What if the World Lost Oxygen for 5 Seconds

What if the world lost oxygen for just 5 seconds....

• Everyone at the beach would immediately get sunburn (even though there would be no beach, no sand, and no water), because molecular oxygen in the air protects our skin against UV light.
• The daytime sky would get dark, fewer particles to bounce light means a dark almost black sky.
• All pieces of untreated metal would instantly spot weld to each other, the only thing preventing metal from welding together on contact is a layer of oxidation.
• The earth's crust would crumble, as oxygen makes up 45% of the earth's crust.
• Everyone's inner ear would explode, because we would lose about 21% of the air pressure.
• Buildings made of concrete would turn to dust, oxygen is an important binder in concrete.
• Water is a third oxygen, without it hydrogen would turn into a gaseous state and expand in volume.
• The oceans would evaporate and bleed into space.
• Without oxygen, hydrogen is free to float to the upper troposphere and eventually into space.

To be positive, now, what if the amount of oxygen doubled...

• Paper airplanes would fly further.
• We would get better gas mileage.
• Extra oxygen would improve our cognition, alertness, and physical performance.

(Also, there would be giant insects, as an insect's body size is determined by the proportion of oxygen in the atmosphere.)

Good Ol' Fashion Hardware Store

What ever happened to the old time hardware store, where you could walk in and get a single piece of hardware. You know; nuts, bolts, washers, screws, nails, and any other sort of fastener. You go to the big boxes and you can buy them in multi-packs, either by count or weight, but if you need just one, no frickin' way...

I have a pair of hand grass clippers that lost one nut, instead of throwing them out, I decided that I am frugal enough to just go ahead and repair it myself. After several stops and not finding the 1/4" by 20 nut (that is the size it turned out to be, once I was allowed to open a package and trying it- they don't let you do that at the big boxes) I needed, I finally went to the auto parts store (still a chain, but nice enough to let me open a few packets) and found the part. I still had to buy the entire bubble container of them, but there was only three in the box...<insert needle across the record or skidding sound>...

Now it has me wondering why packets of three? Why not in pairs, or half or full dozens? Counts of 10? But 3, seriously?

What if I needed four? I would now have to buy two packs of three and get two left over. Are they expecting me to lose one right away, so they actually pack them in sets of two and throw in the extra at no charge? This reminds me of the hot dog in packs of 10 and hot dog rolls come in packs of 8, you have to but 4 packs of hot dogs and 5 packs of rolls to get it to balance out evenly.

The bottom line is, they are not expecting many people to actually fix and repair anything in this throw away society...so they go with the inconvenient packaging and counts to discourage my frugalness.

Writing

I have a job interview coming up in a few weeks and as part of the process I have to respond to a writing prompt. One of the reasons I started this blog was to have a reason to write and try to improve my voice in the written word. Having worked in the science/engineering world, I was trained to be a technical writer and not overly verbose (see example below).

My concern of writing the directed prompt is that I will be too short and concise, that I will not put enough color and redundancy into the piece, leaving the reader/grader thinking I lack basic writing skills and vocabulary.

I just have to relax and utilize the 30 minutes that will be allotted me to complete the task and what is necessary...although it is for a technical position, so maybe a to the point bulleted structure is the way to go...

What is a Cubit?

The other day I made a snide comment and used the term cubit. I have known what a cubit is, but I thought I would share with everyone what it is and where it came from.

The term predates the bible and was used as a measurement by the Egyptians. Not sure if they used it for the erection of the pyramids, but probably for building at a smaller scale as it is not a large measurement.

The original Royal cubit was the length of the foreman's arm plus the palm of his hand. It was eventually standardized by the Pharaoh (not sure which one) and a black granite block was made and kept. All measuring tools were then calibrated to this instrument. The block measures out to about 20.67 inches in today's standard or 52.5 centimeters in the metric system.

Noah was told to build and ark and god gave Noah the dimensions as 300 cubits (length) by 50 cubits (width) by 30 cubits (height). Translating this out into modern dimensions, it would be 520' 8" long or 158.7m by 86'9.3" or 26.45m wide by 52' .8" or 15.87m high. And Noah had 7 days to build it. Noah was an Israelite and spoke Hebrew, why did god give him measurements in Egyptian? Noah was used to the finger-length, palm, span, ell, mil, and parasang in the measurement system of his time. Not only was the deadline tight, he was required to do some research and conversions, oy vey.

