Michael Bradley - Time Traveler | The official website of Michael Bradley – Author of novels, short stories and poetry involving the past, future, and what may have been.

November 23, 2012 · 7:47 pm

Geek Gifts for Christmas!

11 cheap gifts guaranteed to impress science geeks

Posted by Rob Turner on Nov 20, 2011

Science Geeks will love these…

Science comes up with a lot of awesome stuff, and you don’t need a Ph.D, a secret lab, or government funding to get your hands on some of the coolest discoveries. We’ve got a list of 11 mostly affordable gifts that are guaranteed to blow your mind, whether or not you’re a science geek.

1. Aerogel

Also known as frozen smoke, Aerogel is the world’s lowest density solid, clocking in at 96% air. It’s basically just a gel made from silicon, except all the liquid has been taken out and replaced with gas instead. If you hold a small piece in your hand, it’s practically impossible to either see or feel, but if you poke it, it’s like styrofoam.

Aerogel isn’t just neat, it’s useful. It supports up to 4,000 times its own weight and can apparently withstand a direct blast from two pounds of dynamite. It’s also the best insulator in existence, which is why we don’t have Aerogel jackets: it works so well that people were complaining about overheating on Mt. Everest.

Go and Buy

2. EcoSphere

Inside these sealed glass balls live shrimp, algae, and bacteria, all swimming around in filtered seawater. Put it somewhere with some light, and this little ecosystem will chug along happily for years, no feeding or cleaning necessary, totally oblivious to the fact that the rest of the world exists outside.

EcoSpheres came out of research looking at ways to develop self-contained ecosystems for long duration space travel. They’re like little microcosms for the entire world, man. But ask yourself: are we the shrimp, or the algae?

Go and Buy

3. Mars Rock

NASA has been trying to figure out how to get a sample of rock back from Mars for a while now. You can beat them to the punch and pick up a little piece of the red planet without having to travel a hundred million miles, by just taking advantage of all the rocks Mars sends our way.

Every once in a while, a meteorite smashes into Mars hard enough to eject some rocks out into orbit around the sun. And every once in a while, one of these rocks lands on Earth. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen, and whoever finds the meteorite is allowed to cut it up into bits and sell it to people who want to have their very own piece of another planet.

Go and Buy – Click price > $70+

4. Gömböc

The Gömböc is a self-righting object, which means that no matter which way you put it down, it stands itself back up. It’s like a Weeble, except it doesn’t cheat by having a weight at the bottom, and it’s the only shape that can do this.

The existence of a shape with these properties was conjectured in 1995, but it took ten years for someone to figure out how to actually make one that worked. And then everyone was embarrassed when it turned out that turtles had evolved this same basic shape in their shells a long time ago, to make it easier for them to roll themselves back over if they get flipped.

Go and Buy – Click price > $150

5. Violet Laser Pointer

It’s no longer geeky enough to have a red laser pointer, or a green laser pointer, or even a blue laser pointer. Keep moving up the spectrum until you get to violet, and you’ll find the new hotness at 405 nanometers.

So what’s next year’s new color going to be? It’s looking like orange, but they’re not quite what I’d call affordable yet. Something to look forward to for next year, especially if you’re going for your own personal laser rainbow. – Update, they are affordable now!

Go and Buy

6. Gallium

Gallium is a silvery metal with atomic number 31. It’s used in semiconductors and LEDs, but the cool thing about it is its melting point, which is only about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. If you hold a solid gallium crystal in your hand, your body heat will cause it to slowly melt into a silvery metallic puddle. Pour it into a dish, and it freezes back into a solid.

While you probably shouldn’t lick your fingers after playing with it, gallium isn’t toxic and won’t make you crazy like mercury does. And if you get tired of it, you can melt it onto glass and make yourself a mirror.

Go and Buy

miracle berry

7. Miracle Berries

By themselves, Miracle berries don’t taste like much. The reason to eat them is that they contain a chemical called miraculin that binds to the sweet taste receptors on your tongue, changing their shape and making them respond to sour and acidic foods.

The upshot of this effect is that some things you eat taste spectacularly different. Straight Tabasco sauce tastes like donut glaze. Guinness tastes like a chocolate malt. Goat cheese tastes like cheesecake. After about an hour of craziness, your taste buds go back to normal, no harm done.

Go and Buy

DNA Genotyping

8. DNA Genotyping

There’s nothing more personal than someone’s own DNA. And there are ways to give the gift DNA that won’t get you children or arrested. With just a little bit of spit, you can get an genotype analysis that will reveal fun insights about longevity, intelligence, susceptibility to diseases, and even food preferences.

