BillstronBlog

That’s a big dang ol’ hole. Mir Mine, located in Mirny Eastern Siberia Russia , is about 1.25km wide and 525m deep. It was Russia’s first diamond mine, operated for about 50 years, and closed in 2004. This definitely teaches us an important lesson about Commies and diamonds.

Some other great fact about Mirny: From John Betts you can buy a 3.81karet diamond, minded in Mirny, for $450. Mirny literally means ‘peaceful’. It also houses one of Russia’s most deadly chemical weapons stock piles (link). By the way… It reached a high of 3deg F today in Mirny.

There are more pictures and a little background of the hole from the US Mine Rescue Association. The BBC also has a tiny bit of information here. Of course, here is the obligatory Wikipedia info.

This is an actual home in Wales. It is a low impact structure primarily built using the surrounding land. They have a solar cell for some power but burn wood for heat, drink spring water, and use a compost toilet (I don’t know what that is but is sounds like a fancy name for an outhouse). The site describes the construction and most everything else you would want to know about it. You can even sign up to help out with building their next home. So, if you are going to be in Wales any time soon, check them out.

Low Impact Woodland Home

This is not faked. it is a ‘permanent’ installation of a watch on someones arm via body piercing. The piercing was done in Thunder Bay, Ontario by Central Body Art. The link doesn’t provide much more information. I was hoping to see zoomed out pictures of the person in normal clothing (Do people that do this sort of thing ever wear normal clothing?) so I could get an idea for how this really looks, but these are the only pictures I could find.

I don’t quite care for the style of watch, but the idea is wonderful. A similar concept is the piercing mounted eyeglasses. I find the notion of modifying your body to provide new functions extremely attractive. It seems like the first step toward becoming a cyborg. The reality is, gadget implantation is not very far off. We have been implanting pace-makers for tens of years, recently defibrillators have become mainstream. People love wearing bluetooth cellphone headsets. How much of a stretch is it to put a permanent headset in your head? Signmeup!

Besides… It is YOUR body, why not make it do what you want. Some people want their body to lift heavy weights, some people want it to look good at the beach, and some people want it to tell them the time. Creativity is the essence of being human. Some people think it is just upright walking and thumbs.

On August 28, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech. He doesn’t utter the words “I have a dream” until about 5 minutes into the speech. He scripted the first 5 minutes, but the most famous part was from his heart. It is a rousing speech, and definitely the best speech I have ever seen. While watching this speech, Dr. King made me feel something deep inside, and at the end, the “free at last” part, my chest knotted up. Dr. King was a great man, and I can’t even imagine where society would be if he hadn’t been cut down on April 4, 1968.

A lot of people get upset about Dr. King having his own day. Dr. King is as important to the freedoms of Americans as George Washington or any of the founding fathers. He led an army of non-violent soldiers in a fight against ignorant ideals. This battle is not only important to black Americans. All Americans should be happy that this war for freedom and civil rights was won by Dr. King’s army because when ignorance can remove some Americans’ rights, it can destroy any of our rights. Any erosion can form a crack that can crumble the foundation of our society. Presidents Washington and Lincoln fought for similar ideals and similarly led armies. That King is placed in similar high regard seems fitting.

Dr. King’s Day is even more pertinent than Presidents Day given our ongoing struggles with racism and black-on-black violence. On this day, everyone should remember Dr. King’s messages of peacefulness and equality, and we should consider how we can make a difference in these issues. I don’t mean that you should go out and start protesting right now. Just think about the little things you can do.

This is a really cool video that illustrates an even cooler aspect of nature. There are at two types of fluids in the world — Newtonian and Non-Newtonian. The Newtonian fluids are exactly what everyone is used to. They flow like water… or oil… or whatever… When you push on a Newtonian fluid, it gets out of the way, no matter how hard or fast you push. On the contrary, a Non-Newtonian fluid does not necessarily get out of the way when you push on it. When you push slowly, it acts normally and gets out of the way, but the faster you push, the more it stays in your way and pushes back (much like a middle school redneck except it can’t talk trash). Toothpaste is the standard example of a Non-Newtonian fluid. Also anyone can make one using cornstarch and water, and that is what is filling the pool in the video.

Pretty cool huh!

Update 01/15/2006:

I am not being completely accurate with my description a Non-Newtonian fluid.  You should really read the article on Non-Newtonian fluids to obtain a full understanding.  I have only described the property that is pertinent to this video.  There are many other possible properties.  Since it is just the antithesis of Newtonian fluid, any fluid that doesn’t obey Newton’s description is Non-Newtonian.

That being said, toothpaste is Non-Newtonian for a different reason than corn starch and water.  Toothpaste requires a certain amount of force before it will get out of the way.  When you open the cap, it doesn’t just flow out into the sink.  You have to squeeze hard enough before it flows.  In contrast, corn starch and water stop flowing when you move them quickly.

Sorry for the confusion and inaccuracy.   I was being a bad scientist.

Musicovery is the coolest music streaming website. It allows you to choose the genera, mood, and tempo of the music you want to hear. Given this, Musicovery creates a playlist, displays a two dimensional visualization of the playlist, and starts streaming, all for free. For instance, I like to listen to electronica while I work. To get an electronica playlist, I place my cursor on the electro tab, which expands a 2-d mood/tempo spectrum under my cursor. Then I choose a point in the spectrum (generally, dark and calm). Musicovery automatically creates a playlist, visualization, and begins streaming. You can do a lot more with it than just choose the mood and tempo of a single genera. You can choose multiple genera and restrict them to certain years of production, or you can choose based on the dance beat. Lifehacker complained that you couldn’t create playlists. I don’t like to micromanage my playlists. I prefer lots of randomness. Check it out you won’t be disappointed. Did I say FREE yet?!?!

Musicovery

(not so courtesy of CBS News)
This has to be the best story in years. Seriously, this is strait out of the movies.  An average Joe (obviously Superman in street clothes) saves a man from a rushing train by laying on top of him between the tracks.  Happily, he is receiving all kinds of rewards — $10K from The Donald, 1 year of free subway rides, and the most prestigious civic award in NYC. Check out the link for more details. NYC Subway Saviour Showered with Gifts.

The big face off finally went down — Rosie the Roomba vs. Saidy the cat. I have to give it to Rosie, she has nerves of steel. She just kept coming at her like she didn’t even see the evil stares. There was no stopping the little gray robot, and by the end Saidy was thoroughly defeated. She just tucked her tail and took a nap while Rosie finished her work. Good job Rosie.