child devil of tuna
Friday, March 26, 2004
Monday, March 22, 2004
This little tidbit of science news is pretty cool. The science community welcomes the discovery of the 10th potential "planet" (depending on one's definition of "planet") Sedna, named after the Inuit goddess of the sea.
Sedna's highly elliptical orbit puts it roughly 2-3 times further away from the Sun than Pluto, which translates to about 70-90 times further away than Earth's. Sedna takes 10,500 Earth years to orbit the Sun once.
The issue at hand regarding Sedna's classification is whether or not it should be considered a planet. We were always taught that the Solar System consisted of the Sun, nine planets, an asteroid belt between Earth and Mars, and some comets. However, in recent history, new discoveries have been made, including the Kuiper Belt (an asteroid belt beyond the orbit of Neptune, the 8th original planet) and Quaoar (a nearly-Pluto-sized object in the Kuiper Belt). Pluto's orbit travels right through Kuiper, so some astronomers no longer regard Pluto as a planet: merely the largest object to be found in the Kuiper Belt. The argument is that Quaoar and Pluto have no actual physical dissimilarities, just historical ones. The same goes for Sedna. It's orbit most likely passes through the Oort cloud (cloud of dust and unorbiting comets at the far reaches of the Solar System. Leftovers that were not used up during the birth of our Sun and planets.) and should be classified as nothing more than a massive Oort Cloud object.
Sedna's erratic orbit varies even more than Pluto's elliptical orbit (all other planets have a roughly circular orbit in comparison) which hints at the presence of a much more massive planetary body in close orbit. Apparently, a Mars-sized planet would do the trick, but that has yet to be discovered. Another possibly is that Sedna, being so far from the Sun, is actually affected by the gravitational pull of neighboring stars. Either way, it's pretty interesting and I'm done rambling now. Sorry, I had a geek moment and had to share this information with you all!
Sedna's highly elliptical orbit puts it roughly 2-3 times further away from the Sun than Pluto, which translates to about 70-90 times further away than Earth's. Sedna takes 10,500 Earth years to orbit the Sun once.
The issue at hand regarding Sedna's classification is whether or not it should be considered a planet. We were always taught that the Solar System consisted of the Sun, nine planets, an asteroid belt between Earth and Mars, and some comets. However, in recent history, new discoveries have been made, including the Kuiper Belt (an asteroid belt beyond the orbit of Neptune, the 8th original planet) and Quaoar (a nearly-Pluto-sized object in the Kuiper Belt). Pluto's orbit travels right through Kuiper, so some astronomers no longer regard Pluto as a planet: merely the largest object to be found in the Kuiper Belt. The argument is that Quaoar and Pluto have no actual physical dissimilarities, just historical ones. The same goes for Sedna. It's orbit most likely passes through the Oort cloud (cloud of dust and unorbiting comets at the far reaches of the Solar System. Leftovers that were not used up during the birth of our Sun and planets.) and should be classified as nothing more than a massive Oort Cloud object.
Sedna's erratic orbit varies even more than Pluto's elliptical orbit (all other planets have a roughly circular orbit in comparison) which hints at the presence of a much more massive planetary body in close orbit. Apparently, a Mars-sized planet would do the trick, but that has yet to be discovered. Another possibly is that Sedna, being so far from the Sun, is actually affected by the gravitational pull of neighboring stars. Either way, it's pretty interesting and I'm done rambling now. Sorry, I had a geek moment and had to share this information with you all!
photos photos photos!!!
Shinjuku, Tokyo by night, as seen from the government building.
Me and Ruth in Hakuba, Nagano-ken. She skis, I board. But we still get along!
And for you Californians, yes, that's REAL snow.
After last payday, we decided to have a girls' night out in Osaka, complete with our first experience with a capsule hotel! Here's Shannon and Beth.
Here's my capsule with me inside for size reference.
A korean BBQ restaurant in Osaka. Mmmm... hot spicy sex machine...
Drinks at a martini bar. Ruth is definitely enjoying her martini...
