Recent Posts
Earthquakes and Supermoons
Originally, I had planned an entirely different blog post for this week, something that had nothing to do with science, but sometimes life can change at the drop of a hat.
On November 14, 2016 at 12:02 am (New Zealand Time), an 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck 15 km north-east of Culverden. The coastal town of Kaikoura has been devastated, effectively cut off from any help, but they are not alone. The entire country felt this.
Removing the twinkle of stars
Most people enjoy how the stars twinkle overhead, but the twinkling of stars is really a nightmare for astronomers, blurring images and diminishing the science quality of telescopes. But the effects that the atmosphere plays on light impacts more than just astronomy. Take a read and listen to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star… Not!” on Conversations in Science, KLRNRadio.
Serious Politics…
My family and friends know that I never watch the news, rarely read a newspaper, and ever since the radio died in my car, I don’t even get my news that way. No, all my knowledge of current events comes from word of mouth and the bombardment of various snippets on social media. Even my own children know more about what’s going on in the world than I do. However, there are some things that there is just no getting away from. Let’s just say that I would have to completely disconnect from the world to get away from the political stage of the USA.
There is no such thing as an aspiring writer…
There is a term that I have seen bandied around in the bios of various writers, and it’s a term that I don’t like: aspiring writer. What I don’t understand is how one can aspire to be a writer. You can aspire to be an author. You can aspire to quit your day job to become a full-time writer. You can aspire to share your writing with the world. But aspire to be a writer?
Pluto is a dwarf planet, but not because it’s small
In 2006, Pluto was demoted to “dwarf planet” status. Most people assume that this is because its size, but size has nothing to do with it. Take a read and listen to “Influences of Science Fiction on Science and Pluto” on Conversations in Science, KLRNRadio.
The Perfect Gift for a Writer: A Dictionary
As the title suggests, I recently received the perfect gift that any writer could get: a dictionary. But this was not just any dictionary. This was a copy of The Compact Oxford English Dictionary. Big whoop, I hear some of you say. Well, actually, it is. The Oxford English Dictionary (2nd Edition) is a 20-volume beast. No joke. Published in 1989, it clocked in at 21,728 pages. And that doesn’t include all the supplement materials that have since been added. The 3rd Edition is still in production and is not expected to be published until 2037. I hate to think how big the Oxford English Dictionary will be by then.