While the technology hasn’t reached the point where you can affordably get a completesequence of an entire genome, looking at specific markers is still good enough to suggest some things worth looking out for while spurring a lively nature versus nurture debate.

Go and Buy – Click price > $100

Klein Bottle

9. Klein Bottle

If you want to give a mathematician something to try to wrap their head around, a Klein bottle is a good place to start. A real Klein bottle is an object with no inside and no outside that can only exist in four dimensions. These glass models exist in three, which means that unlike the real thing, they can actually hold liquid.

The difference between the models and the real thing is that by adding an extra dimension, you can make it so that the neck of the bottle doesn’t actually intersect the side of the bottle. Take a couple aspirin and try to picture that in your head.

Go and Buy – Click price > $35

Giant Microbes Toy Plushies

10. Giant Plush Microbes

They’re cute! They’re fuzzy! They’re potentially deadly! All of the microbes, bacteria, and viruses that you know and love (or maybe not) are available in huggable forms about a million times larger than real life. In the picture are gonorrhea, syphilis, mono, and herpes.

These giant plushes are the perfect way to make the holidays even more awkward, when you present your friends with a variety of adorable STDs. Microbiologists, at least, will appreciate that they’re more or less anatomically correct, too.

Go and Buy

Ferrofluid

11. Ferrofluid

Magnetic particles suspended in oil never looked so sexy. That’s all a ferrofluid is, and it looks pretty gross until you put it in close proximity to a magnet, at which point it grows spikes all over the place as the fluid flows out along magnetic force lines.

Ferrofluids are found in everything from speakers to hard drives, but it’s much more fun to play with when when you’ve got a puddle of it naked and out in the open.

Go and Buy – Click price > $40

2 Comments

Filed under Humor and Observations, Uncategorized

Tagged as Christmas gifts, cool stuff, geek gifts, gift ideas for nerds, rob turner, science gifts, science materials

November 22, 2012 · 10:58 pm

More Irony

From time to time I post Ironic pictures. You can find prior posts by typing in “irony” on the search box on my home page. I hope you enjoy these as you try to shake off the effects of L-triptophan in your turkey, the shock of long periods of exposure to your family, and overeating while sitting stationary watching others exercise playing football… (hint – that was irony too.) My best example of irony ever is – A vegetarian being killed by a man-eating plant. If you know a better example, please let me know.

6 Comments

Filed under Humor and Observations

Tagged as funny pics, funny pictures, humor, ironic pics, ironic pictures, irony, irony pictures

Image

Happy Thanksgiving All!

2 Comments

November 22, 2012 · 11:33 am

November 21, 2012 · 1:48 pm

Dark Matter

This is republished from my Science Column in ConNotations Newszine, where I am a staff writer. I also write book and movie reviews and other non-fiction for the magazine. My science column is directed at convention fanboys and fangirls that were not self-punishing enough to get three science degrees like myself, but want to be able to understand complicated topics, like dark matter, string theory, teleportation, where the universe came from, astro-physics, the God Particle, and other issues. My attempt with each short column is to explain a concept in layman’s terms. This is on Dark Matter. The photos were added for this web edition.

Is Space Empty or Full?

by Michael Bradley

Most have heard the term “dark matter” but what does it mean? We look up at the night sky and we notice the stars, constellations, galaxies and heavenly bodies. Unconsciously, we might also notice everything else – the black portion. It is human nature to assume that the black portion represents nothingness, and emptiness broken up in its expanse only by those objects we can see. For the known history of mankind, everyone would have accepted that as truth, until less than one hundred years ago.

As humans, we know and experience our reality through senses; smell, touch, sight, hearing, temperature, etc. If we cannot sense something, it is often overlooked or missed by our minds. In physics and astronomy the same is true. We “see” the sky at night through two major lenses, one is the light emitted by heavenly bodies, and the second is the radiation and radio wave emissions from the sky. We can observe the lights and the radiations and draw theories to understand them.

Based on the movement of the lights, we learned through observation that the planets rotate, that the Earth moves around the Sun, that we are in a galaxy called the Milky Way, that their are other galaxies, and many helpful facts. The universe appears to be expanding, which also leads to the Big Bang Theory, calculations of time and so forth.

In the 1880s, Christian Doppler discovered the Doppler Effect, in which sound and light waves are compressed to different frequencies by the motion of mass. For instance, a rushing locomotive sounds different as its mass moves toward and away from the listener. This also creates the Blue/Red shift in light from celestial bodies. As a galaxy spins, the section moving toward us turns bluer, while the section moving away turns redder on the light frequency spectrum.

