Categories
environment

The Dead Zone – Kidd of Speed

Chernobyl Home
A little while ago I blogged about the ghost town of Pripyat. There is an interesting article about a woman that drives her motorcycle through the dead zone that I wanted to link to, but her site was down. It’s now back up, updated with pictures from spring of 2004, and it is a tremendously facinating look at the Chernobyl area 18 years later.

In Ukrainian language Chernobyl is a name for a grass, wormwood (absinth) This word scares holly bejesus out of people here. If I tell someone that I am heading in a “dead zone”… you know, what I hear.. In best case- “are you nuts?” My dad used to say that people afraid of a thing which they can not see, can not feel, can not smell and that kills. Dad is nuclear physicist and he also says that of all dangerous things in my life, he can only think about one, which is riding my bike on fifth or sixth gear. In any way, dad and their team work in “dead zone” for last 18 years. They doing researches from the day when nuclear disaster happened. The rest of guys in a team are microbiologists, doctors, botanists.. etc. I was 7 years old back in 1986 and in a few hours after accident happened dad sent us with sister off with the train to Grandmother. Granny lives 800 kms from here and dad wasn’t sure if it was far enough for us to stay away of troubles. Communists kept silence about this accident. In Kiev, they forced people to take part in their stupid labor day parade and then people start learning about accident from foreign radio, from relatives of those who died and real panic began in 7-10 days after accident. Dad says, that in those first 10 days exposure to radiation was the most powerful and can not even be compared with what we have now.

Update (April 30, 2004): The Author is no longer hosting the site. She made this statement:

“‘Ghost Town’ site that was linked to this page ended existance. My purpose to show people Chernobyl is achieved. Site was viewed more then 3 million times within 2 month. I am no longer able to pay for this traffic and I had no other choice as to close this site.

For some it became weapon, for others the subject for speculations. I am out of this.., I just wanted to show people Chernobyl. I did this for free, for no fame and I did this with love for my country. If someone do not like my story, then write a better one and do not try to damp others..

Site was mirrored and copied by many people and it must be somewhere on the internet. Time will show if this is one day popularity or if it has value in itself..

I am no longer able to control or update those sites. A big thanks to people who maintain it after I quit. Also, thanks to Richard Wilson and Leonid Pankratov the authors of some photos. I got permission for using their photos on my site.

I am not involved in any commerce. Anyone who would attempt to profit from this tragedy, and those people who tried to this using my name and my site as tool to make money should be ashamed of themselves.”

Although it should be noted that I found someone has copied her site and is hosting it at: http://www.kiddofspeed.com/. I think it is safe to assume she is not the recipient of any pay pal donations to this site.

Update (May 22, 2004): Apparently the solo motocycle part was a hoax, but everything else was true.

Another Update (December 20, 2005): Her site is back up with some additional photos from new trips through the dead zone. See my post on the Land of the Wolves.

Categories
physics Science

Aerogel Photos

Aerogel will be used on the STARDUST spacecraft to capture comet particles from Comet Wild 2. The pics are amazing. They look fake, but they come from the NASA web site.

To collect particles without damaging them, Stardust uses an extraordinary substance called aerogel. This is a silicon-based solid with a porous, sponge-like structure in which 99.8 percent of the volume is empty space. By comparison, aerogel is 1,000 times less dense than glass, which is another silicon-based solid. When a particle hits the aerogel, it buries itself in the material, creating a carrot-shaped track up to 200 times its own length. This slows it down and brings the sample to a relatively gradual stop. Since aerogel is mostly transparent – with a distinctive smoky blue cast – scientists will use these tracks to find the tiny particles.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Turn Your Blog Into a Book

I can’t say I’m ready to publish my blog, but when I am I will think of Blogbinder.com. “Blogbinders.com helps you turn your blog into a bound book – great as a gift, an archive, or even to sell to your readers!”

Categories
war

The War in Iraq Rationale: Version 10.0

War Rationale: Version 10.0 – In the year since the invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration has repeatedly shifted its justification for going to war and constantly changed its story on the ‘imminent threat’ of Saddam Hussein, weapons of mass destruction, intelligence, Iraqi connections with al Qaeda, the United Nations, political transition, democracy in Iraq, and the cost to the American taxpayer. We all know (almost) everything about it by now, but if you can hold back the tears long enough to laugh, you might find this account hilarious.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Star Trek Fans Want Kirk Back

I think the best thing the people in charge of Star Trek could do is Bring Back Kirk.

Fans of Star Trek have put together a nine minute trailer of a fictional movie that reunites all the characters from all the Star Trek series. It’s easily the best fan produced video I’ve ever seen.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Collaboration at its Best

My new favorite site at which I like to hang. It’s a collaborative flash site that allows users to paint with their mouse’s in a shared space. Click on expand chat to see the artwork.

Update (August 1st, 2005): It appears the site is down.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Cheese Racing

Here is a great summer activity, probably the biggest thing to hit the UK since Marmite.

“Q: What do you think happens when you throw a slice of processed cheese (without removing the plastic wrapping) onto a lit barbeque?” The answer? Cheese Racing!

Categories
Miscellaneous

SawStop: Making Table Saws Safer

Check out the incredible videos of a table saw that can tell the difference between wood and skin. It’s something you have to see to believe; I recommend both the regular and super high speed videos.

The SawStop system works by recognizing the difference in the electrical properties of wood and a user. The system induces a high-frequency electrical signal on the blade of a table saw and monitors this signal for changes caused by contact between the blade and a user’s body. The signal remains unchanged when the blade cuts wood because of the relatively small inherent electrical capacitance and conductivity of wood. However, when a user contacts the blade while the saw is operating, the electrical signal changes because of the relatively large inherent capacitance of the user’s body.

In the videos, the saw blade is rotating at 4000 rpm. The blade is stopped in less than 5 milliseconds. It can make the difference between needing a Band-Aid or a hand surgeon.

Categories
Art

Social Theory Trading Card – Old Sailor

Old Sailor sent me a plastic message in response to the unofficial trading card I made about him.

Thanks, friend.

Your card reminds me of when I was a lad, trading driftwood paintings of our favorite nautical heroes.

So happy sails to you, and take it from this old sailor, a fair greeting is as rare as a Berlin pearl fish, and half again as long.

Yours,
Old Sailor

Categories
Miscellaneous

Jeff Milner Movie Review – Lost in Translation

Anna and I watched Lost in Translation (IMDB link) last night. I thought this movie gave a beautiful look at what it’s like trying to live in a culture that is unfamiliar and often times incomprehensible. I liked this movie particularly because it reminded of my brief experience when I visited Japan, although I think I had a much better time than either Bill Murray or Scarlett Johansson’s characters, then again I was only there for 10 days.

Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is an American movie star, whom, nearing the end of his career, has come to Japan to shoot Whiskey ads. Charlotte is the young wife of a hot new photographer who finds herself stuck in her Japanese hotel room as her husband works. Both of them struggle with the different culture and language barrier, however as they slowly get to know one another they find an unexpected friendship blossoms.

Marketed as a hilarious comedy, this movie is actually the bittersweet tale of two foreigners trying to find friendship in a land they can’t seem to meld with. Both characters go on a journey – it’s hard to explain exactly as this movie is better experienced than described.

It wasn’t just the fact that they were in Japan, I think they would have been upset wherever they were, they might not have recognized it however. Nothing around them is familiar. As a defense mechanism they revert inwards in an attempt to find peace and security but in doing so, they find is self-doubt and insecurity. Despite being at different points in their lives they find within each other a kind of soul-mate.

Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson both did a tremendous job and it seemed more like watching two people live their lives than actors reciting a script. I enjoyed “Lost in Translation”.