Kitty is Making Me Jealous

The other day I was sitting at the kitchen table working at putting some classes together for later this semester.  After a few minutes of working, our cat, Newton, crawls up on the chair next to me for a nap.

Wish I could be napping!

The life of a cat.  Spending 16 hours a day napping and 8 hours a day running around terrorizing everyone in the house.  LOL!  We love him!

Funny Parenting Meme

I saw this meme in my Facebook feed the other day and it made me chuckle because some days being a parent definitely feels like this.

Don't get me wrong.  I love my two daughters and don't ever regret becoming a parent.  There are so many wonderful moments in our lives together, but some days can be a struggle.  We have two days a week in which one kid has soccer practice and the other kid has martial arts, at two different places in town.  The drop off and pick up time are similar which complicates things.  On one of the evenings my wife and I can team up with one of us taking one kid and the other taking the second kid.  Then we meet back up at home and all is good.  The other day, however, is a different story as I have a night class, which leaves my wife dropping off and picking up both kids.  She does a wonderful job of course, but it takes a bit longer to get home and since both kids are active they need showers, resulting in later bed times, crankiness, hangriness, etc.  We get through it each week, but those are days that feel like the burning merry-go-round above.  :-)

How It Works Magazine

If you're in the market for an entertaining science based magazine, I encourage you to check out the How It Works magazine.

How It Works Magazine

I'm not a subscriber to this publication but have glanced through a free trial issue.  It's interesting, especially if you enjoy a lot of pictures with shorter amounts of text.  It's a very different magazine than say, Scientific American, which publishes more robust articles, but it's still an interesting magazine that is great for sharing the exciting new discoveries in various fields of science.  You can check it out here:

How It Works Magazine

This Blog's History: The Facts Behind the Blue Super Lunar Eclipse (January 2018)

At the end of January 2018 there was a rare coincidental occurrence of a blue super lunar eclipse.  Just before the event I wrote a post on the misconceptions and facts behind this event.  In case you missed it then, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to that post.  What's a super moon?  What's a blue moon?  What's a lunar eclipse?  Click the link below to find out.

Blue Super Lunar Eclipse

Science Fair 2018 Results

My 10 year old recently participated in her school's science fair, her third consecutive year participating.  She decided to test glucose levels in various food and drinks as an application to determine which foods/drinks to avoid if you have high blood sugar.

Testing Glucose Levels in Food

Sugar level results

She had a lot of fun with this project, and her hard work paid off.  She earned first place in the 5th grade division and advanced onward to the regional science fair in a couple of weeks!  Looking ahead she needs to put together a report that includes more details on her procedures, controls, errors, etc.  She's looking forward to the regional fair and can't wait to see the other projects there!

Science fairs are a great way to get kids involved in real science.  Unfortunately the number of kids participating in science fairs is often very low.  I counted 24 projects out of about 600 kids in 3rd/4th/5th grade at my daughter's school.  That's a participation rate of 4%.  Yikes!  The school did a good job advertising the fair and providing a wealth of information and tools on how to get started with a project.  The teachers sponsoring the project even offered to review project ideas and help kids select a quality project.  Yet 4% was the turnout.  On top of that, most of those were in the 3rd grade.  At the 5th grade there were only 5 students participating.  That's a 2.5% turnout!  Double yikes!

Science fair projects at the elementary level do not have to be elaborate projects.  They are designed for kids to get their hands wet with science.  It's all about the investigative process.  So parents, it's time to step up and provide the encouragement your child needs to get started!  You can do this!

How Much Sugar Should One Consume?

Last month my 10 year old daughter presented her science fair project at her school.  She spent some time testing glucose levels in different foods.  As part of the project she did some background research on sugar and made a visual comparison between the amount of sugar that is recommended on a daily basis versus that actually consumed by people.  The image below shows a plate with 6 teaspoons of sugar, the maximum amount recommended for adult women, and a second plate with 19 teaspoons of sugar, the actual amount consumed on average by humans.  The visual contrast is striking!

Left:  Average sugar consumed per day on average by humans.  Right:  Recommended maximum daily sugar intake for adult women.

