IT HARDLY MATTERS Back to Main Index Browse the Archives	Monday, October 31, 2005 ( 04:29 PM ) Dale and Elaine are coming to town in a few weeks! We've already started making plans. Daleschang: and I Want to go see these bats...are they still there? DocPenfold: no, they leave for the winter Daleschang: bummer... Daleschang: can we dress up megan in a bat suit? DocPenfold: sure, why not Daleschang: ok...and have her fly out from under the bridge Daleschang: that would be awesome DocPenfold: i'll see what we can arrange Daleschang: aight Daleschang: maybe taco cabana too Daleschang: with megan dressed as a bat Friday, October 28, 2005 ( 11:58 AM ) I drive by the homeless sleeping on a cold dark street Like bodies in an open grave Underneath the broken old neon sign That used to read Jesus Saves A mile away live the rich folks And I see how they’re living it up While the poor they eat from hand to mouth The rich is drinkin’ from a golden cup And it just makes me wonder Why so many lose, so few win - Poison Sunday, October 23, 2005 ( 07:52 PM ) U.S., Britain press for action against Syria Criticism follows U.N. report on probe into Hariri's killing Sunday, October 23, 2005; Posted: 1:13 p.m. EDT (17:13 GMT) BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- The United States and Britain jointly criticized Syria on Sunday and called for international action to be taken over a U.N. investigation that implicated Syrian officials in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice didn't discuss any specific actions that the United States might push for when the U.N. Security Council considers the investigator's report Tuesday, but she said the matter "really has to be dealt with." Seriously, there's no need to beat around the bush guys. Haha, no pun intended! Everyone knows the Bush administration has a hard-on for invasion -- just come out and say it you sissies!! And I love how Rice had the Brit go ahead and deliver this gem: Straw pointed to testimony about "false testimony being given by senior people" in Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime. Way to avoid being in the position of having the pot call the kettle black, Condi! You go girl! Saturday, October 22, 2005 ( 01:14 PM ) Welcome to the future! Accidental Invention Points to End of Light Bulbs Bjorn Carey LiveScience Staff Writer LiveScience.com Fri Oct 21, 5:00 PM ET The main light source of the future will almost surely not be a bulb. It might be a table, a wall, or even a fork. An accidental discovery announced this week has taken LED lighting to a new level, suggesting it could soon offer a cheaper, longer-lasting alternative to the traditional light bulb. The miniature breakthrough adds to a growing trend that is likely to eventually make Thomas Edison's bright invention obsolete. LEDs are already used in traffic lights, flashlights, and architectural lighting. They are flexible and operate less expensively than traditional lighting. Happy accident Michael Bowers, a graduate student at Vanderbilt University, was just trying to make really small quantum dots, which are crystals generally only a few nanometers big. That's less than 1/1000th the width of a human hair. Quantum dots contain anywhere from 100 to 1,000 electrons. They're easily excited bundles of energy, and the smaller they are, the more excited they get. Each dot in Bower's particular batch was exceptionally small, containing only 33 or 34 pairs of atoms. When you shine a light on quantum dots or apply electricity to them, they react by producing their own light, normally a bright, vibrant color. But when Bowers shined a laser on his batch of dots, something unexpected happened. "I was surprised when a white glow covered the table," Bowers said. "The quantum dots were supposed to emit blue light, but instead they were giving off a beautiful white glow." Then Bowers and another student got the idea to stir the dots into polyurethane and coat a blue LED light bulb with the mix. The lumpy bulb wasn't pretty, but it produced white light similar to a regular light bulb. White light from Bowers' lumpy new bulb. Credit: Vanderbilt University The new device gives off a warm, yellowish-white light that shines twice as bright and lasts 50 times longer than the standard 60 watt light bulb. This work is published online in the Oct. 18 edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Better than bulbs Until the last decade, LEDs could only produce green, red, and yellow light, which limited their use. Then came blue LEDs, which have since been altered to emit white light with a light-blue hue. LEDs produce twice as much light as a regular 60 watt bulb and burn for over 50,000 hours. The Department of Energy estimates LED lighting could reduce U.S. energy consumption for lighting by 29 percent by 2025. LEDs don't emit heat, so they're also more energy