From Oak Ridge Associated Universities: “This was the most elaborate Atomic Energy educational set ever produced, but it was only only available from 1951 to 1952. Its relatively high price for the time ($50.00) and its sophistication were the explanation Gilbert gave for the set’s short lifespan. Today, it is so highly prized by collectors that a complete set can go for more than 100 times the original price.

The set came with four types of uranium ore, a beta-alpha source (Pb-210), a pure beta source (Ru-106), a gamma source (Zn-65?), a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber with its own short-lived alpha source (Po-210), an electroscope, a geiger counter, a manual, a comic book and a government manual ‘Prospecting for Uranium.’”

Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab [via Boing Boing]

Sports is just one of the instruments used by disillusioned mothers to make their children feel special. Whether it’s giving everyone a trophy at the end of a winless season or even not keeping score during games, children today are being isolated from true competition. The Minnesapolis Star-Tribune asks an obvious question — are America’s children spoiled little punks? At least today we get the right answer.

Dr. Ernie Swihart, an author and behavioral pediatrician at South Lake Pediatrics in Minnetonka, decried the self-esteem movement from its inception. Then, as now, he believed kids should be taught to be inwardly focused, self-sufficient creatures able to shift their own gears.

Real self-esteem — for all of us — comes from overcoming an obstacle-laden challenge, he believes, with hard work. Lavishing praise, he contends, is counterproductive and, if anything, makes kids needy and voracious for that other self-esteem-movement buzzword: validation.

“It’s had serious repercussions,” Swihart said. “These young adults who were raised in the ’80s, now in their 20s and in the workplace — those who received praise, rewards and prizes for everything they did without working very hard — often are very entitled and self-absorbed.

Crybaby children produce crybaby adults? Who could have seen that coming? Aside from everyone not insulating their children’s lives. And I realize many parents don’t do that, and I salute them. Whenever I see a child getting spanked in a grocery store, I just turn around and politely applaud. Usually, they let me take a swing at the little brat, and who’s gonna turn that down?

reprinted from With Leather♦

We’re one step closer to Star Trek, with NASA successfully testing an experimental Ion Drive in Earth orbit.  In fact, since the Enterprise only had thrusters for low-speed maneuvers, this means we’ve got something even the guys with Warp Drive didn’t think of.

Click Here to read the rest from Daily Galaxy.

Well, here I am still in Pennsylvania, drinking in another miserable overcast day of dull grey skies and that ever-encompassing feeling of malaise and free-floating depression that only days like today can bring out in a person with SADD like myself. It’s actually pretty remarkable I have survived this long in a place like this – which honestly is one of the worst places in the world for someone who’s moods are so affected by endless days of dreary weather.

In any case, I’d planned to be well on my way to Ft Lauderdale by now and had hoped to leave before April. But it took a while to fix up my Volvo enough to sell it (and make a profit, yay!) and now I am back on track towards saving up enough cash to make the move. I’m not going to go for an apartment right out of the box, after all. Instead, I want to pick up a travel trailer and a truck and just get out on the road. Live cheaply and enjoy myself in the sun for a few months before deciding what I want to do next.

Give me clear skies, an open road (and plenty of wifi hotspots) and I’ll be just fine!

The Mosquito Tone is a phenomenon that has recently garnered much media attention. For those who don’t know, this tone is a sound which operates at a level that paradoxically older people cannot hear, but younger people can.

It was originally marketed in Britain as an ultrasonic teenager repellent, an ear-splitting 17-kilohertz buzzer designed to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected.

But now it has made it’s way to a whole generation of youth who utilize the sounds as ringtones. This enables teenagers to hear when their cellphones receive messages at times when the phones are supposed to be silenced, such as during classes in school.

Would you like to know if you might be able to hear these elusive tones? Plasticmind Journal has prepared an article which will allow you to do just that.

Click Here to see just how old you are (or at least how old your ears are). Incidentally, I could hear the tone all the way up to the 17 KHz — and I’m 40. So, like the man says, I got that going for me…

It’s been some weeks since my last post, but I’m still here. I began a new venture during this time and it has yielded dubious results so far. I am trying to earn money using Incentivized Freebie Websites, also known as IFWs.

