carbon chain anions via ESA.
Conditions on Titan are not conducive to the formation of life as we know it. At 10 times Earth’s distance from the sun, it’s just too cold there for our kind of life. Titan’s cold gives Titan its weird hydrologic cycle, which is a distant cousin to Earth’s water cycle. On Titan, liquid methane rains from the skies, forming rivers, lakes, and seas. So you can see that, relative to our Earth, Titan is exotic, and, if it does have life, those lifeforms might be exotic as well.
Paulette Clancy, who we mentioned above, works with astronomer Jonathan Lunine of Cornell. These two scientists issued joint statement on Friday, July 28, related to the vinyl cyanide discovery. Lunine said:
This is a step forward in understanding whether Titan’s methane seas might host an exotic form of life.
Saturn’s moon, Enceladus is the place to search for life like us, life that depends on – and exists in – liquid water. Titan, on the other hand, is the place to go to seek the outer limits of life. Can some exotic type of life begin and evolve in a truly alien environment, that of liquid methane?
Exciting question!
Graphic depicting some of the chemical reactions taking place in Titan’s atmosphere, leading to the generation of organic haze particles. In the upper atmosphere, the nitrogen and methane are exposed to energy from sunlight and energetic particles in Saturn’s magnetosphere. The energy sources drive reactions involving nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon, generating a ‘soup’ of progressively more complicated compounds. These include the newly identified, negatively charged carbon chain anions (highlighted in the green box). These carbon chains are thought to be a vital stepping-stone in the production line of growing the bigger and more complex organic molecules that drift down to create Titan’s iconic haze, and which are the building blocks towards more complex molecules that may act as a basis for exotic lifeforms. Image via ESA.
Bottom line: A short synopsis of two announcements of new discoveries of organic molecules in the thick atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan.
Natural color image from Cassini spacecraft, showing haze layers in Titan’s upper atmosphere, where methane molecules are being broken apart by solar ultraviolet light. The byproducts of this breakdown combine to form compounds like ethane and acetylene. Lower down in the atmosphere, the haze turns into a globe-enshrouding smog of complex organic molecules.
On July 28, 2017, scientists made two separate announcements of new discoveries of organic molecules in the thick atmosphere of Saturn’s large moon Titan. They’re both interesting, because both relate to the idea that Titan’s atmosphere might resemble Earth’s early atmosphere, and/ or because Titan might even now host exotic lifeforms. Chemical and biological engineer Paulette Clancy of Cornell University, who has worked on theoretical studies related to Titan’s atmosphere, told EarthSky by email that the two molecules that had been discovered:
… aren’t related in a chemical sense, beyond the fact that both are organic. And I suspect they serve different purposes on Titan. However, it’s always important to know what ‘ingredients’ are in the ‘kitchen’ when you are cooking a meal.
In this case, the kitchen would be Titan, and its intricate atmosphere and surface features, and the meal would be life itself.
First, some background. Titan’s atmosphere is unlike that of any other moon in our solar system. It’s made mostly of nitrogen, plus hydrocarbons like methane and ethane, and it’s also known to contain an array of complex organic molecules, that is, molecules containing carbon (since earthly life is carbon-based, our definition of “organic” skews that way).
To scientists, organic molecules in Titan’s atmosphere are welcome clues to the mystery of life on other worlds. And that’s why this week’s newly announced discoveries are important.
One was of molecules of vinyl cyanide (acrylonitrile) in Titan’s atmosphere. Astronomers uncovered evidence for it in archival data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. Under the right conditions, possibly like those found at Titan, vinyl cyanide might naturally coalesce into microscopic spheres resembling cell membranes. If you’ll recall your high school science class, you’ll remember that all living things are made of cells. Could there be some form of cellular life on Titan’s surface, perhaps within the large bodies of liquid methane and ethane that scientists call Titan’s lakes?
Read more about the discovery of Titan’s vinyl cyanide via NRAO
The other discovery was of a particular type of negatively charged molecule at Titan. Scientists didn’t expect to find these carbon chain anions, because they’re highly reactive and quickly change form. But they did find them, in data from the Cassini spacecraft, which is now in its final year in orbit around Saturn. The scientists noted they are building blocks towards more complex molecules, and might have acted as the basis for the earliest forms of life on Earth.
Read more about the discovery of Titan’s carbon chain anions via ESA.
Conditions on Titan are not conducive to the formation of life as we know it. At 10 times Earth’s distance from the sun, it’s just too cold there for our kind of life. Titan’s cold gives Titan its weird hydrologic cycle, which is a distant cousin to Earth’s water cycle. On Titan, liquid methane rains from the skies, forming rivers, lakes, and seas. So you can see that, relative to our Earth, Titan is exotic, and, if it does have life, those lifeforms might be exotic as well.
Paulette Clancy, who we mentioned above, works with astronomer Jonathan Lunine of Cornell. These two scientists issued joint statement on Friday, July 28, related to the vinyl cyanide discovery. Lunine said:
This is a step forward in understanding whether Titan’s methane seas might host an exotic form of life.
Saturn’s moon, Enceladus is the place to search for life like us, life that depends on – and exists in – liquid water. Titan, on the other hand, is the place to go to seek the outer limits of life. Can some exotic type of life begin and evolve in a truly alien environment, that of liquid methane?
Exciting question!
Graphic depicting some of the chemical reactions taking place in Titan’s atmosphere, leading to the generation of organic haze particles. In the upper atmosphere, the nitrogen and methane are exposed to energy from sunlight and energetic particles in Saturn’s magnetosphere. The energy sources drive reactions involving nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon, generating a ‘soup’ of progressively more complicated compounds. These include the newly identified, negatively charged carbon chain anions (highlighted in the green box). These carbon chains are thought to be a vital stepping-stone in the production line of growing the bigger and more complex organic molecules that drift down to create Titan’s iconic haze, and which are the building blocks towards more complex molecules that may act as a basis for exotic lifeforms. Image via ESA.
Bottom line: A short synopsis of two announcements of new discoveries of organic molecules in the thick atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan.
