Sunday, October 25, 2009
October Fun
What do you think? Are you scared yet?
We love birthdays.
Cake is my favorite.
Charlie is Jacks dog.
They enjoy nap time..
Our house is full of teenagers.
Chubbs and Charlie enjoy wrestling as much as Zachary and Jack. They make a lot of noise and I keep telling them to be quiet and quit before someone gets hurt. Watch the video and you will see what I mean.
Okay, now for the educational part of the blog.
Rocket Food
By Theodore Gray Posted 05.08.2006
Want to see a real sugar high? Launch a model rocket with Oreo cookies.
Food contains an amazing amount of energy. If you don't believe it, feed candy to some kids and watch them bounce off the walls. Of course, tot-baiting is only one way to turn food energy into noise and destruction.
A rocket speeds away, fueled by an oxidizer and Oreo cookie filling.
A king-size Snickers has 541 Calories. That's Calories with a capital "C," or 1,000 lowercase calories. A small-"c" calorie represents the energy required to heat one gram of water by one degree Celsius. So that Snickers could theoretically heat a gram of water 541,000 degrees or, more realistically, bring a gallon and a half of water from nearly freezing to nearly boiling.
The energy in food is typically released when, through a complex biochemical pathway, sugars, starches and fats react with oxygen from the lungs. It's a form of slow-motion burning that, thankfully, rarely involves fire.
But you can liberate the same amount of energy in much less time by mixing the Snickers with a more concentrated source of oxygen—say, the potent oxidizer potassium perchlorate. The result is basically rocket fuel. Ignited on an open fireproof table, it burns vigorously, consuming an entire candy bar in a few seconds with a rushing tower of fire. If you could bottle the energy of kids playing and turn it into a Molotov cocktail, this is what it would look like.
Of course, you can't actually fire a rocket with a Snickers bar; the nuts would clog the nozzle. Oreo cookie filling, however, works very nicely in standard model-rocket engines. (Caution: The Model Rocket Safety Code does not approve of filling rocket motors with highly reactive chlorate-Oreo mixtures.)
The thrust wasn't great, but my chlorate-Oreo rocket did get off the ground—not bad for a half-baked confection. Serious sugar hits like Pixy Stix and Gummi Bears give more power, but true "candy rockets" (yes, that really is a term used in model rocketry) are made with the hard stuff: pure sucrose (table sugar) or dextrose (processed starch). With food-grade potassium nitrate as the oxidizer, the result is high-power rocket fuel that you could feed to the kids—although I don't recommend it.
Sugar Rush – A rocket powered by sugar.
Watch the video
Click here for more video of candy rockets taking to the sky.
Woof
Abby
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
A Back To School Dog
"An educated person is one who has learned that information almost always turns out to be at best incomplete and very often false, misleading, fictitious, mendacious - just dead wrong."
~~~Russell Baker
"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't."
~~~Anatole France
"Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army."
~~~Edward Everett
"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance."
~~~Will Durant
1964 modem demo
An awesome demo of an 'antique' acoustic modem from the 60s. This is one of the first prototype modems. See them use it with a modern day computer.
Oxygen
A 3D animation of some basic properties of oxygen presented in a funny way. Now this is the way to learn chemistry.
Ride in a U2 Spy Plane
I don’t care if you are not a pilot, this is a cool ride. All my pilot friends will get a charge out of this.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Dog Days of Summer – My Favorite!
The phrase Dog Days or "the dog days of summer", Latin: Caniculae, Caniculares dies, refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere they usually fall between early July and early September. The actual dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress.
The term "Dog Days" was used by the Greeks, as well as the ancient Romans after Sirius the "Dog Star", the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun this time of year.
The ancients sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.
Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies.
In Ancient Rome, the Dog Days extended from July 24 through August 24. In many European cultures (German, French, Italian) this is still the period to be the time of the Dog Days.
