freeryan.com

Do Rocks Burn?

ryan — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:25:14 -0600

Recently on Facebook I linked with some old friends. This got me digging up the photo album and scanning a few 10-year-old pictures. While I was at it I found a few more gems. Like this one. Lu, Myself and nephew Joe were at Thane beach during the summer: built a fire, roasting hot dogs, skipping stones. Joe was at that fantastic age where everything is a wonder and discovery. He couldn't stop asking questions, including "Why did God make guitars?", "Why are there flowers?" and my favorite: "Do rocks burn?". (Those who know me should be able to guess the answer I gave him. :))

Timeline of the Universe

ryan — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:13:55 -0600

Here's a handy timeline of the universe, counting in milliseconds what happened during the Big Bang. It still doesn't answer the question of how did all that matter get there in first place?

Stunning Photos

ryan — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:09:02 -0600

For my photographer friends, as well as those of you that simply appreciate "purdy" pictures, here's a collection posted this morning of "stunning photos". Enjoy! I think my favorite on that page is this one:

Regenerating Human Tissue

ryan — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:15:20 -0600

Yesterday the Department of Defense announced the creation of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine. This means they have a department specifically devoted to growing new human tissue.

If you read Scientific American, or are tuned in to the wild world of modern science to any degree, you'll already know that thanks to the wonders of stem cell research and other techniques, scientists are able to grow living tissue. But not just tissue, actual organs: "...blood vessels, livers, bladders, breast implants... [and] beating, disembodied rat hearts" (source).

Here's a fairly comprehensive article on the whole thing: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=regrowing-human-limbs

Do the Duck

ryan — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:40:05 -0600

I've got the refrain from this damn song stuck in my head so I thought I'd share it with y'all so you can have it stuck in your head too! :)

PS: you have to watch all the way to the end so you won't miss the great bubbly-jam!

Top Ten Wines Under $10

ryan — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:02:29 -0600

Having recently returned from the Land of Good Wine (France) to the Land of Not Great Wine (Alaska), my tastebuds are tuned up. I'm often confused about buying wine in Juneau because it costs a bit more and you never know what you're going to get. I find myself spending more money under the presumption that the more it costs the better the wine. While this may be true in many cases, it isn't in all.

While reading the morning's "paper" I came across this list of the Top Ten Wines Under $10 and thought I'd share: http://www.mainstreet.com/top-ten-wines-under-10

Mo' Cheeeese

ryan — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:32:44 -0600

As you can see, Meadow is very good at saying "cheese" for the camera (once she gets all ready and in position).

Home vs Vacation

ryan — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:50:38 -0600

It's nice to come home.

It's also really nice to be on vacation.

But it is nice to be home.

Although, I have to say... it really is very nice to be on vacation.

Best Airport Play Area

ryan — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:26:39 -0600

On our European trip we got to spend some time in some of the world's largest, most active airports: Chicago O'Hare, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, New York JFK, and SEA-TAC.

Long airplane rides + sleeping children = good. This is where the airport play area comes in. Why isn't there one in every terminal of every airport in the world?

The "Kids on the Fly" at O'Hare sounds really awesome but was too far away from our terminal, as was Air France's Planete Bleue. We didn't have any time to kill at Heathrow, and nothing at CDG.

But SEA-TAC... alright! The play area is just past the food/shops area on the way to the A gates, an easy walk from any of the terminals. The floor is bouncy and soft, all the things to climb on are rubbery and curvy, and there's benches lining the whole thing so us exhausted parents can just sit back and watch the kids burn off steam. Why this isn't FAA-required standard equipment in all airport terminals is beyond me, but good job SEA-TAC for theirs.