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Shiny Things by Orin Drake | Shiny Things Gallery | Fandom | Final Fantasy | Chocobos
So. Many. Chocobos. And all shiny.
ch0c0b0Aug 27, 2014 16:49
Codename: ch0c0b0. Charlene to her friends. Cybernetically enhanced after... some dramatic thing that happened, Charlene is part machine but still all chocobo. Her wings were replaced with solar panels, her leg enhancements allow her to outrun even the Hardy Daytona, can pick up hundreds of radio stations, and of course she gets WiFi, like, anywhere. She prefers organic oil, by the way.
My second and final Desert Bus for Hope 2014 chocobo! For once, this design was actually greatly simplified. I'd had the concept of "chocoborg" in my head since last year's Desert Bus, and I had every intention to go full-on RoboCop with the body... until I realized maybe that was a little disturbing for a chocobo meant to raise money for charity. So I cut way back, went "mostly organic with enhancements", and now you have a ch0c0b0. The beak is static, but her head, neck, legs, toes, and individual tail feathers are all poseable. While I'd meant all of the "hardware" to be silver, I kind of stopped at leaving some of the gold and copper components "silver frosted" because it looked nice. Artsy reasons.
As for the wings... I'd meant for them to have a much wider range of motion. I even had a demo rigged up, and it worked, and I was all set to use it on the chocobo body, but... then I realized it would be just a little bulkier and a bit more fragile than I was comfortable with. (Maybe next time?) So, alas, the wings are now mostly static, though they can be moved back and forth, and up and down with a gentle hand. The wing materials themselves are flexible, though I'd recommend some delicate handling.
The only metal used here were the screws and a touch of wire, by the way. I had a little fun playing with other materials for a metal look.
She was sold for $600 and I watched the snipe happen while I was eating dinner. Heh.
Miss DianaAug 01, 2014 16:52
Miss Diana is all gussied up and ready for a long drive. A long, long, long drive. Well hey, it's for charity!
My first completed Desert Bus for Hope 2014 chocobo! And wow did that take... some time. In extremely massive hindsight, maybe I should have waited until Desert Bus 10 before making a Desert Bus-themed chocobo, but... Desert Bus 8, ∞, infinity and beyond... uh, there was a reason in there somewhere. Not important.
My initial thought had been another armored chocobo, which I was perfectly prepared to do, and then... well. I wanted to change up the legs a little. Changing up the legs kind of required changing up the body type a touch, which I was perfectly okay with since I'd wanted to incorporate various chocobo types. But then that meant changing up the tail and the head/face a little too, and... well, the body became more advanced, so I thought instead of armor (and accidentally making her look far too much like another chocobo I'd already made; they're each individuals) I would just go ahead and make her a little hat. Which was a production in itself, but the Desert Bus for Hope symbol came out decently (and unfortunately looks much better in person) and the hat worked out. I knew that I wanted her to have a sash of some kind, so I just decided to bead one so that I could add an optional expanding section to turn it into either a choker or a double-wrap bracelet for whoever's lucky enough to wind up with this little lady for a companion. Then came the little tail decoration. Because... I'm me and she needed more sparkly.
The result: a fully poseable bus driving chocobo! Her bottom jaw, crest, head, neck, legs, toes, wings and each individual tail feather are all individually wired. And she's just so stylish, too.
She was ultimately sold for $1,300. I'm still recovering.
Ewan's shy. Really he is. It's just that when he gets the opportunity to shine, he turns out to be a charisma bomb. He'll play just about any game quietly, but give him a chance at something action-y and he'll be making the kind of moves and commentary that'll have a whole room enamored and laughing. Well, if you can understand chocobo, that is.
To say that I "went a little overboard" may be an understatement. I think I rocketed straight to the sea floor only to rip through the molten heart of the planet and emerge on the other side. But, you know, shiny results! So beyond just spending however many days (over a week; I refuse to figure out more) making this poseable chocobo with wired legs, head, neck, wings and tail, I spent several weeks hand-sewing and hand-beading his blanket, headpiece, those two decorative "front flaps" (I r a artist I no wurds), all of the various bands for the saddle, then of course formed the saddle and panel armor from scrap leather, added several layers of iridescent gold pigment, and finished off with a little decorative gold chain with three lovely Swarovski crystals and a couple of tail pieces comprised of glass beads and gorgeously dyed jade. I feel as if I succeeded in... something.
A note on the leather panel armor: it's not so much the weight but the way the weight is carried that makes it necessary to adjust his legs so he's not going to go tumbling forward when the armor is on. The "tail pieces" are actually counter-weights to help alleviate that problem, but adjustment is still necessary. There's a whole bunch of stylish combinations to be achieved from all of these pieces, so of course Ewan's set to be a star in any situation.
Very soon he'll be on his way to join Desert Bus for Hope's lovely crowd of awesome goodies. More on that soon.
Ren is really quite fond of showing off. He's got a bit of a habit of overdoing it sometimes, so what he really needs is a companion who can balance him out with a little "common sense". Of course, this doesn't mean there can't be some mutual showing off. I bet he could out-perform any human on Dance Dance Revolution--if only they made a chocobo-compatible version.
So I was trying something. I wanted the look of my "classic" chocobos with a little more internal structure and... here you have Ren. His legs and toes are wired as usual, but there's extra poseability in his neck/head, tail and wings. He is a touch "bejeweled" as well, with a number of secure glass beads for a touch of sparkle.
Of course the "way more than a touch" of sparkle comes from that parade ensemble he's got there, a beautifully deep midnight blue real silk velvet hand-sewn with an assortment of glass beads and 98 real Swarovski crystals. Ninety-eight. I really wish I hadn't figured that out. Luckily I lost track of how many weeks this took altogether, but my hands are currently trying to scream the answer at me.
Ahem, point being. This guy will be off to Desert Bus for Hope headquarters very soon. More details as the date approaches.
Lady Abigail
Lady Abigail (or just Abby to her friends) is still a little new at this. Oh, she knows how to march, knows every whistle and command, can walk in step or run ahead and around. It's the whole armor thing that she has yet to get used to. Her handler thought it might be a good idea to get her started with something custom-made, something unique and personal. Hey, even chocobos like to feel special.
I'd been thinking about making a fully-wired, completely poseable chocobo for some time now. I just hadn't actually given in to such insane ideas until now. The reception to my Desert Bus chocobos was just so good that I felt I should really push myself and rise to the ridiculously complicated challenge. But I'm glad I did! The result is lovely Abby with a wired beak, head and neck, legs, toes, wings (all of her primary feathers are also wired) and tail. And she has claws! I've been wanting to put claws on a chocobo for years!
And then, after all that, I decided she needed armor. (Because I'm kind of unsmart.) So... I went right for some scrap leather I've had for years and started cutting. Well that was a learning experience, but seeing as how the result makes me extremely happy, it was worth the work. Stylized forget-me-nots are the flowers that grace Abby's armor, and once I figured out how to firmly secure rhinestones to leather, I couldn't resist having some "flower buds" on her helmet/mask. Both pieces of armor attach easily with little handmade hook and eye findings and chain, and it's really easier than it looks.
She also needed that lovely blue velvet blanket. Yes, real silk velvet. Yes, it attracts light colored fuzzies like crazy, but it's SO SOFT and shimmery and yes.
And of course she's my chocobo, so she needed a touch of bling. I beaded her a couple of wired "anklets" and then decided her wings needed a little sparkle, so I made her some "wingbands" too. She seems to like them.
Abby's a big girl. In her "natural" pose, she stands 12 inches high to the very top of her crest. With her tail up, she's 6 inches from her chest to her tail, but with her tail extended out that measurement jumps to just over 10 inches. Fully extended, her wingspan is 15.5 inches. She can quite solidly support a Square-Enix action figure bareback, and can easily support the lighter ones with full armor on.
She's playful, sweet and loves her greens. But she won't turn down a slice of cheesecake. Just so you know.
(For Sale)
RPGs. All day, every day. She can cast magic with her eyes closed, level up a character with one foot while having a snack with the other, plus a casual conversation. EXP is the spice of life, but it's how you use it that really matters.
Estelle is the third and final chocobo made specifically for Desert Bus for Hope's charity auction. If you're interested in getting this gal for yourself or checking out the rest of the handmade geekery up for auction, please check in with Desert Bus for Hope on November 17. If at all possible, there will be previews available the week before.
Standing at 9.5 inches in height to the very top of her crest (just over 5 inches from chest to tail, and 3.5 inches at her widest point) she's a little bigger than my standard adult chocobos. But all rules go out the window with rainbow birds, y'know? Her body is soft and squishy and poseable to a point, made of acrylic yarn and filled with fiberfill. Underneath layers and layers of yarn, her feet are wired for balance and poseability. (And she should be able to hold up relatively light figures just fine, hint hint.) Her eyes are blue fiber optic/"cat's eye" beads that have a really lovely glow that the camera decided it didn't really want to capture. Pft. If not already obvious, this is not a toy for the young'uns. I do hope she'll manage to make a fine gamer's companion, though; especially when you've got a lot of grinding to do. There's nothing wrong with teamwork and trading off.
Fighters, brawlers, racers; Ferdinand is a fan of them all. You wouldn't think six toes and a beak could manage to pull off a dozen special moves in a row, but he's more than happy to prove you wrong. Don't make any bets, okay?
Ferdinand is the second chocobo made specifically for Desert Bus for Hope's charity auction. If you're interested in getting this guy for yourself or checking out the rest of the handmade geekery up for auction, please check in with Desert Bus for Hope on November 17. If at all possible, there will be previews available the week before.
Standing at 10 inches in height to the very top of his crest (5.5 inches from chest to tail, and 3.5 inches at his widest point), he's a little bigger than my standard adult chocobos. But all rules go out the window with rainbow birds, y'know? His body is soft and squishy and poseable to a point, made of acrylic yarn and filled with fiberfill. Underneath layers and layers of yarn, his feet are wired for balance and poseability. (And he should be able to hold up relatively light figures just fine, hint hint.) His eyes are drilled stone beads, though exactly what stone has been driving me a little nuts. They're obviously dyed, regardless. And obviously this is not a toy for the young'uns. I do hope he'll manage to make a fine gamer's companion, though.
This is Nadia. Oh sure, she looks sweet and innocent now, but if you haven't had the experience of watching a chocobo own your posterior playing an FPS with her feet, then you ain't seen nothin'. She likes adventures, too. RPGs. Hack and slash, on certain days. Platformers are a favorite. She'll help you through horror games and wait with you until that one game you've been desperately waiting for finally gets released. But she's not snobbish about digging into the classics, either. Look out for your snacks, though. They may just "disappear".
Nadia is part of my contribution to Desert Bus for Hope; specifically, their always amazing charity auction. If you're interested in getting her for yourself or checking out the rest of the handmade geekery up for auction, please check in with Desert Bus for Hope on November 17. If at all possible, there will be previews available the week before.
Giant chocobos tend to take about 10 full days of work from start to finish, though admittedly I never started counting with her. Can you blame me? She's incredibly soft and huggable, made of super snuggly acrylic yarn and polyfil, with big beautiful aqua glass eyes--so she's not for the young'uns. She sits at a full 16.5 inches to the very top of her crest, is 9 inches from chest to tail, and every so slightly over 8 inches at her widest point. Every single knot made in her creation is a surgeon's knot that's been further reinforced with just a touch of fabric paint medium; a perfectly clear and utterly undetectable way to assure she remains in tip-top shape for those gaming sessions. Or, you know, hugs.
By the way, if you're interested in contributing to the Desert Bus Craft-Along, there's still time before the must-be-physically-at-headquarters deadline, October 12! You can get all the details in this video. Then e-mail Tally, the magnificent Desert Bus for Hope Craft-Along Coordinator, with your proposal! (And please be patient, as she's probably ridiculously busy.)
Speaking as someone who knows a thing or two about "video game therapy", this cause is kind of important to me. And it's fun to watch these poor people be paid to torture themselves with the most boring video game of all time, isn't it? Major plus, in my opinion.
("Nadia" means "hope", by the way. It seemed appropriate. ...But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly influenced by Nadia G. She's my hero.)


