What would we do without YouTube around to furnish us with our Sunday 'toons?
I know that there are many other things you can watch on YouTube, but the entertainment there is pretty good if you ask me. The 'toons are what I use the most though.
Man, that horse can really prance! Sorta brings back the old Saturday serials, don't it?
Sometimes the older 'toons just crack me up! Lots of work went into making the older ones, ya know. Without 'puters they had to hand draw all the aspects of the 'toons.
Fairy tales always make for good subjects for the 'toon makers, it seems. A little like politics, I reckon.
Well, I reckon that's enough for this morning. Don't want anyone to get spoiled, ya know?
Coffee out on the patio this morning. I've got vanilla cream cookies I'll share!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Can You Say " Doctor Strangelove...?"
Although this might sound like something out of a scifi movie or book, I have no doubt that not only is it real, but that the U.S. has something just like it!
I don't know why anyone would ever believe that we could or would stop creating world destroying weapons after the last world war. You would think that between the drones, bombs, biological weapons, and up coming robots...we would stop and say "enough!" Not very likely, I'm afraid!
During the Cold War, Russia created a fail-safe device for their nuclear weapons arsenal to ensure a second strike capability even if all command and control were to be destroyed. The system (code-named Dead Hand) utilized seismic, light, radioactivity, and pressure sensors to detect an incoming nuclear attack and retaliate if necessary. The best part? The system is almost certainly still operational.
Originally built 25 years ago, the system was created to ensure a nuclear retaliation if Russia were attacked by the US. Should this happen, the system would be triggered by an elaborate network of sensors positioned around Russia, it would then retaliate with an all-out launch of missiles against targets throughout the US.
At the time that Dead Hand was created, many Russian military strategists feared US ballistic nuclear submarines and their first strike capabilities. If the submarines were to stealthily move within Russia’s territorial waters, they could strike with very little notice. This would make it possible for the Americans to destroy the entire Soviet leadership without provoking a retaliation by the leaderless Soviet military. To combat this perceived weakness, the Soviets created Dead Hand to ensure they maintained a second strike capability regardless of a US first strike outcome.
One of the many systems that Dead Hand relies on is an interesting reserve communication system known as “Perimeter.” Perimeter consists of a network of command rockets that are used to transmit launch commands directly to the strategic missile launchers. Once Perimeter received commands to proceed, the rockets would be launched and begin broadcasting launch orders to the missile launch sites continuously for up to 50 minutes. This ensured that, even if communication networks were disabled, launch commands could still be sent to strategic missile regiments in the field and a nuclear strike could proceed.
In typical Cold War–era reasoning, Dead Hand was just one more level of annihilation stacked on top of the already terrifying idea of mutual self-destruction, perhaps (theoretically) giving the Americans one more reason to pause their itchy trigger fingers. However, the scariest part of Dead Hand is the fact that it does not require human intervention at all. If an event, like an asteroid, triggers its detectors in any way that resemble a nuclear attack, Dead Hand is more than capable of beginning the process of nuclear annihilation all on its own. According to reports, it would attempt to contact political and military leaders, and if they could not be contacted within a specified period of time, it could decide its own time for retaliation.
All is not lost it seems, as Russia had the good sense to place human intervention somewhere within this process. Situated deep underground in a bunker sit three Russian duty officers who decide whether or not to begin Armageddon. It rests in their good hands to question whether said event passed from Dead Hand was an actual nuclear attack or something of a much more benign nature. If it is determined that a real attack had occurred and the Moscow leadership had been destroyed or was unreachable, they were tasked with deciding whether or not to initiate the Perimeter system and launch all their remaining missiles.
Luckily for us Russia did not go through with their original, fully automatic version of Dead Hand . . . assuming that we take them at their word on that particular point. What do you say, Ukraine?
Now don't blame me for this article. I found it over at KnowledgeNuts! Just remember to not shoot the messenger, OK?
Coffee out on the patio again. Still nice and cool in the mornings.
