Anak Krakatoa. You can see the remnant (the old volcano from 1883) of the original island in the background. Beautiful scenery.. yet such devastating circumstances...
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Echoes of Krakatoa
Everyone’s still talking about the earthquake and the Tsunami that killed thousands of people all over the world especially in Indonesia. It’s been nearly a month, and still the whole world is still in frenzy in sending aid to the affected. Everywhere, people are still talking about the effect of the Tsunami and how it has devastated lives of hundreds and thousands of people. Lots of documentaries are being aired and I was fortunate enough to caught one that was very interesting. It was about Krakatoa and what had happened more then a century ago.
In 1883, the island volcano of Krakatoa practically exploded with devastating fury, stunning the entire world and its destruction affected the world on a global scale atmospherically which lasted for several years. Only one third of the island was left as a remnant of the original island. The great eruption was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT. In contrast, the Hiroshima atomic bomb was only about 20 kilotons!!
The island has a history of violent volcanic activity, but nothing prepared the world for the horror of its destruction. It was a ticking time bomb, and the study of volcanoes was only in its infancy. No one could have predicted the velocity and magnitude of it’s destruction with the knowledge that had been accumulated till then. No equipment or gizmos invented in that era could have alerted the people of the terror that was about to unfold. A similar eruption occurred in 416 AD. The volcano was formed by the subduction of the Indian-Australian Plate under the Eurasian Plate. Its eruption destroyed the volcano of Krakatoa. The remnants of this older volcano are just two small islands. Subsequently, 3 volcanoes combined to form the island of Krakatoa.
The eruption in 1883 had several effects which should be noted;
The explosions were heard on Rodriguez Island 4653km distant away across the Indian Ocean.
Tsunamis as high as 40 metres, devastating everything in it’s path and hurling ashore coral blocks weighing as much as 600 tons (one of which demolished a lighthouse)
In the immediate area, there was total darkness continued for 3 days.
Nearby islands were buried in thick layers of ash and plant and animal life did not begin to re-establish itself to any degree on these islands for nearly five years.
Ash fell on Singapore 840 km away and similar precipitation of ash occurred on ships as far as 6000km away.
Recording barographs documented the passage of the airwave, some as many as 7 times as the wave bounced back and forth between the eruption site and its antipodes for 5 days after the explosion.
Blue and green suns were observed as fine ash and aerosol, erupted possibly 50 km into the stratosphere and circled the equator in 13 days. Three months after the eruption these products had spread to higher latitudes causing vivid red sunset afterglows that could be seen in New York. Unusual sunsets all over the world continued for 3 years.
Rafts of floating pumice-locally thick enough to support men, trees, and biological passengers-crossed the Indian Ocean in 10 months. Others reached Melanesia, and were still afloat even two years after the eruption.
On the brighter side of things, the volcanic dust veil that created such spectacular atmospheric effects also acted as a solar radiation filter, lowering global temperatures as much as 1.2 degree C in the year after the eruption. Temperatures did not return to normal until 1888. It shakes you to the core to know that the Krakatoa eruption is not the largest in recorded history. In fact, in the fifteenth century in the Aegean Sea, Santorin’s explosion was six and one half times greater than that of Krakatoa.
Anak Krakatoa, or child of Krakatoa is and will keep growing in size. It is undoubted that some time in the future, perhaps in a few hundred years, a large explosion similar to the 1883 explosion is expected. It is only a question of time. Mother Nature is truly a powerful force that affects everyone, from the kings and emperors to the paupers and homeless everywhere on earth. Her power cannot be harnessed and she will not be tamed. She sure is one wild woman!!!
In 1883, the island volcano of Krakatoa practically exploded with devastating fury, stunning the entire world and its destruction affected the world on a global scale atmospherically which lasted for several years. Only one third of the island was left as a remnant of the original island. The great eruption was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT. In contrast, the Hiroshima atomic bomb was only about 20 kilotons!!
The island has a history of violent volcanic activity, but nothing prepared the world for the horror of its destruction. It was a ticking time bomb, and the study of volcanoes was only in its infancy. No one could have predicted the velocity and magnitude of it’s destruction with the knowledge that had been accumulated till then. No equipment or gizmos invented in that era could have alerted the people of the terror that was about to unfold. A similar eruption occurred in 416 AD. The volcano was formed by the subduction of the Indian-Australian Plate under the Eurasian Plate. Its eruption destroyed the volcano of Krakatoa. The remnants of this older volcano are just two small islands. Subsequently, 3 volcanoes combined to form the island of Krakatoa.
