What I Learnt Today

Why so wet?

Counterpoint aired an interview with hydro-climatologist Prof Stewart Franks this week and asked him to explain why it has been so wet.

It appears it is all to do with ENSO*, and once again proves the interconnectedness of all things.

In some years, around Xmas time, the fisherman in Peru have a bumper catch of anchovies.’Ole!’ they say as they feast, ‘Praise to El Nino – the Christ Child (literally ‘the boy’). Pass the patatas bravas, will you?’

Normally, the current along the South American coast Is from South to North, bringing cold water to the equatorial regions. This is known as La Nina – the girl. As a consequence, the ocean temperature is normally 8 degrees colder in the Eastern Pacific (South America) than it is in the Central (Tahiti) or Western Pacific (Austalia).

Sometimes, this cold current slows or ceases, and the water around Peru warms so that it is similar to the temperature in Tahiti. Hooray, more anchovies. This phenomenon (loss of the normal cold current) is the celebrated ‘El Nino’.

Whether El Nino will occur depends on lots of things that we can’t calculate, but by May each year the die is cast, and we can predict whether El Nino or La Nina will arrive at Christmas time.

Meanwhile……The climate in South East Queensland and Northern NSW (known as the ‘Greater Alstonville Area’) is characterized by summer rain.

During La Nina, the water near Tahiti is much warmer than Peru, the air pressure in Tahiti is high, and the breezes blow across the sea towards Australia, picking up moisture as they cross the ocean. Greater Alstonville is at risk of flooding rains – but generally the increased rainfall makes farmers and frogs much happier. (our Peruvian friends will have to choose a different tapas – maybe that ripoff stuffed olive one)

During El Nino, the water near Tahiti is as warm as Peru, and the air pressure in Tahiti is lower than usual, and the winds tend to flow easterly, towards Tahiti. The Greater Alstonville area does not receive the usual moisture bearing ocean winds, and the generous rain they bring. If El Nino dominates for a few years, we have a dry and sunburnt land.

* ENSO stands for El Nino Southern Osciallation. The Southern Oscillation Index is the difference in atmospheric pressure between Darwin and Tahiti. The effect was described by Sir Gilbert Walker, Director-General of British observatories in India early last century – so it has been known about for quite a while. It is low during El Nino and high during La Nina.

So, should we buy shares in Drizabone?

The Bureau of Meterology reports that La Ninas affect on the weather this year is weakening, as it usually does after summer.

In Autumn we’ll know more about what to expect next summer.

The BOM site has a much more detailed description of El Nino, La NIna and the SOI.

In 1988, at age 22, Lieutenant Will Carling became the youngest ever captain of the English Rugby team. In all he played 72 test, 59 as captain, and lead the side to four Five Nation championships.

He was the unsuccessful captain in the 1991 world cup final at Twickenham.

You won’t find Will Carling in this photo.

As a rugby player, he has had quite the celebrity status. At one time the press linked him romantically with Lady Di. Today, 14 years after his retirement, he has 45,000 followers on Twitter. (warne888 has 325,000 followers. Between warne888, willcarling and tlembke we have 370,003 altogether.)

Last Tuesday, these twitter followers were entertained to a blow by blow account of Will’s pursuit of a person who had absconded with an iPad he left behind on a train.

Using the ‘Find My iPhone‘ service in MobileMe, he was able to track the culprit to their apartment block. ‘Find My iPhone‘ is available free online and also as an iPhone or iPad app. It tracks the location of an iPhone and displays it on a google map. (Unfortunately, it can only pinpoint location within a few metres. It is not accurate enough to tell you that the phone is in the back pocket of the pants you wore last week and are now in the bottom of the dirty clothes basket)

WIth ‘Find My iPhone‘ you can send messages to your missing iPhone/iPad, tell it to make noises so you can find it in your home, remote lock it, or remote wipe it (if it is stolen).

The UK’s Daily Telegraph completes the story using Will’s tweets- 

The drama begin after Mr Carling left the portable device on a train on Tuesday.

Using ..’Find My iPhone’.., he narrowed the location of the thief. He then door-knocked 18 doors and left letters appealing for the thief to give back his iPad, but had no success.

