Les termes qui constituent à notre connaissance une marque déposée ont été désignés comme tels. La présence ou l'absence de cette désignation ne peut toutefois être considérée comme ayant valeur juridique. En règle générale, la prononciation est donnée entre crochets après chaque entrée. Toutefois, du côté anglais-français et dans le cas des expressions composées de deux ou plusieurs mots non réunis par un trait d'union et faisant l'objet d'une entrée séparée, la prononciation doit être cherchée sous chacun des mots constitutifs de l'expression en question. The world is not only what we have made it but is also a product of earlier generations' efforts. "Today is the child of yesterday," as the Arabs put it. Thus, to fully grasp the present, we must first understand the past. The great thinkers wrote what they did because they had unusual talents, but they were also strongly influenced by their times. Locke, Madison, Bakunin, Marx, Mill, Hitler, Mao, and all the others can be fully appreciated only in the light of their historical, intellectual, political, social, and economic circumstances. Yet, although these ideologues were influenced by situations particular to their respective ages, they each responded to a common phenomenon—modernization. The most fundamental feature of this era, the event that has done more to distinguish this period in history from all others and has contributed most heavily to shaping our environment, is the industrial revolution. Industrialization is the latest stage in the chain reaction begun by the scientific method and its application to technology. The shift from making things by hand to mechanized production changed the world dramatically. The reaction to industrialization varied among observers. Some, like Adam Smith, reveled in its potential benefits; others, including Marx, argued that people were robbed of their skills and reduced to being mere tenders of machines, but he looked forward to improved social conditions with the equal distribution of the newly produced bounty; and still more... [something something Hitler]. Text from Political Ideologies: Their Origins and Impact by Leon P. Baradat
But the essence of life is not so much the atoms and simple molecules that make us up as the way in which they are put together. Every now and then we read that the chemicals which constitute the human body cost ninety-seven cents or ten dollars or some such figure; it is a little depressing to find our bodies valued so little. However, these estimates are for human beings reduced to our simplest possible components. We are made mostly of water, which costs almost nothing; the carbon is costed in the form of coal; the calcium in our bones as chalk; the nitrogen in our proteins as air (cheap also); the iron in our blood as rusty nails. If we did not know better, we might be tempted to take all the atoms that make us up, mix them together in a big container and stir. We can do this as much as we want. But in the end all we have is a tedious mixture of atoms. How could we have expected anything else? Harold Morowitz has calculated what it would cost to put together the correct molecular constituents that make up a human being by buying the molecules from chemical supply houses. The answer turns out to be about ten million dollars, which should make us all feel a little better. But even then we could not mix those chemicals together and have a human being emerge from the jar. That is far beyond our capability and will probably be so for a very long period of time. Fortunately, there are other less expensive but still highly reliable methods of making human beings. Text from Cosmos by Carl Sagan Plugging his new book, Space Chronicles, Neil DeGrasse Tyson appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and nearly made Jon want to become an astrophysicist himself (watch the clip, you'll want to become one, too!). Tyson is doing pretty well bringing the wonder back to science and making it friggin' awesome. Just like the great Carl Sagan. Known as a popularizer of science, Sagan helped people want to learn about the Universe with the same passion as Sagan himself. In Carl Sagan's words:
As it turns out, the very thing that Carl loved most about the Universe, is also what Neil loves most, and both of them just make you want to pack a bag and head for the stars (well, them and Doctor Who), because really, you're just going home. The transcript of the video:
Thanks, Neil. Carl would be proud. Turns out neither mirrors nor microscopes are needed for these two amazing feats of science. This video describes not only how to find your blind spot, but also why it's there in the first place. So, that's pretty neat, but then it goes on to show how you can see the network of blood vessels in your eye that your brain usually ignores. You can do it using your own hands and the computer screen. Without mirrors. Without microscopes. See the inside of your own eye. My mind is pretty much blown. Kick Ass Oregon History is hosting a Diorama Contest! Since entries for this contest are in the form of photographs, I thought the contest lent itself well to a diorama that doesn't hold up to transport, or, well, time. My Oregon History diorama chronicles the Tillamook Burn. I was quite pleased that an angry fire demon decided to appear for one of my shots. Participants can earn an extra 5 points by bringing their physical creation to the Stumptown Stories show on January 17th at The Jack London Bar (529 SW 4th Ave Portland). Do you think there's any chance I'll get the full 5 points for bringing in my pan of charred remains? Click the photo above to enlarge it, or any of the photos below for a little slide show. What is your favorite part of your state's history? If Oregon is your state (or even if it's not) and you want to create your own Oregon History diorama, entries are due by January 15th, 2012
__The following was originally written by Rosemarie Urquico.
Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve. Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow. She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book. Buy her another cup of coffee. Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice. It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does. She has to give it a shot somehow. Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world. Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who read understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two. Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series. If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 am clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are. You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype. You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots. Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads. Or better yet, date a girl who writes.
f1/32 ISO100 300mm All kinds of shutter speed bracketing, can't remember this one
Like all superlative statements I hear about astronomy in the general media, I was skeptical of this one. Every August, for example, I see floating around the internet a news item: Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been in 50,000 years! Skywatchers take note! Unfortunately, when this was originally circulated, the year was omitted. This was true... in 2003; it has been endlessly circulating since. So, when I heard about this business with an Extreme SuperMoon happening, the closest the moon has been in 18 years, I decided to look a few things up. Here's where I went: Wikipedia: Clean and quick info, with dates of SuperMoons Universe Today: "SuperMoon" or "SuperHype"? Richard Nolle: Coiner of the word "SuperMoon" As it turns out, a regular SuperMoon (or, more technically, perigee-syzygy) happens pretty frequently - a few times a year. Extreme SuperMoons happen often enough - every few years. There was an extreme SuperMoon that happened 18 years ago, and it's possible the intervening ones between then and now qualified as extreme SuperMoons, but just weren't quite as close as on March 8th, 1993. So, it was a real thing. Actual perceived difference between the extreme SuperMoon and a regular full moon: not huge. I always enjoy moon-gazing though, so an excuse to do that is welcome.
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