Science Themed Backpacks

It's the last day of July which means the start of the school year is just around the corner. Literally next week for us. Stores are stocked with school supplies and parents are procrastinating and waiting until the last day to buy school supplies and then of course there's that one item that every store in town is out of...ARG! LOL! The joys of parenthood. :-)

You can spice up your school shopping by picking up some science themed items for your kiddo. Backpacks and lunch boxes have all sorts of science themed options. A quick google search found me a bunch of cool science themed backpacks and lunch boxes that leave me jealous I don't have one!

Science Themed Backpacks

Science Themed Lunch Boxes

Unfortunately my kids are not in the market for either this year. They had new backpacks and lunch boxes last year and they are still in good shape to go for another year. But my birthday is coming up (actually it's not!)...wait, I'm an adult, I can spend my hard earned money on geeky lunch boxes for myself, right??? :-)

This Blog is Still Alive!

I know you were worried when there wasn't the typical Monday morning post. :-) No worries. This blog is still alive and kicking. It's been a busy summer, combined with a family vacation to Maine (posts on this coming) that I haven't had a chance to keep up with posts and Monday came and went with no post. But no worries, the daily Monday-Friday schedule will continue. In the meantime, get your science on!

This Blog's History: The Hot Zone

For This Friday in This Blog's History, I point readers to the post I wrote on the National Geographic TV mini-series, The Hot Zone. Although sensationalized for TV, it's still an interesting mini-series. To read the original post, click the link below.

The Hot Zone

Old Courthouse - St. Louis

I had a fun time at the 2019 NSTA conference in St. Louis. I picked up many great teaching tips and look forward to implementing those in the classroom, both as a teacher and as an administrator. With the end of the conference comes the last post on the sites I saw while there. Over the lunch break one afternoon, I took a visit to the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis.

This was the main courthouse in Missouri from 1828 to 1930. Several slave auctions, up to 1861, took place at the courthouse and Dred Scott sued for his and his wife's freedom at this courthouse. Today the courthouse is a museum you can visit for free and I highly recommend this as a stop on your tour of St. Louis. It's a 1 to 2 hour visit packed with history as well as some amazing views of the top of the dome.

For anyone, but especially visitor's on a budget, this is a great site to see in St. Louis. 

City Garden - St. Louis

I don't have much time to write today, so my apologies for this short post. A few days ago I wrote about my visit to St. Louis and specifically to Lucas Garden Park. Another great park in downtown St. Louis is City Garden.

Another great green space in this large city with art sculptures, small waterfalls, and several walking paths. I found this garden a great escape from sitting on my butt at the teaching conference I attended. Just a few blocks from the convention center and I found a great green space to walk through and stretch my legs.

Twister in the Grass

This post is a shout-out to the Cool Science Mom (who for some reason chose to marry me...LOL!) for this awesome birthday game activity. I think most of us are familiar with the game Twister. My wife took this to the next level and used spray paint to create a Twister board in our backyard on the grass! See the picture below for this awesomeness!

My youngest daughter, who turned 9 (9 already!!!???), and her friends had a blast playing backyard Twister! Four cans of spray paint and we had a great outdoor activity that provided great fun to a bunch of 8 and 9 year olds!

100 Heartbeats - Book Review

About a year and a half ago, in December 2017, my family and I had the opportunity to see biologist and conservationist Jeff Corwin speak live. It was a great event and we purchased a book that Corwin signed after the event. The book was titled 100 Heartbeats.

A year and half later I finally sat down to read the book. The title of the book refers to the subset of animal species in which there are an estimated less than 100 still in existence. This is an interesting, yet alarming book that will leave you depressed as you learn about the species that humans are putting to extinction through habitat loss and increasing global temperatures due to human-made greenhouse emissions.

Don't get me wrong, it is a great book that brings to light the struggle of far too many animals species on this planet, but it is depressing to learn how we are most often failing (or outright ignoring). There are some successes and Corwin points these out in the book, but for every success, there are multiple failures. What I found most depressing is the book was published in 2009. The numbers reported are numbers from 2009. Reading it in 2019 I wonder how many of the species Corwin mentioned are now extinct or closer to extinction? We know climate change is accelerating and current data is matching what were the most extreme models of climate change in 2009. Although they may not be extinct yet, I'm guessing most of them are in far worse shape a decade later.

