House Number Art, part deux

As posted here, one of my neighbours uses their stairs to paint a mural showing their animals and their house number. Here is this year's design. Enjoy.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 28 May 2014

Timeline of World's Religions: Interesting tree of what religion was related or influenced by what other religion.

Using Stem Cells to reverse Brain Deterioration: Stem cells are certainly seeming like it will be the medical wonder of this century. Using stem cells to mimic our own cells are not only good for eliminating the risk of the bodies rejection of treatment but also for treating any damage, illness or disease.

Better Bioplastic from Shrimp Cells: This plastic is not only made from materiel that actually decomposes but is made up of a very abundant materiel.

A Color mixing guide made in 1692: Very cool article about a mysterious person who created an 800 page book on what colors are produced when pigments are mixed. A complete scan of the book is available here.

Using Mexican Magic Mushrooms to inhibit Negative Thoughts: The substance psilocybin, found in the aformentioned mushrooms, inhibit the processing and storage of negative thoughts. Happy Happy Joy Joy thoughts everyone! Actually it could provide treatment for critically depressed people.

Solar Winds linked to a Increase in Lightning Storms: Concentrated solar winds hitting the Earth, either from a major ejection from the sun or a combination of slow and fast winds meeting upon hitting the Earth, have been found to have a direct correlation to an increase in electrical storms.

Cancer killed with Altered Measles Virius: A lucky woman has an altered measles virus injected into her, one that was designed to go after cancer cells and ignore healthy ones. Amazing!

Black Olive Restaurant

The Black Olive is a restaurant in Victoria that my wife and I go to about every four to six months. The atmosphere is open and friendly, thanks to owner Paul Psyllakis and his staff. He loves to engage and converse with the people that come in or pass by the restaurant, which reminds us of our trip to Greece several years ago.

This time we went there with a friend. We each ordered from the daily special menu. It started with a root vegetable based soup which was delicious in its blend of flavors. Then came the halibut, which was a large piece served with many vegetables and choice of starch. I had the garlic mashed potatoes and it was all tasty. For dessert was a berry cheesecake with an oreo cookie base. As usual we will come back again.

Paul Psyllakis also is part of an olive oil co-op in his native island of Crete and sells it to many businesses in town. Its called Kastamonitsa olive oil and its delicious and reasonably priced.

Keeping Life Simple

I found this image on the interwebs and thought it was poignant enough to share.

The text goes as follows:

Why Complicate Life?

Missing someone?...Call

Wanna meet up?...Invite

Wanna be understood?...Explain

Have questions?...Ask

Don't like something?...Say it

Like something?...State it

Want something?...Ask for it

Love someone?...Tell them

We have just one life. Keep it simple.

Postcards of the Interwebs - 14 May 2014

Using Twins to determine facial changes in Smokers: The title says it all. Spoiler: Smoking causes facial changes for the worse.

P/2013 P5 - The Stellar Body with Six Tails: An asteroid is spewing dust in multiple directions, thanks to the sun's affect on it. Awesome!

Imagination and Libraries - The key to better living: Neil Gaimen's talk on why reading and libraries have a positive impact on a better society.

Using LEGO to teach Fractions: Brilliant!

A youtube Video of the time line on Nuclear Testing: Scary.

Beachside Photo: A place that would be nice to visit.

Safe Medical Cannabis: I do not partake but am sold on the science of how cannabis can help many sick people deal with pain or symptoms. This article conceives of a cannabis compound that gives the benefits without the psychoactive effects. Essentially providing the possibility of using it to help people and not affecting work or life.

Fact vs Fiction: "300" and "300: Rise of an Empire"

Separating a fictitious film from the history it is based on is important to me. Sometimes I can see each thing as it is and accept it while other times I cannot. It depends on if the movie is accurate enough to generate further interest in the subject by complementing the event or discourages by confusing. The film “Gangster Squad” is one I will never see because it was horribly inaccurate, as illustrated here by Jack O’Mara’s granddaughter. In this post I’m tackling the movies 300 and 300: Rise of an Empire.

Now before I start, I liked the movie 300 and was OK with the sequel. But to be clear they were adaptions of a comic book series by Frank Miller. In that they more than succeeded in bringing his vision and art to the big screen. However both films do have their inaccuracies. Because the films and events depicted, overlap one another I will present the facts as they happened, pointing out the inaccuracies in the films.
 

Pre-Marathon
 

-Because of Athenian involvement in Ionian city-states, around the Western waters and land of modern day Turkey to revolt and establish democracies, the Persians planned an invasion. This was to re-establish a deposed Athenian tyrant and to force Athenian submission to Persia.
 

-Darius demanded earth and water as tokens of submission to Persia. Sparta throws the emissaries down a well and Athens put them on trial and executes them. In the film 300 they are depicted as happening later, pre-Thermopylae.
 

Battle Of Marathon
 

-Neither Darius nor Xerses were present at the battle.
 

-Themistocles was possibly one of ten strategoi or generals, not the sole general.
 

-Darius died in Egypt suppressing a revolt, not while observing the battle.
 

