The Daily R-r-r-ibbit

Desk Experiment 3: Someone to watch over me...

2011-12-19T00:13:52-05:00

My computer desk and one of the harvestmen spiders in my screenssaver file. [Photo by Cathie Bird]

See Desk Experiment 1: No, we're not in Kansas anymore, and Desk experiment 2: Caught in the fade at my photo blog.

Physics team: Entangled diamonds vibrate together

2011-12-01T19:41:24-05:00

I came across an interesting article today relating to intersections of quantum physics and spiritual principles of our essential oneness and interdependence with all that is.

When quantum systems such as electrons, molecules or photons interact, they can become "entangled" and, once they become separated by distance, then one object cannot be fully described without considering the other ones. They remain in a "quantum superposition" and share a single "quantum state" until a measurement is made. A group of scientists from the UK, Canada and Singapore reports on their work with these principles:

A pair of diamond crystals has been linked by quantum entanglement. This means that a vibration in the crystals could not be meaningfully assigned to one or other of them: both crystals were simultaneously vibrating and not vibrating.

Quantum entanglement — interdependence of quantum states between particles not in physical contact — has been well established between quantum particles such as atoms at ultra-cold temperatures. But like most quantum effects, it doesn't tend to survive either at room temperature or in objects large enough to see with the naked eye.

A team led by Ian Walmsley, a physicist at the University of Oxford, UK, found a way to overcome both those limitations, demonstrating that the weird consequences of quantum theory apply at large scales as well as at very small ones. The work is published today in Science.

Read the whole story at www.nature.com

Here are some additional links:

Abstract: Entangling Macroscopic Diamonds at Room Temperature [Lee, K. C. et al. Science 334, 1253–1256 (2011)]

Wikipedia has a pretty good page with many links to look at if you want to explore quantum entanglement further.

Occupy your PO Box!

2011-11-13T15:58:34-05:00

Wow, I loved this one. Ward is a little mountain town northwest of Boulder, Colorado, and not too far from Allenspark, a small mountain community where I spent a good-sized chunk of my life.

When I was little, and visiting Grandma and Grandpa, I used to go with my brother and sister almost every day to get the mail at the Allenspark Post Office. Our box was up pretty high...can't remember the number or the combination anymore...I think I remember having to stretch up on my toes to feel around for any letters. One day when I reached into the box to check for mail, Jenny Jensen (I think that was her name -- don't know if she was the official postmaster or if her husband was) reached in from the other side and tapped my hand...scared the bejeebers out of me!

Later I could appreciate that I had a small town postmaster in my own family. My great-aunt Ruth Storen Holmes was appointed postmaster of Lexington, Indiana's post office in 1934 (prior to that she taught at the high school). In 1946 she was elected second vice president of the Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Postmasters.

For close to half of my life, my primary mailing address has been a PO Box in a rural community. Up here in the holler, I'm about as far from my PO Box as any other place I've lived. A small town post office isn't just a place where you get your mail.

A couple of years ago we had an icy snow storm that knocked out power for several days. Steve, the postmaster, pretty much had the most up-to-date information on how the restoration was going. If I hear a rumor, I often ask Steve what he's heard. The small town post office is like a hub for crowd-sourced wisdom, history and good stories. It's an amazing intersection, a space that connects people who are spread across rural landscapes, and simultaneously connects their community to the outside world.

So I can relate to this song and the folks in Ward:

Here's the Town of Ward's Save the Post Office page with links to several articles.

Woohooo! Moment: Iran Air pilot lands 727 with failed nose landing gear

2011-10-31T11:28:23-04:00

Wow! Found this one on Facebook today. Here's the blurb from the YouTube page:

The captain of an Iran Air Boeing 727 has managed to land his aircraft at Tehran's Mehrabad airport even though its nose landing gear failed to unfold. Captain Hooshang Shahbazi's piloting skill saved the lives of some 94 passengers and 19 crew members. Footage of the miraculous landing on October 18 became an internet sensation and Shahbazi's Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/shahbazi200 ) has attracted hundreds of new friends.

