chuck kottke

No, but they are interesting. TNP is wearing Fuzzy Slippers!:laugh3:

Douglas Adams! Obviously, that's where 42 comes from!;) Life, the Universe, and Everything..

:laugh3:Well, it's California, so whaddaya expect?!:P

Well, they showed Viva, but I think they did another number, but it cut to Conan's show. So, Leno said if you log onto the tonight show website, then you could hear their second number (well, he said more Coldplay, so I assume their second number!) Anyhow, it was good! Middle of the day outside, and so it seemed a little unusual!

:shocked2:Shocking!:laugh3:

Yes, Betty White said she was sleeping with the drummer!:laugh3: And the performance was excellent - especially Will on drums (kettle drums!) and the wonderful old farm bell..:P

Wow! Well, now that's a Vulcan thing!:stunned:... Yes, it's a problem with the basic design; some electrons get re-captured, others are lost in crystal defects; so the best with regular NP junctions is around 25% according to the books. Still, these PV cells work in the red light area of the spectrum. You can do some things to create cells that respond to the other colors, but then it's layering, etc. Might hit 30%. I had thought about a light antenna array, if you could get a filter or something to make sunlight coherent (but that drops efficiency too!).. Well, someone tried artificial photosynthesis (making hydrogen instead), but that's maybe 1-3% (pathetic at the present!):laugh3:.. So, maybe some way of putting the semiconductor atoms atop carbon nanotubes, to capture more electrons from the semiconductor-dopant element?? Or, maybe caging the semiconductor in a carbon nanotube in such a way so that the electron is more apt to escape into the conductive tube?? Hmm..

Kurt Cobain was sending a distress signal about modern living being overboard pretty much, so yea, I agree - it would be nice if he were back in the atmosphere.. & I wish Buddy Holly could come back - he was such a positive force in the Universe..

It's like a code; just do a Babel fish, which is in Adam's book somewhere..:thinking::laugh3:

Please, please, please keep stalking them!:P (that's good; then I'm less of a target!)

4th, 9th, 16th amendments, and more! Well, I'll give the piece a look;). But perhaps what the wealthy are doing is just trying to maximize their wealth; I think they should be fighting to keep our system of governance fair, to maximize the efficient use of tax dollars for and only for, the public good (to promote the general well being of the citizenry). I would rather reform than eliminate the government sector; it should be responsive to the causes of Liberty and to the betterment of citizens; When corruption sets in, then we face a public sector gone awry - doing more harm than good, all because it has been hijacked by those obsessed with power. It is our duty as Citizens to right it. Does the IRS have the right to view American's financial records? Well, only if it has reason to suspect wrong doing, and obtains a warrant, based on credible evidence and witnesses, with clarity to the item(s) to be taken and the place to be searched. However, reasonable searches are allowed by the 4th amendment. And Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes on income from whatever sources derived, by the 16th amendment. So, reasonable searches from properly reported income is allowed. Beyond that, they must obtain a warrant, based on witnesses account for probable cause to exist, and by warrant obtained from a judge, search for the items at that location specified. It is intended, I believe, to deter the ability of powerful officials who did abuse their positions at one time; to prevent their harassment and control of citizens, as these officials were using random raids, searches, and witch hunts, in order to intimidate those who would question authority, or to silence any potential objectors, by creating a climate of fear. In recent history, (this present administration aside), U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy comes to mind in setting a modern example of such abuses on a grand scale (a home-grown nut;)). I see that the "war on terror" has allowed, within a climate of fear, for these abuses to grow. Hence, records that once were off limits, are now considered allowable, albeit unconstitutionally so, as a means to obtain evidence, or harass individuals, all under the auspices of "if it stops even one terrorist". Expanding investigations without witnesses, probable cause, and warrants from judges that are very specifically written, sounds very unconstitutional, if this is the case! And the argument that "it's not in the US or it's territories" denies the fact that these are the rights of all mankind, and by the 9th amendment as well, privacy rights naturally extend beyond our borders.. Well, Jay, you've got me interested! I'll take a look!;)

While it may be too late to affect or reverse all the impacts we are having on the global climate systems, we can mitigate, slow or reduce some of the impacts. The "side-benefits" of doing so include reduced warfare over energy sources, less chances of oil spills, less damage to water quality from coal mining, less bad-air days in cities, less ozone-smog, and less political meddling by power bases that have control of energy resources.;)

Instead of looking at a snapshot (one year here, one year there) look at the long term record, going back thousands of years, and see what happened when, and why. Of course, there are other factors as well. Since there is a great deal of very small soot particles in the atmosphere, there is a lot more scattered light, which seems to be offsetting the effects of warming due to greenhouse gases. So, if we clean up our emissions as we have been doing, then the slow warming trend may actually begin to accelerate, even as we taper off our levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Add to that, the methane from thawing permafrost, and there you have it - accelerated global warming! I'm not one to side with the alarmists (Lovelock comes to mind), as they want us all to move to Greenland, and wait for it all to melt! (they think the rest of the planet will be uninhabitable..). But given the risks we are running, and the combined risks of all the attendant processes required to obtain all that oil, coal, and gas, then I'm inclined to press for incentives to drastically reduce global dependence on fossil fuels, and boost the economy using more intelligent means, such as efficiency measures and quality-of-life measures (the real economic indicator).;)

