Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
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(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)


Science

Thu, May 08 2008

New birds

A dear lady sent me a tip that the Rochester (New York) baby falcons are hatching just in time for Mother's Day. Go have a peek at their RFalconcam and enjoy the show.

posted at: 08:06 | category: /Science | link to this entry



Mon, May 05 2008

Congratulations in order

Congratulations to the Santa Monica High School students whose team won the Energy Departments National Science Bowl. More than 300 students participated in the competition. I hope newspapers will put these kids on the front page and shove the gang stories to the back pages. Let's lift up the kids who choose to do great things for a change.

posted at: 20:18 | category: /Science | link to this entry



Fri, Apr 18 2008

We feel (some) of your pain

I'm sending good thoughts out to those of you back in the Midwest who got rattled out of bed earlier this morning with the 5.2 earthquake. The difference between the quakes back there and the quakes out here in California is that our quakes would probably not be felt hundreds of miles away. I do hope all of you will make sure you have things secured and will keep some extra supplies on hand. And for those of you considering a home with one of those lovely brick exteriors, please think carefully before you go with that particular feature.

posted at: 17:55 | category: /Science | link to this entry



Thu, Apr 10 2008

Color and design by a master

A dear friend sent me photos of the beautiful parrot flower, Impatiens psittacina. I went and browsed for more information and found that it is rare, beautiful, hard to grow and has very protected seeds by the local governments of the countries where it grows in the wild. I even found a few online wordy skirmishes over whether or not such a flower could have happened without a Creator. You're free to believe what you like. This writer chooses to enjoy the thought of the Lord leaving love notes and presents tucked alongside the litter we sometimes choose to focus on through our brief lives on this planet. We're a much more baffling species than Impatiens psittacina.

posted at: 08:23 | category: /Science | link to this entry



Fri, Apr 04 2008

On wolverines

It seems that, like many California residents, a recent wolverine photographed in Tahoe National Forest was probably not native to our state, at least in its lineage.

Actor Hugh Jackman, who played the Wolverine Logan in the X-Men films, is also not a native of California and hails instead from Australia. This has nothing to do with true wolverines, but I found it to be one of those odd bits of trivia that intersects with other odd bits of trivia to keep everyday facts from becoming dull and easily missed.

posted at: 07:03 | category: /Science | link to this entry



Thu, Mar 20 2008

Ten Million dollars for 100 miles per gallon

It seems that the folks at the X Prize Foundation have set their sights a little closer to home with their latest challenge. While space travel sends shivers up the spine in the very nicest kind of way, it's traveling here on the planet that has most of us anxious lately. Encouraging builders to make more fuel-efficient cars has a practical appeal that could finally push mainstream auto manufacturers to take real steps of their own toward a car that is good for the planet and good for the consumer's pocketbook. The only other main hurdle may be the red tape that often makes it tough for manufacturer's to offer a product that does all these things and meets stringent governmental safety rules. Well, that plus the general public's resistance to drive something that doesn't make them feel like they're breaking the speed of light on tight curves. I'm thinking there has to be something between a high-speed sports car and an SUV that will appeal to at least most drivers. Is it just a dream?

posted at: 09:08 | category: /Science | link to this entry



Tue, Aug 28 2007

Night shows in the sky

The lunar eclipse this morning was impressive, but I didn't know until after-the-fact that scientists were using the opportunity to look at something else. I can't say that I've ever heard of helion meteoroids until now.

We star-gazers in the Western U.S. might have a chance to see another meteor shower on September 1. I enjoy the Perseids, but it sounds as though the Aurigids might be a bit easier to spot, with their long trains. Those of us with less than perfect eyesight do appreciate the benefits of meteors that linger for an extra second or two.

posted at: 06:38 | category: /Science | link to this entry



Quote Of The Moment
There is a healthful hardiness about real dignity that never dreads contact and communion with others, however humble.
--Washington Irving
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How to Adapt Anything into a Screenplay by Richard Krevolin



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Stealin' copy is as bad as horse-thievin'
and cattle rustlin'! Lightning may strike
such varmints when they least expect it!