Was given some old postcards and found this one with Leedermeg in it! I remember seeing this thing as a kid but only saw Brian Blanchflower’s book many years later. The story I heard that was there was a chrome plating plant that was bulldozed when the Mitchell Freeway went through and the strange chemical […]
The very last Xmas island Pipistrelle bat was heard on 25 August 2009 with no further ‘sightings’ (hearings) despite intensive efforts to locate the species. http://www.perditaphillips.com/the-very-last-christmas-island-pipistrelle-bat/ A tribute to an incomprehensible inability to act.
Christmas Island Pipistrelle bat day Read More »
Get a bit of butter heating in a frying pan Run outside and cut some asparagus from the garden Run inside before the butter goes more than slightly brown Fry up the asparagus in butter until warmed and ever-so-slightly brown Put on plate and squirt some fresh lemon or lime juice on them (also from
how to cook asparagus Read More »
From Wikipedia Derecho comes from the Spanish word for “straight” (cf. “direct”) in contrast with a tornado which is a “twisted” wind.[1] The word was first used in the American Meteorological Journal in 1888 by Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs in a paper describing the phenomenon and based on a significant derecho event that crossed Iowa on
word of the week: Derecho Read More »
These ceramic sculptures are created with life table data showing the percentage of people in different age groups from infancy (bottom) to old age (top) www.mathieulehanneur.com
Mathieu Lehanneur’s population statistics Read More »
Pius “Mau” Piailug (1932-2010) was venerated as a master of non-instrument wayfinding. Mau’s traditional navigational system used clues using the sun and stars, winds and clouds, seas and swells, and birds and fish to determine position away from sight of land. He was born on the island of Satawal (Federated States of Micronesia) and
star compass from the knowledge of Pius “Mau” Piailug Read More »
The icelandic earthquake Eyjafjallajöku erupted a number of times in April and May 2010 causing considerable interference to airplane travel. According to Wikipedia what made this volcanic activity so disruptive to air travel was the combination of the following four factors: The volcano’s location is directly under the jet stream The direction of the jet
First anniversary of Eyjafjallajöku eruption Read More »
It is said that the end of a mouse plague is heralded when a live mouse is seen eating a live mouse
the end of a mouse plague Read More »
by Phillip Niemeyer | Picturing the Past 10 Years | The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/12/27/opinion/28opchart.html Published: December 27, 2009
The cartoon decade (2000-2009) Read More »
sourced from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Earth_Magnetic_Field_Declination_from_1590_to_1990.gif and originally from the U.S. Geological Survey http://geomag.usgs.gov/movies/movies/index.php?type=declination&format=gif [!sigh! broken link]
The Earth’s Magnetic Field Declination from 1590 to 1990 Read More »
Does education in the arts transfer to seemingly unrelated cognitive abilities? Researchers are finding evidence that it does. Michael Posner argues that when children find an art form that sustains their interest, the subsequent strengthening of their brains’ attention networks can improve cognition more broadly http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=23206
The world’s most remote place is on the Tibetan plateau (34.7°N, 85.7°E). It takes three weeks to walk out of the area (I would have thought that Antarctica was more remote?)
The remotest place on Earth? Read More »