chaoticutopia
Posts by this author
This sends a pretty powerful message to anyone thinking about drinking and driving: If they can bust Pete Coors, they can get you too.
When the brewery bigshot stepped into his car on May 28th, he'd apparently had a bit too much to drink. He'd been to a wedding. Everybody drinks at weddings, right…
Would the tadpole, undergoing transformation from pollywog to froglet to frog, be astonished at our changing world? The metamorphosis of the tadpole is probably quite unremarkable--to the tadpole.
A budding froglet, (Rana catesbeiana) giving me a suspicious glare. Is he aware that he is growing…
When you peer into a fractal, you're seeing the edge of chaos. If you sift through enough Julia or Mandelbrot sets, you might catch a hint of fractal fever. When you find that point, where order is filtered out of randomness, and glimpse a familiar pattern, you might feel tempted to shout "Eureka…
"A good many of Colorado's mountain springs, especially the hot springs, are radio-active. Eminent physicians are now studying the affects of these to see what curative properties they may have. At some later time these undboubedly will be valued highly."
-Free Homestead Lands of Colorado…
...but home is always changing. Every rainstorm washes away a bit of the soil. Trees grow, seasons change, like in so many songs and poems. We say "you can't go home again" because it is never the same, but we forget how it never stayed the same in the first place. Change is a part of life. I've…
I used to play among these tall grasses with my imagination running wild, pretending to be a warrior princess--nearly a decade before Xena hit the air. When I wasn't running, I'd often sit near the little lake by the railroad tracks, or wander through the abandoned greenhouse. Here, I learned to be…
...or at least they would be if someone had cloned a person by now.
I've missed the last few "Ask a Science Blogger" questions, which I now regret. I can easily describe the qualities of an excellent science teacher, or discuss how the new science behind chaos and complexity has affected policy…
Today's fractal is so bushy and branching, that you might almost miss the regular curving patterns of a Julia set. (Actually, this is two Julia sets, but who's counting?) That seems fitting, as nature can be the same way. You might not notice a particular spot, even though you pass by every day.…
Across our planet, ecosystems are changing, big and small. While I've been compiling my thoughts on small, local changes (check back next week for a series on the subject) I found a bit of news about some very drastic changes to large areas. According to an article in this week's Washington Post,…
Every summer, great white pelicans make their way to Colorado to fish for trout in stocked reservoirs. I've always been fascinated by the fact that these giant sea birds come to Colorado, so far from an ocean. They don't breed here, they don't over winter here; they just hang out and eat. Awhile…
Freedom is a beautiful thing. In some sense, it can be found in every particle, every molecule, and every living cell. (To divide, or not to divide...) As sentient beings, we are mass conglomerations of freedom, individual harmonious machines, adapting by choice to the changing world around us. I'…
I seem to have chosen an odd time to take a break from blogging. I'm returning on a holiday Monday, as everyone else is starting their vacation. Just leave it to me to do it the weird way. I've missed posting, especially the Friday Fractal--my apologies to anyone who looked for it. While I've been…
I promised poetry, and here it is. I've written many poems about chaos, but this one is probably my favorite. It fits about any definition of chaos you can use and explains "battle or ride the waves" far better than I ever could while spewing philosophy. Poetry is just cool like that. The title, "…
Why does chaos always strike in threes? I've spent the past three days* dealing with what I can only describe as personal chaos. Of course, I don't mean it in the classic sense; I haven't been floating in a void of disarray. (It just feels like it sometimes.) Rather, I refer to the variables in…
While visiting Two Ponds, a wildlife refuge here in Arvada, I captured these wonderful butterfly images, earlier today:
A two-tailed tiger swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata) feeding on a showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) blossom, along the banks of Little Dry Creek.
And a few more: (Click on any…
While crawling across the web this week, these stories of spiders just seemed to stick. So, when it came to making today's fractal, I knew exactly where to turn. The shape seen at right is an example of a "loom" style fractal, originally described by Cliff Pickover in his book, the Keys to Infinity…
In a delightfully sweet announcement, Enstrom's Candies revealed their plans to save Stephany's name in chocolate.
Anyone who ever frequented a Colorado mall remembers Stephany's Chocolates, an Arvada-based company specializing in truffles, mints, and other chocolaty delights. They usually offered…
Behold! The Earth, as viewed from the sun. You can also view the Earth from the moon, a satellite, or above any point by entering coordinates for latitude and longitude. You can even look at the moon from the sun. (By John Walker of Fourmilab Switzerland.)
Enjoy!
Today, the sun is rising to its highest point over the northern hemisphere. It is the longest day of the year--the summer solstice. But do we notice? Outside of a glance at the calendar, marking the official start of summer, it's just another day. Did the residents of Rochester Creek notice the…
The trail to the Rochester Creek panel winds through a timeless oasis. After traveling through miles of dry canyons and salt washes, it is easy to see why ancient artists were drawn to the spot. As the trail follows the path of least resistance, it drops into a small, lush valley, filled with…
The question:
How is it that all the PIs (Tara, PZ, Orac et al.), various grad students, post-docs, etc. find time to fulfill their primary objectives (day jobs) and blog so prolifically?
The answer:
Since I'm still an undergrad, I suppose I fall under the "etc" category, here. I can't say that…
The newspapers this last week were full of science stories, exhibiting the broad diversity and strangeness of life on our planet. Here are some of the highlights:
Seeds are preserved in an Arctic vault in Svalbard, preserving humankind's agricultural legacy:
Crop seeds are the source of human…
Endless miles of canyon stretch across the landscape, cutting deeply through cake-like layers of red and gray stone--the San Rafael Swell. I've always felt this hint of anticipation while traveling west along I-70. As the road drops into Green River, Utah, there's a sign that reads: "NO SERVICES…
The phoenix is one of those enduring symbols from ancient mythology that occurs frequently in modern culture. Phoenix is a name for places and stars (Hollywood and constellations alike.) It shows up in movies and literature (including the Harry Potter series.) Most importantly (at least for the…
I'm having some computer difficulties (the gnomes in my CPU are battling the dwarfs inhabiting the cable modem) that have made it difficult to upload anything, let alone image-heavy posts. So, the Friday Fractal and other posts may be a little late today. Thanks for your patience!
I'd planned to spend the day discussing ancient rock art, but this isn't how I wanted to start. Earlier this month in Fruita, Colorado (located on the I-70 corridor on the western slope) a group of graduating high school seniors took a can of spray paint and marked their legacy on a couple of rocks…
I see that PZ already mentioned this yesterday, but I think it's worthy of a bump. I hardly ever watch TV (despite owning a big screen) but tonight I will, for the outspoken comedian George Carlin will sit along side the rather scary Ann Coulter on Leno. This should be good.
Coulter, the acid-…
A number of bloggers have been posting about YearlyKos, including many who were there, and even some who were not. I wrote on Friday evening about some of the science discussions, but didn't really get into my impressions of the political atmosphere. This shouldn't surprise any of my old readers--I…
In the Fishlake Mountains of Utah, several fires are steadily burning. As the American West enters yet another dry season, there will almost certainly be more. Folks around these parts have been whispering about the increasing fire danger, dreading another year like 2002. We reffered to that period…
Along with everyone else here, I've been tagged with the new Pi meme. Since I'm still a bit shy, you'll have to click here to find my answers:
3 reasons you blog about science:
I love questions, and science has answers that lead to more questions.
I like information that has been tested, or at…