I can hardly believe it, but I watched the final episode of "Mythbusters" last night. How is it possible that we won't be able to turn to Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman to learn if that Internet video is real or fake, or if that story we heard is plausible or not?
Let's face it, Adam and Jamie made science cool. They showed how important it is to test everything, even those things you think are outrageous or definitely true. Who thought elephants would actually shy away from mice? Who thought you could get a lead balloon off the ground? Who knew you could make a boat out of duct tape? The Mythbusters were always there to get it right and show us what is possible ... or not.
And they did it with such joy! Watching Adam jump up and down in excitement or catching the sound of an elusive Jamie chuckle was always enough to make my day. They were always curious and they wanted to know the answers as much as their viewers did.
I'll remember the great quotations, too: "I reject your reality and substitute my own." "When in doubt ... C4!" "Quack, damn you." "Am I missing an eyebrow?" The list goes on.
From 2003 to 2016, I watched what Adam and Jamie (and Kari, Tory and Grant) would come up with. I was one of those lucky few to see the very first episode, which they re-aired last night, and I was immediately hooked. The concept never grew stale, the show never lost its charm and the Mythbusters never lost their enthusiasm, which is what made it such a great show.
I tip my cap to Adam and Jamie, wishing them all the best in their next endeavors. Thanks for the laughs, the gasps and the new knowledge gained!
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
OKC Tidbits
I've just returned from a trip to Oklahoma City, where my husband presented a paper at an eighteenth-century literary conference. It was nice to get away and see some new things.
Here are some of the stories:
We checked into our hotel and then walked back to the parking garage to get our bags. We got into the elevator with two other people who were journalists of some type: he had a handheld video camera and she held a microphone like those you see on TV news. Another man also got on at the same time. We rode down a floor and the doors opened to reveal five or six Japanese students, as well as three long, narrow drums. Those of us in the small elevator were ready to go on without them because it was already almost full, but the students laughed and piled on. We were really crammed in there and I was thinking about weight limits. The female journalist tried to interview the students but barely got past her name and "reporting live from Oklahoma City" before the doors opened and we all spilled out. You never know who you're going to share an elevator with.
When we went to the room where the panel would be held, another professor and my husband decided to set up the screen for their presentations. It was one of those old-fashioned pull-down screens on a tripod, and I had to smile as they juggled the whole thing and tried to work out how to get the screen unfurled and the legs spread out. At one point, the other professor said, "How many PhDs does it take...?" They got it figured out, though.
After the conference, we walked to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, which has an impressive collection of works by Dale Chihuly. He does incredible things with glass and color, including the work shown below in an OKCMOA postcard. It's 55 feet high!
Inside the museum, there's a section of clear glass ceiling about 15-20 feet long, and resting on top of the ceiling is an assortment of glass in all shapes and colors. The light came through and it was like walking under a stained glass window. There was a wooden boat full of glass globes, each with a unique pattern of color, and they all looked like exotic planets to me. There were glass bowls, sculptures and abstract shapes. All of the works in the collection were displayed with carefully arranged lighting to make them stand out. It was an amazing exhibit.
We also visited Bricktown (including a terrific lunch at TapWerks), Myriad Botanical Gardens and the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory (butterflies and orchids in February!). The conference was at the Skirvin Hotel, which is a place worth visiting itself: amazing architecture, beautiful furnishings, an incredible assortment of crystal chandeliers, something to see at every turn.
We did a lot of walking (my thighs are still speaking to me about that), ate some wonderful food and had a good time. It was a short trip (a little over two days) but well worth it.
I'm already wondering where we can go next!
Here are some of the stories:
We checked into our hotel and then walked back to the parking garage to get our bags. We got into the elevator with two other people who were journalists of some type: he had a handheld video camera and she held a microphone like those you see on TV news. Another man also got on at the same time. We rode down a floor and the doors opened to reveal five or six Japanese students, as well as three long, narrow drums. Those of us in the small elevator were ready to go on without them because it was already almost full, but the students laughed and piled on. We were really crammed in there and I was thinking about weight limits. The female journalist tried to interview the students but barely got past her name and "reporting live from Oklahoma City" before the doors opened and we all spilled out. You never know who you're going to share an elevator with.
When we went to the room where the panel would be held, another professor and my husband decided to set up the screen for their presentations. It was one of those old-fashioned pull-down screens on a tripod, and I had to smile as they juggled the whole thing and tried to work out how to get the screen unfurled and the legs spread out. At one point, the other professor said, "How many PhDs does it take...?" They got it figured out, though.
