The Squamidian Report – Jan. 17 / 09
Issue #347
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Ever think about the life of a snowflake or raindrop! For the sake of this argument they are pretty much the same. So take a raindrop. It forms from water molecules way up there somewhere. Could be directly overhead or it could have happened many miles away. Once the water vapor has formed into a drop, gravity takes over. It’s about this time that the poor little drop achieves consciousness and becomes aware of itself, hypothetically speaking. I can’t prove that happens and you can’t prove it doesn’t. Now our contented little drop of water (or snow) might happily ride the air currents and updrafts for quite some time. It has the wind at it’s back and not a care in the world. Just like us humans, it has a tendency to put on a bit of weight as it ages and those updrafts can no longer keep it up there. It begins to fall. Of course, it doesn’t know that it is falling. That ever-present ‘wind’ is still at its back and it still does not have a care in the world. After all, it’s world consists of the other drops and perhaps darkness or light, depending on the time of day. So down, down it goes. The only sensation it is aware of is the pressure of the air it is falling through and it feels it as wind. Then, all of a sudden it hits a surface on the earth. Plop. It’s all over, done, finished, end of little raindrop. Its molecules are absorbed back into the cycles of the earth and atmosphere. Almost makes one feel sorry for the little guy.
How’s that for scraping the bottom of the ‘topic barrel’ ?? But here’s something interesting. Did you know that there has been no NEW water on this planet for billions of years now (with the minimal exception of a very small amount deposited by meteor strikes). Every drop of water, every molecule of water you drink, or shower in, or are made up of has been here for that billions of years and has been used over and over. The ultimate in recycling. Every bit of water that gets pooped in, flushed, spread on fires and sprinkled on lawns has been here since water finished forming on this earth. Just something to think about next time you step in a puddle.
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Here’s something interesting… coastal BC is currently enjoying ‘normal’ seasonal weather and temperatures. First time in a long time. That means daytime highs reaching +8 or +10, fog banks out over the water and sunny blue skies inland. Now the funny part is that the high-pressure zone that is giving us our current weather is also creating a thermal inversion. That’s when it actually gets warmer as you climb in elevation. So, up on the mountains where they are skiing, and on places like Brohm Ridge, the temperature is reaching a sunny +15 these days. Gotta love it!
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Now, down to business! It has come to my attention that some of us have not been cleaning out the insides of their computers lately. Myself included! That’s a bad no-no. Dust gets drawn inside the computer case and coats everything with a nice warm insulating layer. Fans and the heat sinks under them are particularly prone to becoming dust covered and even dust choked, plugged right up to the point where no airflow is possible at all. Ironically, the harder a computer is to get at, ie: ones that are crammed into a tight self or stuck back in a corner somewhere are the ones that are most likely to be sucking in massive amounts of dust and dirt. That coating of dust equates to increased heat and heat is very hard on sensitive electronics. It can and will destroy computer hardware.
So, here is your assignment for this week. Shut off the master power switch on the back of your system, then pull the side cover. With your vacuum cleaner wand in one hand and a small artists paintbrush in the other, proceed to gently wipe loose and suck up all that grunge. Brush the fan blades, brush the heat sink vanes (very gently of course) and brush the all the surfaces you can get at. Keep the vacuum nozzle close to the brushing but DO NOT TOUCH anything with it. Once done, check to see that you have not disturbed any connections and then replace the side cover. Turn the master switch back on and everything will be back to normal except that your computer will now be able to keep it’s cool.
doug
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Hello
everyone!
This week
is so far the coldest this winter and it’s going to stay with us for a bit too!
That’s what they tell us anyway. I just say what the heck it’s just another
true Canadian winter. We should be used to it by now! When you’re bundled
properly it’s actually enjoyable to be out doors participating in a sport or
recreational past time or even as I do, get out the snow blower and the shovel
and get at it! If you’ve never used a snow blower they are a lot of fun to use
and if operated properly they are almost effortless to use. The trick is to
work smart when using one. Make sure you check the wind direction so you blow
with the wind rather than against it. It’s akin to that old adage “You don’t
spit into the wind!” Blow with the wind and you lessen the amount you get back
in your face! It looks like we’re in for more snow around KW and that’s fine
with me as long as my TORO keeps hummin’.
*
I hit the
big 6-0 the other day and to my surprise I was treated to lunch on Saturday in
honour of my big day by an old friend that just moved back to Canada after
spending 7 years working in South Carolina and then Texas. We met at Kelsey’s
on Fairway and had a nice lunch and spent a couple of hours catching up on the
years he’s been gone. While sitting in the booth his cell phone rang. Usually I
tend to look upon this as rude when people can’t do without their phone ringing
for a mere hour to enjoy their lunch. This was a different situation since Paul
is on call for his employer and must be available to handle any problems that
come up after hours. This call was from one of his drivers (he runs all the
trucks across Canada for Safety Kleen) who was reporting to his boss that he
and his driver partner were embroiled an avalanche mess in the Rogers Pass in
the mountains of BC. He said they had been waiting out the clearing of the mess
at a truck stop in Rogers Pass for that past two days and would be another day
before getting under way once more. That put him 3 days behind schedule and he
wanted to report that to Paul. Hearing this made me think of all the heavy snow
that Doug has been talking about in BC this year. It seems that BC is really
getting hit with a lot of bad weather. When we think of BC and the Rocky
Mountains we invariably think of snow in the winter but this year seems to be
particularly heavy. I guess the mountains are always treacherous in winter and
one just has to be prepared when driving through them in winter. I think I’m
satisfied with the amount of snow we have here in Ontario and prefer the
flatter streets and highways we have here to those of the big mountains. I’m
sure the mountains are spectacular to see this time of year but they are
dangerous and I like the relative security of our terrain. Having said that, we
still have our share of idiot drivers that don’t slow down during times of
heavy snow and they cause a lot of carnage and deaths by driving dangerously. I
can’t count the number of vehicle collisions I responded to while on the Fire
Dept but the winter ones were particularly bad to attend. Do yourself and other
drivers a favour and SLOW DOWN on these snow laden roads!
That’s it
for this week folks!
Thanks
for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next week in The
Ontarion Report!
Bye for now… Greg.
PS:
Something To Think About>
A
goldfish has a memory span of three seconds!
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Have a good one..
the doug
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