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Earlier this week, I wrote in defense of "compassionate conservatism." Since then, I re-read portions of historian Gertrude Himmelfarb's book Poverty and Compassion: The Moral Imagination of the Late Victorians. It is a pioneering study of late Victorian English society, which discovered and attacked poverty with a combination of scientific rigor and moral fervor.
Himmelfarb points out that for the late Victorians, compassion was a moral sentiment, not a political principle – an active sentiment appropriate for genuine misery or sorrow that called for some charitable or benevolent action. The "driving mission" of reformers, philanthropists, and social critics was to "make compassion proportionate to and compatible with the proper ends of social policy." Compassion properly understood was the common denominator behind enterprises like the Charity Organisation Society, the Settlement House movement, and more. "Over and over again," Himmelfarb writes, "contemporaries testified to the extraordinary accession of social consciousness and social conscience in the last decades of the century, and most conspicuously in the 1880s."
She then distinguishes between sentimental and unsentimental compassion. "In its sentimental mode," according to Himmelfarb,
compassion is an exercise in moral indignation, in feeling good rather than doing good; this mode recognizes no principle of proportion, because feeling, unlike reasons, knows no proportion, no limit, no respect for the constrains of policy or prudence. In its unsentimental mode, compassion seeks above all to do good, and this requires a stern sense of proportion, of reason and self-control. The late Victorians … agreed that what was important was to do good to others rather than to feel good themselves. … To be truly humane, genuinely compassionate, was not to be selfless; it was only to be true to one's "best self" and to the "common good" that included one's own good. This was not a heroic goal, not the aspiration of a saint or a martyr. But it was eminently moral and humane.
In her last chapter, Himmelfarb argues that in "rediscovering" poverty, those of us in modern American society have much to learn from the late Victorians. "After making the most arduous attempt to objectify the problem of poverty, to divorce poverty from any moral assumptions and conditions," she writes, "we are learning how inseparable the moral and material dimensions of that problem are. And after trying to devise social policies that are scrupulously neutral and 'value-free,' we are finding these policies fraught with moral implications that have grave material and social consequences."
I raise all this in order to illustrate that compassion is not a "soft" virtue that ought to cause conservatives to roll their eyes, as if it's simply a Trojan Horse for the liberal welfare state. Sometimes it is; but the task of a responsible conservative movement is to rescue the term from those with a collectivist mindset. How to advance unsentimental compassion in 21st century America is a complicated matter; and in the end, it depends most of all on individual hearts being moved to act on behalf of the most vulnerable members of the human community.
There was a time not all that long ago when conservatives focused much of their energies on creative ways to strengthen civil society, alleviate poverty, and assist addicts and unwed mothers in ways that are both principled and compassionate (see this piece by William Schambra in The Chronicle of Philanthropy). The degree to which government can catalyze these efforts isn't always obvious, and we know that government can sometimes do more harm than good. But our obligation to care, to reject indifference and show solidarity with those who find themselves in the shadow of life, is clear enough.
"I am a part of all that I have met," Tennyson wrote. "Some work of noble note, may yet be done … Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world."