1400 I remember that year well - 1400. :laugh3: What might actually be happening is the overlay of warmer conditions over a natural cooling cycle (natural via earth's wobble / tilt & solar activity levels). It may or may not be a problem yet, owing to reversing of a cooling trend. So, what we do know is that the CO2 levels today are very high, quite high in geological terms. And it's important to consider mass balance on the planet. If we have been removing carbon stored in the crust (oil, gas, coal, peat, etc.), and burning that, then obviously the carbon combines with oxygen, giving an increase in CO2 levels (and perhaps a slight decrease in O2 levels). How much the sea absorbs, how much gets locked away in biomass, and how much stays in the atmosphere - perhaps the scientific understanding has advanced sufficiently to give us a good estimate; but it is very complicated. Once CO2 levels reach a threshold, then the climate change is likely to accelerate, and we seem to be seeing signs indicating that. Less snowfall and shorter winters in the north & warmer winters in the north; Drier seasons elsewhere, and more unstable weather; a melting of ice-caps and glaciers. Now I'm not saying that we're 100% responsible, but certainly our presence has had an impact, as it has for the thousands of years of agriculture from human activities. Yes, CO2 is natural, but it's levels that matter most. Pollution is merely matter, but how it affects life relates to whether or not one might consider a given compound polluting. Manure, for instance, may not be considered pollution, if properly digested and applied to farm fields, but if allowed to run into waterways unchecked, then it poses harm to aquatic life, as well as humans. Climate change scientists are prone to the failings of any humans, but there are those who choose the prize of discovering greater truths over research money! There are some caveats that can delay the truth; sometimes people put their pet theories ahead of finding the real truth, or have set their minds on one way of thinking, when something else may be afoot as a mechanism, and they could be way off. Constructive criticism is sometimes met with great opposition, but in the end, the truth shines through (as it has)..

Yes, I very much agree, Ian! It really is uplifting! I like the other songs very much also, so it is somewhat dependent on one's mood.. But yes, overall, just an excellent song!!

Well, before all that..:laugh3:.. I was thinking about (without too much detail here) why is it that the theoretical maximum efficiency for a sterling-cycle engine / concentrator mirror apparatus has a higher efficiency than a solid-state semiconductor solar cell?? Sterling&solar could achieve mid 30% max efficiency theoretical, and silicon solar cells could achieve 25% max. Well, that sounds backwards! There must be some way to up the efficiency of a PV cell using newer tech. :confused:

And those ideas on calming inmates in jail - probably it would help to play calming music for an hour or two!! Music is powerful, and often underrated as a means to change people's moods. I recall one program (prison's in Texas??) where they had been brining in pets (shelter dogs and cats) for the inmates to care for. It was amazing how effective it was at calming the inmates, and getting them to improve their ability for expressing empathy & compassion. A lot of the inmates wind up there from gang-related activities, so they adjust well to having the chance for some humbling companionship; perhaps cost-cutting measures have done away with some of these programs, but I'm not sure - haven't kept up on them! Perhaps a redesign of the way we lay out shopping and access could be improved. Something as simple as bike paths to and from store areas, and walk paths, would make many auto trips unnecessary, and we could all get a little more exercise then too.. Have a good night, and TTYL.:pleased:

Hey! Back from hiatus! Yes, exercise is not only curative, but enjoyable! I am inclined to believe that the best is for us to get outside to get our exercise! Best to have safe, pleasant places to go out and bike, run, ski, roller-blade, etc. all within easy reach of one's front door. Plus, it gets us immersed in nature and place, out of the cooped-up indoor world (fine in inclement weather though - good point there! an exercise room would come in handy!). Probably best to have less stress in our world as well - expanding medical coverage would have a genuine placebo effect, since the stress from worrying about lack of coverage causes a certain amount of the health issues we face! Yes, I'm with you there Jay! The carb rushes we got for years were definitely not good for our health, so whole grain anything is good stuff! I like whole wheat as well, and buckwheat pancakes in the AM. Fruits, veggies, vitamin D, healthy, lean meats/nuts/eggs, and exercise all make a difference. Probably the most important single thing though is a positive attitude, which I myself have a ways to go on.. Yes!! In terms of how a building environment affects health, I agree completely on that one!! The Eastern cultures really do have this figured out, and I agree - calming surroundings, even small waterfalls and green trees and bushes can really make the sense of feeling comfortable yet productive within an environment a good thing. Bonsai gardens within a building do create a wonderful sense of serenity..

Aha! Thanks! ...And so she plays sleeping beauty in the Disney tradition, only it take more than a kiss to wake her up?:laugh3:

To tell the truth, some of the peeps on here I never really quite understood. Some seemed almost crazy! Some still are!:wacko::curtain:

Leinies Again tonight. It's "local" beer - aged in silver cans..:laugh3:

Ya lost me there. Who is Eva Longoria? Some new type of wine??:laugh3: I just hope you had fun, cause' that the main thing!

I just wanted to say that yes, duck is good.:P But yea, it is easier to relate to ducks than chickens - ducks have real personalities, and they're tasty too!:laugh3:

Sure, that's what they all say!:rolleyes: (And then they come out and spy on you!:laugh3:).. well, some would, that's for sure! I'd watch out - you could have dozens of young girls chasing you.. which might not be so bad:P (plus, what a great way to get some exercise in!) Anyhow, don't sweat it.

:rolleyes::laugh3:Well, it's obvious that we're all a little crazy! But I wouldn't be concerned; the worst that could happen is a white van pulls up, and guys in white suits come after you using a butterfly net..;)