The eruption in 1883 had several effects which should be noted;
The explosions were heard on Rodriguez Island 4653km distant away across the Indian Ocean.
Tsunamis as high as 40 metres, devastating everything in it’s path and hurling ashore coral blocks weighing as much as 600 tons (one of which demolished a lighthouse)
In the immediate area, there was total darkness continued for 3 days.
Nearby islands were buried in thick layers of ash and plant and animal life did not begin to re-establish itself to any degree on these islands for nearly five years.
Ash fell on Singapore 840 km away and similar precipitation of ash occurred on ships as far as 6000km away.
Recording barographs documented the passage of the airwave, some as many as 7 times as the wave bounced back and forth between the eruption site and its antipodes for 5 days after the explosion.
Blue and green suns were observed as fine ash and aerosol, erupted possibly 50 km into the stratosphere and circled the equator in 13 days. Three months after the eruption these products had spread to higher latitudes causing vivid red sunset afterglows that could be seen in New York. Unusual sunsets all over the world continued for 3 years.
Rafts of floating pumice-locally thick enough to support men, trees, and biological passengers-crossed the Indian Ocean in 10 months. Others reached Melanesia, and were still afloat even two years after the eruption.
On the brighter side of things, the volcanic dust veil that created such spectacular atmospheric effects also acted as a solar radiation filter, lowering global temperatures as much as 1.2 degree C in the year after the eruption. Temperatures did not return to normal until 1888. It shakes you to the core to know that the Krakatoa eruption is not the largest in recorded history. In fact, in the fifteenth century in the Aegean Sea, Santorin’s explosion was six and one half times greater than that of Krakatoa.
Anak Krakatoa, or child of Krakatoa is and will keep growing in size. It is undoubted that some time in the future, perhaps in a few hundred years, a large explosion similar to the 1883 explosion is expected. It is only a question of time. Mother Nature is truly a powerful force that affects everyone, from the kings and emperors to the paupers and homeless everywhere on earth. Her power cannot be harnessed and she will not be tamed. She sure is one wild woman!!!
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Attracted to the flame like a moth...
Isnt it interesting how a flame can hold your attention. It's like being hypnotised when you stare hard enough into the flame. Your senses are mesmerized by the light and you cant seem to look away. For some reason, the picture on my computer had the same effect on me last night.. but then again, it was 4am and I was pretty tired. Still, it got me thinking, why are moths attracted to light? Some of them die a horrible death flying into flames. That's smart! But why are moths so stupid? I decided to research the topic a little bit (an excellent excuse to stop preparations for my assessment) and here are the results;
Not all moths are attracted to the light. Apparently, moths which are active in the day time are attracted to light whereas those at night are not too bothered about light. Therefore, SOME moths are attracted to light, and of those attracted to light, some of those moths are attracted to artificial light, and of those moths, some are attracted to different types of articial light. Light from the sun and from an artificial light have the same properties. Some are attracted to light, per se, but others are attracted by light that has short bandwidths like blue or violet light than they are those with longer bandwidths like yellow or red light, SOME insects prefer light that emits ultra-violet light.
Light is a way in which insects find food.Moths at night are probably seeking night blooming flowers that reflect ultra violet light or certain light colors from the moon. The moths recognize the reflected light as a food source. However, it is difficult for them to distinguish the light from a bulb from that of a plant. Alternatively, others may be active at night to avoid predators.
As we learned how to control fire, then moths had to deal with a new source of light. Moths that are attracted to artificial light may be on a disaster path. Bug zappers use light to kill insects, car lights attract insects, lights that attract insects bring them close to humans armed with insecticides. This is all disastrous to an insect... unless they want to commit suicide that is...
Hence, the moral of the entry is, not all moths are stupid. Only those attracted to light. I hear it's the same with frogs. If you want to catch a frog, shine your torch into it's eyes and it'll be mesmerized. Try to avoid the poisonous ones though...
Not all moths are attracted to the light. Apparently, moths which are active in the day time are attracted to light whereas those at night are not too bothered about light. Therefore, SOME moths are attracted to light, and of those attracted to light, some of those moths are attracted to artificial light, and of those moths, some are attracted to different types of articial light. Light from the sun and from an artificial light have the same properties. Some are attracted to light, per se, but others are attracted by light that has short bandwidths like blue or violet light than they are those with longer bandwidths like yellow or red light, SOME insects prefer light that emits ultra-violet light.
Light is a way in which insects find food.Moths at night are probably seeking night blooming flowers that reflect ultra violet light or certain light colors from the moon. The moths recognize the reflected light as a food source. However, it is difficult for them to distinguish the light from a bulb from that of a plant. