Is it Possible: Electromagnetic Pulse Makes The World Go Dark

Mid-Way through the Fall 2014 semester, on a Tuesday to be exact I asked Professor K. if it was possible for an electromagnetic pulse to black-out the world like in the 1996 movie with 'Kurt Russell", in which he said would be highly unlikely. So I decided to do research and this is what I found.

Check out this link: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2010-10-26-emp_N.htm

And here is a little clip from the movie. Enjoy!

Where is Rosetta?

Here is a link to an interactive site about the Rosetta Mission
http://sci.esa.int/where_is_rosetta/

Funny car video on CarBuzz.com

This is just cool video with an Audi Q3 with a new way of parking. http://carbuzz.com/news/2014/10/23/Audi-Q3-Creates-Ingenious-Parking-Spot-7723268/

Not all pens are created equal...

I did a little research on notebook ink today, and I was very surprised by what I found.  One researcher tested a large number of pens in a variety of hostile environments, including hot ovens and acetone baths.  One of the worst was the Pilot G2, which is my personal favorite!  Here is an image of the test results:

So, do you need to change pens?  Short answer, no.  Ball point pens are still out (they used to be the preferred pen, by the way), but the rollerball ones I handed out  will be just fine.  Stay away from acetone baths or hot ovens, though.

Oh, and black OR blue ink is allowed, no other color.  In my OPINION, black just looks better and is easier to read.

Feel free to look at the original article.  It's not notebook gospel, but the author makes many good points.

Earth's magnetic field could flip within a human lifetime

Thought this was an interesting article
source
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141014170841.htm

Thinking about getting a tattoo?

Thinking about getting a tattoo? You should know how it works. Pretty interesting.

P.S. YAY IT WORKS NOW!!

Circuits Tutorial, Part 1

This is part 1 of 4 tutorials in the basics of circuits and electronics.  After you have watched each video, e-mail me.  I will send you a quick assignment related to the contents of the video.  It might be an exercise where you calculate something, maybe describe a circuit, or something along those lines. Send your answers to me by any means you have available.  (I would avoid the regular mail system.  E-mail works well.)  The form of your answer is up to you.  You can write it out on paper and send me a scan.  You can send me an audio file of you describing your answer.  You can send me a video file of your solution (might be overkill).



Each assignment is worth 10 points.  With the author's permission, I will post the best answers on this blog.



These tutorials take time to absorb.  Please pay close attention to them, minimizing other distractions.



If you have questions about the videos, don't hesitate to e-mail me, or even better, ask the question as a comment below the video.  If you have a question about the material, it's likely that half the class has the same question!  Remember - there are no dumb questions.



Finally, please note that I am not the author of these videos.  These are from the Khan Academy.  All hail Salman Khan!