Author Archives: gmcdavid

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About gmcdavid

Retired IT professional with a wide range of interests. Married. Three sons, two with autistic-spectrum disorders and the third being transgender with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. From Chicago but now living in the Twin Cities metro, Minnesota. Episcopalian. Carleton College (BA 1972, physics) and Stanford University (MS 1974, Applied Physics; MS 1976 Statistics).

More about phosphine on Venus

Following up on Possible Sign of Life on Venus. After that announcement some scientists took another look at 1978 data from the Pioneer Venus Multiprobe. At the time nobody was specifically looking for phosphine, but a new analysis of the raw data supports the possibility that there is phospine in the atmosphere of Venus. Details at Is Phosphine in the Mass Spectra from Venus’ Clouds?.

This has happened before in astronomy. After both Neptune and Pluto were discovered, astronomers looked at old records and found that their predecessors had seen both bodies, but had not realized they were significant. In the case of Neptune one of those predecessors was Galileo.

Dating a passage in Acts

Acts 18:12-17 reads (NRSV):

12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. 13 They said, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law.” 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of crime or serious villainy, I would be justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews; 15 but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I do not wish to be a judge of these matters.” 16 And he dismissed them from the tribunal. 17 Then all of them seized Sosthenes, the official of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of these things.
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Rang Gaeilge, 22ú lá Mí na Mheán Fómhair 2020

Eachtraí Eilíse i dTír na nIontas

Caibidil XII: Fianaise Eilíse
Alice’s Testimony

  • “Anseo!” a ghlaoigh Eilís, agus í ag dearmad toisc a chorraithe is a bhí sí, cé chomh mór a d’fhás sí sna nóiméid deireanacha. Léim sí ina seasamh chomh tobann sin gur leag sí bosca an ghiúire le binn a gúna, rud a chaith na giúróirí anuas ar an slua thíos. D’fhan siad ina luí ansin ar a bhfad is ar a leithead, rud a chuir i gcuimhne di go baileach an babhla d’éisc órga a leag sí go tuaipliseach an tseachtain roimhe sin.

    “Here!” called Alice, and she had forgotten because she was excited how big she had grown in the last few minutes. She jumped to her feet so fast that she knocked over the jury box with the hem of her dress, which threw the jurors down onto the crowd below. They remained lying there far and wide, which reminded her of exactly the goldfish bowl that she had accidentally knocked over the week before.

    corraighmove, stir, agitate
    leagknock down; lay, set
    binnpeak, edge
    baileachexact
    babhlabowlm
    iascfishm gs npl éisc
    órgagolden
    tuaiplisblunderf

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Possible Sign of Life on Venus

Yesterday I got an email from Cosmoquest about a science press conference (“presser”) where a new discovery would be announced. With all the new distance-based communication technology anybody could watch, rather than just those in a select room, however large. The event was put on by the Royal Astronomical Society today. I watched it on the Cosmoquest Twitch TV channel. I had never heard of Twitch TV before.

The occasion was that

An international team of astronomers, led by Professor Jane Greaves of Cardiff University, today announced the discovery of a rare molecule – phosphine – in the clouds of Venus. On Earth, this gas is only made industrially, or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments.

The discovery was made by spectroscopy using two different radio telescopes. The significance of this is that the production of phospine by purely chemical processes is very unlikely in the atmosphere of Venus. The team looked at every possible chemical reaction they could think up, and failed to find any that could come close to producing the observed amount of phospine.

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More reading notes

  • Christopher Matthew, A Storm of Spears: Understanding the Greek Hoplite at War. The most important conclusion from this is how the Greeks wielded their spears. Despite all the pictures, they did not hold them over their heads with a back-handed grip. Instead, they held them with the butt of the spear tucked under their armpits. This allowed for much greater reach and strength. Lots of good experiments with re-enactors.

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Some of my summer reading

Rang Gaeilge, 25ú lá Mí na Lúnasa 2020

Eachtraí Eilíse i dTír na nIontas

Caibidil XI: Cé a ghoid na Cácaí?
Who stole the cakes?

  • Nuair a shroich siad an áit bhí an Rí Hart is an Bhanríon Hart ina suí ar a gcathaoir ríoga agus comhthionól mór ina dtimpeall—scata mór de gach uile chineál éan beag agus beithíoch beag, chomh maith le paca iomlán cártaí: bhí an Cuileata ansiúd ina sheasamh os a gcomhair, é ceangailte le slabhraí agus saighdiúir ar garda ar gach aon taobh de; díreach taobh leis an Rí bhí an Coinín Bán, stoc i lámh leis agus scrolla meamraim sa lámh eile. Bhí bord i gceartlár na cúirte agus mias mhór cácaí ina luí air; bhí siad ag féachaint chomh deas sin nuair a bhreathnaigh Eilís orthu gur chuir siad uisce lena fiacla—“Faraor nach bhfuil an triail thart,” a dúirt sí léi féin, “agus an bia á chur timpeall!” Ach ba bheag an baol go dtarlódh sé sin; thosaigh sí mar sin ag féachaint ar gach rud thart uirthi chun an t-am a chur di.

