Tropical Storm Matthew Highly Likely To Form Soon

The next named Atlantic storm will be Matthew. There is currently a well organized stormy blob in the Atlantic, heading for the Lesser Antilles, that has a very high probability of becoming a named storm, and that could happen by Wednesday or Thursday. This seems to be a fairly fast developing storm. Also, though it…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/27/tropical-storm-matthew-highly-likely-to-form-soon/

A Question For Next Debate: How Will the US Catch Up With the Clean Power Plan?

The US is already behind in its agreed to commitment to clean power A study just out in Nature climate Change suggests that the US is already behind in its commitments to reduce the use of fossil fuel as an energy source, and the concomitant release of climate-warming greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. The paper,…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/27/a-question-for-next-debate-how-will-the-us-catch-up-with-the-clean-power-plan/

Who won the first presidential debate?

It was a tossup, but in a rather complicated way. Even the regular commenters with major network news, and PBS, clearly indicated that Hillary Clinton won this debate. And she did. She not only had better answers, but actual answers. Trump acted very poorly and Clinton acted presidential. Trump got caught in several lies, and…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/27/who-won-the-first-presidential-debate/

What is the Best Replacement For Metal Halide Technology?

In the world of commercial lighting, especially in outdoor lighting and large indoor areas there are three most common lighting technologies found:

• Metal Halide (MH)
• High Pressure Sodium (HPS)
• Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

With metal halide and high pressure sodium lighting technologies in an overwhelming amount of facilities and fixtures, LED has a long way to come in terms of being the majority.

When the question of “what is the best alternative to metal halide lights” comes up: the overwhelming and most common answer these days is LED. There are just so many benefits of LED vs metal halide, hence the massive growth for the LED lighting market while metal halide are slowly becoming obsolete.

Wondering what exactly are the benefits of LED over metal halide? Here they are:

Benefits of LED over MH

They use 50-75% less energy. Depending on where you get your industrial lighting products from will all depend on the energy savings you realize from you LED system. Ensuring you do proper research before placing an order will ensure the best ROI as well as short and long term energy savings. So although any LED is generally better than MH; if you don’t do your research you could be cutting yourself short of 25% more energy savings by choosing the wrong supplier / manufacturer. With savings like this; you can just “eye” how fast you can realize a return on investment.

Higher quality. LEDs not only offer higher quality of light emitted but also higher quality structure. It’s just in the way they are built. But like the previous benefits, it can all depend on the company you get your lighting fixtures from. Ensuring the highest of quality built lights can seriously make or break your ROI. If you go with the wrong company you could be costing yourself more, especially if your lights are going into a fragile environment (such as food processing plants, refineries, etc). Back to the part about higher quality of light; LED technology in general is known to emit and provide a better and wider range of color temperatures and Color Rendering Index numbers. In addition, if you’ve ever had issues with metal halide fixtures buzzing or flickering; you’ll be surprised to know that LED will never do these things, not even near the end of their lifespan!

LED gives rebates. Have you ever got a rebate for purchasing a metal halide light? Probably not, know why? Because energy companies know that they are inefficient and they only reward those who make the investment in quality lighting that they know is saving extranomical amounts of energy (especially when you are talking about a large building with many lights). Only thing you need to remember to be eligible for rebates is this: buy DLC qualified products only. The DLC qualifies only commercial / industrial lighting products that are of quality. And if they aren’t listed, utility companies typically (if ever) will give you rebates simply for having a LED system installed in your building.

Don’t get me wrong; some items don’t qualify to be listed on the DLC’s official website not because they aren’t quality but rather because they don’t fit the criteria to be listed. They can also be listed with Energy Star which is equally as good.

How to replace existing metal halide lights?

Replacing existing lights can have two different options: Fully replace or just retrofit.

Fully replacing a light involves removing and replacing not only the light source itself but also the fixture it is held in. While on the contrary, a retrofit is just a replacement of the existing light source with a new one; all while keeping the external fixture that the light source is in.

Something called a metal halide LED retrofit is the perfect option for those who would simply like to replace technologies from metal halide to LED instead of replacing the entire fixture. If you’d like to replace the entire lighting fixture too, you will be best off buying a system that is all put together and practically ready to install.

source http://my-led-lighting-guide.blogspot.com/2016/09/what-is-best-replacement-for-metal.html

What is a Vapor Tight Light? When is it Used?

If you are a facility manager or even a building owner in a facility that deals with wet environments you probably already know what vapor tight lighting is. And for those of you who aren’t one of those; you are probably already getting a very small idea about what they are.

In short, vapor tight lighting is made to block out moisture from entering the fixture. This is extremely important for any situation in which the lighting fixtures within a facility are faced with wet conditions and need to block out moisture from entering.

