Month: January 2009
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Intelligence is Expensive
A recent study at the Universite Laval in Quebec found that students consume 203 to 253 more calories after 45 minutes of activity requiring intense thought than students who relaxed for the same 45 minutes. Although the brain accounts for less than 2% of a person’s weight, it consumes 20% of the body’s energy. That’s…
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Hybrid Space
When we use a cellphone, we and the person on the other end of the line are two distant points in space that are brought together, ear to ear. Television connects us visually and audibly with places and people all over the world. Video, audio, and pictures connect us with moments in time. With computers,…
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A Monument to Knowledge: The Jefferson Room at the Library of Congress
This is by far the best kept secret of all the amazing cultural attractions on the Washington DC mall. If you appreciate knowledge, Enlightenment values, and science, then you MUST spend an afternoon in this room, appreciating every nook and cranny. America’s Founding Father’s were very wise individuals with a strong appreciation for education and…
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Happy Birthday Isaac Asimov, Supporter of English Spelling Reform
The Science Fiction author, author of over 500 SF and general science books, Vice President of Mensa, and President of the American Humanist Society would be 88 today. Isaac Asimov Credit: Rowena Morrill License An interesting fact about Asimov and other great minds like Richard Feynman, was that they were supporters of reforming the spelling…
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20090101 00:00:01
Our calendar is not perfect, which is why we have leap years and leap seconds. While our New Year started on January 1, 2009 at 00:00:01, other calendars had a different take on this moment in time: Julian Day 2454832.500011574 Julian Calendar 2008 December 19 Hebrew Calendar 5768 Teveth 5 Islamic Calendar 1430 Muharram 4…