Partial Solar Eclipse!

We hadn't thought ahead to purchase any sun-safe materials, so in the spirit of improvisation, I grabbed two pieces of cardboard, one of them white. I poked a series of holes in the non-white one with a pencil, a nail, and a pin. Then I trotted out to the front porch. By holding the hole-y cardboard between the white one and the sun, you project an image of the sun. You can do this experiment any sunny day, but it's not so interesting, because you'll see a circle.

But during an eclipse, as the moon moves in front of the sun, the sun no longer appears round, as you can see at right. The top right image is an unadulterated projection from my crude apparatus. The bottom left image shows the fruits of my image enhancement experiments involving a magnifying glass. The image is brighter and sharper, if smaller.

At left you can see me fine-tuning this very high-tech equipment. My left hand holds the hole-y cardboard and I have the magnifying glass in my right. The image above is from the piece of cardboard leaning against my left leg.

I saw the last total solar eclipse visible in these parts. It took place in the late 70's or perhaps in 1980. My aunt Jo and I trekked east of the mountains early one spring morning. I think we headed for Sunnyside, WA. A likely place, assuming it was well-named. We pulled off the highway and trotted up a hill, along with a dozen or so others. We had some kind of direct view glasses or film, along with a pinhole projector. I brought a camera to record the moment. Totality was amazing. We are rational, thinking beings. I understand the physics and mechanics of eclipses. I knew what was going to happen. I'd read all about the phenomenon. I thought it was cool, I expected it to be fun and exciting. I didn't anticipate that it would be awesome. Literally awe inspiring.

The earth is solid. The sun is in the sky during daytime. Just as an earthquake messes with all of your assumptions about stability and safety, an eclipse knocks your assumptions about the heavens off-kilter. One minute you're standing there at 8:30 in the morning with just a few high clouds in the sky and nothing on the horizon. Next, it's night. It got dark. Just for a minute or so, but it was daytime, then it got dark, then day again. All this in the space of a few minutes. I can understand why pre-scientific people would find this terrifying. I found it terrifying -- and wonderful.

The rest of the family had fun with it too:

11:54:43 PM  comment []    

ArmedLiberal (eek!): On Democracy

I am not a complete fan of democracy. I believe in the American constitutional system, and think the Founders did a hella job here, and I believe that when we blithely say “we want to make ________-istan a democracy” we are either making polite and meaningless noises or smoking crack. Look, we aren’t a democracy, and that’s a good thing.

A democratically elected Saudi government would, today, doubtless launch a suicidal attack on Israel.

I think freedom is a great thing, but that it has to grow from a cultural environment (ours isn’t the only culture that can support it, but it has worked here) that can sustain it. And, bluntly, I don’t think that freedom to, which I believe is the kind of freedom you are talking about, is the only kind of freedom; I think that freedom from - from hunger, poverty, disease, ignorance – is equally important.

Ours is a democratic republic. The tide of mass popular rule is held in check by our constitutional rights, which -- for the most part -- protect minorities against majorities. But what to call where we come from, if "democratic" doesn't work? We could call it the "Western democratic tradition," but that doesn't do much for me. How about dusting off a nearly archaic phrase: "Judeo-Christian"? I like it, but it goes places it doesn't have to.

The major difference between our society and the Jihadi societies is tolerance. We allow, and even encourage and nurture dissent and self-criticism. And at most levels, we do a damned good job of hating the sin but loving the sinner. See yesterday's post about Israeli treatment of a captured would-be suicide bomber.

1:29:23 PM  comment []    

Buy the sky and sell the sky

1:08:13 PM  comment []    

ESR vs. HAH

I guess it's a geek thing. I know it's not a gun thing or a free-software thing.  

12:32:58 PM  comment []