Clearly humans are consuming far more sugar on a daily basis then is recommended.  Limiting sugar intake is tough because sugar tastes good and many pleasing food products contain sugar.  For example, a 12 ounce can of regular soda contains approximately 40 grams of sugar.  That's the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar...in a SINGLE CAN!!!  That's already 4 teaspoons above the recommended maximum sugar intake for women.  For men the recommended sugar intake is 9 teaspoons.  The can of soda tops that!

This science fair project was a great way for my daughter to visually see how much sugar is too much per day and also gave her ideas on which foods have a lot of sugar.  Science fair project results will come soon, but I just wanted to take a few moments to share this image because it is very revealing.  We are addicted to sugar and eating a low sugar diet is not easy.

Lord of the Rings With the Kids

Over this past winter break we sat down as a family and watched the three Lord of the Rings movies.  I've been waiting years to experience these movies with my kids.  I know many will disagree, but these three movies are still my favorite movies of all time.  Of the three, I rank Return of the King number 1, The Two Towers number 2, and Fellowship of the Ring number 3.  Or reverse chronological order if that's easier to describe.

Lord of the Rings

On Christmas eve eve (December 23) we watched Fellowship of the Ring, followed by The Two Towers on December 24, and finishing on January 1 with Return of the King.  It's 16 years after the original release of the first movie and I still love these movies just as much as I did then.  Kids loved them too, although they were probably wondering why the hell I was so excited about watching them again.  LOL!  Get used to it kids.  I'm your dad and I get excited about weird things.  :-)

Now if only there was a series of Wheel of Time movies.  :-)  They are not old enough yet, but I'm hoping one day they'll pick up this book series so we can discuss it together!

Light Pollution and the Future of Astronomy

Light pollution is a big problem for astronomers.  The abundance of lights near larger population centers makes building visible telescopes anywhere near civilization a lost cause.  Thus most optical telescopes (those that use mirrors and observe visible wavelengths) are built far from cities and at higher elevations.  There are usually fewer cities near high elevations area, but higher elevations also gets you above some of the atmosphere, increasing the quality of images obtained.  But there's only so far astronomers can go from large cities and the population of the world continues to increase, resulting in increased light.

Another problem, explained in detail in the article linked below, is the switch from incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs to LED light bulbs.  LED light bulbs use less energy and can save one a great deal of money over the lifetime of the bulb, but produce more light at the bluer end of the spectrum, thus decreasing astronomers ability to observe at these wavelengths.  That's not good for those wanting to learn more about our cosmos.

Pollution is endangering the future of astronomy

There's not much to be done about this either.  The use of LED bulbs will continue since they are cost effective and help limit the burning of fossil fuels.  Astronomers and engineers will continue working on methods to allow astronomers to observe the night sky and I'm sure some technology will be developed that will help.  I just find it ironic that a technology that allows us to light areas we need lit while using far less energy, is causing problems in another area of science. 

Example of an LED light bulb used in homes.

This Blog's History: Can you Drink From a Cactus?

In case you missed it last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to a post I wrote on a misconception that can literally kill you.  The odds of this scenario taking place are slim, but you never know.  If you find yourself lost in a desert and in desperate need of water, should you cut open that cactus and drink the liquid inside?  Nope!  For more details, read the post found at the link below.

Misconceptions That Kill #8: Drinking From a Cactus

Oh No Ross and Carrie Podcast

Today I have another interesting podcast to share with you.  I've known about this podcast for some time, but never listened to an episode until a former colleague of mine recommended it.  I checked it out and really liked it and have since added it to my podcast listening list.  The podcast is titled "Oh No Ross and Carrie".

Oh No Ross and Carrie Podcast

The hosts are, to the surprise of no one, Ross and Carrie.  Each week they dive deep into the specifics of some area of spirituality, supernatural, fringe science, or paranormal, and discuss the pseudoscience they find.  As you can imagine, they find quite a bit of pseudoscience at play.  All of this is done in a very humorous format, making this an especially interesting podcast to listen to.  A discussion of science combined with humor?  Can't beat that!  I encourage you to check out this podcast and listen to a couple of episodes.  I think you'll like it.

