LegendaryLife Blog

Next time you commit a crime, be sure to take your gravol! You are being warned, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has invested and created the first light (from a flashlight) that is designed to make you barf! No longer will the police say “put your hands up”, they will simply slide a bucket over and flash this light in your eyes until you surrender.

How does the Barf-Light work?

At first, the light from the flashlights LEDs completely blind you, as do most flashlights as the sudden change from dark to light with enlarged pupils causes a shock to the system. This barf-light will then rotate between different colors, inducing the same symptoms as motion sickness (vertigo to nausea). Although the mechanism behind this is unknown, I have experienced something very similar to this when I was flying my plane once. I was touching down facing the setting sun and the light going through the propellers caused me to feel quite nauseous instantly. Seems our brain has trouble with flickering lights even when you don’t suffer from epilepsy!

Circumventing the effects of the Barf-Light

The easiest way to not be affected by the barf-light is to simply not look at it or wearing sunglasses (both of which I started doing after experiencing this type of phenomenon first hand). Considering most crimes occur under the cover of darkness, I doubt wearing sunglasses at night isn’t in the cards for most criminals.

The Bottom Line

Light, in the wrong hands, is just as dangerous as Night.

Buzzvia
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19142/?a=f

After being driven in a hydrofoil jet-boat across the Japan sea just under a week ago, it made me really develop in interest again in the high-seas after being sick on them just over a month ago on the Great Barrier Reef. The speed is incredible and there isn’t the motion sickness even during very rough seas you get on, say, a catamaran.

What is a hydrofoil boat?

Well, hydrofoil boats are something originally invented by Alexander Graham Bell, it was one of his great passions later in life before his death. It all comes down to resistance, the less resistance a boat has with the water, the faster and more responsive it becomes. This is mostly accomplished by applying wax and sheen on the hull, in addition to aerodynamic augmentations but hydrofoils take this one step further. What hydrofoils do is, by using the weight of the water column itself at speed, lift the entire boat above the water. Much like retracting the landing gear in an airplane in flight, the decrease in surface area in contact with the water leads to an exponential increase in performance at very little cost.

Hydroptere

The Hydroptere isn’t a new concept but it’s but a glimpse into what this technology holds for the future. Imagine traveling over 50 knots using only the power of the wind! Now imagine doing this without a lot of the motion sickness, rough seas and being able to turn on a dime… this is the promise of hydrofoil technology. As you are floating above the sea, even in rough waters, the ride remains relatively stable. In this case, the Hydroptere is 18 meters long and weights about 7 tonnes fully equipped. The nice thing about the Hydroptere is you only need to hit 12 knots (do-able in most winds at sea) to build up enough forward momentum to lift the entire vessel out of the water!

Physical Demands

The physical condition somebody needs to be to maintain a sailing ship on the high seas is tremendous. From constant rudder adjustments to moving a sails, sailing is easily one of the most demanding hobbies anybody can try.

The Bottom Line

Mastering both the air and the seas is a goal of mine while living firmly on terra ferma.

Buzzvia
http://www.luxist.com/2007/08/05/hydroptere-frances-flying-yacht/
http://www.hydroptere.com/

Although this documentary was done in the early 1980s, the same issues are alive and well today. From forced abortions in China to fit the “one child policy” to mothers who aren’t ready for the burden of motherhood. Abortion isn’t an easy topic to tackle but this documentary does a fantastic job of outlining the situations real women face on a daily basis around the world.

Summary

• old seminary transformed into an abortion clinic
• pregnancy termination is a very complex issue and a very difficult situation for many woman to deal with even once they have entered the clinics wall
• Christian group try to trick woman away from their choice to have an abortion
• abortionist has no problem with this title but does have problem with being defined only as an abortionist when the doctor provides far more services to the woman then simply pregnancy termination services
• clinic offers counseling for each of the patients before and after the procedure
• Christians essentially equate a first term child with a fully developed human being but in a smaller form factor
• many of the woman seeking abortions do so because of financial and societal pressures that would adversely affect their life in a negative way
• woman seeking abortions seem to come from dysfunctional families on the lower side of the economical and educational ladder (at least in this documentary)
• abortion occurs in a very clinical setting by people who are professionals at dealing with the various issues associated with the procedure
• entire abortion takes only a few minutes to perform from start to finish and seems like a relatively painless procedure when compared to childbirth
• emotional impact doesn’t seem to hit the patient until after the procedure is completed
• first trimester material is mostly placental, not a fully formed small human being that Christians anti-abortionists claim
• abortionist admits that second term abortions can take their toll emotionally, hence, first term abortions are preferred (sooner is always better)
• anti-abortionists try to associate an emotional connection with their unborn child, giving it human traits such as ability to suck their thumb, heartbeat, brainwaves, bowel movements etc.
• interesting anti-abortionist quote: “it’s not whether to have a baby or not, the baby is already there, the question is what to do with the baby”
• anti-abortionists focus on the graphic nature of having an abortion performed instead of the emotional, lifelong toll of woman having children they cannot take care of
• dedication of both anti-abortionists and doctors performing abortions for their causes is admirable
• clinical counseling asks very tough questions to the soon to be potential patient and lets them know that alternatives are available
• anti-abortionists paint a rosy picture of what happens if they keep the baby no matter how bad their situation in life really is

Interesting Observations

I am sure that having an abortion is a very difficult decision for any woman to face no matter their socio-economical background but in this documentary, I am surprised at how down and out the woman really are. Their decisions are not based on the love for their child but on the burden it may have on them and their family. Another interesting observation is how the boyfriend during the two abortions performed on camera are nowhere to be seen and aren’t the most upstanding citizens to begin with. On a final note, if you take away the religious philosophies behind the anti-abortionists beliefs, their arguments have absolutely no legs to stand on.

The Bottom Line

Abortion should be a freely available option for any woman who thinks, justifiably or not, that she isn’t really for motherhood.

Buzzvia
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/twenty/watch/abortion.html