subset: commoncrawl


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Quick App: South Park Mobile for iPhone Jailbreak
You really have to love Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park:
blockquote>"We're always in favor of people downloading. It's how a lot of people see the show. And it's never hurt us. We've done nothing but be successful with the show. How could you ever get mad about somebody who wants to see your stuff?"
Well Apple drops the ball yet again with the official South Park app in the App store... and yet again a 3rd party picks up the slack. South Park Mobile is available via Cydia and if you are not jailbroken, check out www.southparkmobile.net on your iPhone. What this app allows you to do is stream full episodes of South Park for your viewing pleasure right on your iPhone. Every single episode, from every single season is available for you to stream. Keep in mind this is not something official from Mr. Stone and Mr. Parker but it's the best we currently have available to us.
*You must be on firmware 2.2+ in order for this Jailbreak App to work.
[Thanks to Jaun for the tip!]
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
Quick App: South Park Mobile for iPhone Jailbreak
Hello everyone! I couldn't help but notice the unique visitor's South Park Mobile is receiving from the iPhone Blog! So I thought I'd drop by and see why! Well, I thank whoever wrote this excellent article. I love the support not only SP Mobile's getting, the it's application available via Cydia.
Thanks again!
@Evan, we here at TiPb are big South Park fans, so your app is much appreciated.
@ kr4sh, your phone probably goes slow when you jailbreak because you install too many memory-heavy applications. Try to refrain from installing everything, just what you need. For example I personally wanted backgrounder but NEEDED winterboard etc therefore compromised. Now my phones speed is just like it hadn't been jailbroken
Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you
I screamed when I saw the news!!!!!!
guys im having trouble runing the app, goes to the screen where all the episodes are ( no seasons) than takes me to bigboss but it wont start the episode it says the site will load in 15 seconds and never does if i click skip this site it tells me that the url cannot be found.... help also if i try to run off safary it says that it cannot download this file what is going onnnn lol i had it on the 2.2.1 jail break and it worked fine but after the 3.0 update it seemed to stop working any ideas???
Everyone go to www.xepisodes.com it sounds like a pornographic website but its a full featured every south park episode for mobile!!!
Hey can someone give me an ipa file cuz my cydia isnt workin
If u dont wanna jqilbreak you could just go to chronictv.org
Hate this website come on allsp it's got all the southpark in hd


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Before kick off, we have created an all purpose PSU Question/Answer to help our members further understand the state of the Penn State Football Program!
Enter the hour-long Q/A session for August at 8:30 p.m. EST by following this link: http://nittanytalk.webs.com/apps/forums/topics/show/12935150-nittany-talk-q-a-discussion-june
In each chat session we will discuss all things Penn State Football for recruiting talk, new Penn State coaching hires, preview analysis, and much more!
This blog was created to retain the values of the Penn State Football Community so that the PSU Pride that was enstilled in me at an early age is not lost.
This is a student managed website, but is not limited by age, and we encourage everyone to participate in the forums and to also apply for writing positions on the blog. All writing positions are UNPAID and solely for the purpose of writing about one's interests in the Nittany Lion Football team.
We ask that you, as our audience, share this page with friends and family, so that we can share the joy that Penn State Football brings with the enirety of the Penn State community. Also, do not forget to like us on Facebook (Nittany Talk), follow us on Twitter (@NittanyTalk), and follow us on Instagram (@NittanyTalk). Thank you and WE ARE!
What a fantastic year for the 2013 Penn State Nittany Lion Football team, it was truly an amazing season to be a fan!
Given the recruiting/scholarship limitations that were dealt to these young men just shows their ability and the program's ability to overcome obstacles of any proportion that get in their way.
The Penn State Football Program means so much to the people we are here at Nittany Talk, and without their perseverance to achieve success this site would not exist! I hope everyone reading this finds the joy in a 7-5 season for the Nittany Lions this year, we all should be Penn State Proud!
As always, WE ARE from the Nittany Talk crew; Rob, Parker, and Christian! (Follow us on Twitter: @NittanyTalk for more PSU Football news during the off-season).
No direct affiliation with The Pennsylvania State University and its football program. Nittany Talk founded in May of 2013.


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Hang tight!
Recipe by Christian Bell
"Quick recipe for a party or sharing. Serve with crackers."
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8 ounces
cream cheese
1 cup
seeded, chopped cucumber
1/2 cup
shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon
dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon
lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon
garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon
This recipe is cool and refreshing. . .great on a summer afternoon. The only thing I did different is I beat the cream cheese, lemon, dill, salt and garlic powder together and then hand mixed in the cucumber and cheese. Its so good and I received many compliments on this dip. Thanks Kyle, you rock!
Nice, mild flavor with this dip. We used it for veggies and bagel thins. I added salt to the peeled cucumber to sweat out the extra water, so that the dip would not get runny. It work. This dip held up nicely for the few days it took us to finish it.
4 Ratings
Wonderful. I loved the recipe just as written, great flavor and super refreshing!
This was pretty good but could use some tweaking with the lack of flavor. Needs a little spice kick. This was much easier to serve as a dip than making individual cucumber sandwiches on rye. I would make this again with some added seasoning.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Kyle's Cucumber Dip
Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 87
Calories from Fat: 74
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This simple dip features all your favorite taco toppings in delicious dip form.


