A couple of springs ago we started hearing strange sounds at night. Something like a rusty nail being slowly drawn from an old board, somewhere near our bedroom window. Spooky and unnerving. It would pass, but in a few hours we might hear it again.
As the days passed it got louder; we could feel the vibrations shake the house. Pretty freaky.
We started staying up to catch the noisemaker.
One night we spied a 'possum squeezing out from under our wooden porch. There was a gap between the concrete and the porch of less than two inches; we watched the whole structure move up and down as she slowly, painfully worked her way out.
Mystery solved but we were still curious so one morning I pried up one of the steps and there was Mama and her babies staring up at us with that frozen death rictus grin they use in extremis.
We burst out laughing and nailed the step back on.
Oh, and Mama had a open red gash on her back from wiggling in and out from her den. I had to admire such devotion to her litter, but after she vacated the premises we filled in the gap with a board and haven't heard from her or her kin since.
19 October 2010
03 May 2010
Coat and pants
A dim don did moan in his rue
and cursed the clergy, Earth's haters
"They gave me just one B. S. clu:
when I've passed Ed's asp this game craters."
and cursed the clergy, Earth's haters
"They gave me just one B. S. clu:
when I've passed Ed's asp this game craters."
21 June 2009
Think I'll Have One Now
Mix in a microwave safe cup 3 tablespoons of a good dutch cocoa, 3 tablespoons of sugar (table or superfine) and a pinch of salt. Stir in a little water; you're looking for about a 30 weight consistency.
Nuke for 25 to 35 seconds on high!
Add a splash of vanilla extract and you have a quick and dirty ice cream sauce for two, or heat it up with a cup of milk for a nice, rich hot cocoa for one.
Nuke for 25 to 35 seconds on high!
Add a splash of vanilla extract and you have a quick and dirty ice cream sauce for two, or heat it up with a cup of milk for a nice, rich hot cocoa for one.
27 March 2009
Give me an F
It seems that any fool can write about evolution as I shall demonstrate:
Consider an entity that makes copies of itself.
Do we now have a population of identical replicators?
Some copies, of course, may meet the complex environment and quickly bite the dust. Some may escape damage and some may be altered. There may be incorrect copies.
The majority of the population may well be identical to the the parent but as waves of copies bounce against the world and are perhaps changed errors may survive and reproduce.
Assuming fairly constant circumstances the original parent and it's clones will churn out product over time with an average reproductive success rate of F, which stands for fitness. Higher F values mean more descendants.
Any variant can only have a value for F that is smaller, larger or the same as the parent.
When altered copies have a nonzero success rate then we should expect the population over time to be dominated by high F variants. This allows for a larger pool of possible variation.
A change in circumstances may favor a low F variant; smaller pools with fewer varieties may not survive a new environment at all.
An inconstant world drives a population with differing strategies.
Consider an entity that makes copies of itself.
Do we now have a population of identical replicators?
Some copies, of course, may meet the complex environment and quickly bite the dust. Some may escape damage and some may be altered. There may be incorrect copies.
The majority of the population may well be identical to the the parent but as waves of copies bounce against the world and are perhaps changed errors may survive and reproduce.
Assuming fairly constant circumstances the original parent and it's clones will churn out product over time with an average reproductive success rate of F, which stands for fitness. Higher F values mean more descendants.
Any variant can only have a value for F that is smaller, larger or the same as the parent.
When altered copies have a nonzero success rate then we should expect the population over time to be dominated by high F variants. This allows for a larger pool of possible variation.
A change in circumstances may favor a low F variant; smaller pools with fewer varieties may not survive a new environment at all.
An inconstant world drives a population with differing strategies.
26 December 2008
Catastrophic Seedballs!
Occasionally, every X million years or so, the Earth is slammed by a extraordinarily large and fast comet or asteroid. The land shakes violently, tsunamis scour the coasts, falling debris heats the air and pummels the ground. The resulting dust storms will likely induce an ice age.
For perhaps hours or days the temperature of the atmosphere is raised in some places as high as that of boiling water, followed by several years of freezing dark. A majority of species, and most life will die.
Can we do anything? Consider the aftermath. Any surviving animals, be they insects, chipmunks or people, that crawl out of the ice will face a bare and chilly world without food or shelter. Encouraging quick plant growth should be our main concern.
I'll concentrate on a way to preserve seeds through this period to establish a new ecosystem as soon as possible.