For the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile's flooding, so they used the star as a "watchdog" for that event. Since its rising also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time: "Dog Days bright and clear / indicate a happy year. / But when accompanied by rain, / for better times our hopes are vain."
In recent years, the phrase "Dog Days" or "Dog Days of Summer" have also found new meanings. The term has frequently been used in reference to the stock market. Typically, summer is a very slow time for the stock market, and additionally, poorly performing stocks with little future potential are frequently known as "dogs." If they really want to talk about a lazy stock they should call them “cats”
Many people believe the phrase is in reference to the conspicuous laziness of domesticated dogs during the hottest days of the summer. When speaking of "Dog Days" there seems to be a connotation of lying or "dogging" around, or being "dog tired" on these hot and humid days. Although these meanings have nothing to do with the original source of the phrase, they may have been attached to the phrase in recent years due to common usage or misunderstanding of the origin of the phrase.
One Car – One Owner – 540,000 Miles
This is an unusual love story involving an 89-year-old woman and her beloved Chariot. The two have been together for decades and traveled more than 540,000 miles across this nation's highways and side streets.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Hot July Dog
Thought I would keep this blog light and entertaining. Nothing to mental or scientific this time. After all it to hot to think.
Become An Activist
Everyone should support a cause, so support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
Remember:
- If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
- Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
- Half the people you know are below average.
- When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
- If the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
- God is great! Beer is good. People are crazy.
A Morning At Nicks House
Ever wonder what it like when Nick wakes up in the morning. Click the video below and experience it for yourself.
Mater’s Tall Tails
And now for some first rate entertainment. Enjoy!
Woof
Abby
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Independence Day!
I Am A Grateful Dog
It’s a great day to celebrate what our four fathers did for us! Wait, wasn’t there more than four?
Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one. --- A. J. Liebling
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. --- Mark Twain
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. --- George Bernard Shaw
Boom - Pop - Pow!
Fireworks make a nice display but take a look at Gods display. This is a great video!
Galactic center of the Milky Way rises over Texas
Dog Tech
Latest technology for garage door openers. This is so cool. I have got to get me one of these.
Will Rogers Once Said:
Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing, and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even.
You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is.
All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance.
Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you can find a rock.
Don't let yesterday use up too much of today.
I bet after seeing us, George Washington would sue us for calling him "father."
The man with the best job in the country is the vice-president. All he has to do is get up every morning and say, "How is the president?"
The more you observe politics, the more you've got to admit that each party is worse than the other.
The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets.
Things in our country run in spite of government, not by aid of it.
We don't seem to be able to check crime, so why not legalize it and then tax it out of business?
What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.
Woof
Abby
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Summer Squirrel Season
Charlie and I are monitoring the activity in this tree.
Chubbs has got this one covered.
I think I see one!
Wait for it – wait for it – wait for it.
By Amanda Nolz March 19th, 2009
Talk show host and chef, Rachael Ray, is a great spokesperson for beef! I sometimes catch her show in the afternoons while I’m in between classes, and I was glad I caught it yesterday. Her recipe of the day featured beef. As Rachael prepared her Hanger Steak with Margarita Marinade, she explained how beef is an excellent source of protein in the diet. She also discussed the value of a hanger steak in getting more bang for your buck in tough economic times by purchasing a less expensive cut of meat. Not only does she boast the affordability, versatility and nutritional value of beef products, but she also showcases her recipes beautifully for the millions of viewers that tune in. Click here to read more.
Giant mystery blob found near dawn of time
What’s most remarkable about this blob is its size: It's 55,000 light-years long, which is comparable to the radius of the disk-shaped Milky Way. According to many theories of the universe, nothing was supposed to be that big at that time in the universe. The other objects from that period are far smaller, Ouchi said. Click here to read more.
Woof
Friday, May 15, 2009
More - - Things you can do at home but probably shouldn’t……….
I Believe...That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I Believe...That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
Abby Wit
If you think you were delt a bad hand in life, just remember - - - somewhere in this world there there is a Mr. Pelosi !!!!
