Month: March 2023

Tour of the Solar System: Planets vs. Dwarf planets

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science

Hey, it’s you! I’m so glad you could make it! This is the third chapter of our little tour of the Solar System and I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it. For the obligatory recap of the tour, the first chapter was the introduction, while the second was all about the Sun.

Since the last stop was the Sun, we should be moving onto the next celestial object, which is Mercury; the first planet from the Sun. The problem is, I feel it could be important to discuss just what a planet is, and how they are different from a dwarf planet.

I briefly mentioned dwarf planets in the introduction, because let’s face it, they sound made up. It’s ok to admit it, you’re among friends. Dwarf planets are real, but they’re not as famous as their larger siblings; however they are no less important. Seriously.

Ok Scott, stop talking and actually say something! What is a dwarf planet? That is an insightful question, so here is a ridiculous answer. Let’s hop in our DeLorean time machine of the mind and travel back in time to visit three important dates: 1930, 2005 and 2006.

Image: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory- California Institute of Technology

In 1930, a planet was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh, which was later named as Pluto.1 Pluto become known as the ninth planet of the Solar System, and history and science textbooks would never be the same. Um….that’s not truly accurate is it? I remember learning about Pluto at primary school: we had nine planets in the Solar System and even though Pluto was the smallest, it was still identified as a planet.

For over 60 years, Pluto got to hang out with its older siblings, because it was still identified as a planet. Well, until 2005 it was. Over the years, technology has advanced with new developments, that has allowed humanity to view the universe in amazing new ways. Because of this, new objects were being discovered in our Solar System and beyond; but especially in and around the Kuiper belt, which is a disc like region of space, beyond Neptune.

And just so we are on the same page, Pluto resides in the Kuiper belt.

So back to 2005. Among the media released discoveries of Makemake and Haumea, another object was discovered: Eris. When the first measurements of Eris were released, it appears that it was actually larger than Pluto, even though it was further away. This development led a lot of scientists to call for the reclassification of Pluto. They also thought another object named Ceres, which was discovered in 1801, finally needed a permanent classification as well.

We can now move to 2006, which was Pluto’s least favourite year ever. Enter the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The IAU has been described as:

…a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and development through global co-operation.

Basically the IAU get to decide things about astronomy.

In 2006, the IAU held a general assembly, with one of the issues concerning Pluto and what to do about it; along with some other objects. This led to the definition of a planet, which consists of three criteria.

1.) Is in orbit around the Sun.

2.) Has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium.

3.) Has “cleared the neighbourhood” around its orbit.

The first criteria is obvious, the planet must orbit around the Sun.

The second criteria talks about the planet achieving hydrostatic equilibrium, which is just a shape that is nearly round.

The third criteria is about when a planet orbits the Sun, it must be the most dominant gravitational object, in that orbit. It means the planet needs to be able to sling or clear the neighbourhood of any other smaller objects in its path.

When Pluto was measured against these three criteria, it passed the first and second, but failed the third. And a long story short, Pluto was declassified as a planet and reclassified as a dwarf planet, along with others.

Textbooks were rewritten and suddenly Pluto no longer could sit with the cool kids, but needed to sit at a different table.

This being the case, a definition for a dwarf planet was established.

1.) It must orbit the Sun, and not be a moon.

2.) Has enough mass to be round.

3.) Has not cleared its orbit of debris.

To date, our Solar System has eight planets that meet all three planetary criteria. Starting with the closest to the Sun, we have Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

As for dwarf planets, they are planetoids that fail on one, two or even all three of the IAU planetary criteria; but pass all of the IAU dwarf planetary criteria. To the best of my understanding2, there are five official dwarf planets in our Solar System. Starting with the closest to the Sun, we have some amazing names like Ceres, Pluto, Makemake, Haumea and Eris.

There are five other dwarf planets in the Solar System, which are known as Trans-Neptunian objects or TNOs, that are waiting to be officially recognised as dwarf planets.3 In order from the Sun, they are Orcus, Salacia, Quaoar, Gonggong and Sedna.

Basically that’s it. A planet is identified as a planet, because it passes all three IAU planetary criteria, whereas the dwarf planets, fail at least with one of the planetary criteria. Whether this is fair, is another story for another day. Clear as mud?