I don't know why anyone would ever believe that we could or would stop creating world destroying weapons after the last world war. You would think that between the drones, bombs, biological weapons, and up coming robots...we would stop and say "enough!" Not very likely, I'm afraid!
‘Dead Hand,’ Russia’s Terrifying Doomsday Device
By Chris McQ on Wednesday, March 26, 2014
During the Cold War, Russia created a fail-safe device for their nuclear weapons arsenal to ensure a second strike capability even if all command and control were to be destroyed. The system (code-named Dead Hand) utilized seismic, light, radioactivity, and pressure sensors to detect an incoming nuclear attack and retaliate if necessary. The best part? The system is almost certainly still operational.
Originally built 25 years ago, the system was created to ensure a nuclear retaliation if Russia were attacked by the US. Should this happen, the system would be triggered by an elaborate network of sensors positioned around Russia, it would then retaliate with an all-out launch of missiles against targets throughout the US.
At the time that Dead Hand was created, many Russian military strategists feared US ballistic nuclear submarines and their first strike capabilities. If the submarines were to stealthily move within Russia’s territorial waters, they could strike with very little notice. This would make it possible for the Americans to destroy the entire Soviet leadership without provoking a retaliation by the leaderless Soviet military. To combat this perceived weakness, the Soviets created Dead Hand to ensure they maintained a second strike capability regardless of a US first strike outcome.
One of the many systems that Dead Hand relies on is an interesting reserve communication system known as “Perimeter.” Perimeter consists of a network of command rockets that are used to transmit launch commands directly to the strategic missile launchers. Once Perimeter received commands to proceed, the rockets would be launched and begin broadcasting launch orders to the missile launch sites continuously for up to 50 minutes. This ensured that, even if communication networks were disabled, launch commands could still be sent to strategic missile regiments in the field and a nuclear strike could proceed.
In typical Cold War–era reasoning, Dead Hand was just one more level of annihilation stacked on top of the already terrifying idea of mutual self-destruction, perhaps (theoretically) giving the Americans one more reason to pause their itchy trigger fingers. However, the scariest part of Dead Hand is the fact that it does not require human intervention at all. If an event, like an asteroid, triggers its detectors in any way that resemble a nuclear attack, Dead Hand is more than capable of beginning the process of nuclear annihilation all on its own. According to reports, it would attempt to contact political and military leaders, and if they could not be contacted within a specified period of time, it could decide its own time for retaliation.
All is not lost it seems, as Russia had the good sense to place human intervention somewhere within this process. Situated deep underground in a bunker sit three Russian duty officers who decide whether or not to begin Armageddon. It rests in their good hands to question whether said event passed from Dead Hand was an actual nuclear attack or something of a much more benign nature. If it is determined that a real attack had occurred and the Moscow leadership had been destroyed or was unreachable, they were tasked with deciding whether or not to initiate the Perimeter system and launch all their remaining missiles.
Luckily for us Russia did not go through with their original, fully automatic version of Dead Hand . . . assuming that we take them at their word on that particular point. What do you say, Ukraine?
Now don't blame me for this article. I found it over at KnowledgeNuts! Just remember to not shoot the messenger, OK?
Coffee out on the patio again. Still nice and cool in the mornings.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Slow But Smart...!
Being slow doesn't mean you're not smart. Sometimes winning the race is more about intelligence than foot speed.
See what I mean?
Coffee out on the patio this morning! Have a great day!
See what I mean?
Coffee out on the patio this morning! Have a great day!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
The Fan Of Death...!
It always amazes me how a simple bit of misinformation or an outright lie can cause a true panic in a large number of folks.
Many stories like the following one from Listverse could be stopped in it's tracks if people would have used a little common sense!
Fan death is a South Korean urban legend (also found in Japan) which states that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can cause the death of those inside (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia). Fans manufactured and sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on. This is so widely believed that the press report it as fact: “The heat wave which has encompassed Korea for about a week, has generated various heat-related accidents and deaths. At least 10 people died from the effects of electric fans which can remove oxygen from the air and lower body temperatures” [Korea Herald, July 28, 1997]
This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from Wikipedia.