    When they reached the place where the King of Hearts and the Queen of Hearts were sitting on their throne with a big gathering around them—a big crowd of all sorts of small birds and small beasts, as well as a full deck of cards: the Jack was standing there in front of them, bound with chains and a soldier on guard on each side of him; just next to the King was the White Rabbit, trumpet in one hand and a memo scroll in the other. There was a table in the exact center of the court and a large dish of cakes lying on it; they seemed so nice when Alice looked at them that she watered her teeth—”Alas, the trial is not over,” she said to herself, “and the food being passed around!” But there was little danger of that happening so she started looking at everything around her to pass the time.

    comhthionólAssembly; gathering, groupm
    scataCrowd; group, drove, packm
    iomlánAll, the whole; total, aggregate; full
    Cuileata = CuireataKnave, Jackm
    meamramParchment; parchment writing; Memorandum
    miasdishf
    baoldangerm

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Rang Gaeilge, 28ú lá Mí na Iúil 2020

Eachtraí Eilíse i dTír na nIontas

Caibidil X: Cuadraill na nGliomach
Quadrille of the Lobsters
gliomachlobsterm gpl gliomach

  • Lig an Turtar osna dhomhain agus chuimil sé a lapa mór trasna a dhá shúil. D’fhéach sé ar Eilís agus thug sé iarracht ar labhairt léi, ach ní fhéadfadh sé focal a thabhairt leis go ceann píosa, tháinig a leithéid sin de thocht ar a chroí. “Ba dhóigh leat go raibh cnámh sa scornach á thachtadh,” arsa an Ghríobh; agus thosaigh sé á chroitheadh agus á bhualadh sa droim. Fuair an Turtar Bréige a ghlór sa deireadh thiar, agus thosaigh ag caint arís agus na deora ag sileadh go fras síos a leicne:—

    The Turtle let out a deep sigh and he rubbed his large paw across his two eyes. He looked at Alice and he tried to talk to her, but he could not say [give] a word in one piece, such a strain came to his heart. “You would think there was a bone in his throat strangling [him],” said the Griffin and he began shaking him and hitting him in the back. The Mock Turtle found his voice at long last, and he started talking again as the tears were dripping copiously down his cheeks.

    lapapaw, flipperm
    cuimilrub
    leithéidLike, counterpart, equal; suchf
    tocht
    scornachthroat
    tachtadhstrangling, strangulationm
    deoirtearf npl deora
    sileadhdripping, weapingm
    frasCopious, plentiful, abundant
    leacacheekf npl leicne

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Rang Gaeilge, 23ú lá Mí na Mheiteamh 2020

Eachtraí Eilíse i dTír na nIontas

Caibidil IX: Scéal an Turtair Bhréige
The Story of the Mock Turtle
Turtarturtlegenitive here. Lenition blocked by n
Bréigefalse

  • “Ní féidir leat a shamhlú a[however much] shásta is atáim thusa a fheiceáil arís, a sheanchara[vocative] dhil!” arsa an Bandiúc, agus í ag sacadh a láimhe[g following vn] go ceanúil faoi ascaill Eilíse agus iad ag siúl ar aghaidh le chéile.
    Ba chúis áthais le hEilís í a fháil agus giúmar grianmhar mar sin uirthi, agus dúirt sí léi féin go mb’fhéidir gurb [direct rel clause] é an piobar a rinne chomh fíochmhar sin í nuair a casadh[past aut] ar a chéile sa chistin iad.

    “You can’t imagine how happy I am to see you again, dear old friend!” said the Duchess, and she affectionately thrust her hand under Alice’s arm as they walked forward together.
    Alice was delighted to find her in a cheerful mood like that and she said to herself that it might have been the pepper that made her so fierce when they met each other in the kitchen.

    dilDear, beloved
    sacadhthrust, shovem
    ceanúilLoving, affectionate
    ascaillarmpitf
    giúmarhumor, moodm
    grianmharSunny; bright, cheerful, pleasant.
    piobarpepperm
    fíochmharFurious, ferocious

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Rang Gaeilge, 13ú lá Mí na Bealtaine 2020

Eachtraí Eilíse i dTír na nIontas

Caibidil VIII: Páirc Cróice na Banríona
The Queen’s Croquet Park
  • Bhí crann mór róis [g] ina sheasamh gar do gheata an ghairdín [g]: is geal a bhí na rósanna ag fás air, ach bhí triúr gairneoirí ina thimpeall agus iad go gnóthach á bpéinteáil dearg. Chonacthas d’Eilís gurbh an-aisteach an rud é agus dhruid sí leo ionas gur fearr a d’fheicfeadh sí iad. Nuair a bhí sí ag teacht i láthair, d’airigh sí duine díobh á rá, “Fainic, a Chúig! Ná bí ag stealladh péinte [g] orm mar sin!”

    A large rose tree was standing near the gate of the garden: The roses growing on it were white, but there were 3 gardeners around it and they were busy painting them red. This was seen by Alice to be a very strange thing and she moved closer to them so she could see them better. When she came up to them, she heard one of them saying, “Watch out, Five! Don’t be splashing paint on me like that!”

    garnear
    gairneoirgardenerf
    láthairPlace, spot; site, location
    í láthairpresent
    airighperceive, sense
    Fainicbeware, look out, watch out
    geal/bán

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