CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-22 21:55:42 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Solar Storm May Knock Out All Power on the Planet for Weeks!

Or it may not... And aliens may invade tomorrow...

If any solar coronal mass ejection had been shot in our general direction perhaps the title of the article below wouldn't be so laughable.

Essentially, I'm just making fun of the article's title, below. Sorry for the jolt.  ;-)

A bit alarmist of an article title, as nothing has been observed heading our way, but an interesting read nonetheless. Personally, I like the sun image more than the article.  

2013-05-21 15:56:32 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I guess eight year olds thinking of death sells advertising

Just watched a CBS This Morning reporter repeatedly ask an eight year old child, "What was going through your mind when the tornado hit your school? What were you thinking?" Until the child, with a confused look on his face, finally comes up with the answer, "I thought I was going to die." Said in almost a questioning manner. 

First, the best forum for the child to be talking about this sort of psychological trauma is in a safe, calm environment with family or a trained professional. Not on national tv, in the midst of the drama where some story hungry reporter is pressuring him to reiterate phrases he's been hearing around him. 

Second, what is going through an eight year old's mind is more likely, "I'm scared. Everyone is scared. I want my mom.", And perhaps,&q... more »

2013-05-20 21:03:01 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I enjoy his shows, so perhaps I should share his videos. Here ya go.

2013-05-20 16:57:03 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Dream Chaser - It's here

This is so damn cool looking, it is scary.

So now I just need to invent a social network of some sort so that I can afford to buy a seat on a "Dream Chaser" of the future.

Talk about dream chaser.

But, apparently NASA has built this is little space demon. 

Check out the demonstration video directly here:

http://youtu.be/i7yPVaNdGBw

And here's what the inside of the Dream Chaser probably look like. Doesn't look much different that a jumbo jet's instrument panel.

Inside the Simulation Vehicle:
https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew/status/335124339114512385/photo/1

2013-05-20 13:53:18 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

100% in 20 seconds

18 year old invents a super capacitor that can attain 100% charge in just over 20 second, that has a 10,000 charge/recharge cycle lifespan (avg is 1000).

Wow.

She won an Intel $50,000 young scientist award. But I hope she retained full rights to the technology because this is probably the biggest moment in this young girls life. Easily a billion dollar idea, and we'll see this in every electrical device.

2013-05-19 06:33:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Wow!

Spectacular knockout!

Vitor Belfort has definitely still got it.

You don't see too many spinning heel kick finishes in MMA. Especially not against the likes of an Luke Rockhold.

Check out out of you can.

2013-05-17 19:53:28 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Breaking the Law:

Me -> Go to jail

IRS -> Someone in IRS gets fired

DOJ -> Changes the law

2013-05-17 17:42:53 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Jiffy Lube - Jiffy Screw

In 2006 this was a BIG scandal. There is no way they could continue to get away with it! Right???

Buzzer... Wrong! 

How does this company continue to be profitable? 

Oh yeah. Cheating the customers who don't happen to see these types of reports.  

But how does a company stay out of trouble while blatantly robbing citizens, while if I were to anything like this, I'd be in a facility showering with my back to the wall.

Next statement: There is no way this company can survive this scandal again! Right!?!

I hope not... But, we Americans are so eager to hand over our money for the illusion of security, and peace of mind.  I imagine we'll be reading about this same scandal in 2020.

2013-05-17 13:26:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Solar Eruption: December 31, 2012

A solar eruption gracefully rose up from the Sun on December 31, 2012, twisting and turning. Magnetic forces drove the flow of plasma, but without sufficient force to overcome the Sun’s gravity much of the plasma fell back into the Sun.

The Earth is superimposed on this image to give readers a sense of the scale. The length of the eruption extends about 160,000 miles out from the Sun. With Earth about 7,900 miles in diameter, this relatively minor eruption is about 20 times the diameter of our planet. 

