Is There No End to the Madness??

[Beverly]

As if there isn't enough to worry about....

The movement of Earth's north magnetic pole across the Canadian arctic, 1831 - 2001:

The pole kept going during the 20th century, north at an average speed of 10 km per year, lately accelerating "to 40 km per year," says Newitt. At this rate it will exit North America and reach Siberia in a few decades.

Keeping track of the north magnetic pole is Newitt's job. "We usually go out and check its location once every few years," he says. "We'll have to make more trips now that it is moving so quickly."

Supercomputer models of Earth's magnetic field. On the left is a normal dipolar magnetic field, typical of the long years between polarity reversals. On the right is the sort of complicated magnetic field Earth has during the upheaval of a reversal:



Full article can be found at: http://www.firstscience.com/SITE/ARTICLES/magnet.asp

[BCOrchidGuy]

hey, I saw that, just showed it to my son who is 8 and loves compasses. I think I'll take him on an orienteering course this summer. He was blown away by it all. The reversals is cool stuff too, going to read up on it more.

Doug

[Beverly]

Doug,

Read about the magnetic pole reversal in the local Sunday newspaper. They always have something interesting in the world of science, which leads me to research more about it on the internet. I've learned stuff about string theory physics after going on a tangent after reading an article on the Pioneer anomoly. Google that one for interesting stuff.

Here are some interviews with string theorists from a NOVA series, The Elegant Universe:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/viewpoints.html

Currently trying to figure out what happens to matter that goes into black holes. Some scientists think there is at least one large, and as many as ten smaller, black holes at the centre of our galaxy. Wish I had the links to these pages to pass along.

Not sure if I posted the Rock, Paper, Scissors Online Trainer (at the bottom of the page), but here it is again for those who missed it:

http://www.worldrps.com/trainer.html

Again, read about the RPS World Championships in the newspaper and HAD to go to their website

[Invigor]

bev, do you have a destruction of the Earth fetish? it was you that posted the two galaxies colliding too wasn't it?

[KrazyKuch]

Yeah that was bev!!!

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by Invigor

bev, do you have a destruction of the Earth fetish?

Not really. I've just been doing a lot of online research on such topics as how the universe was formed and where it might be heading (three major theories on that one), what kinds of bodies comprise the universe, how life might have began on this planet, sub-atomic particles, how the brain works. You know, all kinds of esoteric subjects to broaden my view of my place in the universe (which is pretty dang small ). Once in awhile I stumble across a video or two that I want to post here in case anyone else is interested.

Look at what goes on in the reefs we try to keep in our homes. On the one hand, life is so fragile (corals bleaching for no known reason), yet on the other hand, it is tenacious (dinos taking over a tank). And if we had a third hand, we could play rock, paper, scissors for a very long time