Feb 10, 2010
Feb 5, 2010
Rainbows
A rainbow is not the flat two-dimensional arc it appears to be. It appears flat for the same reason a spherical burst of fireworks high in the sky appears as a disk-because of a
lack of distance cues. The rainbow you see is actually a three-dimensional cone with the tip at your eye.
Consider a glass cone, the shape of those paper cones you sometimes see at drinking fountains. If you held the tip of such a glass cone against your eye, you would see the glass as a circle. All the drops that disperse the rainbow's light toward you lie in the shape of a cone of different layers with drops that deflect red to your eye on the outside, orange beneath the red, yellow beneath the orange, and so on all the way to violet on the inner conical surface. The thicker the region containing the water drops, the thicker conical edge that you look through.
Your cone of vision that intersects the cloud of drops that creates your rainbow is different from that of a person next to you. Everybody sees his or her own personal rainbow.
If the Earth were not in the way, a rainbow would be a complete circle. This is why you will never find the golden pot at the end of the rainbow.
lack of distance cues. The rainbow you see is actually a three-dimensional cone with the tip at your eye.
Consider a glass cone, the shape of those paper cones you sometimes see at drinking fountains. If you held the tip of such a glass cone against your eye, you would see the glass as a circle. All the drops that disperse the rainbow's light toward you lie in the shape of a cone of different layers with drops that deflect red to your eye on the outside, orange beneath the red, yellow beneath the orange, and so on all the way to violet on the inner conical surface. The thicker the region containing the water drops, the thicker conical edge that you look through.
Your cone of vision that intersects the cloud of drops that creates your rainbow is different from that of a person next to you. Everybody sees his or her own personal rainbow.
If the Earth were not in the way, a rainbow would be a complete circle. This is why you will never find the golden pot at the end of the rainbow.
Swan Song
A final gesture or performance, given before dying. This term derived from the legend that, while they are mute during the rest of their lives, swans sing beautifully and mournfully just before they die. This isn't actually true, swans have a variety of vocal sounds and they don't sing before they die. The legend was known to be false as early as the days of ancient Rome, when Pliny the Elder refuted it in Natural History, AD 77: "Observation shows that the story that the dying swan sings is false."
Poetic imagery proved to be more attractive than science and many poets and playwrights made use of the fable. Shakespeare even used the image in The Merchant of Venice. Portia: "Let music sound while he doth make his choice; then, if he lose, he makes a swan-like end, fading in music."
The actual term 'swan song', seems to have begun in print in the 18th century. The Scottish cleric Jon Willison used the expression in one of his Scripture Songs, 1767, where he refers to "King David's swan-song".
Samuel Taylor Coleridge turned this around in the poem 'On a Volunteer Singer'.
Swans sing before they die; ’twere no bad thing
Did certain persons die before they sing.
Swan-song is now commonly used to refer to performers embarking on farewell tours or final performances.
Poetic imagery proved to be more attractive than science and many poets and playwrights made use of the fable. Shakespeare even used the image in The Merchant of Venice. Portia: "Let music sound while he doth make his choice; then, if he lose, he makes a swan-like end, fading in music."
The actual term 'swan song', seems to have begun in print in the 18th century. The Scottish cleric Jon Willison used the expression in one of his Scripture Songs, 1767, where he refers to "King David's swan-song".
Samuel Taylor Coleridge turned this around in the poem 'On a Volunteer Singer'.
Swans sing before they die; ’twere no bad thing
Did certain persons die before they sing.
Swan-song is now commonly used to refer to performers embarking on farewell tours or final performances.
Feb 4, 2010
Ikea
Each year, Ikea sends out 180 million catalogs. That means there are more of them printed annually than bibles.
Feb 3, 2010
Ethics
"Looking for an ethic in Congress is as foolish as looking for a virgin in a bordello.” Wesley Pruden, retired editor-in-chief of “The Washington Times”
Hugs
No moving parts, no batteries.
No monthly payments and no fees;
Inflation proof, non-taxable,
In fact, it's quite relaxable;
It can't be be stolen, won't pollute,
One size fits all, do not dilute.
It uses little energy,
But yields results enormously,
Relieves your tension and your stress
Invigorates your happiness;
Combats depression, makes you beam,
And elevates your self esteem!
Your circulation it corrects
Without unpleasant side effects
It is, I think, the perfect drug:
May I prescribe, my friend,....the hug!
(and of course fully returnable!)
No monthly payments and no fees;
Inflation proof, non-taxable,
In fact, it's quite relaxable;
It can't be be stolen, won't pollute,
One size fits all, do not dilute.
It uses little energy,
But yields results enormously,
Relieves your tension and your stress
Invigorates your happiness;
Combats depression, makes you beam,
And elevates your self esteem!
Your circulation it corrects
Without unpleasant side effects
It is, I think, the perfect drug:
May I prescribe, my friend,....the hug!
(and of course fully returnable!)
The Day the Music Died
Feb 3 1959, Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens had their swan song in Clear Lake, Iowa. Been there and it is a beautiful lake in the middle of miles of cornfields. There is a super steak joint at the edge of the lake with pick-your-own and they grill each to order.
A long, long time ago…
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died. Don McLean
A long, long time ago…
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died. Don McLean
Feb 2, 2010
Happy Palindrome Day
Feb 1, 2010 is officially a palindrome day.
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction. The word "palindrome" was coined from Greek roots palin "again" and dromos "way, direction") by English writer Ben Jonson in the 1600s. Huh!
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction. The word "palindrome" was coined from Greek roots palin "again" and dromos "way, direction") by English writer Ben Jonson in the 1600s. Huh!
Feb 1, 2010
How many Faces?
How perceptive are you? How many faces can you see in this tree?
There are 10 faces.
English Genealogy
Do you have ancestors from England, Scotland, or Wales? If so, there is a site that allows you to look them up by simply entering their last name. It shows births and marriages. You can find the records for free, but there is a subscription if you want more details. It also has a free 14 day trial to get all the info you want. LINK
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