This Blog's History: Gljufurarfoss

ICYMI last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to the post I wrote on our visit to a couple of waterfalls in Iceland, including Gljufurarfoss, a beautiful waterfall, but one that's a bit trickier to get to than some.

Gljufurarfoss

New York Times Bestsellers in Science

If you find yourself struggling to pick out your next book, a great place to look for ideas is the New York Time Bestsellers in Science.

New York Times Bestsellers in Science

Hopefully the above link works, but if not, just search for New York Times Bestsellers and you can go through the lists and select science as an option.

Admittedly, I have not read any books on the current (September 2018) list. There are several exciting options, including Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Given my background in astrophysics, there's always a special place in my heart for books in this field.

My problem isn't finding the next book, but in deciding which of the many books I want next! I have far, far too many books on my to-read list. :-)

If a science book is not what you are looking for, check out the other book lists at the New York Times. Or go to your local library!

Climate Change Denial Myth #5: But It's Cold Outside!

Another common argument used by climate change denialists is "but it's cold outside!" It happens every winter when there's a cold spell or large snow fall. If there are a few record colds set, the denialists are out in full force claiming this is easy proof the climate isn't changing. Sigh. It's a very short sighted argument that doesn't understand the difference between climate and local weather. Even with a warming planet, it can still be cold out at times and record low temperatures can still be set. It's all about the trends and the trends clearly point to warming temperatures overall across the globe.

The chart below is a great example of why looking at record low temperatures does not debunk climate change and global warming.

Ratio of record highs to record lows as reported at Climate Central.

Record low temperatures still occur but the ratio of high temps to low temps is growing. In this current decade, the number of record high temperatures broken is double that of record low temperatures. The fact that there are record low temperatures, but not as many, is evidence of an increasingly warming planet. The very argument denialists use to debunk climate change actually supports climate change!

Don't fall for the emotional pleas of the denialists. Stick to the facts and the truth will be with you. In this case, those facts point to a warming planet. We don't want a warming planet, but the facts are the facts.

National Youth Science Camp

If you have a high school senior living with you, or as a family member, or as a family friend, and this person is interested in science and looking for a challenge, point them to the National Youth Science Camp.

National Youth Science Camp

The National Youth Science Camp is a:

"residential science education program for young STEM enthusiasts the summer after they graduate from high school. Students from around the country (two are selected to represent each state and Washington, D.C.) are challenged academically in exciting lectures and hands-on studies, and have voluntary opportunities to participate in an outdoor adventure program, gain a new and deep appreciation for the great outdoors, and establish friendships that last a lifetime."

There is a rigorous selection process and not many are chosen. Just two per state in the U.S. But it is a fantastic opportunity for your science loving high school senior who is looking for something at the next level. Don't let the low odds dissuade you from applying. I know five high school seniors who were selected over the last couple of years. 

One of the best ways to get involved in science is through camps such as this or getting directly involved in research in high school or college. The National Youth Science Camp is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in science before heading off to college.

Is it Poop or Pop?

The other day my 8 year old came home with an assignment that she received full credit on, but had some interesting comments made by the teacher. The assignment was to write about a party you recently had and what was brought to the party. My daughter wrote about a birthday party in which cake, friends, presents, and a few other things were brought. The very last item however said "poop". Apparently my daughter brought poop to her party! LOL!

Clearly my daughter meant pop and not poop...at least I *think* that's what she meant! LOL!

This Blog's History: Seljalandsfoss

ICYMI last time, for this Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to the post I wrote on our visit to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall in Iceland. Beautiful!


Seljalandsfoss

Climate Change Denial Myth #4: Is Climate Change Natural and Cyclical?

It's been awhile since I last wrote about a climate change denial myth. I've been busy writing about our trip to Iceland, but now that I finished that series, it's time to get back to climate change denial. The science is very clear. Global temperatures are warming. Climate change is real and it is primarily caused by humans. Yet an entire political party in the United States denies the truth as they are beholden to the pocket books of fossil fuel advocates. One common argument denialists use is climate change is natural and it's happened before, therefore the climate changing now is no big deal. Is there any truth to this?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2000_Year_Temperature_Comparison.png

As the graph above shows, there have been temperature increases and decreases. There are natural effects that change Earth's climate. However, the very sharp increase in temperature over a very short time period is unprecedented in the last 2000 years. There is no natural effect to account for this drastic increase in temperature.