Often times in food processing facilities this is very common due to regulations and rules requiring them to wash down everything in the facility frequently, even the lighting fixtures. Think about this; what happens when water gets into technology? It can ruin it, grow mold, and just ruin the overall safety and functionality of the product itself; and this all goes along with the lighting fixtures in wet facilities. But not only are they for wet environments, they are also made to lock out dirt and dust; which can also cause issues to lights.

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of what vapor tight fixtures are, what they do, and why they are important to have. Now we are going to cover exactly where they are used besides just in food processing facilities and also uncover the difference of a vapor tight and a vapor proof fixture. There is a difference, and you want to know what it is!

Where are they used?

We’ve talked about food processing plants as a common place that you will find a vapor tight light fixture being used. But where else are they used? Here is a list of many common applications that you will find vapor tight fixtures being used…

• Food Processing Plants
• Cold Storage Facilities
• Paint Booths / Areas
• Parking Garages

As you can probably imagine, all of these areas are susceptible to either water, dust, dirt, or any of the related. Thus, it’s highly important for these types of environments (as well as many more) to install vapor tight fixtures.

Vapor Tight vs Vapor Proof

There is a common confusion of vapor tight and vapor proof lighting. Vapor tight is what we’ve been talking about and the applications we’ve discussed. Vapor proof on the other hand is a bit different yet similar at the same time.Vapor proofs are designed to replace existing metal halide or HPS lights (just like the tights do), but instead of water and dirt; they are meant to resist corrosive fumes, vapors, gases, and the related (moisture too!).

Some common applications that vapor proof fixtures include the following (but not limited to):

• Oil Refineries
• Nuclear Power Plants
• Any related environments…

The importance of this technology is highly important for all environments that are susceptible to wet, dirty, or gas environments. Without such technology, the lights in such environments would be vulnerable to the elements that these places produce.

Final Words

We have covered what a vapor tight lighting system is, when it’s used and where, as well as the difference of a vapor tight and vapor proof fixture.

We hope you now have a better understanding of how important this technology is to any fragile environment that is susceptible to certain conditions such as moisture, dirt, or dust. You should now be able to identify if you will need these types of lighting fixtures in your facility or not; and if you do you now know which you need (proof or tight).

Have any other comments or questions on the topic? Comment them down below and share your thoughts!

source http://my-led-lighting-guide.blogspot.com/2016/09/what-is-vapor-tight-light-when-is-it.html

New Paleoclimate Paper: Longest detailed reconstruction plus possible bad news

You’ve probably already heard about his paper because everyone is all a tizzy about it. There is a fundamental complaint being made about one of the paper’s conclusions. I’ve been paying careful attention to what my colleagues are saying about that one aspect of the paper, and I get their point but I’m not sure…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/26/new-paleoclimate-paper-longest-detailed-reconstruction-plus-possible-bad-news/

Trypanosomiasis Discovery: An Argument for Basic Research

One of the differences among the current four candidates for POTUS is the recognition, by only one of them, of the great importance of basic research. By that, I mean, give the scientists funding to pursue the questions that interest them. A sort of free market of ideas driven not by profits of the Bayers,…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/25/trypanosomiasis-discovery-an-argument-for-basic-research/

AGU Throws Science, Climate Under The Bus

The American Geophysical Union just lost whatever remaining credibility it had as a scientific society earlier today when it announced no change in policy regarding taking money from ExxonMobil. We talked about this before, here. Margaret Leinen, the AGU president, issued a communication today that says this: Last week the AGU Board of Directors discussed…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/23/agu-throws-science-climate-under-the-bus/

How to Identify Quality Healthcare Lighting and The Importance

In such a highly sensitive and fragile environments such as hospitals and healthcare facilities, quality everything is important; including the lights within and even outside the facility.

The importance is often overlooked within the healthcare industry as resources are often spent looking at ways to improve treatment. But one way you can improve treatment, reduces costs, and decrease liabilities is by installing quality healthcare lighting at your facility.

To help you identify what exactly a quality healthcare lighting system includes, we’ve include the following 9 points to help you.

Identifying Quality Healthcare Lighting Systems

●     Good color temperatures based on patient needs. While some lighting color temperatures may not affect some patients, it may affect others. Discovering the perfect color temperature can prove to be difficult, but with some study of the topic and which is best for fragile environments you will surely define the appropriate color temperature.

●     Technology that doesn’t flicker. The thing with flickering lights is that they can get highly annoying especially if you are around it all day. This can cause issues for both patients and workers. Flickering can cause irritation, loss of concentration, all of which are terrible combinations in a hospital type environment. The only technology that does not flicker, even at the end of the lighting sources life is a healthcare LED system. Things like Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) start flickering as they come closer to burning out, and this is something highly dangerous in this type of environment.