The flight IR-742 from Moscow, Sheremetyevo was on approach to Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport around when the crew did not receive a down and locked indication for the nose gear and aborted the approach. Following unsuccessful troubleshooting the crew decided to divert to Tehran's Mehrabad Airport where a low approach confirmed the nose gear was not extended. The crew subsequently performed a landing without the nose gear and came to a stand still on both main gear and the nose of the aircraft. The aircraft was evacuated, no injuries occurred.

thanks to http://www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday for the video

Video courtesy: http://www.youtube.com/farhadswiss

Buddy and George

2011-10-02T21:31:03-04:00

All of my animals seemed especially frisky on our holler walk Saturday...I think we were all enjoying the cooler weather...first time I've worn a jacket since spring. I thought my cats looked especially wild and handsome as they took a break out of Shadow's reach at our neighbors' barn:

Buddy, the lynx-point Siamese, 1 October 2011 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird]

George, 1 October 2011 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird]

The wild and amazing chicory

2011-09-18T13:34:44-04:00

I hadn't seen chicory growing at this end of the holler until this year. Though the State of Tennessee lists it as an "invasive exotic pest plant" of "lesser threat" I think it's kind of cool. Chicory (Cichorium intybus) tends to grow in disturbed areas, so I'm not surprised I found plants close to the lane. In previous years I got all my pictures of chicory near the Pioneer spring or along Highway 63, but my 2011 photos of it will be from here in the holler.

Chicory, 17 September 2011 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird]

If you are a coffee or herbal tea drinker you have probably heard of chicory and even had some. I was living near Boulder, Colorado about the time Celestial Seasonings got its start. Always curious about what's in stuff I'm eating, I read the labels of their teas and noted that many of the blends used roasted chicory (likely another variety, Cichorium intybus var. sativum).

Chicory has also been used widely by various cultures as an herbal medicin e. People of the Cherokee Nation used an infusion of chicory root as a tonic for nerves. The Iroquois used a root decoction in a wash or poultice for chancres and fever blisters. Chicory is known to be toxic to intestinal parasites, and there is evidence that livestock eating chicory or chicory supplements may have fewer intestinal worms. In Europe it's been used as a tonic, and for treatment of such conditions as gallstones, gastroenteritis, and bruises.

A chicory plant amidst blooming goldenrod in a wild, living bouquet in the holler. 17 September 2011 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird]

Like other members of the Aster Family, chicory is a rich source of inulin, a polysaccharide with a variety of modern uses. It is used as a sweetener in many processed foods, and as an ingredient in yogurt because it stimulates growth and activity of friendly digestive system bacteria.

Wild chicory is a close relative of Cichorium endivia, or endive, a common salad green. Wild chicory leaves can be eaten, too, but because they are bitter compared to cultivated endive (also called chicory), most cooks recommend draining the water off before eating or mixing with other ingredients. Several traditional dishes from Italy, Spain, Greece and Turkey make use of wild chicory leaves.

Awesome Arrowshaped Micrathena

2011-09-01T12:11:37-04:00

I found a very awesome spider down in the holler a couple of days ago. The first pictures I got were not that great because it was early in the morning and breezy. Yesterday I did the holler walk a little later in the day, and found her in the same place. The photos came out a little better.

After a long search, I located this species on BugGuide -- my go-to identification resource for insects -- and determined that it was one of the Orb Weavers, the Arrowshaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata).

This species builds its webs in open woods of the eastern United States and west to Texas and Nebraska. The females are about twice the size of males (Female 8-9mm, Male 4-5mm) and do not have spines on the abdomen. I believe this one is a female (compare to an identified female at BugGuide). I saw a couple of images that appeared to have spines in the center of the abdomen, but they were not identified by gender.

Here are some views from different angles:

This species is one of my new finds for 2011. Hurray for biodiversity!