Science – Random Connections

testtest

December 31, 2019March 9, 2020 Tom No Comments

EdTech, Science

Twenty years ago I held my as the clock ticked from 11:59 to midnight. There was a real fear that this might be The End of the World as We Know It™. To me, that was just yesterday, and those memories are fresh in my mind. It’s hard to fathom that the college students in Laura’s classes were either born AFTER the year 2000 or were too young to have any experience of experience of the Y2K scare.

Amtrak Cascades Trek – Part 2, Telus World of Science

May 21, 2018 Tom 1 Comment

Science, Travel, Washington Sabbatical

We had taken the Amtrak Cascades from Mount Vernon along the coast of the Puget Sound. Now that we were in Vancouver we needed to find some way to occupy the few hours available to us. Originally I thought we could continue our train adventure and take the Sky Train public transit to some other … Read More “Amtrak Cascades Trek – Part 2, Telus World of Science” »

Rocks and Reels

March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 Tom 1 Comment

Music, Science, Washington Sabbatical

It’s been another PNW weekend, with activities and sketchy weather. This time Laura and I went to Bellingham for the Mount Baker Rock and Gem Club’s annual show. The weekend also included another oyster party as well as more Scottish music.

Active, Dormant, or Extinct? Confusion and Clarification

March 14, 2018 Tom No Comments

Science

In the last post I took Island Adventures naturalist Tyson Reed to task for his characterization of Mount Baker as an “active” volcano. I was a bit too hasty. My friend Tommy Thompson alerted me to the fact that these definitions are evolving, and there’s still a bit of some confusion about what they really mean.

Ground Control to Major Tom

February 6, 2018 Tom No Comments

Science

Elon Musk is officially the coolest dude on the planet right now. The test launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Heavy was quite successful. But it wasn’t just the science, it was all of the flourishes that almost pushed this into the realization of science fiction. More importantly, though, in a world of such regressive politics and thought, this was a much needed push forward.

Punkin’ Chunkin’

October 6, 2017 Tom 2 Comments

Photography, Science, Washington Sabbatical

Laura and I used to love watching the World Championship Punkin Chunkin each year on the Science Channel. The show was hosted by Mythbusters Cari Byron and Grant Imahara and featured some amazing catapults and trebuchets. Sadly, the event has been cancelled because of an accident in 2016 involving one of the producers of the show.

Fast forward to this year…

We were delighted to see that a “Pumpkin Pitch” would be part of the 2017 Burlington Harvest Festival. We knew we HAD to see it, so last Saturday we headed over to the Skagit River Park in Burlington to watch the festivities.

Totality

August 22, 2017August 23, 2017 Tom 2 Comments

Family, Local, Photography, Science

2017 Total Solar Eclipse-10 — Photo by Tom Taylor – 8/21/2017

No words. There are really no words to describe the experience of a total solar eclipse. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to try. At least I can show a few of the photos I took (nearly 10,000, if you include the GoPro time-lapse images) and describe the events at our house leading up to and during the eclipse. It was a most excellent eclipse party, and the experience is one I wouldn’t have missed for anything.

Eclipse Cuisine

August 19, 2017August 19, 2017 Tom No Comments

Miscellaneous, Science

We have our eclipse plans in place. We’ve got appropriate tunes on a playlist. All we need to make this astronomical party complete is some good party food. After scouring several stores I think I’ve got our menu set.

Tales of Eclipses Past

August 15, 2017 Tom No Comments

Science

Next week’s eclipse is being hyped to the heavens, and rightly so. A swath of total darkness will cross the entire United States. It will be eery. It also got me thinking about my previous experiences with eclipses – some good, and some not so good.

Read More “Tales of Eclipses Past” »

Eclipse Preparations

August 14, 2017 Tom 2 Comments

Photography, Science

The big event is only one week away. Next Monday, August 21, a total solar eclipse will cross the United States. Being the obsessive person I am, of course I have already been making plans for the event. The three questions I get on Facebook and other outlets are, “Where are you planning to view the eclipse?”, “How are you planning to view the eclipse?”, and “What are your photography plans?” I’ll try to answer those in this post.