That’s it for another week, I’m sorry. I’ve got to go and bore my wife with rugby and football scores now. Thanks once again for reading, following and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me; it means a lot. Remember to walk your dog; watch a banned movie; stay away from Sour Cream and Chives; and I’ll see you next week.

1 The story behind Pluto’s name, deserves its own tv movie.

2 Let’s face it, that isn’t very much.

3 Again, to the best of my understanding.

So how did St. Patrick drive every snake out of Ireland?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, People

I want to talk about St. Patrick. Why? Well since this blog has gone up on 20th March, and given that St. Patrick’s Day was on 17th March, many people around the world, will still be nursing hangovers or trying to find their way home. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and his day, 17th March, go together like alcohol, green wigs and vomitting.

It’s a day where millions of people from different ethnicities and nationalities, all put on a green hat and pronounce that for the next 24 hours, they’re Irish. Or until the money or alcohol stops, whatever comes first.

But what about St. Patrick himself? Patrick would have been a green loving, snake driving Irishman, that helped convert the pagans to Christianity, right? Well, yes and no.

Image by Squirrel_photos from Pixabay

The problem is there are a lot of misconceptions about St. Patrick and 17th March, that to a student of history and geek like myself, I think are quite…fascinating. Below are eight myths and misconceptions about St. Patrick and his day, that you may or may not know.

So, let’s get the craic started!

1.) St. Patrick’s name was Patrick.

Quite possibly of all the information on this list, this is the most outrageous. We all know that St. Patrick’s real name would have been…well, Patrick, right? In a reality with no Flat Earthers, this would be correct. Sadly however, we do have Flat Earthers in this reality, and St. Patrick’s real name was not Patrick. In fact it was Maewyn Succat. This can be explained with the second myth.

2.) St. Patrick was Irish.

Maewyn Succat was not born in Ireland or even Northern Ireland, for that matter; though Northern Ireland didn’t exist until 1921.1 Maewyn was born sometime during the late 4th century (maybe 385 CE or 386 CE); though different sources offer different dates. As for the location, it was Roman Britain, either in Wales or Scotland; though quite possibly, Wales.

3.) St. Patrick’s colour was green.

This fact is just bizarre. The Irish and Emerald Isle seem to have always been associated with the colour green. The flag, shamrocks, leprechauns and St. Patrick’s Day have added to this association. But the truth is stranger than fiction, because St. Patrick’s colour was blue.

The colour known as St. Patrick’s Blue, has been used in artworks depicting St. Patrick, where he is wearing blue robes. It can also still be observed on old Irish flags, sports uniforms, coat-of-arms, ribbons and armbands.

4.) St. Patrick drove all of the snakes out of Ireland.

You should never let the truth get in the way of a good story. That old saying is perfectly reflected in this fact, because according to the story of St. Patrick, he drove all of the snakes out of Ireland. This is a metaphor, since St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland and converted the pagans, the snakes represent evil or the sinners.

The punch line is that Ireland; and just like New Zealand, has never been home to native snakes. Ever.

5.) The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Ireland.

Since St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish event, you would think that the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held somewhere in Ireland. If you were a betting person, you would have lost.

The first recorded parade honouring St. Patrick’s Day was held in what is now St. Augustine, Florida, USA. Records show that a St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on 17th March, 1601.

6.) St. Patrick was a saint.

Vulcans embrace them, but what we are talking about is a technicality. St. Patrick is known as a saint, but he’s actually not. Well, not yet anyway. He’s a not a saint, because he was never canonised by the Catholic Church.

7.) St. Patrick’s shamrock.

St. Patrick is said to have brought Christianity to Ireland through preaching and explaining how the religion works. Legend says that one way he did this, was to use the famous shamrock leaf. He demonstrated that the shamrock was like the Holy Trinity; with each leaf representing the Holy Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, to show that the three different religious entities could be separate, but still be part of the same whole.

8.) The reason why St. Patrick’s Day is 17th March.

We all know that St. Patrick’s Day is 17th March, but why is it? Even though St. Patrick was not technically a saint, he was still revered as one. In Catholicism, the day when a saint dies is considered a holy day, and is treated as such. According to legend, St. Patrick died on 17th March, hence the celebrations.

Basically, millions of people around the world, wear green and get hammered on 17th March, because it’s the anniversary of St. Patrick’s death. It’s a roughly 1,500 year old never ending wake.

