Stuff to Read

Some links I found to be interesting: 1. Homemade Rocketship Test Flight 2. Google Earth Goes Under the Sea 3. Graphene-Based Circuits? 4. Chart Porn: US Military Spending in Perspective 5. Spiders with Spare Legs? 6. Antimatter of Fact 7. Ezra Klein: Why Scott Brown Should Be Elizabeth Warren’s Biggest Fan

The North Korean Global Happiness Index

At first I found this amusing, but it’s also just kind of sad: China is the happiest place on earth(!!) according to a new global happiness index released by North Korea’s Chosun Central Television. China earned 100 out of 100 points, followed closely by North Korea (98 points), then Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela. Coming in at 203rd place is America (or rather “the American Empire”, 美帝国), with only 3 happiness points. South Korea got a measly 18 points for 152nd place.

Radiolab

I know I’m late to the game here, but on the off chance anyone else is too, I figured it can’t hurt to write a quick post on Radiolab. Radiolab is a radio show that brilliantly combines science, culture, and storytelling. From the website: Radiolab believes your ears are a portal to another world. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow. Bring your curiosity, and we’ll feed it with possibility. It’s based out of WNYC and is broadcast on many NPR stations, but episodes are also free via podcast or web download. In two afternoons while on the road I learned about talking

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Whoa Buffalo!

Last week I spent a couple days exploring Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming with my friend Rya from school. On our way to see Old Faithful, we got stuck in a ‘Buffalo Jam’ for nearly two hours. The Buffalo had apparently decided that it was easier to travel up the road than through the woods. I can’t say I blame them. It’s hard to get annoyed when this is the reason you’re stuck in bumper to bumper traffic:

In California At Last

I apologize for the week of silence. As I mentioned at the start of the month, I spent the past two weeks on the road, driving from Boston to San Francisco for the summer. It was a pretty amazing trip, with the highlight definitely being Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. It will probably take me some time to go through and post most of my photos and videos, but I should have a video with some Wyoming buffalo up later this evening.

South Dakota

I had a great time exploring South Dakota today. It’s a very impressive state, with a lot more going on than I expected. I checked out the Badlands, Mount Washington, Custer State Park, the Black Hills National Forest, and Deadwood. I haven’t yet gone through my SLR shots, but in the meantime, here are a few photos from my phone: