Tuesday, June 30, 2009

YOU TUBE VIDEO

Well.. while I'm nursing academic boredom, I thought I would post my favorite YouTube video from TheSin :) happy truckin'






Sunday, June 28, 2009

UGHT!

Well, Friday night, rather then doing something social and fun .. I fell asleep on my keyboard. Printing hundreds of useless characters over dozens upon dozens of pages. After four years of study, I loathe, Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Marx, Freud, especially Nietzsche - useless exitensia-somethingorotherdumbandstupid!! I hope you are all burning somewhere for having put us students through such exhausting monotony!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Books

I have come to the sad realization that, after the 1970's, very few books were written that are actually worth reading .....

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

HOW TO MAKE COFFEE

But I am a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul; and I felt then that I should survive to exhibit what I shall soon cease to be - a miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity, pitiable to others and intolerable to myself. - Mary Shelley


Oh how could Mary Shelley realise that she etched out the idea that would be the mantra for the generations of the post-modern future. Nietzsche, Freud and a host of others helped lay the foundation of an ideology based upon a mistake. Usurping the intellectuals and the wise for a fast food delivery system spitting out social philosophy. The strong, now lazy, can barely read, figure out how a compass works or why the microwave makes things hot (oooo I smell another rant there!) These are the fools that I see putting hot water in their drip, cone filter, coffee maker!! Makes me want to cry ...

First we shall begin with the most simplest and logical reason as to why not put hot water in the reservoir. Brewing time!!!

Ohhhh yeah! That sweet smell and yummy taste comes from the water slowly dripping through the coffee grinds, grabbing all that flavour and delicious energy giving caffeine and makes its way to your pot sitting on a hot plate. If you put hot water in the reservoir, well then, you don't get brew time. The water shoots through the system and splooges all over your coffee; much like a virgin having sex - time is everything here! If you pour in hot water in your coffee maker, you end up with coloured water. YUCK
Unless you are a cunt hair on acid and you want to stare at the funny looking shades of brown then stop wasting coffee and buy a kaleidoscope. This little knick-knack kept my parent's generation entertained for days on end!

Uh oh .. there's that damned comic book store voice again .. "But I'm saving energy by pouring hot water in first." NO you .... argh ACK!!! You aren't saving anything. The energy is primarily drawn by the hot plate. If you want to make hippy coffee and save the nukes for war rather then electricity, then get one of those coffee makers that don't have a hot plate. Or better yet, a coffee press. That's what I use :) I boil my water in a kettle, the pour in with coarse ground coffee. Let sit. Then press and drink! YUM!!

As my lord and master would say, "Good tasting coffee for ALL!"

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

AN ADVERTISEMENT CAMPAIGN

I was about to write a rant relating to coffee and what temperature of water to use for best results. I know I know .. sounds simple... but alas, if you think so, then you have far too much faith in our school system. You are also furthering my weeping as I lose more hope for our future generations. But don't worry, I'll be tackling that topic in the next blog.... along with my sobbing for the future!

For now, I'm going to be less ranty and repost this clever advertising campaign I stumbled across. I thought it was genius!!! The tagline is "A middle school program opening minds to math and science. Figure this. Image that" I found it while procrastinating on homework, and perusing http://adsoftheworld.com The originals can be found here.






1 of 2 on my favorites list :)




2/2 on my favorites list :)