Using the blue/red shift and physics, scientists were able to calculate the relative mass of galaxies and other objects which spin and cast off light. Fritz Zwicky noticed in 1934 that the math did not add up, and came up with an explanation now known commonly as “dark matter.” His theory is that either the majority of the mass of these objects does not give off light, or, the theory of gravitational pull is flawed in its calculations of mass. To explain this missing mass, he theorized that there must be matter which neither reflects nor gives off light or radiation emissions measurable on Earth, but which has mass. By only making calculations of spin based on visible matter, we are missing the dark matter.

If the dark matter theory is true, then 83% of the matter in the universe and 23% of the mass energy could be from dark matter. It could be that our ability to perceive what space is composed of is much like a blind-folded man with ear muffs and a cold trying to describe his surroundings. Or, consider a dark field and across from you are 1,000 people holding flashlights, but only 230 have them on. So you think there are only 230 people.

Could there actually be so much out there that we can not see through light or through radiation?

Theorists have explored the possibilities for the last eighty years and have mainly created more theories than answers. Some say the gravitational theory is wrong and that instead of trying to “fix” the math by the creation of a theoretical dark matter you should start there. Some have broken up dark matter into deeper theoretical categories, such as Machos and Wimps. You can’t make this stuff up.

Machos are Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Objects more commonly referred to as brown dwarfs and black holes, or referred to as baryonic, or more normal matter, that happens to be dark. Wimps are Weakly Interacting Massive Particles which would be non-baryonic in nature. Wimps are thought to pass through normal matter though they have mass, without interacting with it. There are also theories of the dark matter in which they break them into mixed dark matter, cold dark matter, warm dark matter and hot dark matter. Who says physicists don’t have a sense of humor?

In any case, the next time you look up at the night sky, just realize that mathematically, either all we know about gravity is wrong, or you are seeing only a tiny portion of what is there. It is 2012, and we often think we have it all figured out, and yet in the very night sky above our heads we understand and perceive very little.

5 Comments

Filed under Humor and Observations, Writing

Tagged as astrophysics, black holes, connotations newszine, dark matter, doppler effect, machos, michael bradley, science primer, wimps

November 21, 2012 · 11:54 am

Presidential Grizzly Bear Chair

Everyone knows about the Oval Office, the pictures of past Presidents, the Kennedy Room, the Lincoln Room, but do you know about the Presidential Grizzly Bear Chair? California hunter and trapper Seth Kinman killed two grizzly bears and made them into a chair. It was presented by him through an act of Congress to President Andrew Johnson in 1865.

Made from two grizzly bears captured by Seth Kinman. The four legs and claws were those of a huge grizzly and the back and sides ornamented with immense claws. The seat was soft and exceedingly comfortable, but the great feature of the chair was that, by touching a cord, the head of the monster grizzly bear with jaws extended, would dart out in front from under the seat, snapping and gnashing its teeth as natural as life. This chair Seth presented to President Johnson, September 8, 1865.

Yes, the head would dart out from underneath… natural as life….

President Johnson put the chair in his library in the Yellow Oval Room.

Seth Kinman (September 29, 1815 – February 24, 1888)^[1] was an early settler of Humboldt County, California, a hunter based in Fort Humboldt, a famous chair maker, and a nationally recognized entertainer. He stood over 6 ft (1.83 m) tall and was known for his hunting prowess and his brutality toward bears and Indians. Kinman claimed to have shot a total of over 800 grizzly bears, and, in a single month, over 50 elk.^[2] He was also a hotel keeper, barkeeper, and a musician who performed for President Lincoln on a fiddle made from the skull of a mule.

Known for his publicity seeking, Kinman appeared as a stereotypical mountain man dressed in buckskins on the U.S. east coast and selling cartes de visites of himself and his famous chairs. The chairs were made from elkhorns and grizzly bear skins and given to U.S. Presidents.^[3]^[4] Presidents so honored include James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Rutherford Hayes. He may have had a special relationship with President Lincoln, appearing in at least two of Lincoln’s funeral corteges, and claiming to have witnessed Lincoln’s assassination.

Kinman was allegedly in Ford’s Theater the night of the assassination and witnessed the murder. He escorted Lincoln’s body on its way to burial as far as Columbus, Ohio.^[41] On April 26, 1865, the New York Times described Kinman in the funeral cortege in New York City: “Much attention was attracted to Mr. Kinman, who walked in a full hunting suit of buckskin and fur, rifle on shoulder.

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Filed under Animals, Humor and Observations, Uncategorized

Tagged as 1865 pictures, elk chair, grizzly bear chair, lincoln assassination, president andrew johnson, president hayes, president lincoln, seth kinman

November 20, 2012 · 4:02 pm

George Lucas, You Just Made $4 Billion, What Will You Do Now?

