As noted earlier, I found a piece of IPE. It was suggested that I make a longbow. Since the IPE has lots of wiggles, I think it might not do for a selfbow but would need to go into a laminated one. Now the problem...what to laminate it with. I have no ash and no white oak or hickory. What other wood
Montana Senator Max Baucus slobbering Drunk on the Senate floor
Slurring, Stumbling, and clearly Snockered
From the Editor: This video is making the rounds of the Rightosphere, ironically brought to us from TPM at the Leftosphere. We here at Libertarian Republican have given a great deal of coverage to the Max Baucus Sex Scandal, involving the appointment of his Mistress to a top position at Eric Holder's Attorney General's office. In fact, you could say we've been leading the media/blogosphere on the story.
With that background in mind, we believe it prudent to bring to you this Video. Perhaps all the pressure has gotten to the good Senator from Montana? Or maybe, he just forgot to sleep it off on his Senate office couch after the Dem Caucus Christmas Party?
Note: At exactly 3:25 Baucus gets especially beligerant, and sluring.
Champion
Good day Guys!
Who can help? My question is about NMR (Non Material Requirement). What it covers. What are the types of NMRs. What are the limits of each type. Where is it used. Is that all big organizations use same type of NMRs or are diffierent and their own designed. Of course I know that i
Anniversary of a cosmic blast | Bad Astronomy
Five years ago today — on December 27, 2004 — the Earth was attacked by a cosmic blast.
The scale of this onslaught is nearly impossible to exaggerate. The flood of gamma and X-rays that washed over the Earth was detected by several satellites designed to observe the high-energy skies. RHESSI, which observes the Sun, saw this blast. INTEGRAL, used to look for gamma rays from monster black holes, saw this blast. The newly-launched Swift satellite, built to detect gamma-ray bursts from across the Universe, not only saw this blast, but its detectors were completely saturated by the assault of energy… even though Swift wasn’t pointed anywhere near the direction of the burst! In other words, this flood of photons saturated Swift even though they had to pass through the walls of the satellite itself first!
It gets worse. This enormous wave of fierce energy was so powerful it actually partially ionized the Earth’s upper atmosphere, and it made the Earth’s magnetic field ring like a bell. Several satellites were actually blinded by the event.
So what was this thing? What could do this kind of damage?
Astronomers discovered quickly just what this was, though when they figured it out they could scarcely believe it. On that day, half a decade ago, the wrath of the magnetar SGR 1806-20 was visited upon the Earth.
Magnetars are neutron stars, the incredibly dense remnants of a supernovae explosions. They can have masses up to twice that of the Sun, but are so compact they may be less than 20 kilometers (12 miles) across. A single cubic centimeter of neutron star material would have a mass of 1014 grams: 100 million tons. That’s very roughly the combined mass of every single car on the United States, squeezed down into the size of a sugar cube. The surface gravity of a neutron star is therefore unimaginably strong, tens or even hundreds of billion times that of the Earth.
What makes a neutron star a magnetar is its magnetic field: it may be a quadrillion (1015) times stronger than that of the Earth! That makes the magnetic field of a magnetar as big a player as the gravity. In a magnetar, the magnetic field and the crust of the star are coupled together so strongly that a change in one affects the other drastically. What happened that fateful day on SGR 1806-20 was most likely a star quake, a crack in the crust. This shook the magnetic field of the star violently, and caused an eruption of energy.
The sheer amount energy generated is difficult to comprehend. Although the crust probably shifted by only a centimeter, the incredible density and gravity made that a violent event well beyond anything we mere humans have experienced. The quake itself would have registered as 32 on the Richter scale — mind you, the largest earthquake ever recorded was about 9 on that scale, and it’s a logarithmic scale. The blast of energy surged away from the magnetar, out into the galaxy. In just 200 milliseconds — a fifth of a second — the eruption gave off as much energy as the Sun does in a quarter of a million years.
