Saw a story about how scientists at Rice University figured out how to paint the materials that store energy in a battery on flat surfaces. Then they hooked 'em up to a little LED emitter and powered it up. Of course, if I were the first person to do something as cool as that, I'd have made the LEDs spell out "I RULE!" instead of the name of their university. But that's just me.
For the curious among you, here's the story.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Book Review: Star Wars: Darth Plagueis
A couple of reviews in a row. Now what am I going to read?
Star Wars: Darth Plagueis by James Luceno
From the book’s cover:
He was the most powerful Sith lord who ever lived.
But could he be the only one who never died?
“Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”
—Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master—but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power . . . over life and death.
Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.
Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination—and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?
 |
| Source: Amazon.com |
From the book’s cover:
He was the most powerful Sith lord who ever lived.
But could he be the only one who never died?
“Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”
—Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master—but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power . . . over life and death.
Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.
Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination—and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Book Review: The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea - The Forgotten War of the South Pacific
I finished the book I was reading, Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, yesterday evening/this morning, and figured I better hurry up and finish the review of the book I read before it so I could get a bit caught up. That and I just feel like blogging right this moment. Silly, I know, but that's how it is.
The
Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New
Guinea - The Forgotten War of the South Pacific by James Campbell
From the book’s cover (this synopsis was taken from the book’s website, GhostMountainBoys.com):
Lying due north of Australia, New Guinea is among the world’s largest islands. In 1942, when World War II exploded onto its shores, it was an inhospitable, cursorily mapped, disease-ridden land of dense jungle, towering mountain peaks, deep valleys, and fetid swamps. Coveted by the Japanese for its strategic position, New Guinea became the site of one of the South Pacific’s most savage campaigns. Despite their lack of jungle training, the 32nd Division’s Ghost Mountain Boys were assigned the most grueling mission of the entire Pacific campaign: to march 130 miles over the rugged Owen Stanley Mountains and to protect the right flank of the Australian army as they fought to push the Japanese back to the village of Buna on New Guinea’s north coast.
Comprised of National Guardsmen from Michigan and Wisconsin, reserve officers, and draftees from across the country, the 32nd Division lacked more than training—they were without even the basics necessary for survival. The men were not issued the specialized clothing that later became standard issue for soldiers fighting in the South Pacific; they fought in hastily dyed combat fatigues that bled in the intense humidity and left them with festering sores. They waded through brush and vines without the aid of machetes. They did not have insect repellent. Without waterproof containers, their matches were useless and the quinine and vitamin pills they carried, as well as salt and chlorination tablets, crumbled in their pockets.
Exhausted and pushed to the brink of human endurance, the Ghost Mountain Boys fell victim to malnutrition and disease. Forty-two days after they set out, they arrived two miles south of Buna, nearly shattered by the experience.
Arrival in Buna provided no respite. The 32nd Division was ordered to launch an immediate assault on the Japanese position. After two months of furious—sometimes hand-to-hand—combat, the decimated division finally achieved victory. The ferocity of the struggle for Buna was summed up in Time magazine on December 28, 1942, three weeks before the Japanese army was defeated: “Nowhere in the world today are American soldiers engaged in fighting so desperate, so merciless, so bitter, or so bloody.”
 |
| Source: Amazon.com |
From the book’s cover (this synopsis was taken from the book’s website, GhostMountainBoys.com):
Lying due north of Australia, New Guinea is among the world’s largest islands. In 1942, when World War II exploded onto its shores, it was an inhospitable, cursorily mapped, disease-ridden land of dense jungle, towering mountain peaks, deep valleys, and fetid swamps. Coveted by the Japanese for its strategic position, New Guinea became the site of one of the South Pacific’s most savage campaigns. Despite their lack of jungle training, the 32nd Division’s Ghost Mountain Boys were assigned the most grueling mission of the entire Pacific campaign: to march 130 miles over the rugged Owen Stanley Mountains and to protect the right flank of the Australian army as they fought to push the Japanese back to the village of Buna on New Guinea’s north coast.
