Category: Facebook

Today, I watched a lunar eclipse, sunrise, and sunset. Probably a first.

Sunset over the ocean.

Today, I watched a lunar eclipse, sunrise, and sunset. Probably a first.

Venus & Jupiter just popped into view. It would’ve been nice to add Mercury too, but it’s below the horizon.

Also: I really should’ve brought gloves.

If I’d thought about it, I could have gone back to the spot where I watched the sunrise this morning to catch the moonrise for full symmetry. Oh, well.

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Lia BrownCool! I don’t think it was visible here…and it was so cold last night I wouldn’t have had much patience anyway…

Dec 10, 2011, 7:38 PM

Kelson VibberYeah, I think you might have been able to see the beginning of it in your area, but not much else.

Dec 10, 2011, 11:06 PM

Wendi HeckathornWhere did you watch it at?

Dec 11, 2011, 2:10 AM

Kelson VibberI watched most of the eclipse from home (well, across the street), then went down to an area of Redondo Beach where a street runs along a bluff above the beach (Esplanade & Avenue A). I tried to watch the moon set while eclipsed, but the sky was too light by then to really see it at that point, so I drove over to an east-facing hill to watch the sunrise. I came back to Esplanade at the end of the day to watch the sunset.

Dec 11, 2011, 11:25 PM

Wendi HeckathornThat’s awesome! I’m bummed I missed it, but I did enjoy seeing the beautiful full moon. Thanks for sharing the gorgeouspics you took. 🙂

Dec 12, 2011, 12:36 AM

That’s some serious wind

Whew. That’s some serious wind. Saw a bright flash off to the north as I parked at TJs. No rain, so I’m guessing instead of lightning, it’s power lines sparking somewhere.

I think these are the first Santa Anas since we moved. In a way, it’s oddly reassuring. I guess after the summer was so different from what I’m used to (even cold at times), it’s nice to know that fall weather is a bit more familiar. October heat wave, November winds, etc.

Good news: the part that failed is still under warranty. Bad news…

Good news: the part that failed is still under warranty. Bad news: somehow I managed to get nails into both front tires in places that can’t be repaired (but at least haven’t leaked). Good news: The tires are under warranty too. Bad news: That means I have to go to Costco *on* Thanksgiving weekend. Good news: I won’t have to go into the store.

Some incredible photos of last week’s major aurora display.

In case you missed it, Monday night in the northern latitudes

Some incredible photos of last week's major aurora display. I hear there were sightings as far south as Arizona, and I wonder: If I had driven up into the mountains above the cloud layer covering the LA basin, would I have seen flickering lights off in the north? (Presumably not. I'm sure if someone had seen the aurora from Mt. Wilson, it would have been mentioned in one of the articles I'd read.)

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Words mean things. Unfortunately, when you’re dealing with jargon…

Words mean things. Unfortunately, when you’re dealing with jargon, they don’t always mean the same things to different people.

Phil Plait: Scientists are from Mars, the public is from Earth | Bad Astronomy

A couple of days ago here on G+ I linked to a table that shows words scientists use, and how the public hears them – and it’s not the way the scientists think. I had more to say, so I wrote a whole post about it.

Bottom line: if scientists want to sway public opinion, they need to make sure what they say can be understood.

–GP

What scientists say, and what people hear, isn’t always the same thing. That’s a problem with any kind of jargon, but when you get into things that have been politicized, it’s important to be clear.

–FB

Updated Netflix thought: Dairy farms get together to raise prices…

9/15: Netflix thought: If dairy farms got together and hiked up the price of milk, would you blame your grocery store for raising their prices?

9/16: It must be the Netflix/studio milk/dairy farm analogy that’s got @Peerindex convinced that I write about breakfast cereal.

9/20: Updated Netflix thought: Dairy farms get together to raise prices, putting the squeeze on your local grocery store. The local store raises their prices to cover their higher costs. People blame the grocery store.

Then the grocery store responds by spinning off a separate store. One store will only sell milk in cardboard cartons and cheese. The other store will only sell milk in plastic bottles or yogurt. This is, of course, to make your life easier.

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Of course, there’s always The Oatmeal’s explanation: https://theoatmeal.com/static/netflix.html

Brion adds:

One store pipes fresh delicious milk direct to your faucets, but only carries 1% because the dairy cartel is being paid by another grocery chain for an exclusive right to whole, skim, and 2%.