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We've been posting regularly this year about our Content Policy and how to respect copyright in creating your Marketplace items.
Tag copyright
AudioJungle: imitation, pastiches and copying
Recently at Envato, we've been posting about various copyright and intellectual property issues.
Using Photos of People and Celebrities in Items
Many authors use photos of people in their item previews – it's a great way to liven up your preview and make it real to buyers.
Copyright Math: a Ted Talk by Rob Reid
This Ted Talk is regarded as the best short talk at TED 2012 by Ars Technica's Ken Fisher.
What Do I Do If I Am A Victim Of Copyright Infringement?
Do you find copyright a little fuzzy?
Copyright FAQ
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Book your room at Days Inn - College Park
Double Room, 2 Double Beds, SmokingMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children)
Double Room, 2 Double Beds, Non SmokingMax Occupancy: 4 guests (up to 3 children)
Standard Room, 1 King Bed, Non SmokingMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 2 children)
Standard Room, 1 King Bed, SmokingMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 2 children, 2 infants)
Get an overview of this hotelHotel with free breakfast, near University of Maryland-College Park
Situated in the business district, this hotel is within 3 mi (5 km) of Comcast Center, University of Maryland-College Park, and Byrd Stadium. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and Lake Artemesia are also within 3 mi (5 km).
Hotel Features
This hotel features an outdoor pool, coffee/tea in the lobby, and a 24-hour front desk. Free continental breakfast, free WiFi in public areas, and free self parking are also provided. Other amenities include free newspapers.
Room Amenities
All 68 rooms provide conveniences like refrigerators and microwaves, plus free WiFi and cable TV.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning. Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access. This College Park hotel also offers an outdoor pool, coffee/tea in the lobby, and complimentary newspapers in the lobby. Complimentary self parking is available on site.
- 24-hour front desk
- Coffee/tea in lobby
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Free breakfast
- Free self parking
- Free WiFi
- Number of floors - 3
- Outdoor pool
- Free pool cabanas
- Total number of rooms - 68
Family Friendly Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
- Microwave
- Outdoor pool
- Refrigerator
- Rollaway/extra beds available
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking
Room Amenities
- Access via exterior corridors
- Air conditioning
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Cable TV service
- Climate control
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Daily housekeeping
- Free WiFi
- Hair dryer
- Iron/ironing board (on request)
- Microwave
- Premium TV channels
- Refrigerator
- Rollaway/extra beds available
Where to Eat
Guests are offered a complimentary continental breakfast each morning.
Nearby Things to Do
- Golfing nearby
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Kids stay free! Children under 17 years old stay free when using existing bedding.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available.
- Cribs (infant beds) are available.
Pets allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
Optional extras
- Pet fee: USD 25 per night plus USD 100 one-time cleaning
We should mention
Children 17 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.


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Firefighters in hot water after posting viral Cold Water Challenge
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Friday, June 06, 2014 11:19:12 AM They keep taking away the fun in life. They need us to be robots!
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In the 1980s, he said, he wanted to analyze how tires perform on real pavement—at what angle do they slip out? How do they behave differently on wet roads? To do this, he had to create a machine that allowed the asphalt to move and the bike to stand still. He built a wheel 6 feet in diameter and 2 feet wide, and paved it "like a typical freeway ramp," he says. Then he rigged up a fork that would hold a bicycle wheel against the asphalt with the same pressure a human rider would exert. When he cranked the thing up he could precisely measure the slip-out angle of different tires. He could even simulate rain with a squirt bottle attached above the asphalt wheel. The contraption sounded like a cross between a human-size hamster wheel and one of those Tibetan diagrams of the cosmos. Naturally, I wanted to see it. But Brandt said he didn't have it anymore and gave me a phone number to call.
The number was the home phone of Bud Hoffacker, president of Avocet, who expressed no surprise that I was calling about a 20-year-old, 6-foot wheel of asphalt. "Yes," he confirmed, "we spent several hundred thousand dollars on that."
No, I could not see it, because it was in storage. But Hoffacker summarized some of the lessons of the great asphalt wheel: Bumps and ruts in pavement reduce the slip-out angle of any tire by five to eight degrees, making falls more likely. Metal grates reduce the slip-out angle by half.
And, as it turns out, pavement is not a mere surface, a superficial plane we roll across unchanged. The road alters us—or at least our wheels. Michelin tire designer Mark Ludlow explained to me that road textures and temperatures actually change the molecular organization of the rubber in tires.
Like chewing gum, rubber is viscoelastic—yank it on a cold day when it is hard, and it snaps; pull it slowly on a hot day and it stretches, getting softer and gooier. When tires roll over a road, they are heated by friction, and the rubber vibrates in response to the size and shape of the grains of gravel in the pavement. When all goes well, the rubber in the tire is soft enough to grab the road but hard enough to avoid leaving a black mush of itself behind.
But when a tire starts to slide on pavement, something different happens. "Little rocks agitate the tread block and the rubber itself gets stiffer," says Ludlow. "It starts to bounce over the tops of the rocks instead of draping between them and gripping. That's when you hear the tires squealing. There are also things going on that you don't hear. Maybe a dog hears them. I don't know."
When the first modern bicycle, the non-highwheeler safety, arrived on two fat, air-filled rubber tires in the 1880s, tens of thousands of new cyclists hopped on and pedaled furiously into the middle of a social revolution. The popularity of bicycles began changing the country in ways that hadn't been anticipated. Women abandoned skirts for bloomers, hastening the conflicts that fueled the woman's rights movement; preachers complained that their parishioners were deserting the church to ride through the countryside; pump organ sales fell off, according to Dan McNichol, author of The Roads That Built America, suggesting, perhaps, that pump organists were people who liked pumping rather than people who liked organs. Not the least of the social consequences was that all of these bike riders soon found themselves stuck in rutted, muddy lanes that were sometimes derisively referred to as mud canals. The riders began to agitate for smooth, drained, graded roads. The League of American Wheelmen had 80,000 members by 1896, the year its president, Sterling Elliot, said, "You cannot press the crown of muddy roads on the heads of the laboring wheelman: You shall not crucify him upon a crossroads so rough that a duck could not navigate them in gum boots." He was mocking a campaign speech made by William Jennings Bryan, but it was no joke: Cyclists were developing political clout. A year later, 20,000 cyclists elected the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, according to historian Joe Ward, because he promised to pave Broadway and prevent dust-averse homeowners from sprinkling bike routes with so much water they turned into a "perfect loblolly" of mud.
The demand for rideable roads led to the invention of byways better than cobblestones, which not only clogged with horse manure but also, according to one historical source, caused a "nerve-rasping noise" when horses walked on them. Macadam, made of layers of graded stone, was the road of the moment until the 1900s, when asphalt's rise in popularity really took off. The first successful asphalt in the United States was installed in (where else?) New Jersey in 1870. In 1896, New York City switched from brick and granite to asphalt for new paving, and by the mid 1930s, asphalt was used in more than 4/5 of all highway paving.
In the early days of asphalt, all the gooey tar came from a big, natural asphalt lake in Trinidad. At the top of an extinct volcano, Pitch Lake is 115 acres of sludgy crude oil, which urps to the surface from a reservoir far below. The lake acts as a giant mixer, whirling very dense crude oil together with water and clay to form a hardy glop. The lake provided almost all of the world's asphalt until 1900, when oil refineries began to make the stuff from waste. Maybe in those days asphalt had a more mystical air: The lake also coughed out giant sloth bones, a mastodon tooth and, in 1928, a 4,000-year-old tree, which jutted 10 feet above the surface for a few days before taking itself back to the depths. Likewise, the construction of asphalt roads was hit or miss, more art than science. Many cracked, degenerated quickly, fell apart.
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Gingrich: 'Virtually impossible' Hillary loses nomination
On NBC's Meet the Press, Newt Gingrich said it was 'virtually impossible' Hillary Clinton loses the nomination if she runs for President. MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell and Bloomberg News Chief White House Correspondent Julianna Goldman also weighed in.
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Foursquare Coming to St. Louis this Fall! ... Maybe.
Categories: Twitter
I've been hearing about Foursquare since the South by Southwest Interactive conference last spring where apparently it made a big impression on the attendees. It generated almost as much buzz as Twitter did in 2007. I attended that year and one of the reasons Twitter was so popular then was that it was a quick and easy way to let your friends know where you were and what you were doing at any given time. Which made it a very useful tool to have at a big multi-day, multi-venue event like SXSW.
|crunked badge
What makes Foursquare unique and fun is that it makes your social activities into a game complete with rewards. For instance, if you check into a place on a regular basis you become a "Mayor" of that place. If you do things like go out to bars three or more nights in a row, you'll get a bender badge. Three or more places in one night and you get a crunked badge. Show up somewhere with two or
|Bender badge
You can also create a list of things you would like to do, or things you recommend etc. Of course the natural extension of this creates all kinds of opportunities for businesses to engage with people and create buzz around them and reward loyalty (Mayors happy hour anyone?). Something I'm sure the Foursquare guys are thinking about.
So does this sound like fun? Want to try it out? Have you already downloaded the iPhone app and are ready to go? Hold your horses. The problem with all this is that Foursquare isn't available in St. Louis yet. It initially launched in places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago and Austin. They've since expanded to several other cities including Denver and Detroit. Yes, as Punching Kitty pointed out, Detroit inexplicably ranked higher than St. Louis on the developers priorities.
So I sent Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley an email and asked him when they planned on launching in St. Louis. He emailed me back almost immediately. He said that they were just a two man operation that was a little overwhelmed by the sudden popularity to Foursquare and they were scrambling to hire help to expand. He said that ideally they would like to launch in St. Louis in time for the start of the school year, but it seems more realistic that it won't happen until the end of October or maybe later.
So, maybe we'll get to try Foursquare out by Halloween.
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Pensioner dies in Cheltenham town centre
Posted: February 05, 2013|
AN ELDERLY man died this afternoon in Cheltenham town centre after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Paramedics received a 999 call just before 1pm from a member of the public who said that a man in his seventies was struggling to breathe next to a bus stop in Pittville Street.
While the caller was still on the phone the pensioner went into cardiac arrest.
Paramedics in a rapid response vehicle were on the scene within minutes and tried to save the man's life.
They were joined by an ambulance crew but they were unable to resuscitate the man.
He was pronounced dead at the scene at about 1.30pm.
The man's death is not being treated as suspicious.