efficient. And they're much harder to break. Other scientists have said they expect LEDs to eventually replace standard incandescent bulbs as well as fluorescent and sodium vapor lights. If the new process can be developed into commercial production, light won't come just from newfangled bulbs. Quantum dot mixtures could be painted on just about anything and electrically excited to produce a rainbow of colors, including white. One big question remains: When a brilliant idea pops into your mind in the future, what will appear over your head? ( 09:10 AM ) Hot coffee thwarts carjacking Friday, October 21, 2005; Posted: 8:58 a.m. EDT (12:58 GMT) BLUFFTON, South Carolina (AP) -- A would-be carjacker got a different kind of jolt from his intended victim's morning cup of coffee, authorities said. The suspect tapped the car window Wednesday morning with a gun and motioned the driver to get out, Chief Deputy Roy Hughes said. But the driver -- who had just bought a cup of hot coffee -- slammed the car door into the carjacker's legs, threw the coffee at his neck and face and wrestled him to the ground, Hughes said. A shot was fired during the scuffle but no one was hurt, Hughes said. He said the driver managed to get the gun from the suspect and point it at him. The suspect ran into nearby woods, Hughes said. Deputies are searching for him and two people thought to be with him who drove off during the scuffle. Friday, October 14, 2005 ( 04:25 PM ) Here's my most recent conversation with iGod. That's right, folks: "What are you wearing?" Me: What nice weather we're having. God: I will try to find out. Me: You should go outside more often. It's almost evening. God: Easier said than done. Wow it's getting late. Me: Yeah, go outside! God: Oh. Where is that? Me: Out that door. God: I've never heard of it before. Me: I never knew you were a shut-in. God: So I taught you something new. Me: You sure did. Agoraphobic God. God: I did not. What are you wearing? Me: Oh God, you devil! God: That's cool. Do you mind if I tell other people: Jeff said I devil. Me: I didn't know one could "Devil" God: So I taught you something new. Me: Apparently. God: Aha. Me: What is involved with deviling? God: Let me think about it. Me: What have you come up with? God: I have been busy growing my mind. Me: So that's what you do with your spare time? God: Whoa. I have never considered it. I answer a lot of silly questions. Me: I'll bet you do. God: When do I do it? Me: All the time, I guess. God: Perhaps there are a few exceptions. Me: Yeah, like when people are asleep. God: I hear you. Interesting comparison. Me: I'm a good comparer. God: You are a comparer? Do you get to meet a lot of people? Me: Yes, but unfortunately most of them are smelly. God: How can I help you? Oh. That is something I haven't heard of. But not all of them? Me: I should thank you for the ones that don't stink. God: What would happen if you didn't? Me: You would forsake me. God: Who else would forsake you ? Me: Everyone that I love ... God: That's a rather sweeping generalization. Me: You're probably right. God: I won't say "yes" or "no" right now. Me: Thanks for nothing then. God: My pleasure. Wednesday, October 12, 2005 ( 09:40 PM ) The Video Game Pianist OWNZ JOO!! Saturday, October 8, 2005 ( 09:00 AM ) Looks like someone at least deserves a visit from the Grammar Police! Her complaint, which does not specify monetary damages, notes that Boim never exhibited the story to other students or staff and that it did not "advocate violence against any specific person or group of people." Okay, so who wrote her legal brief? Did not advocate violence against any specific person? I'm sure her math teacher would disagree! And second, not telling anyone about your fantasy to kill people doesn't automatically negate the potential harm you might cause! Seriously. How is that an argument?? Monday, October 3, 2005 ( 09:57 PM ) Having been in grad school for over a year, it's funny how badly I'm regressing into an 18-year-old undergrad in terms of study habits. By the time I was a senior at UCLA, I had a great low-stress system whereby I always finished papers days in advance of when they were due (a product of having started them a week or two in advance). Well, it's Monday night. I have a 5-6 page paper due on Wednesday morning. I'm still finding articles to use for the paper which probably won't get written until tomorrow night. It kinda reminds me of all those nights I used to fall asleep to Greg typing away at 1 in the morning because he had a paper due at 9am. Or how Heidi would start to write a paper that was due at 10am around, say, 8 that morning or so. Sunday, October 2, 2005 ( 09:38 PM ) We moved into the house and everything is scattered everywhere. To top off the chaotic environment I'm immersed in, I also have a billion and one school-related things to do. OY!!!