Archive for March, 2009
It came from Denis : How Old Is the Mount St. Helens Lava Dome?
Posted by barista in It came from Denis on 03/24/2009
Today we’re going to point our skeptical eye at one of the key players in the debate between geologists and Young Earthers over the age of the Earth. In June of 1992, Dr. Steven Austin took a sample of dacite from the new lava dome inside Mount St. Helens, the volcano in Washington state. The dacite sample was known to have been formed from a 1986 magma flow, and so its actual age was an established fact. Dr. Austin submitted the sample for radiometric dating to an independent laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The results came back dating the rock to 350,000 years old, with certain compounds within it as old as 2.8 million years. Dr. Austin’s conclusion is that radiometric dating is uselessly unreliable. Critics found that Dr. Austin chose a dating technique that is inappropriate for the sample tested, and charged that he deliberately used the wrong experiment in order to promote the idea that science fails to show that the Earth is older than the Bible claims. Yet the experiment remains as one of the cornerstones of the Young Earth movement.
http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4146
2010 VW Golf GTI in Saint Tropez
Posted by barista in Vroom vroom on 03/24/2009
Oh I wish I was driving there … and I’ll take this car … in white.
Props to CarScoop for more videos.
Rollover SUV
Posted by barista in Vroom vroom on 03/24/2009
IIHS small SUV Roof Rollover
ARLINGTON, VA — The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is launching a new roof strength rating system to help consumers pick vehicles that will help protect them in rollover crashes. Twelve small SUVs are the first to be put to the test. Only 4 earn the top rating of good. The Volkswagen Tiguan has the strongest rated roof, and the Kia Sportage has the weakest among the 2008-09 models evaluated.
This new rating system is based on Institute research showing that occupants in rollover crashes benefit from stronger roofs. Vehicles rated good must have roofs that are more than twice as strong as minimum federal safety standards require.
The Tiguan, Subaru Forester, Honda Element, and Jeep Patriot earn good ratings. The Suzuki Grand Vitara, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, and Mitsubishi Outlander are rated acceptable. Roofs on the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape are marginal, and the Kia’s is poor.
Props to AutoBlog for showing this information.
The Weekend Report – Mar 21-22
Posted by barista in The Weekend Report on 03/23/2009
Cats. Lots of cats.
I drove to Ottawa for a visit with my friends and I was surrounded by cats wherever I went. I didn’t remember to carry with me the SLR to each “den of evil cats” and take pictures. 
But I do have some to post soon.
Friends. Lots of friends. Lots of food.
A significant change in eating habits takes hold whenever my friends visit or I visit them. We simply eat way too much. I spent the better part of the weekend fighting off the effects of food coma.
The item that held the most attention this weekend was my Sony PRS-505 e-book reader. Everyone who came into contact with it had eyes that sparkled in curiosity and desire. Nice to see that books hold such a strong attraction. For me, the reader is a constant travel companion, making subway and train rides especially pleasant.
iPhone Oregon Trail
I never played the 1970s version of Oregon Trail. According to the ArsTechnica review of this 2009 Apple iPhone/iPod touch version, in the original game:
“Kids learned what it took to bring a party of settlers from Independence, Missouri along the trail that snaked its way west into Oregon territory”
The review is fantastic, given that Erica Sadun let her two daughters play the game, and they become thoroughly engrossed while learning about history. More games should be like this. And the price is right: 6$.
Blue Logic
Jon “Hannibal” Stokes, ArsTechnica’s co-founder and Senior CPU Editor, does a good job reviewing what logic may lie behind IBM’s apparent interest in Sun Microsystems.
JD Power 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study Results
Posted by barista in Vroom vroom on 03/19/2009
JD Power releasead the 2009 Edition of the study.
Quote from the Press Release :
“In the current economic climate, consumers are delaying new-vehicle purchases and keeping their vehicles longer—the average age of a vehicle at trade-in has increased to 73 months in 2009 from 65 months in 2006,” said Sargent. “This makes vehicle dependability even more critical. Automakers have improved long-term dependability by an average of 10 percent each year since the inception of the study, which is a testament to the industry’s commitment to continuously improve and sustain quality, especially long-term quality. Making improvements in long-term quality not only satisfies customers who are holding onto their vehicles longer, but it will also influence their decisions when they return to the new-vehicle market or are seeking to purchase a pre-owned vehicle.”
Common Sense
Posted by barista in Vroom vroom on 03/19/2009
New cars aren’t selling well; people are repairing their older cars.
There goes the Sun
Posted by barista in Interweeb! on 03/18/2009
Rumors. Rumors are potent forces in this world.
Rumor that has many folks wagging their tongues today is that IBM may purchase Sun Microsystems.
The only part of the rumor that makes me ponder its value is that IBM may offload the hardware division on Fujitsu, Sun’s partner in CPU designs.
Sadly, instead of the Beatles diddy, I keep thinking the song that’s most appropriate is:
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, Im gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
First Drive: Kia Soul
Posted by barista in Vroom vroom on 03/18/2009
Autoblog has done the first drive of the Kia Soul. The article has many nice pictures and a good impression of the car. Starting price in Canada is under 16,000$, so good value for a 10 year/100,000 km warrantied vehicle.
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