●     Technology that doesn’t buzz. This point is very similar to the previous, just this is a buzz rather that a flicker. Again the only solution to this issue is LED, as metal halide and HPS fixtures can buzz when they get older in usage.

●     Toxin free fixtures. The last thing you want is a broken bulb filled with toxins to be inside (or outside) your fragile health care facility. Fluorescent fixtures and tubes are one of the biggest culprits of this issue. When broken, they often require extreme caution to clean up. And what happens when one of these fixtures breaks near a patient? A very bad situation. LED technology avoids all toxic chemicals which is another reason it is perfect for such sensitive environments like walk-ins and hospitals.

●     Testing by third party organizations. The lighting industry is full of both quality and not-so-quality fixtures. To be able to tell the difference, the DLC, better known as DesignLight Consortium which was founded in 1998, is in place to test and qualify lighting products. If commercial lights on the market are not listed, we suggest to avoid these at all costs. Instead, be on the look out for both DLC standard and premium fixtures as they prove to be longer lasting and eligible for rebates.

Important Considerations for Any Healthcare Facility

●     Always go DLC for rebates. As talked about in a previous point, DLC allows you to receive rebates (typically) through your utility company. Although they can vary greatly depending on where you are located, you should contact your utility company to consult with them about what DLC qualified products at your facility can do for you and any rebates available.

●     Never cheap out with your lighting upgrades. Although you may save money in your upfront investment, the long run will prove to cost you significantly more. Not only in direct energy costs, but also liabilities you may open yourself up to by having sub-par lighting that leads to accidents.

●     Always try going for the highest lumen per watt system. The highest lumen per watt system you can find always leads to a higher decrease in utility costs. This allows you to payback your investment faster and save month to month on your facilities energy costs. Be sure to always analyze your options though, including initial upfront cost in your analysis.

●     Educate yourself on lighting. You don’t want to fall victim of any low quality lighting just because you have no basic education on lighting systems. Always be on the lookout for educational opportunities around the web that will allow you to at least get an idea of the industrial lighting industry; most specifically healthcare lighting. While you don’t need to become an expert, it’ll never hurt to learn the basics and then some.

Final Words

Here are some final words on the topic of healthcare facility lighting systems that you should keep in mind.

●     Don’t go without DLC qualified lighting

●     Always do your research

●     Stay educated and up to date with what’s the best option of lights

●     Fragile environments require quality lighting - don’t put patients or even workers at risk

There you have it, some important things to keep in mind regarding lighting for your health care building. Keeping your patients safe is the number one priority remember that!

source http://my-led-lighting-guide.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-identify-quality-healthcare.html

The Argument Against Anthropogenic Climate Change Is On Drugs

First, a note on Lewis Carrol, Alice and Wonderland, and drugs. The current revisionist version of that work is that Carrol was not referring to drugs when he has Alice or other characters imbibe or smoke various substances (including ‘shrooms) and in so doing experience dramatic changes in reality. Uh huh, sure. The argument is…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/23/the-argument-against-anthropogenic-climate-change-is-on-drugs/

What is a Cobra Head Light and Some Considerations

A frequently asked question that is asked about cobra head lighting is very simple, and it’s “what exactly is a cobra head light?”

In short, a cobra light is often just the official term for a street lighting fixture. It’s important for a buyer to know what this term is when considering a purchase of lights for streets so they don’t get confused when technical lighting terms come up.

A Brief History of Cobra Heads and Street Lighting

While this won’t be an extensive history lesson on street lighting, a brief overview seems to be a good fit for this topic to get a better understanding behind cobra head technology.

In the beginning times of street lighting, is was as basic as a glass lantern with a candle in it. Of course, this was way back in the 4th century. The cobra head technology was first brought into the world of illuminating streets in 1957. Since then, a lot of progress has developed.

Some of today's most efficient cobra heads are made from LED technology. Some cobra head LEDs run upwards of 120+ lumens per watt. Back when they were first introduced, it was nowhere close to this.

This proves to the industry and clients of street lighting around the globe that is just over 50 years of cobra heads in existence, the technology has improved greatly. This put a great outlook for the upcoming years of street lighting in general to improve even further.

Common Cobra Head Technologies

There are three common technologies being used today in the world of commercial cobra heads. One we have already talked about, and that is LED. Here is the list of all three common technologies:

●     Light-Emitting Diodes (LED)

●     Metal Halide (MH)

●     High Pressure Sodium (HPS)

Out of all of them, LED is currently the leader when it comes to quality and efficiency. It offers the highest lumen per watt output, the highest quality of light, and a solution to energy waste in both the public and private industries.

The other two technologies, MH and HPS, are barely increasing in efficiency over the years while LED is improving at an explosive rate. LEDs are lasting longer and longer, producing more and more lumens per watt, slower in regards to lumen depreciation, and generally have a higher quality of light.

