Lightning storm around the Surtsey,
Iceland volcanic eruption.
Public domain ...
4/30/2011
4/28/2011
It Isn't Easy Being Green
Click the link below tom read the article.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42711922/ns/technology_and_science-science/
Thanks to Anne Hullinger for sharing.
South Dakota Time Lapse Video
This National Geographic site has a time lapse video shot at
Kennebec, South Dakota when it was -25 degrees. Why do
we like weather that cold? It keeps the riffraff out.
Kennebec, South Dakota when it was -25 degrees. Why do
we like weather that cold? It keeps the riffraff out.
Randy Halverson's time-lapse video
Click the link below to view the video.
4/27/2011
Nearly Useless Factoids
The smallest mammal in the world is the bumblebee bat, so named because it's about the size of a bumblebee.
You know that cardboard sleeve that comes wrapped around your molten latte? There's a word for that. According to MentalFloss, it's called a "zarf."
You know that cardboard sleeve that comes wrapped around your molten latte? There's a word for that. According to MentalFloss, it's called a "zarf."
A penguin keeper in Germany has had to change his usual footwear, black and white boots, to blue ones after they became the object of the affections of a perky little Gentoo in his care.
According to DiscoveryNews, "Cats hold some control over when they are fed and handled, functioning very similar to human children in some households." If you're owned by a cat and this is news to you, please raise your paw.
ImprobableResearch reports "despite the Ig Nobel Prize-winning research - done by groups on two continents - demonstrating that Coca-Cola is NOT an effective contraceptive, people still rely on it to prevent pregnancy."
From NewScientist.com, "in 2004, the Guinness Book of World Records proclaimed the anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the quietest place on Earth. It was measured at -9.4 decibels." A negative decibel reading, explains NewScientist means the measured sound is below the threshold of human hearing. That makes it a sound that can't be heard.
"The employed and self-employed enjoy much better sleep than those out of work," reports ScienceDaily.
According to LifesLittleMysteries.com, "ten percent of the weight of a two-year-old pillow can be composed of dead mites and their droppings." Let the spring cleaning begin!
So if you get stepped on by an elephant in the dark, you might be able to tell which kind it was just by the toenail marks left behind. According to the Elephant Information Repository on the web: "it is generally accepted that the African elephant has four toenails on the front feet and three on the back as opposed to the Asian elephants which have five on on the front and four on the back." But you should note, "there has been some disagreement among particular experts and there appears to be a possible range within each species for the number of toenails." Plus there's the issue of both having four toenails
A dim brown dwarf (star) found 75 light-years away has a surface no hotter than a freshly brewed cup of coffee, astronomers say.
From AskMen.com's 5 Things You Didn't Know: Abraham Lincoln we learn that on the way to his first inauguration, the future president's security codename was "nuts."
You've wondered and now you know: According to LifesLittleMysteries.com, drive-thru ATMs are required to have instructions in Braille as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
What do you call a sandwich with two hamburgers, a chicken breast, two slices of cheese, three pieces of bacon, and lettuce, tomatoes, and onion? If you're Burger King, you call it "The Meat Monster." According to Toronto Star, it has 1,160 calories, 69 grams of fat, 24 grams of it saturated fat, 2,300 milligrams of sodium and 1.5 grams of trans fat - and is available, so far, only in Japan. Oh, and my cardiologist would call that "job security."
Thanks to my sister Anne Hullinger for sending this to me.
4/26/2011
Tsunami Stone
"The stone tablet has stood on this forested hillside since before they were born, but the villagers have faithfully obeyed the stark warning carved on its weathered face: 'Do not build your homes below this point!' Residents say this injunction from their ancestors kept their tiny village of 11 households safely out of reach of the deadly tsunami last month that wiped out hundreds of miles of Japanese coast and rose to record heights near here. The waves stopped just 300 feet below the stone...
4/25/2011
America The Melting Pot?
Richard Florida writes an interesting article about how the United States is no longer the best in the world in welcoming immigrants. A study by the British Council and the Brussels-based Migration Policy Group provides the data.
Florida writes:
"Whether they see immigration as a good thing or a scourge, Americans like to think of their country as an immigrant-friendly place, with borders that are among the most open in the world."
"For those keeping score, Sweden ranked first, Portugal second, and Canada third. The U.S. was ninth! The map below shows the scores for the 31 countries measured by the Index."
Click to read the article
4/23/2011
Nice Photos of Paris
• Using more than 2,000 photographs, Luke Shepard, a student at the American University of Paris, created a neat video of his temporary home city (above).
Illinois is the best place to earn a living?
Go figure. Who would have thunk it.
Illinois is number 1. This must be caused by our excellent political leadership and outstanding economic development efforts.
California is 47th out of 50 states.
Better move to Illinois.
Click to read the story:
4/21/2011
Wind Energy - Economic Development
Through collaboration with the wind energy industry, the state and its universities and community colleges, students are learning the skills needed to succeed in today’s wind industry.
Clipper Windpower in Cedar Rapids and Acciona in West Branch are some of the companies that have benefited from these programs that give them access to skilled workers.
Tyler Glass, Pro E Designer at Clipper Windpower and a 2008 Kirkwood Community College graduate, is an example of Iowa’s homegrown training.
“The transition from graduating at Kirkwood and coming to work for Clipper was pretty seamless. Within my first week at Clipper, I was able to jump into a project,” Glass said.
The availability of a skilled work force and access to wind-industry education and training programs has enabled ACCIONA to build a talented pool of more than 120 employees at its plant in West Branch.
The Wind Energy and Turbine Technology Program at Iowa Lakes Community College is another example of Iowa’s focus on training the wind energy work force of tomorrow. Iowa Lakes’ program is one of only three programs in the nation to receive a Wind Turbine Service Technician Program Seal of Approval from the American Wind Energy Association.
The wind energy industry is just one of many industry sectors to benefit from Iowa’s unique work force training initiatives. The Iowa Department of Economic Development and the state’s network of community colleges have a variety of programs to help new and existing businesses train workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
Iowa’s employee training programs have evolved from a business expansion incentive tool into a comprehensive, targeted human resource tool available to all Iowa businesses.
Training programs highlighted below:
Iowa Industrial New Jobs
This program provides eligible businesses which are expanding and creating new jobs in the Iowa workforce with customized training delivered through Iowa's 15 community colleges.
Iowa Jobs Training Program
Meeting the needs of upskilling the talents and resources of Iowa's current workforce, this program works with eligible businesses through their local Iowa community college to assess workforce training needs and to deliver training.
Information Technology Training Program
The rapidly changing and evolving nature of the industry, information technology firms and departments must rapidly develop, retool, refine, and broaden the skills of their existing workers. The IT training program provides flexible and quickly accessed funds for IT companies and departments to upgrade the technical skills of their employees.
Hi Craig,
Hope all is well. I thought this might be of interest for a post or story. Let me know if you have any thoughts.
Thanks,
Juan Niño
For the Iowa Department of Economic Development
Interesting topic, Juan. I will post it on my blog.
Craig
Craig
4/20/2011
Army Green
"the U.S. Army has announced several initiatives ranging from solar-powered tents for troops to hydrogen-powered tanks, however this is their most ambitious program yet.
Read more: U.S. Army Launches Plan to Make All Military Bases Net Zero | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
4/02/2011
Greece
Santorini is what is left from a major volcanic eruption 3800 years ago. Very craggy and steep clifs.
Felt a small earthquake yesterday. No big deal.
More Photos at:
http://travelhullinger.blogspot.com/