Comprised of National Guardsmen from Michigan and Wisconsin, reserve officers, and draftees from across the country, the 32nd Division lacked more than training—they were without even the basics necessary for survival. The men were not issued the specialized clothing that later became standard issue for soldiers fighting in the South Pacific; they fought in hastily dyed combat fatigues that bled in the intense humidity and left them with festering sores. They waded through brush and vines without the aid of machetes. They did not have insect repellent. Without waterproof containers, their matches were useless and the quinine and vitamin pills they carried, as well as salt and chlorination tablets, crumbled in their pockets.
Exhausted and pushed to the brink of human endurance, the Ghost Mountain Boys fell victim to malnutrition and disease. Forty-two days after they set out, they arrived two miles south of Buna, nearly shattered by the experience.
Arrival in Buna provided no respite. The 32nd Division was ordered to launch an immediate assault on the Japanese position. After two months of furious—sometimes hand-to-hand—combat, the decimated division finally achieved victory. The ferocity of the struggle for Buna was summed up in Time magazine on December 28, 1942, three weeks before the Japanese army was defeated: “Nowhere in the world today are American soldiers engaged in fighting so desperate, so merciless, so bitter, or so bloody.”
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Thoughts from the White Board - June 26
Had a strange dream this morning. I dreamed I was in Arizona attending an LDS temple open house, and in line with me was Ashton Kutcher. Me and a couple of other guys started talking to him about the LDS faith and he was listening and said he wanted to hear more, so we went to another room and started giving him what in my missionary days we'd call a first discussion. For those of you who know it, that was the one that had the blue pamphlet. Needless to say, it was an odd dream.
On other news, life has been kinda rough lately. The whole family has been sick, for one. And money has been tight too. The house is messy. And I'm behind on working on my internship. The good news is that it can't go on like this forever. And even better, my wife will be graduating from her school in just under a month. Hooray! She has done so good, and I'm super proud of her.
On other news, life has been kinda rough lately. The whole family has been sick, for one. And money has been tight too. The house is messy. And I'm behind on working on my internship. The good news is that it can't go on like this forever. And even better, my wife will be graduating from her school in just under a month. Hooray! She has done so good, and I'm super proud of her.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Book Review: Eisenhower: The White House Years
Here's that review of Eisenhower: The White House Years. Hope your day is "nifty," just like the fifties.
Eisenhower: The White House Years, by Jim Newton
From the book’s cover:
If you think of our 34th president as little more than the babysitter-in-chief during the prosperous fifties, think again. Dwight Eisenhower was bequeathed an atomic bomb and was the first American president not to use it. He ground down Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism until both became, as he said, “McCarthywasm”. He stimulated the economy to lift it from recession, built an interstate highway system, and, for good measure, turned an $8-billion deficit in 1953 into a $500-million surplus in 1960. (Ike was the last president until Bill Clinton to leave his country in the black.)
The President Eisenhower of popular imagination is a benign figure, armed with a putter and little else. The Eisenhower of veteran journalist Jim Newton’s rendering is shrewd, sentimental, and tempestuous. He mourned the death of his first son and doted on his grandchildren but could, one aide recalled, “peel the varnish off a desk” with his temper. Mocked as a blunderbuss, he was in fact a meticulous manager. Admired as a general, he was a champion of peace. In Korea and Vietnam, in Quemoy and Berlin, his generals urged him to wage nuclear war. Time and again, he considered and rejected it. And it was Eisenhower who appointed Chief Justice Earl Warren and who enforced desegregation in the schools.
Rare interviews with John Eisenhower, along with access to newly declassified documents, make for a gripping and revealing narrative.
 |
| Source: Amazon.com |
From the book’s cover:
If you think of our 34th president as little more than the babysitter-in-chief during the prosperous fifties, think again. Dwight Eisenhower was bequeathed an atomic bomb and was the first American president not to use it. He ground down Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism until both became, as he said, “McCarthywasm”. He stimulated the economy to lift it from recession, built an interstate highway system, and, for good measure, turned an $8-billion deficit in 1953 into a $500-million surplus in 1960. (Ike was the last president until Bill Clinton to leave his country in the black.)