The Sumerians tell a similar flood story with a large boat that predates the bible, and there is no scientific evidence a flood of biblical proportions ever happening....

Now What...

I usually do a daily crossword or two online everyday. Research has shown, that simple brain stimulation like word puzzles helps stave off dementia and other brain age disorders, so this was my combat to that. Yahoo used to have a few good puzzles available everyday. On Friday, Yahoo ended their games page and the crossword puzzles are no longer available.

I have tried a few apps and other websites, but have not found anything that runs efficiently and doesn't cost. Anyone have any suggestions? Quickly before I forget...

Thanks

CFL Danger

So I almost started the day with an electrical fire.

Alarm went off, turned on the bedside lamp and it started to flicker. I turned on the room light just in time for the lamp to flutter one more time and see a wisp of smoke rise. I reached to check the bulb tightness and was almost burned by the heat of the base.

It was quickly unplugged and taken outside (my apologies to the neighborhood as I was in just my boxers). 

Turns out that when Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) go bad they will arc, causing them to heat rapidly, and emit a puff of smoke. 

The local hardware store had a replacement (needed the GU-24 prong base, not the traditional screw in base = more money). They had a receptacle to take the spent bulb, as it contains enough mercury to taint an entire water well and drinking supply from that well. Also the purchase of CFL and LED bulbs are sales tax free, so I saved a little in that area.

So be careful out there kids, and dispose of the empties properly.

Frozen Pipes and HBM Update 6- We May Have a Name

I had a pipe freeze today because of the 'lovely weather' we have seen lately in the NE, and a failed heat tape circuit breaker. When I discovered the lack of water I immediately checked the hot water heater and noticed that the water level was low also, so acting quickly I flipped the circuit breaker on the tank in hopes of avoiding burning out a heating element.

After many trips outside and replacing the plug end and circuit breaker and an hour plus wait for the thaw, we have running water back in the abode, a little while longer and the tank was filled again. So I assumed it was safe to turn the heating elements back on. Another short wait and it seems we have hot water again.

No burst pipes, no leaks, no burnt out heating elements. Dogma at its best….

Through all this the 'stache has taken a beating in this winter weather. The exposure to extreme temperature jumps, the dry winter air, have all taken a toll on the up keep. Through it all, it still continues to grow and it has a requested special appearance coming up next month.

A friend threw out the term "El Nino" in conversation and it clicked as a possible name for the 'stache. Like El Nino, the 'stache has great affect on its surroundings and people, it is getting more notice and attention where ever it goes, and of course it is my baby…

So we see if that sticks as a moniker.

Handy Men

A few months ago, the flat screen started having issues turning on. At first it would take 3-4 minutes before powering on, then a bit longer, until sometimes it was taking well over an hour before it would power on. The TV was 4-5 years old, ancient in this day and age of throw away electronics, but still had an excellent picture, and the features still in demand by today's watchers.

It was replaced, but we did not immediately discard the ailing machine. After some research by my son and some time spent watching youtube videos, it was decided that it maybe repairable, and for not a lot money.

So we spent the money getting the proper tools (soldering iron, solder sucker, and of course, solder), we had the rest already. The research had led us to what parts were most likely needed, and those were ordered via the inter web, for a great price and were delivered expediently.

Now we were set to get this thing back from brink of the local transfer station. The TV was long past its warrantee, so breaking the seal was not voiding anything. Once opened up, it was obvious which part was bad and the information found on the web was accurate. We had gotten the right part and now all we had to do was replace it.

After reviewing the youtube video again, we removed and replaced the bad cap (capacitor), reassembled the cabinet and plugged it in. WOW, it worked!

We saved a lot, not only money, but the environment by keeping this out of a landfill somewhere, and it was a great bonding experience for my son and I. With a little mechanical skill, research skill, the right tools, anybody can fix anything.

So the next time something breaks, think about repairing it yourself, or having it done, before trashing it. My son and his roommate will be enjoying the pleasure of viewing 40 inches. He even has it connected to his computer so he can type papers from across the room.