This Blog's History: Dragons of Autumn Twilight

In case you missed it last time, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I send you back to the short post I wrote on Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.  This is the start of a great fantasy book series I have thoroughly enjoyed over the years.  Can't go wrong with dragons, magic, knights, swords, and battles.  :-)

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

Constructing Dominoes

The other night my wife and 10 year old were off at Girl Scouts meeting, so my 7 year old and I had the evening to ourselves.  After dinner we took a look in the game closet to pull out a couple of games.  We played a game of chess, followed by a game of checkers, and then found a small set of dominoes and set out constructing simple domino structures to topple.

One of our simple domino structures.

We had quite a bit of fun building different structures and then toppling them.  These were all very simple structures since the dominoes you see in the image above show ALL the dominoes we found in the house.  :-)  Nonetheless, fun was had.

Christmas has now passed but I see a set of more dominoes in the future with upcoming birthdays so we can build larger structures together!  There's quite a bit of science to constructing domino structures.  It's easy to build simple structures, but more complex structures take more careful planning.  There are several websites out there sharing domino construction hints and tips.

Domino Tips and Tricks

Domino tricks

Now that we have a cat in the house, building more complex domino structures will be interesting, if not frustrating.  :-)

Halloween Cow Costume

I missed posting this just after Halloween, but this year I decided to break out the make-up and the cow costume and dress up along with my kids for trick or treating this past Halloween.

I'm an evil cow with an evil cat.  :-)

I'm not just any cow.  I'm a cow that doesn't smile and carries an evil cat to pet so I look even more villainous!  LOL!  It's been a couple of years since I pulled out the cow costume, but with oldest daughter already in 5th grade, I'm not sure how many more Halloween's she'll dress up.  Thus I took advantage and joined in the trick or treating fun!  It was a great night for trick or treating.  Not too cold, no wind, and no rain.  Perfect night for a grown adult to walk around the neighborhood as a cow!  

The moral of this story is to have fun while you can!  Live life to its fullest and have fun with your kids, even if it embarrasses them a little.  Actually I don't think they were embarrassed at all.  They know me very well by now!

Misconceptions that Kill #6: Climate Change Denial

Today's post is the sixth in a continuing series of posts that focus on misconceptions that kill.  Today's misconception is that of climate change denial.  The science of climate change leaves no doubt that Earth's surface is warming and that warming is primarily caused by humans.  If I were to lose my mind and come out and deny climate change, I would not immediately be killed, but the attitude of climate change denial by an entire political party (GOP) in the U.S. leads to policy change or lack of policy change that harms the planet and leads to further death.

By denying climate change and failing to act now, drought has increased dramatically in some parts of the world while flooding has increased dramatically in other parts of the world.  Melting ice caps are flooding coastal regions causing many to lose their homes.  In some areas of the world, lack of access to food and drinking water caused by climate change leads to civil war and fleeing of refugees to other countries. 

This is not a problem for the future.  This is a problem RIGHT NOW.  Consider the many, many articles on how climate change denial is literally killing us RIGHT NOW.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS KILLING US RIGHT NOW

Climate Change Is Killing Us, Literally — And Here's How

CLIMATE CHANGE IS KILLING US

Climate Denialism Is Literally Killing Us

Climate Change Is Killing Us Right Now

It is clear that climate change is real and it is killing people all across the world.  To deny climate change is to take part in the slaughter of civilization.  Many misconceptions kill and climate change denial may very well top the list of misconceptions that literally kill. 

Enjoy Today

Today is Christmas and whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope everyone has a chance to relax and enjoy their day.  Or if not today, then tomorrow, or the next day.  Life can be tough at times and some days are tougher than others.  We all need days in which we can sit back, relax, and let life's worries slip away for a few hours.  If you need help, here's a picture of our kitty, Netwon, who has clearly let his life's worries slip away as he naps on our couch!

Newton taking a nap.

This Blog's History: Shrinking Ozone Hole

Quite often the news is very bleak, but every once in a while there's good news to report.  In case you missed it when I first posted this last month, for This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to the post I wrote on the increasing evidence the ozone hole in Earth's stratosphere is finally shrinking after strong government regulations were first enacted in the late 1980s.