More Science on Earth's Blog: → EarthSpaceCircle.blogspot.com ←

Image Credit: NASA/SDO/Steele Hill
Explanation from: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sdo/news/solar-ballet2.html

2013-05-17 13:01:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

NASA ScienceCasts: Bright Explosion on the Moon!

NASA researchers who monitor the Moon for meteoroid impacts have detected the brightest explosion in the history of their program.

2013-05-17 05:29:11 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

IRS Targets Patriot Groups That "Educate About The Constitution" - Jon Stewart

2013-05-17 05:21:34 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

2013-05-17 05:01:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

2 22 2

Kings score 2 goals in 22 seconds to take game 2! Amazing!

2013-05-17 04:52:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Wow! 

Kings - You complete me.

2013-05-16 01:10:02 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Don't hate on the Google+ new layout haters. It's just human nature to rail against change. 

Change is scary. Change is evolutionarily dangerous to those less fit.

So, anticipate the complaints. Expect the derision. Forgive the fear.

And marvel and appreciate those secure enough to embrace change simply for the advances it may reveal.

Honestly, I haven't found anything I don't like about the changes... Yet...

But, alas, I am human.

#NewGoogleLayout
#Evolution  

2013-05-16 00:45:17 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

New Google Layout

Specifically in relation to viewing one's own profile, I love the fact that SOOO MUCH content is displayed that older postings no longer seem to just run off South to hide and die.

Thumbs up!

2013-05-15 21:24:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Go Kings!

I was discussing with a friend the fact that the sports gods seem to have a sense of humor when it comes to legacy and perceived greatness.  

I commented on the fact this it seems weird that THIS Kings team is the one that finally achieved a Stanley Cup in comparison to some of the great past Kings squads.  In specific, I'm referring to the team that featured Gretzky, Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille, Jari Kurri, Tony Granato, Thomas Sandstrom, Marty McSorley, Alexei Zhitnik, and Kelly Hrudey.

Strange that even in winning a Stanley Cup, this current team won't truly be known as the best Kings squad, by many long time Kings fans. Jonathan Quick, however, will be remembered as the finest goalie to ever don the Silver and Black or the Purple and Gold.

But... If this Kings squad takes another Stanley Cup, some of us ol' timers will haveto reev... more »

2013-05-15 15:02:17 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

My Maps - By Google

This sounds like some interesting and useful tweaks to one of the most useful apps in existence, Google Maps.

Looming forward to seeing what they can come up with.

2013-05-10 18:24:04 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

New Super Fight League bantam weight champ - Tom Mckenna.

Huge Upset.

SFL 17 was actually an entertaining card of MMA fights.

2013-05-01 16:22:16 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

How big is Uranus?

For some reason I don't think most people truly appreciate the diversity and size range of just the planets around our cute Lil sin, much less the Galaxy and universe.

The fact that 4 of our 8 planets don't even have a solid surface to land upon as they are gaseous. And that had Jupiter been a bit bigger perhaps this would be a binary star system devoid of the planetary parasites we call "Us".

Anyway, I thought I would share these great images of planetary perspective and scale.

2013-04-25 21:41:44 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Eight planets at NinePlanets

Here's a cute little site with everything you might want to know about the planets and moons of our Lil solar system.

Found it while boring my Lil 1 year old to sleep telling him all about the solar system, and I couldn't remember if Neptune came after Uranus.

2013-04-23 01:02:07 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

3 Years of the Sun in 3 Minutes

Since the Solar Dynamics Observatory opened its multi-spectral eyes in space about three years ago, we’ve posted numerous videos and images from the mission, showing incredible views of our dynamic Sun. Scott Wiessinger from Goddard Space Flight Center’s Space Visualization Studie has put together great timelapse compilation of images from the past three years, as well as a one composite still image to “try to encapsulate a timelapse into one static graphic,” he told us via email. “I blended 25 stills from over the last year, and it’s interesting to see the bright bands of active regions.” 

Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/101619/3-years-of-the-sun-in-3-minutes/

2013-04-22 20:52:13 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I don't actually LOL at many things on the internet, but for some reason, tjis got to me.

