Lee's Blog

Category: Science/Tech

  • Comet Pan-Starrs

    On Wednesday evening, I went on a night hike up Blue Hill to see if I could view comet Pan-Starrs. My Saturday hike there had proven fruitless, but this time around I was armed with more information.

    Even so, I wasn’t able to actually see the comet; I had to locate it with the camera, which has the advantage of being able to take long exposures.

    Here are a couple photos from that evening:

    Comet Pan-Starrs above Westwood, Massachusetts:

    20130315-145944.jpg

    And half an hour later, the waxing moon setting above Westwood:

    20130315-145958.jpg

  • Photoblog – Crater Lake – July 2000

    In July of 2000, I had to take a business trip out to Redding, California to investigate failures of some of our oxygen systems. The investigation was very short, but the point of the trip was more to reassure the customer.

    On the plus side, much of northern California is amazingly beautiful. I flew into Sacramento, and drove up to Redding. One evening, I drove out to Lassen Volcanic National Park, where I got to see hot springs, beautiful scenery, deer and foxes. After a brief second visit to the customer, I then headed north to beautiful Mt. Shasta, and then kept going towards Oregon and Crater Lake.

    These sites represent the southern end of the volcanic Cascades mountain range – better known for Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Ranier. And while most of you may not be geology geeks like me, you’ll probably agree that these volcanic sites make for some spectacular scenery and some interesting history and folklore.

    Hope you like the pics.
    Sorry, some of these are from the early days of digital cameras – quality ain’t so hot…

    Lee

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  • Cool Tech – Extreme Cycling

    Here is a story about guys engineering sleek but impractical designs to push the boundaries of biking to the very limits of technology and human endurance…

    This Is a Bike. Trust Us. – And you won’t believe how fast it goes or how much the guy inside is suffering
    By Preston Lerner, Los Angeles Times, August 27, 2006 


    Rob English and most of the other luminaries of HPV racing are braving the broiling desert heat in Casa Grande to assault another world record, this one in the so-called Hour, the most hallowed mark in cycling lore. (Ian Logan / For The Times)

    Barely visible against the vast asphalt expanse of the Nissan test track, a white speck emerges from the soft light of the Arizona dawn. As it approaches, it takes shape as what might be a miniature submarine, or maybe a giant suppository on wheels. Crammed within the tiny, fully enclosed, artfully streamlined body is a world-class cyclist who’s reclining like guy on a Barcalounger as he pedals furiously enough to make his bike the world’s fastest sweatbox. He rockets past with a whoosh, and I suddenly understand why his ride is called a human powered vehicle, or HPV, rather than just a bicycle.

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  • Plan boosts solar system to 12 planets

    ScienceDaily: Bigger Solar System? Astronomers Debate Definition Of ‘Planet’ And ‘Plutons’

    MSNBC: Plan boosts solar system to 12 planets

     

  • ScienceDaily – Climate Change Was Major Factor In Erosion Of Alps 6 Million Years Ago

    Climate Change Was Major Factor In Erosion Of Alps 6 Million Years Ago

    The Alps, the iconic rugged mountains that cover parts of seven European nations, might have reached their zenith millions of years ago, some scientists believe, and now are a mere shadow of their former selves. New research offers an explanation.
     
    A team led by Sean Willett, a University of Washington geologist, has found that the culprit is likely massive erosion, triggered by a sudden drop in the level of the Mediterranean Sea 6 million years ago and then prolonged by a warmer, wetter climate…

  • Boston Globe Editorial – Engineering a curriculum

    Featuring my former Tufts professor,  Ioannis Miaoulis.  The Museum of Science (http://www.mos.org/) has finally brought the “BODY WORLDS: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies” to town.  It’s a morbidly fascinating exhibit that I’ve wanted to see for several years.  Finally, something new and interesting from a good museum that had grown a little stale over the years…

    Boston Globe Editorial – Engineering a curriculum

    THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE has gone beyond its traditional mission of science instruction and entertainment in Boston to engage young people throughout the United States in the value of engineering. It’s an ambitious agenda, aided greatly by a $20 million gift from Bernard Gordon, an entrepreneur and engineer who wants to get more young people interested in using science to solve real-world problems.

    …As shown by its modern facilities and exciting exhibits at Science Park above the Charles, the Museum of Science has come far from its origins as a collection of artifacts. Miaoulis’ engineering initiative is turning a Boston treasure into an asset for the nation.