What Makes People Tick?

Today, I'd like to write a bit about something that I've been dealing with for some time now. To say that I'm stressed is a little too simple. To say that I'm depressed isn't quite right either. Rather, I'm tired. Tired of restrictions. Tired of face masks. Tired of spraying disinfectant on my hands whenever I arrive anywhere. Tired of keeping my distance from other people. Tired of not being able to hug my friends when I see them. Tired of being cooped up inside. Tired of working from home. Tired of living my social life through a computer screen. And really, really ready to go back to normal life. Now, before you tune out, this isn't about covid/corona/whatever you want to call it. This is about me. And about how having a few days off from work last week finally made me realise that things need to change before I end up worse off than just tired... It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle somethin...

Global Warming. Climate Change. Greenhouse Gases. Terms we hear on an almost daily basis and should be familiar with. A quick explanation follow below. Please note that these are, as stated below the quotations, NOT MY OWN WORDS and I am merely copy/pasting small sections of text while giving credit where it's due. Scientists have spent decades figuring out what is causing global warming. They've looked at the natural cycles and events that are known to influence climate. But the amount and pattern of warming that's been measured can't be explained by these factors alone. The only way to explain the pattern is to include the effect of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by humans. To bring all this information together, the United Nations formed a group of scientists called the International Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. The IPCC meets every few years to review the latest scientific findings and write a report summarizing all that is known about global warming. Eac...

Hydropower. A word that I hear more and more on the news yet covers a concept that baffles me slightly. Hydro = water (from the Greek) and power, well that's self-explanatory. So power from or through water. I'm guessing this works in a similar way to a watermill which is powered by a water wheel however that's as far as my knowledge goes. Thankfully I've got internet access! "Hydropower is electricity generated using the energy of moving water. Rain or melted snow, usually originating in hills and mountains, create streams and rivers that eventually run to the ocean. The energy of that moving water can be substantial, as anyone who has been whitewater rafting knows. This energy has been exploited for centuries. Farmers since the ancient Greeks have used water wheels to grind wheat into flour. Placed in a river, a water wheel picks up flowing water in buckets located around the wheel. The kinetic energy of the flowing river turns the wheel and is converted int...