Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea

As you all probably know, Ken Burns makes excellent documentaries. Mostly about war, music and baseball, Burns is changing themes and going green (although the pan & zoom he made famous I'm sure will serve him well here). Still with a slant on history, "The National Parks: America's Best Ideas" I'm sure is going to be trip inspiring, and is coming to PBS in a 6-part series September 27th.

http://sierraclub.org/parks/

I'll post up torrent links here a few days after episodes air...

09.09.30: UPDATE here. No torrent yet, but watch to your heart's content, free until October 9th...

More bikers = increased safety.

From the Atlantic.

http://business.theatlantic.com/2009/08/why_bike-sharing_programs_are_really_good_ideas.php

The number of reported accidents goes down as the ridership increases (ummm... stating the obvious much? I apparently wrote this for those of you can't read graphs ;) .

NYC seems to have improved their infrastructure significantly over the last few years, which may also be a contributing factor, but internationally, it seems to be working two fold; increasing ridership and safety. Correlationally, at least...

Bike share system that gives energy to the city.

Like, actually feeds back energy to the grid (in addition to the revitalization aspect of it all!)

http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/16/hybrid2-public-bike-concept-promises-to-help-power-city-buses/

... the hybrid part of the bike (a regenerative braking system) wouldn't be used to help power the bike itself at all, but would instead store the energy in an ultracapacitor that'd then feed the energy back into the grid when its parked at a special bike stand, which would in turn be used to help charge the hybrid electric buses. Not one to overlook an ingenious little detail, Chen has also devised a special card RFID card that would not only be used to unlock the bike, but keep track of the energy that each rider generates -- build up enough credits and you can ride the bus for free.

Canoe to the water

This summer I decided that since I don't have any camping trips planned (?!), getting out on lake Ontario may be the next best thing. Although I do have access to a vehicle, it's fairly inconsistent, and it's a different vehicle almost every time. No guaranteed racks either. So, I got one of these. I wrote a short review for Dandyhorse mag, but it got cut from the current issue. I'll post it at the bottom if you're interested; it's a cool system with a few minor problems... Nothing that can't be improved upon.

The day was great, but didn't end up going to the Toronto Island as originally planned because (a) we started a bit late, (b) the water outside the breakers was just too choppy that day.



Wondering where a good place to launch at is? From the west end I dipped in near the Palais Royale, but for a trip out to the island it's a bit of a distance. Next time closer to the downtown core...







Two bikes, two people, the trailer and a lunch easily fit.









This summer I decide to go multi-modal -- using my canoe! The only question was, how to get to the water easily while potentially staying carbon neutral.

Then I found the Wike Woody Wagon bicycle trailer ($199, www.wicycle.com). Well padded and fully equipped, it comes complete with everything I needed to haul my canoe on my bike from home to lake safely and easily.

The trailer is actually composed of two separate main components, with the wheels detached from the yoke. This design not only contributes to its light weight (13 lbs), but also allows for flexibility in cargo size.

I found it a cinch to put together, and once I hooked the trailer with canoe to my bike, easy to maneuver as I rode down to the lake. The only potential long term issues are the rubber quick-connect stem (instead of a more durable metal swivel) and low-quality aluminum (which is already showing signs of stress after only two uses).

Finally, although you can't ride with the kit unloaded behind you (for instance, if you wanted to pick up your canoe at another location) because it is a two-piece set, once at the lake the trailer is dismantled in seconds and can be ferried in the canoe (with your bike!) while enjoying the entirely car-free day on the water.

Oasis have broken up.

http://www.nme.com/news/oasis/47001

Noel Gallagher quit Oasis tonight (August 28).

"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight," he wrote. "People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with [singer, his brother] Liam a day longer."

More on this later. I was never good at crying and typing.

Update: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8228687.stm

Mr McGee said Noel no longer felt any obligation to stay in the band, which reflects a wider shift in society, he believes.

"Whether you're an electrician or a rock 'n' roll star, you can only do and be who you want to be," he said.

"He is the same as everybody else - he didn't want to do it any more and he stopped. People don't do anything now that they don't want to do."

o.l.i.g.a.r.h. - why?

More than just one or two letters are missing here brother.



Jordan first got introduced me (and others) to Mr. Glenn Beck one night over a beer and youtube... thank you.

Recently from the Atlantic.

"Lots of big companies who advertise on Fox have signed onto the boycott (re: advertising during Beck's show), orchestrated by Color of Change to protest Beck's proposition that President Obama is a racist, reportedly including Wal-Mart, Sprint, Travelers Insurance, General Mills, DirecTV, Geico, Progressive, Procter & Gamble, Radio Shack, Men's Wearhouse, GMAC Financial Services--at least 36 companies in all. (UPDATE: as commenter MikeCee points out, Color of Change put the total at 46 after announcing 10 more yesterday.)"

Pentacene

http://gizmodo.com/5346964/crazy+powerful-ibm-microscope-takes-first-3d-image-of-molecular-atomic-bonds

That B&W structure is an actual image of a molecule and its atomic bonds. The first of its kind, in fact, and a breakthrough for the crazy IBM scientists in Zurich who spent 20 straight hours staring at the "specimen"—which in this case was a 1.4 nanometer-long pentacene molecule comprised of 22 carbon atoms and 14 hydrogen atoms...

