Atoms

alchymista:

Day 9: Interesting Facts About Fluorine
Atomic Symbol: F; Atomic Number: 9: Atomic Mass: 18.9984

1. Fluorine does not exist in nature as a free element, but it can be isolated through complex electrolysis and in 1906, the French chemist Ferdinand Frederic Henri Moissan won the Nobel Prize for being the first to do so.
2. Fluorine is the most chemically reactive element. It reacts, often very vigorously, with all of the other elements except oxygen, helium, neon and krypton.
3. Fluorine is most useful for its compounds such as uranium hexafluoride which is used for processing nuclear fuel, fluorocarbon in the production of teflon, sodium fluoride in toothpaste, hydrofluoric acid for etching glass (since HF can dissolve glass), and formerly Chlorofluorocarbons, which were used as refrigerants in air conditioning and freezers, until they were banned for causing ozone depletion.
4. The term fluorescence was coined as a response to how light emissions are induced in fluorite by radiating it with lesser wavelengths of ultraviolet light. Fluorescence microscopes widely used in drug tests and infectious disease diagnostics operate on the principles of fluorescence.

Image: Liquid fluorine at cryogenic temperatures.

(via fyeahchemistry)

I usually find it difficult to work on my novel while listening to music, but I make an exception for Faye Wong. Actually, I often find it hard to get into the right mood unless I put one of her albums on.

This song is called “Century of Loneliness,” and it’s on her 1999 album “Lovers & Strangers.” It’s one of my absolute favorites, even though it might be a little more “conventional” than some of her other work around that time. On the off chance that my novel is ever made into a movie, I almost want the director to slip this song into the background somehow (perhaps playing tinnily in a car or restaurant) as a personal favor.

(via sovietpostcards)

Happy 2012! Welcome to the golden age!

“All light beings
Come on now make haste
Clap your hands
If you think you’re in the right place

Thunder all surroundin’
Oh feel it quake with the joy resounding
Palm to the palm you can feel it poundin’
Never give it up you can feel it mountin’
Oh it’s gonna drop gonna fill your cup and
Oh it’s gonna drop gonna fill your cup

The age of miracles
The age of sound
Well there’s a golden age
Comin’ round, comin’ round, comin’ round”

oldhollywood:

HAL 9000 aka Douglas Rain - Daisy Bell (2001 A Space Odyssey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

“My mind is going…I can feel it.”

One of the most powerful scenes in all of cinema.

spacep0rn:

The Voyager Golden Record

The Voyager Golden Records are phonograph records which were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft, which were launched in 1977. They contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for future humans, who may find them. The Voyager spacecraft are not heading towards any particular star, but Voyager 1 will be within 1.6 light years of the star AC+79 3888 in the Ophiuchus constellation in about 40,000 years.^[1]

As the probes are extremely small compared to the vastness of interstellar space, the probability of a space faring civilization encountering them is very small, especially since the probes will eventually stop emitting any kind of electromagnetic radiation. If they are ever found by an alien species, it will most likely be far in the future as the nearest star on Voyager 1’s trajectory will only be reached in 40,000 years.

Carl Sagan noted that “The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this ‘bottle’ into the cosmic ‘ocean’ says something very hopeful about life on this planet.”^[2] Thus the record is best seen as a time capsule or a symbolic statement rather than a serious attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life.

(via itsfullofstars)

“‘Black Nails’ is taken from video shot while I was traveling around Russia, specifically the cities of Kazan, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. The majority of the video was all shot at a chemical and plastic factory on the outskirts of Kazan. Everything is orange because of enormous smokestacks shooting out massive fireballs that would illuminate the entire forest and the air smelled of poison. It was really quite a scary and apocalyptic place and I have never seen anything quite like it.”

I admit I started watching this video because I wanted to see the “apocalyptic” Russian industrial wasteland, but the song turned out to be worth my time too. It’s grimy and distorted, which goes nicely with the video’s grainy DIY footage and ’90s-style graphics. I’m not quite sure how to describe the overall sound of Pictureplane’s album “Thee Physical,” but a few tracks vaguely remind me of Crystal Castles’ last one.

Also, because I’m a geek for things like this, I did some digging around and Kazanorgsintez seems a likely candidate for the chemical plant in the video.

An illustration by Anna Lena Schiller.

todaysdocument:

The Charter of the United Nations was ratified on October 24, 1945, now celebrated as United Nations Day.

This year’s UN Day focuses on the many challenges posed by the world’s population hitting 7 billion:

On 31 October 2011, the world’s population is expected to reach 7 billion.

A world of 7 billion poses many challenges: in fighting poverty and disease, in securing education and sustainable livelihoods and in mitigating climate change. But this milestone for humanity can also be seen as an opportunity to renew our commitment to work individually and together for a better world.

A campaign spearheaded by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), called 7 Billion Actions, seeks to inspire change that will make a difference by highlighting positive action by individuals and organizations around the world. You can read their stories or add your own at 7billionactions.org.

The best music videos are the ones that tell a story or are full of symbolism. This one has both.