Our treasure lies in the beehive of our knowledge. We are perpetually on the way thither, being by nature winged insects and honey gatherers of the mind. - Friedrich Nietzsche
We discuss the benefits and health of bees fairly frequently, and now that grandparents are adding yet another hive, we should be well-supplied with our favorite rich, dark amber, raw honey. Which is why my nose crinkled in disgust when I read this article, Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn't Honey. (And if we hope to either help with or have our own hives someday, we should take a class.)
Tigger, your loss, man. I mean cat.
A word about honey's expiration date: it lasts a very long time. Apparently centuries, as long as it is not contaminated with water or other particles. I tried researching more about honey found in tombs, and nothing I found was very reliable or current, (some were disturbing), but it's fairly clear that people have had a long history bee keeping and collecting honey.
As for that phrase the bee's knees, have a look at its possible origins.
Perhaps you've wondered if honey badgers do indeed eat honey? According to this, what they are mostly eating is bee brood, or larva, and are less interested in the honey.
And since we're on the topic of honey vs. adulterated honey, let's just agree now that we'll never have this on our pancakes. As with honey, maple syrup faces similar legal and consumer issues.
Hmm, a cup of tea with honey sounds good, right about now. I'm just glad ours is the sort that contains actual bee's knees, aren't you?
This post is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
What's a Scenester? Do you recognize any apple store indies, perhaps? Do you think it's fair to generalize about others based on fashion, or do you think the portraits are largely accurate? Do you recognize yourself in any of the scenesters? Is there a point where seeking individualism simply becomes a uniform; is it possible to be the non-conforming conformist? And if indivdualism is the goal, to be outside the collective interest, how is adopting a fashion trend, emo, for instance, contrary to this goal--or is it? Can you think of examples where individual expression morphed into a fad?
In fascinating science news, did you know it was possible to help make a reef out of old subway cars? It's happening along the east coast (USA) and these subway reefs are teeming with life, in areas that were once practically ocean deserts. Why are reefs so important? Though the practice has been discontinued primarily, it's only because the subway cars are being built differently and it's not financially beneficial or necessary to dispose of old cars this way. Environmentally it seemed to be a winning solution. Watch a short video here.
In creepy science news, the newly discovered zombie-ant fungusZOMBIE- ANT FUNGUS, surely takes the cake. (What the heck does the phrase take the cake mean, anyway?)
Because yesterday was International Women's Day and Josephine Baker came up in conversation, read more about her. I think we all found her heroic work with the French Resistance during WWII to be the most intriguing, but by no means is this her bravest act. (You can read all about it here, under the heading Rise To Fame. *There is one bare-breasted photo of Josephine.) It's important to understand, as you read about Ms. Baker, that every ounce of her life was impacted by racism. While she left the US for France and Europe to escape the Jim Crow Laws in the US, her ready acceptance and fame in France was very much due in part to France's then-colonization of Africa (the height of which occurred in the 1920s-1930s, when Ms. Baker arrived in France). African art, images and yes, people were embraced for consumption by the whites, and African-descent people were objectified, so it's important to read about her life, her career and mutual admiration of her and the French people in this context. For another look at her life, view this six-part video of Josephine Baker: The First Black Superstar.
Because the topic of social media and whether it has a positive influence on society, or not, comes up frequently for discussion, while at our family dinner table, no less, I thought we'd explore this author's ideas. The comments on this article are interesting reading, also, and many answer the criticism of social media and how it is not face-to-face interaction (or so it's assumed--Skype?), by noting that much of the communication that happened in older generations was done by letter, or phone or even telegram, and not face-to-face, either. Let's discuss this some more, how about over dinner?
Speaking of dinner, a little late to the table perhaps, but I keep seeing mention of the game Minecraft pop up (you know, when I'm using social media) and thought you might like to check it out? Apparently it's wildly popular, and among creative, unschooled types as well. Learn more about it here.
Moving along. Ever since we caught a bit of that travel show on monorails of Europe, I've been both fascinated and flummoxed by why we don't build and utilize more monorail systems here in North America. I found this fascinating site about monorails. I am struck by how environment, design, and people friendly monorails are and did I mention being baffled? What do you think? Would a monorail system in Maine be beneficial? In what way? Also, can you name possible reasons for why monorails haven't been built or promoted in the US? How might politics play a part, for instance?
