DIY: 5 Minute Ice Cream

Maybe these count as sorbets? But they still look very good and fast.

Myth: Diagram of Mythical Creatures

Excellent diagram of mythical creatures.

Science Fair: Pencil Lead Potentiometer

Good experiment with simple tools (pencil and paper). Demonstrates electrical resistance using the pencil lead's graphite as a conductor.

Robots: Kissing Robots

Cute or Scary? These robots were designed in Taiwan and performed a robotic version of the Phantom of the Opera.

Quote of the Day: Seeds of Happiness

Good quote of the day regarding happiness. My wife constantly reminds me of this same lesson. Sometimes I slip back into an old habit of sarcasm, but luckily she and Isaac are there to save me.

Everything is material for the seed of happiness, if you look into it with inquisitiveness and curiosity. The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment. There always is the potential to create an environment of blame or one that is conducive to loving-kindness. Pema Chodron

Star Wars: Jedi Song

Take a look at the Jedi song, and other videos of the Clone Wars series. Nice light saber guitar.

Pictures: Ancient and Modern Armor

Isaac poses with his modern armor on picture day in football pads, and earlier with an ancient set of Asian armor celebrating Denise's birthday at the Hibachi restaurant.

Games: Keyboard Piano

Checkout this keyboard piano game. Typing and music, it would be great if you could turn the piano on during typing class. That way the student would associate a sound along with the muscle memory of the keys.

Whittling: Use a Safety Glove

Good article on whittling, plus links to instructions on carving chains. Good advice to use a Kevlar glove.

Running: Usain Bolt 200m Run

Check out this video of Usain Bolt's world record run at the World Championships. This article in the Atlantic Wire notes that he has defied conventional wisdom that a tall sprinter could go so fast. He also has people reconsidering how fast a human can run. Amazing stuff!

DIY: Paper Airplane Guy

Check out the Paper Airplane Guy. Many great planes, and more detailed explanations to their functioning. Here's his YouTube channel.

Music: How Pink Floyd's Money Was Produced

This is a remarkable video showing the members and producer of Pink Floyd describing how the song "Money" was put together. It is incredible to see the various layerings and effects which are created within the song.

I understand that most of these effects can now be duplicated with Garage Band, or similar application, on a laptop computer.

For children, cover the kids ears at about 3:13 to miss the singer's descriptive comment on Capitalism.

Science Fair: Inducing Giantism

Fantastic experiment from the incredible Evil Genius. He demonstrates how to conduct a study using readily available plant hormones, specifically Gibberellic Acid, to alter the plant growth mechanism of been sprouts.

The results are relatively fast, 5 days, and plainly noticeable to the naked eye.

Soulmates

I ran across this beautiful photo and it's representation of "soul mates" has me moved to such joy. It kindly tugs at my heart strings and reminds me of the embrace I share with my lover. I am so thankful for the love that is given to me daily. I cherish it, I nurture it, I admire it, I protect it, and I glorify and celebrate our similarities AND our differences. I continue to plan for it's growth....similar to a beautiful, growing tree. Our Love remains strong and rooted. I will cling to it's Earthly beauty and learn from it's ability to withstand.

Thank you "mi Amor" for kissing me every beautiful morning and sharing your love so effortlessly with me and Isaac. You are my soul mate.

Happy Thursday All!

Love- Denise

Quote Of The Day: Time Flies

Quote from the science fiction book I'm currently reading online, Cory Doctorow's Makers. They describe it as a joke or riddle, playing with the listeners expectations.

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.

Science Fair: Water Rocket With 3 Boosters

Amazing water propelled rocket complete with three NASA inspired booster engines and even an on-board camera. Not sure how possible this would be to replicate, but it certainly is cool.

Water Rocket with 3 boosters from AirCommand on Vimeo.

DIY: Compost Bin and Palletts

I understand some readers where looking for something to do with extra wood pallets, while at the same time, looking to build a compost bin. This seems like the perfect project.

May need to do a little modification to dress it up if others can see into your back yard.

Happy Birthday To My Lover

What a great day of celebration we have in store for my Lover's birthday. We getting ready this morning to go on our annual "Denise's Birthday Trot".

I am the luckiest man alive! Happy Birthday Amor!

Pictures: Summer Phone Pictures

A quick break in the action this morning to post some pictures from the Summer. These are all taken on cell phones. Love this one the best of Isaac rocking the electric uke on Tio Fuego's awesome amp.
Take a look at the picture set.