Shrinking Ozone Hole

Outlander Books/TV Series

After visiting Scotland in June, my wife and I started reading the Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon and starting watching the TV series by the same name.  Both are excellent! We've both finished the first two books of the Outlander series and are just finishing the first season of the TV series.  There are currently nine published books in the series and the rumor is the 10th book will end the series.  The TV series is currently in its third season with each season covering one of the books.  Will the TV series make it to the 10th book?  I hope so!!!

Outlander TV Series

The Outlander books are very dense and take me about a month to read per book.  They are very well written and very detailed in setting up the scene to the point of the reader being right there witnessing the story in action.  Thus far, and again, we are just finishing the first season of the TV series, the TV series is very true to the books.  There are a few small changes here and there, but overall it tracks the first book very well.  

It's hard to describe the Outlander series.  It's a combination of time travel, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and historical fiction.  It's a very unique book series and that's what makes it so interesting to read.  There really is nothing else like it.  If you really like Game of Thrones, well, you may or may not like Outlander.  They are very different books and TV episodes.  I won't give too much away, but major characters in Outlander do not die at the same rate (at least in the first 2 books) as the same rate as major characters dying in Game of Thrones.  Don't get attached to ANY character in Game of Thrones.  They'll likely die on the next page.  :-)

If you're looking for a set of books that are unique and quite likely very different from anything you've ever read, start with the first book in the Outlander series.

Object Visits the Solar System

This is a little over a month old, so not exactly a current event, but still super cool.  Astronomers have recently discovered an asteroid or comet that did not originate in our Solar System.  This is the first visitor to our Solar System ever discovered!  How cool is that?!?!?  Prior to discovering this object, every known asteroid and comet formed in the Solar System, along with the Sun, planets, and moons.  This is the very first object that we now know did not form in our Solar System.  This little object formed in a different solar system and was likely flung out, traveling through nearly empty space until it encountered our Solar System.  NASA has a great write-up on this that shows the projected future path of this object.

Small Asteroid or Comet 'Visits' from Beyond the Solar System

The object is now heading out of our Solar System, never to return.  A brief, but very, very interesting astronomical event!  Astronomy never ceases to amaze!

Past and future path of asteroid/comet originating outside the Solar System.

Did That Thanksgiving Turkey Make You Sleepy?

Did that Thanksgiving turkey you ate last month make you sleepy?  The answer is a definite 'NO'.  I previously discussed this three years ago on this blog, but it's a misconception that continues to live on, so let me discuss it again, this time adding a personal story.  Let's start by looking at why this misconception exists.

Are you sleepy yet?  :-)

Turkey contains an amino acid, tryptophan, that can have a sedative effect if consumed in large enough quantity.  The key words here are "in large enough quantity".  There is some truth hidden in this misconception, in that there is the amino acid in turkey that can lead to a sedative effect, but you will never consume enough to actually become sleepy due to the tryptophan.  You'd have to eat a large amount of turkey for this effect to be real.  Far more than you'd eat even when gorging yourself at Thanksgiving. 

Turkey is not the only food item containing tryptophan.  Chicken, beef, and pork are other meats that contain similar quantities of tryptophan, yet are not associated with sleepiness.  Turkey is associated with sleepiness because adults often do feel sleepy after the Thanksgiving meal and turkey is not consumed nearly as much as other meats throughout the year.  It's a great example of correlation but not causation.  Sleepiness can be caused by many factors.  Many people gorge themselves at Thanksgiving and often eat more than they normally eat.  This can be caused by eating too many carbohydrates, drinking too much alcohol (common at Thanksgiving), getting up early to prepare the Thanksgiving meal, and plopping on the couch in a relaxed position.

Did I fall asleep after the Thanksgiving meal?  You bet I did!  We all sat on the couch around 5 PM and turned on one of those sappy Hallmark Channel Christmas movies that all have the exact same plot!  You know the ones.  I was bored, stuffed full, and laying down on the sofa couch, very relaxed.  Five minutes into the movie I was asleep and woke up at the end of the movie feeling quite refreshed!  But it wasn't the turkey that caused me to fall asleep.  I consumed far too little tryptophan for that to happen.