Adam, I know you enjoy your set of magnetic balls and you've made some amazing things with it, so here's more inspiration. Wow! It reminds me of the awesomeness of the Rubix Cube, and in order to solve (or design) either, you must use combinations and permutations.
Okay, just for fun: since we just watched that X-Files episode, Hollywood A.D. ( aka, The Lazarus Bowl, season 7, 2000), where Gary Shandling plays Mulder in the movie...here's a scene from the Larry Sanders Show (season 5, 1996-97, HBO).
As we eagerly await the final episodes from season 3 of Bones (shakes fist at Netflix), I thought it might be interesting to note that there are only about 100 forensic anthropologists in the US and Canada, and Maine has one of them. Also, there's an organization called the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams, or DMORT, of which many of these forensic anthropologists assist. (Maine is part of Region I.) Kathy Reichs, the author of the Temeprance "Bones" Brennan books, was part of the DMORT team assigned to the World Trade Center disaster. This video, aside from being rather dull, is also moderately informative and does talk about what sort of training one needs to become a forensic anthropologist. (Also, but I could have sworn it was Eric Millegan, aka, Zack Addy, narrating this piece-the narrator and Eric sound so alike.)
Here's more about the work of forensic anthropologists.
I know you two have a new-found appreciation of some rock ballads thanks to your time with Guitar Hero, so I thought you might enjoy this version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody--on ukulele.
Hey, Adam--since we have been doing that deep clean of your room and putting things into piles and emptying drawers and putting things away into boxes, it made me think of compartmentalization. Remember when we were talking about how all life just seems to mimic the functions of other parts of life, no matter how small or large? So just like our very cells spend time compartmentalizing, we'll be finishing up in your room, just as soon as we put those Legos into that specialized membrane.
And sometimes when we are in the middle of these cleaning and organizing projects, infinity is on the brain, perhaps, because as soon as you provide space for one thing you have to make space for another and the compartmentalizing seems endless. Like this.
But the end result is an organized thing of beauty, so why not try your hand at some fractals, today? Take a look at this fractal zoom.
Did you know that this set of fractals is known as the Mandelbrot Set? How does seeing the Mandelbrot Set remind you of cell compartmentalization? If we consider that everything can be broken down into mere patterns, each piece interacting and dependent on another, what does this mean for human life? Are we acting independently, for instance? Or, is there any original action or has everything been done before (or will be done?) To many, this knowledge might give weight to their spiritual practice, while to others, it further informs their scientific exploration. For instance, it's interesting to note that humans have been perhaps thinking about Mandelbrot Sets, long before we could see them. What are your thoughts on the Mandelbrot Set? Explore similar concepts here:
As you know, or must know if you live where we do (Maine), that it has been, well, in the Maine vernacular, a bit nippy, deah! And looking ahead to next week's forecast, we are settling in for a nice, cold stretch, too. With that in mind, it looks like Monday might be a great day to make frozen bubbles.
Thinking of cold and snow, it's interesting to note that a 19 year old homeschooler from Vermont took the first, amazing photographs of snow crystals--in 1885! Check the collection out! Here's more about the physics of snowflakes.
For Olivia: in honor of you beginning guitar lessons, meet Andres Segovia. Here he is playing Bach. You can learn more about classical music here.
For Adam: in honor of you beginning drum lessons, meet Lionel Hampton. Watch him play, here. Loads more drumming inspiration here.
Reflecting on certain beloved tv shows and movies, I wonder how many pass the Bechdel Test?
Can you name a couple of examples of some that do pass the test? Which ones?
Do you think it's important for tv and films to pass this test, or do you think it's not important at all?
What do you think the reasons are that so much tv and film doesn't pass the test?
What does it mean to you if a tv show or film doesn't pass the Bechdel Test?
One more thing to make your brain bigger: see how something called metamaterials might help make objects invisible, in effect, by fooling light by taking any arrangement of objects and assembling them into some sort of structure. Harry Potter might not be the only one with an Invisibility Cloak someday.
Can you think of ways in which this technology could be used for greater good?
Can you think of ways in which this technology could be used for doing harm?
Do you think the creation and control of this technology could or would have political ramifications?
