Weekly Link Dump for 2010-06-18
- Old Abe
A female bald eagle who was the mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the American Civil War, the screaming eagle mascot of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, and the mascot of the high school I attended. - Silly Season
The period of time lasting for a few months in mid to late summer typified by the emergence of frivolous news stories in the media, driven by legislative recess, holiday vacations, and a general lack of newsworthy events. Newspapers would print attention-grabbing headlines and articles to keep interest, often of a “moral panic” or sensationalist nature. - Doppler On Wheels
The DOW are a fleet of radar trucks maintained by the Center for Severe Weather Research, funded by the National Science Foundation. Vehicles have a Doppler weather radar dish, and are used to observe tornadoes and hurricanes at close distance, playing an important role in several recent discoveries. - Comics Code Authority
The CCA is part of the Comics Magazine Association of America, created to regulate the content of comic books in the US. Member publishers submit comic books to the CCA, which screens them for conformance to its Comics Code, and authorizes the use of their seal on the cover if the books comply. At the height of its influence, it was a de facto censor for the U.S. comic book industry. - Ultramarine
A blue pigment consisting primarily of a double silicate of aluminum and sodium with some sulfides or sulfates, and occurring in nature as a proximate component of lapis lazuli. Natural ultramarine is the most difficult pigment to grind by hand, and for all except the highest quality of mineral sheer, grinding and washing produces only a pale grayish blue powder. A new process was developed, which consisted of mixing the ground material with melted wax, resins, and oils, wrapping the resulting mass in a cloth, and then kneading it in a dilute lye solution. The blue particles collect at the bottom of the pot, while the impurities and colorless crystals remain in the mass. The pigment was most extensively used during the 14th through 15th centuries, as its brilliance complemented the vermilion and gold of illuminated manuscripts and Italian panel paintings.
American Death Triangle
Also known as the “American Triangle”, “Death Triangle” or “Triangle Anchor”, it is a type of rock climbing anchor infamous for being a poor anchoring technique due to both the way the forces of the load are magnified on the fixed anchors and the lack of redundancy in the cord.
Also known as the “American Triangle”, “Death Triangle” or “Triangle Anchor”, it is a type of rock climbing anchor infamous for being a poor anchoring technique due to both the way the forces of the load are magnified on the fixed anchors and the lack of redundancy in the cord.
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