Revolution

For older students, the story of the Iranian election and the protests following may be fascinating. Living as we do in a country founded by revolution, one may try to find parallels here. For instance, an aspect seldom considered is the economic consequence of these protests. We see people marching in the streets (even though little information is allowed out of the country right now), we consider the personal risk taken by the marchers, but how often do we consider what this does to the economic structure of the country? This may inspire students of history to dig a little deeper into the economic consequences of the American revolution. Of course, the economies of early America and of modern Iran are vastly different; still, the impact of the revolution went well beyond what the fighting men experienced.

It may be that nothing in Iran will change. It may be that we are witnessing history in the making.

I cannot help but root for anyone fighting for liberty, and I wish these protesters success. This link is to a YouTube video highlighting some scenes from the Iranian protests underway. The soundtrack is great, and the scenes stirring. However, I did not embed the video because some of the scenes are bloody. Use your discretion in following the link.

Makeshift Car Repair

Had a radiator hose blow out on my old Land Cruiser (not pictured below). Funny how far duct tape can get you as an emergency repair.

I think that's why this image called out to me. Loose your roof on a Florida vacation? No problem! Thatch a roof from palm fronds.

Plus, you have to love the way this dog rode for the whole trip. Uber cool!

Click the image for the full size photo from Shorpy - a great historical photography site.

First picture of the Earth from the Moon

For space fans (and most kids are fascinated by space) this is a cool look back in time - well, a relatively short time for some of us. This is the first image of the Earth taken from a lunar orbit. If I recall, the image was sent using technology similar to that used by fax machines - you can see the lines left from the printer.

This is from Nasa's web site, which provides details about the image and links to much larger images.

Flying with the Supremes

Well, one, at least. This is a nice story about two kids meeting a Supreme Court Justice while flying coach. Hey, do you think he would speak at our graduation? Nah... well, yeah!

By the way, the story is great - the rude and sometimes racist comments that accompany the story are not fit for young ones. I wish NBC did a better job of filtering such comments.

Entrepreneurial Kids

Kids seem interested in business. Whether spending part of the day with Mom at her job, learning how to work in a larger company, or wanting to help Dad with his small business, kids are interested in business.

My oldest has been hounding me to help her start a business. Not yet eleven years old, I suspect that the business will be more work for Dad than for her. Yet, I want to cultivate that desire to work, to earn, to succeed.

I have not yet fully explored this site, but it seems interesting. As I am able to explore it further, and possibly get my tweenager involved, I will report results.

Funny story - My oldest loves to dance, and told us she'd like to work at the dance studio. Of course we encouraged her - nice way to earn your way through college! That's when our youngest popped up and said "I want to own the studio!" Bless her little pea-pickin' heart (name that entertainer).

Daddy, How Do You Make a Car?

My youngest always has another easy-to-answer question! With her talent for math, and her interest in how things work, I suspect we may have a budding engineer.

Anyway, I've shown her a variety of YouTube videos on modern manufacture, some older newsreels (they tend heavily toward a pro-labor movement emphasis, not so much the actual assembly), and the like.



Here is an interesting video about manufacture for the 1939 World's Fair - animation, color, and 3-D effects. Must have wowed them in '39!

Very Neat Visual Illusions - the Breaking Curveball

The top winners of a contest sponsored by the Neural Correlate Society are presented on the American Institute of Physics web site - including a stunning visual demonstrating baseball's "Breaking Curve"!

When I would hear announcers talk about the breaking curve ball, I knew that the ball could not suddenly change direction in mid course. Not being a player, I didn't understand what the pitcher was throwing, or what the batter was seeing. This illusion explains both quite nicely.

Another illusion I found interesting was one of a face made to look more feminine or more masculine by controlling contrast. As a sometime photographer, the idea intrigues me - it may explain a lot of the images we see in advertising, and the blurring of genders through Photoshopped images.