The Day Sky

Last week the entry wasn’t all that educational. That is why this week I am going to try my best to teach something. Let’s see, I could blog about why the grass is green. Although it is a complex process it doesn’t interest me. I am going to continue with the concept of the sky from a few weeks ago. This time, however, I will focus on the day sky.

Most of us don’t think much of the day sky. Yet, it is important to know certain things about it. Why the sky is blue is something that we all should know. The smart mouths will be quick to say it is because of the atmosphere. That is true, but it is not the complete answer.


Sunlight travels to Earth and comes in contact with the atmosphere. In the atmosphere there are gas and dust particles in the air. It happens that blue light is the one affected by these particles. The dust particles are bigger than the blue light waves and smaller than the red light waves. The blue light is scattered in all directions by these particles in the air. Simply, the blue in the sky we see is scattered blue light.

Then why are sunrises and sunsets red? The sunlight has to travel through more atmosphere, meaning more particles in the air, compared to when it is directly above us. The blue light and all other colors are scattered so much that only red, orange, and yellow light remains visible. I hope it makes sense and good luck retaining the information.



Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharaff/1221184257/
http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/en/kids/misrsky/misr_sky.shtml

Zzz-ing in Class

Throughout my years in the college classroom setting, I have seen it all. To be honest, not much bothers me in the classroom. Although, one thing really “grinds my gears.” That is students who sleep in class.

I am sure most students have fantastic excuses as to why they fall asleep in class. I’ve heard “I was working on a paper all night” to “I was up late studying for a midterm.” No matter what the excuse is students should not fall asleep in class.

To those that sleep in class, what in the world are you doing? Seriously, what are you thinking? If you are tired as all hell, stay home. Do you realize how foolish you look, your head bobbing, trying to stay up? Not to mention, how disrespectful and distracting it is to the professor and fellow classmates. Why show up to class if you’re just going to fall asleep. Stay home, in your warm comfy plush bed. Don’t make an ass out of yourself.

I have heard many students who fall asleep say, “At least I am in class.” Really, are you in class? If you’re sleeping in class, your pretty much not there. Go to class if you are fully awake, willing to listen and learn. You could even go to class just to meet up with your friends. What’s up fellas?

So please, please don’t show up to class and fall asleep.


Image Credit: http://www.sdarts.org/features/sdclassroom/student%20sleeping.gif

The Night Sky

As a kid I was always fascinated with the night sky. I recollect nights where I would spend hours, with a flashlight and a book of constellations, trying to map it out. There would also be nights where I would just look up and think. It has been a long time since I have spent hours looking up at the night sky. On occasions, I would take a quick glance and still be fascinated by it.

Astronomy is the study of celestial objects. In Astronomy, the numbers are what amaze me. I must point out that Math and I have never had a great relationship. However, I understand sizes and distances. The scale of the Universe is so enormous that it gets hard to comprehend distances. Astronomers use the distance light travels in a year as a unit of measurement, which is 186,000 miles per second.

To get an idea of the scale of the Universe, imagine traveling at the speed of light in a spaceship. It would take 8 minutes to reach the sun. If you continued onward you’d arrive yo Pluto in 5 and a half hours. To reach the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, it would take over 4 years. If seeing the nearest galaxy was your goal then it would take 2.5 million years to get there.

Think about it, we have been told that the speed of light is the fastest speed imaginable. Yet, there is no possible way a human can live long enough to reach the nearest galaxy. In retrospect, light isn’t really all that fast. It all comes back to the distances these celestial objects are from each other. Most people have heard that the stars we see at night are as they appeared ages ago. I always find myself asking, what do they look like now?

From the smallest to the biggest things the numbers are incredible. The celestial objects are not there as decoration or for amusement. They allow us to see where we live among the rest. Look up at the night sky, appreciate that it’s there. Think about the distances and you might get some perspective.





Click the image


Image Credit: I have no idea where I got it from. I found the image years ago. Whoever made it, I give you credit.

SKATE

SKATE is a video game that has recently brought back old skateboarding memories. Most of my skateboarding memories were good but some were not so pleasing. I started skating freshman year of high school and finished approximately four and a half years later.

While everyone in high school was doing extracurricular activities, I was out and about skateboarding. If one were to look at me now, no one would assume I was once a skater. However, listening closely to my speech pattern, you might be able to figure it out.

Skateboarding put a lot of excitement in my life. There are many situations the guys and I would get into. I recall plenty of times running away from cops, principals, or any authority figures. We constantly would find ourselves trying to get out of trouble. It would give us a thrill seeing how much we could get away with.



As I said before, skating put a lot of excitement in my life but it also brought pain. Falling was a reoccurring theme everyday. I would tweak my ankles countless times. Scrapes and bruises were always to be expected. However, breaking a bone was the worst possible thing that can occur in skateboarding. I broke my right wrist skating and had worn a cast for over 2 months.