Just imagine! If a rumor like that was to ever be believed here in the southern states with Summer coming on, the deaths would probably be a lot higher than in Korea or Japan! I say that because of how many folks tend to take anything the media says as gospel, know what I mean? Sad but true!
Coffee out on the patio this morning. Want me to bring out a fan?
Many stories like the following one from Listverse could be stopped in it's tracks if people would have used a little common sense!
Fan Death
Fan death is a South Korean urban legend (also found in Japan) which states that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can cause the death of those inside (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia). Fans manufactured and sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on. This is so widely believed that the press report it as fact: “The heat wave which has encompassed Korea for about a week, has generated various heat-related accidents and deaths. At least 10 people died from the effects of electric fans which can remove oxygen from the air and lower body temperatures” [Korea Herald, July 28, 1997]
This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from Wikipedia.
Just imagine! If a rumor like that was to ever be believed here in the southern states with Summer coming on, the deaths would probably be a lot higher than in Korea or Japan! I say that because of how many folks tend to take anything the media says as gospel, know what I mean? Sad but true!
Coffee out on the patio this morning. Want me to bring out a fan?
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
John B. Jones On Western Wednesday...!
There are so many stories of the Texas Rangers and the men that were part of that organization, it's hard to choose the ones that stood out the most.
Probably the reason that Jon B. Jones might be remembered is the fact that he and his men were the ones to put an end to Sam Bass. Fairly well known to folks living around Georgetown and Round Rock in central Texas, Bass was one of those men made bigger and badder by the legends he spawned instead of how he actually was in real life!
Born in Fairfield District, South Carolina, in 1834, Jones moved to Texas with his father when he was a small boy. After graduating from Mt. Zion College in South Carolina, he returned to his home in Texas to enlist in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Talented and ambitious, he eventually rose to the rank of adjutant general. Jones took the defeat of the Confederacy hard, and after the war, he spent some time traveling in Mexico and Brazil trying to establish a colony for other disgruntled former Confederates. After determining that the colonial schemes held little promise for success, he returned to Texas where his military experience won him a major's commission with the Texas Rangers on this day in 1874.
Jones commanded the Frontier Battalion, a force of about 500 men stationed along the Texas frontier from the Red River to the Rio Grande. His mission was two-fold: to keep hostile-border Indians out of Texas and control the outlaws within Texas.
His first Indian fight came less than six weeks later. While patrolling near Jacksboro, Texas, with 28 men, Jones spotted a band of more than 100 Indians that he thought were hostile Kiowa, Commanche, and Apache. Displaying more courage than wisdom, Jones directed his small band to attack the larger force of Indians. In the ensuing battle, two of the Rangers were killed and two wounded, but they were lucky to escape without more serious losses. Chastened, Jones acted with greater care in his subsequent battles with Indians, and his force eventually became highly effective in repulsing invasions.
Four years later, Jones took on one of the most notorious outlaws on the Texas frontier, Sam Bass. For some months, Bass and his gang had been staging train robberies in Texas. Although most of the robberies failed to net much money because Bass and his partners were incompetent amateurs, the people of Texas demanded that Bass be stopped. The Texas government turned to Jones, ordering him to use his Rangers to run Bass down. Seizing on the drama of the chase, the press dubbed the affair the "Bass War."
For four months, Bass led Jones and his Rangers on a wild chase through Texas. In July 1878, Jones learned that Bass was planning to rob the bank in Round Rock, Texas. When Bass did hit the bank, Jones and his Rangers were waiting. Bass was badly wounded in the ensuing gun battle, and he died several days later. Strangely enough, Bass later became a legend, portrayed as good-natured Robin Hood, while Jones has largely been forgotten. Jones continued to command the Frontier Battalion until he died of natural causes in 1881 at the age of 46.
For someone in the Texas Rangers, especially a major, to die of natural causes is really something. All too often, that just didn't happen considering the nature of their jobs. Still, 46 is fairly young for anyone to pass on, even then!