What to Consider When Buying Street Lighting Systems

Common things people ask about the purchasing of street lights consist of the following:

●     Do I need to fully replace old and existing street lamps? The quick answer is it depends. Here’s why: you only should replace entirely if you need to. Common needs are when old fixtures are old looking, breaking apart, or you simply want new and improved looking fixtures. Replacing the bulb, also know as retrofitting, is a completely viable option if you just need to replace the light source itself. This reduces costs as you aren’t replacing the fixture entirely, just the light.

●     How can I get rebates? You can typically only be eligible for rebates when your lighting technology is qualified by the DLC (DesignLights Consortium). On top of the rebates benefit of getting DLC listed products, it ensures you that you are getting quality products that have been tested and passed.

●     Is it time to invest in new lights? Again this all depends on your situation. If you need to decrease cost, improve appearance, or even reduce light pollution; those are all perfect and very valid reasons to invest in new street lights. LEDs can typically do all of these things as they are more efficient on a per watt basis, they allow for directional lighting to reduce light pollution, and they can offer new looking fixtures that replace old ones.

Keynotes

Here we list some of the notable and key points that you should remember just in general in regards to cobra head lighting and street lighting systems:

●     Always purchase based on need. Meaning, buy what you need. If you need an entire new fixture, get that, if you don’t, simply retrofit. This saves money and reduces waste.

●     Consider going with LED. LED cobra heads are one of the most beneficial and best technologies you can go with. It has upsides in virtually every aspect from cost savings to quality of light. If you are going to need new lighting soon or even in the future, you should definitely keep LED on the top of your list to keep a look out for.

●     Buy based on lumens per watt, not watts. Forget about buying based on watts when going with any type of light fixture. A keynote you want to always remember regarding any type of lighting: The more lumens per watt you get, the less watts you will need to produce the same amount of light compared to another fixture that outputs at less lumens / watt.

source http://my-led-lighting-guide.blogspot.com/2016/09/what-is-cobra-head-light-and-some.html

Why Quality Industrial Flood Lights Are Not Optional

In the world of industrial lighting we have a variety of different types of fixtures. From high bays, area lights, to flood lights. The commercial and industrial lighting market has a wide variety of lights that fit almost any business, facility, or even government projects that need lighting.

This post we go over the importance of high quality commercial flood lights, specifically in the industrial lighting world. This will allow you to get a broader knowledge base behind commercial lighting and more specifically the flood lights.

More quality, more security. Typically industrial flood lights are used outdoors to light up the property. Without some quality flood lights to illuminate your property, you put your security at risk. Darkness allows for people to hide easier, move without being seen, and most importantly doesn’t allow any camera system you may have in place to capture faces at full capacity. It’s bad enough that cameras at night time have a tough time capturing people's faces; imagine what quality lighting would do? It would allow you to better identify anyone on or near your property all by just upgrading to quality lighting.

Better curb appeal. If you have a business where it’s crucial to keep your business front appealing to the public (typically any retail location), you will find that with higher quality lighting will increase your locations curb appeal. It will make your products look better, it will make you look more professional, and most importantly it will appeal customers to come and stay longer.

They can withstand more. Cheap lights break, as with anything. If you cheap out (as you probably already know), you can’t depend on it. When you go with higher end technologies (like LED) you opt-in for better systems that can withstand more. When it comes to flood lights for your business, they are typically outside and up against the elements. Depending on where you are located this could be hurricanes, snow, cold, hot, or a mixture of all of those and more. High end floods are seriously a requirement for this reason alone; because if you cheap out you will find yourself replacing your lights often and having to pay a lot more in the long run replacing all of your broken lights.

Quality lasts longer. We’ve found that out of all the technologies on the market; LED is seemingly not only the longest lasting but just overall the best technology for commercial purposes. Specifically regarding this point; LED can last upwards of 50,000 hours where lights like metal halide and HPS last 10,000-20,000 hours on average. The lifespan is visibly longer on average, which is great for a lot of reasons. 1) You don’t need to buy as many replacement lights. 2) You can reduce maintenance costs by less frequent retrofitting of your fixtures. What other reasons do you need? Those two alone account for just a fraction of the savings benefits that quality LED products can bring to your facility or store.

Use less energy. High end technologies are more efficient by nature. They offer more lumens per watt, which allows for you to use less energy while getting the same amount of light (or more). Efficient products can save you up to 50% or more in energy costs; which can prove to literally save your bottom line.

What defines quality commercial lights?

All this talk about quality commercial flood lights may have you wondering: what exactly defines “quality” in this space?

