If Great Scientists Had Logos

If great scientists had logos https://t.co/Xmwg8qjQd8 pic.twitter.com/ucK6VHMOXj

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 29, 2017

A Look At How The Pencils are Made

NPR: Trace The Remarkable History Of The Humble Pencil

A class of fifth-graders from Green Acres Elementary in Lebanon, Ore., asked us to find out how pencil lead is made. That quest took us all the way back to the dawn of the universe and then all the way up to a factory in Jersey City, N.J.

In the process, we learned that pencil lead (actually not lead at all but a mineral called graphite) has a storied past.

Read more ....

CSN Editor: That is one cool video.

What Are The Most Valuable Substances By Weight?

Click on Image to Enalrge

Zero Hedge: Visualizing The Most Valuable Substances By Weight

While gold is undoubtedly one of the most traded substances on earth, it also happens to be one of the most valuable substances by weight. Although prices fluctuate, one gram of gold will cost you on average around $35. This got us thinking about how much other primarily naturally occurring substances out there cost.

This new infographic, via ValueWalk, explores how much you would pay for a gram of everything from saffron, widely recognised as the world’s most expensive spice, to platinum and rhodium. While the market for these goods can’t match the sizeable gold market, whose depth and liquidity is unparalleled, the trading prices of these substances can widely surpass that of gold; though like gold, the prices of these substances are subject to fluctuations.

Read more ....

CSN Editor: For more information on Californium (the world's most expensive substance by weight), go here.

8 Ingenious Ways To Split Wood (Without An Ax)

Off The Grid News: 8 Ingenious Off-Grid Ways To Split Wood (Without An Ax)

I’ve had a pile of firewood sitting in the backyard for a while — actually for a few years. This pile was made up of branches that I’d cut off our various trees, either because the branches were dead or I needed to cut back branches of the trees because they were spreading too far. Regardless of the reason, there was a stack of tree limbs that needed to be dealt with.

Finally, though, I got around to building a firewood rack, so that I’d have a place to put all of that wood. Setting the rack beside the garden shed, I started stocking it. So far so good. Some logs had to be cut to length, “bucking” them for firewood, but that wasn’t much of an issue, either. The problem came when I tried to split them.

Read more ....

CSN Editor: I am sold on all 8 of them.

The Science Of Sharpening A Knife

How To Sharpen Any Knife -- Gizmodo

A sharp knife isn't just sharper, it's a safer, more efficient, more precise tool. And, like most people, your knives are probably dull. Here's how to fix that quickly, easily and cheaply.

Why do you need to sharpen knives? A sharp knife stands less chance of slipping on the material being cut and, because it requires less effort and force to use than a dull knife, you're less likely to cut yourself. Working with a sharp knife is faster and easier, too. It also damages the material being cut less — ever tried to slice a tomato with a dull knife? It doesn't exactly produce clean results.

Read more ....

My Comment: For those who love to cook .... a sharp knife is essential. This is a good summary on how to have one.

Why Do The Japanese Wear Surgical Masks?

Why Do Japanese People Wear Surgical Masks? It’s Not Always For Health Reasons -- Rocket News 24

Like kimono and T-shirts with English writing (sometimes vulgar, sometimes comical, always unintelligible), the number of people you’ll see in Japan wearing surgical masks is pretty surprising. Sure, Japan is a hard working society, and the spread of productivity-sapping sickness is always a concern at schools and workplaces, but that doesn’t seem like reason enough for the proliferation of facial coverings that sometimes has Tokyo offices looking more like an operating room.

Health concerns are only part of the equation, though, as recent studies have revealed multiple reasons people in Japan wear masks that have nothing to do with hygiene.

Read more ....

My Comment: So typically Japanese .... they are being polite and considerate of others.

The Top 50 Things People Want To Do Before They Die

Dreams: Swimming with dolphins is 19th on the list, but sadly most of us will only fulfill five of our ambitions 

See The Seven Wonders Of The World, Go On Safari And Swim With Dolphins: The Top 50 Things People Want To Do Before They Die -- Daily Mail 

* Researchers complied checklist of lifelong ambitions of the average adult
* But sadly they found most people will only ever fulfill five of their dreams
* The study revealed that 12 per cent of people have no ambitions at all
* Becoming a millionaire and travelling the world are the top two goals

Seeing the seven wonders of the world, going on safari in Africa and swimming with dolphins are among the list of 50 things the average person wants to do before they die.

But sadly researchers have found that most adults will only ever fulfill five of their lifelong ambitions.

Many feel they do not have enough time to tick off the experiences, while others admit to not being fit or adventurous enough or being too afraid of getting hurt.

Read more ....  

CSN Editor: #7 is on the top of my list.

