Seed Potatoes: Plant Only Seed Potatoes

Food
[caption id="attachment_7288" align="alignright" width="440"] White Potatoes at harvest time.[/caption] As a child, we would eat some form of white potatoes pretty near every day. I wasn’t a fan. I wished Mom would make just about anything but white potatoes. We had ‘em boiled with butter, mashed, baked, fried. The mashed potatoes were made using a potato ricer and a small electric mixer—a lot of work and a lot of noise. The potatoes were lumpy. Tastes Change We had a small garden. We never grew our own potatoes. Instead, we’d buy them at the local A&P grocery store. When I left home, I ate relatively few potatoes. Eventually however, I overcame my distaste of eating the things and even grew to love them. Eventually, I realized how tasty they were. So…
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Analysis of An FBI Training Film on Physical Evidence

Forensics
[caption id="attachment_7268" align="alignright" width="440"] Symbol of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[/caption] A YouTube presentation caught my interest. The 20-minute video is entitled, FBI Physical Evidence Training Film – 1960s. An FBI training film! The presentation is dry as bones, yet from a forensic viewpoint it is clear and informative. I give my thoughts concerning the video, below. Before considering those, however, please watch the video. First Impressions The professionalism, the careful gathering and cataloging of evidence, was really striking, as was the scope of the work. I was favorably impressed. No wonder so few cases in which the FBI is called in on end up in rejection of their findings. But there are a few things I feel that are worthy of consideration that modify how one might look at…
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Differences between Warts and Moles, Boils, Corns, Bunions

Health
[caption id="attachment_28016" align="alignright" width="480"] Common moles. -National Cancer Institute[/caption]Do you have warts and moles? Or perhaps you have other unpleasant distinguishing marks on your skin such as boils, corns, or bunions? Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder. Yet, sometimes, instead, it is in the eye of the possessor. We may be surprised by the sudden appearance of a growth on our head, our hand, or our foot. More commonly, especially during adolescence, we experience pimples or blackheads. However, more permanent growths can include warts and moles, boils, corns, and bunions. What are these? How do they differ? Warts and Moles Warts are growths produced in the outer layers of the skin, frequently on the hands and fingers, by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. They may generally be…
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The Persistent Triphenylmethyl Free Radical

Chemistry
[caption id="attachment_19350" align="alignright" width="440"] Three phenyl groups plus an unpaired electron are bonded to a central carbon.[/caption] The persistent triphenylmethyl free radical. What is it? What is a free radical and how, and in what sense, is this one "persistent"? The term free radical is a household word, due to its association with food and with body health. Although the expression is bandied about, the public at large does not know what it means. It relates to the concept of atoms, molecules, and electrons. A chemical free radical is defined as a molecule having no net electrical charge, that nevertheless, has at least one unpaired valence electron. Do you find this definition hard to follow? Continue reading and view the hyperlinked graphic model, cited in the following paragraph. [sc name="MidArticleAdsense"]…
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A Senior Riding Amtrak: My Ironic Article

Transportation
[caption id="attachment_7248" align="alignright" width="480"] Amtrak traveling the countryside.[/caption] A handful of years ago, I wrote about my riding Amtrak from Charlottesville, Virginia to the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, where I met a friend. It was actually a very pleasant experience, though a bit adventuresome for me. I could not anticipate the tragedy that would occur in 2015 in that very city of "brotherly love." I resubmit my original article, below... What would go through your mind if this had happened to you? ---------- Are you a "senior" in your 60s, 70s, 80s or even older? Ever wondered what riding Amtrak is like? Take a virtual ride with me now, from Charlottesville, VA, through Washington, DC, to Philadelphia, PA. A good friend had a happy and important occasion he desired…
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Massless Strings and Frictionless Pulleys

Physics
Massless strings and frictionless pulleys? Whoever heard of such things? I attended Drexel University. Well, at first it was the Drexel Institute of Technology. I majored in chemistry. It was strongly suggested I major in chemical engineering. But I refused to change. Why? Because I didn't care what use humans put chemistry to. I loved chemistry and that was all there was to it. Unfortunately (or so it seemed at the time) majoring in chemistry didn't mean all my courses would be chemistry courses. Physics - Massless Strings & Frictionless Pulleys Well—unavoidably—I was required to take a certain amount of physics. And introductory physics requires the use of simple mathematics, including calculus. But physics equations can be difficult to derive. Simplification wherever possible was the mandate. This simplification required us…
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Discrete Mathematics: What is a Point and What a Line?

Mathematics
[caption id="attachment_7234" align="alignright" width="440"] Discrete points? An abstract.[/caption] Most technically minded people will probably take me to task over what I am going to say in this article. That is OK, though. I’m used to it. Not only are my writings quirky—I am quirky. Hey! This is QuirkyScience. I want to talk about points and lines in the real world—in other words, discrete mathematics. What is Reality, What Fantasy? To a mathematician, the point may be a dimensionless object in 3D space, a mathematical object with an x, y, z coordinate in Euclidean space. A line would be a collection of such dimensionless points lined up all in a row. But that is in the world of the mathematician. In the real world, there can be no such thing. Rather,…
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Detergent in My Toothpaste? Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Health
What is sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)? It sounds unbelievable, but it is detergent. I once wrote an article on the chemical difference between soap and detergent. That article discusses the chemical differences between soap and detergent. What is really curious is their end uses, their applications. For instance, did you know detergent is among the most prevalent ingredients in your toothpaste? Yes, uou put detergent in your mouth almost every morning! The most common frequently used of these toothpaste detergents is sodium lauryl sulfate (or sodium dodecyl sulfate). This anionic surfactant is what produces the foaming effect in the mouth. Yum! Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - There's More It’s not what it does so much as just the idea that we purposely put detergent in our mouths one or more times…
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