Oh No Ross and Carrie Podcast

Misconceptions that Kill #9: Natural Supplements are Better

It's very common to go to the pharmacy aisle in a store and see boxes and bottles with "all-natural" labeled in big bold letters.  It sends the message that natural ingredients are better that non-natural ingredients in medications.  This is a huge misconception that can cause harm to your health and literally kill you in some instances.  First, what does all-natural mean?

All natural does not mean good or better.

All-natural simple means there are no artificial ingredients or preservatives.  It doesn't, however, mean the product is better for you.  Having artificial ingredients does not mean the medicine is harmful.  It's a big misconception that causes some people to forego traditional medicines in favor of all-natural products that are too often homeopathic in nature.  This essentially means there is no active ingredient and therefore you are ingesting something that will do nothing to help cure or alleviate your symptoms.  

Most of the time this just means it'll take longer for you to heal, but refusing traditional medicine can allow a medical condition to linger and possibly result in more damaging medical conditions.  This could ultimately lead to someone's death.  My best advice is to listen to your doctor and do what he/she says.  Don't ignore your doctor in favor of all-natural remedies because someone tells you it will work better.  Listen to you doctor!

More Fun With Slime

My 10 year old continues making different forms of slime.  It's the thing she's been into lately and it's cool watching her experiment with different ingredients and testing out different types of slime.  The other day she made this red colored slime, that when I picked it up I thought she had messed up the ingredients in some way.  The slime was very sticky on my hand and did not come off very easily.  She gave me this weird look and said I wasn't playing with the slime right and then she showed me you keep the slime from sticking by moving it quickly from hand to hand in abrupt motions.  LOL!  I should have realized this, but it was great to see my 10 year old school me on science!  A bit later we made the video below showing how this slime works.

Foil as an Insulator

Let me start with a warning that this post brings up my true geekiness!  I usually have a cup of coffee each morning that I take with me in a travel mug to work.  The travel mug keeps the coffee hot for a longer period of time.  At the start of this year I finally went in for the annual blood draw my doctor asks for...about 8 months late!  My annual physical is coming up so I figured I'd better get in and do the blood draw my doctor ordered at my physical LAST year!  I always go in when the office opens because a blood draw requires me to fast with no food or drink, other than water, after bed.  That includes coffee.  Okay, not that big of a deal, but it was really cold out and I didn't want my coffee in my travel mug in the cold car getting cold, so I did this to it.

Travel mug wrapped in foil.

I wrapped my travel mug filled with coffee with foil.  Foil acts as a good insulator to retain heat, thus keeping my coffee warm.  My wife may have given me a weird look in the morning and those at my office watching me carry this foil wrapped mug were probably wondering what the hell I was doing, but you know what?  My coffee was still hot!  And that's all that matters!  :-)  The moral to this story?  If you're trying to keep something hot (or cold), foil is a could substitute to use when in a pinch.  It retains heat in and prevents additional heat from entering. 

This Blog's History: More Births at Full Moon?

In case you missed it last month, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to the post I wrote on the misconception of the connection between full moon and human births.  Short answer?  There is no connection.  For the details, click the link below and read the full details.

Do More Births Take Place at Full Moon?

Paddington 2

When the trailer for Paddington 2 came out several months ago we, as a family, were very excited for it to come out in the theaters.  When it did, we went out on opening weekend and the wait was well worth it!

Paddington 2

Both Paddington movies are great movies for the whole family.  The kids loved the movies and my wife and I enjoyed them as well.  There's plenty of good humor for both kids and adults, but there's also a good message of treating others the way you would want to be treated.  Throughout the movie Paddington treats everyone he meets with respect and kindness, even those characters who mean to take advantage of him.  It's a lesson many in the world could use.

Will there be a Paddington 3?  I don't know and it's always hard to say whether an additional sequel is good or not.  I tend to like sequels, but with each sequel it's harder to keep the same level of 'magic' that made the original so great.  Paddington 2 was a great sequel that had the same level of 'magic' as the original.  I'd love to see a Paddington 3, but only if it's done just as well as the previous two.

It's Not Too Late To Get Your Flu Shot

Just read an article yesterday stating that 136 people have already died of the flu in my home state.  The flu is serious business people and not something to take lightly.  Yes, it is late in the season to get a flu shot, but not too late.  If you haven't received your flu shot yet, go out and do so immediately.  The flu season will run through March and the protection from the shot now could save you a few awful days later in March and potentially save your life.  