100 Heartbeats is an excellent read and a great gift idea to anyone with an interest in the future of animals (and humans) on this planet. 

This Blog's History: Newton Chilling in the Sink

Although today is not a stressful day, some days are, and today may be a stressful day for you. Sometimes on these stressful days we just need a nice cat picture. So to help with your stress, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to the post I wrote about my cat hanging out with us in the bathroom sink. To be clear, the cat was in the sink and we were trying to get ready for work. :-)

Newton Chilling in the Sink

Nine Princes in Amber - Book Review

Books, books, books, books, I love reading books! My most recent finish is Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny, the first book in the Chronicles of Amber series. This is a fantasy series I've seen suggested by many that I finally decided to start. When you have a huge reading list, it takes time to get to some of those recommendations! :-)

This was an odd, but very good start to a fantasy series. The book starts with the main character awaking in a hospital bed having no idea who he is or why he is in a hospital. The reader learns about the character as the character learns about himself. It doesn't seem like a fantasy series to start, but you quickly see why it is classified as fantasy. Much of this book is devoted to setting up the story and characters, so I look forward to the second book with hopes it will dig deeper into the land of Amber. 

Once I start a series, I typically devote myself to finishing it. In this case, that will not be a struggle. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, recommending it to all fantasy book lovers, and look forward to what the remaining books in the series bring. 

My Cat Wants Outside

We've created a monster at home in our cat, Newton. Once the weather started to improve we let him outside while we were out. He has free roam of the back yard, which is fenced in, and when out in front, he goes on a leash. The leash doesn't seem to bother him. He doesn't explore far and seems happy to just sit there watching anything that moves. Except now he's gotten to the point that as soon as anyone, even if others stay inside, go outside, he starts howling to go out too! On weekends I often make breakfast and coffee and head to the porch to enjoy the morning and read. I always bring Newton out with me. But now he's trained himself that he thinks he needs outside every morning, even if it's a morning when I'm not heading to the porch! LOL! I love this cat, but his "I NEED OUTSIDE NOW" howls are super annoying! :-)

But I love him, so here's a picture of him sitting in a bucket that we are about to fill with water balloons for my youngest daughter's birthday party. He's not howling right now. He was out once already this morning. :-)

Soldiers Memorial Military Museum - St. Louis

On a recent trip to St. Louis for a teaching conference I took some time out from the conference sessions to browse around and check out the city. In my opinion, one of the MUST SEES for anyone visiting St. Louis is the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum located in downtown St. Louis. The museum is a memorial for local (Missouri) individuals who served in the military throughout the history of the U.S. The museum is jam packed with several exhibits that provide a wealth of information on the role Missouri and its citizens played during U.S. wars.

Unlike Lucas Garden Park, I took a picture before entering the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum. :-) The museum is free to enter, another great reason to visit, and can swallow up a few hours of your time. I spent about two hours browsing around, but could have spent another couple of hours if I took time to stop and read all of the information presented. I had to get back to my conference, so only had two hours available. 

If visiting St. Louis, I highly recommend a stop at this museum. This is a great option for anyone interested in local history and a great option for anyone visiting on a budget. You can't beat free! Younger kids may get bored easily, but this is great for families with older kids looking for a fun, educational experience.

Left Alive #1 - Book Review

Every summer I have plans of reading a huge list of books and every summer I fall short. I fall short not because I'm not reading but because my pre-summer reading plans are far too ambitious. :-) So once again I will fall short this summer. However, my reading goal for 2019 was 40 books and I am comfortably ahead of that pace, so I feel good about what I have been able to read thus far this year.

The most recent book I finished was the first book in the Left Alive series by Jeremy Laszlo. The Left Alive series is NOT to be confused with the religious Left Behind series. :-) Left Alive is about zombies! Left Behind is about being left behind on Earth when Jesus arrives. Very, very different stories!!!

I'm not sure how I feel about this book and ended up rating it a 3 out of 5 stars, primarily on what I think is the potential to be a good series. I enjoy zombie books. It was a quick read, which was good. I'm not interested in a lengthy book on zombies. The goal of zombie books for me is a quick read in between lengthier novels. I will continue reading the series, but I didn't immediately fall in love. The story takes awhile to develop and there's only really one character in the first book. There are some side characters, but the focus is on one, and only one, character. The book does build and become more interesting toward the end, setting up for the second book. The ratings are higher for the second book, so that's good. As a first book in a series, however, this book left me wanting more, which I hope is delivered in the second book.

