In 1990, The Washington Post reported in a front page story:
"Carbon dioxide is the gas most responsible for predictions that
Earth will warm on average by about 3 degrees Fahrenheit by the
year 2020." It further warned: "The United States, because it
occupies a large continent in higher latitudes, could warm by as
much as 6 degrees Fahrenheit." Thirty years later, 2020 has
finally arrived. The Earth has warmed about 1 degree Fahrenheit
according to NASA. The United States also warmed roughly 1
degree.
- CNN ran a headline in
2003 titled 'World oil and gas 'running out'. The New York Times
reported in 1989 that "untapped pools of domestic oil are finite
and dwindling," and that "William Stevens, the president of
Exxon U.S.A., said ... by the year 2020 there would not be
enough domestic oil left 'to keep me interested.'" Both U.S. oil
output and U.S. proven oil reserves are dramatically higher now
than they were in 1989.
- "It's now estimated
that by the year 2020, there will be no glaciers of Mt.
Kilimanjaro," the U.N. Environment Program, told CNN in 2003. In
2001, glaciologist Lonnie Thompson predicted the snows of Mount
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania would disappear within the next 20
years.” Today, Kilimanjaro's glaciers are still there,
according to a 2019 paper in the Journal Ecology and Evolution
that includes photos and another new timetable: "most of
glaciers on Kilimanjaro ... will most likely disappear within 25
years."
- Reuters headline in
1997: "Millions will die unless climate policies change." The
report said 8 million people would die by 2020, citing a
prediction in the Lancet medical journal. “None of these
predictions came true, and aren't even close to coming true,”
said Roy Spencer, a climatologist at the University of Alabama
in Huntsville. “It's amazing that the public can continue to
believe apocalyptic predictions despite a 95 percent decline in
weather-related deaths in the last 100 years.”
Jan 24, 2020
Personal Online Privacy
Beginning New Year’s Day, you may have noticed a small change
to some of the websites you visit: a button or link, probably at
the bottom of the page, for privacy policy and/or reading “Do
Not Sell My Personal Information.” The California Consumer Privacy Act defines
personal information broadly, including, but not limited to
identifiers (name, address, online identifier, IP address, etc),
purchasing history, geolocation, audio/video, biometric data,
inferences made about your personality or psychological trends.
The act also allows Californians to see the sources of that
data, the types of third parties data is shared with, and how it
has been categorized.
It empowers consumers to access the personal data that companies have collected on them, to demand that it be deleted, and to prevent it from being sold to third parties. Since it is a lot more work to create a separate infrastructure just for California residents to opt out of the data collection industry, these requirements will likely transform the internet for most users. Unless you love ads, take advantage and opt out.
It empowers consumers to access the personal data that companies have collected on them, to demand that it be deleted, and to prevent it from being sold to third parties. Since it is a lot more work to create a separate infrastructure just for California residents to opt out of the data collection industry, these requirements will likely transform the internet for most users. Unless you love ads, take advantage and opt out.
New Olympic Events 2020
The summer Olympics and Paralympics Tokyo 2020 will
feature four new sports: karate, skateboarding, sport climbing,
and surfing. Baseball and softball, which had previously been
played in earlier games, will both return. Incidentally,
just like the London Olympics, it will be broadcast in many
places as 8K or 4K. Japan currently has a 4K and a 24hour 8K
station broadcasting daily since December 2018. 8K also
includes 22.2 channel sound.
Interesting January Events
Start your year with some amazing facts to
impress your family, friends, and neighbors.
January 2, 1975 - The U.S. Patent Office was renamed "U.S. Patent and Trademark Office" to incorporate its new function as a trademarking center.
January 3, 1967 - Harry Thomason received a patent for an apparatus for cooling and heating a house using solar energy.
January 5, 1965 - "Home of the Whopper" was trademarked by Burger King.
January 7, 1913 - Patent was granted to William Burton for the manufacture of gasoline.
January 9, 1906 - Campbell's soup was trademark registered.
January 13, 1930 - The first Mickey Mouse cartoon appeared in U.S.
January 17, 1882 - Leroy Firman received a patent for the telephone switchboard.
January 20, 1929 - "In Old Arizona," the first outdoor feature-length talking motion picture, was made.
January 21, 1954 - The first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched.
January 24, 1935 - The first canned beer, "Krueger Cream Ale," was sold by the Kruger Brewing Company of Richmond, VA.
January 26, 1875 - The first electric dental drill was patented by George Green.
January 27, 1880 - Patent was granted to Thomas A. Edison for "an electric lamp for giving light by incandescence."
January 28, 1807 - London's Pall Mall became the first street lit by gaslight.