“On an adventure! Left my iPad on train yesterday, Doh! Have now tracked it down to a building in Woking. On my way! Could be interesting!,” he tweeted.

“Used the Mobile me tracker. It is in a block of flats! Managed to get in & knock on all 18 doors! No answer surprisingly. So left notes :-O.”

But then the situation took a dramatic turn after he saw that the thief had fled to the local train station, in a situation he described as “like Enemy of the State”, in reference to the Hollywood movie staring Will Smith.

Mr Carling then called police, where he became involved in a “priceless” conversation with the operator, who was clearly a fan.

“The olice (sic) have been notified. So all go in the iPad rescue. Cracking line from the Police lady who was talking to me about old rugby players … priceless :),” he wrote.

He then continued: “Can’t believe this. Mobile me is now showing my iPad near the station round the back of some shops- has it been dumped???”

“Just sent the moving iPad a message telling them they are being tracked! quoted Police crime reference. Shall update soon…..

“The iPad was locked, so they will not know whose it is (unless they have hacked in!) so watching it moving as I type…..”

Mr Carling, who now manages his own management company, later added: “breaking news. iPad is ‘heading’ towards the local Police Station. Feel like a real spy…….

“Just sent the ‘moving’ iPad a message ‘you are very close to the Police Station now….’ would freak you out if you had hold of it….:-).”

To his relief, he then told his followers that he had success. Police had phoned him saying his iPad had been handed in.

It remains unclear if the person who took the iPad was the thief or a good Samaritan who handed it in.

“Result! Police have just called, iPad has been handed over! It was handed into Woking Station. 

Tracked it all on Mobile me – weird / awesome …,” he said.

After turning up at Woking Police station, he was denied a picture with officers but he later posted a photograph of his stolen iPad. He thanked police for their help.

“Rescued iPad! Might check the finger prints on it! Ha ha,” he told his followers.

Mr Carling could not be reached for comment last night. A spokesman for Surrey Police was unavailable for comment. No arrests have been made.

 

(NB This story could also have been titled ‘iPad left on train – later handed in to police’, but it would have been less dramatic)

What I Learnt On 14th February in other years

14th February 2016 Pounds, Sovereigns, Royals, Kwids and Dollars – the path to decimal currency

14th February 2015 A Valentine’s Day Present

Thanks to Mike for sending this (I think)

What I Learnt On 13th February in other years

13th February 2016 More bloody waves…putting Einstein to the test

How’s your backflipping going? 

Looked at the world from upside down lately?

Paddy and Will put the new Oregon Scientific ATC9K HD Action Camera through its paces today.

This little camera is pumping for action – it is shock proof, and water proof to 20m, and can be attached to your helmet, your bike, your hang glider, your parachute, or your head.(?).

Amazingly, it takes High Definition video at 1080p, or you can take stills with its 5 megapixel still camera. It has a LED display so you can watch while you film, a HDMI cord so you can plug it straight into your TV, and a laser pointer so you can see where you are aiming while it is stuck to your head.

It contains a G-force sensor, and a GPS unit is available as a plugin accessory. This allows you to track where you are and how fast you are going while filming. With the included software you can  combine the video action with a map of the course you took.

Using it is very easy.

Paddy and Will think it is sick.

This is their test video in ‘mobile’ quality. The boys will upload a HD version tomorrow.

My cousin Rick has always been cool. 

When I was little, he drove an old army jeep, gave me my first Beatles record (bootleg, no less), played on the wing in the GPS premiership winning First XV, and regularly took me out on his surf mat at Palm Beach.

When I was in third grade, by some strange co-incidence his then girlfriend (Susie) was the unfortunate student teacher assigned to teach us some drama. My connection through Rick meant that I got to play the lead part in ‘Rinse the Blood Off My Toga‘.

Flavius Maximus was my character, and he had a Humphrey Bogart accent.
“I couldn’t believe my ears! Big Julie was dead!”

It was the only lead role I ever got.

I remember that Peter Hill played a convincing Calpurnia, Mrs Caesar.

Anyway, my cousin Annabelle, Ricks daughter, also thinks her father and mother Prue were awesome, and has blogged about it. 

