Right Islam vs. Wrong Islam December 30, 2005
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The WSJ has an op-ed about why Muslims and non-Muslims must unite to defeat the Wahhabi ideology. It leads off with “News organizations report that Osama bin Laden has obtained a religious edict from a misguided Saudi cleric, justifying the use of nuclear weapons against America and the infliction of mass casualties.” Now doesn’t that just make my whole day.
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“Chief Engineer Scotty’s Lament” — Scott Woods December 29, 2005
Posted by samwyse in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
I stumbed across this over at Google Video, and thought it was worth transcribing. In a lot of ways, it sounds like something Scotty would’ve said during the build-up to the bar fight in the TOS episode, The Trouble with Tribbles.
Why homeschooling? December 28, 2005
Posted by samwyse in Homeschooling.1 comment so far
At one time, American public schools were probably the best in the world; unfortunately, the school administration tended to become one of the most ossified bureaucracies that this nation has ever seen. It has become impossible to get rid of bad teachers, who believe themselves competent despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. (more…)
Dodging the Bullet December 28, 2005
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Holy cow!
I checked everything last night just before going to bed, and it all seemed fine except the small air bubble in the syphon had grown a lot bigger while I was gone. This morning, I was resetting the timer for the lamps (from 12 hrs/day to 9) and decided to look at the SG before going to work. There was something odd about the way it was floating, but it took me a moment to realize that the water level in the tank was actually touching the glass tank covers! My wife and kids are still at the in-laws, so if I’d gone to work without checking I’d have come home to about ten gallons of water on the floor! (more…)
More newbie adventures December 27, 2005
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Well, I spent the past week with relatives about 200 miles from here, so the tank had plenty of time to “settle down”. (For those joining late, the tank contains live rock & sand, and one mantis shrimp; no little vertebrates yet.) The first thing I noticed when I arrived home was a slurping sound. Sure enough, the sump was about three gallons low, which I replentished by pouring fresh RO water into the sump. (more…)
found camera December 16, 2005
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Someone finds a digital camera (in New York) and doesn’t know who it belongs to. So, her husband uploads the photos to Flickr in hopes someone knows one of the subjects of the photos. Take a look and let them know if you recognize anyone.
The Ica Stones: A Hoax December 14, 2005
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In light of everyone digging “The 10 Most Puzzling Ancient Artifacts”, it’s interesting that Peruvian farmers admit that carving stones for a gullible M.D. was more profitable than tending their crops.
The Coso Artifact: Solved December 14, 2005
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In light of everyone digging “The 10 Most Puzzling Ancient Artifacts”, it’s interesting that one of them isn’t that puzzling anymore. Yes, it’s a 1920s Champion spark plug.
Sick day December 13, 2005
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I spend all day yesterday with a nasty head cold, and it’s still here today. The only thing I did with the aquarium was to set the light on it in the morning and stir/aerate the water in the evening. According to the hydrometer, the water temp is finally in the green zone, but the warmth has caused the salt content to drop a bit. So today I’ve reattached the RO to my faucet and will add a few more gallons of water. Today I’m trying hooking it up to the hot water to try to get a better temperature to dissolve the salt and not cool the tank.
This will finally get enough water to run the filter, although that’s also going to be complicated. The filter is currently in the big tank, but none of the plastic or glass covers will fit around it. I think it needs to go with one of the other two tanks, but I’m not sure how. I’ve posted more pictures at Flicker, if anyone wants to make any suggestions. http://www.flickr.com/photos/samwyse/
My New Saltwater Aquarium (cont.) December 11, 2005
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This morning, the little ViaAqua heater had gotten the temp up to 68 deg. I’ve thought about just putting some distilled water into a tea kettle and warming it up before adding the salt, but for now I’m just using the tank heater.
The mantis is doing better this morning. Last night he was curled into what can only be described as a fetal position, but this morning he was standing up. He still hadn’t moved a fraction of an inch from where I’d first seen him, but when I aimed a flashlight at him, he scuttled back under the rocks and has now disappeared completely. He’s a hichhiker whom the previous owner intended to get rid of, but he’s pretty good at hiding. We never saw him when we were moving the rocks around; I wonder if he could have burrowed into the sand? I’m not going to remove him now because, aside from the coral, he’ll be the only inhabitant of this tank for a while.
