Christopher McKitterick

I've been a big baby about the temperatures lately, so haven't yet tried to start the Hot-Rod Newport since rebuilding the valvetrain. With temps in the teens and single digits, MY digits simply don't want to hold metal tools and parts outside... where the car rests beneath its carport. Last week, though, I made some progress: Finished pulling apart the valvetrain, replaced a total of three pushrods, replaced one pair of roller lifters, ground smooth two banged-up rocker arms, adjusted every single lifter-pushrod-rocker team to 1/4-turn of preload (the best I could identify for how my Comp Cams roller lifters should be adjusted), reinstalled a new valley-pan and intake manifold and associated hoses and wires, and replaced the valve covers. ALMOST READY TO START. Here's some of the carnage (those pushrods should be straight, and the loose bits should be attached):



Aaargh, it's painful being so close, yet.... Oh, and I bought a really nice-looking, waterproof, fleece-lined, 7-layer car cover to protect the machine until spring... assuming I can get the thing started, drive it to the car-wash, wax the hell out of it, then drive it home (I really don't want to turn my driveway into an ice-rink). Soon, soon.

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Now to put "cold" into perspective: Check out the coldest place on Earth, a ridge high atop Antarctica's East Plateau, where temperatures can dip below -133° F (-92° C) on a clear winter night. Yes, that's NEGATIVE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE DEGREES, aka NEARLY ONE HUNDRED DEGREES BELOW FREEZING in either temp scale:

"" (Watch on YouTube)

Of course, that's a balmy-sounding 181° Kelvin. Which would make me sweat just thinking about it. IF MY FINGERTIPS WEREN'T FREEZING OFF.

Maybe this place is what Dante was thinking about when he planted ol' Lucifer in ice he couldn't escape.



Scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center made the discovery while analyzing the most-detailed global surface temperature maps to date, gathered using remote-sensing satellites like NASA's Aqua satellite and Landsat 8.

They need to use this level of sensor equipment because thermometers won't even work at such temperatures.

Neither do human beings. Heck, I bet even ice falls apart at temps like that.

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Speaking of cold humans, a plug for clevermanka's Etsy shop:

Are you or those you love suffering from chilly legs during this cold snap? Looking for the perfect Xmas gift for your skirt- (or kilt!) wearing friends? Then check out the Bloomershop Etsy shop, which is having a 20% off sale right now! Use the code "TOASTIES" to get the special discount. Lydia makes custom bloomers, too, if you prefer different fabric or trim, or need a special size. Support independent makers for your gifting needs! Plus they're just plain fun.

Chris

The Cassini spacecraft has been working Saturn for a while, but WOW has it ever sent us a couple of amazing shots lately! First up, check out this AMAZING shot of Saturn eclipsing the Sun:


Click the image to see the APOD page.

In 2006, Cassini spent about 12 hours in the giant planet's shadow looking toward the eclipsed Sun and photographed many wonders: The night side of Saturn is lit by light reflected from its own majestic ring system. Normally, the rings appear dark when silhouetted against Saturn, but bright when viewed away from Saturn, scattering sunlight in this exaggerated color image. Saturn's rings light up so much that scientists even discovered new rings! Particularly nice is Saturn's E ring, created by the newly discovered ice-fountains of the moon Enceladus, the outermost ring visible. Far in the distance, at the left, just above the bright main rings, is the "pale blue dot" (thanks, Carl Sagan) of Earth.

Next up is a current photo of Saturn displaying its HUGE storm, 8 times the surface area of Earth!


Click the image to see NASA's Saturn-JPL page.

Cassini first detected the storm on December 5, 2010, and it has been raging ever since at approximately 35° north latitude. Cassini photos show the storm wrapping around the entire planet, covering approximately 2 billion square miles (4 billion square kilometers).

The storm is about 500 times larger than the biggest storms we've previously detected. Scientists studied the sounds of the new storm's lightning strikes and analyzed images taken between December 2010 and February 2011 and learned that lightning flashed more than 10 times per second. As you might imagine, the storm is also a prodigious source of radio noise, so if you have a radio telescope now's the time to observe this active world. The lightning is produced in the water clouds, where falling rain and hail generate electricity. The mystery is why Saturn stores energy for decades and releases it all at once.

"Cassini shows us that Saturn is bipolar," said Andrew Ingersoll, Cassini imaging team member. "Saturn is not like Earth and Jupiter, where storms are fairly frequent. Weather on Saturn appears to hum along placidly for years and then erupt violently. I'm excited we saw weather so spectacular on our watch."