If you'd like to learn more, Snopes has a great article on the turkey vs. sleepiness misconception.

The Big Sleep: Does eating turkey make people drowsy?

Moscow Ballet Great Russian Nutcracker

After Thanksgiving this year we had the opportunity to take our kids to see the Moscow Ballet Great Russian Nutcracker at a local theatre.  A great show that we all loved!  Tickets were reasonably priced as well for a well known show and a major theatre.  We sat up in the balcony about halfway back (still great seats!) and paid a bit over $200 for 4 tickets, including all fees.  I say reasonably priced not because $200 for a family is cheap (it's not!), but compared to typical theatre tickets for major shows, this was on the lower end of what one might pay.  For example, we really want to take our kids to Wicked, but ticket prices are much higher and after taxes/fees, we are looking at $350-$380 for a family of four.  My wife and I have seen Wicked before, but would love to take our kids.  However, like most people, we are not made of money and a cost approaching $400 is probably too much for us at this time.

Anyways, back to the Moscow Ballet Great Russian Nutcracker.  A beautiful, amazing show I highly recommend.  There are still tickets available this year in many states, depending on where you live.

MOSCOW BALLET'S GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER

During the show I looked over at my 7 year old and she had her face resting in the palm of her hands propped up with her elbows on her knees, completely mesmerized by what she was seeing.  My 10 year old absolutely loved the show and had been looking forward to this for some time.  I'm a big fan of the theatre, despite the higher costs, and I want my kids to experience the theatre as well.  We just can't drop $400 several times a year to go!  Once a year type event?  That fits pretty well for our family. 

This Blog's History: Vaccinating Your Pet

I've discussed many times on this blog the importance of vaccinating yourself and your kids against easily preventable diseases, but it's also important to vaccinate your pet.  If you missed it early, today, for This Friday in This Blog's History, I point you back to a post I wrote on the importance of vaccinating your pet.  Pets are part of the family too and should be treated with proper health care just like the humans in the family.

Importance of Vaccinating Your Pet

Great Science Fair Resource

I've probably shared this site before, but it's a really good one so I don't mind sharing it more than once!  My 10 year old's school science fair is quickly approaching and she's already chosen a project and started on it.  Keeping it secret for now until the fair gets here.  I will tell you that she's really excited for this year's science fair, her third.  Anyways, when searching for ideas, I pointed her to the following website and let her roam through and pick out interesting project ideas.

Science Fair Project Ideas

Some of the 'projects' listed are better described as science demonstrations and not a good choice for an official science fair.  For a science fair you want to setup an experiment that tests something and collects data.  Science demonstrations, although very cool, often don't fit this experiment/data collection criteria.  But there are many, many project ideas on this site that setup an experiment and require data collection.  You can also search by project type and grade level to help narrow down your search.

After my daughter selected about 20 different possible projects (only browsed half of the total projects on the site!) we narrowed it down a bit further to remove any that required expensive equipment or seemed less likely doable given the experiment requirements.  She narrowed it down to 5 or 6 and then spent several days debating which to choose.

If your child is interested in a science fair (and encourage them if the school has one), I highly recommend this website as a great way to pick up a few possible project ideas.

Misconceptions that Kill #5: Essential Oils Cure Cancer

Today I present the fifth in an on-going series of misconceptions that can literally kill you.  Today's misconception focuses on the myth of the cancer curing properties of essential oils.  Before getting into the details, let me be very clear that essential oils have ZERO cancer curing properties.  They do nothing of the sort.

As described on Wikipedia "an essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants."  In other words, it's a liquid that smells.  Maybe it's a pleasant smell or maybe it isn't.  This depends on the user.  If you want to purchase them to make your room smell nice, feel free to do that.  However, there are probably far cheaper ways to make your room smell nice than essential oils.  Essential oils tend to have a higher price tag due to their "healing properties".  Again, essential oils have no healing properties.  The problem with essential oils is too many argue essential oils can heal pretty much any ailment known to humans, including cancer.  This is where the danger comes in.

