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WHERE IS THE MISTAKE?
NO MISTAKE?
IMG_9225 (1).MOV
Why is wet sand darker than dry? (I’m sometimes asked this when I lead Beachwalks.)
Sounds strange, but a body of wet sand is darker because it's more transparent than dry!
Beach sand like that in southern New Jersey is made mostly of clear grains of the mineral quartz. When quartz is surrounded by air, it reflects about 5 percent of ambient light. That 5 percent is light that simply bounces off the surface, never entering the mineral. Of what does penetrate into the grain, another 5 percent gets reflected back as the rays “attempt" to exit a grain's far side. That means about 10 percent of light striking any individual grain of dry quartz sand will shine upward and we see that reflected light as brightness.
In the lab—our kitchen—we can observe the bright (“specular") reflections from a dry grain:*
Now let's immerse that grain in water. The bright surface reflections disappear because the amount of light reflected by an immersed water/quartz interface is far less—only about 1/8—of what it is in air! More of the light that otherwise would make the grain appear bright simply passes through the grain and continues farther into the sand to be absorbed at depth! Since less reflected light comes to our eyes, the wet beach surface appears dark.
Here’s another way to show how it works. These 2-inch-tall vials are filled with 1-mm-diameter glass beads (”sand”). The beads are clear, but very slightly tinted. Light source is overhead. The “sand” in the lefthand vial is dry. In the righthand vial it's saturated, meaning that water occupies the intergranular space.
The dry sand surface is bright because so much light gets reflected by grains in the near-surface layers. But light striking the less reflective—more-transparent(!)—wet sand, simply passes through the surface, leaving that surface darker, and continues to greater depths.
Side view:
New climate projections are available for New York State
I made these graphics a few years ago, now updated to 2024. (I think it’s pretty effective.) My reference city, of course, is Syracuse, 43° N.
I start in 1975, b/c that’s when the current phase of warming really took off:
Using the rate of global warming since 1975 and the latitudinal temperature gradient for central NY, I calculated that Syracuse was going south at two miles/year. Climatologically, compared to 1975, Syracuse now is at the latitude of Scranton, PA.
Then, for purposes of a talk I‘ll be giving in a couple months, I projected to 2090. That’s when someone who’s 21 years old now reaches my age (87). It puts Syracuse pretty close to Baltimore, MD:
If you slip your diagram for Canton halfway down the state, to Syracuse, your 2080s position pretty much lands where I project for 2090. Your more pessimistic projection will probably be closer to the truth!
Bryce M. Hand
Emeritus Professor of Geology, Syracuse University
bhand1@twcny.rr.com
Did you know that if you put 100 black ants and 100 red ants in a jar, nothing will happen? But if you shake the jar hard, the ants start killing each other. The red ants consider the black ants their enemies, and the black ants consider the red ants their enemies. The true enemy is the one shaking the jar. The same thing happens in human society. So, before we attack each other, we should think about who is shaking the jar!
Credit: Kurt Vonnegut
Kansas City radar… right after their Super Bowl win. Can you guess why?
Can AI Love?
Song Parody: "INSOLATION"
INSOLATION.mp3https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGe9B3-iAEA&t=20s
Well old Mr. Johnson had troubles of his own He had an
old, yellow cat,
that wouldn't leave his home
He tried and he tried to get the cat away
He gave it to a man that was really far away...
But the cat came back the very next day
Oh the cat came back, no he thought it was a goner
but the cat came back, he just wouldn't stay
no way, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no,
The man around the corner said he'd shoot the cat out of
sight.
so he loaded up his shotgun with nails and dynamite
He waited and he waited for the cat to come around
But 97 pieces of that man was all they found...
But the cat cam back the very next day
Oh the cat came back, no he thought it was a goner
but the cat came back, he just wouldn't stay
no way, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
(guitar solo)
But the cat cam back the very next day
Oh the cat came back, no he thought it was a goner
but the cat came back, he just wouldn't stay
no way, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no-o
Lyrics taken from <a href="https://www.elyrics.net/read/w/wally-pleasant-lyrics/the-cat-came-back-lyrics.html">this page</a>
AI Has A Giant, Destructive Flaw
AI Has A Giant, Destructive Flaw
This could break the AI hype train.