If you are already a fan of zombie books, I'd say give this one a read. If you haven't read a zombie book before, please do not start with this book! There are so many other good zombie books out there to start with. Read those first, then start this series.

This Blog's History: What is the Summer Solstice?

The summer solstice may have been last month, but it's never too late to learn about its meaning. For This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to the post I wrote on the summer solstice. There are a lot of misconceptions out there and readers already know my thoughts on misconceptions, particularly science misconceptions. Don't fall for them! Know the truth! Learn the science! Ask questions! Be skeptical!

To read my original post on the summer solstice, click the link below.

What is the Summer Solstice?

Lucas Garden Park - St. Louis

I recently visited St. Louis to attend the 2019 National Science Teachers Association annual conference. While there I took some time to take in the city. One morning on my walk to the convention center, I took a stroll through Lucas Garden Park, located in downtown St. Louis. A very beautiful park that serves as a great green space in the city. Apparently I took no pictures while I was in the park, so I'll link you to the park's website for you to take a look:

Lucas Garden Park

Large parks are a great addition and necessity in all urban areas. Some cities are better than others when it comes to parks, but cities all around the world need to place a greater emphasis on park location and design. Parks provide an area to walk around and exercise, enjoy the outdoors, and they can serve as a community gathering spot for events.

Lucas Garden Park has several art sculptures scattered throughout, adding additional culture to the area. If you are visiting St. Louis, take some time to walk through this park. It doesn't take long as it is only an acre in size, but it will be a nice break from whatever it is you are doing in the city.

The St. Louis Arch - St. Louis

I recently visited St. Louis to attend the 2019 National Science Teachers Association annual conference. While there I took some time to take in the city. Whenever anyone mentions St. Louis, one of the first things that pops to mind is the St. Louis arch. I mean, it's this huge arch towering into the sky that you can't possibly miss! So of course I took a trip down to the park where the arch is located.

These are just a few of the pictures I took. The arch is a very impressive structure. As a kid, in the mid 1990s, my family visited and we took the trip to the top. On this trip I just walked around since it was a nice day. If you've never been to the arch, a trip to the top is well worth it. They have an example capsule you can sit in to get an idea of the tight space you'll be in when going to the top. I also took a walk down to the Mississippi River, which was very full at the time.

No one is riding the boat today! 

There's far more to do in St. Louis than just the arch, but definitely take a trip to the arch and walk around the park. It's a beautiful area!

Anheuser-Busch Brewery Experience - St. Louis

On the day of my arrival in St. Louis for the 2019 National Science Teachers Association conference, I had a few hours to spare before dinner. The conference didn't start until the morning and I had some time to kill. The Anheuser-Busch Brewery Experience was just a couple of blocks down from my place, so I took a nice walk and hit up one of their tours.

I just did the basic tour and it was an excellent experience. They walked us around the complex, showing different parts of the brewing process. One of the more interesting things in my view was the change in smells as you went from one area of the brewing process to another. The smells were not unpleasant, just interesting. One of the stops on the tour was the Clydesdale barn.

Very cool! One of the better parts of the tour was the free samples for those 18+. :-) I also took time to hit up the gift shop and picked up my youngest daughter a small stuffed Clydesdale animal. She loves stuffed animals so the moment I saw this I knew it was the gift for her!

The tour I did was free, but they offer longer, more in depth tours for a fee. You can get full details here:

Brewery Experience

If in St. Louis and if of legal age to consume alcohol, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Experience is a great informative stop and one that doesn't cost much. 

Chillin in the Sink

Some days our cat, Newton, knows he is in full command of the house and takes advantage of it! The other day was a perfect example of this when while getting ready for working and brushing my teeth, he climbed up on the counter and curled up in the sink for a nap.

Yes, just go ahead and make yourself comfortable. LOL!

This Blog's History: What is a Variable Star?

In case you missed it a couple of week's ago, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to the post I wrote on variable stars. The name gives it away somewhat. Variable stars are stars that vary in brightness, but there's much more to them. For full details, click the link to the original post below.

What is a Variable Star?

Happy July 4th!