To define it, here are some major points you have to keep in mind when trying to discover the perfect and most optimal lighting technology to implement into your facility:

Is it DesignLights Consortium qualified? Like energy star is for residential lighting, DLC is for commercial lighting products. If a product is not DLC qualified; I’d suggest to avoid it. Typically only LED technology is only listed on the DLC’s website; so this is the reason we suggest LED fixtures highly.

This is really one of the most important points that is a must when defining a quality lighting system. Without being on the DLC, you should not go with the product. Try finding a company that offers products DLC qualified (either standard or premium).

source http://my-led-lighting-guide.blogspot.com/2016/09/why-quality-industrial-flood-lights-are.html

What we need to do to stop global warming

Obviously, we need to stop the human enhanced extra greenhouse effect. There are a number of ways to approach this. Let me say right away that taking CO2, the main greenhouse gas of concern long term, out of the atmosphere is NOT one of the ways. Here’s why: It takes energy to put Carbon into…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/22/what_we_need_to_do_to_stop_global_warming_climate_change/

The most important single act you can carry out period.

This is it. Don’t mess this up. It isn’t that common that a single event can have a cascading effect on so many things. And if it does, such an event would not be that likely to have an entirely negative effect on all it touches. But, the election of Donald Trump as President of…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/22/the-most-important-single-act-you-can-carry-out-period/

How Far Can You Drive With An “Empty Tank” Warning?

So, many years ago, Amanda and I got a new car. The first thing we did was to switch get rid of my old Rodeo, and I took her old Subaru sedan, and she drove the new Forrester. So, thereafter I drove her old car, and she drove our new car. One day I was…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/22/how-far-can-you-drive-with-an-empty-tank-warning/

The Sciencedebate.org Presidential Debates and Questions

Sciencedebate.org has managed a seemingly impossible task. They developed 20 distinct (but often interrelated) questions about science policy, based on vast amounts of public input, and then got all four presidential candidates to address them. Congratulations to Sciencedebate.org. This is important, and I know that was not easy to do. The questions, and answers, are…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/21/the-sciencedebate-org-presidential-debates-and-questions/

Science Books For Early Readers

We went to the local library the other day to find books in the range appropriate for Huxley to read. It isn’t sufficient to say he’s in the first grade. Between preschool and second grade, there are (in English, anyway) probably about four or five levels of reading ability, and kids move through them fast.…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/21/science-books-for-early-readers/

Rare Nearly Extinct Crow Uses Tools

This is just a pointer to my latest post at 10,000 birds on a tool using crow from Hawaii, as well as recent climate change related threats to the birds of that island state.

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/21/rare-nearly-extinct-crow-uses-tools/

Clinton Foundation Will Be Forced To Cut Back Important Climate Change Work And Funding

The Clinton Foundation started as a very successful post-presidency foundation of the type that is normally formed under the leadership of an ex president, in this case, Bill Clinton. Later, the foundation was expanded considerably and made into the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea foundation, and rivaled and exceeded earlier similar efforts to solve the world’s…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/21/clinton-foundation-will-be-forced-to-cut-back-important-climate-change-work-and-funding/

What do important people think about climate change

By important, I mean people who have their hands on the levers of power, more or less, in areas that affect energy policy. I don’t really care if Uncle Bob doesn’t accept climate change. Uncle Bob votes for right wing yahoos anyway, that wasn’t going to change. Why should it matter what Uncle Bob thinks?…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/20/what-do-important-people-think-about-climate-change/

SEC goes after Exxon over Climate Change?

For some time now ExxonMobil Corporation has been under scrutiny for having a) known about climate change, yet b) helped cause climate change, while c) investing corporate resources into getting people and the government to not take climate change seriously. Worst case allegation: ExxonMobile has taken material steps, knowingly and intentionally, that will cause the…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/20/sec-goes-after-exxon-over-climate-change/

Accidental Explosions

The fiery history of blowing shit up mostly accident but then discovering something good. Generally, good for blowing stuff up, but with purpose.

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/20/accidental-explosions/

Science Denial Bad Guys and Good Guys

White Supremacy, Climate Science Denial, Trump, Alt-Right Peter Sinclair suddenly realized it is all one big interconnected complex hole! (Well, whole, but more like a hole because of what we are throwing into it). Look at this classic video he made a while back: Then, check out his post, here. A lot of stuff about…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/20/science-denial-bad-guys-and-good-guys/

Very Smart Birds, Very Smart Bird Book

Crows are smart. Anyone who watches them for a while can figure this out. But that is true of a lot of things. Your baby is smart (not really). Your dog is smart (not really). Ants are smart (sort of). It takes a certain degree of objective research, as well as some serious philosophy of…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/20/very-smart-birds-very-smart-bird-book/

Subscribe to your eight favorite newspapers for $18.99 a month?

