Living

World’s Smallest Particle Accelerator!

SCIENCE NEWS IS REPORTING THAT the humble adhesive-tape dispenser packs more X-ray wallop than the most sophisticated electrical machines:

Forget fancy particle accelerators — a cheaper tool for emitting X-rays is right there in the office supply cabinet. Pulling back Scotch tape emits X-rays, the same high-energy light emanating from airport security scanners and the interiors of galaxy clusters, and scientists now have a better understanding of why.

The radiation becomes human-scale harmless within a hair’s-breadth of generation, but it’s still pretty cool. And important. See the whole story: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/64111/title/Tale_of_the_tape_

Living

How The World Works

“WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU MISS a deadline?” asked the high-school student shadowing me in my capacity as newspaper reporter.

“You don’t,” I replied.

“No, I know,” he said. “But what happens if you do?”

I just looked at him. “You don’t,” I repeated. “You just don’t.”

And sometimes, life really is that simple.

Living

Pithyism #144

EVERY TYRANNY IS DESIGNED TO separate us from who we really are — and thus from each other.

Etc, Living

Reb Cat’s Yoga

THE STORY GOES THAT YOGA was first disclosed to an Indian prince by a cat who consented to teach the prince the secrets of feline flexibility. Whether or not that’s true, the cat who lives with Ann & I repeatedly teaches the following tranquility-yoga. The position is called “Sleeping Hand Cat,” and it goes like this:

1. “Let C = a comforting hand-shaped anthropomorphism” — i.e., of God, or Jesus, or Buddha, or your mom or dad, or whatever best evokes your own most watchful-and-protective self.* The literality of this visioning is not as important as the feeling.

2. Lay on your left side in the most comfortable manner with a firm but soft pillow under your head. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing until you’re in a relaxed state of awareness.

3. Imagine/visualize C as the pillow beneath your head. Really feel your head cradled and protected, as though nothing can get past your protector to harm you.

4. Continue until sleep overtaketh and give way to pleasant dreams, or until you want to get up. (But why would you want to?)

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* Atheist fanboys may find benefit with Aragorn or Eowen. (But not from their movie versions.)