Can Certain Types Of Chilli Be Used As A Biological Weapon?

Dr Anuj Baruah, who cultivates the bhut jolokia chilli, holds a vial containing oily red capcaisin at his lab in Kherti, Assam.

Chilli Used By Indian Army In Weaponry Is Hot Property For Poor Farmers -- The Guardian

Military's demand for bhut jolokia, once the world's hottest chilli, is offering thousands of Assam farmers a way out of poverty.

"Look at this," said Dr Anuj Baruah, holding up a vial containing a few drops of rusty red liquid. "With this I could make you senseless." His nose started twitching; his eyes watered. "Oh dear. I think I may have got some on my fingers," he said, looking remarkably unconcerned that his skin had touched something the Indian government has developed into a biological weapon.

"I know what happens. Your brain starts to not work properly, you become restless … " He scurried off, returning a few minutes later after washing a particularly pungent strain of bhut jolokia chilli concentrate off his hands on his farm-cum-chilli research lab in the north-east Indian state of Assam.

Read more ....

My Comment: Hmmmm .... I am intrigued .... I love hot and spicy food .... and I love chilli.

The Hunt For HMS Hood's Bell

Free: Mr Allen offered the Octopus for the expedition at no cost to the government

The Hunt For HMS Hood's Bell: Billionaire Offers To Fund Recovery So That It Can Be A Memorial To 1,415 Crew Who Drowned When Warship Was Sunk By The Bismarck In 1941 -- Daily Mail

A US billionaire has offered to lead an operation to recover the bell of the sunken battle cruiser HMS Hood, which was sunk in 1941 and killed 1,415 men, for free.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said US philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul G Allen has offered his private yacht be used in the search to recover the bell at no cost to it.

HMS Hood, which was a state-of-the-art vessel for its time, is the largest Royal Navy vessel to have been sunk, causing the biggest loss of life suffered by any single British warship.

Read more ....

My Comment: Kudos to Paul Allen for doing this.

The Physics of Fire Walking

The Physics of Firewalking -- io9

Last Thursday, close to two dozen participants at a motivational seminar hosted by Tony Robbins suffered burns on their feet, while attempting to tromp across lanes of red-hot coals. So what did these burn victims do wrong?

The Associated Press reports that most of those injured sustained second- and even third-degree burns, but event organizers have since released a statement claiming that 6,000 attendees walked across the coals that day and emerged from the embers unscathed. Educate yourself on the physics of firewalking — here's what you need to know to keep from getting burned.

Read more ....

My Comment: Making sure that your feet are wet is an additional precaution to prevent serious burns.

Silicon Valley Exposed: Map To The Tech Stars’ Homes!

CSN Editor: The map can only be viewed at Vanity Magazine's site. The link is here.

China's Giant Man-Made Waterfall As Floodgates Are Opened

A cloud of water: The floodwater churns through Yellow River as bystanders stand and stare

Apocalypse Dam: China's Giant Man-Made Waterfall As Floodgates Are Opened To Send Millions Of Tons Of Silt Downstream -- Daily Mail

It is an scene of almost apocalyptic proportions.

Bystanders are dwarfed as they stand watching a tremendous rush of water gushing through gaps in a dam in China, part of a carefully-choreographed operation to remove silt from the Yellow River in Luoyang, in the Henan province.

This annual operation sees more than 30 million tonnes of silt sent downstream a year, with more than 390 million tonnes shifted this way over the last 13 years.

Read more ....

My Comment: Awesome pictures .... nature held back until man has to let it go.

A Spectacular 15 Second Fireworks Display

San Diego Accidentally Set Off All Its Fourth Of July Fireworks at Once -- Atlantic Wire

Folks in San Diego witnessed what was either the worst Fourth of July fireworks celebration — or the absolute best — when a technical malfunction caused all of their pyrotechnics to go off at the same time. The annual Big Bay Boom extravaganza began and ended in spectacular fashion when an inadvertent signal set off the explosions about five minutes early and caused the entire 18 minute show to take place in about 15 seconds. Confused spectators waited around for what they thought was going to be the rest of the show, but were sent home and told the show (that was supposed to be choreographed to music) was canceled.

Read more ....

My Comment: Oooopppssss ....

Is This What The End Of World Will Look Like?

Awesome Mushroom Storm Cloud Dominates Skyline Over Beijing And Sparks Fresh 'End-Of-The-World' Fears -- Daily Mail

To the untrained eye, it could have been the first signal of the end of the world as nuclear war broke out.

But instead of anything sinister, the giant mushroom cloud spotted in the skies over the Chinese capital last week was simply a brilliant showcase of the wonder of nature.

The huge cloud, which appeared on Thursday, gradually took the shape of an explosion from an atomic bomb.

