Cosmos Computed

The spiral-shaped tube of this compact fluorescent lamp results in a bulb much more compact than the fluorescent tubes seen in stores - hence the name. I recently wrote the following essay for school. Because of my school, I haven't had time to post very many things on my blog, but since I wrote this anyway I figured I might as well post it. It's an informative essay formatted MLA style explaining why sometimes green alternatives are not always what they're thought to be. Green Alternatives: Are They Really So Green? There are many different dreams out in the world. Some of them are related in ways you might not think of at first. Two such dreams are the dream of money and the dream of a healthy planet. People who dream of having lots of money usually want the delights and comforts that would come with being rich, such as being able to retire early, buying new and exciting things, or relaxing in a hot tub while sipping hot chocolate. Those who dream of a healthy planet, on ...

Here's an explanation: My college psychology teacher is probably the best teacher I've ever had. She shows fun videos, has the students do fun activities, and allows the students to give presentations to help the subject matter sink into their heads better. It would probably seem a little odd to see college students making paper "brain hats," but the students (especially the girls) enjoy that kind of thing more than the average person would probably think. Anyway, the last two videos she showed us during class were TED talks. They pertained to what we were learning at the moment - namely, the mind's perception of things and attention. I enjoyed them, so I thought I'd post them on my blog in case somebody hasn't seen them yet. Here are the videos, embedded. When given instructions, be sure to follow them carefully so you'll better understand what they're getting at:

A cold front clashed with the warm, moist air from monsoons in the south. As the warm air was cooled by the cold air, large clouds formed. The resulting rain began on the afternoon of September 10th where I live. It started out as a thunderstorm, like all of the other storms that we had this summer. This thunderstorm, however, was particularly impressive; there was crackling thunder and it just kept raining. I didn't think much of it, as we had been getting a few thunderstorms lately. The next day we had another thunderstorm. This one was special, because once the rain began it continued for the rest of the day. It stopped raining for a couple of hours around nightfall and I thought it was over, but I was wrong; the rain started up again later in the night, gently pouring from the sky. The next morning was cold and grey. I probably would have slept in if it weren't for the fact that I take part-time college courses. As it was, the rain was gently falling as we drove to the buil...

Here's a version of the instant chat system I mentioned in my previous post . It updates in real-time, so unlike most forums, you don't have to reload the page to see new comments. You can include HTML in the comments, but I disabled the <script> tags because users misused them. I also added a &ltconsole&gt tag and an &ltincode&gt tag. To post a comment, either click the button or press the Alt key on your keyboard. There may or may not be other people on the chat app. If you want to chat with someone, email the link to that person. If you do not see the app, please click HERE . Instant Chat Application Instant Chat System INITIALIZING... Name:

The sky was dark. Occasional raindrops pattered outside. Thunder rumbled. A computer geek sat in the glow of a computer, typing and staring at the screen as if in a trance. He happened to be working on an instant chat application, using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. When he was complete, he would host one version of the app on his Computer Science blog. He later hosted another version  HERE . Suddenly, the wind outside picked up all at once. As it howled, the windows cracked and popped. At one corner of the house came a spooky moaning sound. Only then did the geek come out of his trance; he stopped typing and turned towards the window. That geek was me. The reason I ceased to type was because I knew that the pickup of wind was unusual, and that it can be a sign of a nearby tornado. I scanned the fields, trying to guess approximately how strong the wind was. The wind had picked up dirt and was blowing it through the fields, so I knew from experience that the wind was particularly strong...

A cumulus cloud with pileus. This pileus is a small one. There are multiple pilei on the cloud in this photo. See if you can find them. A  Pileus , pronounced pie-lee-us , is a small, smooth, silky-looking lenticular (lens-shaped) cloud that can appear above parts of either a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud. (If you don't know what a cumulus cloud is, click HERE . Cumulonimbus clouds are basically very large cumulus clouds.) A cloud attached to pileus is said to be "with pileus" or to "have pileus". Clouds with pilei can develop into very large cumulonimbus clouds. Pilei form when a strong updraft at a lower altitude acts upon air at a higher altitude, and causes it to cool below its dew point. The result is that as the air cools, the water vapor in it condenses and forms a cloud. Because of the conditions required for it to form, a pileus cloud is usually a sign of severe weather; the cloud that it forms above is likely to develop into a cumulonimbus if it hasn...

This morning my sister noticed a tiny little spider, only a few millimeters wide, sitting in its web. It was a type of orb weaver. It had built its web, which was only about the size of my palm, between a couple of bars of a railing. The spider was sitting in the center of the web, waiting for something small to come along and get caught. One of my friends suggested throwing an ant into the web; he wanted to see the spider at work. We looked around, but couldn't find the slightest trace of an ant. I didn't really care - I had already seen plenty of spiders catch their food  - but my friend was not satisfied. He stuck the tip of his pocket knife gently into the web and jiggled it around. His efforts proved futile; the spider could tell it wasn't an insect and did not budge from his position at the center. My friend succeeded only in messing up the web. The upper-left corner is where my friend put his pocketknife. The entire web is only the size of my palm. Soon my sister fou...