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I'm using 11.04 and I want it to remember the last session I use, unity or ubuntu classic, where can I configure it? Thanks.
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Ask Ubuntu is a question and answer site for Ubuntu users and developers. It's 100% free.
After selecting the session at the Login prompt, that option will be the default upon next reboot.


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Here are two clips from Kevin Payne's appearance yesterday on Comcast SportsNet's Washington Post Live. KP speaks mainly on the team's early season struggles...
Part 1:
Part 2:
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Unlocking the Key to Deep Sleep
By Sarah Fenske
Making the Ferguson Commission Matter
By Danny Wicentowski
My Fake Boyfriend Became a Real-Life Crush
By Lindsay Toler
Rep. Jeffrey Pogue Bill Would Ban Unisex Bathrooms
By Danny Wicentowski
Darren Wilson Gives Speech to Nonprofit
By Danny Wicentowski
Angel Stewart and Other Victims of Violence Ask for Mercy
By Jessica Lussenhop
Obama Praises St. Louis' LaunchCode
By Lindsay Toler
By Lindsay Toler
The Root of Evil
Money's the next problem. First, there's not enough. So if the state thinks religion will bring infinite nongovernment resources to these programs and reduce their costs dramatically, they'd better start praying themselves. "Religious communities certainly can do much of 'what works' but cannot provide basic sustenance," notes Harvey, "or manage major redistribution mechanisms in a climate with rapidly increasing income disparity. People need bread as well as communion."
Second, what money does exist could be an occasion for sin. Church-state expert Davis dreads "the temptation to take this money and use it for things that are unauthorized. There are going to be some abuses," he predicts. "You'll see them on 60 Minutes. And it's going to smudge the face of religion."
Rick Rosenfeld, a professor of criminology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, has logged many hours evaluating community programs. "Will funding encourage charlatans?" he asks. "Oh, yeah. Sure. But car manufacturers produce lemons. That's no reason to stop the manufacture of cars." Nor is the inevitable competition any reason to exclude FBOs. When the spigot of funding starts gushing, it does dissolve old incentives to cooperate; you simply "have to be very watchful of trying to develop 'community partnerships' under those conditions.
"I think it's the very expression of religion publicly that bothers a lot of liberals," Rosenfeld says suddenly. "That's too damn bad for them. We are in a society that extols religious freedom, and you can't closet religion. There will be times when, like it or not, you will have to cast your gaze upon somebody else's religious ritual."
Rosenfeld's objection is not the expression of religion but the immaturity of a society that expects it to transform poverty. "We're forever looking for childlike solutions to adult problems," he remarks. "It used to be that we tried to solve all our problems through education, and look what happened to the public schools. Now we have turned the same set of demands onto the faith community. If you stretch the boundaries of an organization too broadly, you begin to erode its central mission."
Silent Rights
In theory, charitable choice protects individuals by guaranteeing their right to an alternative program, if an FBO makes them squirm in their seats. There's just one catch: The federal provision doesn't require states to notify individuals that they have this right.
Since the charitable-choice provision passed, Carl H. Esbeck, the Isabelle Wade and Paul C. Lyda Professor of Law at the University of Missouri-Columbia, has repeatedly recommended inserting certain language into the state's contracts with FBOs. Most significantly, he'd notify individuals that they may not be discriminated against on the basis of religion, a religious belief or refusal to participate in a religious practice. "If you object to a particular provider because of its religious character," his proposal reads, "you may request assignment to a different provider. If you believe your rights have been violated.... "
DFS never bothered. "We have done contracts with religious organizations for years," explains spokesperson Deb Hendricks. "Proselytization has not been an issue, and we don't anticipate that it's an issue here, either." Tom Jones, associate director for welfare reform, stresses that "participants are free to choose any program they wish." Then he admits they only learn of other programs by chance, through "advertisement by the program or word of mouth." What happens if the unthinkable does occur, and someone believes her rights have been violated? "She calls DFS." Calls, in other words, the agency that's already admitted it never won these clients' trust.
Agencies like C-FAR are taking it upon themselves to do the notification. But the state might not want to presume that every agency will make their clients' rights this clear; that no FBO would dream of proselytizing; that the boundaries aren't blurring in a new and challenging way; that clients aren't vulnerable. What happens when a woman's an atheist, or has had an ungodly number of abortions; or just realized she's a lesbian; or hasn't healed from sex abuse by her minister?
Repent and Be Rich
More generically, what happens when poverty is cast as personal sin?
Jeanette Mott Oxford, executive director of the Reform Organization for Welfare, says she's glad to see FBOs play a part: "I think poverty is everybody's business, and we all have to pitch in together to solve it." But? "But many churches assume that poverty is a moral flaw and good welfare reform is about making the person feel ashamed of what they've done wrong. I don't believe we should coerce people with any kind of power over them, even if the power comes from God. Especially if the power comes from God.
"Some are probably doing it well, especially congregations that have poor people in them," she continues. "But they are often charismatic and evangelical, and no wonder -- if you are poor, your life needs a glimpse of heaven. Still, they're often oriented toward personal sin instead of social sin. Toward the next world instead of this one. And toward transformation through miraculous works, instead of the slow grind that's often necessary."
So what do you do, insist they keep their worldview to themselves? That's a violation of their free-speech rights. Monitoring evangelism is like barricading angels: There's just no mechanism for it. Even if you installed a full, unconstitutional surveillance system, hundreds of earnest, innocuous remarks would slip through, full of assumptions about who's good, who's bad, who's saved and how to live. And it's that kind of implicit judgment, arrogance, zeal and presumption -- not good ol' doctrinal argument -- that suffocates a nonbeliever.
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The Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA), the cornerstone legal authority for the provision of health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives, was made permanent when President Obama signed the bill on March 23, 2010, as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The authorization of appropriations for the IHCIA had expired in 2000, and while various versions of the bill were considered by Congress since then, the act now has no expiration date. Read the entire IHS Press Release.
Indian Health Care Improvement Act - 25 U.S. Code Chapter 18 [PDF - 1.6MB]
S. 1790 [PDF - 689KB] As reported by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs was enacted into law, with minor changes, by section 10221 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, H.R. 3590. H.R. 3590 became Public Law No: 111-148 [PDF - 489KB]
Annotated Codification of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, Public Law 94-437 [PDF - 16.3MB] as Amended Through November 1, 2000.