Coffee out on the patio again this morning! Short of the 90's today, so that's a good thing!
Probably the reason that Jon B. Jones might be remembered is the fact that he and his men were the ones to put an end to Sam Bass. Fairly well known to folks living around Georgetown and Round Rock in central Texas, Bass was one of those men made bigger and badder by the legends he spawned instead of how he actually was in real life!
John B. Jones becomes major in Texas Rangers
Born in Fairfield District, South Carolina, in 1834, Jones moved to Texas with his father when he was a small boy. After graduating from Mt. Zion College in South Carolina, he returned to his home in Texas to enlist in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Talented and ambitious, he eventually rose to the rank of adjutant general. Jones took the defeat of the Confederacy hard, and after the war, he spent some time traveling in Mexico and Brazil trying to establish a colony for other disgruntled former Confederates. After determining that the colonial schemes held little promise for success, he returned to Texas where his military experience won him a major's commission with the Texas Rangers on this day in 1874.
Jones commanded the Frontier Battalion, a force of about 500 men stationed along the Texas frontier from the Red River to the Rio Grande. His mission was two-fold: to keep hostile-border Indians out of Texas and control the outlaws within Texas.
His first Indian fight came less than six weeks later. While patrolling near Jacksboro, Texas, with 28 men, Jones spotted a band of more than 100 Indians that he thought were hostile Kiowa, Commanche, and Apache. Displaying more courage than wisdom, Jones directed his small band to attack the larger force of Indians. In the ensuing battle, two of the Rangers were killed and two wounded, but they were lucky to escape without more serious losses. Chastened, Jones acted with greater care in his subsequent battles with Indians, and his force eventually became highly effective in repulsing invasions.
Four years later, Jones took on one of the most notorious outlaws on the Texas frontier, Sam Bass. For some months, Bass and his gang had been staging train robberies in Texas. Although most of the robberies failed to net much money because Bass and his partners were incompetent amateurs, the people of Texas demanded that Bass be stopped. The Texas government turned to Jones, ordering him to use his Rangers to run Bass down. Seizing on the drama of the chase, the press dubbed the affair the "Bass War."
For four months, Bass led Jones and his Rangers on a wild chase through Texas. In July 1878, Jones learned that Bass was planning to rob the bank in Round Rock, Texas. When Bass did hit the bank, Jones and his Rangers were waiting. Bass was badly wounded in the ensuing gun battle, and he died several days later. Strangely enough, Bass later became a legend, portrayed as good-natured Robin Hood, while Jones has largely been forgotten. Jones continued to command the Frontier Battalion until he died of natural causes in 1881 at the age of 46.
For someone in the Texas Rangers, especially a major, to die of natural causes is really something. All too often, that just didn't happen considering the nature of their jobs. Still, 46 is fairly young for anyone to pass on, even then!
Coffee out on the patio again this morning! Short of the 90's today, so that's a good thing!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Eye Candy For Tuesday...!
I don't get thew chance very often to share something really beautiful with my readers, so I figured that today I would do just that!
Nature has many strange and beautiful places waiting to be seen and enjoyed. Way too often, we don't even stop long enough to appreciate the beauty in our own yards, and that's too bad. Today I want you to see someplace almost impossible to describe to somebody that hasn't at least seen a picture!
The Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park is located in southwest China and contains more than a few unusual features. Probably the most startling are the multicolored mountains known as Danxia landforms. The surreal coloration comes from red sandstone and natural mineral deposits that have formed over the course of 24 million years. Each “stripe” constitutes a different mineral, and over the ages, they’ve formed layer upon layer, resulting in a rainbow pattern. Erosion from wind and rain has further polished the surfaces of the mountains.
China is the only place in the world with this type of mineral formation, and a few of the landforms have become UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The town of Zhangye has capitalized on the international interest in the Danxia landforms, and there are dozens of separate tour companies leading groups into the rainbow mountains.