January 2, 1975 - The U.S. Patent Office was renamed "U.S. Patent and Trademark Office" to incorporate its new function as a trademarking center.
January 3, 1967 - Harry Thomason received a patent for an apparatus for cooling and heating a house using solar energy.
January 5, 1965 - "Home of the Whopper" was trademarked by Burger King.
January 7, 1913 - Patent was granted to William Burton for the manufacture of gasoline.
January 9, 1906 - Campbell's soup was trademark registered.
January 13, 1930 - The first Mickey Mouse cartoon appeared in U.S.
January 17, 1882 - Leroy Firman received a patent for the telephone switchboard.
January 20, 1929 - "In Old Arizona," the first outdoor feature-length talking motion picture, was made.
January 21, 1954 - The first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched.
January 24, 1935 - The first canned beer, "Krueger Cream Ale," was sold by the Kruger Brewing Company of Richmond, VA.
January 26, 1875 - The first electric dental drill was patented by George Green.
January 27, 1880 - Patent was granted to Thomas A. Edison for "an electric lamp for giving light by incandescence."
January 28, 1807 - London's Pall Mall became the first street lit by gaslight.
National Trivia Day
January 4 each year is National Trivia Day. Over time, the
word “trivia” has come to refer to obscure and arcane bits of
dry knowledge as well as nostalgic remembrances of pop culture.
You can celebrate by getting together with friends and play
Trivial Pursuit. You can call friends and family and enlighten
them with some trivia. More fun is to stop random people and
start a conversation with “did you know...?” You may even make
some new friends. You can also pick up one or more of my books
and spend the day filling your brain with more exciting,
interesting, and random trivia.
Keeping Cooked Chicken
According to food expert Janilyn Hutchings,
StateFoodSafety food scientist and Certified Professional in
Food Safety, cooked chicken will last in the refrigerator for
three to four days.
According to the USDA, chicken should be refrigerated within two hours of it being cooked and one hour if the temperature of the environment is 90 degrees or over. The USDA also advises to reheat leftovers to 165 degrees.
If you know you will not get around to eating it before it is time to toss, another option is to put it in the freezer and it will stay good for up to six months. The USDA suggests that if you are freezing chicken, make sure it is wrapped tightly with a freezer-safe covering.
According to the USDA, chicken should be refrigerated within two hours of it being cooked and one hour if the temperature of the environment is 90 degrees or over. The USDA also advises to reheat leftovers to 165 degrees.
If you know you will not get around to eating it before it is time to toss, another option is to put it in the freezer and it will stay good for up to six months. The USDA suggests that if you are freezing chicken, make sure it is wrapped tightly with a freezer-safe covering.
Canary Island Facts
The Canary Islands were named after canary birds, but the
location was actually named after dogs. Although it is off the
coast of northwestern Africa, the archipelago is part of Spain.
In Spanish, the area's name is Islas Canarias, which comes from
the Latin phrase Canariae Insulae for "island of dogs."
2020 Quirk
Because of a quirk in our calendar, which began on January 1 at
year 1 (1AD) we have some question about when a specific named
decade begins and ends. Since there was no year 0, between year
1 BC and year 1 AD, it can be confusing.
A decade, by definition is ten years, regardless when you begin counting, but decade names begin in the “1” year, not the “0” year. The 2020s will begin in 2020, but the next named decade will begin in 2021. When the year is 2021, 2020 years would have passed since the beginning of our calendar at year one.
2020 is also a leap year, so we get to enjoy an additional day of fun next year.
Incidentally, Chronométrophilia, the Swiss Association for the History of Timekeeping, pointed out a practical shortcut applies to the century system. "The 20th [Century] started with 1901, ended with 2000, so the two first digits of the last year of any century give it its name."
Year ending in 1 is named decade and year ending in 0 is century.
A decade, by definition is ten years, regardless when you begin counting, but decade names begin in the “1” year, not the “0” year. The 2020s will begin in 2020, but the next named decade will begin in 2021. When the year is 2021, 2020 years would have passed since the beginning of our calendar at year one.
2020 is also a leap year, so we get to enjoy an additional day of fun next year.
Incidentally, Chronométrophilia, the Swiss Association for the History of Timekeeping, pointed out a practical shortcut applies to the century system. "The 20th [Century] started with 1901, ended with 2000, so the two first digits of the last year of any century give it its name."
Year ending in 1 is named decade and year ending in 0 is century.
Explode vs. Implode
Take a plastic bottle. Fill it with water until it is full.
Continue filling it with water - plastic will expand, stretch,
and eventually burst. This is an explosion, an outward
expansion.
Now take same bottle, and suck air out of it. Keep sucking air out, creating vacuum, and pulling sides of the bottle inside. The bottle is experiencing an implosion, an inward expansion.