A fireball of matter erupted out of the star at nearly a third the speed of light, and the energy from the explosion moved — of course — at the speed of light itself. This hellish wave of energy expanded, eventually sweeping over the Earth and causing all the events described above.
Oh, and did I mention this magnetar is 50,000 light years away? No? That’s 500 quadrillion kilometers (300 quadrillion miles) away, about halfway across the freaking Milky Way galaxy itself!
And yet, even at that mind-crushing distance, it fried satellites and physically affected the Earth. It was so bright some satellites actually saw it reflected off the surface of the Moon! I’ll note that a supernova, the explosion of an entire star, has a hard time producing any physical effect on the Earth if it’s farther away than, say, 100 light years. Even a gamma-ray burst — an event so horrific it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up just thinking about it — can only do any damage if it’s closer than 8000 light years or so. GRBs may not even be possible in our galaxy (they were common when the Universe was young, but not so much any more), which means that, for my money, magnetars may be the most dangerous beasties in the galaxy (though still unlikely to really put the hurt on us; see below).
Here’s what Swift detected at the moment of the burst:
As Swift scientist David Palmer describes:
This is the light curve that [Swift's Burst Alert Telescope] saw, showing how many gamma rays it counted in each sixteenth of a second during six minutes of observation. I didn’t draw the main spike because it was 10,000 times as bright as the tail emission, and you would need a monitor a thousand feet tall to look at it.
The blast was so strong Swift saturated, counting 2.5 million photons per second slamming into it, well off the top of that graph (and the actual blast was far brighter yet, as other satellites were able to determine).
See the pulsations in the plot? After the initial burst, which lasted only a fraction of a second, pulses of energy were seen from the magnetar for minutes afterward. The pulses occurred every 7.56 seconds, and that’s understood to be the rotation period of the neutron star. The crack in the crust got infernally hot, and we saw a pulse of light from it every time it spun into view. This same pulsing was seen by other satellites as well.
The damage from the explosion was actually rather minimal here on Earth. But that’s because SGR 1806-20 is 50,000 light years away. Had it been one-tenth that distance, the effects would have been 100 times stronger. We’d have lost satellites at least, and it would have caused billions of dollars in damage in NASA hardware alone. Of the dozen or so known magnetars, none is that close (though a couple are about 7000 light years away). Magnetars aren’t easy to hide, but it’s possible there are some within 5000 light years. It’s unlikely, though, and I’m not personally all that concerned.
I do have one thing to add: when this event occurred, I got an email from someone convinced that the magnetar was responsible for the earthquake in Indonesia that created the devastating tsunami that killed more than 250,000 people. However, there is one small problem with that idea. Well, two problems, really, the first being there’s no physical way it could have triggered an earthquake! But a worse problem is that the earthquake occurred on December 26th at 00:58 UT, and the burst from the magnetar was at December 27 at 21:30:26 UT, about 1.5 days later. Oops.
But why let facts get in the way of a good pseudoscientific theory?
The tantrum from SGR 1806-20 is one of the best studied events of its kind, and is certainly the most powerful ever detected in the modern era. Astronomers will be studying the magnetar, and others like it, very carefully to see what can be learned from them. If you want to read more, then I suggest the NASA page about the event, as well as the Sky and Telescope magazine page on it, too.
And if another blast like that one comes from SGR 1806, or any other magnetar, don’t worry: I’ll report it right here. Unless it fries my computer. Or just my brain, reading about it.
Image credits: NASA
The Vile History of Gift Cards and How They Came to Destroy Christmas [Gift Cards]
Gift cards have ruined Christmas. An utterly depressing fact: They're the most popular present in the United States. Did you know Blockbuster is responsible for the modern gift card?
The Big Money's history of gift cards is a fascinating timeline of how they spread like a virus, infecting every gift-giving tradition we hold dear: Neiman Marcus actually was the first to sell gift cards, in 1994, but because the retailer didn't quite understand their potential, the cards were kept out of sight and sold only as a novelty item. Blockbuster was the first to display them, starting in 1995, which was the true beginning of the gift card revolution.
