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Wes Freed
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Travis Louie's Dodo
The Dodo appears in chapter 3 of 'Alice in Wonderland', A Cacus Race and A Long Tale.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Haunted Houses by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.
We meet them at the doorway, on the stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the air,
A sense of something moving to and fro.
There are more guests at table, than the hosts
Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.
The stranger at my fireside cannot see
The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
He but perceives what is; while unto me
All that has been is visible and clear.
We have no title-deeds to house or lands;
Owners and occupants of earlier dates
From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands,
And hold in mortmain still their old estates.
The spirit-world around this world of sense
Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere
Wafts through these earthly mists and vapors dense
A vital breath of more ethereal air.
Our little lives are kept in equipoise
By opposite attractions and desires;
The struggle of the instinct that enjoys,
And the more noble instinct that aspires.
These perturbations, this perpetual jar
Of earthly wants and aspirations high,
Come from the influence of an unseen star,
An undiscovered planet in our sky.
And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud
Throws o'er the sea a floating bridge of light,
Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd
Into the realm of mystery and night,--
So from the world of spirits there descends
A bridge of light, connecting it with this,
O'er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends,
Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.
Monday, May 21, 2012
The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll
The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.
The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"
The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"
"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.
"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"
The Walrus did beseech.
"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each."
The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head--
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.
But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat--
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.
Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more--
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.
"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."
"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?
"It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf--
I've had to ask you twice!"
"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"
"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.
The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"
The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"
"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.
"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"
The Walrus did beseech.
"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each."
The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head--
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.
But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat--
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.
Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more--
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."
"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.
"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."
"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?
"It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf--
I've had to ask you twice!"
"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"
"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Did Undersea Treasure Seekers Find a UFO?
They think it might be. You have to read this! http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/28/world/europe/swedish-shipwreck-hunters/?hpt=wo_t5
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Sunset on an Alien Planet
"The amazing image above of a sunset on exo-planet HD209458b 150 light years away, was reconstructed by Frederic Pont of the University of Exeter using data from a camera onboard the Hubble Space Telescope.
Pont used his knowledge of how the color of light changes based on chemicals it encounters, and computer modeling, to create an actual image of what a sunset on the actual planet would look like.
The large exo planet in question, exoplanet HD209458b, nicknamed Osiris, circles its star rather closely. At certain points, when the planet passes between us and its star, the light from that star passes through Osiris’s atmosphere before reaching us, which allowed Pont to determine the chemical composition of the atmosphere and deduce what colors would appear to the naked human eye.
The light from Osiris’s star is white, like our own sun, but when it passes through the sodium in Osirisi’s atmosphere, red light in it is absorbed, leaving the starlight to appear blue. But as the sun sets, the blue light is scattered in the same way as it is here on Earth (Rayleigh scattering) causing a gradual change to green, and then to a dim dark green. And finally, due to diffraction, the bottom of the image becomes slightly flattened."
Thursday, January 19, 2012
How to Make Hot Dog Mummies
Here’s the recipe courtesy of ManyMakings:
Ingredients: 1 can Pillsbury refrigerated original bread sticks -- about 10-12 hot dogs
Mustard or ketchup if desired
Preheat oven to 350. Open can of bread sticks and spread them out on counter top. With a pizza cutter, knife, or kitchen shears, slice each bread stick lengthwise to make two thinner strips of dough. Wrap pieces of dough around hot dog to create a mummy appearance, leaving a small gap on one end for the eyes to show. It will take roughly two pieces of dough to cover the hot dog. Place wrapped hot dogs on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Add mustard eyes just before serving.
**You could also use crescent dough, cut into strips if that’s what you have on hand! Also, you could wrap sliced cheese under the dough if you please, or maybe sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Super Cute Animal - Pygmy Marmoset
It's the smallest monkey there is! More about them: http://www.factzoo.com/mammals/monkeys/pygmy-marmosets.html
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Snakes and Turtles - Species Developments
A new species of snake has been found: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16486549
And a Galapogos turtle, believed to be extinct, isn't gone after all:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/01/extinct-galapagos-tortoise-turns-up-on-distant-island/
And a Galapogos turtle, believed to be extinct, isn't gone after all:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/01/extinct-galapagos-tortoise-turns-up-on-distant-island/
Plants that Eat Worms!
Not kidding. Read about them here: http://news.discovery.com/earth/plant-eats-meat-underground-120110.html
Monday, January 9, 2012
A Very Funny Coincidence
Someone named Josie Bissett wrote a book about the Tickle Monster! (Told you he was real!)
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy On-line Game
A friend of mine says this is SUPER fun http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game_nolan.shtml
and no downloading needed!
and no downloading needed!
Friday, January 6, 2012
This Looks Very Cool - Netflix Movie
http://movies.netflix.com/WiPlayer?movieid=70050175&trkid=4513633&t=The+Boy+%26+the+Pirates
The Boy and the Pirates
a boy finds a genii bottle and is transported back to Blackbeard's ship. I'm going to watch it right now : )
The Boy and the Pirates
a boy finds a genii bottle and is transported back to Blackbeard's ship. I'm going to watch it right now : )
Lizards and Dinosaurs Inspire Robot Design
Scientists have decided that what robots need most are tails! http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/01/04/leaping-lizards-show-robots-the-value-of-a-tail/
Thursday, January 5, 2012
More Beautiful Birds
African Golden Pipet - more about this bird: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Pipit
The Hoopoe - you can read LOTS about this bird here: http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/hoopoes.html
Scientists Actually Create a Wrinkle in Time
Read About it Here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/time-cloak-hid-event-in-experiment-physicists-say/2012/01/04/gIQA5rtwaP_story.html
And, again, I STRONGLY encourage you to read this series of books - they're awesome. SO is 'The Phantom Tollbooth': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_Tollbooth
Running Away From Home Just Got Even MORE Dangerous
A little girl, who ran away, then used a fake name when she was arrested for stealing in Texas wound up being deported to Columbia b/c the fake name matched a person on Immigration's list. Rather unbelievable: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57352431-504083/report-missing-texas-14-year-old-mistakenly-deported-to-colombia/?tag=strip
Soon You'll be Able to Fly to Outer Space!
 |
| Hubble Space Photo |
More Hubble photos: http://hubblesite.org/
Video of a Fish Imitating an Octopus
and the octopus, in turn, imitates fish! What on EARTH? http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0105/Video-captures-a-fish-mimicking-a-mimic-octopus-that-mimics-fish
A Bird to Add to Your Favorite Animals List
The Red-Headed Tanager - Read about birds in the Tanager family here: http://www.whatbird.com/browse/objs/All/birds_na_147/59/Family/11111/Tanagers%20(Thraupidae)/default.aspx
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Extreme Galaxies
 |
| Hubble Photo |
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