Daily Archive for February 7th, 2008

Yep, some craziness in space

Published
by
Gogga
on February 7, 2008
in Engineering and General blabber
. 0 Comments

Who said Germans are OK to go to space? Especially the ones that look like this:

Thomas Reiter researches orientation during weightlessness

LOL! OK, OK, I’m just kidding!

Found this article posted on the German Aerospace Center site to be quite interesting.

Look at that! There is medicine, plasma engineering and physics, biotechnology, radiation research, etc etc etc. These guys are doing everything! Quite cool, if you ask me.

Personally, I’ve never really “looked up to the stars”… But perhaps I should. There are some quite fascinating phenomena that take place when you remove gravity from the equation. I’ve done a little bit of work on Coulomb crystals where the lattice sites were simply too tiny to feel the gravity. Too bad I have been looking elsewhere for cookies and am generally neglecting that initial effort. In space, however, even cows are weightless…

Anyway, read it and enjoy! Here are a few lines:

Plasma crystal research

The very first scientific experiment that was carried out on the ISS commenced in March 2001. This was a series of experiments that is still continuing today to research plasma crystals by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching (Co-ordinator: G. Morfill). This involves micro-particles arranged so that they are floating in a plasma at room temperature. The lattice-shaped arrangement can be used as an experimental model system for the atomic structure of a solid. Thus scientists can examine in detail the melting of a solid using individual particle movements in terms of time and space. Under certain conditions they are also able to analyse flowing liquids and gases at elemental micro particle level.

Frida

Published
by
Gogga
on February 7, 2008
in Book review and General blabber
. 2 Comments

Philadelphia Museum of Art (that big building by the river) is going to have an exhibit of works by Frida Kahlo.

So, naturally, being a member I’ve decided to attend.

I got myself hyped up enough to actually read about her.  And, guess what?  Frida is quite an amazing little lady.  Although I am not too terribly ecstatic about some of the things she had done in her life, overall I am quite impressed and moved by her personality.

The two books I am linking below are both very good.  First one is shorted and more colorful while the second goes into far more detail.  I’d get the first one if I were you since the information is practically all there and the reading is easier since it’s littered with images, most of the time multiple on every page.

Frida Kahlo

In Frida’s own words:

“I didn’t expect anything from my work but the satisfaction that I gained from simply painting and expressing what I otherwise could not put into words.”

- Frida Kahlo

Yeah, me too!  Except I can’t really paint…

Also, even though I find her husband (twice) to be quite a moron and a bit too eccentric for my taste, I do like some of his words, and I am sure he loved her; though he did make her suffer quite a bit.

“Take advantage of anything life offers, whatever that may be, provided it is interesting and can give you some pleasure.”

- Diego Rivera to Frida

I especially like the “…provided it is interesting and can give you some pleasure”.  YES!  I need, myself, to realize and live that dream more and more often.

I do say, as a joke, “I like things that feel good and I don’t like things that hurt”…  Oh, but how true!  It’s no joke, you know!  Why would I like things that hurt?  Why would I do them?  Perhaps it is a good idea to promise to myself not to do things that hurt anymore.

There I go again with the rambling.  On and on…  :)

Well, I hope you enjoy these books as much as I did and I hope to see you at the exhibit (should you be able to make it to Philadelphia).

and

Crazy people

Published
by
Gogga
on February 7, 2008
in General blabber
. 2 Comments

Better love

LMFAO

So true!!! :)

Found this somewhere online.

Had I made this I’d add “cheating” in front of “psycho” but, alas, I didn’t make this, so we have to enjoy it as-is :)

Some magazine

Published
by
Aza
on February 7, 2008
in As told by Gogga
. 0 Comments

“I was reading an article in some magazine. I think it was People… or Playboy…”

magazine.jpg