Starbucks was the next major innovator, in 2001, with gift cards that worked more than once, so you'd have to keep going back. (Today, one out of seven purchases is made with a gift card at Starbucks in the US.) Which brings us to the present, with gimmick cards like Best Buy's tiny speaker or Target's little camera, or purely electronic ones, like for Steam and Amazon.
Did your Christmas feel more empty and hollow this year? Did you give or receive a gift card? Bingo. Gift cards are the most cynical of all presents, lower than cash. They lock the receiver into a particular store or service, while relieving the giver of any responsibility, thought or feeling. If someone gives you a gift card, they don't care about you. In fact, they're trying to trick you, and make you think that they do, because they took the time to select a store to purchase your piece of plastic from. That is a lie—the effort went into the ruse, not your gift.
Of course, stores love gift cards, a pure token that holds no value after it's purchased, except that which the merchant dictates. Odds are, when somebody comes in to spend a gift card, they'll use to buy something more expensive. Even if the gift card is never used, the store still keeps the money—and most unused gift cards lose value over time, withering with the seasons. It's an $87 billion con by the retail industry, and Americans, obsessed with convenience, have eaten it up.
If you're thinking about buying somebody a gift card because you can't be bothered to pick out a real present, don't. Give them cash. Sure, you might feel like an asshole—well, you kind of are—but I promise you, the person receiving the wad will like it a whole lot more than any gift card. Cash can be spent, anytime, anywhere, and it won't expire in a year (unless the economy completely collapses, then we've got bigger problems than declining gift standards).
Update: I forgot to make the important exception for independent and local specialty stores, like record shops. Gift cards are okay in that case (small businesses need money, speciality stores require some consideration).
Here's a question that's quickly becoming a dilemma, though. What's a better (worse?) gift, cash or digital media? [The Big Money]
welding
can mig & tig welding can be done on the same material for e.g root run+hot pass with mig welding & the final welding with tig welding for better finish .& appearance. is this is possible..
shafiq
how i can conduct a test to check the battery AH rating
Do Workers Know Best?
A Wall Street Journal reporter makes the case for office workers — rather than the IT department — choosing which technologies they use and work with. At first blush, it's a radical-sounding idea, and one that'll probably send chills through most IT managements, but he gives some co
Are BMGs the Miracle Metal?
Bulk metallic glasses have been around for years, but only recently are they finding more uses in small electronics, cell phones, and medical equipment. They can outperform titanium and steel, and their brittleness drawback is being overcome with the development of BMG foams. And like plastics they
Induction voltage in RTD'S in 11KV MOTORS
Dear sir,
I am working in irrigation project in india we have 11 kv syncronous motors rating is 13.6MW while during trail runs of the motors we have been observed that the RTD'S(winding RTD'S) sensing induction voltage of nearly 145 volts(A.C) These RTD'S are connected with PLC.My consultant sa
Is Your Kindle Spying On You? (Yes.) [Ebooks]
If you don't want other people to know what you read, you probably shouldn't own an ereader. And you really shouldn't get a constantly connected Kindle or Nook, at least according to the EFF's eye-opening guide to ebook privacy.
The Kindle and Nook are tied to Amazon and Barnes & Noble's respective bookstores, meaning every purchase and every book search is recorded. Amazon's license agreement for the Kindle, for instance, notes that the Kindle's software "will provide Amazon with data about your Device and its interaction with the Service...and information related to the content on your Device and your use of it (such as automatic bookmarking of the last page read and content deletions from the Device)."
The Nook is obviously capable of phoning home in a similar manner, but it's unknown whether or not it does, at least for now. With Google Books, it's clear that what you're actually reading is logged, down to the specific page.