So what does this all mean? There is some truth to the naturally changing climate on Earth, but to apply that to the last 50 years of drastic temperature increases on Earth is an absurd twisting of the truth to fit one's made up reality that today's changes are natural. They are not. Today's temperature increases are a direct result of fossil fuel burning and a massive dump of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. These greenhouse gasses absorb infrared radiation released by Earth, trapping it in Earth's atmosphere and further increasing the surface temperature. Denying it doesn't change the truth.

Coaching Youth Sports

It's fall (even if the temps don't give that impression) and it's time for my annual call out to all parents to get out and volunteer to coach in one of your kids' youth sports leagues. Youth recreation sports leagues are often entirely coached by volunteer parents and grand parents and can't survive without your help. Too often I see leagues desperately advertising for coaches and struggling for weeks before finding enough (and sometimes not) parents to coach to have enough teams to spread the players out.

So here's my challenge to you. The next time you receive a call out to coach your kids' soccer, softball, baseball, football, tennis etc. team, don't delay. Respond yes right away and help out the league and the kids.

This September marks the 5th year out of 6 years I've coached my youngest daughter's soccer team. I started her first season when she was 3 and am still coaching her team of 7 and 8 year olds this year. She took last year off to do other things but wanted to get back into soccer this year.

You don't have to be a soccer (or other sport) pro to coach at the youth level. I never played organized soccer and the number of pick up games I've played can be counted on one hand!!! Coaching at this level is not about knowing the ins and outs of the sport. Sure, some basic knowledge can help, but your skills as a parent are far more important. Those kids just want an opportunity to play and all they need is some guidance and help when things don't go their way on the field. Coaching a youth sport is far more about consoling players and keeping players excited than it is about teaching skills.

So if your answer is no because you think you don't know the sport? Hogwash! You know plenty. Take the plunge. Say yes and help those kids! And if a parent yells at you, ignore them. Remember, you volunteered and they didn't. You took the plunge and they didn't. Nobody is perfect and that angry parent would do no better, and probably far worse, than you as a coach.

You can do this. Trust me!

ZDoggMD Podcast

I haven't shared a new podcast to this blog in several months, but the wait is well worth it. I recently came across the ZDoggMD podcast, also called Incident Report. The podcast is hosted by Zubin Damania a doctor who talks about his life as a doctor, including burnout and the goal of producing a more effective health care system in the U.S.

Zubin Damania

Zubin throws in a ton of humor into his podcasts but the content is very serious. I particularly enjoy his Darth Vader parodies! They are a definite must listen to!

If interested in learning more about the science of medicine and the U.S. health care system, you can check out his podcast here:

ZDoggMD Incident Report Podcast

Trip to Iceland Post #26: All Good Things Come to an End

This past summer we took a family vacation to Iceland for 8 nights. We had a blast and loved every minute of it, but all good things must come to an end and the same is true of vacations. This was the second visit to Iceland for my wife and me and the first for our kids. We plan a third trip in a few years. There is so much to see and so much to do that it is impossible to see and do all in just a single trip or two.

Waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, geysers, black sand beaches, wandering sheep, World Cup soccer, amazing and kind people, delicious seafood, rivers, volcanoes, etc. There is something in Iceland for everyone. Do it. Go to Iceland. You will not regret it!!! Yes, it is expensive, although plane tickets can often be cheaper than other places in Europe. So the extra you spend on food and gas is saved on plane tickets if you shop around. I don't know when we'll be back, but we will definitely be back. With that said, I leave you with a few pictures from our trip.

This Blog's History: The Hobbit

For This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to the post I wrote on reading the Hobbit. This was one of the first, if not the first, book that opened my world to fantasy fiction.

