Vincent Summers, Author at Quirky Science

06Nov 2015 by Vincent Summers No Comments

How Do You Pronounce The?

Language

Many words can be pronounced more than one way. So how do you pronounce the? Times change; language changes along with it. But understanding the spoken word is essential to good communication. In these technological times, communication is breaking down. Not being able to correctly pronounce long words may be understandable. But doesn’t it seem absurd so many mispronounce the simple word "the?" In School During the 60s During the 1960s, quite a few of the kids in school would pronounce t-h-e as thuh. This is a correct pronunciation of the word, but not in all contexts. Here are a few examples of when and when not to use that pronunciation. Poor George ate thuh apple. Suzy rode thuh elephant. Good Give Jill thuh banana. The gentleman opened thuh door.…

26Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Choosing Young Childrens Videos

Education

Childrens videos - really how much of a choice is there? Young children are at the peak of their learning capability and are impressionable. Loving parents want their children to learn how to function well in life free of ruinous influences. Parental oversight needs to begin in a child’s formative years, beginning even before they reach the end of their first year. Times have changed; a major component of a child’s exposure relates, not simply to the television, but to the computer. Television offers as a package deal chunks of video viewing, often a half-hour or more. Computer childrens videos are often a few minutes in length. They thus offer a greater opportunity for the parent to be selective in what the child watches. Childrens Videos Among the standard video…

23Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Why You Are Allergic to Cats and They Are Allergic to You

animals, Health

[caption id="attachment_9639" align="alignright" width="480"] Cat allergens are inside a mite's intestines.[/caption] The overwhelming majority of people who are allergic to cats, suffer because of traces of proteins – especially two of them – Fel d 1 (a secretoglobin) and Fel d 4 (a lipocalin). These proteins are associated with the skin and saliva of a house cat. Allergic to Cats? How You're Exposed Flakes of dead skin can be found on the fur. Now, a cat cleans itself by licking its fur. So if you let a cat lick you, you are exposed to both of the primary allergy-related proteins. That and two or three other minor protein allergens as well. What About the Cat? Humans aren’t the only creatures subject to allergies. Cats have them, too. As the cat…

20Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Red and Yellow Makes Orange?

Physics

[caption id="attachment_9630" align="alignright" width="440"] Paints and pigments including red and yellow.[/caption] It seems simple enough: red and yellow makes orange... Color is a funny thing. If we combine opaque red paint and opaque yellow paint in the correct quantities, we get orange paint. Or do we? Consider this. If the red paint contains an opaque pigment responsible for its color, and if the yellow paint contains an opaque pigment responsible for its color, and the two are such that there is no chemical reaction between the pigments, we do not actually form orange, do we? It’s just a mixture of red and yellow. As Simple as Red and Yellow Makes Orange? In reality it is simply a larger batch of the two paints in the same container. So it must…

19Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Lotus Effect: Vibrations and Superhydrophobic Behavior

Biology, Chemistry, Physics

[caption id="attachment_9623" align="alignright" width="480"] The lotus leaf is superhydrophobic and self-cleaning.[/caption] Superhydrophobic? What's that? A word in the Mary Poppins musical? There is much interest in a behavior of the lotus plant. It is the ability to shed water completely and take surface detritus along with it. This superhydrophobic property had been observed in nature. But at first it could not duplicated in the lab. In that setting, the leaves were wet. Superhydrophobic: But Not In the Lab? After some time, it was found even wetted leaves would produce the effect in the presence of vibrations, such as those from a stereo speaker. This was evidence energy, usually vibratory energy, was required. It lifts water out of the spaces between the cone-like waxy protrusions found on the surface. This property…

16Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Using Buffalo, Cow, or Camel Dung for Fuel

animals

[caption id="attachment_9613" align="alignright" width="440"] Komaya (cow) dung being prepared for fuel.[/caption] Fossil fuels are used for energy to heat homes and serve commercial and other purposes. Other sources include geothermal and solar energy. But there is a very important and non-fossil fuel commonly in use throughout much of the world. The resource is plentiful and offers an assortment of advantages as well. You don't mean (yes I do) animal dung for fuel? Dung for Fuel The dung of choice is – yes – buffalo, cow, llama, and camel dung. Dung is the excrement, manure, or feces of an animal, and is commonly called animal “pooh.” It is of ancient, historical origin, even being referenced in the Bible, although not in a positive context. Dung is most readily burned dry. It…

16Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

How I Became the NRAO Electroplater / Electroformer

Astronomy, Chemistry

[caption id="attachment_9605" align="alignright" width="480"] NRAO Green Bank Telescope.[/caption] Little did I know my future lay with the NRAO. As early as the 8th grade, my teacher informed us we needed to choose a career. I chose astronomy. My mother informed me, “No. There is no future in astronomy.” I was downhearted! Her friend’s husband worked for Union Carbide. I asked Mom if chemistry was acceptable? She said that was fine. Curiously, in high school I became a close friend of a kid from Canada who loved chemistry, Charles Harris. I greatly admired him. He was instrumental in my growing appreciation of chemistry. From College to Employment Beginning in my junior and senior years at high school, and later at college, I found myself drawn to organic chemistry and to quantum…

14Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Near Death Experience: The Collapse of a Telescope

Technology

[caption id="attachment_9569" align="alignright" width="480"] The demise of the 300-foot telescope. Image: NRAO[/caption] A near death experience at an astronomy observatory? My son and I attended the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Green Bank West Virginia 140-foot radio telescope 50th year celebration. Most of my fellow attendees were new to me. I'd never met them before. This was because, first, many of them were from Green Bank, WV (I had been in Charlottesville, VA), and secondly, they were older than I am, having worked on the 140-foot from early on. A Casual Acquaintance - Near Death Experience One person I introduced myself to (I have learned to introduce myself to strangers, a wondrous practice, really) told me her husband was a mechanic on the 300-foot telescope that completely collapsed one night about…

14Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers No Comments

50th Anniversary Celebration of the 140′ Radio Telescope at Green Bank WV

Astronomy

[caption id="attachment_9549" align="alignleft" width="300"] NRAO 140-foot radio telescope at Green Bank, WV.[/caption] We want to explore the history of the 140′ Radio Telescope... Sometimes people are honored for their achievements in the sciences. On Tuesday, October 13, 2015, a most interesting object was recognized for its groundbreaking exploration in the field of astrochemistry. It is the 140′ Radio Telescope completed in December of 1964. It is owned and operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) located in Green Bank, West Virginia. As a retiree of the Charlottesville, Virginia Central Development Lab, I was invited. It was an invitation I heartily accepted. Official Statement This NRAO public announcement of the event includes the proclamation by the Governor of West Virginia of the historical importance of the telescope. Included on the…

12Oct 2015 by Vincent Summers No Comments

TV Series Lockup – Herbert L Maris (Starring Macdonald Carey)

Entertainment

[caption id="attachment_9530" align="alignright" width="440"] Macdonald Carey plays a Philadelphia lawyer.[/caption] Ever heard of Herbert L Maris? Me neither. But he is the subject of an old TV show! TV is not the only source of video entertainment. Online viewing is increasing in popularity. One such source is YouTube. Classic Viewing at Its Best 1959-1960 was a golden year for TV shows. One was a lawyer series. It starred Macdonald Carey. He played true life Philadelphia lawyer Herbert L. Maris. Introducing Herbert L Maris Each episode opens with the words: “These stories are based on the files and case histories of Herbert L Maris, prominent attorney, who has devoted his life to saving the innocent.” Just who was he? Herbert was the son of George Lewis and Anna Mary Pinkerton Maris.…