On the other hand, since Sony's Reader lacks 3G for a constant connection and isn't as tightly integrated with their ebook store, there's less opportunity for data collection, particularly if you stick w/ sideloaded books. Better still, says the EFF is the open-source FBReader. But you can't download books from anywhere in 3 seconds over 3G, and the experience isn't as nice.
It's the classic tradeoff: Less privacy for more convenience and a better experience, or greater privacy for a bigger hassle. What side are you on? [EFF]
Amazing Pollution in China
Chemical waste from Jiangsu Taixing Chemical Industrial District dumped on top of the Yangtze River bank. May 15, 2009 Photo by Lu Guang
Overall, China is now the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gas that leads to global warming. Per capita, the United States is still far and away the leader on that, but our emissions are on track to start falling soon, mainly because of the economy and the EPA is beginning to more aggressively regulate clean air and water. It’s also possible that we will get some type of climate change legislation soon; and many other factors such as new technologies and a clean energy and jobs focus. We really don’t know what the future holds, but it looks as though the Bush years of inaction on climate change really are over. We can still be optimistic on this, even if the start on emissions reductions is slow. Due to worsening climate events across the world, that may finally change.
We may not be sure what China is doing to solve climate change, but they are not ending their use of coal. As far as toxic pollution goes, China still has a huge problem.
This group of photos is part of a photo essay on China’s pollution. All photos are by Chinese freelance photographer, Lu Guang.
We can’t be sure what other countries are planning to do on climate change, despite their public pronouncements and despite what they said at Copenhagen. It’s possible that they don’t mean to reduce emissions as much as they tell reporters and their own public. We will only know by what they eventually do.
Rajendra Pachauri of the IPCC thinks the grouping at Copenhagen of India, China, Brazil and South Africa (BASIC) will make that group stronger and more relevant. Hopefully it will not remain a group that stalls and refuses to make binding agreements, as it seemed to do in Copenhagen. India admitted it and the other BASIC countries were the reason that a binding agreement was blocked:
In November, the BASIC countries forged a united front in Beijing to put pressure on developed countries in Copenhagen. India said the BASIC countries were successful in thwarting global pressure to agree to a legally-binding emissions cut.
Interestingly, The Guardian is not taking the side of those who say the U.S. skewered the climate talks, but are reporting that China was the country that contributed the most to that.
It’s interesting that India and China might be the main reasons we didn’t get a binding agreement in Copenhagen, given the attacks on the performance there of the United States by so many. Even usually fair alternative U.S. media seemed to (without any proof of any kind) blame Obama for what they called the “failure” of Copenhagen. Yet according to the Guardian:
“The truth is this: China wrecked the talks, intentionally humiliated Barack Obama, and insisted on an awful “deal” so western leaders would walk away carrying the blame. How do I know this? [...]
Capitalism and Freedom in North Korea
Milton Friedman would not be surprised by this story:
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il moved early this month to wipe out much of the wealth earned in the past decade in his country's private markets. As part of a surprise currency revaluation, the government sharply restricted the amount of old bills that could be traded for new and made it illegal for citizens to have more than $40 worth of local currency.
It was an unexplained decision -- the kind of command that for more than six decades has been obeyed without question in North Korea. But this time ... the markets and the people who depend on them pushed back.
Grass-roots anger and a reported riot in an eastern coastal city pressured the government to amend its confiscatory policy. ...
The currency episode reveals new constraints on Kim's power and may signal a fundamental change in the operation of what is often called the world's most repressive state -- a change driven by private markets that now feed and employ half the country's 23.5 million people, and appear to have grown too big and too important to be crushed, even by a leader who loathes them.
These events do not guarantee that North Korea will soon become a freer state, but they do suggest that economic freedoms help constrain oppressive government, which is precisely the point of Friedman's famous work.
Joule thomson process
In joule thomson process no heat is exchanged and no work is done. why does the gas temperature change? what is the reason(s) of the temp. reduction of the most gases?