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Changes are not for the better
Posted: October 25, 2012|
I write in response to two points from your latest issue (October 11).
When my father visited me having recently injured himself in a fall, he needed his dressing changed by a health professional every other day.
The walk-in centre did this over the weekend, telling us that my GP surgery would do future changes. However, they couldn't, only being able to offer an appointment with a nurse in several days' time, so we had to go back to the walk-in centre. This service was invaluable, stopping us from clogging up A&E.
When the old rubbish collection was scrapped the first we knew of it was from local TV. The dustman used to walk around the back of the houses, take plastic bags out of the metal bins and there was very little mess. Now that we have to leave refuse out in the street, there is constant spillage, aside from the unsightly bags and boxes obstructing the pavements. I wrote, twice, to B&NES' chief executive to ask why this second rate service had been imposed and why we had not been informed.
There was no response. Local councillors were most helpful and interested in the issue, but proved powerless to influence the edict.
J SYMONDS Marshfield Way Fairfield Park Bath


text: Africa AfricaCanadaLebanon David Trifunov on Mar 31, 2012 @ 2:11 PMMar 31, 2012 @ 2:11 PM PublishedCanadian farmer freed from Lebanese jail after 1 year A Lebanese security man stands guard in front of the Justice Palace in Beirut, where Canadian farmer Henk Tepper spent that last year. Algeria accused Tepper of selling rotten potatoes, and he was arrested on an international Interpol notice.Henk Tepper, the Canadian famer accused of selling rotten potatoes to Algeria, should arrive home today after spending the last year in a Lebanese jail, the National Post reported.The New Brunswick man was expected to land in Ottawa today."The Tepper family is extremely happy to have been informed by the Government of Lebanon that Henk Tepper is no longer being detained in Beirut and is currently on a plane back to Canada," Sen. Pierrette Ringuette said in a press release.Tepper remained in jail because Lebanon doesn't have an extradition agreement with Algeria, where Tepper is still wanted, The Associated Press reported.More from GlobalPost: Algeria defends decision to take in GaddafisLebanese police arrested Tepper during a Canadian agricultural mission there on March 23, 2011, the Canadian Press said. Police arrested him on an Interpol notice.Algerian officials said Tepper forged documents that said the potatoes were fit for human consumption. He faces five years in prison if convicted.Tepper's farm is one of the largest in the Maritimes, and has exported produce to Cuba, Venezuela, Lebanon and Algeria, but has been in receivership since June, CP said.Tepper's lawyers argued the shipment passed all Agriculture Canada inspections before being exported.His family had been worried about Tepper's health, CP said."I hope that we can find a timely solution that will be satisfactory for both our countries and will allow for Mr. Tepper's return to Canada," Canada's minister of state for foreign affairs, Diane Ablonczy, wrote in a letter to the Lebanese government last week. "I welcome your guidance and advice on how to best advance the case of Mr. Tepper."More from GlobalPost: Germany's war on solar


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Posts from "November 2012"
Andrew Visser, Come on Down!
A new study about penguins provides clues about how to lower our heating bills
For a lesson on how to keep our own heating bills low in winter, we look to the penguins of Antarctica.
In a study published earlier this month, mathematicians from the University of California present a new statistical model describing how penguins tightly huddle together for warmth during cold spells. In particular, the researchers detail how penguins strategically design their huddles to maximize protection from strong winds.
These wind-savvy penguins provide a compelling reminder that our own winter comfort also hinges on strategically guarding against cold air and winds. Excessive infiltration of cold outside air through a building's shell is a surefire recipe for high winter energy bills. Air-sealing through caulking and weatherstripping can go a long way in helping to reduce this problem, as can planting windbreaks (trees and bushes that intercept heavy winds from reaching the house) in some cases.
Space heating accounts for an estimated 41% of home energy consumption in the US. There are many opportunities to maximize the winter energy efficiency of our homes and trim our heating bills. To find out more about what we can learn from penguins in this regard, check out the just published study "Modeling Huddling Penguins," in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.
Westward bound: How the US population's gradual migration has lowered home energy usage
Since its inception, the US population has progressively migrated westward. And more recently, thanks to the advent of air conditioning, we've moved southward. These trends, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), have decisively shaped residential energy consumption patterns in recent decades.
The EIA's data release suggests that our geographic shifts have been associated with a relocation toward warmer conditions, which has in turn meant lower demand for energy-intensive home heating. This phenomenon has been an important factor in dampening per capita energy consumption over the past 50 years – even as the average home's square footage has been increasing.
The map below gives a sense of Americans' westward and southward migration over time: in 1790, the country's so-called "mean center of population" was in Maryland; in 2010, it was situated in southern Missouri.
While in 1960, only 31.2% of the U.S. population lived in the warmest states (as defined by a temperature measurement called degree days), this share of the population rose to 43.4% by 2010. On the other hand, the share of the population living in cooler states declined from 59.7% in 1960 to 48.3% in 2010.
The shift toward warmer climates has naturally entailed greater demand for air-conditioning. But because space heating generally requires more energy than space cooling, the total residential energy load from heating and A/C has actually gone down since 1960, as heating needs have decreased relative to cooling needs.
This isn't to say that warmer is necessarily better for the world's energy future. The recent spike in air-conditioning load in the US and internationally—due to a combination of intense summer temperatures and a greater ability of developing-nation households to afford air conditioners—has the potential to put strong upward pressure on residential energy demand in the coming years.


