A student at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair, April 26. He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become to alarmists practicing junk science and spreading fear of everything in our environment. In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical “dihydrogen monoxide.”

And for plenty of good reasons, since:

1. it can cause excessive sweating and vomiting
2. it is a major component in acid rain
3. it can cause severe burns in its gaseous state
4. accidental inhalation can kill you
5. it contributes to erosion
6. it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
7. it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients

He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical.

• Forty-three (43) said yes,
• six (6) were undecided,
• and only one (1) knew that the chemical was water.

The title of his prize winning project was, “How Gullible Are We?”

He feels the conclusion is obvious.

So do I.

I saw an article today that has my brain sparkling. Apparently Intel has been doing research in a field called silicon photonics and have a prototype data connection that moves data at 50Gbps–that’s 50 Giga-bits per second.  This is like downloading a feature film in high-definition in one second!  And Intel thinks the technology can be pushed to 1 Tbps–a Tera-bit per second!  That could backup your entire laptop in one second!

This is truly revolutionary.  It’s difficult even to conceive the ramifications such an advance might have.  One thing is sure; it will change the way we think abut and use computers.  Below are links to some articles on the topic.  It’s pretty amazing.

Read Write Web

Softpedia

Intel Labs

The Hardware Demo on YouTube

Intel’s Silicon Photonics Vision on YouTube

My friend received several excellent comments in response.

The incident reminded me of something that’s been bothering me for a while.

A while back I began to notice that very few people actually say “you’re welcome” any more. Instead, it seems that the correct response has become, “no problem.” I’ve worked hard not to let that bother me. After all, in Spanish, the proper response is “de nada”, which literally means, “It’s nothing.” Still in the back of my mind there is a nit I have to pick with this. I can’t help wondering, after I’ve thanked someone for something they’ve done for me, what they might have said if their effort actually had been a problem for them. I mean, is “no problem” something they say only when the effort they put forth was indeed no problem, or would they say that no matter the effort, in the same manner in which I might say, “you’re welcome.”? Honestly, “no problem” just doesn’t seem to me to carry the same value as “you’re welcome.” Am I welcome to your kindness, or is it something I should expect only when it’s “no problem”?

Like some who responded to my friend’s Facebook post, I have noticed that door holding and other such small courtesies seem to have become expected, unimportant, or worse – offensive. Think back on it. When was the last time anyone said “thank you” when you held a door for them at the mall? When was the last time you saw a man open the car door for a woman?

This morning in Penn Station I was approaching an escalator at the same time as an elderly woman and two grown boys. I call them boys because although they had the stature and age of young men, they did not conduct themselves with the grace or maturity requisite to manhood. These boys were a bit behind and off to the side of the elderly woman. I as off to her other side. As she stepped onto the metal landing at the base of the escalator the two boys quickly squeezed around the corner of the escalator and onto a step in front of her. They were close enough that she had to slow her forward motion considerably to avoid bumping into them. The woman was upset (rightfully so in my opinion) and she said a loud, “thank you” to the two boys. I thought that perhaps they had been in a hurry to catch a train and this would startle them into some recognition of their rudeness. On the contrary, they turned and gave the woman a dirty look! I wonder what their mothers would have thought.

Last week my train going home was quite full. Near departure time a woman got on and walked down the aisle to a point very near my seat. I already had a seat-mate, but the gentleman across the aisle and one seat forward did not. He had placed his small bag on the open seat next to him. The woman came to his row and said harshly, “Did you pay for two seats?” Ignoring her crassness, the man dutifully and quietly removed his bag. The woman was not to be satisfied by his gesture, and so rather than thanking the gentleman, she said, “I didn’t think so;” whereupon she proceeded to sit down and remove her shoes.

One of the women who frequently rides the same train I do related a similar experience. When near the end of one of her pregnancies she had to travel by plane. As she approached her seat she found herself unable to left her carry-on bag into the overhead compartment. There were several men seated nearby, and not one offered her assistance. Finally she politely asked one of them if he would help her. She had to ask him twice, the second time with some more forceful explanation of her predicament because the first time all he did was give her a look as if to say, “do it yourself.” Perhaps the man on the airplane had an experience similar to one I had. I reached to open a door for a “lady” one day and she actually chewed me out for it! After that I felt awkward in similar situations.

Is this what we want? It’s sure not what I want.

In my view some of this is fallout from the radical feminism of the ’60s and ’70s. I grew up during that time and observed it happening. The feminist movement did some good things. Women should certainly be paid as well as men when they do work of the same value, for example. Unfortunately, feminism sometimes went much further and demanded that women and men be treated identically. Equality became synonymous with sameness, equivalence, even interchangeability. That’s unfortunate because men and women are different, and I for one am glad of it!

As a group, men are undeniably physically stronger, for example. As a group, women tend to be more nurturing. My wife designs and organizes and navigates. I build, and deal with dying animals, and back up the camping trailer. Each of these things is important, but each of us is better at some than others. That’s the whole reason why marriage and teamwork are so very important.

Don’t bother misreading me. I am not saying that no woman can back up the camper, or deal with dying animals. I am just saying what you know in your heart to be true. Most men are stronger than most women. Women and men are not the same. They are different. Let’s not allow “difference” to come to mean that one is better than the other.

This is Conrad (or Connie) if you prefer.

Conrad, a Green Cheeked Conure

Among his many interesting exploits, he often accompanies us on long trips.  Conrad has his own Facebook page where he writes about his travels and posts the pictures he requires me to take.

This is one of my favorites.

Conrad being an acrobat.

Conrad rides in the truck with us, and has a great time sleeping on our headrests and making a mess of the interior by spilling water and seeds everywhere, and just by being a bird.  Sometimes he looks in the little mirror on the visor.  I had until recently been unaware, but apparently there’s another Conure in there who Conrad likes to visit on occasion.

During the week of July fourth, Conrad went to our place in West Virginia.  He recently posted on Facebook a few pictures of his exploits in a White Pine tree in the front yard there.  The picture above is one of them.

One of his heroes is a Congo African Grey parrot called Einstein (but not the celebrity one from Animal Planet).  Einstein sometimes says “Look at you, you’re all wet.”  This is one of Conrad’s favorite things about Einstein, as evidenced below.

"Look at you, you're all wet!" -- Einstein Parrot

One thing we learned about Conrad on the last trip was that if you aren’t paying attention and he eats a whole potato chip, he’ll get sick from all the salt and throw up all over the place.  Fortunately we were right there and could give him plenty of fresh water and he was able to sleep for a couple of hours under “mom’s” hair.  Personally, I never knew it was possible for birds to vomit.  If you find yourself in the same sorry state of ignorance; now you know.  They can.

Anyway, I thought you might enjoy meeting Conrad.

Larry

Some time ago, The Most Wonderful Woman in the World (TMWWitW) decided it would be nice to have an aviary.

In the beginning, TMWWitW selected two Zebra Finches from the local pet store.  Male and female, selected she them.  She prepared for them a garden within which they would have free reign.  And the evening and the morning were the first day. TMWWitW looked upon all that she had created and she saw that it was good.

A tiny home was also among her preparations for the Finches, and in this cozy little home, these two Finches discovered the possibility of procreation.  Before we knew it there were twelve Zebra Finches.

The three little birds that grace this Blog were among them.  This picture was taken after first they fledged.  Any expert will tell you they are young.  This can be determined with certainty by the coloration of their beaks.

I selected this particular image from the many I have taken of these captive subjects birds because in it, the middle bird seems to be protecting the other two and it evokes an emotional response in me.  I think the bars of the prison cage in the back add to the story the picture seems to tell.

I hope you enjoy it.  I’m sure one day I’ll change it.

Larry

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PURPOSE

This Web site is established to provide information about topics of interest to me and about my photography and woodworking endeavors.   I take the time to write here because it is my hope and belief that some readers will find the information helpful.  For my part, I hope the site produces income for me.

How Income is Generated

This site currently generates (or has the potential to generate) income in several ways:

1. There are Google Ads on various pages. These pay me a few cents each time any of them is clicked.  I do not control what is advertised, nor do I receive direct payment from any of the advertisers; just the pay-per-click remuneration from Google.
2. Affiliate Links embedded in text or presented in other formats. These links take you directly to vendors with whom I am affiliated for marketing purposes.  Examples include, Amazon.com,
   
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   If you click on any of these links I am payed a small percentage of anything you buy from that vendor during that particular shopping session–even if you buy something to which I did not provide a direct link.  I fervently hope that you begin all online shopping with any of my affiliate vendors here at LarryEiss.com
3. Sale of products or services provided by me. I am a photographer and woodworker and my work is available for purchase.  This site provides a place where I can be contacted by anyone interested in purchasing any of my work or retaining my services.

I do not receive any form of compensation, gifts, or other consideration from any vendor or other party for anything I say here at LarryEiss.com or elsewhere.  When I provide my thoughts on a particular vendor, product, or service, I do so completely free of any ties to the subject other than my personal experience.  You get my unadulterated opinion.

If any of this changes, you’ll find out on the Disclosure page, which you can access any time from the “Read Me” tab at the lower left of the Blog header.

Larry

I have found a new theme called Suffusion by Sayontan Sinha that is highly customizable and I think it will meet the needs of the site for a long time to come.

LarryEiss.com has had a comfortable look for a while, but I want to enliven it and keep up with some of the latest trends in UI design.  In addition, newer themes are easier to customize, and this one is by far the best I’ve found in that regard.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Please enjoy.

I have several posts in mind in both the photography and woodworking categories.

In photography I’ll begin right away with a few thoughts on shooting the Nikon D300.  I also have some insights on lenses and how they differ.  Comments on shooting portraits in the studio are also forthcoming.

In the woodworking category, I’ll provide a link to an excellent video by the Wood Whisperer on using varnish, of all things, on end-grain cutting boards.

I also expect to add new photos to the Gallery very soon.  It has been many months, so I have gathered a respectable group of what I hope are respectable images.  You’ll have to be the final judge of that, of course.

Please keep an eye out, and tell others as well.

Thanks,
Larry