October 8th, 2006
Urbanization
If Urbanization means 'movement of people from rural to urban areas' source unknown now...
or 'The social process where by cities grow and societies become more urban.' according to dictionary.com, what is the movement out of cities or urban areas called?
November 16th, 2005
Global Warming, the Greenhouse Effect, and Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
I would like to begin by stateing some of the things that are generally known to be true. 1) Global warming is a naturally occuring cycle which the Earth undergoes on it's own. 2) Life on this planet is made much more hospitable because of the greenhouse effect. In one textbook, I've read that the earth would be 60 degrees Celsius colder if we didn't experience the greenjouse effect. I know I wouldn't enjoy it being that cold out side. 3) The greenhouse effect is due to a number of gasses in the atmosphere. I am aware of three gases in particular: Carbon Dioxide [CO2], Methane [CH4], and water vapor [H2O(g)]. I am under the impression that there are other gasses that contribute to the greenhouse effect, however, I don't know them at this time. 4) Each of the greenhouse gases is naturally found in the atmosphere in some typical concentration. These gases are released into the atmosphere due to natural processes, and are regulated other natural processes (that are unknown to me).
November 16th, 2005
Correcting wind thoughts
My initial thoughts on wind were not exactly correct. I think partially correct might be streching it... Wind is driven by differences in air pressure. That's when when you watch the weather report, the weather people talk about regions of high and low pressure. Everyone who remembers High School chemistry may recall heading the formula PV=nrT. I can't remember what they all stand for, I'm just using it to illustrate that pressure, temperature and Volume are all interrelated.
I'm still not sure if there would be any change in energy (temperature) if some mass of air rapidly moves (wind) to a new location... I suppose it is a problem of scale, the volume of air that moves is many many times larger than the mass of the same air.
November 16th, 2005
Observations of a windy morning
I'll start with what I know (or what I think I know). In my Intro to Geography class we covered weather a litle. Also in my Oceanography, Environmental Biology, and Problem Solving in Earth Sciences. But I haven't taken any classes that went in depth on the topic of wind. As I understand it, wind is caused by the uneven heating of the earth's surface by the sun. Because the extremes (North and South) get less light (incoming solar radiation), they are warmed less. (thus the bitter cold environment in those regions) The wind is a mechanism for distributing the heat around the globe, from the warmer regions to the colder regions. Anyone that's ever watched the news knows meteoroligists (sp?) can measure wind speeds and wind direction fairly accurately. They also seem to be making improvements in forcasting wind events. I still have some questions about it in general (and specifically).
1) If the wind is a balancing agent in global temperature, and it's function is to spread around the warm air from the equatorial region to the cooler regions, is the wind basicly a wave of high energy air molecules that moves based on diffusion? Those molecules are flowing from highest concentration of high energy air molecules to lowest concentration of high energy air. Intuatively it makes sense to me, but is it correct?
2) Can the temperature of wind be measured? I would think this would basicly be a question of whether the technology exists... I think it might be useful or at the very least, interesting to look at. If wind temp could be measured, I would expect the temperature of the wind to be slightly higher than the ambient air temperature. Also, the stronger the breeze, the larger the difference in temperature I would imagine. But this hypothesis kind of falls apart according to my memory of all the wind or breeze or gentle gusts I've ever experienced.
2) It always seems like the wind cools you down regardless of what the temperature ourside is, and regardless of the strength of the wind. (Well, actually the stronger the wind, the more likely it will cool you down if you are over-heated (but is that only when your over-heated?). But is stronger gusts of wind are evidence of higher energy (and thus higher temperature) air molecules washing over you, shouldn't you be warmed by it's passing? To answer this I have to respond with another theory, not of my own device... As I understand it, wind of any strength will cool you because the wind will push the air around you, out from around you. The air closest to you is heated by the thermal energy our bodies bleed out. That's why it gets hot in small rooms when there are alot of people, because the excess body heat will warm the room. So, the wind will shove the heated air away from our skin, allowing for more heat to bleed out due to the temperature difference between our skin and the air around us.