Monday, June 22, 2009

HOT AND COLD: WHAT FREEZES FASTER

Fact or Fiction


Quite often throughout the years, many people have come up with their own theories about what freezes quicker, hot water or cold water. "Well I saw in Reader's Digest ...", one says. "Oh, but the Home Living magazine said ...", quotes another. "Well I heard from someone who's taking chemistry that ...", dominantly states another participant.
No matter what theory presents itself, I find myself always repeating. "No matter what, before water can freeze, it must reach a temperature near 0 degrees Celsius!" To which my statement is invariably rebuked, "But I tested in my freezer ..."
Now, I commend anyone who runs home experiments! Right on!!! They are fun and get you in the habit of recording information. Now, if you do the freezer test, you must make sure that "All things are equal". This means that, the freezer must have an even temperature, not one side warmer then the other (should you place the trays away from each other) Make sure your trays are identical and make sure that whatever you lay them on top, is identical as well. Preferably, just the plastic base of the freezer. Also, do not open the freezer door ever 5 minutes!! This will ruin the experiment. If you can't figure out why, then bother with it and start reading a grade 8 chemistry book.
Now .. moving on :) There are specific circumstances where hot water WILL freeze quicker then cold water. One, if the water is near or at boiling, evaporation will help. Why? 1. A high amount (let's say 'y') of calories will be spent evaporating a certain weight of water. Say 1 gram for measurement purposes. Spending all this energy will cool the water down quickly. Moreover, evaporation will mean that there is less water to freeze. 2. If you have something of equal mass under the tray - say another tray of frozen ice-cubes, this will quicken the freezing process. This is because of the heat transferring to the ice under it as well as the evaporation. That's a lot of energy expelling very quickly. But really, you are just shooting yourself in the foot. I mean, if you are trying to get "quick ice-cubes", all you are doing is losing water and making your freezer work harder. So you are spending more money, to get smaller ice-cubes!
Oh no... I'm hearing a smart ass somewhere in the background ... "But what about Mpemba effect!?" The sound of the comic book store Simpson's characters raps upon my ear drums. "Sigh ..." Now are you seriously going to comeback with the grade school kid and his ice-cream milk crap?? Seriously?!?! ARGH!!! okay... fine!!! I admit that the question still remains largely unexplained. HOWEVER, there are some things we can conclude. Yes, evaporation will only account for a small percentile of energy loss (or heat loss in our case). But keeping with what is stated above, we know that we are losing some water to evaporation. Where? Well heat rises last I checked, so that means we are losing from the top. Also, our second point informs us that the heat is transferring to the coldest points. Thus, we are also losing heat from the sides, the bottom as well as the top. "So what! Hot water can still flash freeze and the question still remains unanswered" [Oh that voice is really getting to me!] OK Genius! Yes I do concede the question is still unanswered, but we know that our heat is leaving from the outer portions of the would-be cube. That means the water will freeze from the center first and then out. Cold water on the other hand will freeze from the outside in. Thus insulating the middle from the outer cold.
Now I should technically get into the flash freezing .. but I won't.. WHY?? Because, my earlier point still remains!! You are still spending more energy then is necessary to cool hot water to make ice-cubes, smaller ones might I add! So unless you are a theoretical physicist or any other physicist for that matter - Who the FUCK cares!!! Quit bugging me with this question, as from now on, I'm just going to tell you "Go read my blog!"



Cheers :)

References:

Sunday, June 21, 2009

POEM FOR THE ROOFTOPS OF IRAN

I stumbled on this poem while burning time on YouTube. Of course I decided to look up the Iran protests and see what I could dig up beyond what I could find on LiveLeak. Not really a religious or spiritual kinda guy, but I thought this was worth it.

The user that posted it is mighterthan The account was created on June 18th, 2009. Enjoy!!


Poem for the Rooftops of Iran - June 19th, 2009




Addendum - Sunday 22h07 MST
I just noticed that one of the blogs I subscribe to also has this video posted. Check out Poem of The Week - they have the translation posted as well.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

THE FOURTEEN VIRTUES


  • Auctoritas - The sense of one's social standing, built up through experience, Pietas, and Industria.

  • Comitas - Ease of manner, courtesy, openness, and friendliness.

  • Clementia - Mildness and gentleness.

  • Dignitas - A sense of self-worth, personal pride.

  • Firmitas - Strength of mind, the ability to stick to one's purpose.

  • Frugalitas - Economy and simplicity of style, without being miserly.