Bacon – The Other White Heat
You know bacon is delicious, but did you know it contains enough energy to melt metal?
No, seriously. The device I built was a form of thermal lance. A thermal lance, typically made of iron instead of bacon, is used to cut up scrap metal and rescue people from collapsed buildings. It works by blowing pure oxygen gas through a pipe packed with iron and magnesium rods. These metals are surprisingly flammable in pure oxygen, releasing a huge amount of heat as they are consumed. The result is a jet of superheated iron plasma coming out of the end of the pipe. For sheer destructive force, few tools match a thermal lance. But iron isn't the only thing that's flammable in a stream of pure oxygen.
I used prosciutto (Italian for "expensive bacon") because it is a superior engineering grade of meat.
Click to see the video and read more about the power of pork.
The Coolest Chameleon Ever
Click on the video to watch.
Coolest Chameleon Ever - Watch more Funny Videos
Woof
Abby
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Things you can do at home but probably shouldn’t – April
Blowing (Up) Hydrogen Bubbles
A dramatic demonstration -- with exclusive video! -- of why the same gas that heats your house can also make it explode
By Theodore Gray
Living in the Midwest, where heating homes with propane is common, I periodically see reports in the local paper that yet another unoccupied house has exploded. They often note that the roof was found in the basement, while the walls were spread some distance into the neighboring fields.
To see the video and read more click Blowing (Up) Hydrogen Bubbles.
Making Glass in a Grill [With Video!]
The author creates an ornament—using his barbecue
By Theodore Gray
All the components of glass can be found in two places: the beach and the laundry room. It’s possible to melt pure white-silica beach sand into glass, but only at temperatures of 3,000 to 3,500°F. Washing soda, lime or borax (a traditional laundry aid) added to the sand disrupts the quartz-crystal structure of silica and reduces the required temperature to a more practical, though still dangerous, 2,000°F, which I achieved with a backyard grill and a vacuum cleaner. Glass is thought to have been discovered around 7,000 years ago by Phoenician merchants when cooking fires were built over sand that, by chance, had some of these substances mixed in.
To see the video and read more click Making Glass in a Grill.
- It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.
- A fellow who is always declaring he’s no fool usually has his suspicions.
- Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Texas Marshmallow Crop
and keeps on growing!
Marshmallow farmers in Aberdeen Texas recovered well from the early March freeze, recording more than $6 million in gross income.
“It was a bumper crop,” County Extension Agent Marvin Owings said.
(click on the pictures for a larger view)
Last year the Easter freeze devastated the crop. The region warmed early in the year and the marshmallow plants were in full bloom when temperatures plunged into the low 20s and high teens. The flowers froze solid, killing any chance of a large marshmallow crop.
This year was a different story. Collingsworth County had relatively good weather and benefited from an increase in demand for processed and puffed marshmallows. The county harvested 98 percent of a full crop, and had a total gross income of $6.2 million.
“As far as yield and crop and prices, I think everybody was pleased,” said Adam Pryor, Red River Marshmallow Growers Association president. “Especially given that the year before was a total failure.”
The county harvested 858,294 bushels of marshmallows that sold in bulk, 268,217 bushels that sold in tray packs, 536,434 bushels that sold in bags, and 804,650 bushels of marshmallows that sold for crispy treats.
Help from Mother Nature
Collingsworth County benefited from bad weather in other parts of the country. Processed marshmallow buyers purchased large quantities using several cold storage facilities that had not been used for four of five years. They were drafted into service because of the increased demand.
“That had a very large impact with the process industry,” Pryor said. “There was just a huge demand for Collingsworth County marshmallows, because of the shortages in other areas.”
Owings stressed the figures are just the gross income recorded by growers. It does not represent the cost of growing and harvesting the marshmallows.
Last year was a tough year for input costs. Fuel prices were at record levels and marshmallow seed and fertilizer costs were high, he said. This hurt the overall profits of many growers.