If someone decides on an alternative treatment to cure cancer, this is a problem.  Essential oils provide almost no help to any ailment, let alone cancer, other than often smelling pleasant.   Western medicine is ALWAYS the better option.  Cancer treatments can be expensive and too often cancer patients are duped into spending money on essential oil treatments that do nothing.  If they are receiving traditional chemotherapy and radiation at the same time, the chances of any harm by essential oils is limited.  But if patients forego chemotherapy and radiation in favor of essential oils, the essential oils will literally kill them via medical inaction. 

The harm is not a direct result of essential oil use, but the indirect result of skipping known medical treatments that work in favor of some more "holistic healing".  If the word "holistic" is in the treatment plan, run away.  Run far away!  It's possible essential oils may have a direct negative effect on an individual.  If you do a search for essential oil harm, there are all sorts of stories of skin burns and other serious injuries and possible deaths.  None of these sites is what I would consider a reputable, evidence based research site, so I'm not sure what, if any, direct harm there is from essential oils.  What I will say, again, is that essential oils do harm as a result of people using them in place of known medicine.  This is why the misconception of essential oils having healing powers can literally kill. 

Can You Play Basketball on Mars?

The other day at dinner my 7 year old suddenly blurts out that you can't play basketball on Mars.  The comment came out of nowhere so I asked her why that was.  She's 7, so she didn't have a perfectly well thought out answer, but it was interesting seeing her wheels churn as she offered an explanation and provided us with some interesting dinner time conversation!  She had the right idea that gravity is different on Mars which is certainly going to make the game of basketball different.  So what are those differences? 

I did a quick google search and the average 'hang time' of a person is 0.53 seconds.  This means that a person who jumps upward is in the air for 0.53 seconds before landing back on the ground.  Earth's gravitational force pulls a person back to the ground.  Mars is a smaller planet and therefore has a smaller gravitational force.  The acceleration of gravity on Mars is 2.64 times smaller than Earth's.  This means that when you jump off the ground, gravity doesn't pull you back down as hard, meaning you'll be in the air for a longer period of time.  How long?  I won't run through the math, but it works out that the time you are in the air is inversely proportional to the gravity.  If the gravity is three times lower, your 'hang time' is three times greater.  This means that a hang time of 0.53 seconds on Earth becomes 1.59 seconds on Mars.

Initially that seems great for basketball!  But maybe not.  Less gravity means more 'hang time' and a greater jump height.  It means shooting the ball is very different as the ball will go higher and stay in the air longer than on Earth.  Does this make basketball on Mars impossible?  No.  Does it make it more difficult?  Depends on how you look at it.  If you are used to playing basketball on Earth, playing basketball on Mars will be very difficult...at first.  Once you make the adjustment and get more practice, you'll adapt and playing on Mars will become the new normal. 

Anyways, interesting dinner conversation at our house.  It beats the typical conversation of why the cat always poops right after we clean his litter.  :-)

The Science of J-Turn Intersections

There is a proposal to put in a J-Turn intersection on a major highway near where I live.  The intersection in question is one that has had increased traffic over the years but currently doesn't have a light or any other easy way for traffic crossing or turning onto the highway to do so safely.  The easy, and cheapest, solution is a traffic light.  But is this the best solution?  Since a J-Turn intersection is not common in this area, and given it's a change to the intersection, naturally there is a ton of outrage at this proposal.  So what is a J-Turn intersection?  The image below describes these intersections very well and comes from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

J-Turn intersection (Missouri Department of Transportation).

A J-Turn intersection creates a far safer method of crossing the highway and turning onto the highway, while at the same time keeping traffic flowing.  A stoplight slows traffic down, but this is not necessarily a good thing.  There's no way to completely remove traffic accidents, but the goal should be to limit the possibility of traffic accidents as much as possible.  J-Turns are not just a crazy idea someone came up with.  They've been researched extensively and you can read more about the safety of these intersections by going to the Missouri Department of Transportation link below.  The evidence is quite clear they reduce traffic accidents.