As an idea, imagine an amalgam of manure and straw, in the form of a ball, with the seeds mixed in (feel free to imagine other possible compositions). Dip it in some insulating foam to allow it to survive the heat and cold, spread them far and wide and wait for things to warm up again. They should be designed to disintegrate when wet, allowing the seeds to sprout and grow, yet not fall apart prematurely.
One way to test seedballs is to make differing batches, bake them in a oven for a day and store them for a year or more in a freezer. Set them out on some soggy, ash choked piece of ground and see what happens.
The first generations of seedballs won't work very well. Assembling something that can protect seeds for so long at such temperatures is probably difficut. No seeds, or at most a very small percentage will live to germinate.
Several generations of testing may be necessary before a combination of materials and seeds can be found that has a chance of success.
However, even a poor seedball could be viable with some cover. Bury them under a little soil or toss them in a lake and they might survive post-impact conditions quite well.
Of course, the ideal is a seedball that is inexpensive to make and easy to distribute. If they can be frozen for years, so much the better. Take them out when needed. They could also be spread around at any time, as they are made, even if no particular threat loom. If they germinate, no big deal. If disaster strikes unexpectedly, we are that much better prepared.
Imagine a time when we do not have a significant space presence but we detect the inevitable comet en-route to a meeting with our vulnerable planet. We may have years to prepare, or we may have only days. There is no chance of diverting catastrophe, only, perhaps, one of easing the aftermath.
The cost of preparation can be relatively cheap. Of course, grant money can be sent to various universities to investigate seedballs and other possible interventions and it may be a good investment. However, I think an X Prize might be a more efficient spur. After all, the research seems to be fairly inexpensive; seeds and soil, ovens and freezers; nothing very high tech. Anyone can play and the prize need only be paid out for success.
A few million dollars spread out over several decades might be money well spent. The end of the world will be a much more expensive proposition.
For perhaps hours or days the temperature of the atmosphere is raised in some places as high as that of boiling water, followed by several years of freezing dark. A majority of species, and most life will die.
Can we do anything? Consider the aftermath. Any surviving animals, be they insects, chipmunks or people, that crawl out of the ice will face a bare and chilly world without food or shelter. Encouraging quick plant growth should be our main concern.
I'll concentrate on a way to preserve seeds through this period to establish a new ecosystem as soon as possible.
As an idea, imagine an amalgam of manure and straw, in the form of a ball, with the seeds mixed in (feel free to imagine other possible compositions). Dip it in some insulating foam to allow it to survive the heat and cold, spread them far and wide and wait for things to warm up again. They should be designed to disintegrate when wet, allowing the seeds to sprout and grow, yet not fall apart prematurely.
One way to test seedballs is to make differing batches, bake them in a oven for a day and store them for a year or more in a freezer. Set them out on some soggy, ash choked piece of ground and see what happens.
The first generations of seedballs won't work very well. Assembling something that can protect seeds for so long at such temperatures is probably difficut. No seeds, or at most a very small percentage will live to germinate.
Several generations of testing may be necessary before a combination of materials and seeds can be found that has a chance of success.
However, even a poor seedball could be viable with some cover. Bury them under a little soil or toss them in a lake and they might survive post-impact conditions quite well.
Of course, the ideal is a seedball that is inexpensive to make and easy to distribute. If they can be frozen for years, so much the better. Take them out when needed. They could also be spread around at any time, as they are made, even if no particular threat loom. If they germinate, no big deal. If disaster strikes unexpectedly, we are that much better prepared.
Imagine a time when we do not have a significant space presence but we detect the inevitable comet en-route to a meeting with our vulnerable planet. We may have years to prepare, or we may have only days. There is no chance of diverting catastrophe, only, perhaps, one of easing the aftermath.
The cost of preparation can be relatively cheap. Of course, grant money can be sent to various universities to investigate seedballs and other possible interventions and it may be a good investment. However, I think an X Prize might be a more efficient spur. After all, the research seems to be fairly inexpensive; seeds and soil, ovens and freezers; nothing very high tech. Anyone can play and the prize need only be paid out for success.
A few million dollars spread out over several decades might be money well spent. The end of the world will be a much more expensive proposition.
26 November 2008
Last year's pretty good stuffing
We did this in a crock pot so first we warmed that up. Sandra and
I chopped up two onions, four stalks of celery and a couple teaspoons
of fresh sage and a fistful of parsley.
