January 2019

Cannibal Frogs

This seems like it belongs on the Weird Animals page rather than Frog Source, but it's true that there are cannibalistic frogs in our world. Many animals exist as cannibals and it's really not that surprising; considering that humans are believed to be the only animals with an ethics system (although that could be debated within more developed animal groups, particularly when you consider many humans don't even seem to have a moral compass!), why would it seem weird for a frog to eat another frog? 

Nostalgic Horror Comes to 2019 Screens

If you love Stephen King, 1980s and 90s kids horror and remakes, you're going to love media this year. Not only do we get another season of Stranger Things, which is as nostalgic as it gets, this summer, but we'll also be getting updates of Stephen King's It (the continuation from the first remade film) and Pet Cemetary. King has another film coming out next year in the adaptation of his novel Doctor Sleep, the sequel to the popular novel The Shining, along with other projects in the works.

2019 Garden Resolutions

As I peruse the Baker Seed catalog, I can't help but ooh and ahh and dream big dreams. It's more exciting than toy catalogs ever were for me as a kid! The problem is I know I won't have time to grow more than a few favorite easy-to-grow items (I'm looking at you, tomatoes) with the busy schedules my family and I keep, especially now that my teen's doing a lot of things that require additional transportation. It almost feels like a chess game to manage the calendar sometimes!

2019 Game Nights

Game nights are some of my favorite nights of the month. I love seeing friends, sharing food and stories and most of all laughing so hard we can't breathe. It's the best way to relieve stress and connect, in my humble opinion, and while we always strive to have monthly game nights with both friends and family, between everyone's weird schedules we always end up scattering them a little more sporadically than we'd like instead. I hope that in 2019 we get to have more game nights than ever!

Lightning With Your Fireworks

Recently I saw a couple of freaky and fascinating things in a single night. First, while driving past the city, I saw the entire sky, clouds and all, against the city lights skyline. This might be a common sight for some, but for me it was incredible to see the clouds in the dark. Where I live, we usually only see the stars, moon and sometimes planets; it's just outside the city so the clouds only serve to obscure things. I never see them actually defined in the sky.

New Year Eating

The New Year is a common time for people to change the way they eat. Last year I went on a no-sugar way of life for most of the year and found it to be very helpful for many different things, and I plan to continue this lifestyle in 2019. My rules are pretty simple: I don't do more than 20 carbs a day and I limit "cheating" to a single meal, once or twice a month, usually on special occasions. I've also added a lot of daily habits, from turmeric in my chai tea to apple cider vinegar mixed with cream of tartar and sparkling water, that have helped me with my goals. 

Shopping To Reduce Inequality

I'm as guilty as not shopping with my conscience lately as anyone. As someone who used to deeply research every purchase, I'm now a tired mom who can't stay up as late as she used to, which is no excuse but provides a bit of background. I used to check not only the source of materials but where the company's political donations even went. It turns out that it does't have to be THAT difficult to shop with your conscience.

Nuclear Reactors 646 - Westinghouse Working On EVinci Microreactor

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Caption: 
Artist concept of eVinci microreactor

      Westinghouse has made a lot of money in the international nuclear market for big conventional nuclear power reactors that product a gigawatt or more of electricity. Currently, the nuclear industry is promoting what are called small modular reactors which produce three hundred megawatts or less of electricity.

Los Alamos National Laboratory Explored The Idea Of A Nuclear Powered Tunneling Machine

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Caption: 
Early Soviet artist’s concept of a subterrene

       When we think about the uses for nuclear power, it is usually in terms of generating heat and electricity for commercial and residential use. Over the years there have been suggestions for using nuclear bombs to excavate canals, create harbors, frack for gas and oil, and create huge caves. None of these applications proved to be practical and were never used.

Nuclear Weapons 367 - Soviets Developed A Nuclear Cannon During The Early Cold War

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Caption: 
2A3 Kondensator

       Yesterday, I blogged about an old British Cold War idea for a nuclear land mine that was designed but never built. The Soviet Union also had some interesting designs for Cold War nuclear weapons. In the 1950s before the development of the “mutually assured destruction” doctrine, it was considered reasonable to talk about tactical nuclear weapons for battlefield use.

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