Nov 4 2024 - Mega-Polling

 

There is a lot of coverage over the difficulties of polling in the US.  Today's headline says that a British company Focaldata has conducted a poll with a new methodology.  It is MRP - multilevel regression and post-stratification.  It is known as "mega-polls" and predicted Theresa May's loss when other polls suggested she would win.  So it is getting attention. Particularly since it says that Harris will win.   We can go to 338Canada  and see the same - their poll shows that Harris will win over Trump.  The charts are very interesting - very stylish, too.  Take a look HERE.  The one that gets my attention is the tipping point chart.  Pennsylvania! But what about here in Ontario and Canada?  We can look at the popular vote projection for Ontario and it shows the Conservatives far ahead.  And the same is true of the Canada Federal projection.  Can you imagine having both Ontario and Federal with Conservative majorities?  Wouldn't that be an historical event? Too many historical events seem to be taking place.  I think that's why there were crowds of people at the Watering Can on Saturday doing vast amounts of Christmas shopping.

Here's a collage of some of the water colour images made interesting shapes with Flexify. Very cheerful for a dull November day.

Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Facebook Instagram Website Email Share Forward

Aug 9 2022 - What is a day - what about 25 or 23 hours?

 

If it were to take more than 24 hours for the earth to rotate on its axis?  Actually the Earth is spinning faster, and we had the shortest day ever on June 29 2022. What are the impacts of longer or shorter? Think centrifugal force, and a lot would happen.  "If it was faster then one full rotation would take less than 24 hrs., thus making days & nights shorter.  Our weight would be less, because as the Earth would rotate faster, it would exert more centrifugal force on us. The resultant force of the Earth's gravity and the centrifugal force would be less as gravity would remain constant but centrifugal force would increase. There would also be a temperature change as each hemisphere (Eastern and Western) would get less time to warm up from the Sun's rays. If it was slower then one full rotation would take more than 24 hrs., thus making days & nights longer. Our weight would be more, because as the Earth would rotate slower, it would exert less centrifugal force on us. The resultant force of the Earth's gravity and the centrifugal force would be more as gravity would remain constant but centrifugal force would decrease. There would also be a temperature change as each hemisphere (Eastern and Western) would get more time to warm up from the Sun's rays." And if the rotation took 12 hours? "The water would rise by 100 metres if the day became 12 hours - due to the centrifugal force of the Earth.  So Indonesia and most of South America would be wiped out.  Africa would be two disconnected islands.  Mount Kilimanjara would poke out of the tip of new high oceans.  Hurricanes would increase because water levels near the equator would com along with huge amounts of humidity and create a band of fog around the equator. " The rotation of the earth has been increasing  for a while.  Scientist Leonid Zotov thinks it has to do with the Chandler Wobble that has mysteriously disappeared so could have helped the Earth rotate faster.   A leap second adjustment was made in 2012 and it "wreaked havoc" on sites like Redditt and Yelp who reported crashes due to the time adjustment.  Scientist Judah Levine says that if the planet continues to spin too fast, then by the end of the decade clockmasters may need to delete a full second. For example, they might have the clocks skip from 23:59:58 on Dec. 31, 2029 to 00:00:00 on Jan. 1, 2030.   There's a new Y2K scenario.  I think of August as a purple month - it must be that a lot of purple flowers bloom in August.  Time to check that theory out.  What colours are the other months?

Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

March 31 2022 - The Slap Trending Now

 

Let's say something in the news has got your attention. You could participate in moment by moment action on that topic given how news is delivered non-stop today. And wouldn't the news be  "The Will Smith Slap".  Or is it "The Will Smith Smack?" Everyone has weighed in with their opinions.   The latest is Whoopi Goldberg, on the Academy Board with the headline : "Will Smith 'overreacted,' according to Whoopi Goldberg, who believes the actor will not accept his Academy Award."   "Now, comedian Whoopi Goldberg has spoken out, stating unequivocally that Will’s award will not be rescinded by the Academy. The 66-year-old co-host said on Monday, March 28, on an episode of ‘The View,’ that Will Smith, who won the award for Best Actor for his performance in ‘King Richard’ shortly after abusing the host on stage, is keeping it. “We’re not taking his Oscar away from him,” she added." And so on...and on and on because she co-hosts the American "conversation" show The View. The impact on ratings of "The Slap" was another headline.  Viewership for the Oscars on ABC grew by 511,000 viewers during the 15 minute time span that featured Will Smith slapping... and then spiked to 614,000 viewers during his acceptance speech.  And how will this get monetized?  Absolutely - the Will Smith Slap Token - a newly-created cryptocurrency named "Will Smith Slap Token." And will this benefit Chris Rock?  Absolutely - Chris Rock's ticket sales doubled after the Will Smith Slap.  He received multiple standing ovations in his first appearance after "The Slap".  The report says:    "He spent much of the night skewering celebrities and politicians. Among them were the Duchess of Sussex, the Kardashians, as well as President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and former President Donald Trump.   Outside the venue, a fan showed off a T-shirt featuring the “G.I. Jane” logo and Pinkett Smith’s face. Another had a shirt he made that showed Smith's face and displayed a crude joke about the couple's relationship." Such a tornado, a whirlwind, a tsunami of responses and coverage.  Is this the number 1 trend on Google?  No - that goes to the public announcement of Bruce Willis' diagnosis of Aphasia made public.   Will Smith's slap is now being referred to as "Slapgate." This seems to imply an ongoing situation to be investigated and analyzed for a long time to come.   I blasted apart some of my images of The Ladder - I found a filter on Flexifly that turns a picture in 72 pieces.  Then the two images were merged in Photoshop.  I like the effect - it seems to match the Slap story.  What do you think?

Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

June 25 2021 - Heat Dome Inflation

 

Today's weather expression comes to us from the Weather Network.  They brought polar vortex into common usage.  Now it is heat dome.  They tell us that a heat dome usually camps in the Four Corners section of the southwestern United States. The news is that it will bubble up directly over British Columbia by Saturday -- extending into the northern territories and Alberta. "This feature will be particularly perilous because it's so rare in this part of the world. Sixty per cent of British Columbians do not own an air conditioner in their households.  A heat dome is colloquially known as an intense high-pressure system that features descending air that compresses and warms to record levels at the surface. These features tend to be cloudless, as well; this setup is an excellent inhibitor for vertical motion that produces clouds in the atmosphere. Heat domes often sniff out regions in drought, and as the old saying goes, drought breeds drought. Then you get a feedback effect. The warm air gets trapped in the lower elevations, and temperatures can only fall into the 20s at night. The following days can be incrementally toastier." We think of domes as Architecture. Domes created by humans have been around for a long time. The dome that comes to mind for most people is the Taj Mahal.  The tallest is St. Peter's Basilica at 136.5 meters or 448 feet. The world's largest  is the Pantheon - is unreinforced concrete - built almost 2,000 years ago.  The Wikipedia entry is packed with domes in every continent and there is a little thumb nail of each of them.  Our own SkyDome (Rogers Centre) is small in comparison to these world giants.  The tradition of domes includes mortuaries, celestial/religious, throne halls, and modern legislatures.   What does the dome traditionally represent?  Absolute power.   Do you know why, all around the world, parliaments' roof are built as a dome? Have you ever seen a circus with a flat roof?   Another Hearts Collage today. This one based on the curved palm leaf image, so I guess it could be called "Palms of Heart"