Oct 20, 2017
Dawn, Sunrise, Twilight, Sunset, and Dusk
Dawn
occurs before sunrise, before the top of the Sun reaches the
horizon.
Twilight is the name given to the period between dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and dusk, when light is still visible in the sky due to sunlight scattering off the atmosphere.
Sunrise and sunset are the points at which the top edge of the Sun reaches the horizon; the only difference between them is the direction in which the Sun is moving at the time. It actually occurs when the top of the Sun is 0.57° below the horizon due to refraction of the Sun’s light by the atmosphere.
Dusk occurs after sunset, once the top of the Sun has passed the horizon.
Dawn, dusk, and twilight can also be separated in astronomical, nautical, and civil sections by how far below the horizon the Sun is (18°, 12° and 6° below the horizon respectively).
Twilight is the name given to the period between dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and dusk, when light is still visible in the sky due to sunlight scattering off the atmosphere.
Sunrise and sunset are the points at which the top edge of the Sun reaches the horizon; the only difference between them is the direction in which the Sun is moving at the time. It actually occurs when the top of the Sun is 0.57° below the horizon due to refraction of the Sun’s light by the atmosphere.
Dusk occurs after sunset, once the top of the Sun has passed the horizon.
Dawn, dusk, and twilight can also be separated in astronomical, nautical, and civil sections by how far below the horizon the Sun is (18°, 12° and 6° below the horizon respectively).
Health Care Cost
The US has the most bureaucratic health care system in the
world. More than 31 percent of every dollar spent on health care
in the US pays for paperwork, overhead, and other non
direct-health related expenses.
The US spends 17.6 percent of its GDP on healthcare. The Netherlands is the next highest, at 12 percent of GDP. Ten percent of Canada’s GDP is spent on health care. The average among OECD countries was almost half that of the US, at 9.5 percent of GDP.
The US spends 17.6 percent of its GDP on healthcare. The Netherlands is the next highest, at 12 percent of GDP. Ten percent of Canada’s GDP is spent on health care. The average among OECD countries was almost half that of the US, at 9.5 percent of GDP.
OECD
The
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has a
mission to promote policies that will improve the economic and
social well-being of people around the world. It was established
in 1961 and has membership of 35 countries. Its annual budget is
EUR 374 million and has a staff of 2,500. It publishes 250 new
titles per year.
The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. It works with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change. It analyses and compares data to predict future trends. It sets international standards on things, such as agriculture and tax, to the safety of chemicals. It seeks to foster globalization and promote the 'green agenda' by working with the countries involved in the Paris climate agreement.
It looks at issues that directly affect everyone’s daily life, like how much people pay in taxes and social security, and how much leisure time they can take. It compares how different countries’ school systems are readying their young people for modern life, and how different countries’ pension systems will look after their citizens in old age.
In addition, it tries to make life more difficult for the terrorists, tax dodgers, crooked businessmen, and others whose actions undermine a fair and open society.
From its web site "Today, we are focused on helping governments around the world to:
Restore confidence in markets and the institutions that make them function.
Re-establish healthy public finances as a basis for future sustainable economic growth.
Foster and support new sources of growth through innovation, environmentally friendly ‘green growth’ strategies and the development of emerging economies.
Ensure that people of all ages can develop the skills to work productively and satisfyingly in the jobs of tomorrow."
The OECD provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. It works with governments to understand what drives economic, social and environmental change. It analyses and compares data to predict future trends. It sets international standards on things, such as agriculture and tax, to the safety of chemicals. It seeks to foster globalization and promote the 'green agenda' by working with the countries involved in the Paris climate agreement.
It looks at issues that directly affect everyone’s daily life, like how much people pay in taxes and social security, and how much leisure time they can take. It compares how different countries’ school systems are readying their young people for modern life, and how different countries’ pension systems will look after their citizens in old age.
In addition, it tries to make life more difficult for the terrorists, tax dodgers, crooked businessmen, and others whose actions undermine a fair and open society.
From its web site "Today, we are focused on helping governments around the world to:
Restore confidence in markets and the institutions that make them function.
Re-establish healthy public finances as a basis for future sustainable economic growth.
Foster and support new sources of growth through innovation, environmentally friendly ‘green growth’ strategies and the development of emerging economies.
Ensure that people of all ages can develop the skills to work productively and satisfyingly in the jobs of tomorrow."
Cutting the Cord
Cord cutting refers to those who give up their cable TV plan
and find TV and movie watching over the internet, TV antenna,
smart phone, computer, etc. The research firm eMarketer says that
by 2016 year end, 16.7 million U.S. adults had already cut the
cord and that by the end of 2017 it will be 22 million. The five
biggest TV providers are projected to have lost 469,000 customers
during the third quarter of 2017.
Sixty one percent of 18 to 29 year olds say the primary way they watch television now is with streaming services on the internet, compared with thirty one percent, who say they mostly watch via a cable or satellite subscription and five percent, who mainly watch with a digital antenna, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in August 2017.
The main cause for cord cutting has been the high cost of cable, bad service, annual price increases, and lack of competition in many areas of the country. Cost reductions average about 50% savings and range from a few dollars a month to as much as a 90% drop in monthly fees.
In addition, many are finding better picture quality and more diversity of offerings. Even TV antennas provide a sharper picture than offered by any of the major cable companies, because the signal is not compressed. With the coming proliferation of reasonably priced 4K TVs, picture quality is even more important and cable companies offer virtually no 4K content, with the exception of some sporting events.