Jen and Charlie having a few.
Last weekend, in honor or St. Patrick and the Irish, a parade was held down in Ise. So basically, a bunch of JETs (none of whom are truly Irish) and Japanese people dressed in "Irish" clothes, danced some "Irish" dances, and waved some "Irish" flags. The parade ended at an "Irish" bar where Guiness was served. Yes, as Irish as a box of Lucky Charms. I think the drinking of Guiness was the only truly Irish thing that we did that day.
As they say, the younger they are, the better chance that they'll have for retaining what is taught to them. As JETs, it is essential for us to teach the young 'uns the importance of whiskey in Irish culture.
Some "Irish" dancing.
Shinjuku, Tokyo by night, as seen from the government building.
Me and Ruth in Hakuba, Nagano-ken. She skis, I board. But we still get along!
And for you Californians, yes, that's REAL snow.
After last payday, we decided to have a girls' night out in Osaka, complete with our first experience with a capsule hotel! Here's Shannon and Beth.
Here's my capsule with me inside for size reference.
A korean BBQ restaurant in Osaka. Mmmm... hot spicy sex machine...
Drinks at a martini bar. Ruth is definitely enjoying her martini...
Jen and Charlie having a few.
Last weekend, in honor or St. Patrick and the Irish, a parade was held down in Ise. So basically, a bunch of JETs (none of whom are truly Irish) and Japanese people dressed in "Irish" clothes, danced some "Irish" dances, and waved some "Irish" flags. The parade ended at an "Irish" bar where Guiness was served. Yes, as Irish as a box of Lucky Charms. I think the drinking of Guiness was the only truly Irish thing that we did that day.
As they say, the younger they are, the better chance that they'll have for retaining what is taught to them. As JETs, it is essential for us to teach the young 'uns the importance of whiskey in Irish culture.
Some "Irish" dancing.
Sunday, March 21, 2004
I want this. But with the hefty pricetag of $470, it is no mere impulse buy. I might have to settle for the less impressive 6x8 Intuos, or maybe a Graphire3. It's unfortunate that my shit-ass Aiptek tablet ate it and died before I came to Japan. It's also unfortunate that I have no rich relatives who will leave me an inheritance. I will just have to see if I can make my JET salary stretch that far...
Sunday, March 14, 2004
It's funny how you can trick yourself into thinking you could lead a life like this forever. That this is real. That the past can be so easily discarded.
And it's equally funny how that false sense of security can come crashing down in an instant of self-realization. That the events occuring in a single day can remind you that seven months is not enough to alter 22 years. That the frustration I feel has nothing to do with the people around me but everything to do with how I feel about myself.
How do you erase a lifetime's worth of being told you're not good enough, smart enough, or pretty enough? Of trying so hard to win the approval of others. Of burying yourself in hard work because at least then you have some semblance of direction in life. The truth is, it's not easy to forget and I haven't. Not yet anyway. And I fear that I'll carry this baggage for a long time.
I so desperately want to believe you all when you tell me now that I'm good enough, smart enough, and pretty enough. It's just all going to take some time. Please be patient with me...
And it's equally funny how that false sense of security can come crashing down in an instant of self-realization. That the events occuring in a single day can remind you that seven months is not enough to alter 22 years. That the frustration I feel has nothing to do with the people around me but everything to do with how I feel about myself.
How do you erase a lifetime's worth of being told you're not good enough, smart enough, or pretty enough? Of trying so hard to win the approval of others. Of burying yourself in hard work because at least then you have some semblance of direction in life. The truth is, it's not easy to forget and I haven't. Not yet anyway. And I fear that I'll carry this baggage for a long time.
I so desperately want to believe you all when you tell me now that I'm good enough, smart enough, and pretty enough. It's just all going to take some time. Please be patient with me...
Monday, March 01, 2004
No classes today. No teachers in the teachers' room. So what am I doing? Taking stupid internet quizzes.
I am an Intellectual
Which America hating minority are you?
Which America hating minority are you?
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