After the conference, we walked to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, which has an impressive collection of works by Dale Chihuly. He does incredible things with glass and color, including the work shown below in an OKCMOA postcard. It's 55 feet high!
 |
| Postcard of Oklahoma City Museum of Art |
We also visited Bricktown (including a terrific lunch at TapWerks), Myriad Botanical Gardens and the Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory (butterflies and orchids in February!). The conference was at the Skirvin Hotel, which is a place worth visiting itself: amazing architecture, beautiful furnishings, an incredible assortment of crystal chandeliers, something to see at every turn.
We did a lot of walking (my thighs are still speaking to me about that), ate some wonderful food and had a good time. It was a short trip (a little over two days) but well worth it.
I'm already wondering where we can go next!
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Hidden Layers
Not long ago, I watched an episode of “Nature”
on PBS about the discovery of a partial skeleton of what might be the largest
dinosaur species to ever have walked the Earth. It was found in Argentina and
is thought to have lived about 100 million years ago. I started watching the
show because it was hosted by Sir David Attenborough, who never fails to get me
just as interested in a topic as he is.
This was no exception. For one thing, when they
first showed the thigh bone (femur), I couldn’t help noticing that its length
seemed greater than the height of Attenborough himself. Sure enough, they
revealed that it was almost 8 feet long! Try to imagine the size of this
animal: half of its leg was taller
than a person! It was around 120 feet long: that’s twenty of me lying head to
foot! That’s BIG. It’s also a little hard to envision.
Scientists had casts made of the bones and
assembled them in a warehouse so they could see what the complete skeleton
looked like. I was fascinated with the result. Although a skeleton is certainly
not the whole dinosaur, it gave me a better idea of the basic structure of the
animal.
I thought about that today when I went for a
walk, a rare thing for me in the winter. We’ve been blessed with unseasonably
warm temperatures lately and I decided it was time to take advantage of that,
so I headed to a tree-filled park north of town … in a T-shirt! How strange
is that for February? It felt good to walk without immediately wanting to
retreat inside.
As I walked, however, I noticed something
strange. The park looked different. Other than the fact that the trees had no
leaves and there were no blooming plants, something else was off. I peered
around me, trying to discern what it was … and then it hit me: I could see!
Without the curtain of leaves and lush vegetation, I could see parts of the
park that had always been hidden to me during the spring, summer and fall.
It was kind of fun to realize there was a
stream I’d never noticed, to recognize another path that was closer than I thought,
to spot other people through the trees. I saw hills and boulders that had never
been visible before.
Like the dinosaur, I wasn’t seeing the whole park,
but winter has revealed a layer that usually goes unseen: the basic structure.
Just as the dinosaur’s skeleton would have been covered with muscles, organs
and skin, what I saw of the park will soon be covered with leaves, grass and various
plants. It will be inhabited by squirrels, rabbits, deer, turtles and birds of
all types.
It all begins with the foundation.
If you want to watch the “Nature” episode,
here’s a link: Nature Episode
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Citizen Science
Whether you consider yourself a scientist or not, you have a chance to make a contribution to science this weekend. It's called the Great Backyard Bird Count. It's easy, it's fun and it's free!
Here are the only items you'll need: a piece of paper, a writing utensil, your eyes and a patch of ground. That's it! If you want to use binoculars, that will help, but they aren't necessary.
Find a place where you want to count. It can be your own back yard (a birdfeeder really helps) or it can be a park, a forest, a lake, anywhere you might find birds.
If you don't think you can identify the birds you see, there are ways to resolve that. You can enlist someone who knows birds to help you. You can go online to any good birding site for help. There are even apps that can help you, such as this one: Merlin
Now take fifteen minutes to count the birds you see. As a rule, you should count groups of birds as you see them, and then take the highest number of the same species that you saw all at once. That will reduce the possibility of counting the same bird twice. For example, if you see four goldfinches, and then ten goldfinches, and then three goldfinches, your recorded total would be ten. Write down a total for every bird you saw that you could identify. You can do this as many times as you want this weekend and Monday.
Once you've got your totals, you can go to this site to report them: Great Backyard Bird Count It's easy to sign in and make your report(s). Once you've done that, you can see statistics of where people are counting and what they've counted so far. They will even email you a copy of your report if you request it.
I've been doing this for several years and it's always fascinating to see what species of birds are in my back yard. This morning I counted eight different species in the same fifteen-minute span.
All of this information will help scientists determine where birds are and how their numbers are doing. It's important for them to have a snapshot from around the world ... and that's where we come in. They couldn't do it without us.
