My Blog

Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age

Jason — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 22:34:42 GMT

or A Young Ladies Illustrated Primer, p. 245 "... the kernel of the Master's thought: The ancients who wished to demonstrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.... From the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides."

8-23-07 AZ Republic p.A10

Jason — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 22:24:24 GMT

Reprint from the associated press. Random parallels of my encounter with the silent seven in news reel. I hardly ever look into or purchase the news paper. Today I did, because I found on the front page a weights and measures article interesting. Upon further scouring of the paper I found this in the small print. Interesting at two in the morning I post a blog about compsognathus, while the news was spinning off the line. T-REX would have outrun humans, study says; Tyrannosaurus rex would have been able to outrun soccer star David Beckham, according to research published Wednesday by the Britain's Royal Society scientific academy. Experts had argued previously that the 18-foot-tall T-rex's bulk would have meant it was a slow moving scavenger, but new calculations using a supercomputer suggest T-rex could run nearly 18mph. Scientists from the University of Manchester calculated the running speeds of five meat-eating dinosaurs that varied in size from a 6.6 pound compsognathus to the 6.6 ton T-rex. The fastest of the group was the compsognathus, which could reach a top speed of 40 mph, 5 mph faster than the estimate for the fastest living animal on two legs, the ostrich, according to the study. Velociraptor, a 44-pound killer whose speed was a focus in the Jurassic Park action movies, could run 24 mph, the team said. Other dinosaurs studied included a 1.5 ton allosaurus, which the computer said could run 23.5 mph.

thought you should know

Jason — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:06:27 GMT

Compsognathus was a small, meat-eating, bird-like dinosaur that walked on two slender legs. It was the size of a chicken and is the smallest-known dinosaur. It was a carnivore (a meat eater) that caught and ate small animals, including insects and lizards; a fossilized lizard was found in Compsognathus' stomach. Compsognathus was a theropod dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic period, about 155 million to 145 million years ago. Anatomy: Compsognathus' bones were hollow. Its long tail acted as a counterbalance and added to stability during fast turns. Compsognathus was from 28 inches-4.6 feet long (0.7-1.4 m), about 6.5 pounds (3 kg) and was about the size of a chicken. Its femur (thigh bone) was only 4. 3 inches (11 cm) long. Fossils and Name: Compsognathus was first discovered by Dr. Oberndorfer in limestone deposits in the southern Germany in the late 1850's. This dinosaur was named by Johann A. Wagner in 1859. Only two Compsognathus fossils have been found; one in Germany, another in France.

eats chickens raw

Jason — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:02:06 GMT

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/dinotemplates/Compsognathus.shtml