From an AP news story on efforts by scientists to create life "from scratch" in the laboratory: Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they’re getting closer. Experts expect an announcement within three to 10 years from someone in the now little-known field of “wet artificial life.” …
Paris Landmarks
We are back from a wonderful conference with our coworkers and leaders with ReachGlobal in Europe. The conference was at a retreat center out in the country, but we had the chance to see a few things in Paris. Here are some highlights: The Louvre has rocks. Here is a piece of granite from the …
Gone Fishing
Well, sort of. I'm not much into fishing; when I'm at a mountain lake or stream I'd rather go exploring than just sit on the bank. But I will be on vacation and at a conference for the next ten days, so there will be another break in the blogging. But school starts on August …
All the computer I’ll ever need
Speaking of 1980s computer technology, I wrote my thesis for my Master's degree on the first Macintosh computer, which came out in 1984. It had an internal 3.5 inch floppy drive, and no hard drive. I remember thinking, "I can write a report, edit it, and even draw pictures. What else would I ever want …
Tried and true
My laptop computer, with a recent repair to its internal power supply, is running well. It does what it needs to do: Word, Excel, Powerpoint, internet browsing, Google Earth, so I am happy. It is coming up on four years old, which is old for a laptop. I guess NASA might feel the same way …
USGS topographic maps available as PDF files
The U.S. Geological Survey has put its entire current topographic map collection on the internet as PDF files. The maps are available at scales of 1:24,000 (1 inch = 2000 feet), 1:100,000 (1 cm = 1 km), and 1:250,000 (approx. 1 inch = 4 miles). There are other sites (such as TopoZone) that offer a …
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Toilets 2
Continuing the theme of the previous post, here is a toilet I'm glad I didn't have to use, atop the Transylvanian Alps in Romania: A view of the "hole": At the opposite extreme, I recently saw a high-tech toilet seat at a local hardware store, with all kinds of buttons and knobs. It will give …
Toilets in the News
Toilets have been in the news: Think outside the toilet bowl, historian says: The Western World's dependence on flush toilets could be its environmental downfall. Toilets that use less water, such as the "squat toilet" in which one squats over a hole in the ground, are prevalent in parts of Asia, Europe and Africa, but …
Back into blogging
We had friends over for dinner last night, and I was asked, "Why aren't you blogging anymore?" I really had no good answer, so here I am, back in front of the keyboard. I pray that my blog entries will help to keep you informed, stimulate your thoughts, sometimes entertain you, and always glorify the …
Foolishness in Abundance
The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." --Psalm 14:1 Lately, the atheists have been busy writing books. Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation Daniel Dennett, Breaking the Spell Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion Christopher Hitchens, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything I interact via the internet with the type …
Hot Hot Hot
The high temperature reported from Bucharest yesterday (Tuesday) was 45 Celsius, which is a scorching 113 Fahrenheit. It felt like an oven! It is quite a bit cooler today; about 97 F (36 C).
The World Without Us
A new book is out: The World Without Us. This isn't some left-wing or Islamo-fascist book about how much better the world would be without the United States. This is speculative science, and I don't use the word "speculative" in a negative sense. The book asks the question: "What would happen to the Earth if …
Megadisaster type #3
When I think of natural catastrophes on a massive scale (continent- or world-wide impact) that can kill millions of people, I usually think of: Meteorite impacts -- Asteroids of greater than one kilometer diameter that either kick up sun-obscuring dust in the atmosphere, or, if they hit the oceans, cause massive tsunamis 35 meters (about …
Hot Summer in Bucharest
It has been a hot summer in Bucharest, and it looks like it's going to get warmer: Psychologically, it helps to think of it being in the thirties outside. Ah, snow... Unfortunately, this is just our Celsius forecast. Thirty-eight Celsius is just as hot as 101 Fahrenheit. It actually doesn't take all that long to …
Knowing God – Chapter 7 Quotes
Chapter 7 of Knowing God is entitled "God Unchanging," and is about the immutability of God (i.e. the fact that God does not change). This is part of what makes the Bible such an incredibly relevant book for us today. We don't have to make Christianity relevant by modernizing it in some way. The Word …
Green President
Who would be a "green" president (i.e. an environmentally friendly president)? Al Gore? John Edwards? They say they are environmentally conscious, but they have been accused of hypocrisy because of their consumptive lifestyles. How about George W. Bush? Check out this post from treehugger.com -- Is George Bush a Closet Green? Here's a quote: [Is] …
Geologic Maps
A few weeks ago I posted a map showing shifting meander patterns for the lower Mississippi River. Here are a few more geologic maps that are artistic masterpieces. The first is the geologic map of Colorado, compiled in the 1970s by the US Geological Survey: The colors indicate rocks of various ages and types, and …
Environmental Awareness on Christian College Campuses
Christianity Today has an article entitled Christian Colleges' Green Revolution. Here are a few quotes: "When I was exposed firsthand to the impact that poor environmental care can cause, I was shocked," Semenyuk says, recalling a protest he witnessed in Nicaragua. "The people were field workers on banana plantations where extremely powerful chemicals are used …
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Limburger Cheese
This was yesterday's Wikipedia picture of the day, with a description from the article on Limburger Cheese: The description of limburger cheese (which truly does smell awful): Limburger cheese originated in Limburg, Belgium. It is also made in the United States and Germany. Limburger is especially known for its pungent odor. The bacteria used to …
World Population Density
A good map is a work of art. This graphic shows a computer generated map of population density, with the tall spikes representing the large cities of the world. The map is from the National Geographic Atlas of the World, and can be viewed at the ESRI Map Book Gallery Volume 20. Grace and Peace
GeoChristian 