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First there is the adventure tale in Australia's Southern Ocean, sailing where even few Australian cruising sailors go, then there is the companion practical book, the result of a lifetime of sailing. Here are two new books from the authors of 'Two's a Crew', Jack and Jude Binder.
Jack and Jude Binder photograph of the west coast of Tasmania on a calm misty day
Binder Where Wild Winds Blow
'Where Wild Winds Blow':
If you enjoy sailing stories to remote locations, you're going to enjoy the latest book from the Binders, 'Where Wild Winds Blow.'
Following the Australian coastline where Australian sailors rarely go, Jack and Jude recall the unforgettable highlights of their sea roving life on their rewarding, yet challenging exploration of the Australian islands and coastline exposed to the Southern Ocean.
The story explodes into action when they explore Flinders Island in the Bass Strait. Jack and Jude again do the unexpected by walking forty kilometres along a rainforest railroad to investigate one hundred years of mine pollution along the King River.
Exposing environmental disasters to help Earth will always be a major focus, but it's back to action and drama when they take on the unique Great Australian Bight. And again when they fight for their lives sailing back across the Great Southern Ocean.
Inside Where Wild Winds Blow, Earth's earliest explorers share their perspective on places encountered on Jack and Jude's journey.
Binder route
And similar to Sir Francis Chichester, one of their heroes, Jack and Jude bare their fears and intimacies.
A$23.95, including postage anywhere in the world.
Jack Binder, a master mariner and ship's engineer, homebuilt Banyandah with his wife Judith. Launched in Sydney, Australia in 1973, a year later, with two infant sons, they embarked on a magical life encircling Earth in ever-increasing circles taking sixteen years to visit more than eighties countries.
Fast forward to 2007. After decades of landed life as boat builders and gathering grandchildren, Jack and Jude, by now married forty years, circumnavigate Australia aboard that very same craft.
Once back on dry land they write their first inspirational book, 'Two's a Crew' detailing their adventurous journey.
'Practical Boat Bits and Tips', by Jude Binder:
Binder Practical Boat Bits and Tips
Back in 1970, when the couple first began building Banyandah, they discovered that finding good ideas and ways to do boatie things was more difficult than actually doing the work. 'If we could see it, we could build it' says Jude today, and one book that they treasured was Alan Lucas's 'Just Cruising'.
A lot of miles have slipped past since launching Banyandah in 1973. they honed their skills until they were competent enough to build vessels for others and be paid handsomely for their labours. For two decades they built quality cabinetry with smart joinery and lovely clear finishes.
Jude has been documenting the many very workable features of Banyandah and she has worked diligently to bring them to you in this very readable book.
In 'Practical Boat Bits and Tips' you'll find the ideas are the simplest and best, illustrated with plenty of photographs and diagrams. A$19.95 including postage anywhere in the world.
To learn more, or purchase any of these books, simply http://jackandjude.com/books/!click_here.


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If the game freezes, just click inside it (games can get unresponsive if you click elsewhere on the page).
Today, here we still have the sequel of the popular 3D game where you run around the country with animals, earn points and try to survive as long as possible. In the first sequel you lived in the woods and you could be transformed into a wolf, deer and the like. This time we move on the African savannah, where you can expect wild animals, crocodiles, baboons and other exotic creatures.