Wouldn’t that be great? Many high end newspapers charge something like $10 a month to subscribe, just to the digital edition. But most people who use digital editions of newspapers scan several, pick and chose what to read, and end up reading them all for free because they don’t reach the limit of number of…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/20/subscribe-to-your-eight-favorite-newspapers-for-18-99-a-month/

Ebola: Have more knowledge, need vaccine more

I just watched, at a the Twin Cities Science Film Festival, a film called Nzara ’76, which is about the first known Ebola outbreak, the one that gave it its name, in southern Sudan. That’s about 150 miles, as the Mvo-Mvo flies, north of my long term project area in the Ituri Forest, an impassable…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/19/ebola-have-more-knowledge-need-vaccine-more/

Dragging America Into the 20th Century

“?There are two types of nation” a recent Nature editorial begins; “…those that use the metric system and those that have put a man on the Moon.” Such a pro-American jingoistic statement must be deep British irony. Anyway, the editorial continues … The reliance of the United States on feet and pounds, along with its…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/19/dragging-america-into-the-20th-century/

Grunt: The science of humans at war

Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach explores, from a scientific perspective, the gear, technologies, and methods used to keep soldiers alive, or at least less injured, overheated, starved or thirsted to death, killed by gasses, and so on. Roach is a well known and quite funny science writer who also…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/19/grunt-the-science-of-humans-at-war/

Best Bird Book Of the Year So Far: What The Robin Knows by Jon Young

There was a dead rabbit in the middle of the road today. I suspected such a thing, nearby, just out of sight, and edible, because I noticed some crows taking off whenever a car went by. Then, when I went over, I could see the rabbit that they were feasting on between drive-bys. I had…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/18/what-the-robin-knows-jon-young/

Knife Attack in Saint Cloud: Terrorism, Racism, Guns

We know nearly nothing about the Saint Cloud attack, but I’m going to offer some preliminary context-related thoughts anyway. Not conclusions or guesses, just context. (See below for some basic info on the attack.) One thing you need to know is that Minnesota is a state with the least racist and most socially and culturally…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/18/knife-attack-in-saint-cloud-terrorism-racism-guns/

Please Power Down Your White Privilege Now.

Back to school special:

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/18/please-power-down-your-white-privilege-now/

Pluto Has Tail, X-Rays

Did you ever notice that Pluto doesn’t have much of a tail? No, not that Pluto! This Pluto: This has been known for a while. NASA noted this last year: New Horizons has discovered a region of cold, dense ionized gas tens of thousands of miles beyond Pluto — the planet’s atmosphere being stripped away…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/17/pluto-has-tail-x-rays/

In the old days, the words “art” and “science” did not mean the same thing they mean today, at least in academia. Today, unfortunately, they have almost come to mean opposites. You can’t be doing both at once. Or, at least, that’s what people who haven’t thought about it much may think. Art can be…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/16/22931/

The 176 #Deplorable Things

Watch this video on The Scene. Here’s the text. Keith Olbermann is back.

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/16/the-176-deplorable-things/

Trump’s Latest Outrageous Claim: Obama Born In US

“After years of peddling a false conspiracy theory that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States, Donald Trump — just 53 days before Election Day — now says he believes the president was born in the U.S. “President Obama was born in the United States. Period,” Trump said at a campaign event in a…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/16/trumps-latest-outrageous-claim-obama-born-in-us/

Turn Off Your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Now And Put It In A Secure Container!

The FAA is asking people to not board aircraft with a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone because it might bring the aircraft down, should it start a fire. Also, stow the phone in such a way that the on switch can not be accidentally actuated. The US Consumer Product Safet Commission has issued a warning…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/16/turn-off-your-samsung-galaxy-note-7-now-and-put-it-in-a-secure-container/

#Deplorables. Baskets of them.

Ignorant hateful white men who worship a rising fascist dictator look like this.

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/14/deplorables-baskets-of-them/

More Analysis of the Trump-Clinton Commander In Chief Faceoff

Following up on one of the issues addressed in “How The Press Created FrankenTrump and Ruined Civilization“, we have this:

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/14/more-analysis-of-the-trump-clinton-commander-in-chief-faceoff/

The Cold Stop: Trump Hasn’t Proved IRS Audit

It is not easy being Kellyanne Conway. This is fun:

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/14/the-cold-stop-trump-hasnt-proved-irs-audit/

Boom: Julia; Karl?