A literal LOL.

Stereotype maintained and augmented. 

2013-04-22 19:02:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Facebook Home

Been playing with it for an hour or so.

I have to admit, I kind of like the interface and experience. Enough so that I ALMOST don't mind the loss of customization of my mobile desktop.

But they need a few enhancements before I could seriously choose FB home as my... home...

1) They need to enhance, in some manner, widget functionality. Either

a) give me options for adding additional information to my lock screen (ie weather, news sources, mail, etc...)

b) add more options to the swipe menu allowing me to directly access specific content, or simply allow me to easily return to my previous mobile desktop (I would really like this option)

c) add widget functionality to the custom app pages/drawers

2) Since FB claims this interface is about focusing on social interactions, they should allow the... more »

2013-04-21 05:16:22 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Stunning new image of Horsehead Nebula from Hubble
This new Hubble image, captured and released to celebrate the telescope’s 23rd year in orbit, shows part of the sky in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter). Rising like a giant seahorse from turbulent waves of dust and gas is the Horsehead Nebula, otherwise known as Barnard 33.

This image shows the region in infrared light, which has longer wavelengths than visible light and can pierce through the dusty material that usually obscures the nebula’s inner regions. The result is a rather ethereal and fragile-looking structure, made of delicate folds of gas — very different to the nebula’s appearance in visible light.

Credit:
NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI)
http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic1307a/
#scienceeveryday  

2013-04-20 00:00:56 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

kaBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Blue supergiant superstars go superboom, and take their own sweet time doing it.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/04/19/ultralong_gamma_ray_bursts_hours_long_events_caused_by_supergiant_stars.html

2013-04-19 21:07:52 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Me and my navigator...

2013-04-19 20:55:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Very interesting science when you think about how single neurons can represent SO MUCH.  As you extrapolate the process, it quickly becomes clear how such a simple process of neurons firing can come to represent such a massive contextual trove of dynamic, seemingly never ending, quickly accessed information.

The brain is such a marvelously simple and beautiful example of natural complexity.

If only it was up to the challenge of understanding itself.

2013-04-18 23:20:19 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Lol.

This just helped me laugh through a little of my jet lag.

Thought I'd share.

I remembered this.

2013-04-16 22:07:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Apparently a NYC delicacy.

Yum.

2013-04-16 14:45:20 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Bewilderment then Panic

Amazing video of what it was like to be on the streets of Boston during the explosions.

And I imagine what it is like to be in a war torn country.

2013-04-16 02:09:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

How do I hate the term 'Junk DNA?'  Let me count the ways'.

2013-04-16 02:00:31 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Almost 10PM and Times Square is still in one piece.

Good thing, because I just happen to be sitting 40+ stories above it at the moment.

Strange how an act of terrorism can successfully change the significance of every blaring of a siren.

Wait, more sirens... No, everything is still Ok.

2013-04-16 01:52:23 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

The Concord is much smaller than I thought.

Look, my baby dwarfs it!

Seriously though, the Concord is much smaller than I expected it to be.

I overheard a tour guide talking about how the design of the air intake area for the engines was specially designed to slow the speed of air entering the engine as it could not handle air traveling faster than the speed of sound. This also had the effect through the dynamics of air pressure to provide a natural thrust that worked with the engine.

Now this all went over my head, and as I didn't pay for the tour I felt strange starting to ask questions.
Anyone out there well versed enough in jet dynamics to explain this to me?

Why did the air need to remain slower than the speed of sound in the engine?

How does the natural thrust work?

Thanks!

2013-04-15 14:29:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

What's wrong with this picture?

2013-04-10 03:31:34 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

I simply wanted to buy a movie via Google Play Movie, download it to my device, and watch it on a plane trip to New York. 

Is this too much too ask?

Apparently the answer is yes.

I purchased a movie last night.  I then tried to download the movie to my Galaxy Note 2.  FAILED.  Why?  Well, my GN2 only have about 11GB of internal memory.  The HD movie was about 5 GB and I simply didn't have the room on the device's internal memory.