-Athenian forces attacked because the Persian Calvary was sent to sea on Persian ships to outflank the Athenians and assault Athens. The cavalry was very effective against the Greek Hoplites so upon learning they were gone, the Athenians made the assault. 
 

Post-Marathon
 

-Xerxes did not bathe in glowing liquid and become a basketball sized giant.
 

-Artemesia was not present at the Persian court.
 

Pre-Thermopylae
 

-Darius was raising an army to take Greece. Xerxes took over this plan after his father's death.
 

-Xerses did build a bridge of boats across the Hellspoint. This is after trying several times, losing many ships and having the waters whipped in order to obey him.
 

-The Athenian leader Themistocles suggested mustering troops at Thermopylae, not Leonidas.
 

-Sparta was celebrating Carnia and the Olympic games were occurring when the Persian were marching South. Both activities precluded engaging in military action by law.
 

-Sparta consulted the Oracle earlier in the year. She did not float in slow motion like the film but probably breathed in fumes from fissures at the Temple of Apollo and the priests "translated". The Oracle predicted that he was to die.
 

-Leonidas did choose 300 warriors to accompany him and they all were chosen because they had living sons. He also gathered other soldiers along the way, approximately 7000 of them.
 

-Persia had between 100,000 and 150,000 soldiers and a large navy.
 

-Greek navy ships blockaded the straights of Artemesium to prevent Persian ships from outflanking the Greeks. It was not a big storm like in the movie.
 

Thermopylae
 

-The middle gate was the thinnest portion of the pass and had a defensive wall built earlier by the Phocians.
 

-There was a mountain track that could be used to outflank him. Here he deployed 1,000 Phocians.
 

-It was before the fighting that either Leonidas or a soldier Dienekes said that it would be good to fight in the shade after being told that the Persian arrows could blot out the sun.
 

-Xerses sent an emissary to bribe the Spartans with better land and the title "Friends of the Persian People". When he refused and were told to hand over their weapons, the emissary was told to "Come and take them".
 

-Greeks held the pass for seven days. Xerses waited four days before attacking to give the Greeks a chance to retreat.
 

-The first day of fighting had five thousand archers attack, then groups of Persians sending in ten thousand men in at a time. Greeks set up in front of the wall and had the better defensible position so they never attacked. In fact a common tactic was to feign retreat and then quickly turn around and cut down the Persian chasing after them. Units were rotated through the front lines by city state, as their training was the same. The elite Persian Immortals were sent in but did not fare any better.
 

-The second day of fighting had more of the same but Xerses found out about the mountain pass. He dispatched Hydames with twenty thousand troops to the pass in order to encircle the Greeks.
 

-On the third day of fighting after the Persians discovered the mountain pass and were fighting their way around the Greeks to flank them, Leonidas kept 300 Spartans, 700 Thespians, 400 Thebians, 900 Helots and the Phocians who were at the pass. The rest he sent away. He then led an assault against the advancing Persians. Leonidas was killed as well as Xerses's two brothers. After the Greeks retreated behind the wall, the Persians eventually tore it down and surrounded the Greeks on Kolonos hill. It is here that the survivors were killed by volley after volley of arrows.
 

-Final estimated totals are that the Greeks killed 10 Persians for every one of theirs lost, a staggering achievement. If the Greeks delayed the Persians for longer, not only would the Persians have lost more soldiers but it required an awful lot of supplies to keep the army in one place.
 

Post-Thermopylae
 

-Unlike other honorable and valiant opponents to Persia, Xerses had Leonidas decapitated and the body crucified. It seems Xerses had a temper (see earlier note about him whipping the Hellspointe).
 

-Greek navy retreats to the Saronic gulf and ferry the remaining Athenian citizens to Salmis island.
 

-Persian military moved South and sacked city states that did not submit to Persia. This included Athens.
 

Pre-Salmis
 

-Nations of the Peloponnese demolish the road leading through the Corinthian Isthmus and built a wall across it. Greece needed a naval victory to ensure that the Peloponnese could not be taken.

-Themistocles argues for an attack on the Persian navy. Although Greece suffered heavy losses at Artemisium, they delivered heavy losses to Persia when fighting in close conditions. The Peloponnesian ships threatened to leave to defend their lands rather than risk their ships in a major battle.
 

-Xerses held his war council in Athens after it was sacked. Artemsia, a Queen of Halicarnassus who was in command of five ships, advised Mardonius to wait for Greece to surrender. She knew that Persian ships are unsuited to the tight waters due to her experience at Artemisium. The other advisors thought otherwise and although Xerses appreciated her advice, thought that the Persians did not win at Artemisia because he was not there to witness it. This time he would.
 

-Xerses wanted to take Greece in one year because of the disadvantage of maintaining and feeding his massive army abroad. He also was worried about the potential for revolts back in Persian lands.
 

-Just before the day of the battle Themistoles sent a servant, Sicinnus, to tell Xerses that he was on his side and that the Peloponnesian ships would leave the next day. Xerses took the bait and sent ships to block the southern exit of the straights. They would not be present for the naval battle to come. Once word got to the Greeks that the Persians had sent ships to block them off, the Peloponnesians stopped threatening to leave.
 