Have you seen those ads that say “Click here for a Free Ipod!” and so on? Well, there’s a whole industry built up around websites which require users to complete one or more trial offers to be eligible to receive such rewards. I am involved in a site which has built a community around running these IFWs and employing referrals to get earn even larger returns.

So far I’ve only made a small amount of money and I can really see this as basically a transitional business until I can get to Florida. Right now I’d like to put aside enough to move to Ft. Lauderdale and get right into an apartment by the shore. I’m not sure that will be possible for some time.

I’d hoped to get out of Pennsylvania by the end of January, but I’ll be lingering until at least past the Super Bowl now. Unless I want to live in my car for a few weeks – which is sounding more and more appealing of late.

There was a chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab, the Professor noticed one young man, an exchange student, who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country’s government and install a new communist regime.

In the midst of his story, he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked:

“Do you know how to catch wild pigs?”

Read the rest of this entry »

We’re on a roll here at Merch. Gotta love how Clint Eastwood summarizes the truths in life so succinctly. Check out an excerpt from his recent Esquire interview:

“We live in more of a pussy generation now,” Clint Eastwood tells Esquire upon the release of his new film Gran Torino. “Everybody’s become used to saying, ‘Well, how do we handle it psychologically?’ ” Eastwood, who grew up having to duke it out with bullies, looks back to a more stoic time: “My father had a couple of kids at the beginning of the Depression. There was not much employment. Not much welfare. People barely got by. People were tougher then.”

But stoicism didn’t mean a lack of sentiment, Clint adds. “Look how fast—seven years—people have been able to forget 9/11. Maybe you remember if you lost a relative or a loved one. But the public can get pretty blasé about stuff like that. Nobody got blasé about Pearl Harbor.”

Read the whole thing.

Been having a blast in EVE, my favorite game (and online crack addiction), since joining Faction Warfare. My character has continued to grow in combat skills and experience and I am really enjoying this amazing game.

I recently moved from the 24th Imperial Crusade, the default militia for the Amarr Empire (my faction), and joined a player corporation with some of the best ship captains in this theater. Gunship Diplomacy has now recognized my contributions to the fight and Meridius Dex has been awarded the Amarr Faction Campaign Medal, my first step towards obtaining immortality in this campaign!

2008.11.20 09:26
The AMARR FACTION CAMPAIGN MEDAL decoration has been awarded to you by Gunship Diplomacy for gallantry pursuing Amarr Faction warfare objectives. This decoration has the following description:

Awarded by his Imperial Majesty Yonis Ardishapur in recognition of the contribution made by active pilots of Gunship Diplomacy. Recipients carry the blessing of the Archbishop of Dakba, keeper of the holy bones of Saint Aman.

I also just this past week received another promotion following a series of victories, including the Fall of Kourmonen. Kourm was one of our original systems long since conquered by our sworn enemies, the Minmater. After many battles, the system was finally retaken this past week.

As such, I received notice of the following in a communique:

2008.11.08 14:08
For your efforts in bringing Gods word to the heathens you have been promoted to the rank of Marshal Commander.

My corp, Gunship Diplomacy, was also recognized in a rare out-of-game manner by the developers of the game through a news bulletin:

Bones of St. Aman Transported to Dakba

This sort of role-playing element is a fun component of EVE and can help bring the game to life. Regardless, the fun of the game is the action itself. And I am getting a ton of action!

For the next 6 days, until December 1st, a new player giving EVE a try and get 21 days FREE instead of the usual 14. This is a great deal! Experience the community that they are part of and travel with them on dangerous missions, fierce battles and engaging journeys through the vastness of New Eden.

This is a no-hassle trial, so you will NOT have to enter credit card information to start playing. Then when the trial ends you will be able to start your subscription if you like and retain your characters.

Make a comment below if you’d like me to send you a link for the Special Offer!