Environment
Category archives for Environment
Weekend Diversion: Jewels of the World
Posted by Ethan on February 27, 2011 “Glaciers are almost gone from Glacier National Park.” -Donella Meadows This world is full of beautiful things that are simply awe-inspiring. Some of them are very much man-made, such as this 2007 song by Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby, Crown Of Jewels.But others took thousands of years to form. In many great places all over…
Happy Snowy New Year!
Posted by Ethan on January 1, 2011 “They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees? How could we ever recover from the wonder of it?” -Jeanette Winterson Here in Portland, it’s just cold for now. But much of the world has been blanketed in…
The Physics of Global Warming
Posted by Ethan on November 10, 2010 “Global warming is the greatest and most successful pseudoscientific fraud I have seen in my long life.” -Hal Lewis The most valuable natural resources we have at our disposal during our brief lives are the following. That’s right, the Earth and the Sun. And if we want life on Earth to continue as we know…
How Afraid of Asteroids Should You Be?
Posted by Ethan on November 2, 2010 “Every man is free to rise as far as he’s able or willing, but the degree to which he thinks determines the degree to which he’ll rise.” -Ayn Rand We’re all aware that one of the ways that human life on Earth could end, conceivably, is the same way that the dinosaurs went down. And…
Some Matter is Strange, but that’s okay
Posted by Ethan on October 29, 2010 “People fear death even more than pain. It’s strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of death, the pain is over. Yeah, I guess it is a friend.” -Jim Morrison Yes, Jim Morrison, some people are quite strange, too. People Are StrangeBut that’s not what I’m talking…
Measure the tilt of the Earth today!
Posted by Ethan on June 21, 2010 A person without a shadow should keep out of the sun, that is the only safe and rational plan. -Adelbert von Chamisso A few years ago, there was a rumor going around that the Earth’s axis had shifted, and that we were no longer inclined to the Sun at 23.5°. Well, guess what? Today, June…
Weekend Diversion: Why is Oil in the oceans so frightening?
Posted by Ethan on May 2, 2010 Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. -Benjamin Franklin Every weekend, I try to bring something light to you, but there’s a lot of heavy stuff going on in the world right now. So instead of the usual, I’d like to tell you just a little bit about why putting even a…
Happy Earth Day (from Space)
Posted by Ethan on April 22, 2010 Note: This article first appeared here on Scienceblogs one year ago today. There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day, from sustainability efforts to simply appreciating nature. And while this is a beautiful shot of Forest Park right here in Portland, it doesn’t compare — in my eyes — to the perfection of Earth as…
One thing we can all agree on
Posted by Ethan on March 19, 2010 It’s a question of whether we’re going to go forward into the future, or past to the back. -Dan Quayle This is my last day writing before my spring break begins, and I’m hoping for some great weather as I prepare to head to the Oregon coast. Warm weather, clear skies… I can picture it…
Why is Helium so Scarce?
Posted by Ethan on March 17, 2010 I have this one little saying. When things get too heavy just call me helium, the lightest known gas to man. -Jimi Hendrix Hendrix is almost right: helium is the second lightest gas known to man, behind hydrogen. But there are many applications for helium — both scientific and non-scientific — that make it incredibly…