To add to this - if you EXplode a building, debris ends up everywhere - spread out for many yards/meters. If you IMplode a building, 99% of the debris falls into the footprint of the building.
Now take same bottle, and suck air out of it. Keep sucking air out, creating vacuum, and pulling sides of the bottle inside. The bottle is experiencing an implosion, an inward expansion.
To add to this - if you EXplode a building, debris ends up everywhere - spread out for many yards/meters. If you IMplode a building, 99% of the debris falls into the footprint of the building.
Two Way Mirror Tricks
Move up to the mirror and place your fingertip or nail against
it. If the reflection of your finger directly touches your
finger, it is a two-way mirror. If there is about 1 centimeter
of distance between your finger and the reflection, it is not.
Another way is turn the lights off in the room, then place a bright flashlight against the mirror surface. If there is a hidden chamber behind the mirror, the flashlight will illuminate it, and since you are in a darkened room, you will see the hidden room. Of course, any mirror hung in front of a wall will be a mirror and pane of glass installed into the wall, like any other window, will have window framing.
The recommended lighting ratio for surveillance purposes is 10:1, with the subject side being ten times brighter than the observer side.
Another way is turn the lights off in the room, then place a bright flashlight against the mirror surface. If there is a hidden chamber behind the mirror, the flashlight will illuminate it, and since you are in a darkened room, you will see the hidden room. Of course, any mirror hung in front of a wall will be a mirror and pane of glass installed into the wall, like any other window, will have window framing.
The recommended lighting ratio for surveillance purposes is 10:1, with the subject side being ten times brighter than the observer side.
Man on the Moon
There is one human whose ashes are on the moon. Eugene
Shoemaker is often credited with inventing the field of
planetary science and after a career filled with stellar
accomplishments, he spent his days traveling around the world to
study impact craters. He trained the astronauts headed to the
Moon and named many of the craters, valleys, and mountains on
the Moon.
When he passed away in 1997 his wife sent his ashes to the moon in a metal cylinder that was inscribed with a quote from Romeo and Juliet: "And, when he shall die/Take him and cut him out in little stars/And he will make the face of heaven so fine/That all the world will be in love with night/And pay no worship to the garish sun."
Since his ashes were interred on the Moon, Shoemaker has remained the only person ever buried on an extraterrestrial surface.
When he passed away in 1997 his wife sent his ashes to the moon in a metal cylinder that was inscribed with a quote from Romeo and Juliet: "And, when he shall die/Take him and cut him out in little stars/And he will make the face of heaven so fine/That all the world will be in love with night/And pay no worship to the garish sun."
Since his ashes were interred on the Moon, Shoemaker has remained the only person ever buried on an extraterrestrial surface.
Compost Your Remains
A new Washington State law was the first-in-the-nation, to
legalize the practice of “natural organic reduction” of human
remains. A Seattle-based company named Recompose opens in 2021,
offering $5,500 services that turn a human body into one cubic
yard of soil during the course of 30 days. Families of the
deceased can take as much soil as they like and any remainder
goes to sustaining conservation land in the Puget Sound region.
It claims the (not-so-cheap) service is a more eco-friendly
way to go.
Largest Libraries
The British Library with 170 to 200 million items is the largest
library in the world.
The US Library of Congress is the second largest library in the world with more than 168 million items in 450 languages, followed by the Library and Archives Canada with 55 million items, the New York Public Library with 54 million items, Shanghai Library with 50 million items, and the Russian State Library with 47 million items.
The US Library of Congress is the second largest library in the world with more than 168 million items in 450 languages, followed by the Library and Archives Canada with 55 million items, the New York Public Library with 54 million items, Shanghai Library with 50 million items, and the Russian State Library with 47 million items.
What's in a Name, FISA
Many headlines have used FISA during the past few
years, but a good number of people do not really know what it
is. It is a United States federal law that establishes
procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and
collection of "foreign intelligence information" between
"foreign powers" and "agents of foreign powers" suspected of
espionage or terrorism. The Act created the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Court (FISC) to oversee requests for surveillance
warrants by federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) permits the National Security Agency (NSA) to collect massive amounts of internet communications and associated data. NSA was founded in 1952 and is a member of the Defense Department and an Intelligence Community agency. Its goals are to discover adversaries' secrets, protect U.S. secrets, and outmaneuver our adversaries in cyberspace while at the same time protecting the privacy rights of the American people.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) permits the National Security Agency (NSA) to collect massive amounts of internet communications and associated data. NSA was founded in 1952 and is a member of the Defense Department and an Intelligence Community agency. Its goals are to discover adversaries' secrets, protect U.S. secrets, and outmaneuver our adversaries in cyberspace while at the same time protecting the privacy rights of the American people.
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