-The Persians had two to three times as many ships than the Greeks. Approximately 700 to 1200 to 371.
 

Salmis
 

-Persia, despite having better trained crews, lost many of their ships by chasing the Greek ships they believed were fleeing. Instead the Greek ships turned as the Persians were rounding the Island and disorganized. The extra troops onboard enabled for more effective boarding actions.
 

-The Persian leader on the left flank, Ariabignes (who was a brother of Xerses) died early in the battle. This event assisted in the Greek victory. Many Phonecian ships were disorganized and ran aground.
 

-The Greek fleet engaged the Persian line and broke through the middle, splitting the Persians.
 

-Artemesia used subterfuge by putting up a Greek flag when she was near Greek ships to fool them and then attack when their guard was down. Xerses, upon seeing her destroy a ship made the comment, “My men have become women and my women men”. There was a bounty on Artemesia’s head as the Greek were dismayed that a Greek woman was fighting for the Persians against Greece.
 

-There was no Spartan mega-fleet rescue, as portrayed in the film. They only had 16 ships in the naval battle.

 

Post-Salmis

 

-With the Persians defeated and on the run, Xerses was worried about events at home. Based on advice from Artemesia and with Babylon causing unrest and the Greek fleet a treat to the pontoon bridge at the Hellspointe, he and a large portion of his forces went back to Persia. He was assassinated by the commander of his Royal Guard, Artabanus.
 

-Artemesia returned the body of Ariabignes to Xerses after the battle. She was given Xerses bastard sons to take care of and escort to Persia by sea. She returned to her islands and continued to rule there.
 

-Mardonius took the remaining troops North, sacked Athens again the next year and lost at the battle of Plataea. Persia was no longer a threat to Greece.
 

-Themistocles was ostracized from Athens because of his fortification of Athens, ego and implication in a plot to help Persia retake Greece. He fled to Persia, now under King Artaxerses, and became Governor of Magnesia until his death when his name was again honored in Greece.
 

-Greek influence increased to the North and East of Greece while Persian might decreased. Many nations, city states and islands became self-governing.

Bibliography

Barry S Strauss; Battle of Salmis

Herodotus; Histories
Wikipedia: Marathon
                   Thermopylae
                   Salmis
                   Artemesia
                   Themistocles

Adrena LINE Zipline tour

I recently participated in a zipline tour with co-workers at Adrena LINE. With my sometimes fear of heights, I looked upon this experience to test that sometimes fear.

After a practise zip, we moved to the first run. The engineering to get these platforms made was very interesting. I found that I was most afraid when being hooked on or disconnected at the other end. Sometimes I was afraid in the middle of the zip but I just focused on the trees at my height rather than looking down.

Most of the others did not have this problem and went down the lines spinning or upside down.

It was a good experience and soaring above the forest was a singular experience. Definitely felt like I was a superhero when I wasn't afraid of falling.

Catalano Restaurant

To treat myself and my wife for taking care of their cat, our friends treated us to supper at Catalano restaurant. There have been a few restaurants at this location but if the food is any indication this place will be here a while.

We shared four Cicchetti, which are small appetizers: local octopus, roasted cauliflower, arancini and chorizo puffs.

For my and my friends main we had the pan roasted Fraser Valley duck breast with confit ravioli, black mission figs and demi glace. I was very happy with my meal. My wife had the Sardinian Fish Stew which was extremely delicious.

I liked it so much and was coming downtown on the weekend anyways, I had brunch as well. I had the Gina Lola (open faced omelette with roasted vegetables, caramelized onion, goats cheese, mixed greens & grilled bread) which was delicious. I also added the flight of bacon which had a slice of each of the following: whole beast maple rosemary, double smoked, two rivers lamb bacon, house made pea meal, cinzano glazed. It was awesomely delicious.

We will definitely be back again.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 01 May 2014

Polish Art and Books: Free art and books from Poland's Main Museum

Scientists solve the Mpemba Effect (why hot water freezes faster than cold): Click on the link to find out why the bonds between water molecules are what caused this effect and be amazed.

Gas creates stars while moving through our galaxy: The Magellanic cloud moving through our galaxy is creating new stars. How cool is that? Very cool.

Tobacco Plant can help Cancer: I know, I know. How does the Tobacco plant help fight cancer. Well, its a molecule in the flower of the plant that fights fungi and bacteria to protect the plant. Its pincers that do this to fungi and bacteria also can rip apart a cancer cell. Like the robots in Robot Wars but tiny.

Frustration in Video Games is the cause of Aggression: I always knew that violent video games is not the cause of some people hurting others but a deeper issue. Now this adds another aspect to things, that inability to play a video game, or anything else for that matter, could be another factor in aggression.

Tweeking Genes so Deaf people can hear: By injecting a harmless virus people could have their repair systems jump started to recover from ear injury or disease. This cure focuses on regrowing the hair cells in the ear but the University of Kansas experiment could help many more people around the world in two short months.

UAE Muggle Trouble: The United Arab Emirates want tougher laws against sorcerers. More specifically, people who con people by making them believe they have powers. Current sentencing is up to three years under scam laws but some are pushing for harsher sentencing because it is blasphemy.