3) All of this thinking about the air as a fluid and wind being warm waves passing through it, brings to mind water and the oceans. The oceans undergo the same processies as the air in our atmosphere, but the fluid is much more dense, and therefor isn't headed as much by the incoming solar radiation (sun light). Also, water resists changes in it's temperature fairly well, so it takes alot of heating to raise the temperature. (This makes me think of Calories 1 Calorie is the amount of energy it takes to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius(sp?). And food... I just finished lunch.)
(Brief Pause)
Wind and Water, half of the four elements believed by the greeks to be the most basic constituents of everything. Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. They seem like a strange system to base the construction of everything on, but then at that point in time science was largely philosophy, imagination and some engineering mixed in. As I mentioned above air and water are basicly the same force, the only difference is the density of the fluid. (That brings to mind another question: Can two liquids with the same density have different viscosities? My guess is yet, but that's an interesting thought)
So water and wind are like... 2 martial artists, wind is a brown belt that trains with black belts and can pull off some impressive moves (hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones, etc.) while water is a larger, typically slower moving double or tripple blackbelt that usually just meditates, but under some circomstances it can kick butt (tsunami). I can picture wind and water as a fluid energy... Fire is obviously heat, and I have a few questions about fire too, and have for a long time, but I'll not go there just this second. Earth makes sense as a constituent by the greeks, and if I'm talking about the elements in terms of energy, I can imagine earth as potential/kinetic energy or maybe geothermal (But that seems on the boarderline of earth and fire to me(maybe with some water mixed in if your talking about steam)). Back to Wind and water. They aren't really sources of energy, more like modes ot transmitting energy. Energy is contained within them, and they express that energy through their transfer of energy typically. (But then again, isn't all energy measured in terms of it's transfer? (Electrical current, Voltage, Watts, Amps, Ohams; sound, frequiency, pitch, amplitude, ... Heat, temperature, (calories & joules); light, lumins, candle power, ... or work, horse-power; chemical, joules, calories...
So many ways to measure eaergy, or it's ability to do something.
June 10th, 2005
Another random piece of information, thanks to the history channel
Mud brick created using the 'stiff mud process' is a mixture of soil, straw, and clay. The clay should be about 15% of the mixture. The mixtures are placed in some sort of a mold, and allowed to harden. When they can come out of the mold, they then must sun bake for approximately 25 days. Obviously, if they get rained on during that time, the bricks will have some problems.
April 3rd, 2005
Random thoughts scribbled on scrap paper, collected here
When in conversation, I seek to discuss those things I think others will be interested in. I rarely go into detail on topics I doubt they may care to hear. (If I bother to bring up the topic that is) If I get any kind of indication that they are distracted or disinterested, imediately I attempt to end that train of thought. (If it was something I was interested in, usually I'm a little dissappointed and seek to finish the conversation with someone else later on.)
It bothers me when others continue to talk after someone has given cues that they are disinterested or reluctant to continue the conversation. I believe if they don't want to continue the conversation, they aren't ready to listen, think about, or remember any of what is forced on them.
Other thoughts that were saved on scraps of paper:
Recycling is important, but it seems unpopular... How could it be made more popular? In Germany all companies that manufacture anything are responsible for that product "from birth to earth". As in, if the product breaks they are required by law to take it back and dispose of it, or recycle it themselves. The cost for this is built into the sales price of everything manufactured in Germany.
With that in mind, I wondered if the following could be recycled:
I know batteries can be recycled, but where?
I'd like to look up information on recycling... sometime when I have spare time.
February 26th, 2004
College: now and not far from now
This semester has been really kind of strange. I have a dream schedule, and I think that's what's making this semester so weird. I have classes on Mondays from 7:45am until 11:45ish then from 1-2:15pm. Then I have classes on Wednesdays from 7:45am until 11:45ish, from 1-2:15pm, and from 6-8:15ish pm. Meaning I have no classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays, so every week I get a 4 day vacation. *GRIN* And if I have one day off, I get a 6 day vacation. :) The classes aren't all cake classes... I do have many papers I'll have to do between the M/W classes. My evening class on Wednesday is pretty easy though. I have to admit that. *chuckle*
So with this semester not being one I'm to worried about, I'm thinking about next smester. As well as the progression of semesters until I graduate. I think next semester is going to be one of the worst, because it's supposed to be a big english block of classes... Not my cup of tea... And then next spring is block II of the Exe Ed classes, which is also supposed to be challenging, and curriculum based. I'll also need like 18 hours of concentration classes(my concentration being Environmental Science). I'm hoping to take some of those in the summer to lower the burden. Maybe this summer and next. That should make my life slightly easier. But I need to go visit my nice advisor and talk that over with her. When last I talked to her we were thinking of trying to take some of the classes from the english block during the summer...
