Category Archives: Science and Technology

Working in her pajamas

PBS had an interesting presentation about a millennial who is trying to describe what work is when one is so into social media. I’m not sure of any lesson learned, but I found it interesting that she felt towards the … Continue reading

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“WeCroak”

I’m somewhat shocked about this one, an app for your phone reminding us 5 times a day that we’re going to die. Wow. I felt like death was my constant companion when I was in Critical Care Medicine where mortality was … Continue reading

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Skyline presentation: “Genetic Engineering – from virus to people”

 

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“Hit Refresh”

Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, is not only a peak at the future of technology, but also is a remarkably insightful road-map of how to invent our future. Hit refresh is something we do to renew a page … Continue reading

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Californa’s smoke and carbon monoxide offshore

From December 11: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=91427&src=eoa-iotd  

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Alexa, fix Seattle!

Lately I’ve been reading Hit Refresh, the best-selling autobiography of Satya Nadella in which this CEO gives his philosophy of making Microsoft a more empathetic yet successful leader in transforming technology. But what does this really have to do with Seattle’s problems … Continue reading

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‘Sometimes inspiration for big ideas comes from really unexpected places’

 

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“Alexa – call Skyline”

When my techie son gave me an echo dot (now on sale at Amazon for $29.99), I felt the last thing I needed was another gadget. But this one turns out to do some amazing things. Today I tried something new … Continue reading

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Is technology good – or perhaps really evil?

Is technology bringing us together or driving up apart. David Brooks addresses this in a recent NYT OpEd in which he outlines the evils (or potential evils) of screen technologies. There may be purposeful addiction, disruption of social interaction and … Continue reading

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Amazon Alexa Silver for seniors – debuts on SNL

I must admit I have a totally unnecessary gadget – the Amazon Alexa. If I’m too busy to call my daughter, Alexa will do it for me. If I say “Alexa, what’s up?” She gives me the latest news and … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Science and Technology | 2 Comments

Let’s (not) go phishing

Sally Soest reminds us that emails can be an easy way for us to be exposed to malware, ransomware and fraud. Wisely she called her bank rather than responding to a “phishy” email about her account. Beware when an email … Continue reading

Posted in Finance, Safety, Scams, Science and Technology | 1 Comment

160 year old Big Ben still keeps time

From Dorothy Wendler

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“High pressure ridges” and the jet stream meanders

Keep hearing of a “ridge of high pressure” in the weather forecast?  Here are two. The top is Arctic and Alaska, the star is Seattle, and you can spot Baja California.  Oriented?  Note the polar jet stream coming across the Pacific, … Continue reading

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Does Amazon Alexa have a future in diabetes management support?

Amazon’s Alexa is a lot of fun. However, it may be more that just a toy or household helper. What if voice activation could help you with diabetes control or call 911 if you fall and can’t reach your pendant? … Continue reading

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The wide eraser and Florida

The first thing to note is just how big it is, relative to the width of the Florida peninsula. The width of the track of hurricane-force winds (74 mph at the edges, 185 in the middle) near PR and Cuba can … Continue reading

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Why not a category 6 (or 7) hurricane

From Gordon Gray and Popular Mechanics: “Dr. Simpson explained the lack of Category 6 (or 7!) storms in a 2001 interview with the Sun-Sentinel by putting it this way: I think it’s immaterial. Because when you get up into winds in excess of 155 … Continue reading

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Buy or lease a new car as we age? Does new technology help the aging driver?

From the NYT: “More than three decades ago, I fell in love with the first minivan I spotted parked in my Brooklyn neighborhood. Though I was never a “soccer mom,” I travel as if there were no stores at my … Continue reading

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Tom Gibbs tells us how Safeco Field came to be

Above is a video of the recent presentation at Skyline. It’s also available on the resident portal.

Posted in Business, History, In the Neighborhood, Politics, Science and Technology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

If the winds had been the other direction

During those BC fires which provided smoke to Washington State in early August, the wind direction farther north at Lake Athabasca was out of the south causing smoke to accumulate in the Arctic.  You can see the situation intensify over … Continue reading

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The deep seas are alive with light

From the NYT:  “People think bioluminescence is some kind of exotic characteristic,” said Séverine Martini, a marine biologist and lead author of the study, published this year in Scientific Reports. “Even oceanographers don’t realize that it’s common.” Her own awakening came one night … Continue reading

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Yesterday’s sunspot movement

You will not see sunspots on Monday, just action around the rim just before totality: corona and the occasional big arch.

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Head in a Box for the Eclipse

Save your big boxes for Monday.  Turn your back to the sun.  Keep the pinhole small (you cannot see them in the photo), less than 1/4 inch, and located well above the head space.  A sheet of white paper can be … Continue reading

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Mendeleev: The chemist, the vodka and the hot-air balloon

From Ann Milam: Click here for the article on line. “Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834-1907) a Russian chemist who created the periodic table of elements. The table went on to have the same transformative effect on the world of science as … Continue reading

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Add Ozone to the miseries of the Seattle Smoke

To quote Cliff Mass: According to Dr. Jaffe, we have not seen [ozone] like this in decades.  So with smoke adding lots of particles into the atmosphere (documented in previous blogs), high ozone levels, a depressing sky with little visibility, and … Continue reading

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Sun Dog at Seattle Sunset

Posted in Photography, Science and Technology | 1 Comment