Stellar explosion sends shrapnel our way

AN EXCESS of high-energy particles hitting Earth may be shrapnel from a stellar explosion 800 light years away.

After analysing the distribution of around 4.3 billion muons detected between June 2007 and March 2008, the IceCube team has found a small but clear excess of cosmic rays coming from the direction of the constellation Vela, hinting that the relatively close Vela supernova remnant may be responsible - but maybe not! It may be, is quite likely to be, detritus from our own cosmic adventure! See above!

Ball lightning is all in the mind

Article here

Physicists in Austria say they have solved the conundrum of "ball lightning", mysterious glowing spherical apparitions which baffled boffins have struggled to explain for centuries.

According to Austrian physicists there is in fact no such thing as ball lightning in reality. Rather, powerful magnetic fields created by ordinary lightning affect the brains of humans nearby so that they see things which aren't there.

I respectfully beg to differ, having had my own ball lightning experience!

See Sorry, really busy! , 3rd paragraph.

Kids under 13 aren't allowed on Facebook, but that hasn't stopped many of them from joining

Not that it's a hobby horse, or anything, am just waiting until August.

But I thought this was quite weird. Togetherville, a social network for kids ages 6 to 10, hopes to lure them into a more age-appropriate setting. It's free to join, and kids' accounts must be created by their parents using their own Facebook logins

Since the point is they can't join Facebook until they are 13, why isn't it for people aged 6 - 12?

I bet, unlike Facebook, you won't find the 11 and 12 year olds lying about their ages in order to register, could be wrong though!

Cabbages & Kings

(And just in case you're wondering, Sandy, you are the 'Kings' bit, obviously!)

Just came across a neat visitor counter - of course, I have been using Cluster Maps for some years now, so feel a loyalty to them, but I also like Flag Counter's display.

And Sandy has accepted my apology (or rather, she says she was only teasing.)

And Barney says a blog is no place for personal communications, I'm not sure why not; never mind, come August I can emote on Facebook - not!

My Yiayia says it is hanging out your dirty linen in public - and we don't do that, after all, as all my class mates know, following my paper on Greek festivals, we Greeks celebrate Clean Monday. (Καθαρή Δευτέρα)