The Place Where Cameras Are Reincarnated [Cameras]
Do you believe in gadget heaven? How about reincarnation? The Precision Camera repair facility brings a good part of a million smashed, malfunctioning and dead shooters back to life every year.
They get almost 3000 broken cameras a day—from warranties, users and extended warranties. Technicians focus their expertise on a particular brand and fix them using manufacturer specific diagnosis machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each. The Nikon and Olympus camera repair lines are in one building, "with Sony, Kodak and Fuji are in another". Most repairs happen in 3 days or less.
The company has been around since 1948 but they don't fix film loading devices any more, citing the rising costs of parts.
If your camera dies, it'll probably go somewhere like this if you care enough about it to give it a second lease on life. [Courant]
Gay Marriage: Surprise, surprise, it’s all about the Cash $$$
by Eric Dondero
We Libertarians are the most tolerant people around, particularly when it comes to Sexual Freedom issues, and more specifically Homosexual Rights.
Consider:
* We Libertarians fiercely oppose any and all Anti-Sodomy Laws.
* We Libertarians are about the only ones out there who favor complete Legalization of (adult) Prostitution; Escort services, Brothels, even Streetwalkers.
* We Libertarians are viciously opposed to zoning regulations, liquor licensing laws, and other attempts by local municipalities to outlaw or severely restrict Gay Clubs, Bars, and Discos. Consider, it was the Libertarian Party of Georgia earlier this year who came to the defense of a downtown Gay Bar that was raided by the Atlanta Police Chief on orders from Democrat Mayor Sheila Franklin.
* We Libertarians are totally cool with every variety of (adult) Gay Pornography, and fiercely oppose any attempts at censorship.
* We Libertarians stand up for Human Rights around the World, particularly Gays who are persecuted and killed in Muslim nations like Iran, Uganda, Nigeria, and Somalia.
But the whole Gay Marriage issue, has left us Libertarians scratching our heads. Why is the Gay Rights movement clammoring for the State to give sanction to their Love Life? What's stopping Gays from going to some public park somewhere's hiring an attorney or two to work up a contract, invite all their friends, and have a priest or rabbi conduct a ceremony?
And since when did the Gay Rights movement become so Traditionally-oriented, when in the 1970s and '80s they were precisely the people railing against the institution of Marriage?
Now we have the answer...
From Fox News:
This year's legislation, sponsored by Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., an openly gay lawmaker, and with 138 cosponsors, would allow for homosexual partners of federal employees to receive the same benefits as married spouses, which include health insurance, survivor annuities, compensation for work-related injuries and travel and relocation benefits.
President Obama has indicated his support for the measure, which is still awaiting a vote in both the House and Senate. The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee voted Dec. 16 to forward the legislation on to the full Senate. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved it in November.
You see, it's all about the Cash $$$. And after they force the Feds to cough up the cash, they'll no doubt go after private corporations and then small businesses, as well. It's only fair, right?
Then the shocking price tag to the American taxpayer is revealed. Fox continues:
Extending federal benefits to same-sex couples will cost taxpayers $898 million over the next nine years, according to an analysis of "domestic partnership" legislation released last by the Congressional Budget Office.
The CBO said in its Dec. 17 report that the House version of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act -- H.R. 2517 -- would cost $596 million in direct spending and $302 million in discretionary spending through 2019.
The independent nonpartisan agency found that "providing additional health insurance benefits through the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program" -- for active and retired gay federal workers with spouses -- "causes the largest increase in both mandatory and discretionary spending -- $590 million and $266 million, respectively."
Ouch! In other words, your Gay buddy, or that Gay chic who works with you at the office, wants to stick you - the American taxpayer - with this enormous bill for his/her partner's living expenses, health care, survival benefits, and even burial expenses.
No doubt, conservative Republicans in Congress will be staunchly opposed to the legislation. And many of them, social conservatives that they are, may approach the issue from a traditionalist point of view.