For reasons I can’t understand, I suspect she finds his 1970’s fashion sense somewhat entertaining 🙂

On her blog, Bella says “It’s easy to forget that once upon a time, our parents weren’t parents. They weren’t called Mum or Dad. Their lives didn’t revolve around us. They partied, they dated, they studied, they travelled the world. They were, shock horror, just like us”

In fact, sharing the grooviness that was your parents before you were born is a very popular activity, judging by the website that inspired Annabelle’s post – ‘My Parents Were Awesome‘. It contains thousands of photos of parents in their prime, uploaded by their children from all over the world. That site has spawned a book, and been featured on ABC Network news.

The creator of ‘My Parents Were Awesome‘, Eliot Glazer, sees it as a tribute – I think. “Before the fanny packs and Andrea Bocelli concerts, your parents (and grandparents) were once free-wheeling, fashion-forward, and super awesome.”

You can judge for yourself at My Parents Were Awesome, http://myparentswereawesome.tumblr.com

(Bella’s blog is kind enough to remind us that her parents are still awesome. Go Rick and Prue.)

What I Learnt On 11th February in other years

11th February 2013 Al-Gebra and weapons of math instruction

It can be difficult to compare the cost of buying books from different websites – but it is worthwhile. The same book can cost more than twice as much at different stores.

Is Amazon better than the ABC Store, allowing for delivery and currency cost? How about Fishpond, or the Co-Op, or the Book Depository – UK or US? By the time you do a currency conversion and allow for the cost of postage, it can be complicated.

Booko.com.au does one thing well. It does your comparison shopping for books and DVDs from 48 different online stores in Australia, the US and the UK.

You do the actual purchasing from the original store website. The site designer, Dan Milne, built the system to scratch a personal itchl. Some sites (such as Amazon) have an affiliate process, so he may make a small amount if you choose to buy the book using his link, This does not affect the price of the book, unlike some aggregated flight services where there is a premium booking fee to be paid. (I’m looking at you, Webjet).

There are verysignificant savings to be had.

I’m interested in Bill Bryson’s ‘At Home – A Short History of Private Life’ – $40 difference between the cheapest (AbeBooks) and most expensive (ABC Books).

One of my favourite books is ‘The Design of Everyday Things’ by Donald Norman. Save $37 or 68%

The new book ‘What to Do About Everything – A Manual for Domestic Life’ by Barbara Toner‘ sounds of interest to What I Learnt Today. ($39.89 – $52.95)

I think booko.com.au is worth a check.

What I Learnt On 10th February in other years

10th February 2012 Revolution in the Classroom

Today is a special day in our family, and it is the only day that dad jokes are tolerated without complaint.

Richard Glover, that great suburban historian, is a world expert in stupid dad jokes.

According to RG, all dad jokes have two factors in common.

They must be

• a) not funny in the first place and
• b) become rapidly less funny through constant repetition.

After years of research, Glover has collected the top 10 dad jokes.

Here they are in order of frequency of use

1. When opening a book-shaped Christmas present: “I know, it’s a bottle of wine.” 
2. When asked “Shall I put the kettle on?”: “If you think it will suit you.”
3. When a huge leg of roast lamb is being placed on the table: “Well, here’s my dinner – I don’t know what the rest of you are having.” 
4. When driving past a road sign saying “Dip Ahead”: “I hope you’ve got your Jatz ready – there’s dip ahead.”
5. When asked “How long’s dinner?”: “About 10 centimetres – it’s a sausage.” 
6. When someone says “I’m Thirsty”: “Hello Thirsty, I’m Friday.” 
7. When someone says “I’m hungry”: “I’m Germany, pleased to meet you.” 
8. When someone says “What?”: “Watt? Didn’t he invent the steam engine?”
9. When patting his tummy at the end of a big meal: “It’s good we ate then – because I’m not a bit hungry now.” 
10. When asked “What’s on the TV?”: “A pot plant and a DVD player.”

Then, of course, there’s calling “Yes” in a high-pitched girly voice whenever the kids call out for their mum.

Two special favourite in our house that don’t rate in Glover’s top 10

“Dad, can you put on my shoes”, “Sure, but I don’t think they’ll fit”

On the phone “Hello, its Milly speaking”, “Hello Milly Speaking, dad here”.

Do you have any stupid dad jokes in your family? Let us know in the comments.