18 Rules

Though I would share my latest inspiration...

The Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
       Respect for self
       Respect for others
       Responsibility for all your actions
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Goal: Relate 5 of these rules to my day, everyday.

Best of luck to you all in doing the same...

-A

Lake In Space?

Hello my darlings,

        I came across something quite interesting today. Recently, scientists have discovered the oldest, largest body of water -- "enough to supply the entire planet's worth of water for every person on earth, 20,000 times over" -- and you will never guess where is it. In space... around a black hole located 12 billion light years away.

        Can I just say... how can I be sitting here reading a book, blogging, doing math homework, etc. while there is a massive body of water floating in space around a black hole that could wipe out our entire existance in a fraction of a second? How is that possible? My mind is utterly blown.

        NASA descibes it as "140 trillion times all the water in the world's oceans," and says that the new "cloud" of water is vast enough to supply 28 galaxies with water. Yes, galaxies. Well, this would be one way to end the water crisis in developing countries...

The Run Down:

        Basically, NASA researchers found a masive floating lake in what used to be thought as an endless, lifeless desert (A.K.A. space). The water has formed into a "cloud" around an "active black hole" called a quasar.  This is potentially a never ending water source, because the "waves of energy the black hole releases make water by literally knocking hydrogen and oxygen atoms together." That would be something worth investrigating...

Fun Fact:

        Interestingly enough, an mind-bogglingly massive as this amount of water may seem, the water vapor is 300 trillion times less dense than the air in a typical earthly room. Translation: you could walk around in this lake and it would feel about as dry as walking around outside in the middle of summer in Arizona.

        Pretty crazy to think that scientists confirmed there is water elsewhere in the universe (other than Earth) a mere 40 years ago, in the late 1960s.

We are nothing in this universe. I can compare to a single water droplet in this incredible universe... that's a scary thought.

And on that note, I will say farewell for now.

-A

Link: http://www.fastcompany.com/1769468/scientist-discover-the-oldest-largest-body-of-water-in-existence-in-space

Literature: A Short History of Nearly Everything -- Bill Bryson

Slacker

Sorry, sorry sorry!

I'm slacking again tonight, just wanted to warn you all -- short post!

Word of the Day: borborygmus (bor-bo-ryg-mus) noun: 1. a rumbling or gurgling sound of gas passing through the intestinal tract

How cool is that?

Something to think about:
Top 10 unanswered questions of the last decade:

1. What is the meaning of life?
2. Is there a God?
3. Do blondes have more fun?
4. What is the bast way to loose weight?
5. Is there anybody out there? ...my personal favorite
6. Who is the most famous person in the world?
7. What is love?
8. What is the secret to happiness?
9. Did Tony Soprano die?
10. How long will I live?

Have answers? Please share.

Yours truely,
-A

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8012412/Top-ten-unanswerable-questions.html