Graham Sedam Writes

I have a few posts I am in the middle of working on. Well, started at least, but not finished more importantly. I've been keeping my nose to the grindstone (metaphorically, of course) with things other than blogging. Still, I have this nugget to share with you from the Hayden Planetarium. Enjoy! Links of Interest: Hayden Planetarium Life Beyond Our Universe NASA Finds Water Ice On Moon Galaxy's Centre Tastes Of Raspberries And Smells Of Rum Thanks for stopping by.

I hope this post leaves you with a smile. Links of Interest: Ancient Star Explosion Is Antarctica Melting? What Karl Rove Got Wrong On The US Deficit Thanks for reading... and watching.

We live in a world where lifestyles and human activities consume an increasing amount of energy. How we obtain that energy is determined by many factors and the results are not always preferable in the end sum; it's the part of the equation people have been trying to solve and algae may be a huge step forward. Oil, ethanol, methane and hydrogen are some examples of what can be produced from algae. Algae can be harvested more often (rapid growth rates), has a high per acre yield, is biodegradable / non-toxic and produces more oil than other biofuels . Some algae strains are even 50% oil. The fuel is already being tested in real-life applications and algae is being considered for other uses such as foam for windmill blades, fish and livestock feeds, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and antibacterial products. One aspect of growing algae is that CO2 is required in the process. Power plants that burn fossil fuels can literally pipe the exhaust to an algae growth facility. Instead of rele...

As a new year approaches, I find myself reflecting on the year that has all but passed and the year that will soon be here. I clear my head, hit reset and begin again. I think of it as a wake up call, an annual alarm. Life is indeed short and we only have so much time. In my teenage years, I worked at a small pizza shop in Milan, IL. My boss there was a man in his late 50's, early 60's (as close to an accurate age as I can remember) and one day in passing conversation, the 'life is too short' cliche came up. He gave me some perspective that I've kept with me for all these years. For the sake of example, I'll use my age to explain. I'm 31 and the average life expectancy for a male in the Unites States is roughly 75 years. Now, if you subtract the two numbers you come up with 44. If I live to be 75, which is not guaranteed, I will have 44 more summers, winters etc. Each Holiday on the calendar I will celebrate only 44 more times. In another year, I will hav...

It's taken roughly 2 years to put together a studio that I feel reflects the abilities I want to be able to have. I've daydreamed about it for about 5 years, so one could imagine the feeling of 'getting there'. It's not grand like a fancy studio you might see in a magazine, but it's the closest I've ever been to that, and it's mine. The studio (aka BRM Studio North) , in reality, has been operational for only about 4 months, but when you throw in working out bugs and kinks it feels like less. Frustrating, yes, but also an opportunity to learn more. It comes with the territory. The path to 'getting there' started with building the Production Desk and the Control Center. The names to these pieces of studio furniture might as well be an unknown language to most, but in reality it's pretty simple. The Production Desk houses the computer, monitors (2 visual and 5 sound), outboard gear and the like. The Control Center is where I sit and essentially...

I found this series in Hulu's News and Information section under the Shows tab earlier this year. I just finished watching the last of the 13 episodes (approximately an hour each) that piece together a variety of information in a comprehensive fashion that is enjoyable, even if the info is not new to the viewer. The series aired in 1980 so the special effects are certainly not what we expect today and much has been answered or discovered in the almost 30 years since. That is in part what the series is about: human understanding and discovery of the cosmos through time. There is so much more to this series than one might expect. Of course there is the aspect of space exploration, physics and chemistry but beyond that it recalls the history and people behind the discoveries and growing knowledge that over time has led to the 'matter of fact' understanding we have at present day. It's easy to see the difficulties societies go through in present day to reach conclusions...

In May of this year, I went on a week-long vacation with my family to South Dakota. We saw as much as we could in that time, but that's not to say we were rushing from place to place. It was fun, educational and relaxing. Plus, it was just great to spend time together. The scenery in South Dakota, the further west you go, is so much more than what I expected. The clouds seemed closer than I ever remember seeing. The landscape is awesome, but also hard to describe in words. Pictures can show you a lot but experiencing it has no comparison. I was surprised at how much gambling goes on in South Dakota. I'm not exaggerating too much when I say that it's everywhere. Some areas have more gambling than others but after a week it's hard to not recognize its strong presence. I have to make a conscious effort not to type out every moment / movement on the vacation, so here is a quick list of places we went: Mount Rushmore National Monument, The National Presidential W...