Sixty one percent of 18 to 29 year olds say the primary way they watch television now is with streaming services on the internet, compared with thirty one percent, who say they mostly watch via a cable or satellite subscription and five percent, who mainly watch with a digital antenna, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in August 2017.
The main cause for cord cutting has been the high cost of cable, bad service, annual price increases, and lack of competition in many areas of the country. Cost reductions average about 50% savings and range from a few dollars a month to as much as a 90% drop in monthly fees.
In addition, many are finding better picture quality and more diversity of offerings. Even TV antennas provide a sharper picture than offered by any of the major cable companies, because the signal is not compressed. With the coming proliferation of reasonably priced 4K TVs, picture quality is even more important and cable companies offer virtually no 4K content, with the exception of some sporting events.
Light Me Up
We
have all read the light fixture warning not to use anything higher than a 60-watt
bulb, or 75, etc. The newer LED bulbs still fall under that
fixture rating, however since the equivalent LED bulbs use
much less wattage, you can choose a watt equivalency
that is higher than that of the old bulbs. As an example, a 60
watt bulb equivalent is a 9 watt LED. They both put out 800
lumens.
You can replace an old 60 watt bulb with a 100-watt equivalent LED bulb (or higher), which is about 17 watts and therefore well under the safety limit of a 60-watt maximum fixture. You get lower energy bills and almost twice the light. One limiting factor might be bulb size, so be sure to check the physical size of new bulbs to make sure they fit the socket. Every now and then I come up with a bright idea.
You can replace an old 60 watt bulb with a 100-watt equivalent LED bulb (or higher), which is about 17 watts and therefore well under the safety limit of a 60-watt maximum fixture. You get lower energy bills and almost twice the light. One limiting factor might be bulb size, so be sure to check the physical size of new bulbs to make sure they fit the socket. Every now and then I come up with a bright idea.
Oct 13, 2017
Happy Friday
Happiness on the whole, soothes a sad soul.
I never have a sad soul, especially on a Happy Friday!
I never have a sad soul, especially on a Happy Friday!
International Day of Failure
October 13th is International Day for
Failure. A new holiday intended for people to share stories of
failure and learn from them. The goal of the people organizing
the event is to have it be an internationally-recognized holiday
by 2020. The holiday was created in Finland in 2010.
Office of Planetary Protection
This department is part of NASA and is
responsible for preventing outer space organisms from
contaminating Earth and simultaneously stopping Earth-based
organisms from contaminating outer space. NASA has been
employing a planetary protection officer since the Outer Space
Treaty was signed in 1967.
A candidate must have at least one year of experience as a top-level civilian government employee, plus have "advanced knowledge" of planetary protection and all it entails. Planetary protection officers are tasked with making sure humans do not contaminate planets, moons, and other objects in space. The salary is $125,000 to $187,000 annually.
NASA and the European Space Agency currently hire permanent planetary protection officers.
A candidate must have at least one year of experience as a top-level civilian government employee, plus have "advanced knowledge" of planetary protection and all it entails. Planetary protection officers are tasked with making sure humans do not contaminate planets, moons, and other objects in space. The salary is $125,000 to $187,000 annually.
NASA and the European Space Agency currently hire permanent planetary protection officers.
Pizza Hack
When ordering, remember that one 18 inch pizza contains more
pizza than two 12 inch pizzas.
A Road by any Name
The difference between names like street and avenue are the size of the path, what surrounds it, and how it intersects with other roads. Road is a general term for any throughway that connects two points. Streets and avenues are types of roads.
Streets are public roads that have buildings on both sides. They are often perpendicular to avenues, which historically were grander and wider. These days, the difference tends to be directional.
Denver, Colorado dictates that Streets run north-south and avenues run east-west.
In Manhattan, New York avenues run north-south and streets run east-west. In Washington, D.C., avenues run diagonal to the street grid.
Tucson, Arizona named some roads as stravenues, which run diagonal to the normal north-south/east-west grid.
Boulevards are grander than avenues and designed to funnel high-speed traffic away from residential and commercial streets. Boulevards have trees on either side and a sizable median.
Smaller roads are named way and they are a smaller side street that splits off from a road. A place has a dead end, as does a court (UK close), which usually ends in a cul-de-sac. A lane or byway is narrow and lacks a median, usually found in rural areas. A drive tends to wind around a natural landmark, like a mountain or a lake. A circle usually circles around an area and is an open road intersected by multiple roads.
Streets are public roads that have buildings on both sides. They are often perpendicular to avenues, which historically were grander and wider. These days, the difference tends to be directional.
Denver, Colorado dictates that Streets run north-south and avenues run east-west.
In Manhattan, New York avenues run north-south and streets run east-west. In Washington, D.C., avenues run diagonal to the street grid.
Tucson, Arizona named some roads as stravenues, which run diagonal to the normal north-south/east-west grid.
Boulevards are grander than avenues and designed to funnel high-speed traffic away from residential and commercial streets. Boulevards have trees on either side and a sizable median.
Smaller roads are named way and they are a smaller side street that splits off from a road. A place has a dead end, as does a court (UK close), which usually ends in a cul-de-sac. A lane or byway is narrow and lacks a median, usually found in rural areas. A drive tends to wind around a natural landmark, like a mountain or a lake. A circle usually circles around an area and is an open road intersected by multiple roads.
Pinocchio
Was
originally a book published during 1883. The story of the little
wooden boy with a nose that grew if he told a lie was one of the
best-selling books in the world, with 35 million copies sold.
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