I put a large frying pan over medium heat and put in about half a
pound of mild bulk sausage and stirred it around. It stuck a bit so I
poured in a little water and that seemed to help.
When the sausage was brown (there was hardly any fat, for some
reason) I lowered the heat to medium low and added the onions and
celery and about half a stick of butter. At this point you should know
that the calorie load has entered triple digits and it will continue
to climb. This mess was sautéed until the onions were somewhat
translucent.
In a large bowl Sandra deposited two bags of unseasoned bread
cubes and I poured the meat and veggies on top. We added the chopped
herbs and maybe two cups of chicken stock, and I think broth would do
just as well. Two well beaten eggs drizzled over everything before
stirring until it all looked uniformly moist and stuffing-like.
This was dumped into the now greased crock pot and patted down a
bit. I think it cooked on High for 45 minutes and on Low for three
hours.
It burned a little on the sides but the middle was pretty good.
I chopped up two onions, four stalks of celery and a couple teaspoons
of fresh sage and a fistful of parsley.
I put a large frying pan over medium heat and put in about half a
pound of mild bulk sausage and stirred it around. It stuck a bit so I
poured in a little water and that seemed to help.
When the sausage was brown (there was hardly any fat, for some
reason) I lowered the heat to medium low and added the onions and
celery and about half a stick of butter. At this point you should know
that the calorie load has entered triple digits and it will continue
to climb. This mess was sautéed until the onions were somewhat
translucent.
In a large bowl Sandra deposited two bags of unseasoned bread
cubes and I poured the meat and veggies on top. We added the chopped
herbs and maybe two cups of chicken stock, and I think broth would do
just as well. Two well beaten eggs drizzled over everything before
stirring until it all looked uniformly moist and stuffing-like.
This was dumped into the now greased crock pot and patted down a
bit. I think it cooked on High for 45 minutes and on Low for three
hours.
It burned a little on the sides but the middle was pretty good.
18 November 2008
Never Forget
Over at Great but Forgotten Chuck Rothman is looking for the author William Johnston. He wrote novelizations and media tie-ins by the dozens but seems to have left few traces.
Mr. Rothman's post stirred up some memories:
Sometimes, usually on a Saturday, when my mother couldn't get a babysitter she would bring us along to the escrow office she ran in a little shopping center somewhat north of Seattle. For lunch money, and to keep out of her hair she hand us each a dollar and we'd go explore. This was in the mid-sixties and a buck was enough to buy her a few hours of peace.
Me and my brother would generally head over to the lunch counter over at the Grocery Boys store at the other end of the mall. A hamburger and fries left me just enough for a 50 cent paperback, or a comic and some candy (my brother, however, was all about the food).
One time I faced the spinner rack and saw a Get Smart! book and my heart stood still. Get Smart! I loved that show. Want it want it want it...
But wait... 60 cents? One full dime more expensive than the books I usually found. A ridiculous price! I couldn't see supporting the publishers in this unwarranted inflation, it might give them ideas. More importantly, I couldn't buy it And a hamburger and fries.
But... I couldn't see walking away from Get Smart, either.
So that day I learned something about budgeting, and bought just a hamburger and Get Smart!
And you know, I've never regretted it, but sometimes I buy extra fries.
Mr. Rothman's post stirred up some memories:
Sometimes, usually on a Saturday, when my mother couldn't get a babysitter she would bring us along to the escrow office she ran in a little shopping center somewhat north of Seattle. For lunch money, and to keep out of her hair she hand us each a dollar and we'd go explore. This was in the mid-sixties and a buck was enough to buy her a few hours of peace.
Me and my brother would generally head over to the lunch counter over at the Grocery Boys store at the other end of the mall. A hamburger and fries left me just enough for a 50 cent paperback, or a comic and some candy (my brother, however, was all about the food).
One time I faced the spinner rack and saw a Get Smart! book and my heart stood still. Get Smart! I loved that show. Want it want it want it...
But wait... 60 cents? One full dime more expensive than the books I usually found. A ridiculous price! I couldn't see supporting the publishers in this unwarranted inflation, it might give them ideas. More importantly, I couldn't buy it And a hamburger and fries.
But... I couldn't see walking away from Get Smart, either.
So that day I learned something about budgeting, and bought just a hamburger and Get Smart!
And you know, I've never regretted it, but sometimes I buy extra fries.
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