My Top Ten Favorite Modern Scientists

I just now noticed that pioneering hurricane forecaster William Gray has just died. This got me thinking about how much I respected him and he is one of my favorite modern scientists. That combined with the fact that I recently compiled another top ten list of my birthday experiences yesterday, which still being on my mind, inspired me to compile this list while the names are fresh in my mind.  Note: this list is subject to change!

1. Dr. Kate Hutton (Caltech seismologist, earthquake researcher and educator 1977-2015)
2. Dr. Allen Lindh (USGS seismologist, earthquake researcher 1970-2003)
3. Dr. Howard Bluestein (U. of OK meteorologist, tornado researcher 1976-present)
4. Dr. Costas Synolakis (USC tsunami researcher)
5. Dr. William Gray ( Colorado State U. meteorologist, hurricane researcher 1961-2005)
6. Dr. George Plafker (USGS seismologist, earthquake & tsunami researcher 1951-1965, 1962-1995)
7. Dr. Ted Fujita (U. of Chicago meteorologist, tornado researcher 1953-1990)
8. Dr. William Patzert (JPL oceanographer and climatologist 1983-present)
9. Dr. Stephen J. Pyne (Arizona State U. professor of life sciences, wildfire researcher & historian)
10. Dr. Richard Feynman (Caltech physicist, Nobel Prize winner & noted lecturer 1949-1985)

Picture of the Day - Fire Of Ill Omen

This was the scene at dusk last night in Dillon Beach, CA. The fire scorched 5 acres of dune grass threatening 19 structures nearby as well as Lawson's Landing Resort. What is ominous about this is that the fire occurred in mid-April in the evening at the coast north of the Bay Area after recent rains and in the ebb flow of a powerful El Nino rainy season which dumped a lot of precipitation on Northern California. If despite all that this grass burned in this fashion lat night then what awaits California over the course of this incipient fire season as the ongoing drought deepens despite the recent rainy reprieve. Photo courtesy of Marin County FD via Twitter (all rights reserved).

My Top Ten Reflections On Turning 46

Today I turned 46 years old at about 4 a.m. this morning. It has been a strange journey getting here and I have no reason to doubt that will continue. However, God is great and has seen me along my journey every step of the way... even during those times in which I was not acknowledging Him, which sadly, would be most of this journey until recently. Below are my top ten reflections upon this milestone.

1. No birthday sex for me again this year.... of course I'd put that first, I'm a guy!
2. I feel more middle aged now than I ever have before... actually, I feel middle aged at all for the first time ever in my life.... probably more from the physical and emotional strain of the weight I've gained.
3. I spent the day with my mother and grandmother in Fremont, CA, (mom and I drove up there together for the day) on my birthday for the first time in longer than I can remember. 
4. Celebrating my birthday in Fremont was not originally planned for the day until about week or two before and turned out to be my most memorable birthday in years.... for all the right reasons as the day was magical. 
5. At grandmother's senior living apartment complex I tried their counterweight scale and discovered my own electronic scale at home is off by about six pounds... and I actually weigh 300 pounds precisely!
6. Mom and I had been worried about my grandmother's health deteriorating over the past year due to her pelvis-breaking fall last year and her minor heart attack several weeks ago.... part of the reason for spending day with her was to check on her.... she seems as robust now as before her fall last year!
7. All three of us have had a rough past six months or so: grandmother had the fall and pelvic break last year and recent minor heart attack, mom had a series of medical problems during this time which saw her in the hospital more than once, and I have achieved my heaviest weight ever as I continue to gain weight while going to Cal Poly. 
8. One of the servers at grandmother's senior living apartment complex caught my eye. Aside from being a naturally beautiful young woman, her rather un-American demeanor and personality (she being an immigrant from southwestern Asia) was appealing and refreshing as she was demure, reserved, gracious, patient, kind, and classy in a way most American females fall short of in one or more ways.
9. Once again mom and I got into a weighty discussion and analysis of family history and the big picture in our lives as we always seem to do driving to and from Fremont (especially back from in the evening en route home). We've been doing this for the past few to several years running.
10. My Facebook people showed up for my birthday as 160 different people from various aspects of my life (church, high school, college, rockhounding world, J. Vernon McGee listeners, etc.) who are in my Facebook world wished me birthday greetings.
11. Did I mention I did not get birthday sex again this year?

Ice Rain Is Cool And Hot

As I stated in a previous post this week, I find my primary musical home to be in the electronica sub-genre of progressive house and deep house. However, that is not to say I do not still derive great pleasure from listening to trance music, especially progressive trance and old school trance from the Golden Age of trance music in the 1990's. Below is one such track is the Solid Sleeps Cyber Rain Mix of "Ice Rain" by Alex Whitcombe And Big C which I have been listening to lately on my car stereo while playing Tiesto's 1998 Magik Earth: Far From Earth album. I love the psychedelic water graphics of the accompanying music video which together really capture the culture of the time. I missed out on it apart from starting to listen to the music in early 2001. During that period I found this sort of music and this song in particular healing to my mind and soul.

I'm What's Wrong With America

I encountered this tongue-in-cheek internet meme today and can proudly say I immediately recognized the character on the right (Michel Foucault) and yet still have no idea of what is on the right although I recognize it is either manga or anime.

This Doesn't Cut Me Down

I have come to realize that my musical home is no longer trance music nor any of its variations but rather modern house music, especially progressive house and deep house. I recently found "Cut Me Down" by Sasha and remixed by a couple of Lithuanian DJ/producers in a winning effort in a contest. My reaction to this track confirmed this subtle transition in my musical tastes. Note: the image features Navagio Beach, Zakynthos,Greece.

Picture of the Day - Sunset At Greengate

This was the view from Greengate Ranch & Vineyards near Edna, CA, tonight at dusk. We just picked up this client last week and I worked here on our company's inaugural night a week ago as well as tonight. Soon we will have a guard based in the South County so I don't have to drive down here from Paso Robles, I love the location, the grounds, and the people who work here and the guests at both weddings were great. I'll miss working here but 80-ish miles round-trip is too much for half a shift of work. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).