There was a disturbance in the Atlantic. And it very suddenly developed the attributes to be a named tropical storm, so suddenly we have TS Julia hosing down the East Coast, on land already. That was fast. And, farther out in the Atlantic, a zone of disturbance is reasonably likely, but by no means certain,…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/14/boom-julia-karl/

Everybody Always Gets This Wrong, Even Smart People

This is a great cartoon by Randall Munroe that makes a very important point very effectively. Spread it around, love it, learn from it. Here is an excellent video walkthrough of the cartoon, discussing its value as a communication tool. But do ignore the details of the prehistory because the cartoonist has fallen into the…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/13/everybody-always-gets-this-wrong-even-smart-people/

Science Questions for the Candidates

ScienceDebate.org is an organization that, for years now, has been pushing to get the candidates running for President of the United States to engage in a debate over science policy, just as they debate foreign policy, or economic policy, etc. And, ScienceDebate.org has had some success. Some of the candidates, at the primary level, have…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/13/science-questions-for-the-candidates/

A Science Film Festival in Saint Paul (Get a discount from me!)

Ever been to a CON? Like, ComiCON, or CONvergence? One of the best parts of a CON is the science, often involving panels with interesting science experts, or perhaps even a film or two. Well, Twin Cities denizen Ryan Johnson founded and organized a new thing, which is set up as a film festival, to…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/13/a-science-film-festival-in-saint-paul-get-a-discount-from-me/

Tell The AGU To Do The Right Thing About AGW #ExxonKnew

A while back it became apparent, or should I say, more apparent, that Exxon corporation had been playing a dangerous and unethical game with the science of climate change, and for decades, misled people on the relationship between their fossil fuel related activities, the effects of those activities, and possible solutions. (They’ve known about this…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/13/tell-the-agu-to-do-the-right-thing-about-agw-exxonknew/

The Real Story Behind The Basket of Deplorables

I have to say, first, that when I hear the term “Basket of Deplorables” I think right away of Edward Gorey, for some reason. Do you? Anyway, I’ve seen and hear a lot of whining and bellyaching about this term, and Secretary Clinton’s statement. But most people have only heard the statement, and not the…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/12/the-real-story-behind-the-basket-of-deplorables/

Super Typhoon Meranti Blew Up Fast, Heads For Taiwan, Mainland China

Within a 24 hour time period, Typhoon Meranti cranked up from what we in the US would call a Category 1 storm to a Category 5 storm. Or stronger, if we had more categories. Some time between late Tuesday and mid day Wednesday, the typhoon will have a run at the southern tip of Taiwan.…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/12/super-typhoon-meranti-blew-up-fast-heads-for-taiwan-mainland-china/

An Affordable Android and Windows 2-in-1 Tablet

I’ve been testing out the Teclast Tbook 16 Pro 2 in 1 Tablet PC. I think the emerging term for this kind of device is “2 in 1” because if configured one way it is a small notebook computer, configured the other way, it is a standard tablet. First, a bit of philosophy. When Apple…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/12/an-affordable-android-and-windows-2-in-1-tablet/

23,000 Dead In The US Per Year

Ever year about 23,000 people die of infections from antibiotic resistant bacterial. Here is a film of bacteria evolving from regular old bacteria into killer superbugs. On a coffee table size Pretoria dish. You can get the story at NPR, where you will learn that “Getting more people to understand how quickly bacteria evolve antibiotic…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/11/23000-dead-in-the-us-per-year/

How to make a hand crank flashlight

This looks like a fun project. I think it works so well, or at least, seams to in the video because LEDs are so damn efficient. I would make it somewhat differently, but this is good. For one thing, I’d probably make it out of an LED flashlight, swapping out the batteries for a motor.

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/11/how-to-make-a-hand-crank-flashlight/

Generation 9/11. History will be embarrassed by us.

This is a piece I wrote in 2011, on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. (Originally posted here.) I believe that the sauntering I refer to has diminished. But instead of sauntering, our local and county police departments seem to have taken up a different hobby: Shooting unarmed people of color. I think the…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/11/generation-911-history-will-be-embarrassed-by-us/

What did Neil Armstrong Actually Say On The Moon?

In linguistic communication, a pattern generally emerges whereby the speaker or the listener (but not both) work extra hard to make the communication happens. This work (or lack thereof) consists of enunciation, use of contractions, various other things. You know about this because you make such adjustments all the time. When speaking to a child,…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/10/what-did-neil-armstrong-actually-say-on-the-moon/

Do we see Ian?

The Atlantic Ocean is certainly having a special day today, with three, count ’em, three areas of disturbance spread across a huge area: The one on the right has a very high probability of turning into something real, perhaps eventually to be a named storm, some time over the next few days. It is way…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/10/do-we-see-ian/

How The Press Created FrankenTrump and Ruined Civilization

Why is America the Greatest Country in the World? Diversity and opportunity. And freedom. Lots of freedom, freedom is great. I can tell you, I know freedom and I know we have lots of it, more than any other country. And diversity, we’ve almost got that under control too. But seriously … If you are…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/10/how-the-press-created-frankentrump-and-ruined-civilization/

