Solar flares (that won't end the world in 2012)

To everybody that is freaking out about recent solar flares and causing sunscreen prices to skyrocket (see what I did there): don't. Solar flares are normal and as long as you are within the earth's atmosphere, the earth's magnetic field will protect you from them - as it has been doing for a quite a while now. It is however justified to be concerned about GPS functionality, power grids and astronauts on the surface of Mars... who can all malfunction with exposure to solar flares.

How the earth's magnetic field protects the earth's atmosphere from the solar wind: http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/action/solar-1.cfm

Components of Effective Communication / Relationships

Components of Effective Communication / Relationships:

- respect
- reasonability
- honesty

Harry Potter quotes

Book II: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
"'Ginny!' said Mr Weasley, flabbergasted. 'Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain."
*
"It's our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Dumbledore

Book III: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
" 'So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a Boggart?'
Hermione put up her hand.
'It's a shape-shifter,' she said. 'It cab take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most.'
...
'The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find ammusing.'
'We will practise the charm without wands first. After me, please ... riddikulus!'"
*
"'Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope and happiness out of the air around them. Even Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory, will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself - soulless and evil. You'll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life.'
...
'It was horrible,' said Neville, in a higher voice than usual. 'Did you feel how cold it went when it came in?'
'I felt wierd,' said Ron, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. 'Like I'd never be cheerful again...'
...
'The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheerful thought. Most of them go mad within weeks.'
...
'I did think of Voldemort first,'said Harry honestly. 'But then I - I remembered those Dementors.'
'I see,' said Lupin thoughtfully. 'Well, well ... I'm impressed.' He smiled slightly at the look of surprise on Harry's face. 'That suggests that what you fear most of all is - fear. Very wise, Harry.'"

Thermoluminescence vs. Incandescence

Thermoluminescence is a form of luminescence that is exhibited by certain crystalline materials, such as some minerals, when previously absorbed energy from electromagnetic radiation or other ionizing radiation is re-emitted as light upon heating of the material. The phenomenon is distinct from that of black body radiation.

Incandescence is the emission of light (visible electromagnetic radiation) from a hot body due to its temperature. The term derives from the verb incandesce, to glow white.

Yeats - First poem in (1936) Oxford book of modern verse (on the Mona Lisa / La Gioconda)

She is older than the rocks among which she sits;
Like the Vampire,
She has been dead many times,
And learned the secrets of the grave;
And has been a diver in deep seas,
And keeps her fallen day about her;
And trafficked for strange webs with Eastern merchants;
And, as Leda,
Was the mother of Helen of Troy,
And, as St. Anne,
Was the mother of Mary;
And all this has been to her but as the sound of lyres and flutes,
And lives
Only in the delicacy
With which it has moulded the changing lineaments,
And tinged the eyelids and the hands.

Cool words

dwindle - become smaller or lose substance; "Her savings dwindled down"

Angels & Demons - Dan Brown

dissimulation = camouflage = dissimulazione = "Nature's best defense." 'I want to believe,' he heard himself say. Vittoria's reply carried no judgement or challenge. 'So why don't you?' He chuckled. 'Well, it's not that easy. Having faith requires leaps of faith, cerebral acceptance of miracles - immaculate conceptions and divine interventions. And then there are the codes of conduct. The Bible, the Koran, Buddhist scripture... they all carry similar requirements - and similar penalties. They claim that if I don't live by a specific code I will go to hell. I can't imagine a God that would rule that way.' 'I hope you don't let your students dodge questions that shamelessly.' The comment caught him off guard. 'What?' 'Mr Langdon, I did not ask if you believe what man says about God. I asked if you believe in God. There is a difference. Holy scripture is stories... legends and history of man's quest to understand his own need for meaning. I am not asking you to pass judgement on literature. I am asking if you believe in God. When you lie out under the stars, do you sense the divine? Do you feel in your gut that you are staring up at the work of God's hand?' 'Science tells me God must exist. My mind tells me I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to.' (Vittoria Vetra) Pranayama (from yoga) - to breathe through the eyes Remembrance (from http://www.increasebrainpower.com/remembrance-technique.html) The Remembrance Technique If I remember correctly, this technique is an old Buddhist method for tapping into the problem solving power of your brain. It is used to overcome the feeling of hopelessness that can immobilize a person when facing a difficult situation. It can also be used just to solve tough problems. The basic idea is that when you are trying to decide what to do or to solve a problem, you tell yourself to remember the solution. You might say to yourself "Remember! How did I solve this problem?" This essentially tells your brain that there is a solution, and that the answer is somewhere in there. The brain responds to this assumption by searching for "the" solution. Our brains are always more powerful than we realize - we just need little "tricks" like this to get beyond our self-imposed limitations. Bernini's tributes to the four seasons (the seasons in Italian?): Primavera (Spring), Estate (Summer?), Autunno (Autumn), Inverno (Winter).