Facebook Book Challenge Day #4

Trip to Iceland Post #25: Local Swimming Pools

Unlike the U.S. where most towns do not have local swimming pools, pretty much EVERY town in Iceland, including the small ones, has a swimming pool. With typical high temperatures in the 50s (Fahrenheit) at the height of summer, you may be wondering why there are so many swimming pools. Well, pools are open year round, including the cold winter months, because the water is naturally heating by the great amount of geothermal activity in Iceland.

Although it was a cold air temperature, swimming outdoors in Iceland was very, very comfortable. In fact, it felt better swimming in an Icelandic swimming pool than it does jumping in a U.S. swimming pool on a hot summer day. So if visiting Iceland, visit a local swimming pool. Our kids loved it.

There are many options, including some very touristy options that cost a boatload of money. Skip the famous swimming pools that cost $100 per person and go to a town's local swimming pool. On the second part of our trip we stayed near Selfoss and went to the pool there. For four of us it was about $20 USD total, as opposed to several hundred USD at the tourist traps. The pools were not packed with people so we had free reign to move around and our kids could easily move around without us worrying where they were. It was an absolutely wonderful experience and a great break from driving around the countryside.

Trip to Iceland Post #24: Gulfoss

It's taken me awhile to finish blogging our trip to Iceland this past summer, so instead of spreading it out over a few more weeks, I'm just writing them all up and posting one each day until I finish! The moral of this story is you MUST visit Iceland. :-)

After visiting the Strokkur geyser on our last full day in Iceland, we drove a bit down the road to check out Gulfoss, one of the most powerful waterfalls in Iceland.

Very impressive! Gulfoss is a must see in Iceland and is on every "top things to do in Iceland" list. There's plenty of parking and a large gift shop, but with that comes LOTS of people. Hundreds of people. There may have been well over a 1000 people there. Some of the walking paths back up a bit, but don't let this stop you from checking out these amazing falls. Iceland has many, many beautiful waterfalls and this one is near the top of the list. Definitely go see it.

Trip to Iceland Post #23: Strokkur

Our last full day in Iceland took us along the Golden Circle drive and one of our stops was Strokkur. Strokkur is a very impressive geyser that goes off every 8-10 minutes, offering plenty of opportunities to see it go off. The whole area is an underground hot spot so you see bubbling pools of water and steam all over the place. It's very cool walking around and simply observing the geothermal activity.

This is a heavily populated attraction for Iceland standards, but there's plenty of room to move around and congregate around the geyser. This area also has a very large gift shop center with a large dining area. It's a great place to stop and eat if you aren't packing your own food. We had an ice cream snack and it was delicious. 

The Golden Circle is a very well-known tourist hot spot, but don't let that stop you. The geyser is well worth the visit.

Trip To Iceland Post #22: Reynisfjara Beach

After our visit to the glacier, we drove a bit further down the main ring road in Iceland and stopped at the Reynisfjara Beach. This is a black sand beach that offers views of amazing rock features as well as numerous birds flying all over and maybe a puffin or two if you are lucky. We didn't see any puffins during our visit, but when I was here in 2014, we did see a few.

You can't tell from the pictures as we took great care to get people-free pictures, but this beach was packed! Four years ago it was a small gravel lot, but now it is massive paved parking lot (at least part of it) and there were people everywhere! Iceland has been devoted to increasing tourism over the last few years and it shows in the number of people you see at attractions on the south side of the island.

The water is far to cold to go swimming, and why would you want to given the large number of naturally heating hot springs and swimming pools, but the beach offers beautiful views. Mark this each down as a must see on your visit to Iceland. There's a trend in all of these Iceland posts. Everything is a must see, which basically means you need to do one long trip to Iceland or plan on several visits over your lifetime!

This Blog's History: Watching the World Cup in Iceland

ICYMI the first time, for This Friday in This Blog's History I share with you the post I wrote on our visit to Iceland where we went to the Reykjavik city square and watched Iceland play in the World Cup. Great experience and one shared with locals. If you ever have a chance to do something similar, it's a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture.

Trip to Iceland Post #15: Iceland in the World Cup

Trip to Iceland Post #21: Solheimajokull Glacier

After our visit of three waterfalls on our second to last full day in Iceland we drove further down the road to see the Solheimajokull Glacier. My wife and I visited this glacier on our visit in 2014 and I was very curious to see how much this glacier had receded. I also wanted to make sure my kids had a chance in their lives to visit a glacier. Each year it is more difficult to see a glacier in person as they melt and recede due to increased global temperatures and climate change.