So get out and count! You'll be helping the scientists and the birds.
Here are the only items you'll need: a piece of paper, a writing utensil, your eyes and a patch of ground. That's it! If you want to use binoculars, that will help, but they aren't necessary.
Find a place where you want to count. It can be your own back yard (a birdfeeder really helps) or it can be a park, a forest, a lake, anywhere you might find birds.
If you don't think you can identify the birds you see, there are ways to resolve that. You can enlist someone who knows birds to help you. You can go online to any good birding site for help. There are even apps that can help you, such as this one: Merlin
Now take fifteen minutes to count the birds you see. As a rule, you should count groups of birds as you see them, and then take the highest number of the same species that you saw all at once. That will reduce the possibility of counting the same bird twice. For example, if you see four goldfinches, and then ten goldfinches, and then three goldfinches, your recorded total would be ten. Write down a total for every bird you saw that you could identify. You can do this as many times as you want this weekend and Monday.
Once you've got your totals, you can go to this site to report them: Great Backyard Bird Count It's easy to sign in and make your report(s). Once you've done that, you can see statistics of where people are counting and what they've counted so far. They will even email you a copy of your report if you request it.
I've been doing this for several years and it's always fascinating to see what species of birds are in my back yard. This morning I counted eight different species in the same fifteen-minute span.
All of this information will help scientists determine where birds are and how their numbers are doing. It's important for them to have a snapshot from around the world ... and that's where we come in. They couldn't do it without us.
So get out and count! You'll be helping the scientists and the birds.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
The Little Things
I write about a lot of different topics on this blog. I've detailed some of the joys of writing and some of the frustrations. Sometimes I'm thrilled and sometimes I'm dejected. That comes with the territory, I guess.
Sometimes when I'm a little down, a great event will raise my spirits. Those are the good times! More often, however, it's something small ... and I have to be willing to recognize it. Here are three examples.
I needed to double-check some tax information recently. (Even when you make no money, you have to report your earnings and expenses to the IRS. I joke with my husband that I'm helping reduce our tax rate with my lack of sales.) I found a discrepancy, so I had to look at some of the reports online. While I was doing that, I looked up Outsider on amazon.com (that still hasn't gotten old) and scrolled through the information. As I did, I noticed something strange:
The last time I looked, Outsider was at about five or six million in the Amazon Best Sellers Rank, certainly not 224,181. This could only mean one thing so I hopped over to Createspace.com and ran a report. Sure enough, for the first time in over two years, I'd sold a copy of Outsider on Amazon! I don't know how this happened or who bought it, but it was cause for celebration. (To keep things in perspective, I noticed that my other two novels are still ranked at around five or six million.) To that lone buyer out there: thank you!
I stopped in at the local bookstore this weekend to check on my inventory and chat with the proprietor. When I arrived, there were others ahead of me so I browsed while I waited. As I did that, I heard the proprietor say to another woman, "That's one of our local writers." I looked around, but there was nobody else in the store ... so then I realized that she meant me! That doesn't get old either.
Last but not least, I was at a medical establishment recently, waiting for someone to actually come see me after I'd waited for about 45 minutes. I was annoyed, trying to think of some way to catch someone's attention so I could voice my displeasure. Instead, I allowed myself a bit of whimsy: I imagined my characters storming the place, pistols in hand. I saw terrified office assistants cowering while my characters spread out, shouting, "Okay, what's the deal? Why's no one seeing Diane? Get to it!" I actually smiled and was in a better mood when the doctor did arrive, so I didn't even say anything snide. That's a win.
Each of those little things added up to something that made my week better than it would have been otherwise. I try to notice and embrace these kinds of things because they're what make the not-so-good times bearable.
What are the little things that made your week better? Be on the lookout because they can try to sneak by without you noticing them. Take note ... and enjoy!
Sometimes when I'm a little down, a great event will raise my spirits. Those are the good times! More often, however, it's something small ... and I have to be willing to recognize it. Here are three examples.
I needed to double-check some tax information recently. (Even when you make no money, you have to report your earnings and expenses to the IRS. I joke with my husband that I'm helping reduce our tax rate with my lack of sales.) I found a discrepancy, so I had to look at some of the reports online. While I was doing that, I looked up Outsider on amazon.com (that still hasn't gotten old) and scrolled through the information. As I did, I noticed something strange:
 |
| Amazon.com Feb 4, 2016 |
I stopped in at the local bookstore this weekend to check on my inventory and chat with the proprietor. When I arrived, there were others ahead of me so I browsed while I waited. As I did that, I heard the proprietor say to another woman, "That's one of our local writers." I looked around, but there was nobody else in the store ... so then I realized that she meant me! That doesn't get old either.
