Triumph and the Weather

Martin sent me this one. Watch out Hawaii!


Triumph Weather Dog - video powered by Metacafe

Governmentium

Researchers recently announced discovery of the heaviest chemical element now known to science. It was named Governmentium. It has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. The 312 particles are held together by forces of morons, which are surrounded by vast numbers of weak particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected as it impedes every reaction which it contacts. A minute amount of Governmentium delayed one reaction for 4 days when it would normally take 3 milliseconds.

Governmentium has a half-life of three years, but it does not decay. Instead, it undergoes a reorganization in which a percentage of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium' s mass actually increases over time, since each reorganization also causes some morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

The characteristic of moron-promotion leads scientists to speculate that Governmentium is formed whenever masses of morons concentrate around water-coolers. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as Critical Morass.

sorry, source unknown

Man rides kite into the air

I believe this one is in the Guiness Book of World Records.

Niigata Dolphin Show

A-Bike

Looks like a great idea for keeping in the car or for around town. They're priced at around $300. I just wonder how long the tires last. There's even a folding helmet to go along!

Guy who can catch sunglasses with his face

This is one of the funniest / coolest videos I've seen this month!

Scouting trip up Hakusan

(click on slide show for additional viewing options and to download the pictures)
On my quest to hike the three sacred peaks of Japan, I made a scouting trip to number two on my list yesterday, Hakusan. I hiked Tateyama with Adam and Katya last year on a spectacular day and hope to duplicate that experience with Hakusan.

I drove out by myself to the furthest point possible, 市ノ瀬 Ichinose parking lot. I had to hike up the road to the 別当出合 Bettoudeai trailhead which took me about 75 minutes, maybe three miles. Along the way I spotted folks coming down from the mountain. Some were day hiking like myself, others were camping and some had passed me on mountain bikes with skiing gear on their backs!

The trail was pretty steep, but could be hiked with my old day-hiking shoes. I'm not so confident about a full push for the summit, but I'll make do with taping my ankles and using a hiking staff. I have a feeling that I'll also need to support my knees as well. I made it up to the 中飯場 Nakahanba waypoint about 4.5km from the summit before the snow was too thick to hike on with my gear. I hit my return-time anyhow so I headed back down, but not before the enjoying the scenery. It was fantastic and I was even blessed with a wonderful view of two amazing waterfalls not far from one of the ridges. I can't wait to return!

Uchinada Kite Festival

(click on slide show for additional viewing options and to download the pictures)
Hyunjoo, Katya, Sheryl and I took off for Uchinada around 10:30 to check out the annual kite festival along the beach near Kanazawa. We were immediately impressed with over 10 massive octopus "kites" flying low over the beach. They were brought by a team that flew out from Berkeley, California. Unfortunately only a few traditional large Japanese kites were flying. And my favorites, the bug kites, were rarely seen that day as well. After getting pumped watching the team sport kite competition, we decided to try it out for ourselves. There were instructors that let you fly a sport kite for yourself. It was a rather difficult design to fly since it wobbled a high speeds and it gave a wicked pull in those winds. We soon switched to my own sport kite and continued having fun taking turns flying it until the winds died down at three. You can find Katya's video from this link.

Shirone Kite Museum

Hyunjoo and I just returned from a short trip to Niigata city. On our way up, we stopped by a fantastic kite museum. They even have facilities for children to make their own kites and test them in an indoor wind tunnel! The vast majority of kites were hand made, even the gargantuan kites in the atrium.