Go Saturn go! Too bad it's not in great viewing position right now....

Chris

That Weather.com forecast I posted last night? Well, they got the windchill forecast right at -18°F but were way off on pre-windchill temps: Between 2am and 6am, actual temperatures hovered at -12°F here in Lawrence, KS.

How in the frozen hells did the native tribes and especially early pioneers survive the winters here, thousands of miles from stores where they might purchase Duraflame™ logs to warm their sod huts?

Oh, yeah, they often didn't.

BRRR,
Chris

Like NEGATIVE-BAZILLION degrees cold, is what!


Click the image to see the Lawrence, KS, forecast courtesy of Weather.com.

(That's in Fahrenheit, folks.)

I was wondering why the furnace kept running and running tonight. Now I know. I'm not happier possessing this knowledge. In weather like this, don't forget to open your under-sink cupboard doors to ensure that the pipes don't freeze. Same goes for any pipes near outer walls: Expose 'em to inside air! This morning, my walk-in attic (where I store extra wine and soda-pop) was 32°F, and the very edge of the attic (where the roofline meets the front-porch ceiling) was just over 20°F. Yes, I have one of those nifty laser temperature sensors, why do you ask?

Brrrr. Going to bed now.

Chris

If you've been listening to the news, you know that meteorologists are barely able to contain themselves over the glory of the storm currently pummeling most of the US. Here's what it looks like from space:


Click the image to see the WIRED story.

Meteorologists predict that the storm will bury snowfall records across the Midwest. In the East, it’s expected to deliver ice storms that could cause $1 billion in damage. It’s the latest in a string of storms fitting a pattern predicted by climate scientists. As the world warms up, the air can hold more moisture, loading storm systems with more water that’s ultimately dumped back onto the Earth.

Yes, global warming = more dramatic winter weather! It's a wild, wild world. And exciting! SNOWPOCALYPSE FOR ALL!

Chris

So far, Lawrence, KS, has gotten 8" with at least 3" more to come! Looking out from my home-office window at the snowfall:



On the plus side, my dentist canceled my appointment today; in the negative column, I rescheduled for Friday.

But look, SNOW!

Chris

Wow, this is amazing. The massive storm that caused the huge storms all across the country earlier this week set a new record for low pressure in a non-tropical storm in the continental U.S. with a minimum central pressure of 28.24" or 956 mb, the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane. Extratropical storms like this one occur in the spring and fall when the temperature differential between the north of the country and the south of the country is greater. This week's storm produced 24 tornado reports, severe thunderstorms, blizzard conditions, hundreds of thousands of power outages, and winds that reached 77 mph.



Shades of Day After Tomorrow.

Thanks, Bamm!

Chris

Just measured the temp in my back yard: 106°F in the shade (Lawrence, Kansas). Heat index? Add 10°F. Hello, summer. Thankfully, Friday evening will be a few degrees cooler and shady for the Douglas County Fair's demolition derby.

It's so hot that breathing feels like inhaling jet exhaust. It's so hot... (your turn)...

Perhaps you heard that a 62-foot-tall and 40-foot-wide statue of "Touchdown Jesus" was struck by lightning and burned to the ground on Tuesday, leaving only a blackened steel skeleton and chunks of smoldering foam.

Before Wrathful Lightning Strike:


After Wrathful Lightning Strike:

Click the images to see the story.

The church has announced plans to rebuild a bigger, better, fireproof Jesus statue by year's end. Um, folks, weren't you listening the first time? Now you're really asking for it.

Let me point you to a related story:

In 2003, actor Jim "Torture-Porn Jesus" Caviezel was struck by lightning - TWICE - during the filming of Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ. My favorite quote, from producer Steve McEveety: "I'm about 100 feet away from them when I glance over and see smoke coming out of Caviezel's ears."

Let this be a lesson, idolaters! The Big Guy is watching!


Click the image to see the UWEC lightning project.

In other news, early this morning I sent off the finished, edited, outta-my-hands copy of my novel, Transcendence, to my publisher, ericreynolds of Hadley Rille Books.

*Happy Dance of Done-Ness*

Chris

Only, DUDE, not at 3:00am. A massive thunder-boomer just shook the house so violently that I could hear glasses rattling downstairs, and the walls shook a picture crooked. I gave up trying to sleep a couple of hours ago....

I see that we've been under a tornado watch, too. Cool beans. But I'd have been happier with all this drama about 12 hours ago.

Chris