Read more ....

Update: Giant mushroom cloud forms over Beijing (PHOTOS & VIDEO) -- Yahoo News

My Comment: I saw one of these cloud accumulations in the north of Quebec on a camping trip a few years ago .... it is awesome .... and ominous.

The Story Behind The Paper Clip

The Perfection Of The Paper Clip -- Slate

It was invented in 1899. It hasn’t been improved upon since.

The paper clip is something of a fetish object in design circles. Its spare, machined aesthetic and its inexpensive ubiquity landed it a spot in MoMA’s 2004 show Humble Masterpieces. This was a pedestal too high for design critic Michael Bierut, who responded with an essay called “To Hell with the Simple Paper Clip.” He argued that designers praise supposedly unauthored objects like the paper clip because they’re loath to choose between giving publicity to a competitor and egotistically touting their own designs. Bierut might be right about his colleagues’ motives, but he’s wrong about the paper clip: It’s not all that simple.

Read more ....

A Million Camera Clicks As New Yorkers Enjoy 'Manhattanhenge'

Stunning: Usually 'Manhattanhenge,' as seen here in 2009 (pictured), allows tall buildings to create a vertical channel to frame the sun

Night Of A Million Camera Clicks As New Yorkers Enjoy 'Manhattanhenge' When Sun Sets Between The Streets -- Daily Mail

Photographers last night struggled to capture stunning images of the 'Manhattanhenge' phenomenon in New York - when the sunset aligns with the city streets - as rain clouds obscured the view on many blocks.

However a slew of images made it onto social networks as professional photographers struggled. The 'Manhattanhenge' glow that occurs twice annually when the sun aligns precisely with the street grid in Manhattan was not as impressive as in previous years.

Read more ....

My Comment: To all those who were disappointed ... wait till next year.

Get Ready For Manhattanhenge!

Be Prepared For Manhattanhenge! May 29-30 -- Red Orbit

On Tuesday evening, residences and onlookers in Manhattan will be treated to a sunset spectacle known as Manhattanhenge.

During the event, a half sun will align itself perfectly with the city’s 201-year-old grid at 8:17 p.m. as it sets right in line with the streets of Manhattan in New York.

The steel construction echoes a similar effect created by Stonehenge, as the ancient arrangement matches the direction of the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset.

Read more ....

Update: Last night was a disappointment.

Interview With A Safecracker

Interview With A Safecracker -- Marginal Revolution

Interesting throughout, here is one bit:

Q: How realistic are movies that show people breaking into vaults? A: Not very! In the movies it takes five minutes of razzle-dazzle; in real life it’s usually at least a couple of hours of precision work for an easy, lost combination lockout.

Most vault lockouts are caused by malfunctions. A bank employee over-winds the time lock, a technician makes a mistake servicing the vault, or there was no maintenance because the bank has initiated yet another round of cost cutting.

Another 10-20% of my income comes from law enforcement searches and seizures or estate, aka “dead relative” openings. They hire me and I drill it open, but these are not situations where I like to hang around too long.

Read more ....

My Comment: A fascinating read.

Eerie Second World War RAF Fighter Plane Discovered In The Sahara

Shifting sands: The final resting place of the Kittyhawk P-40 has been discovered in the Sahara 70 years after it crashed there

Frozen In The Sands Of Time: Eerie Second World War RAF Fighter Plane Discovered In The Sahara... 70 Years After It Crashed In The Desert -- Daily Mail

* Pilot of the Kittyhawk P-40 was thought to have survived crash, but died trying to walk out of the desert
* Aircraft was found almost perfectly preserved, unseen and untouched, after it came down in 1942
* Historian describes find as 'an incredible time capsule' and 'the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb'

He was hundreds of miles from civilisation, lost in the burning heat of the desert.

Second World War Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping took what little he could from the RAF Kittyhawk he had just crash-landed, then wandered into the emptiness.

From that day in June 1942 the mystery of what happened to the dentist’s son from Southend was lost, in every sense, in the sands of time.

Read more ....

My Comment: 200 miles away from the nearest town .... the pilot must have known that he was not going to make it. But he tried anyway.

Who Is The Happiest In The World

Happiness Tops In Denmark, Lowest In Togo, Study Says -- L.A. Times

Are you happy? It's a question that economists and pollsters are asking all over the world, hoping to gain new insight into what brings us joy -- and why people answer differently in different countries.

Bhutan is leading an international meeting Monday at the United Nations, seeking to establish “next steps towards realizing the vision of a new well-being” that include gauging happiness in different nations. The Asian country already has a national happiness index, and is urging others to follow suit.

How happy is your country? In a report released for the meeting, economists John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs round up what is known about happiness around the globe.

Read more ....