The President Eisenhower of popular imagination is a benign figure, armed with a putter and little else. The Eisenhower of veteran journalist Jim Newton’s rendering is shrewd, sentimental, and tempestuous. He mourned the death of his first son and doted on his grandchildren but could, one aide recalled, “peel the varnish off a desk” with his temper. Mocked as a blunderbuss, he was in fact a meticulous manager. Admired as a general, he was a champion of peace. In Korea and Vietnam, in Quemoy and Berlin, his generals urged him to wage nuclear war. Time and again, he considered and rejected it. And it was Eisenhower who appointed Chief Justice Earl Warren and who enforced desegregation in the schools.
Rare interviews with John Eisenhower, along with access to newly declassified documents, make for a gripping and revealing narrative.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Thought from the White Board - June 18
My wife should be in the midst of her hands-on practical test for her state boards right now. Or maybe done with it. Who's to say? Either way, I hope she is doing well. She has been so sick these past few days, and not sleeping good either. I know I shouldn't wish the days away, but I hope this time of hardship passes by and that good days, or should I say better days, will follow.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Movie Review: Prometheus
Prometheus, 2012
(which could be subtitled, "How I learned to stop worrying and love the squid," to paraphrase Stanley Kubricks's Dr. Strangelove).
The other day I was watching Ridley Scott's masterpiece landmark fill-in-the-blank classic Alien. Must have been the three of four hundredth time that I sat through that little gem of a movie. Anyway, I was thinking to myself: that the alien critter is bad news, but where did the space ship with the big guy in the funny elephant helmet come from? And now, having just seen Scott's newest fare, Prometheus, can I say for certain where the guy who has colloquially been known as the "Space Jockey" came from?
(which could be subtitled, "How I learned to stop worrying and love the squid," to paraphrase Stanley Kubricks's Dr. Strangelove).
The other day I was watching Ridley Scott's masterpiece landmark fill-in-the-blank classic Alien. Must have been the three of four hundredth time that I sat through that little gem of a movie. Anyway, I was thinking to myself: that the alien critter is bad news, but where did the space ship with the big guy in the funny elephant helmet come from? And now, having just seen Scott's newest fare, Prometheus, can I say for certain where the guy who has colloquially been known as the "Space Jockey" came from?
Friday, June 15, 2012
Thoughts from the White Board - June 15
I've had achy sinus pain for a couple of days. !@#$% But it could be worse. I could feel worse, like my wife does. Sorry babe. Hope you get better soon.
Finished reading the biography of Eisenhower's presidency that I've been working on off and on for the past week or two. I t was good, and I learned a lot. I'll do a review of it in the next week or so, I hope. But for now, I think I'll keep this post short and to the point.
Finished reading the biography of Eisenhower's presidency that I've been working on off and on for the past week or two. I t was good, and I learned a lot. I'll do a review of it in the next week or so, I hope. But for now, I think I'll keep this post short and to the point.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Book Review: Don't Know Much About the Civil War: Everything You Need to Know About America's Greatest Conflict but Never Learned
Another book review. It has been a while since I did a regular one, as I got tired of them for a little while. Probably will be another while until I do another, since I have some school-related work to get caught up on that I've been... how shall I put this... studiously forgetting existed? Yeah, that's close. I don't want to do it. And so I'm procrastinating a big chore that I need to get done. But I can't delay forever. Wish I could...
Ok, I'm rambling. Here's the review.
Don't Know Much About the Civil War: Everything You Need to Know About America's Greatest Conflict but Never Learned by Kenneth C. Davis
From the book’s cover:
Why did Abraham Lincoln sneak into Washington for his inauguration? Was the Gettysburg Address written on the back of an envelope? Where did the Underground Railroad run?
Can you answer these questions? If not, you're not alone! New York Times-bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis comes to the rescue, deftly sorting out the players, the politics, the key events -- Emancipation and Reconstruction, Shiloh and Gettysburg, Generals Grant and Lee, Harriet Beecher Stowe -- and providing little-known facts that will enthrall even learned Civil War buffs. Vivid, informative, and hugely entertaining, Don't Know Much About® the Civil War is the only book you'll ever need on "the war that never ended."
Ok, I'm rambling. Here's the review.
 |
| Source: Amazon.com |
From the book’s cover:
Why did Abraham Lincoln sneak into Washington for his inauguration? Was the Gettysburg Address written on the back of an envelope? Where did the Underground Railroad run?