... Using a silicon microscale cantilever coated in carbon dioxide (tiny, tiny needle), lasers, an "ultrahigh vacuum" and temperatures that hovered around 5 Kelvin, the AFM imaged the pentacene in nanometers. It did this while sitting a mere 0.5 nanometers above the surface and its previously invisible bonds for 20 long, unmoving hours. The length of time is noteworthy, said IBM scientist Leo Goss in statement from IBM, because any movement whatsoever would have disrupted the delicate atomic bonds and ruined the image.

Why do we touch?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-moral-molecule/200810/handshake-or-hug-why-we-touch

Interestingly, women were more susceptible to the effect of touch: they had larger changes in oxytocin and sacrificed more money to those who trusted them. This may be why at lease anecdotally, women touch others more than men. Oxytocin not only is a potent anti-anxiety agent, it activates reward pathways in the brain. Yes, our brains are designed to make it feel good to be good-even to strangers.

So, hugs or handshakes? Either one, along with a display of trust, is likely to cause oxytocin release and increase the chances that this person will treat you like family even if you've just met him or her. We touch to initiate and sustain cooperation. That's a pretty neat trick for a little nine amino acid molecule!

Too many connections? Sleep makes room for new memories

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/38692/title/Sleep_makes_room_for_memories

"In a study in rats, Cirelli and her colleagues discovered that a molecule that works with the brain chemical glutamate becomes more and more abundant the longer rats are awake. The molecule, the glutamate receptor GluR1, helps forge connections, called synapses, between neurons. When rats are awake, the amount of GluR1 in the brain may climb up to 40 percent higher than levels found when the animal has been asleep for a few hours.

A new study in fruit flies showed that all areas of the brain have much higher levels of molecules found at synapses. Normally, strengthening a synapse is a good thing. It is one of the steps thought to be important in memory formation. But brains can’t continue to build up existing connections forever, Cirelli says.

“We cannot afford to keep growing our synapses one day after another, because very soon they would become unsustainable,” she says. “Stronger synapses come at a very high price.”

It takes a lot of energy, cellular supplies and other resources to maintain the connections. And if a neuron puts all of its energy into continually strengthening old synapses, it will never form new ones, making it impossible to learn new things."

REALLY INTERESTING... so, there is an upper limit to learning and remembering, or so Cirelli's theory postulates/depends on. It kinda makes sense in the way that there is a limited amount of resources. But are resources really that scare that too many synapse would become unsustainable? I'm not so sure... It is kinda a cool idea to think that sleep will clear out old/unused/unsustainable synapses though... transfer to and from the working memory sort of thing as well I would assume.

"Poe and her colleagues found that REM sleep turns off the brain chemicals norepinephrine and serotonin, both used for stabilizing synapses. Injecting serotonin into the brains of rats during sleep disrupted the rats’ ability to form certain kinds of memories, suggesting that the ability to remove old connections during sleep is important for making new memories."

Food pairings: Which wines match your chips best?

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/lifetravel/stories/DN-nf_winepanel_0826gdWEB.State.Edition1.21d35a0.html

We tasted 19 wines priced less than $15 to go with a range of flavored chips – from salt and pepper to arrabiata. We started with eight flavors of chips and chose two for their versatility with wines. Coincidentally, both were from Kettle Chips: Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper, and Buffalo Bleu. We rejected chips from several other brands for a variety of reasons: too bland, too sweet, too overpowering, or frighteningly fake-flavored.

WINES THAT GO WITH KETTLE BUFFALO BLEU CHIPS

2008 Borsao Red, Spain

($6.99 -$8.99; World Market; Central Market; Big Daddy's; Centennial in Richardson; Whole Foods Market in Plano)

This fruity blend was the star of the show – and a bargain to boot. "It enhances the spiciness of the Buffalo Bleu," said Tidwell. "It's yummy, complex and mouth-coating," said Pinnell. "The fruit really pops out and complements the spice." At press time, this wine was selling fast. Another shipment from Spain is due this fall.
(via Gizmodo)



Update: What is your Kettle flavour quiz (thanks Kari). If you're not doing anything this afternoon, like me, might as well...

http://www.kettlefoods.com/fun-stuff/whats-your-flavor

I'm New York Cheddar with herb. Go on, think about it.

It's complicated

When will the LHC go back on-line?

http://cdsweb.cern.ch/journal/article?issue=35/2009&name=CERNBulletin&category=News%20Articles&number=1&ln=en

Due to the huge amount of inter-dependency between different areas of work in the LHC, even a small change can necessitate a complete overhaul of the schedule. For example, something as simple as cleaning a water cooling tower - required regularly by Swiss law to prevent Legionella - has a huge impact on the planning: "When you clean the water tanks it means we don’t have water-cooling for the compressors, that means we can’t run the cryogenics, so the temperature starts to go up," explains Myers. "If a sector gets above 100 K, then the expansion effects of heating can cause problems, and we could have to replace parts."