I love this Navy commercial.
Check It Out
Links to cool places or things.
There are 1,530 posts filed in Check It Out (this is page 99 of 153).
Why the world is running out of helium
My friends at N.C. Nearspace are aghast at the skyrocketing cost of helium used to fill their balloons. One of the planet’s most irreplaceable resources, helium may vanish completely from Earth within 30 years, and the primary cause is a 1996 law passed by Congress. Read more about this crisis from the Independent (UK):
It is the second-lightest element in the Universe, has the lowest boiling-point of any gas and is commonly used through the world to inflate party balloons. But helium is also a non-renewable resource and the world’s reserves of the precious gas are about to run out, a shortage that is likely to have far-reaching repercussions.
Scientists have warned that the world’s most commonly used inert gas is being depleted at an astonishing rate because of a law passed in the United States in 1996 which has effectively made helium too cheap to recycle.
The law stipulates that the US National Helium Reserve, which is kept in a disused underground gas field near Amarillo, Texas – by far the biggest store of helium in the world – must all be sold off by 2015, irrespective of the market price.
The experts warn that the world could run out of helium within 25 to 30 years, potentially spelling disaster for hospitals, whose MRI scanners are cooled by the gas in liquid form, and anti-terrorist authorities who rely on helium for their radiation monitors, as well as the millions of children who love to watch their helium-filled balloons float into the sky.
via Why the world is running out of helium – Science – News – The Independent.
Update: Looks like I posted about this before, but it bears mentioning again.
Amtrak 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train
This looks like fun!
How often do you hear the whistle of a train these days? Probably not as often as 40 years ago, when Amtrak first opened its passenger cars to America and transformed the way people get around. Chances are, if you hear a whistle in Raleigh on March 10-11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., it will be the free Amtrak Exhibit Train heading to the downtown Raleigh Amtrak station to commemorate the train’s 40th anniversary!
via Amtrak 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train « visitRaleigh blog.
Moonrise
Moonrise over Raleigh, Wednesday, 7 March 2012
I snapped this picture of the amazing moonrise over Raleigh tonight. It’s one of those instances where my 200mm telephoto is stretched to its limit. The clouds were fast-moving as was the moon and I couldn’t stop them both with such as skinny lens. Oh, if I only had one of those fat lenses that cost more than my car . . .
Brew adieu
New Belgium Ranger go bye bye
Here’s a pic of me buying the very last six-pack of New Belgium’s ever-so-tasty Ranger IPA left on the shelf at my local Food Lion. There have been times I’ve gotten to the shelf too late and found it empty, and being that this is the only beer my wife will drink that doesn’t do anyone any good!
New Belgium sure has a lot of fans here in North Carolina. I look forward to visiting their Asheville brewery some day!
U.S. Stands Firm Against Drug Legalization, Biden Says
I’m hugely disappointed in Vice President Biden’s refusal to even consider decriminalizing some drugs. Latin America is being torn apart by drug trafficking violence and it’s entirely fueled by America’s outdated drug policies. It’s beyond time for “market alternatives.” Our Latin American brothers and sisters are pleading for help and our refusal to deal with the problem will doom them.
It’s in America’s best interests to have strong and safe neighbors. It’s time to have a serious conversation about our drug policy. I hope Mr. Biden reconsiders.
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. delivered a blunt message on Monday to leaders in Latin America who are contemplating opening the door to the legalization of illicit drugs: The United States will not budge in its opposition. Mr. Biden, beginning a two-day trip to Mexico and Honduras ahead of a regional summit meeting next month, told reporters that he welcomed a debate over legalization, but then he knocked down the arguments in favor of it.
via U.S. Stands Firm Against Drug Legalization, Biden Says – NYTimes.com.
Mandatory 10-Digit Dialing Coming to 919 Region Mar. 31
Went to the city’s website today and found out that Raleigh will require 10-digit dialing by the end of the month. I didn’t hear anything about this until now.
The March 31st deadline doesn’t leave a lot of time for phone system vendors, alarm vendors, and others to update their equipment. This could be a trainwreck in the making.
The growing population in central North Carolina and addition of devices that require a phone number is exhausting the available numbers in the 919 area code. The North Carolina Utilities Commission has announced a new area code is coming to the 919 region. The 984 area code will overlay the 919 area code bringing 10-digit dialing to the region. You won’t have to change telephone numbers, just the way you dial in the 919 area code. The 984 area code will be assigned only for new telephone numbers within the area code.
Effective March 31, 2012, 10-digit dialing – the appropriate area code (919 or 984) + the seven-digit number – will be necessary for local and expanded local calls. It will not be necessary to dial a "1" or a "0" when dialing your local and expanded local calls. Local calling areas and rates will not be affected by this change.
via Mandatory 10-Digit Dialing Coming to 919 Region Mar. 31 – The Official City of Raleigh Portal.
The joys of blogging
A neighbor approached me after school yesterday and began the conversation with “I was reading your blog…” I can’t help but cringe when I hear this, thinking okay, what did I write that pissed someone off? Lately, though, the feedback is positive and I’m pleasantly surprised at how many folks agree with what I’ve written. In my neighbor’s case, she was excited to read about the Little Raleigh Radio project and wanted to find out more.
This morning I discovered the budding blog of an old friend of mine, Deidre Armstrong. Deidre and I were pals in our high school journalism class. Our lockers were also near each other’s. I even took her out on a date once, though we mutually agreed that staying friends was best.
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All the Advertisers Who Are Sticking by Limbaugh
As the parent of a daughter I am furious with Rush Limbaugh’s slandering of women. Any company that still does business with him is on my official shit list (you listening, Netflix?)
Rush Limbaugh said he wasn’t motivated to apologize to Sandra Fluke by the number of companies pulling ads from his show. He insists he’s turned away “millions” in ads and he can always “replace” the ones who’ve left! But it made us wonder exactly who does advertise on Limbaugh’s show. We paid close attention to Limbaugh’s ad breaks on Monday’s broadcast on D.C.’s WMAL. Limbaugh’s sponsor base reveals a lot about how those angry white men of the 1990s are aging — they care a lot more about weight loss, teeth, and gold. So far seven advertisers have pledged to pull their ads: AOL, ProFlowers, Quicken Loans, Sleep Number beds, Sleep Train, Citrix Systems, LegalZoom. Here are all 31 advertisers we heard on Monday’s show.
via All the Advertisers Who Are Sticking by Limbaugh – Politics – The Atlantic Wire.
Update 6 March: Netflix says they don’t advertise on Limbaugh’s show. Good.
WRAL’s recycling theft ordinance story
Here’s the story WRAL’s Renee Chou created on Raleigh’s proposed recycling theft ordinance. It came out better than I expected (i.e., they didn’t show too much of my dirty garage!).