Evidence of J-Turn Safety

Here's the deal.  The particular intersection where I live is one I've crossed many times and one that can be very dangerous at specific times of the day.  I want something done with this intersection, but the last thing I want is a stoplight.  More stoplights halt traffic flow and increase driver angst/anger.  This results in drivers getting more frustrated with additional stops and additional lost time.  This increases poor decision making and results in drivers taking risks to beat a red light to save time.  This puts drivers and bystanders in a dangerous position.  Why put in a stoplight if there is a far more effective method to increasing safety AND keeping traffic flowing at the same time?

There are additional factors to traffic flow design as well.  Although safety is often the primary factor, traffic flow plays a big role in economic development of an area.  There are many times I've chosen a particular gas station or store to stop at versus another based on the ability to get there given poorly designed road access.  Keeping traffic flowing, yet safe, can increase economic development in an area. 

Sure, a stoplight could be put up, but this isn't always the best decision.  It's important to recognize that many factors must be considered when re-doing an intersection.  Even if the only factor is safety, stoplights do not always increase safety, or if they do, there may still be other intersection designs that increase safety beyond what a stoplight can do.  Another intersection option is a roundabout.  I LOVE roundabouts!  They keep traffic flowing and have been shown to work in high traffic areas.  They are becoming more common in the U.S., but they are all over Europe and they work extremely well! 

I'll end with this.  It's easy to be outraged because a change is made to traffic intersection.  But that outrage is often not founded with solid evidence.  When designing roads and intersections, emotion needs to be tossed out the window and replaced with solid research and evidence of what works best.  Before being outraged when presented with a change, think through what this change means.  Too often people are outraged at what helps them and society. 

This Blog's History: Misconceptions that Kill (Flu Vaccine Misconceptions)

I recently started a new series on this blog about misconceptions that can literally kill.  In case you missed the first post in this series, I now bring it back to you for This Friday in This Blog's History.  There's a misconception that the flu vaccine can be harmful and/or is ineffective.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Thousands die in the U.S. every year from flu complications.  A vaccine can help save your life and it's easy to get.  To read further on this, click the link below to read my original post on the topic.

Misconceptions that Kill #1: The Flu Vaccine is Ineffective

Jeff Corwin Live

Last month we had the opportunity to see Jeff Corwin live.  I'll admit, prior to getting tickets (for free!) to this show, I had no idea who Jeff Corwin was.  He's a biologist who has hosted several TV series, including the current running "Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin" on ABC.  He was in one episode of CSI: Miami (the one CSI series I haven't seen) in which he played himself and helped investigators remove a human foot from inside a live crocodile (according to his Wikipedia page).  Multi-talented!  :-)

At the show we attended, Corwin brought out several species of mammals and reptiles and talked quite a bit about each.  He spent a great deal of time encouraging conservation and highlighting conservation success stories (American alligator, grey wolves, etc.), but also quite a bit of time talking about species that are struggling to survive and may soon go extinct.  It was an excellent show that my two daughters loved.  Their eyes were glued to the stage and as I looked over from time to time, not once did they appear to be bored. 

After the presentation Corwin opened things up to the audience for a Q&A session.  He probably spent 30-45 minutes answering questions, walking around the crowd and making sure as many kids as possible were able to ask a question.  My 7 year old was able to ask a question about the number of wolf species in the world today.  She really enjoyed the end of the presentation when Crowin brought out two grey wolves (my favorite was the screaming armadillo)!  One of the more interesting parts of the Q&A was when Corwin answered a question about what the average person could do to help in conservation efforts.  He responded very bluntly by asking back "Did you vote in the last election???"  He didn't beat around the bush and spoke very candidly about the need for everyone to vote.  He didn't focus too much on the current administration other than stating there are many that care very little about conservation efforts.  He turned the blame on voters, and more so to those who sat home and didn't vote.  He was very blunt about this and I appreciated it.  It was a message people needed to hear.  He also didn't beat around the bush on the topic of evolution, simply stating that evolution is real whether you want to believe it or not.  He said you can sit there and deny evolution, but it doesn't do a thing to take away the truth of it.  Yes, yes, yes!!!