The flu can kill you.  Typically it is the very young or very old that succumb to the flu, but young healthy adults die from the flu too.  It's not something to mess around with.  Getting the flu shot is quick, easy, and if your insurance doesn't cover it, typically low in cost.  Much lower in cost than a trip to the doctor or ER when you have the flu.

If I haven't made it clear yet, go out and get your flu shot!  Even in years in which the flu shot is not as effective (that's this year), the flu shot still provides some protection and can minimize symptoms if you do get the flu.  This is an easy decision!

Living Tuesday Like a Cat

It's Tuesday and I happen to have the day off.  And the kids are at school!  Lucky me!  I'd like to say I'm getting a ton of house projects done, but let's face it, I'm living life today like my cat.  Just don't tell my wife.  :-)

He look so peaceful, but ten minutes before this picture was taking he was tearing through the house!

Importance of Understanding Graphs

Last week I shared a question I had regarding an image caption in an issue of Scientific American.  In that case, I was the one who was wrong.  I misinterpreted the caption, which lead to my question.  To start this week I have an image from the January/February 2018 issue of Popular Science.

See anything incorrect with the Da Hong Pao Tea graph and corresponding discussion?

Focus on the written description and graph for Da Hong Pao Tea.  The description states the price dropped significantly in the 1980s yet when I look at the graph, the price remains stable and high throughout the 1980s.  It only drops in the late 1990s.  Either the graph is wrong or the date in the description is wrong.  I'm not going to harp too much on Popular Science.  Mistakes happen all the time and this is a relatively minor mistake.  I will be curious if Popular Science publishes a correction in the March/April issue.  

This ties in to last week's post on what I at first thought was a mistake in the size of the Universe in an issue of Scientific American.  Again, always question things that don't make sense, but be ready to accept that your question/understanding may be what is incorrect.  In the case of this Popular Science graph, my question is a good one.  Although I suppose there is something I'm completely missing, and I'm open to that.  In the case of the Scientific American question, my understanding was initially incorrect.

Remember, good skeptics and critical thinkers are always questioning, but they are also always open to the possibility that they are the ones who are wrong at times.

This Blog's History: Will Earth Lose the Moon?

For This Friday in This Blog's History I point you to a post I wrote on the Earth-Moon relationship.  The moon is moving away from Earth.  This is a fact.  Will Earth lose the moon?  Click the link below to find out!

Will Earth Lose the Moon?

How Large is the Universe?

Recently I was reading the November 2017 issue of Scientific American when I came across this image and caption.

Caption to an image in the November 2017 issue of Scientific American.

I had to do a double take when I first read this caption, and for awhile I was convinced the caption was wrong.  It states the observable Universe is 93 billion light years in size.  A light year is the distance light travels in a single year.  The speed of light is VERY FAST, so 93 billion light years is VERY large.

So why did I think, at first, this statement was incorrect?  Astronomers have determined the age of the Universe to be 13.8 billion years old.  This is through a multitude of high quality data.  Using telescopes we can directly observe all the way back to 380,000 after the Big Bang.  The first 380,000 years are known through a series of models and known physics through experiments here on Earth, but that's a discussion for another time.  When I first read this caption I had it in my head it was describing the early light in the Universe that did travel 13.8 billion light years.  Light from the early part of the Universe has taken 13.8 billion years, covering a distance of 13.8 billion light years.  But during that time the Universe has continued to expand and data tells us the Universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.  Thus the actual size of the Universe today is not 13.8 billion light years, but something large.  That larger something has been estimated by astronomers to be around 93 billion light years.  

What did I learn through this?  It's always okay (and important to question) things that do not make sense.  At first reading, the 93 million light years did not make sense to me.  So I questioned it and sat in my chair for a few minutes thinking this through.  Then I realized I was the one who was wrong, not the magazine caption.  The take away from this is that it's good to question, but when you do question, be open to the fact that many times you are the one who is wrong.  Not always, but sometimes.  That's part of critical thinking.  Recognizing when you are wrong.  It may be hard to admit you are wrong, but it's what makes a critical thinker a good critical thinker.