Can you answer these questions? If not, you're not alone! New York Times-bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis comes to the rescue, deftly sorting out the players, the politics, the key events -- Emancipation and Reconstruction, Shiloh and Gettysburg, Generals Grant and Lee, Harriet Beecher Stowe -- and providing little-known facts that will enthrall even learned Civil War buffs. Vivid, informative, and hugely entertaining, Don't Know Much About® the Civil War is the only book you'll ever need on "the war that never ended."
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Dual Review: The Hunger Games (movie and book)
Here at last is my once much anticipated review of The Hunger Games movie, with the attached review of the book that I wrote for my previous blog (last Autumn, I think it was). Unlike my last "Dual Review" (that one was the book A Princess of Mars and the film John Carter which was lossely based on it), I'm going to switch the order of things here and do the movie review first. Primarily this is because the book review is a repeat. That and I just felt like switching things up. Haha! Take that, you dastardly forces of entropy! That's me. Keeping it fresh, since... 20 seconds ago.
Ok, on with the reviewing.
Ok, on with the reviewing.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Thoughts from the White Board - June 6
Today is an interesting day in the history of this planet. As such, I thought I'd lay a little of the past upon you, gentle reader.
First up, today is the 68th anniversary of the Allies landing at Normandy, also known as D-Day. Luckily for you though, I won't wax pedantic about it. If you want to know more about the significance of the event, go look it up. I will only say that D-Day both spelled the eventual doom of the Third Reich, since it opened up a true second front for the Nazis, but can also be said to have helped save the beleaguered Soviet Union, which would then go on to be the great opposite of the Cold War. I guess you could say that no good deed goes unpunished.
First up, today is the 68th anniversary of the Allies landing at Normandy, also known as D-Day. Luckily for you though, I won't wax pedantic about it. If you want to know more about the significance of the event, go look it up. I will only say that D-Day both spelled the eventual doom of the Third Reich, since it opened up a true second front for the Nazis, but can also be said to have helped save the beleaguered Soviet Union, which would then go on to be the great opposite of the Cold War. I guess you could say that no good deed goes unpunished.
 |
| The Soviets practiced human wave-style attacks in which the man in front was given a rifle and a few bullets and the men behind him were instructed that when that armed man went down, the next guy was to pick up the gun and keep up the charge. This was just one variation of the Soviets defensive strategy employed in the cataclysmic Battle of Stalingrad / Source: Original artwork by David Pentland featured for sale at Cranston Art.co.uk |
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Op-Ed: The Gordion Knot
Sorry the traffic on this blog has slowed down. I realize now why I took off last summer (and then some) from blogging. For instance, last week was crazy. Painted several rooms for a relative, and it was a lot of work. And speaking of work, the job keeps me busy. But for the sake of not sounding "ungrateful," I try not to talk about my employment.
Today is one of those Opinion-Editorial pieces that I write from time to time. I wish I could write more than I do. I wish I had the focus and energy to write all the things I think are worth saying, sometimes. But such is not to be, I guess. It does make for an interesting perspective on what my life as a college student does for me. When school is out for a break, I seem to lose some of the qualities I have come to value from my experiences at the university.
Oh, a short interruption to my thoughts, and then I'll proceed to the point of this post. The good news is, my dog was found. It is so wonderful to have her home. Thanks to those who put out good vibes into the universe, and prayer and positive energy, as they may be wont to call it. We are happy she is home, and will do whatever we can to make sure this problem does not happen again. It was as though we lost a family member, and one not easily lived without.
An interesting segue there. The subject of my Op-Ed is family-related.
Today is one of those Opinion-Editorial pieces that I write from time to time. I wish I could write more than I do. I wish I had the focus and energy to write all the things I think are worth saying, sometimes. But such is not to be, I guess. It does make for an interesting perspective on what my life as a college student does for me. When school is out for a break, I seem to lose some of the qualities I have come to value from my experiences at the university.
Oh, a short interruption to my thoughts, and then I'll proceed to the point of this post. The good news is, my dog was found. It is so wonderful to have her home. Thanks to those who put out good vibes into the universe, and prayer and positive energy, as they may be wont to call it. We are happy she is home, and will do whatever we can to make sure this problem does not happen again. It was as though we lost a family member, and one not easily lived without.
An interesting segue there. The subject of my Op-Ed is family-related.
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