LET'S DO AWAY WITH GUNS ALTOGETHER

GUN OWNERSHIP AND THE BREAKDOWN OF THE COMMON GOOD. No other icon of the American identity simultaneously carries with it such unabated reverence, pride, fear and disgust as guns.  Guns are as much a part of the American self-image as apple pie, Monday Night Football and beer pong.  The latest numbers indicate 100 to 200 million people in the US are gun owners, with anywhere from 300 to 700 million total guns in the country,...

WEIRD NATURE: The Hummingbird Moth

Like Hummingbirds, The Hummingbird Moth feeds on the nectar of flowers, as it hovers stationary over the flower; its wings beating so fast they are practically invisible.  The flared tail and long proboscis as well as the soft buzzing sound it makes while in flight can momentarily fool even the most experienced enthusiast. A hummingbird moth starts out as a plump, yellowish green caterpillar, with darker green lines along the back, reddish...

THE PIONEER ANOMALY - Casting Doubt on Newton's Theory

Launched in the 1970's, the Pioneer 10 and 11 space probes were launched to probe the deeper parts of our solar system.  For all intents and purposes, science has no interest in these probes anymore.  In fact, the last signal we received was from Pioneer 10 in 2003.  These crafts are now nearly 8 million miles away, past Pluto's orbit, and have run out of power to send signals back to Earth. So what's the big deal? The big deal...

The Glass Harmonica (with video)

The automated glass harmonica was developed by none other than the brilliant American Renaissance Man; Benjamin Franklin.  It functions in the same way that we have all seen people run their wetted fingers around the rims of glasses that are filled to various capacities.  Though the concept of playing glass rims originated in Ireland, what Franklin did years later was assemble the glasses stacked inside each other and place them on a...

WEIRD NATURE: The Pistol Shrimp

By now, you've all likely seen the illustrations and videos circulating around the internet boasting the amazing attributes of the Mantis Shrimp.  You've seen videos of these seemingly otherworldly creatures beating the life out of helpless crustaceans with club-like appendages that travel at speeds comparable to a .22 caliber bullet, not to mention, marveled at their beautiful color patterns - especially the peacock.  By no means...

HOW TO BUILD A RAILGUN

BRING IT ON, TERMINATORS! I've been meaning to get to writing this post for some time as it is something near and dear to my heart.. or maybe my brain.  No, it is not some save-the-Earth cause or suggestions on a way to feed the homeless.  This is an article that gives you, the reader, a concise overview of the many ways to build the world's most awesome cutting-edge explosive-free weapon; the rail gun. For those of you not familiar...

ULTRA HD TV PRANK - Technology fools the human eye

Having fun with cutting edge technology.  This is one of the best I've seen.  Not a bad TV either! ...

NASA’S ION PROPULSION PROJECT: Deep-space exploration is becoming a reality

PAVING THE ROAD TO THE STARS Hidden deep within the dark and unreadable recesses of NASA’s 2014, $17.7 billion dollar spending plan lurks something made of science fiction. It will allow mankind to travel the solar system at unprecedented speeds to origins, until now, only probed by high-powered telescopes. Over the next decade, NASA is planning to design and build an unmanned craft, powered by an “ion propulsion engine,” to travel millions...

OVERPOPULATION: Are we running out of room?

“Inadequate sources of freshwater for drinking or effective sewage treatment, depletion of natural resources to include fossil fuels, increases in air, water and soil contamination, deforestation, loss of ecosystems, global warming, loss of workable land, mass desertification of the Earth, mass species extinction, slashing and burning of rainforests, high infant and child mortality, malnutrition, increase in epidemics and pandemics, starvation,...

Product review: EMPCO Bioluminescent algae

GLOW BABY, GLOW!  Tired of giving boring and obligatory gifts for Christmas? Looking for that unique, off-the-wall gift for your special someone?  Did you get into the movie Avatar a little more than expected?  If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, EMPCO's bio-luminescent algae cultures may be just what you're looking for to WOW gift recipients this holiday season. As a fellow pursuer of the curious, I made a somewhat...

Bill Nye: Still working to save the world

BILL NYE:  GOOD WORK IS NEVER DONE Bill Nye explains the motivation for creating his popular show and how he plans on continuing to educate the children of the world.  Interesting anecdotes regarding those who have tried to challenge the science in his claims.  Science continues to be attacked by the religious community, climate change deniers, "Young Earth" advocates and the like; even in the face of insurmountable evidence...

On Hunting: The underlying reasons why we either hunt or hate hunting

The leaves are starting to change. As autumn falls upon us, we will become witness to the beauty of nature’s transformation from lush green to yellows, oranges and reds in preparation for winter slumber. Families will begin to gather around the TV on Saturdays and Sundays to cheer on their alma maters and favorite professional football teams, kids will scramble into SUVs for weekend trips to the apple orchards for some fresh doughnuts and, of...