George Lucas just sold the rights to Star Wars to Disney along with Lucasfilm, Inc., for $4.05 Billion! So what would you do, now unfettered from all financial worries, 68 years old, $4 billion bucks wearing a hole in your pocket?

That’s right! Get up each morning, go to Starbucks and KNIT! Er, what? I know the joke “knit-wit” is too obvious… I can think of 4 billion things to do BEFORE I would turn to knitting in public, but to each their own. I have a bad feeling about this…

4 Comments

Filed under Humor and Observations, Uncategorized

Tagged as disney, george lucas, knitting, star wars, star wars sold to disney, starbucks

November 20, 2012 · 3:53 pm

Writing Can Change Your Perception

So, as most of you know I usually write adventure, steampunk, science fiction, science fact and humor. Recently, I have penned a few short stories to submit to our upcoming horror anthology. (yes, my stories are tossed in the bin anonymously too, they have to get voted in). Writing horror does not come naturally to me, so it has been a challenge for me to get into that dark place. Now, I know I have been successful…

Case in point, picking up food at Costco today for visitors over the holiday. I see a young man of around thirty, loading big boxes of Clorox Bleach onto a cart that has like twenty industrial sized rolls of Paper towels. The only other thing in the cart is a few snacks. My first thought – “That man is going to kill someone today, and is buying paper towels and bleach to clean up the crime scene!” Seriously, that is what popped into my head in the Costco aisle today.

Last night and today I am working on my upcoming novel Blood Bank – a post-apocalyptic vampire novel. I wonder if I will start noticing pale people or looking at necks for bite marks.

2 Comments

Filed under Humor and Observations, Writing

Tagged as clorox bleach, crime scene, horror stories, michael bradley, murder, science fiction, steampunk, writing

November 19, 2012 · 8:50 pm

Lightsaber Crossovers

Crossovers or mash-ups are where you take one show, movie, theme, book, etc, and mix it up with another one. From time to time I post Crossovers. If you search “crossover” at the home page you can find others. The Van Gogh Starry Night Crossover post was very popular. So, without further adieu, lightsaber crossovers:

: North by Northwest

: Disney

: Aliens

: Assassin’s Creed

: Domo

: Wolverine, or Hugh Jackman in future Disney film

: Pandas

: Chuck Norris

: Harry Potter

: Psycho

: Captain America

: Borg assimilate light sabers – now we are in trouble

: Toy Story just got edgy

: Triple – Eureka, Warehouse 13, lightsaber crossover

: Blastoise

: Deadpool. If you thought Spiderman – Epic Fail

: Easter Bunny

: Batman putting a freaking lightsaber through a shark

: Chuck Norris versus Bruce Lee while Boba Fett officiates.

: Dr. Who

: Wolverine – Better than adamantium

: Obama Wan Kenobi

: Princess Bride

: If only, Sam would cry for sure.

: Predator versus Darth Maul

: Team Fortress – Scouts give up the baseball bats

: Excalisaber

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Filed under Humor and Observations, Uncategorized

Tagged as crossover, Dr. Who, lightsaber, lightsaber crossover, lightsaver smash-up, smash-up, star wars

November 19, 2012 · 8:15 pm

Ford’s new engine is so small it fits in carry-on luggage

Published November 19, 2012

FoxNews.com

Ford
Ford

Sprit Airlines would have a field day with this.

Ford’s new 3-cylinder engine is so small it can fit into a piece of carry-on luggage.

At least its aluminum block is.

A team from Ford brought the heart of the smallest engine it makes to the security checkpoint at Detroit Metro airport in a roll-on bag, put it in a tray and ran it through the X-ray machine to demonstrate just how tidy it is.

Over the summer, the efficient powerplant was named International Engine of the Year. The 1.-liter turbocharged Ecoboost 3-cylinder is currently on sale in several vehicles it sells in Europe and will be coming to a U.S. market car next year, likely in an updated version of the Ford Fiesta compact. The 125 hp engine promises a combination of 4-cylinder power with 3-cylinder fuel efficiency. The only other 3-banger on sale in the United States is found in the Smart Fortwo, which features a 70 hp 1.0-liter motor.

Of course, you probably shouldn’t try this at home, or the airport. Ford set up the stunt ahead of time with the TSA, which doesn’t normally allow photographs to be taken in the security line, and didn’t actually bring it onto a plane.

That might be for the better as most airlines, including Detroit’s hometown favorite Delta, have weight limits for carry-on luggage that max out at 40 pounds while the engine block weighs about 52 pounds.

Besides, would you really want to try and get that into the overhead bin?