This was a beautiful glacier as you can see in the pictures below. But it has receded and receded significantly in just the last 4 years.

Amazing, but receding. Visit soon as this glacier is receding up the mountain. It will still be accessible for several decades, but the walk back to view it gets farther and farther every year. So definitely make this a priority if you visit Iceland and head to the south part of the island. There are not many places left in the world to easily reach a glacier, and this is one of them.

In the image above you can see people walking on the glacier. My kids weren't old enough for this excursion, but our next trip to Iceland (and there will be one!) will include a glacier excursion and not just a view of one. These excursions are expensive, but others we spoke to said the cost is well worth it. It's similar to the whale watching tour we did. Expensive, but well worth it!

Trip to Iceland Post #20: Skogafoss

Our second to last full day in Iceland took us to three different waterfalls, and a few other sites I'll discuss in future posts. The third waterfall of the day was Skogafoss. I know I've said this about most things we saw in Iceland, but Skogafoss is a must visit if you are in the southern part of Iceland. The pictures below show why.

Skogafoss is a busy place with several tour buses and many visitors, but don't let that turn you away. This is a massive waterfall with beautiful views from both the top and bottom. Parking is at the bottom and there is a 400+ step stairway to the top. If you are physically able, take the hike to the top for some amazing views. This is part of a longer hiking trail and you can walk a bit if you like to view the landscape and river that falls off the cliff to create the waterfall. 

It was around lunch time when we visited, so after checking out the falls we sat in the car, with a perfect view of the falls and ate our packed lunch. Beautiful! Amazing! Wow! It's hard to sum up this waterfall in words. You really have to see it in person to truly understand the beauty of it.

Hamilton Tickets

We finally bit the bullet and purchased tickets to see Hamilton in Chicago in a couple of months. My 11 year old has really been pushing us to go see Hamilton for quite some time now. She's even offered to give up Christmas presents, birthday presents, and her birthday party for the year. And she is genuine when saying that. I really think she'd be okay if we didn't get her any presents. We'll still get her a few presents, but it has really proved to my wife and me how serious she wants to see this show. She's been listening to the soundtrack non-stop for months.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to see the show and we are going to make a weekend of it in Chicago and also hit up a museum or two, but damn these tickets were expensive! Sheesh! And since we can't drive several hours, pull the kids out of school, etc., to catch a mid-week night show, we are paying a premium for a weekend show. I'm told by everyone who sees it that the price is well worth it and it's an amazing show and an amazing theater in Chicago. But still...expensive! The good news is we found high quality hotel right next to the theater for $84/night. Can't beat that! Although it is $60/day to park our car at the hotel. LOL! Oh well...it should be a great time. I'll post how it went here as well as our trip to a museum. Right now we are planning to visit the Science and Industry Museum, one I have never been to.

Neil deGrasse Tyson vs. Katy Perry

I'm a big fan of the Star Talk Radio podcast hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson (and sometimes Bill Nye). It's a fantastic podcast to learn about the stars and immerse yourself in science. Tyson (and Nye when he hosts) includes a great deal of humor making the podcast both informative and funny. I recently listened to the episode in which Tyson interviewed Katy Perry. As always, it was a great episode, but I found a specific exchange particularly entertaining. It was a brief minute or two discussion in which Tyson explained to Perry the proper way to pronounce 'Uranus'.

Star Talk Radio with Katy Perry

She pronounced it 'Your-Anus' which is how it looks and makes for a limitless number of funny jokes. Tyson responds by telling her this is how you pronounce it up through 8th grade (he may have said middle school or something similar) and then you start pronouncing it 'Your-uh-nus'. I just found the exchange funny. I'm nearly 40 yet I'm always game for a good Uranus joke. LOL!

I encourage you to listen to this episode, but also listen to Star Talk Radio on a regular basis. Again, it's a great astronomy focused science podcast your kids will learn much from but also find entertaining.