Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Quote of the Month


"There's nothing magical about science.
It is simply a systematic way for carefully and thoroughly observing nature
and using consistent logic to evaluate results.
Which part of that exactly do you disagree with?
Do you disagree with being thorough? Using careful observation?
Being systematic? Or using consistent logic?”

- dr. Steven Novella

Monday, December 1, 2014

Quote of the Month


"Anyone who stops learning is old,
whether at twenty or eighty.
Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.

- Henry Ford

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Wanderers

The short movie below was made by Erik Wernquist. It is a vision of humanity's expansion into the Solar System, based on scientific ideas and concepts of what our future in space might look like, if it ever happens. The locations depicted in the film are digital recreations of actual places in the Solar System, built from real photos and map data where available.

Without any apparent story, other than what you may fill in by yourself, the idea with the film is primarily to show a glimpse of the fantastic and beautiful nature that surrounds us on our neighboring worlds - and above all, how it might appear to us if we were there. Oh, and did I mentioned that for the narration, Wernquist used one of Carl Sagan's speeches? ;)


Friday, October 31, 2014

Quote of the Month


"We often fear what we do not understand.
Our best defense... is knowledge."

- Tuvok
Star Trek Voyager

Saturday, October 18, 2014

How to Paint Night Goblin Miniatures

In this article, I would like to demonstrate my preferred way of painting Warhammer night goblins. Although I am not a well known painter, I think I gathered enough experience over the past fifteen or so years since I began collecting miniatures that I feel quite confident writing this article. By the end, I hope anyone will be able to paint these little green guys to a standard that is somewhere between tabletop and professional quality (somewhere around a 6 or 7 rating on a CoolMiniOrNot scale). To illustrate the article, I chose a classic 90s night goblin, sculpted by non other then Kev Adams. They are extremely hard to get by and cost a pretty penny, but I greatly prefer the look and feel of the them over today’s bulkier and more aggressive looking miniatures. Nevertheless, the principles are the same and can be applied to any kind of goblin in the Warhammer setting (or any other universe where the goblins are green).

Before I begin, however, there is one issue I need to mention. I use Citadel paints exclusively, but I have not purchased new colors in quite a while. So, some of the paint names I will mention below may sound unfamiliar to newcomers as Games Workshop recently revamped its entire color line, changing quite a few names, discontinuing old colors, and introducing new ones. To help with this problem (and those who use other brands, such as Vallejo), I included a visual representation of the main colors I used at each step. Based on these, it should be relatively easy to pick out or mix the colors needed. So, without further ado, lets begin!


Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Quote of the Month


"Science works on the frontier between knowledge and ignorance.
We are not afraid to admit what we don't know; there is no shame in that.
The only shame is to pretend that we have all the answers."

- Neil deGrasse Tyson

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Quote of the Month


"Don’t just teach your children to read…
Teach them to question what they read.
Teach them to question everything."

- George Carlin

Sunday, August 10, 2014

The Perseid Meteor Shower Is Upon Us!

The Perseid Meteor Shower, the largest annual meteor shower on the planet, is once again upon us! It can produce 50 - 80 bright "falling stars" per hour, a spectacular show that is visible from all but the southernmost region of the globe. Unfortunately, the full moon makes it a bit less spectacular this year, but worth staying up nonetheless. As in previous years, I urge you to visit Spacedex for tips, tricks, and how to find out about optimum viewing conditions in your area.

Image courtesy of Spacedex.com

Monday, August 4, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - The Last Day

My picture blog continues with the last day.

Farewell to Asakusa (the Kaminarimon in the background)

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Quote of the Month


"You are intelligent not because you think
you know everything without questioning,
but rather because you question everything
you think you know."

- Anonymus

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 26

My picture blog continues with day twenty-six.

The Sacred Bridge, Nikko

Monday, July 28, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 25

My picture blog continues with day twenty-five.

Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate in Asakusa, Tokyo

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 24

My picture blog continues with day twenty-four.

Lake Ashi

Monday, July 21, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 23

My picture blog continues with day twenty-three.

Back in Tokyo

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 22

My picture blog continues with day twenty-two.

Tsumago, another historic post town on the Nakasendō

Monday, July 14, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 21

My picture blog continues with day twenty-one.

The JR Shinano train on the way to Nakatsugawa

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 18 - 20

My picture blog continues with days eighteen and twenty.

Welcome to Gangnam

Monday, July 7, 2014

Backpacking through Korea - Day 16 - 17

My picture blog continues with days sixteen and seventeen.

