FROM AMAZINGLY TIMED PHOTOS DOT COM

What is going on here

Beautiful Purple Snail

Ant pushing a water droplet

Bubble with a lake in the back

Two header cattle

Punching through water

Owl under the moon

Moon creates a nice waterfall

Beautiful Transparent fish

Birds are beautiful to see

Airplane passes over an eclipse

Love their white mustachesMoon creates a nice waterfall

Amazing kayaking trip at sea

Amazing photo of Waterspout Strikes, Tampa Bay, Florida

The Coolest Science of 2013

December 24, 2013

The Coolest Science of 2013, in GIFs

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An electronic circuit that dissolves in the presence of water. From video by University of Illinois

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, a GIF is easily worth a million. The file format—which uses a series of images to produce a looping video, like a flip book—is a tremendous way to convey all sorts of moving wonders, and 2013 was the year that the GIF truly went mainstream, with GIFs of celebrities, sports and politicians filling the Web.

But 2013 was also a banner year for science—so much so that the word ‘science’ was Merriam-Webster’s word of the year. It’s appropriate, then, that we use the GIF to explore some of the coolest, weirdest, most remarkable science stories of 2013. What follows is a non-exhaustive list of amazing science GIFs from 2013, in no particular order.

Top: Dissolving Electronics

Over the past few years, the University of Illinois lab led by John Rogers (one of Smithsonian magazine’s American Ingenuity Award Winners) has engineered all sorts of amazing devices that bridge the gap between biology and technology: stretchable batteries that could be used in wearable gadgets or medical implants, tiny LEDs that can be implanted in the brain to manipulate individual neurons and ultrathin electronics that can graft circuits onto human skin.

Perhaps the most amazing creation, though, is their entirely dissolvable electronic circuit, which could someday be used in environmental monitoring and medical devices so that circuitry disappears after it’s no longer needed.

A Solar Eruption

From video by NASA

Solar activity, as you might imagine, can get pretty intense. In February, NASA released a video of a particularly turbulent day in the life of the sun, as a trio of events—a solar flare, a coronal mass ejection and shifting of magnetic field lines in the Sun’s atmosphere—all occurred at the same time.

Pitch Drop

From video via Trinity College, GIF via It’s Okay To Be Smart

In 1944, Trinity College physicist Ernest Walton set up one of two pitch-drop experiments worldwide, seeking to experimentally prove that pitch is a viscous, flowing material. Walton has since died, but 69 years after his legendary experiment began, Trinity researchers finally managed to catch a drop of pitch falling on camera this past July.

Chelyabinsk Meteor

Video and GIF via Gifric

In February, a massive, 12,000-ton meteor—the largest known to hit Earth since 1908—flew through the skies above Chelyabinsk, Russia at 60 times the speed of sound and shattered into pieces. The meteor caused damaged to about 7,200 buildings and caused nearly 1,500 people to seek medical attention for injuries. Luckily, no one was killed; luckier still, dozens of local residents caught the event on camera.

A Thought Moves Through a Fish’s Brain

From video via Current Biology, Muto et. al.

This one seriously sounds like science fiction: In the GIF above, that tiny purple blip zigging and zagging around is an individual thought of a zebrafish, moving around its brain.

Japanese scientists captured it by using a probe sensitive to florescence, relying upon a particular gene called GCaMP that reacts to the presence of calcium ions by fluorescing brightly. Because calcium concentrations fluctuate when neurons fire, the florescent spot is the location of neuron activity in the fish’s brain.  This was confirmed by the fact that the pattern above occurred after the researchers released a paramecium into the fish’s environment—and the particular brain areas activated matched the neurons that fired when the fish visually tracked a dot moving around in the same directions.

A Washcloth is Squeezed in Space

From video by Canadian Space Agency, GIF via io9

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who spent 166 days at the International Space Station before returning in May, is the ideal astronaut for the social media era: he frequently tweeted photos from space and posted videos to his followers on YouTube, who number just over one million, to show what life in space is really like. In April, in response to a question submitted by high school students, he posted a video showing what happens when you try to wring out a washcloth in the space station’s zero-gravity environment. Spoiler: it’s not too easy.

Artificial Muscles Dance

From video courtesy of Dr. Mingming Ma

Put these thin black polymer films down on a moist surface, and they’ll dance around of their own accord. In January, a group of MIT researchers revealed a special polymer that can move on its own, harnessing the energy present in water. They envision the material someday being useful in powering tiny electronics, utilizing an energy source that’s already abundant in the environment.

A Red Batfish Eats

From video by Enoshima Aquariaum

In October, our Smart News bloggers called attention to one of the ocean’s most peculiar creatures: the red batfish, found on the continental shelves of the Pacific. The GIF above, taken from a video filmed at Enoshima Aquarium in Fujisawa, Japan, shows the creature feeding on a piece of krill.