Was there anything on the list that you didn’t know? Do you know anything else unique or a misconception about St. Patrick? Please let me know.

Alright, that’s it for me. It’s raining at the moment and the house smells of wet dog, because Indy thought he would be brave and go outside; and let’s just say that he regretted that life choice. Next week, I will continue with our Tour of the Solar System, with the third chapter featuring the rivalry of planets vs dwarf planets. Can’t wait!! Anyway, thanks once again for reading, following and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me; walk your dog; read a banned book; stay away from Sour Cream and Chives; and I’ll see you next week.

Image by Lisa Larsen from Pixabay

1 That is a story for another day.

My dog’s eating habits are getting strange: The conclusion

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Animals

Everybody loves a good threequel, right? Whether its a book, movie, or album, threequels have a reputation of being amazing like Highlander III: The Sorcerer, The Hangover Part III, Taken 3, or RoboCop 3. Classics. So just like them, I put forth a new chapter in the history of awesome threequels: My dog’s eating habits are getting strange: The conclusion.

For those of you living in blissful ignorance, the first and second chapters of this thrilling trilogy, can be found on my blog.

For a quick recap:

  • My dog’s name is Indy and he’s 11 years old.
  • I noticed Indy was eating figuratively and literally, half of his food in his bowl.
  • I decided to study how he was eating the food, by recording it on the calendar; every day for a year.
  • It was always the same type of dog food in his bowl.
  • I published a blog covering the results from January-June 2022.
  • I published a blog covering the results from July-December 2022.

This blog is going to cover the results for the entire year and if anything at all, can be discovered from the results; other than the debate about whether the dog or the owner is weirder. And with that compelling introduction, let’s do this for the third and final time!

2022 results:

The percentages work out to be:

Left: 39%  Right: 33%   Top: 10%   Bottom: 8%   Centre: 1%  All: 5%   Hour Glass: 1%  Did not eat: 3%

So what does this all mean?

1.) Based over the year, it’s plain to see that Indy prefers eating from the Left side of his bowl.

2.) You’ll see Did Not Eat spiked around September. This was when Indy got sick, but also when he had a holiday and ate, well…holiday food, that was not from his bowl.

3.) We tried to control the conditions throughout the year as much as we could; however we totally forgot about one factor: the door. During late Spring to early Autumn, the back door was left open, while we were at home. This was to let fresh air flow into the house, because of the heat. So during late Autumn to early Spring, we kept the door closed, because of the colder temperatures.

4.) During Winter, Indy started diversifying his eating styles, because the Left and Right decreased, while Top and Bottom increased. Whether there was a correlation between the status of the door and Indy’s eating styles, remains to be investigated for another day. This was because Indy’s food bowl was right next to the back door.

So armed with the knowledge of Indy’s preferred eating style, we are left with two questions:

1.) What do we do now?

I have no idea. The whole process of recording his eating style for an entire year has been fun; if not a little strange.

2.) Why does Indy prefer eating from the Left?

Again, I have no idea. I’m not smart enough to understand Bichon logic, so it’s totally pointless.

Alright, that’s it. An entire year’s worth of data, based on one dog’s eating styles; and it’s time well spent. Does your pet have any weird or unusual eating preferences? Please let me know.

Thanks once again for reading, following and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. This way, my wife knows exactly where I am, so no tracking device is required. Like always, go and walk your dog, read a banned book, stay away from Sour Cream and Chives, and I’ll see you next week.

My favourite ERB videos

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, People, Social Media

I want to talk about Epic Rap Battles of History again. Why? A few weeks ago; though in the life of a parent, it was a couple of decades, I wrote a blog about Epic Rap Battles of History or ERB. Because of this shoddy piece of literature, I thought I’d follow it up with another.

If you haven’t read the previous blog about ERB, it mainly centres on what’s it all about, why I like them and discusses some rap battles involving people I had never heard of.

That being the case, and just like fireproof matches, I thought it could be a good idea to discuss my favourite rap battles from the different seasons of the show. I thought about having a top 10 list of my favourite rap battles, but what would the criteria be? The number of insults? The number of references that I understood? Or maybe the best soundtrack? Though to be honest, I would probably just break the criteria, even though I made them.

