Christopher Merle

Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be, but first I need more coffee.

Category: Science (Page 3 of 4)

All about science

Ark

December 4, 2007 /

Ark (1970) written and directed by Rolf Forsberg. I saw this short environmental film in grade school. It left an indelible impression on me. It was set in the near future (our present day, most likely) This old man had a greenhouse and the Earth was very polluted. The greenhouse was full of life, animals and pants. Eventually, the neighbors destroyed it. Very dystopian. It was the first film to make me ecologically aware and has been with me ever since.

The other film that made a great impression on me was The Snow Goose (1971) It starred Richard Harris and Jenny Agutter. It was a made for TV film off of the book of the same name. Sadly neither of these films are available on video tape or DVD. It was about a young girl who rescues a snow goose and the man nurses it back to health. Later he rescues soldiers from Dunkirk and is killed doing so.

I could probably write a great deal more about these movies. Both were very powerful and I remember them to this day. Ark was shown to us in grade school. It’s hard to say exactly when or how old I was, but it was sometime between 1971 and 1977. I certainly saw it before Star Wars. The Snow Goose was a Hallmark Hall of Fame film.

The Third Eye (Tuatara)

September 9, 2007 /

Tuatara is a reptile. They live for almost a hundred years and only become sexually mature at the age of twenty. They are only found on some remote isles off the coast of New Zealand. These creatures are a living fossil much like the coelacanth is. They are endangered. The most interesting thing about them is their third eye or what is called a parietal eye. It’s not a fully developed eye but it’s on the top of the and only in juveniles. As they get older it is covered with scales. Other creatures have them.

I’m publishing this blog entry because I’m tired of looking at it in my drafts, and I keep forgetting the name of that damned reptile. It’s not a lizard but closely related. I’m wondering if this third eye thingy somehow connects to our mythical third eye ideas. Is there some basis for it?

More later, maybe.

Papal Indulgence (sin offset) vs. Carbon Offset (green indulgence)

July 17, 2007 /

What is the difference between a Papal Indulgence and a Carbon Offset? Not much, both can be purchased to assuage guilt. Might as well call one a Sin Offset and the other a Green Indulgence A papal indulgence is a sin offset. You know you are going to commit sins or you have already committed sins and you still want to get into Heaven, so as a good Catholic you purchase a Papal Indulgence. It’s not a blanket Get-Out-of-Hell-Free card because your status is always somewhat in doubt. By purchasing a PI you are asking the Pope to intercede on your behalf.

Buying a carbon offset rather than cutting carbon emissions seems no better than buying a papal indulgence. It’s a shortcut that doesn’t really address the problem. A sinner should well stop sinning. If they want to reduce the amount of sin going on they should 1) lead by example 2) counsel others on their wicked ways. A carbon emitter should reduce carbon emissions first then lead by example and counsel others on how to reduce their carbon emissions. Those acts just might make a difference.

Stretchiness

February 5, 2007 /

It’s an interesting experience getting older, knowing at some point you reach the full height of your physical and mental powers and then begin their gradual decline. I’ve passed my physical peak and now begins the physical gradual decline. Let’s hope it’s a gentle slope. Now I get to experience problems that come with not so much age as it is my genetic predisposition.

I have a frozen shoulder. 50/50 chance of guessing the correct one. It seems that women, diabetics, and redheads are prone to it. Basically, the cuff surrounding the ball and socket become inflamed and limits mobility. It will take months of stretching to restore most of the mobility. I am not female nor diabetlic, but I do have reddish hair. I wonder if a female diabetic redhead is thrice as likely to develop a frozen shoulder.

How did it happen? I strained my arm trying to start a gas powered leaf blower. I must have pulled the cord fifty times very hard. I thought it would heal up. It didn’t. Went to the doctor. He examined my arms and took X-rays. No torn muscles, no damaged bones. All good. It’s not pleasant and can be painful at times, but when I know what ailments friends, family, and acquaintences suffer from, I feel fortunate. The rest of me is in pretty darn good health. I could lose a few pounds again. It sucks when you stop exercising on a regular basis. Your waistline behaves like the imperceptably slow inflation of a balloon.

Update – I went to my first physical therapy session today. He assessed my mobility or lack theirof. Then he worked on my shoulder a bit and then showed me a number of exercises which I did. At the end he hooked up some electrodes and slapped an ice pack on my shoulder. I sat their for fifteen minutes while my shoulder was frozen and electrocuted at the same time. I get to go back a few more times and then I get to do the rest on my own sans electrodes.

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