Today is Lock Up Your Gun Day

Not really. But it is World Suicide Prevention Day. And, one way YOU can help prevent suicides is by keeping your gun locked up, separate from the ammo, and keeping the ammo locked up as well. Why? Here’s why: Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among teens and young adults and the 10th…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/10/today-is-lock-up-your-gun-day/

OpenOffice May Close The Door

The history of what we call “OpenOffice” is complex and confusing. It started as a project of Sun corporation, to develop an office suit that was not Microsoft Office, to use internally. Later, a version became more generally available known as Star Office, but also, a version called “OpenOffice” soon became available as well. The…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/10/openoffice-may-close-the-door/

Amazon FreeTime Unlimited Review

Amazon FreeTime Unlimited is a subscription service that covers children. I normally avoid subscription services of any kind. But, I have a six year old, and suddenly it made sense. Huxley is very tech savvy for a newly minted first grader. Last night I was reviewing a new tablet that had multiple operating systems on…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/07/amazon-freetime-unlimited-review/

Phyllis Schlafly Is Dead

You may have heard the name, you may have an idea of who she was. This recent item on the Rachel Maddow show (long, but worth every second) puts her in context. Watch it: Schlafly was one of the key architects of the modern right wing movement. She is one of the worst people in…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/05/phyllis-schlafly-is-dead/

Happy Labor Day. Who’s Not Doing Their Job?

Laborers generally do their jobs, because if they don’t they get fired. But there are entire professions where people are not doing their jobs and the rest of us suffer. Jacob Wetterling was abducted and murdered two and a half decades ago. The guy who did it was known to the cops then, and he…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/05/happy-labor-day-whos-not-doing-their-job/

The Guts Of Mythbusters All Over!

What I mean by that is that the real guts of the defunct TV show Mythbusters, Kari Byron, Tory Belleci and Grant Imahara, are all over this new thing they are doing for Netflix! Apparently this is a thing: Network TV shows almost all die a certain kind of death. They get more and more…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/03/the-guts-of-mythbusters-all-over/

Electronics for Kids: Great new book for kids and their adults

The simplest project in the new book Electronics for Kids: Play with Simple Circuits and Experiment with Electricity! by Øyvind Nydal Dahl is the one where you lean a small light bulb against the two terminals of a nine volt battery in order to make the light bulb turn on. The most complicated projects are…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/03/electronics-for-kids-great-new-book-for-kids-and-their-adults/

The New Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Exploding Smart Phone

Not many of them, but so far at least 35. Here’s what it looks like after the fact: As you may know, I’m not a big fan of Samsung smart phones. The version of the operating system they put on your phone takes a HUGE AMOUNT of your storage space, so you are left with…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/03/samsung-galaxy-note-7-phone-catch-fire/

The Changing Climate of Atlantic Storms and How The Are Reported

Hurricanes are well defined systems with characteristics that quite literally set them apart from other storms. Large storms such as Nor’Easters are sometimes less well defined and interact more with major troughs, the jet streams, etc. We have come to understand Hurricanes as the worst case scenario, while other storms are less dangerous. But sometimes,…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/03/the-changing-climate-of-atlantic-storms-and-how-the-are-reported/

Warning: Hermine Might Get Mean

Hermine was bad enough for florida, though of course, nothing like a Major Hurricane. But, the downgraded storm may not be done with us yet. There is a very good chance that Hermine will reform into a hurricane, or at least something that we’ll call a hurricane because it will look like a hurricane, blow…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/03/warning-hermine-might-get-mean/

Tiny Lego Wonders: Art you can make and break

I remember watching, decades ago, a short film with Picasso. There was a glass wall that you could not see, and Picasso was standing behind it, dressed like a French Artist and holding painting equipment. He then proceeded to draw lines on the glass. Each line had a particular orientation and shape. He put just…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/02/tiny-lego-wonders-art-you-can-make-and-break/

Trump Doubles Down on Immigration; Promises Tacos for Everyone

I was half expecting Trump to soften on immigration. The logic of that? His main supporters, who hate all immigrants and are a bunch of racist slobs will vote for Trump no matter what he says because the are morons. But, the fence sitters, the amoral “Good Republicans” who would vote for him because they…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/02/trump-doubles-down-on-immigration-promises-tacos-for-everyone/

The Wall Street Journal Is A Rag

But I’m sure you already knew that. The Wall Street Journal is so far behind the curve when it comes to the science of climate change, and so deep in the pockets of the oil industry, that the following is now true: If you are in business or industry, and want to keep track of…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/01/the-wall-street-journal-is-a-rag/

Atlantic’s Hermine Is A Big Deal

For a while there it looked like the Atlantic might develop up to four simultaneous named storms, but that has not worked out. One of the storms will never get a name, one of the disturbances now looks like it may never be a storm. Gaston continues to chug away towards the Azores. But one…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2016/09/01/atlantics-hermine-is-a-big-deal/