I downloaded Google Chrome, the new browser. The comic book claims that it will be faster.  So far it seems to be.  And the GammaBlog displays the way it should. This makes me happy.

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InstaCalc is a really cool online calculator. The version on their website has more options.

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This is a tip of the hat to a freeware file finder that helped me with a tricky blog formatting problem. Agent Ransack allows you to search for text strings within files, and it seems to do a much better job than Windows XP’s search function. Also it displays the surrounding text without having to open the file. Download Agent Ransack

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Trouvelot Astronomy – In 1875 Étienne Léopold Trouvelot, using the [Harvard] observatory’s 15-inch refracting telescope, produced this drawing of sunspots. At the time the human eye could detect more detail than photgraphic plates. (modern photos of sunspots) Trouvelot is also noted for the introduction of the Gypsy Moth to the U.S. More of thes illustrations on the marvelous BibliOdyssey Blog, which gathers amazing illustrations from old books. This illustration is from the New York Public Library’s collection. Via BoingBoing

Filed under: Art- , Blogs, Good Sites, Science - by gamma
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Consider using the “Egyptian Method”: wet a sheet or bath towel that is large enough to cover you with cool or cold water, and wring it or run it through the spin cycle on a washing machine until the sheet is quite damp but not dripping wet. Place the dry towel or sheet on your bed underneath your body and use the wet sheet as your blanket. The damp blanket will keep you cool. A tip that I might end up using before the Summer is over. From How to Sleep Comfortably on a Hot Night

UPDATE 8/1/06: I tried this last night using a thin beach towel and it worked really well. With a fan blowing over me I was comfortably chilled. A heat index hovering around 110 is predicted for the next three days. The higher the humidity the less effective evaporative cooling is. This will be a real test for the Egyptian method. The wet towel on the neck technique, below, also works.

Place wet towel on the back of your neck and also the top of one’s head. Athletic team doctors have used this for years!