Happy July 4th! Have fun out there today, but remember to remain safe. Handle fireworks appropriately. They are fun to look at, but they are not a game and can cause serious injuries. Each year 200-250 people visit the ER with serious injuries due to fireworks accidents. Don't be one of them!

Chains - A Book Review

So far this year I've read 24 books, about 6 books ahead of pace on my way to my 2019 goal of reading 40 books. Most recently I finished reading Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book is the first in a trilogy of historical fiction taking place during the American Revolutionary War. The book focuses on child slaves. The story focuses on one girl, Isabel, and her younger sister, Ruth. Their mother died a year ago and their owner just died, passing ownership to new masters.

Chains is an excellent book, but it's not a fun book to read, nor is it intended to be. Slavery may seem distant to us today, but prejudice and discrimination run rampant through today's society. It's important we do not forget the past as we forge forward to a better future. This book is fiction, but the horrendous actions against slaves in the book happened in real life. Reading this book is a harrowing experience but one everyone needs to take. 

We are not yet, or even close to being, in a post-racial society. A good first step is recognizing the advantages each of us have based on who we were born to and where we were born. No one is saying you haven't worked hard in your life to get where you are at, but anyone not born into a minority group needs to recognize the systemic advantages they were born with and how those advantages helped us. 

Chains shows how being born with the wrong skin color was an immediate life time prison sentence. Both the British and the soon to be U.S. used slaves for their own personal gain. It didn't matter if you were a 'good' or a 'bad' master/owner. No one should be owned by someone else. 

My oldest daughter is currently reading the book and I look forward to seeing what she has to say about it. 

St. Louis Posts - What Happened?

About two months ago I wrote a post introducing readers to my April 2019 trip to St. Louis for the National Science Teachers Association conference.

NSTA Conference 2019 - St. Louis

I intended to write several follow-up posts on some of the cool science I picked up as well as some of the cool sites I visited in St. Louis. But that never happened. Why? Well, shortly after returning from that trip I changed phones. The pictures I took in St. Louis were on my old phone and I never transferred them off the phone. They are still on that phone, but I've been lazy and haven't yet moved them. So no St. Louis posts!

Sometime this summer I will pull those pictures and share some of the cool things I saw and did. I promise! That phone sucked and the thought of turning it on just leaves me in a procrastinating mood. LOL! But I will soon suck it up and deal with that sucky phone to pull those pictures. :-)

Superflares a Threat?

The cosmos poses many threats to Earth and to life on Earth. These include asteroid impacts, nearby supernova explosions, and gamma ray bursts, all of which could destroy all life on Earth very quickly. Climate change is by far the greatest immediate risk to life on Earth (nuclear weapons are as well), but when it comes to natural events outside of Earth that pose a risk, solar flares from the Sun rank right up there. The Sun emits blasts of energy all the time. Most of those blasts of energy are not directed at Earth, but when they are, they are often diminished and don't pose a great risk. Earth's magnetic field does a great job deflecting most of the potential harm from high energy solar particles.

Very large solar flares with larger energy can "break through" the Earth's magnetic fields with particles reaching Earth's surface. Some particles break through all the time and interact with Earth's atmosphere and produce the colorful lights we see as the aurorae, especially at the higher northern and southern latitudes. This is not a problem, yet, as the numbers are too low to cause much of a problem on the surface.

Astronomers have recently discovered that stars can occasionally produce superflares on longer time scales with a tremendous amount of energy.

Rare 'superflares' could one day threaten Earth

These superflares are more intense than the large solar flares we've seen the Sun spit out in present times. The danger is the effect these high energy particles have on our electrical grids on Earth, potentially causing widespread outages that could potentially last years! That's a problem! Our electrical grids are not updated to where they need to be to protect from these larger flares. 

And before you think this is a super rare event that will not happen in our lifetime, think again. The Carrington Event was a large blast of solar energy in 1859. Back then, this wasn't a problem as we were not dependent on electricity, but that same blast today would have been a huge problem, resulting in the deaths of thousands if not potentially millions of people across the globe. Here's a great article on the potential effects of a large solar flare.

What Damage Could Be Caused by a Massive Solar Storm?

Rare doesn't mean "will never happen". Rare events happen all the time. Winning the lottery is rare, but someone wins it all the time. We need to be prepared for rare events so the damage is limited when the rare event occurs. Right now, we, as a society, are not prepared to deal with the damage from a large solar flare.