So, this college thing is starting to get really fun and exciting now that I can see where I'm headed and what I need to take to get there. But it's also being fun because I'm enjoying myself, playing Rugby, And the company of my girlfriend. I don't have quight as much free time as I did last semester it seems like because I'm doing so much traveling... And that doesn't entirely make sense, because I only have classes twice a week! hmm... I guess I need to think about that. But the point I was making is I'm really enjoying this semester. :D
November 3rd, 2003
continued..
What have I learned from my relationships...
From Merrie I learned:
From Sarah I learned:
From Aniela:
November 3rd, 2003
I just had a nice Halloween, and am looking forward to a good Thanksgiving in a few weeks. Life, has given me another twist as I should expect it to. I've met a wonderful girl, who I have much more in common with, and I just enjoy everything about her so much more. Now I need to gently break up with Aniela...
I've been happy with Aniela, mostly because I'm with someone. She is an amazing person, But we are not as compatable as I'd like us to be. I've been giving us time, but I'm not seeing the progress like I was hoping for, and I feel guilty about wanting to change her, and about how uneven the relationship feels to me. It only seems right to go back to being friends. I don't want to hurt her.
October 1st, 2003
It has now been one month at college. I know three people by face and name, from some of my classes. Classes are going good, haven't had a bad test yet. :) Rugby is going good, although I'm getting sick. (All the standing around in the rain on the game days doesn't help.) And I've got a wonderful girlfriend named Aniela that goes to NU.
Not so positive things: I only know three people by name in my classes... I'm starting to feel poor, but I want to wait till after rugby to try and find a part time job, and Aniela is like 40 minutes away, and I only get to see her once a week, maybe. This is my life, it's starting to feel like its mine again. :D
August 25th, 2003
I haven't had any thoughts reciently... well, not worthy of being posted. I'm starting to not mind being confused about life, and why mine is as it is. There's a reason for it I'm sure. So now that I'm back to college, I guess I gotta start meeting people, kind of a fresh start. I just miss the way my life was sometimes. But I guess in some ways I'm a better person now. A considerably more moody person, but better somehow. :)
April 11th, 2003
I'm starting to think life is to complex to "sort out". Maybe it should just be lived as best as we can live it, and in the end we can try and sort it out. Maybe if we're all lucky, life will sort itself out as we go.
That sounds good... But I'm to confused to just plod through my life as it is. I'm afraid I might miss out on something I'll regret until the end of my days.
Like so many other projects I'm going to leave this thought unfinished for now...
November 18th, 2002
It's almost mid November already... So much can change in such a short time. Well, so as not to focus on the negative... It looks like I'm finally going to be moving out on my own within a month or so. This new freedom/responsibility should be good for me.
I think it will also help encourage me to get out more, and be a bit more
active. But I have some obsticles...
It's taken me a few months of thought, and I've finally decided
that my major when I go back to school next fall will be Exceptional Education.
(new name for special ed) I really enjoy working with the kids now,
but being an aide just won't pay the bills. I plan on going in the
fall, because that gives me more time to be working, and to appreciate
why I want to earn this degree. Also, I want to take some time to
reconnect with some of my friends from high school. I've let many
of those friendships just stagnate, and now I really could use some more
friends to talk to, and hang out with.
I'm still pretty sad that Merrie and I broke up,
but it's slowly looking like it might be for the best. I'm just glad we
can still manage to be friends through this seperation. *smile*
Even with my being completely batty at first, and being downright weard,
cause I was so muddled by it all. I think my head is finally starting
to clear, but that'll take time like everything. Time...
the enemy of all passion... Is that why older people become cynical?
They loose their passion for the things they love? The gilded gold
finally begins to wear off... blah ...
Well, I know I have patience, so hopefully it will last long enough for
me to completely heal, and become whole again on my own.
I'm rethinking my whole outlook on life...
I need to redefine who I am. I'll post that when I have given it
more thought.
A few (older) thoughts
on college...