The giving season

In many parts of our country the weather is getting harsher. Winds are picking up. Snow might be starting to fall. The evenings may be dipping into freezing temperatures.

With the holiday season in effect from Thanksgiving through Christmas, thoughts of gifts, family, friends, and the things we wish to give them are in full effect.

It’s also that time of year when unfortunately those who are less fortunate are also affected.

Every year I advocate responsible gifting and that when you give to others, you not only think about what they want but also what they will use. Also consider giving the gift to young ones of knowledge and growth, that helping others can be the rewarding. Perhaps they get to choose one of their gifts to keep and the others will be to donate.

At the least, while you are out shopping and you pass by those on the street seeking money or food, consider carrying around a box of food you can hand out: Granola bars, protein bars, bottles of water. I admit that I don’t like handing out money since I don’t know what it’s going to go towards. I can only hope that the food I distribute in these moments is needed and welcomed. We can’t fix every problem in the world, but sometimes in a single moment we can make a difference.

-SFA

Geekchat

I just read that the physical kilogram that is stored in Paris will be replaced by an electrical current. It has already been used to measure the weight of the kilogram. But now around the world people will be able to measure their own kilogram weight, assuming they have this incredibly precise scale, to be able to know if their kilogram weight is accurate enough. While this is still not important on the basic consumer level, in the international world and scientific world, this is huge news. Instead of needing to measure a kilogram against the one in the Paris vault, the standard can be kept up-to-date faster. Those small differences that might effect scientific experiments can be recognized and corrected. The small changes that occur in the Paris kilogram will be negated once there is a new truer definition of what a kilogram will be. The idea basically is that an electrical current can be generated to balance out the weight based on its pull. Once that number is calculated it doesn’t matter where you are, you will be able to then calculate what a kilogram is with that electrical current.

#GeekChat

#scienceiscool

-SFA