Man walks away from lightning strike! TWICE! -- NOT!

Watch this video:

Pretty convincing huh?
Now look at these screen captures of the two strikes. They are in order.

1st strike problems:
The man is near the front of the van and yet the shadow of the van cast by the bolt goes many feet in front of the van-all of the way to the next van. For a light source to cast a long shadow like that it must be behind the van. Clearly not the bolt.
Also, look at the trees just beyond the second van on the left, they are barely illuminated at all, in relation to the others. Wouldn't they also be brightly lit if a bolt of lightning struck so closely?
Click on image for larger version.

2nd strike problems:
The illumination cast by the second strike is almost identical to the first, despite it occurring in a different location. How's that happen? The first van is casting a shadow toward the light source; that simply can't happen. The trees closest to the camera on the right side would have more shadow because of the location of the light source, and the trees in front of and on the left of the second van would certainly be lit up by the second bolt.
Click on image for larger version. 

Nice try, but nay.

Generational Gap Identification

Soon we'll need new calipers to measure the generational gaps...

I am of an age where I still remember what I thought when I was young even though I myself am no longer young. I now have the experience to know that some of what my elders told me was true, and some was just there way of misrepresenting the facts to shape my thoughts in a way that they wanted me to think.
The age before TCI (thought connected Internet).

I remember when I first really felt like an adult. I had just started my first job with insurance and health care. I felt comfortable cursing in front of my parents, as long as it was appropriate. I was married, and my life was starting a new chapter.
The age before Blu-ray.

I remember when it was not that I didn't trust anyone over 30, it was just that they had no relevance to my life - they didn't like what I liked, they didn't do what I did, they didn't go where I went. I thought I knew what was the best in music, movies, activities, beverages, et cetera.
The age before DVDs.

I remember when I had no responsibilities other than avoiding mud, when it was possible. I didn't have a job, buy groceries, or clean my own room. My permanent teeth had almost all arrived, and I could read books that weren't written for children.
The age before CDs.

Will the process reverse?

Will I not trust anyone under fifty because they haven't been around long enough to know how the world really works?

Will I constantly deride contemporary entertainment in favor of the old stuff, the classics: Galaga, Mario Bros., World of Warcraft, Angry Birds...

Will I move into a house owned by someone else? Not buy my own groceries? Worry about teeth and not being able to read the thoughts projected inside my head...

Reflections on "How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet" by Douglas Adams

Adultery Does Not Mean What You Think by Scott Horlbeck

An interesting exaimination of the meaning of adultry using some bibilical references. I haven't watched all of his videos yet. But I can across this one and found it to be particularly insightful in how he juxtaposes some of the colloquial Christian belief about sex and what the text of the bible says.

Scott Horlbeck's YouTube channel.

If someone helps you, say thanks

I arrived early at the mechanic this morning to drop off my car, and the door was locked. While standing outside I noticed a car stopped in the turn lane of the intersection. It emergency flashers were on a woman flagged me over. As I was crossing the street, another man saw what was going on and stopped to help.
It was obvious that we should push it into the parking lot of the mechanic's business. We had to wait for the light to change before we went.
 He and I started pushing, her daughter was inside steering. The other man was on my right, and I was positioned in the middle of the trunk to give her room to help. That apparently wasn't necessary-as she judged it-because she was talking on her cell while walking next to me. Because she was otherwise engaged, she did not help direct traffic around us either, as we had to cross two lanes of traffic to get to a parking lot. The other man and I managed to do that as well after someone zoomed by us seemingly unaware of what we were doing.
After we arrived in the parking lot, she hung up the phone and began to tell me what she had recently gotten fixed on the car, and began complaining about what's wrong now.
She did not thank us for helping. The other man and I walked away. He was in a hurry to resume his day; I thanked the other man for helping me.
And lady, you're welcome.

Hans Rosling and the Magic Washing Machine

On the surface, by the title, I wondered why this was on TED. But as usual, Mr. Rosling brings a unique POV to the topic and evokes deep thought.
There are four major devisions in the world's population of 7 billion. The people of fire, bulb, wash, and air. And their energy requirements will only increase as they shift up the scale.

There are some environmentalists that proudly do not drive cars, but how many of them do not use a washing machine?

What's the real gift of the washing machine? The time to read books.

Full Moon 14% Bigger on March 19th

The moon, like the planets and other moons, orbits in an ellipse. When it is close to the earth in that ellipse it is called perigee. When the perigee and a full moon coincide, the moon will be 14% larger than it normally appears. This interesting occurrence happens about every 18 years.

The perigee in March 1993 was four hours off of the full moon, pretty close. However, this year's will be only one hour from perfection. So get your best cameras ready!

Even though NASA chose the title of "Super Full Moon", I didn't like the connotation.
Their write up is here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/16mar_supermoon/

NASA ScienceCast video

Partly Cloudy - A Pixar Short Animation

So that's where I came from...