Looks like a page right out of a coloring book, don't ya think? At the very least it resembles a very nice painting! Either way, it makes for a pleasant scene!
Coffee outside today. It should be a tad cooler than the 92 we had yesterday!
Nature has many strange and beautiful places waiting to be seen and enjoyed. Way too often, we don't even stop long enough to appreciate the beauty in our own yards, and that's too bad. Today I want you to see someplace almost impossible to describe to somebody that hasn't at least seen a picture!
Zhangye Danxia
The Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park is located in southwest China and contains more than a few unusual features. Probably the most startling are the multicolored mountains known as Danxia landforms. The surreal coloration comes from red sandstone and natural mineral deposits that have formed over the course of 24 million years. Each “stripe” constitutes a different mineral, and over the ages, they’ve formed layer upon layer, resulting in a rainbow pattern. Erosion from wind and rain has further polished the surfaces of the mountains.
China is the only place in the world with this type of mineral formation, and a few of the landforms have become UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The town of Zhangye has capitalized on the international interest in the Danxia landforms, and there are dozens of separate tour companies leading groups into the rainbow mountains.
Looks like a page right out of a coloring book, don't ya think? At the very least it resembles a very nice painting! Either way, it makes for a pleasant scene!
Coffee outside today. It should be a tad cooler than the 92 we had yesterday!
Monday, April 28, 2014
Egg Head For Monday Mystery...!
Once in a while, we get something on our mystery search that calls for further examination. Today is one of those times!
Unfortunately, no one can give us any idea about this mystery other than what people already know! Strange looking, pretty in a strange sort of way, ya know?
Construction workers digging near New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee uncovered a very unusual item in 1872. It was a black stone egg, about 10 centimeters (4 in) tall, carved with images. It was described as “remarkable” and a “wonder of the scientific world.” Nothing similar has ever been found anywhere in the United States to this day. It’s known as the “Mystery Stone.”
The carvings offered few clues as to the stone’s origins. The front of the egg shows a face. There’s an ear of corn on the side, a circle containing depictions of animal parts, a spiral, a crescent moon, and various patterns made of lines and dots. There are holes drilled into the top and bottom, which are too regular to have been created by pre–19th century technology, suggesting the stone was crafted not long before it was found.
No one recorded details about the stone’s discovery. We don’t know the exact site where it was found or how deep it lay. The type of rock it’s made from isn’t usually found in New Hampshire. After close to 150 years of investigation, we know no more than this: Someone created it for some reason at some point and it ended up buried.
Sure would look good on my desk, but who knows what kind of strange curse or bad luck might be attached to it? I reckon I'll just be happy to leave it be, if you know what I mean!
Coffee out on the patio this morning. They say rain is in the forecast, but we'll take a chance!
Unfortunately, no one can give us any idea about this mystery other than what people already know! Strange looking, pretty in a strange sort of way, ya know?
Mystery Stone
Construction workers digging near New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee uncovered a very unusual item in 1872. It was a black stone egg, about 10 centimeters (4 in) tall, carved with images. It was described as “remarkable” and a “wonder of the scientific world.” Nothing similar has ever been found anywhere in the United States to this day. It’s known as the “Mystery Stone.”
The carvings offered few clues as to the stone’s origins. The front of the egg shows a face. There’s an ear of corn on the side, a circle containing depictions of animal parts, a spiral, a crescent moon, and various patterns made of lines and dots. There are holes drilled into the top and bottom, which are too regular to have been created by pre–19th century technology, suggesting the stone was crafted not long before it was found.
No one recorded details about the stone’s discovery. We don’t know the exact site where it was found or how deep it lay. The type of rock it’s made from isn’t usually found in New Hampshire. After close to 150 years of investigation, we know no more than this: Someone created it for some reason at some point and it ended up buried.
Sure would look good on my desk, but who knows what kind of strange curse or bad luck might be attached to it? I reckon I'll just be happy to leave it be, if you know what I mean!
Coffee out on the patio this morning. They say rain is in the forecast, but we'll take a chance!
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