So in the interest of keeping things simple, like Trigger from Only Fools and Horses, I decided to list my favourite ERB videos per season, but only one winner per season. Along with naming the runners up, of course.

Like I said, this is an easy one for us, so let’s do it.

Season 1

Albert Einstein vs. Stephen Hawking

There are some gems from the first season, like Napoleon vs. Napoleon, Justin Bieber vs. Beethoven, and Dr. Seuss vs. Shakespeare, but the winner is Albert Einstein vs. Stephen Hawking. The rap battle has some brutal lyrics, but Hawking’s burn about the observable particles in the universe, is so good, I can’t stop singing and smiling at it. This rap battle is cruel, but funny as hell; even if you don’t know the references.

Season 2

Cleopatra vs Marilyn Monroe

Season 2 had some runners up like Season 1. These include Mozart vs. Skrillex, Batman vs. Sherlock Holmes, and Nikola Tesla vs. Thomas Edison. However even though my favourite rap battle is only 1.46 minutes long, it’s a knockout. From the opening bars, Cleopatra vs Marilyn Monroe is another brutal encounter, but it’s gets personal. Really personal. In all honesty, I think it could be one of the savage rap battles, because even though the two women are separated by about 1,950 years, they hate each other.

Season 3

Goku vs. Superman

In ERB’s third season, the quality of the rap battles were getter better. Whether it was the writing, acting, singing, costumes or special effects, or all of them, Season 3 was amazing. For me, the runners up were Sir Isaac Newton vs. Bill Nye, Bob Ross vs. Pablo Picasso, and Michael Jordan vs. Muhammad Ali. As for the winner, it was Goku vs. Superman. The lyrics were funny, the costumes were great, and the track was scarily catchy. But who won? Goku or Superman? The answer was the viewer.

Season 4

Zeus vs. Thor

This season was very close, for various reasons. The runners up were Romeo and Juliet vs. Bonnie and Clyde, Eastern Philosophers vs. Western Philosophers, and Steven Spielberg vs. Alfred Hitchcock. You’ll notice a collaborative theme with those rap battles. A special mention goes to the Jim Henson vs. Stan Lee battle, because; at least to me, it made sense that the two of them would stop fighting.

But speaking of fighting, the winner is Zeus vs. Thor. It was a genius idea to have the rap battle as Lego animation. It was outstanding, but so was the track and the lyrics. Zeus and Thor were both getting burnt for our entertainment and it was glorious.

Season 5

J. R. R. Tolkien vs. George R. R. Martin

For me, Season 5 was absolutely deadly, because just like the other seasons, the quality of the series was increasing. The runner ups for this season were Gordon Ramsay vs. Julia Child, Frederick Douglass vs. Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander the Great vs. Ivan the Terrible. They were awesome, but there was only one to rule them all: J. R. R. Tolkien vs. George R. R. Martin.

The make up for Peter and Lloyd was excellent, along with the soundtrack. Every time I hear the lyrics about the Tolkien’s tree branch and C.S Lewis, I can’t stop smiling, because they’re hilarious. I think they have three verses each; just like Zeus and Thor, which makes it more of an argument. I love it.

Season 6

Guy Fawkes vs. Che Guevara

This was extremely close, because the rap battles were mean, just mean. The runners up were Harry Potter vs. Luke Skywalker, Thanos vs. J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Mother Teresa vs. Sigmund Freud. A special mention goes to Ronald McDonald vs. The Burger King, because it was vicious and the funniest of the season.

However, the winner is Guy Fawkes vs. Che Guevara. I loved the rap battle, because it was packed full of historic and cultural references, as well as the special effects and costumes were superb. I’m a student of history, so this was, well, epic.

Season 7

John Wick vs. John Rambo vs. John McClane

Currently there are only four rap battles in this season so far, but I have to go for John Wick vs. John Rambo vs. John McClane. Jokes about dogs, Vietnam and marriages, along with the background and costumes, make this quite memorable. I’ve seen all of their films, and the ERB crew did a cracking job at bringing them to life.

Are you a fan of ERB? Do you agree with my choices? What are your favourite rap battles? Please let me know.

Alright, that’s another blog finished and my reward is to watch Last Week Tonight, and to think about next week’s blog. I’m sure something lame will come to me.

Thanks for reading, go walk your dog, watch a banned movie and I’ll see you next week.