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This is the first module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Activities are self-directed by students or student teams using online videos and data from the SDO satellite to explore, research and build knowledge about... (View More) features of the Sun. Students build vocabulary, apply or demonstrate learning through real world connections, and creating resources to use in their investigations. Each activity comes with both a teacher and student guide with sequential instructions and embedded links to the needed videos and internet resources. Activity 1A: Structure of the Earth's Star takes students through the features and function of the Sun's structures using online videos, completing a "Sun Primer" data sheet using information from the videos, and creating a 3D origami model of the Sun. Students use a KWL chart to track what they have learned. Activity 1B: Observing the Sun has students capture real solar images from SDO data to find and record sunspots and track their movement across the surface of the Sun. Activity 1C has students create a pin-hole camera to use in calculating the actual diameter of the Sun, and then calculate scales to create a Earth-Sun scale model. Students reflect on their learning and results at the end of the module. An internet connection and access to computers are needed to complete this module. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5
This is the second module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Each activity is self-directed by students or student teams and uses online videos, data from the SDO satellite and hands-on activities to explore, research... (View More) and build knowledge about how and why studying the Sun's electromagnetic energy and magnetic fields help scientists better understand the Sun's activity and space weather. Students build knowledge and vocabulary, apply or demonstrate learning through real world connections and create resources to use in investigations. Both a teacher and student guide is included with sequential instructions and embedded links to the needed videos, tutorials and internet resources. In Activity 2A: The Sun and the EM Spectrum students learn how SDO uses key parts of the Sun's electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) to research regions of the Sun, create an interactive foldable to describe the different wavebands of the EMS, then use real-time SDO image data and the Helioviewer online tool to explore the Sun's regional activity. Tutorials for using Helioviewer and making the EMS foldable are included. Activity 2B: Solar activity and Magnetism has students use information in online videos and slide presentations to demonstrate concepts of magnetism and the relationship between the Sun's variable magnetic fields and sunspots. Activity 3B: Solar Research in Action! Build a Spectroscope has students create a spectroscope to observe the different wavebands of visible light, demonstrate how the Sun emits varying EMS energies, and explain how this information helps scientists understand the composition and activity of both our nearest star, and other stars in the universe. A computer for student-teams and a connection to the Internet are needed to complete this module. (View Less)
This is the third module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Each activity is self-directed by students or student teams and utilizes online videos, data from the SDO satellite and hands-on activities to explore,... (View More) research and build knowledge about how the Sun's varying activity impacts Earth and space weather. Each activity provides opportunities to build knowledge and vocabulary, apply or demonstrate learning through real world connections and create resources to use in investigations. Both a teacher and student guide are included with sequential instructions and embedded links to the needed videos, tutorials and internet resources. In Activity 3A: Sun-Earth Interactions, students gather information from online videos and create a 3D model to demonstrate the relationship to Earth's place in space and the affect of Earth's axial tilt on our seasons, then film a short video explaining the reasons for the seasons. Activity 3B: Space Weather, students use online videos to gather information on what space weather is, and its causes and effects, to create a concept map. They then use real-time real-time SDO data to forecast space weather. Activity 3C: Solar Research in Action! Make a Magnetometer has students view information in online videos about to Earth's magnetosphere and the impacts of space weather, then create a magnetometer to detect and visualize changes in the Earth's magnetic fields to monitor solar storm impacts. A computer for student-teams and access to the internet are needed for this module. (View Less)
This is the fourth and culminating module in the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Project Suite curriculum. Student teams use information and resources from the other three modules in the project suite to create a 3D interactive solar exhibit to... (View More) educate others about the Sun and how SDO informs scientists about the Sun's activity, structures and features, and Earth-Sun interactions. Students then self-evaluate their team's solar exhibit. Both a teacher and student guide are included, as well as tools for students to self-direct and track project process, and record reflections and information. A computer for student-teams and access to the internet are needed for this module. (View Less)
This project engages students in the science and engineering processes used by NASA Astrobiologists as they explore our Solar System and try to answer the compelling question, "Are we Alone?" Students will identify science mission goals and select... (View More) an astrobiologically significant target of interest: Mars, Europa, Enceladus or Titan. Students will then design their mission to this target in search of their chosen biosignature(s). Students will encounter the same considerations and challenges facing NASA scientists and engineers as they search for life in our Solar System. Students will need to balance the return of their science data with engineering limitations such as power, mass and budget. Risk factors play a role and will add to the excitement in this interactive science and engineering activity. Astrobiobound! will help students see how science and systems engineering are integrated to achieve a focused scientific goal. Includes an alignment document for NGSS and Common Core State Standards. (View Less)
This activity focuses on the relationship between science of looking for life and the tools, on vehicles such as the Mars Rover, that make it possible. Learners will create their own models of a Mars rover. They determine what tools would be... (View More) necessary to help them better understand Mars (and something about life on Mars/its habitability). Then they work in teams to complete a design challenge where they incorporate these elements into their models, which must successfully complete a task. Teams may also work together to create a large-scale, lobby-sized version that may be put on display in the library to engage their community. The activity also includes specific tips for effectively engaging girls in STEM. This is activity 6 in Explore: Life on Mars? that was developed specifically for use in libraries. (View Less)
This activity focuses on how the search for life on Mars is portrayed in fiction and videos. Learners will consider depictions of Mars from science fiction books and video clips. As a group, children discuss what they know about Mars and compare... (View More) their ideas with the way Mars and imaginary martians are presented in the science fiction works. They then use what they've learned to create their own Mars Science Fiction "Movie Trailer" Zines. It is recommended that this activity is preceded by two or three of the previous activities in the series so that the children will already have an understanding of what life needs and how Mars compares to Earth. This activity may be extended to serve as a tween and/or teen science fiction book club. It also includes specific tips for effectively engaging girls in STEM. This is activity 7 in Explore: Life on Mars? that was developed specifically for use in libraries. (View Less)
This is a culminating activity for the MMS Mission Educator's Instructional Guide. Learners should complete the four previous activities in the guide before moving to this activity. Learners will choose and complete three activities about the MMS... (View More) mission. Activity formats can include creating videos, composing songs, developing written materials, constructing models, investigating current events, utilizing mathematics to explain concepts, and more. Depending on the project(s) chosen by a student, the project activity may require student access to internet accessible computers. This is lesson five as part of the MMS Mission Educator's Instructional Guide. (View Less)
This investigation is based on the GISP2 H-core data collected in 1992 adjacent to the GISP2 Greenland summit drill site. Students examine the seasonal/annual nitrate record and use information from known volcanic eruptions to date the unique... (View More) signature of the Icelandic volcanoes. Data is also provided for known volcanic eruptions from other latitudes which can be used throughout the activity to date major conductivity spikes to further refine the time locations. Educators can use the investigation as an application of absolute and relative dating activity (a skill taught within many science disciplines). It can also be used as an application of the cryosphere and ice cores, atmospheric chemistry, meteorology and world-wide climate patterns, geophysics involving the polar regions and the Van Allen Radiation Belts, or astronomy and the impact of extraterrestrial materials on planet Earth. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
This is an activity about the Moon's formation, changes over time, gravitational connection to Earth, or influence on our culture and urban legends. Learners share their learning by creating zines: small, self-published magazines inexpensively... (View More) duplicated on standard letter paper and folded into eight-page booklets. This is the concluding activity of Explore! Marvel Moon. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5 per group of students


text:
Duck breeding season in the southern United States typically begins by February, at the same time that legal duck hunting ends. This came as a relief to my neighbor's 9-year-old son whose pet duck had disappeared. He feared it might be flying into a phalanx of shotgun-armed duck hunters. I assured him that we did not allow hunting in our backyard and would let him know if we heard quacking.
His duck was probably answering the call of the wild to look for a mate, and our young neighbor took comfort in learning that it was not likely to get shot. Based on his description of the duck – a green head and yellow bill – I assumed it was a mallard drake that was winging its way north to select a mate before the onset of nesting. That's what most North American ducks do this time of year.
So why does duck hunting season end from the Carolinas, to Alabama, to Louisiana in January instead of February? Perhaps in part because one species of hunted waterfowl, wood ducks, are resident in the Deep South. These ducks begin their own breeding season early in the year, laying eggs as early as mid to late January. Hunting ducks while they are trying to produce new ducks would not be a good wildlife management plan.
Some wood ducks migrate as far north as southern Canada where they nest and spend the summer, but many remain resident throughout the year in the South. Wood ducks are a conservationist success story. The species was nearly wiped out by the early 20th century because of habitat loss and unregulated hunting. Not only were wood ducks hunted for food, as they are today, but the male's plumage, which is one of the most beautiful of all ducks, could be sold commercially.
One of my colleagues, Bobby Kennamer, has handled more wood ducks than anyone else I know of. As a research coordinator at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory over the past 30 years, he has captured wood duck hens and counted more than 48,000 eggs in South Carolina's cypress-gum swamps and wetlands. One goal is to enhance population levels of wood ducks, the only duck that commonly nests in the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain. He accomplishes this through his long-term research, which provides a better understanding of nesting patterns of this highly prized game species. His efforts will bring far-reaching, long-term benefits to wood ducks and, paradoxically, to those who hunt them.
To provide nesting habitat for this game species, conservationists use duck boxes, which are wooden structures with a duck size hole to mimic the tree holes where they lay eggs. Of the more than 3,500 wood duck nests Bobby has checked during his research, he has only found one on the ground. The rest have been in hollow trees or wood duck boxes. He has put out more than 275 wood duck boxes and checked them daily to weekly during nesting season to record the number of birds nesting and eggs laid.
To monitor wood duck nesting success he begins checking the boxes in early January to see if hens have begun to occupy the artificial nest cavities. By early February, the tedious but gratifying egg counting begins. In some habitats, all the boxes have wood ducks nesting in them at some time during a year.
In the southeastern United States, wood ducks lay eggs as early as mid-January and as late as early July. These are the only North American species of duck to commonly have more than one brood of ducklings in a season. The incubation period averages about a month. Thus, young ducklings may leave the nest cavity as early as the first of March or as late as the middle of August.
Our neighbor's former pet duck and most other waterfowl are about to embark on a long trek to get to their summer home. Wood ducks, however, will remain in the South all year round.
Send environmental questions to email@example.com.
Whit Gibbons is an ecologist and environmental educator with the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
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With exuberance in driving cars from past 33 years and having had an opportunity to own and drive Fiat 1100D, Premier Padmini, Ambassador Mark II,III&IV, Maruti 800, Maruti OMNI, Maruti Esteem, Maruti
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