After the show we purchased his book, 100 Heartbeats, and waited in line for awhile to have it signed.

Haven't read it yet, but 100 Heartbeats is now on my to-read list!

Overall this was an excellent show that my kids loved.  I'm very grateful this community was able to bring him in and speak to what was a quite a large crowd.  Now I'll have to check out his current TV series!

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

I love science fiction and fantasy books.  My to-read list is so long that I'll never finish it in my lifetime and that's without adding any new books to it.  I can't help but keep adding books to it, so I just have to accept the fact I will never complete this list.  Oh well.  I recently finished reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight

Dragons of Autumn Twilight is the first in a trilogy and one of many, many books in the Dragonlance universe.  The most common books people read in this universe are the ones written by Weis & Hickman, who created the universe and wrote several of the books.  I've read this book before, many years ago.  This series is one of my favorites in the fantasy book genre, so I decided to read it again.  There are dwarves, elves, magi, half-elves, barbarians, dragons, etc!  What's not to love!?!?

If you have a fantasy book lover in your family or know someone looking for a good fantasy read, point them in the direction of the Dragonlance universe.  In my opinion, you can't go wrong reading a book in this universe.  I recommend starting with Dragons of Autumn Twilight and reading this trilogy first, but you can really start anywhere.  Happy reading!

Misconceptions that Kill #4: Little Sleep is Okay

Here is the fourth in an on-going series on misconceptions that can literally kill you.  Today's misconception looks at the harmful misconception that some people can function on just a couple of hours of sleep per night.  The amount of sleep one needs to remain healthy varies by age.  There's the general rule of 8 hours per night, but children and teenagers typically need more.  An adequate sleep range for adults is 7 to 9 hours, but if you are getting a bit less than 7 hours because you are naturally waking up (as opposed to forcing yourself to wake up), you are likely fine.

Consistently getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night is not healthy, even if you feel you are functioning fine.  WebMD has a great site listing the negative effects of sleep deprivation.

10 Things to Hate About Sleep Loss

That is quite the list and shows that lack of sleep can literally kill you.  Hand-eye coordination drops considerably on lack of sleep and one's reaction time increases to dangerous levels.  Driving or operating heavy machinery on lack of sleep can literally kill you or someone else near you.  According to the CDC, sleep deprivation caused 800+ car accident deaths in 2013.  This is serious business. 

Even if you don't feel the effects of sleep deprivation, consistently getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night is putting you in direct danger that could result in serious injury or death.  It's very simple.  You are NOT fine when you lack sleep, even if you feel fine. 

Brain Box: Inventions

Over the last year my 10 year has received a handful of Brain Box games.  I've previously written about the Science & Nature Brain Box game.  While killing some time on a lazy Sunday afternoon after a soccer game was canceled we decided to crack open the Inventions edition of Brain Box.

Brain Box Inventions

The goal of the game is to answer a question based on observing a card that details a specific invention.  In the card are various facts and images of the invention.  You have 10 seconds to view the card and then you roll the die and answer the question number associated with the die roll.  If you answer the questions correctly, you keep the card.  The person with the most cards at the end of a defined time period wins.  Seems easy, but remembering facts on a card is difficult when you only have 10 seconds.  I 'won' five cards against my kids.

I earned five cards.

Pretty good, until you compare it to the six cards my 7 year old won and the eight cards my 10 year old won.  LOL!  These Brain Box games are very informative and a great way to kill some time but not get involved in a 3 hour game (such as Risk). 

  

This Blog's History: The Myth of Poisoned Halloween Candy

Let's face it.  It's December first and we both know you still have uneaten Halloween candy in your house.  Don't worry though, it's still good.  :-)  For This Friday in This Blog's History I point you back to a post I wrote on the myth of poisoned Halloween candy that originated in the 1980s and 1990s. 

The Myth of Poisoned Halloween Candy