really cool stuff

http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2010/05/10

performing miracles in a lake near you

Cool Article About Creating Instead of Consuming

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/04/06/modern-maturity-create-more-consume-less/

Check it out. This is how people can change the world. This site is pretty cool. This may be the art of manliness, but it applies to girls too.

an example of a failed simulation: 15 year skis to north pole

Here's an example of the "failed simulation" idea we were discussing yesterday.

In order to raise awareness for the effects climate change is having on the arctic (unprecedented ice loss, temperature shifts, melting of permafrost and destabilization of homes built upon it, and species dislocation), 15 year old Parker Liautand is about to attempt an expedition to be one of the youngest person to ski the "last degree" to the north pole. Its a 14 day expedition, skiing 110 km across shifting ice, and occasionally requires one to get into an immersion suit and swim across freezing waters).

This sounds like a crazy feat of endurance, and probably makes most people wonder how such a feat is even possible. But the article describes the "deliberate practice" Parker has been doing in order to prepare.

He's been training vigorously in preparation for the trip, working extra hard to add weight to his teenage frame. His strength training has consisted of wearing a 25 pound weighted vest while dragging a weighted sled around a track in his native country of England. And that's a good thing because come March 31, Parker will have only his training and the aid of Doug Stoup to help him on his journey. Parker has very limited experience in this arena, having only been to the North Pole on one other occasion for an eco-tour.

You can read more about the expedition here.

So what is your "last degree adventure"?

Happy Valentine's Day--seeing hearts

Here's a really cool video that shows just how much we are pattern seeking animals. We can find hearts anywhere.

You CAN change the world

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

--Margaret Mead

Boy, 7, raises $240,000 for Haitian Relief.

Animals Sensing Weather

I found two cool articles on animal behaviors and how their senses can help predict weather. Enjoy.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/animals-predict-weather2.htm

http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_1945.shtml

Thursday 1/14/10

On Thursday's class, we opened up by talking about the earthquake in Haiti and we looked at some google earth images of Haiti and how much damage has happened. When I saw all of the little black dots and figured out that each dot was a dead person, I was breathtaken. To know that over 300,000 people died from that earthquake is scary. We could make a change to improve the conditions of that poor country.
We then continued on with our Mythbuster's lab. After working out all of the kinks, they got the two bullets to land so close together, that the naked eye thinks that the bullets hit at the same time. There are variable that effect this experiment, making it impossible to get the bullets that close. One huge variable is that each bullet does not have the exact same amount of gun powder in it. We learned how if two of the same objects fall from the same height, they will reach the ground at the exact same time even if the object is shot out of a gun.