A Pineapple Rots

From video by Temponaut Timelapse

A pineapple, a time-lapse camera, and two months of time: That’s all you need to document the process of decomposition in a uniquely clear (and revolting) way. The video above, released in August, shows bacteria, fungi and ants hard at work, breaking down succulent pineapple flesh that was left out to be filmed as it decomposed.

The folks at Temponaut Timelapse have created all sorts of remarkable timelapses, of subjects both beautiful (New York City’s skyline, for instance) and wonderfully repulsive (rotting strawberries, bananas and grapes).

A Chain Levitates

From video by Earth Unplugged, GIF via io9

In June, a video that made the rounds seemed to depict the impossible: Earth Unplugged showed how a bead chain can appear to levitate as one end falls out of a beaker. As it turns out, there’s no magic involved, but rather a fascinating scientific explanation. Once some beads are dropped out of the container, their momentum pulls more beads along with them, and the limited flexibility of the chain causes it to assume shapes that appear to defy gravity as it falls.

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The TRUTH will set you FREE.

Merry Christmas from John Donovan

Merry Christmas from John Donovan

Dec 25th, 2013 

by John Donovan. 

No comments yet

The vast majority of people at Royal Dutch Shell are decent hard working individuals. I would like to wish them and all of the contributors and visitors to this website, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

From John Donovan

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

DECEMBER 30, 2013 E-MAIL TO MR. MAUGHAN

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

MR.  MAUGHAN' s REPLY TO  BUENSUCESO'  DECEMBER 16, 2013 E-MAIL

Maughan, James@Waterboards	Dec 19 (6 days ago)
to Liz.Haven, Jonathan.Bishop, me

Mr. Buensuceso Jr.,

You have requested email address for Liz Haven and Johnathan Bishop.  Here they are:

Liz.Haven@waterboards.ca.gov

Jonathan.Bishop@waterboards.ca.gov

Again currently my direct supervisor is Johnathan Bishop.  Liz Haven has moved on to another assignment and is not involved as my supervisor or the Operator Certification Program.

Concerning your request for the “Original Educational Credentials”, we did not make a copy to send you.  We sent back to you, exactly the same document you sent us.  I again point out that the document we sent back to you has our original stamp on the document.  I again am sorry for the pain and suffering that you express in your letters.

Sincerely,

James Maughan

Acting Deputy Director,  Division of Financial Assistance

916-341-5694

jmaughan@waterboards.ca.gov

   

BUENSUCESO's  RESPONSE TO MR. MAUGHAN's DECEMBER 19, 2013 REPLY

December  30,  2013

Mr. James Maughan

Assistant Deputy Director

Division of Financial Assistance

Phone: 916-341-5694

Email: jmaughan@waterboards.ca.gov

Mail address:  1001 I Street, 16th Floor

Sacramento, CA 95814

 SUBJECT :  Continuing demand for the return of  the original educational credentials                            as evaluated by ERES and comments why  a circle mark was wrap around                           the word  "PHILIPPINES" as shown in the returned exact copy (photocopy)                          of my original educational credentials.

Copy of the credential with discriminatory circular mark around the word "PHILIPPINES".

Dear Mr. James Maughan,

Good morning.

Thank you for furnishing me with the e-mail addresses of Ms Liz Haven and  Mr. Jonathan Bishop.  I will be communicating directly to them  as soon as I have exhausted all persuasive appeal to you to mend your ways,  quit  lying and cheating and hiding behind the stamp of the Office of the Operator Certification and show at least an iota of sincerity on your statement that you are sorry for the pain and suffering that your employees and you bestowed and being waged against my person.  Please send me back the original educational credentials covering the Bachelor of Science in Management Engineering as evaluated by ERES (Educational Records  Evaluation Service) Sacramento, Ca and show the signature of Mr Wes Wilkinson, Ms Anna Hernandez and of course,  yours as proof that the three of you have prudently and conscientiously examined that pieces of original educational documents and determined that those educational credentials did not meet the minimum six (6) educational points requirement for  Grade 1 operator certification examination.  I have been asking this since September 6, 2012.  This request could  be seen from the last paragraph of my letter  dated September 6, 2012 to Ms Debbie Zuccala sent through certified mail which she ignored to reply up to this time.

Please be reminded that the transcript of records that you are requesting me to send to you several times to determine the exact number educational points is likewise, a gesture of discrimination being certificate of completion is enough to verify educational requirement as shown in Ms Anna Hernandez  letter of denial dated August 29, 2012.  Please take a closer look at this letter and see for yourself that certificate of completion is enough to verify educational requirement.  Your alibi  asking me to send to you  the transcript of records as a reason for you to delay granting  me  the minimum 6 educational point is devoid of merit since August 29, 2013.  This gave credence to my belief that your action supports your deed of discrimination against my person.

Anna Hernandez letter of denial showing certificate of completion is
enough to verify educational requirement.

I will appreciate your favorable response.
Thank you very much.


Yours faithfully,

Antonio L. Buensuceso Jr

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

FINEST OF BHS BATCH 1972