This could break the AI hype train.
During one of the many meetings, he warned that the next wave of AI systems will consume vastly more power than expected, and our current energy systems will struggle to cope. He even went as far as to say, “There’s no way to get there [next-gen AI] without a breakthrough.” This marks a profound turning point in the AI hype train, as until now, their energy usage and associated carbon emissions have been the elephant in the room. With this one statement, Altman has painted the elephant pink and got it to do circus tricks for everyone. So, is this energy usage really a problem? What’s its impact? Does Altman have a solution? And can AI be made more energy efficient?
the next wave of AI systems will consume vastly more power than expected, and our current energy systems will struggle to cope
AI Has A Giant, Destructive Flaw
AI Has A Giant, Destructive Flaw
This could break the AI hype train.
This could break the AI hype train.
https://medium.com/predict/ai-has-a-giant-destructive-flaw-e20e49f8813d
Betelgeuse: The Great Dimming and When it Might Supernova
Betelgeuse: The Great Dimming and When it Might Supernova
How To Mathematically Share A Pizza with 3 People?
How To Mathematically Share A Pizza with 3 People?
Integral Calculus: 2 Parallel Cuts
Integral Calculus: 2 Parallel Cuts
What was it like when Venus and Mars both died?
What was it like when Venus and Mars both died?
In the early stages of our Solar System, there were three life-friendly planets: Venus, Earth, and Mars. Only Earth thrived. Here’s why.
In the early stages of our Solar System, there were three life-friendly planets: Venus, Earth, and Mars. Only Earth thrived. Here’s why.
https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/what-was-it-like-when-venus-and-mars-both-died-af572fee74c3
parthenogenesis
Dharma refers to sustainability, ecology, ethics, duty, and spirituality, in various contexts, but there is no direct translation into any English word.
Furbonacci Sequence Proves That Cats Are Purrfect
Trolley problem
Trolley problem
Which is the more ethical option? Or, more simply: What is the right thing to do?
Back to the Future and Heart vs. Mind:
Doc: Marty...the future isn't written. It can be changed; you know that! Anyone can make their future whatever they want it to be. I can't let this one little photograph determine my entire destiny. I have to live my life according to what I believe is right... in my heart.
Marty: Sighing. Doc...you're a scientist. So you tell me. What's the right thing to do, up here?? He points to his own forehead.
Doc sighs and pauses: You're right, Marty.
The Hidden Language Between Flowers and Bees
The Hidden Language Between Flowers and Bees
Flowers tell bees when they’re full or empty of pollen and when they’re occupied with another bee.
Flowers tell bees when they’re full or empty of pollen and when they’re occupied with another bee.
https://medium.com/irrelevant-matters/the-hidden-language-between-flowers-and-bees-a5326a83c86c
ChatGPT just went rogue and we don’t know why
ChatGPT just went rogue and we don’t know why
OpenAI’s generative language tool went completely haywire last night, and its responses have been freaking people out. Developers ambiguously refer to this phenomenon as a ‘hallucination’. Reassuring.
OpenAI’s generative language tool went completely haywire last night, and its responses have been freaking people out. Developers ambiguously refer to this phenomenon as a ‘hallucination’. Reassuring.
https://thredmedia.medium.com/chatgpt-just-went-rogue-and-we-dont-know-why-58ccf1ab43e4
The end is near, BUT:
"Everything that has a beginning has an end. I see the end coming. I see the darkness spreading. I see death." ~The Oracle (Matrix)
But, what was before the beginning?
Dr. Jean Grey : "Don't believe anything you see in there."
The view of the total solar eclipse from Williamsville North sped up 1,000%. Even with the clouds, it was an awesome experience!
https://twitter.com/WCSD_K12/status/1777428287158947859
Prediction AI Is Coming. Are You (and the World) Ready?
Prediction AI Is Coming. Are You (and the World) Ready?
How much do you want to know about your future? It may depend on who wants to know your past.
How much do you want to know about your future? It may depend on who wants to know your past.
Everything is connected everywhere and all at once (Quantum Physics)! You can't separate math from anything, even if you try! Over time, nothing remains pure..............
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