Last but not least, I was at a medical establishment recently, waiting for someone to actually come see me after I'd waited for about 45 minutes. I was annoyed, trying to think of some way to catch someone's attention so I could voice my displeasure. Instead, I allowed myself a bit of whimsy: I imagined my characters storming the place, pistols in hand. I saw terrified office assistants cowering while my characters spread out, shouting, "Okay, what's the deal? Why's no one seeing Diane? Get to it!" I actually smiled and was in a better mood when the doctor did arrive, so I didn't even say anything snide. That's a win.
Each of those little things added up to something that made my week better than it would have been otherwise. I try to notice and embrace these kinds of things because they're what make the not-so-good times bearable.
What are the little things that made your week better? Be on the lookout because they can try to sneak by without you noticing them. Take note ... and enjoy!
Saturday, January 30, 2016
A Quest ... And a Milestone
Those of you who know me are aware that I'm a birder. That can mean a lot of things, but in my case, it means I sometimes rush off somewhere in the hopes of seeing a new bird. This weekend was no exception.
It all started when I attended a recent meeting of the local Audubon chapter, Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society. I've been a member of this group since its inception and I've learned a lot from my fellow members. In the fall of 2003, we were encouraged to start a bird list, with pins to be awarded when each person reached 50 birds, 100 birds and 200 birds. I made it my goal to reach 200.
I started strong. Within a year, I had over 100 birds on my list. I saw them in four states: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado. Naturally, I thought 200 was well within my grasp ...
Life intruded. Various things kept me from traveling much and sometimes it was hard to find a place to see new birds. With some help from field trips through SGAS, I finally got to 150 birds in 2009. Then things really slowed down and I started to wonder if I'd ever reach 200. After a few years, I resigned myself to the fact that I would get there, but not quickly. I made my peace with it, although it was always in the back of my mind. I saw one new bird in 2015. I was in the 190s by then, but 200 still seemed far away.
Then came the meeting. A member from Missouri reported that he'd seen long-tailed ducks at a wastewater treatment plant about 30 miles away. I didn't even know that such a thing existed and I certainly didn't know what it looked like (thank goodness for field guides). Some of the members decided they'd try to see it, so I decided I had to go with them.
The same thing happened in 2012. I heard there was a snowy owl in Missouri, so I drove over there near the end of January. I drove along several country roads, pretty sure I was lost, not sure where the owl was ... until I spotted a bright white object in the middle of a field. Binoculars let me confirm it was the owl. I called a fellow birder, who met me there, and we both stared at the owl for several minutes. Then we did a little happy dance right there on the country road.
So I know that sometimes you need to follow your instincts. It's possible you might not see anything, but that's better than wondering what you might have missed. The other birders felt the same way so we carpooled to Missouri, had to detour around a roadblock and finally found the place. We stood there staring at water birds through binoculars for a few minutes before we spotted one duck that seemed much lighter than the others. We consulted the books, studied the duck again, consulted the books and talked among ourselves. Finally we realized it was true: we were seeing a long-tailed duck! Cheers followed.
If you're interested, here's some information about it: Long-Tailed Duck-Audubon
I came home very happy that I'd seen a new bird and was able to share the experience with friends. I sat down to write it in my notebook ... and paused. I'd made a list of the other birds we'd seen while we were searching for the long-tailed duck, and I didn't see two of them on my list. I flipped through the pages once, twice. Still I didn't see those two. Was it true? It WAS! I was able to add three new ducks ... and that puts me at 200!
So patience and the occasional whim, with a little luck thrown in, got me to my goal. Isn't that usually how it goes?
Next up: 300!
It all started when I attended a recent meeting of the local Audubon chapter, Sperry-Galligar Audubon Society. I've been a member of this group since its inception and I've learned a lot from my fellow members. In the fall of 2003, we were encouraged to start a bird list, with pins to be awarded when each person reached 50 birds, 100 birds and 200 birds. I made it my goal to reach 200.
I started strong. Within a year, I had over 100 birds on my list. I saw them in four states: Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado. Naturally, I thought 200 was well within my grasp ...
Life intruded. Various things kept me from traveling much and sometimes it was hard to find a place to see new birds. With some help from field trips through SGAS, I finally got to 150 birds in 2009. Then things really slowed down and I started to wonder if I'd ever reach 200. After a few years, I resigned myself to the fact that I would get there, but not quickly. I made my peace with it, although it was always in the back of my mind. I saw one new bird in 2015. I was in the 190s by then, but 200 still seemed far away.
