Happy Candy Day!

19 | Funny Cartoons at JibJab | Funny Pictures at JibJab

I apologize that this video doesn't fit quite right, but I think you get the message.

FreeRice Update

Last week I posted links to several games that I like to play online. FreeRice is definitely one of the better games. Anyway, what I didn't realize was that FreeRice had just been started about two weeks before my post. Anyway, they've started to release the daily totals of donated rice, and I've got to say I'm impressed. I did a quick search to find out how much a grain of rice weighs, and found this (from here):

Rice grains vary widely. Mostly they weight 20-30 mg, although experimental breeding has produced them as large as 78 mg.

So, let's use 25mg per grain. How much has been donated so far? Let's look at the totals:

Total Donations by Day

Date	Grains of Rice
7 October 2007	830
8 October 2007	5,670
9 October 2007	76,020
10 October 2007	287,960
11 October 2007	4,584,100
12 October 2007	3,541,350
13 October 2007	3,194,630
14 October 2007	4,343,350
15 October 2007	6,403,920
16 October 2007	6,645,520
17 October 2007	12,157,010
18 October 2007	26,703,160
19 October 2007	40,373,060
20 October 2007	16,175,550
21 October 2007	13,276,900
22 October 2007	26,881,930
23 October 2007	30,423,770
24 October 2007	37,670,700
	__________
	232,745,430

So, 232,745,430 grains x 25 mg = 5,818,635,750 mg, or 5,818,635.75 grams, or 5,818.64 kg. Not a bad haul over three weeks.

How many people will this feed? As of right now, I don't have numbers to use to answer that. I'll try and figure that out later. If anyone has the answer, or disagrees with the rice grain weight used, let me know.

I'd also like to point out that my first post on this was on the 19th, which also recorded the highest daily donation total so far. I'm going to go ahead and take credit for that - and pass some along to you. Way to go!

Jimmy Wales = Creepy Eyes

Let me start off by saying that I absolutely love Wikipedia. I'm a compulsive user, and I edit every now and again. Regardless of what its critics may say, I still think the site is the best source of information on the internet Because of this, I'm quite grateful to the site's founder, Jimmy Wales. That being said, I need to point out that Jimmy Wales has creepy eyes.

Wikipedia is currently soliciting donations via a banner that appears at the top of every page on the site. Contained within the banner is a link to a 3 minute video featuring the site's founder. It raises some very valid points, and I suggest you watch it (give it at least 11 seconds). Here is the video for your enjoyment, below are my thoughts.



What really caught my attention were the two close-up shots of Jimbo's eyes. The first time it happened, it scared the shit out of me. However, the second time it seemed oddly familiar. But seriously, I cannot figure out why they did that. The zoom on the hands was infinitely less creepy. If they absolutely had to zoom on his eyes, couldn't they have had him looking in a different direction? Did he have to be staring right at us? While this is a minor issue (which I'm probably blowing out of proportion), I certainly came away from the video thinking most about those eyes (hence this post), which probably isn't a good thing. Am I the only one creeped out by those eyes?

Kansas: Kicking Ass For The Environment

A New York Times article from today turned me on to something pretty cool:

A Kansas regulator has turned down a permit for a large coal-fired power plant solely because of the global warming gases it would emit. Opponents of the plant say this is the first instance of a regulatory agency’s rejecting a permit for that reason alone.

What I liked even more was the quote from Roderick L. Bremby, the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, who said this:

I believe it would be irresponsible to ignore emerging information about the contribution of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to climate change and the potential harm to our environment and health if we do nothing.

Party on, Secretary Bremby. Party on.


Of course, Kansas has good cause to worry about global warming. There is no way the state could handle many more tornadoes. And, with record setting tornado numbers for the past 7 years, Kansas has a lot to fear. Anti-tornado technology simply may not be able to out-compete global warming in the battle for the heartland.

Bored? Play A Game And Be Productive.

I spend a lot of time on the internet. Sometimes, I am actively searching for a way to kill time. At these times, I like to go to sites that turn a useful activity into something of a game. There are three sites I would recommend checking out if you are ever in this situation:

1. Free Rice. This site turns a vocabulary test into charity. You are presented with a word, and four possible definitions. For every word you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice to a hungry person through international aid agencies. I played for about 3 minutes, and donated 300 grains of rice. The game also has a built in level system to keep the words at the fringe of your vocabulary. For every word you get wrong, you decrease a level, and you advance after 3 correct words. I have been hovering around at level 42, out of 50 possible levels (the FAQ says it is rare to get above 48 - take that as a challenge).
2. The ESP Game - Labeling the Web. This game matches you up with another random player, and presents you both with the same image. You both are supposed to start typing in words to describe the image, and some images have taboo words (usually really obvious descriptors). You and your partner advance to the next image after you both enter the same word. The goal of this game is to label all the images on the internet. By doing it through this game, they manage to assign the most probable and useful labels to all the images. This game is fun, but the rounds are timed, and it is more challenging than you might think.
3. The Galaxy Zoo. This is the least like a game, but I still think it is fun. This site takes lots of deep space images of galaxies that need to be categorized. You have to start by going through a short training exercise that teaches you the classification scheme. Once you pass the training test, then you set to work. There are some amazing images of huge spiral galaxies and other objects. This site does keep track of your work, so I guess that is sort of like a point system.

So, like I said, if you are going to kill some time, you may as well do some good.

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On The Road To A Dyson Sphere?

The Pentagon's National Security Space Office suggested in a recent report that collecting solar energy in space and then beaming it back to Earth could be an effective solution to our foreign energy dependence (To learn more read this article, and read the report here). While the report was focused more on security issues and military applications, I think this suggests an important step for humanity. If science fiction writers and futurologists are worth anything, this could be our first move towards a Dyson Sphere. A Dyson Sphere is basically a megastructure that surrounds a star, capturing all of its energy output. Its creator, Freeman Dyson, believed that these spheres would be a natural long-term step in the survival of a technologically advanced species. And, while this sort of technology is clearly a long way off, I think it is significant that we are seriously beginning to consider going into space to collect energy.

I guess before we even consider building a Dyson Sphere, we ought to get that Space Elevator up and running. And, that should be easy, right?

UPDATE: I've been meaning to post something about MIT's recent "wireless electricity" news, and just haven't gotten around to it. This seems like an appropriate a place as any to drop something in. Of course, for it to work with a Dyson Sphere, the "WiTricity" would have to be able to transmit through the vacuum of space, which I'm sure presents its own difficulties. But, it's either that, a super-long extension cord, or giant batteries.