They may soon be joined by fiscal conservatives and libertarian Republicans in fierce opposition to this proposed legislation. Not because we're uncomfortable with homosexuality.
You're Gay and you want to get married? You want to have a Big Fat Gay Wedding? Invite all the friends. Get drunk. Sing Judy Garland songs on Karaoke. Dance the night away. Well then, Mazaltaf! I raise my glass to you and your partner and wish you eternal happiness.
Just don't ask me - the American taxpayer - to pay for it.
Nigerian Terrorist Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, shows Big Fail for Janet Napolitano and DHS to protect Americans over Holiday Season
"an intelligence and security failure of staggering proportions" -- London Telegraph, editorial, Dec. 27
by Tim Daniels, Left Coast Rebel
I read several sources that showed that the Department of Homeland Security laxed their alerts for Christmas travel. Both the FBI and Homeland Security issued intelligence in November of this year that pointed to a decreased threat level for the holiday season. And only now, a day after the attack is DHS raising the threat level (NY Times).
Could it be that DHS and the FBI have been too busy profiling, harassing and/or investigating law-abiding citizens speaking out against the malfeasance of our 'leadership'?
Big Government too worried about Rightwing Political Opponents, rather than Islamic extremists
I wrote back on Aug. 19:
AP story today that highlights the fact that the DHS pushed through the recent 'Right-Wing Extremist' report regardless of known civil liberty concerns. Nothing shocking here. I'll make this one simple, the DHS knew full well that singling out illegal-immigrant opponents, right-to-lifers, gun-owners, vets and others as possible security threats is a clear infringement on their rights.
If the following is true, it is nothing new.
Just look at this from NYDailyNews.com:
The terror suspect who tried to blow up a Detroit-bound plane is the son of a Nigerian banker who alerted U.S. authorities to his "extreme religious views" months ago, it was reported Saturday.
The father, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab,(photo here), a former minister and chairman of First Bank in Nigeria, is shocked that his son was even was allowed to fly to the U.S., family members told the Nigerian newspaper This Day.
The dad was meeting with security officials to discuss his son, identified as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, 23. The younger Mutallab was not on any no-fly list when he flew from Nigeria to Detroit through Amsterdam, Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) told the Daily News.
A Failure of Big Government on Steroids
Meanwhile Bungalow Bill reports/comments:
The Department of Homeland Security relaxed their alerts for the holiday season according to My Way. Both the FBI and Homeland Security issued an intelligence release on November 20, 2009, about the threat picture for the holiday season. They had no reason to believe Al Qaeda or other terrorists was going to attempt anything for the holiday season according to the report.
I guess they were too busy profiling Americans who go to church, believe in life, and have Don't Treat on Me flags and stickers on their property.
Can you imagine this? The failure of big-government on steroids, (DHS), to even accomplish the most simple task of keeping us safe is mind-boggling. If this story doesn't speak to the inept nature of our Federal government in the most extreme scenario possible then nothing does. We should be jettisoning the powers that these bureaucrats and pols hold, not adding to them.
And bumbling Napolitano? Give her a one-way ticket back to Bullhead City, AZ.
Editor's Note - Both Left Coast Rebel and Bungalow Bills are two of the premiere Right Libertarian news blogs. Please give them a visit and add them to your daily favorites.
pressure gauges
hi all.......... do anyone know what type of fluids are used in pressure gauges?
i mean the lubricant used in the cavity between the gauge and the diaphragm
Maximum Steepness A Car Can Climb
A 2D physics problem. A car of unknown weight is going up a hill at some angle theta. Distance between tires are 2.90m with C.O.G situated 1.15m behind front wheel. Co-efficient of static friction between road and tires is given to be 0.7. The question posed is what the maximum angle would be that t
intool package
I want to learn intool package........pls tell me which institute is best in india.
As Rolta Automation is just cheating with candidates....they dont know nothing about automation.........just grab the money (45000INR)
if any one is undergone this course..... pls share your knowledge.