Then came the meeting. A member from Missouri reported that he'd seen long-tailed ducks at a wastewater treatment plant about 30 miles away. I didn't even know that such a thing existed and I certainly didn't know what it looked like (thank goodness for field guides). Some of the members decided they'd try to see it, so I decided I had to go with them.
The same thing happened in 2012. I heard there was a snowy owl in Missouri, so I drove over there near the end of January. I drove along several country roads, pretty sure I was lost, not sure where the owl was ... until I spotted a bright white object in the middle of a field. Binoculars let me confirm it was the owl. I called a fellow birder, who met me there, and we both stared at the owl for several minutes. Then we did a little happy dance right there on the country road.
So I know that sometimes you need to follow your instincts. It's possible you might not see anything, but that's better than wondering what you might have missed. The other birders felt the same way so we carpooled to Missouri, had to detour around a roadblock and finally found the place. We stood there staring at water birds through binoculars for a few minutes before we spotted one duck that seemed much lighter than the others. We consulted the books, studied the duck again, consulted the books and talked among ourselves. Finally we realized it was true: we were seeing a long-tailed duck! Cheers followed.
If you're interested, here's some information about it: Long-Tailed Duck-Audubon
I came home very happy that I'd seen a new bird and was able to share the experience with friends. I sat down to write it in my notebook ... and paused. I'd made a list of the other birds we'd seen while we were searching for the long-tailed duck, and I didn't see two of them on my list. I flipped through the pages once, twice. Still I didn't see those two. Was it true? It WAS! I was able to add three new ducks ... and that puts me at 200!
So patience and the occasional whim, with a little luck thrown in, got me to my goal. Isn't that usually how it goes?
Next up: 300!
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Blank
I got a statement for my 401k plan this past week. When I opened it, I looked in the box that lists my current balance and it said $0.00. I know the stock market is bad, but really!
Fortunately, the person in charge of our 401k plan at work had already notified us that we would see this, due to our plans being transferred from one company to another. I'm glad she did that or I might have freaked out. In a few days, we should get a new statement that tells us our real balance. I'm certainly hoping it will be over $0, although I'm not sure I want to know the real balance right now until things settle down in the stock market.
For now, it appears that the account is empty ... and ironically enough, that's what's happening in my head right now, especially regarding this blog. I'm out of ideas!
It's not that there's nothing going on in my life. It's not that I have no thoughts whatsoever (that would really be scary!). It's just that everything is either too boring or too personal to write about. It's also one of those common things I have to deal with occasionally: writer's block.
My characters don't seem to want to talk to me right now. I haven't even been able to squeeze out a Closet Spaceship episode, and those are usually rather easy because they're a fun diversion from the novels. I have no constraints; I just start imagining a conversation with one of the characters and go from there. Right now, though, the characters are hiding and silent. Even Nick!
That's okay. I've been through periods like this before and I always got through them. This blank feeling will pass and the ideas will come back to me. It's just a matter of paddling the canoe through the still waters to get back to the rapids.
Meanwhile, work continues on The Other Side. Paddle, paddle.
If you have any topics you'd like me to cover, or any questions, feel free to leave me a comment.
Fortunately, the person in charge of our 401k plan at work had already notified us that we would see this, due to our plans being transferred from one company to another. I'm glad she did that or I might have freaked out. In a few days, we should get a new statement that tells us our real balance. I'm certainly hoping it will be over $0, although I'm not sure I want to know the real balance right now until things settle down in the stock market.
For now, it appears that the account is empty ... and ironically enough, that's what's happening in my head right now, especially regarding this blog. I'm out of ideas!
It's not that there's nothing going on in my life. It's not that I have no thoughts whatsoever (that would really be scary!). It's just that everything is either too boring or too personal to write about. It's also one of those common things I have to deal with occasionally: writer's block.
My characters don't seem to want to talk to me right now. I haven't even been able to squeeze out a Closet Spaceship episode, and those are usually rather easy because they're a fun diversion from the novels. I have no constraints; I just start imagining a conversation with one of the characters and go from there. Right now, though, the characters are hiding and silent. Even Nick!
That's okay. I've been through periods like this before and I always got through them. This blank feeling will pass and the ideas will come back to me. It's just a matter of paddling the canoe through the still waters to get back to the rapids.
Meanwhile, work continues on The Other Side. Paddle, paddle.
If you have any topics you'd like me to cover, or any questions, feel free to leave me a comment.
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