  • Gravitas - A sense of the importance of the matter at hand, responsibility and earnestness.

  • Honestas - The image that one presents as a respectable member of society.

  • Humanitas - Refinement, civilization, learning, and being cultured.

  • Industria - Hard work.

  • Pietas - More than religious piety; a respect for the natural order socially, politically, and religiously. Includes the ideas of patriotism and devotion to others.

  • Prudentia - Foresight, wisdom, and personal discretion.

  • Salubritas - Health and cleanliness.

  • Severitas - Gravity, self-control.

  • Veritas - Honesty in dealing with others.


The fourteen virtues of Marcus Aurelius


Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men.
The Boondock Saints

Thursday, June 11, 2009

DARWIN QUOTE FOR THE DAY

"When we reflect on this struggle, we may console ourselves with the full belief, that the war of nature is not incessant, that no fear is felt, that death is generally prompt, and that the vigorous, the healthy, and the happy survive and multiply."
-- Source: ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

FOR THE TNG GEEKS OUT THERE


Felis Cattus, is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature?
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behaviour you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

Data, "Schisms"



Tuesday, June 09, 2009

NDP IN NOVA SCOTIA

Well who would have thought! An NDP majority government east of Ontario. That is a remarkable feat. Following from here in Alberta, I was convinced the Liberal party was going to replace the Tory party in another minority. WOW! I stand corrected!!!
This Globe and Mail article is pretty good. The comments on it are passable, but nothing out of the ordinary or anything that jumps out at you. What I like about Dexter's policies, echoing the article, is that he moves the NDP away from the fringes of the left. In today's world climate, strong left or right wing policies will get you no where.

People want to feel safe, not radical. An example, of what I hope to be their style of government, was the NDP's opposition to the utility rate conservation surcharge. These things always irritate me!! The companies will benefit in the short-term and long-term from profits due to conservation measures. Paying for the infrastructure change and/or modification should not be incurred by the customer. This is jumping along the lines of theft in my books. You can read about Dex's opposition here.

It will be really interesting to see how Dexter implements the changes he is suggesting on his platform. Personally I am a fan of bullets 4 and 5. I would wager that the tax reduction on energy and a commitment to build up road infrastructure scored him some big votes in the rural sector.

I haven't been able to dig up who he is naming to cabinet - most likely because he has yet to name them :P Anyhow, I thought this voting history snapshot was pretty interesting. Cheers everyone.



Here's a snapshot of election results from Nova Scotia dating back to 1970


  • Oct. 13, 1970: Liberal 23, Progressive Conservative 21, NDP 2.


  • April 2, 1974: Liberal 31, Progressive Conservative 12, NDP 3.


  • Sept. 19, 1978: Liberal 17, Progressive Conservative 31, NDP 4.


  • Oct. 6, 1981: Liberal 13, Progressive Conservative 37, NDP 1, Independent 1.


  • Nov. 6, 1984: Liberal 6, Progressive Conservative 42, NDP 3, Cape Breton Labour Party 1.


  • Sept. 6, 1988: Liberal 20, Progressive Conservative 29, NDP 2, Independent 1.


  • May 25, 1993: Liberal 40, Progressive Conservative 9, NDP 3.


  • March 24, 1998: Liberal 19, Progressive Conservative 14, NDP 19.


  • July 27, 1999: Liberal 11, Progressive Conservative 30, NDP 11.


  • Aug. 5, 2003: Liberal 12, Progressive Conservative 25, NDP 15.


  • June 13, 2006: Liberal 9, Progressive Conservative 23, NDP 20.


The above information is from CP

Thursday, June 04, 2009

AS RELIGIOUS AS I GET

As I lay my ass upon the couch
I pray the Lord for Detroit to pounce
Upon the Penguins something fierce
So I may watch the replays of Crosbey's tears.
Should the heathens win before I wake
Please Lord burn the Penguins at the stake!