Sunday, February 8, 2009

...And The Grammy Goes To...

Cars and Bugs

Nanocar

Car-shaped molecules can zip around on a glass slide at about nine nanomiles per hour, and their wheels actually turn.

Understanding how these nanocars move could make it easier for researchers to build more sophisticated molecular machines.

"These are, of course, the world's smallest cars," says Jim Tour, a chemist at Rice University who has been making the cars for years. "We have considered (getting) nanoinsurance. I asked my friends at Motorola if they would make 6 x 1023 car phones for our nanocars."


What do you want to bet that they are made with Fullerenes?


Ancient Scorpion


Named Schinderhannes bartelsi, it was found in fossilized form in a German quarry, and dates to 390 million years ago.

That's about 100 million years after the extinction of the last known animal to sport what's technically known as a "great appendage" — a giant claw growing out of its head.

But there it is, right between S. bartelsi's eyes: a great appendage.

If great appendage-bearing creatures survived 100 million years longer than we realized, then maybe they didn't die out.

Maybe they evolved — and come to think of it, scorpion claws look an awful lot like great appendages.

But if scorpions are a sign of ancient times, then S. bartelsi's discovery, announced Thursday in Science, contains an unfortunate sign of our own times: with business slumping, the quarry in which it was found has closed.


Topic Today

Retro humor from ALLPosters.com
Resentment is like drinking poison,
then waiting for the other person to die.


Like many people, I used to blame others for my misfortunes and disappointments. I would mope and grump, and rail against those people and things that held me back from realizing my aspirations.

At a meeting today,
the topic was, "resentments". I listened to people speak about the terrible time they were having as a result of one thing or another. The basic theme among those with resentments, was something like this; "I wasn't the only car running that red light, but that cop picked on me and I got fired because I was late for work for the third time this week. That stupid cop made me wait while he ran my license and wrote me a ticket. What an asshole!"

I could hear echos
of my past in their childish outpourings of denial and self pity. Been there-Done that.

My path of enlightenment
has led through times of blaming someone else for my irresponsibility's. I can assure you that those resentments were a waste of time that could have been more enjoyably spent, had I not so stubbornly clung to my unhappiness.

Sometimes a blocked path allows us to stop and see the beauty of just who and where we are.


The Grammy's


Tonight's award show is the Grammy's. Originally awarded for recordings of music or comedy, there are now more categories than records I have owned. I will watch it anyway, because after all, I still am a musician, and it's good to know what's going on out there.
Just as a warm up, this is a collection of more than 30 hit songs that use the same 4 chords.
The Axis Of Awesome-4 Chords

While I sit warm and toasty in my apartment, the chain requirement signs are being lit on the mountain passes. For the latest road conditions I can always check the following;

Weather information

View the latest road conditions
Road conditions

Traffic cameras Traffic cameras

Public safety scanners Public safety scanners

Additional weather information Additional weather information

Traffic and fire advisories Traffic and fire advisories

Chains control map Chains control map

Emergency preparedness & response for winter weather Emergency preparedness & response for winter weather


I really enjoy all the information available on the internet.

The Grammy's are different this year. Not so glamorous. Al Green and Justin Timberlake were entertaining with "Boys to Men" singing backup harmonies. Cold Play ended their song with nice vocal harmonies.

Sir Paul

Paul McCartney Performs at the Grammy's

Record Of The Year

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss get Grammy

Because of the time differences between the east coast and here, the Grammy awards were broadcast "live", hours ago. What we get to watch here in California, (Where the grammys are held), is a tape delay of the show. However, one can skip into the future with the internet, and I have done so.

Dinner Break

Delicious and good for me, steamed veggies in 4 minutes.

I have said it before and I will say it again, "Microwaved steamed veggies in a bag is great!" The timing couldn't be better for some of the advances in food, medicine and technology. Especially in my life. I have loved to cook fresh vegetables for as long as I have been cooking. The rewards to ones health and well-being are priceless. Due to my structural problems, I can no longer enjoy standing at the counter, chopping veggies and preparing healthy, fresh food. Not to worry, steam in the bag, chopped veggies are now available in the produce section of the store.

Happy, healthy, Phil........................................2/8/09

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
Somebody's Watching You
-Sly and The Family Stone

My Light Shines

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