“Fuel was a big issue last year,” Pryor said.
The only negative aspect of the 2009 growing season was two hail events and wind damage. The Buck Creek area got hit with heavy winds on February 11. The Rolla area got hit by hail on Aug 7. The events damaged the crop, forcing growers to sell battered fruit as marshmallow pulp, which garners less money.
It’s looking like another good year for the county’s marshmallow growers. The weather is forecast to be cool this year, and the region has received some gentle, soaking rains that will help marshmallow planting recover from the drought conditions in 2008.
“We are looking forward to another good year,” Owings said. “Hoping next years April Fools day is as much fun as this one.”
Friday, March 27, 2009
A March Dog
-A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
-Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back.
-Half the people you know are below average.
-A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
-A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
-If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain.
-If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
-Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
-If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
-Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
-If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
Why race car drivers don’t let
their wife ride with them……..
Rally Car Driver Takes Wife For Drive - Watch more Funny Videos
Eleven States Declare Sovereignty Over Obama’s Action
State governors — looking down the gun barrel of long-term spending forced on them by the Obama “stimulus” plan — are saying they will refuse to take the money. This is a Constitutional confrontation between the federal government and the states unlike any in our time.
In the first five weeks of his presidency, Barack Obama has acted so rashly that at least 11 states have decided that his brand of “hope” equates to an intolerable expansion of the federal government’s authority over the states. Click here to read more.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Lots To Learned
I’ve learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.
I’ve learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just assholes.
I’ve learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.
I’ve learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that you had better know something.
I’ve learned that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others – they are more screwed up than you think.
I’ve learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.
I’ve learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades, and there had better be a lot of money to take its place!
I’ve learned that 99% of the time when something isn’t working in your house, one of your kids did it.
I’ve learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and the less important ones just never go away.
50% Of Home Foreclosures
In 1.1% Of US Counties!
More than half of the nation's foreclosures last year took place in 35 counties, a sign that the financial crisis devastating the national economy may have begun with collapsing home loans in only a few corners of the country. Click this link to read more and see the map http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2009-03-05-foreclosure_N.htm.
The map looks alot like the last election map!
Historically, It’s About Time
For Another Revolution
Someone pointed out the other day that this country has had a revolution of sorts about every 80 years, starting with the Revolutionary War, and followed by the Civil War, and the Great Depression and World War II. If that’s the case, we’re about due for another one. Click the link to read more http://beefmagazine.com/cowcalfweekly/0306-historically-time-revolution/.
Cousin Dogs
Annie and Peewee
Woof
Abby
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Introducing Charlie
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Leadership
Bob Tallman Testimonial about 4-H
Woof - Abby
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy Birthday 2 U
to a very good friend!
Something to think about: How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
Now here’s you birthday song.
Enjoy!
Dog Wisdom:
Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone. ~~Jim Fiebig
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. ~~Mark Twain
I don't feel old. I don't feel anything till noon. That's when it's time for my nap. ~~Bob Hope
Middle age is the awkward period when Father Time starts catching up with Mother Nature. ~~Harold Coffin
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country. ~~Kurt Vonnegut
They say that dogs can smell fear. It’s a good thing they can’t smell “old”. Otherwise the barking at your place would be unbearable. ~~Abby
Have a dog-gone-good birthday!
Woof
Abby
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy Birthday To You
to a very good friend!
Something to think about:
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
Now here’s you birthday song. Enjoy!
Dog Wisdom:
Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone. ~~Jim Fiebig
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. ~~Mark Twain
I don't feel old. I don't feel anything till noon. That's when it's time for my nap. ~~Bob Hope
Middle age is the awkward period when Father Time starts catching up with Mother Nature. ~~Harold Coffin
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country. ~~Kurt Vonnegut
They say that dogs can smell fear. It’s a good thing they can’t smell “old”. Otherwise the barking at your place would be unbearable. ~~Abby
Woof
Abby