Every time I play SKATE more memories come back. Skateboarding was a major part of my life, for it is one thing that has shaped who I am.

Let’s play SKATE.



Image Credit: http://www.gamesradar.com, http://z.about.com/d/skateboard

Left, Right?

At a young age, I became aware that I was a different: I am left-handed. It has not always been an enjoyable experience being left handed.

I recall a classmate in Elementary School telling me that I was associated with the Devil for being left handed. At that moment, I could not think of a single thing to say to counter argue her statement. Till this day, I can still hear that classmate telling me that.

It is has been over 13 years since I was told I was associated with the Devil. Finally, I have come up with a counter argument.

If being left-handed means being associated with the Devil then that is perfectly fine with me. Being left-handed, I have a good chance of making more than my right-handed counterparts.

According to a study done by Kevin Denny of University College Dublin and Vincent O'Sullivan of the University of Warwick, it turns out that left-handed males earn 4% more per hour than right-handed workers. It may not seem like a lot but no one would decline a 4% increase in pay.

Just like the researchers, I was surprised with the findings. They expected left-handers to earn less because “left-handers are living in a right-handed world. They are more accident prone and have more health problems.”

Denny stated that left-handers tend to earn more because they are more creative. This “points to neurological studies, which have shown that left-handers, particularly males, are better at divergent thought or thinking outside the box.”

Denny claims that left-handers seem to have the ability to adapt in certain and bosses must notice that. That would explains why left-handers would get paid more.

Being left handed might not be bad after all.



Image Credit: http://www.reddevils86.com/Assets/RedDevil_Med_JPG.jpg

Those Damn MySpace Angles

My intention for this entry is not to discuss MySpace as a whole. Rather, to focus primarily on MySpace angles. MySpace angles are an Internet disease that was created in the MySpace community and has infested the entire online community.

MySpace angles are pictures taken in specific angles that make unattractive people appear attractive. Thereby fooling us all. This epidemic must be stopped. Unattractive people need to stop spending their time creating these down right misleading images.

If you consider yourself unattractive then do something about it. If you’re a little on the heavy side, go out and run. If you’re a toothpick, then go lift some weights. If you do not have a problem with how you look that is perfectly fine. However, if you feel fine with your appearance please do not use MySpace angles to make yourself look attractive.

If you want the world to see what you look like, show them the real you. Don’t show them close up facial pictures or side views of yourself where we can’t tell a damn thing. If you can’t seem to let go of using MySpace angles at least have a few frontal full body pictures. That way the world can see the real you.

Remember, if you feel unattractive and you take MySpace angles, you are not only lying to the world but also yourself. On the other hand, if you are unattractive and are perfectly fine with that then more power to you. Just don’t lie to us all by using MySpace angles.



If you would like to get educated more on MySpace angles click here. It is worth the extra minute investment, it has pictures that show exactly what MySpace angles are. Enjoy.




Image Credit: http://www.steveklotz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/liar.jpg

Graduation

No, I am not talking about graduating from college. I am referring to Kanye West’s third album, Graduation. In simple terms, I think it is by far his best one.

Kanye’s songs are not like most artists in the industry. He writes about life issues and not about drugs, cars, fighting, or killing.
When comparing Graduation to his previous albums, College Drop Out and Late Registration, you can hear the artistic growth with each verse. Each album is unique in its own way.

College Drop Out stems from his decision to drop out of college and pursue his dream of becoming a well-known and respected lyricist. Late Registration, metaphorically, is West’s way of picking up the pieces and getting back to work. Finally, Graduation is success.

On Graduation, West tried to assess the problems his first two albums had. He cut out all the skits that would plague his previous albums and kept everything short and simple.

“This is an album that you first like, then love. “Good Morning” elevates from a gentle hook to a perfectly chosen Jay-Z sample; “Barry Bonds” is a mix-tape song with a moaning groove that you could listen to for weeks; and on “Flashing Lights” and “Stronger,” West single-handedly takes hip-hop back to its pre-Run-DMC disco days.” -Nathan Brackett, Rolling Stone.

In my opinion his best song in the album is “I Wonder.” He tries to express how people have no idea as to what they really want, and they never act on fulfilling their dreams/goals. As a result life just passes them by without them finding their dreams.

Graduation is exactly that, it is Kanye’s graduation. I, for one, stand up and applaud him for a job well done. Hopefully the next graduation I’ll talk about will be my own.




“On that independent shit,
Trade it all for a husband and some kids,
You ever wonder what it all really means?
You wonder if you'll ever find your dreams?” –Kanye West, “I Wonder”.


Image Credit:http://musicmedia.ign.com/music/image/article/819/819703/graduationinline_1189642853.jpg