No problem.  I'll just download it to my 64GB SD card.

Uh... Wait... I don't see an option anywhere to get this accomplished.

So I call Google.  Google tells me, "Nope. You cannot download the movie you just purchased to an SD.  You can ONLY download it to your internal memory, or stream it.".

Wait, I bought the movie.  I just want to watch it on a plane ride.
"S... more »

2013-04-09 15:47:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

<burp>

NGC 5907 is an edge-on spiral galaxy with a secret. Here's a hint:

NGC 5907: Om nom nom!
Other galaxy: Aiiieeee!!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/04/09/spiral_galaxy_photo_ngc_5907_ate_another_galaxy.html

2013-04-08 17:23:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Why is it dark at night?

2013-04-06 16:07:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Playing "Educational' Video Games Does Not Increase Intelligence; It Only Makes You A Better Game-Player:

An article, by Garteth Cook, in The New Yorker scrutinizes the claims of educational companies that link the playing computer or video games to improving memory (or so-called brain training); the idea that one can improve over-all intelligence by playing video-games holds a lot of appeal for parents, in particular, for parents of school-age children with learning disabilities.

http://perryjgreenbaum.blogspot.ca/2013/04/playing-educational-video-games-does.html

2013-04-06 14:18:45 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

The colors of Spring...

2013-04-04 16:33:07 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Claims of 6000 mile ICBMs

Even the claim of an untested ICBM that can reach Los Angeles in the hands of the DPRK is snatching a few precious winks from my night time allotment.

But what to do with a petulant child wielding that much fire power?

2013-04-02 20:00:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Impressive.  

My GMail is able to display 9 New Messages of 2. 

Google is SOO advanced.

2013-03-28 03:01:29 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 3 +1s)

#MINDBLOWN  

2013-03-26 18:05:58 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

T-Mobile LTE Update

Just got an OS update from T-Mobile on my Galaxy Note 2.

Not sure what has changed yet except that I saw a lte splash screen and I have a new icon at the top of my screen (pictured - looks like an eyeball).

Speed tests indicate 9078 kbps dl and 3050 kbps upload.

Anyone have the lowdown on the update?

2013-03-25 16:55:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Few things actually push me to tears.

Hearing of a 13 month old baby, shot between the eyes, while he lay in his stroller, while his mother watches, is on the list.

2013-03-18 20:17:14 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

2013-03-18 20:10:13 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

I often talk like a contrarian moderate pragmatist. But there is one issue where I am a flaming, no-compromise radical.  That is a citizen's right to record encounters with authority, especially the police.  Now the Obama Justice Department has made things starkly and abundantly clear.  

The U.S. Justice Department says it is now “settled law” that anyone is allowed to record or photograph police officers in public.  A statement of interest – a legal term for when an agency or organization has a stake in the outcome of a trial, but not direct involvement – filed by the Justice Department this week in the case of Mannie Garcia v. Montgomery County, Md., upholds the right of individuals to photograph police under the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Garcia was no amateur with a camera – he had White House press credentials, which perhapsexplains why ... more »

2013-03-18 15:33:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Historically interesting. Nostalgically fun.

Surprisingly, I never knew that the taxi cab that almost runs Dinero down, you know, "I'm walking here! I'm walking here! ", is an unscripted real New York cab that ignored all the street blockage signs for the movie shoot and nearly did run him down.

Fun stuff.

2013-03-18 18:26:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Pan-STARRS!

I have a few of my favorite pix of comet Pan-STARRS up on the blog, and links to how you can see it yourself. It's naked-eye visible now (barely) but binoculars are your best bet.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/03/14/bright_comet_pan_starrs_visible_to_the_naked_eye.html

2013-03-14 07:42:02 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Kobe Bryant severely sprains ankle, out indefinitely

Nooooooooo!!!

I actually said at one point during this awful season, "Could things get any worse? "

They just did.