Kansai International Airport, Osaka

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 15

My picture blog continues with day fifteen.

Namba Yasaka Shrine, Osaka

Monday, June 30, 2014

Quote of the Month


"Just to settle it once and for all:
Which came first the Chicken or the Egg?
The Egg -- laid by a bird that was not a Chicken."

- Neil deGrasse Tyson

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 14

My picture blog continues with day fourteen.

Manga stalls in a street in Osaka

Monday, June 23, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 13

My picture blog continues with day thirteen.

Morning in Nara with deer

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 12

My picture blog continues with day twelve.

Moss garden in Nara

Monday, June 16, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 11

My picture blog continues with day eleven.

Leaving Koyasan

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 10

My picture blog continues with day ten.

Okunoin cemetery after rain in the morning

Monday, June 9, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 9

My picture blog continues with day nine.


On the way up to Mount Koya

Saturday, June 7, 2014

A Companion App for Android Netrunner

If you are one of the many thousands of people around the world who play Fantasy Flight Games's most successful card game, Android Netrunner, there is an app for you! With the AN Tracker app, you can not only forget those pesky tokens that come with the game but will also be able to save your games and even see detailed statistics of them. It is a must for all the Netrunner players out there!




Thursday, June 5, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 8

My picture blog continues with day eight.

The entrance of Fushimi Inari Taisha

Monday, June 2, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 7

My picture blog continues with day seven.

The banks of the Katsura River in Kyoto

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Quote of the Month


"Science is a way of thinking
much more than it is a body of knowledge."

- Carl Sagan

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 6

My picture blog continues with day six.

Entrance of Chion-in Buddhist temple

Monday, May 26, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 5

My picture blog continues with day five.

Tokaido Shinkansen

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 4

My picture blog continues with day four.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Monday, May 19, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 3

My picture blog continues with day three.

Near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 2

My picture blog continues with day two.

Hondō, the main hall at Sensō-ji

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Backpacking through Japan - Day 1

This is a travel blog about backpacking in Japan. Instead of writing about it, however, I am going to be lazy and just let the pictures talk. :) Enjoy!

And the journey begins!

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Watch Penny for NASA's Latest Video

I have to apologize for being a little late with this, but I was unavailable in the past month due to some overseas traveling. This video is from the non profit organization, Penny for NASA, and I think is quite relevant (as always when it comes to science and technology). The video has been released a couple of weeks ago; so, I am a little late for the game, but I wanted to mention post anyway. Enjoy and share!



Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Quote of the Month


"Look deep into nature,
and then you will understand everything better."

- Albert Einstein

Monday, March 31, 2014

Quote of the Month


"The good thing about science
is that it's true whether or not you believe in it."

- Neil deGrasse Tyson

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey Tomorrow!



Just a reminder: the reboot of Carl Sagan's iconic, 1980s TV series, Cosmos, will debut tomorrow (March 9.) on Fox at 9 p.m. EDT and Monday (March 10.) on National Geographic at 10 p.m. EDT. If we can believe the early previews that are circulating on the Internet, the show is everything we have been waiting for.

In the meantime, National Geographic will air (actually it already is) the original series during this weekend. Here is the complete schedule:

Saturday, March 8:
12 p.m. - The Shore of the Cosmic Ocean
1 p.m. - One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue
2 p.m. - Harmony of the Worlds
3 p.m. - Heaven and Hell
4 p.m. - Blues for a Red Planet
5 p.m. - Travellers' Tales

Sunday, March 9:
12 p.m. - The Backbone of Night
1 p.m. - Journeys in Space and Time
2 p.m. - The Lives of the Stars
3 p.m. - The Edge of Forever
4 p.m. - The Persistence of Memory
5 p.m. - Encyclopaedia Galactica
6 p.m. - Who Speaks for Earth?





"Somewhere, something incredible
is waiting to be known."

- Carl Sagan

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Lord of the Rings LCG Box Separators



A couple years ago, I made the above separaters for the Lord of the Rings card game and would now like to offer them for download (for the best results, print them out on good quality photo paper and glue them on cardboard sheets for extra strength).

Friday, February 28, 2014

Quote of the Month


"Science is organized knowledge.
Wisdom is organized life."

- Immanuel Kant

Friday, January 31, 2014

Quote of the Month


"Without science,
everything is a miracle."

- Lawrence Krauss

Sunday, January 26, 2014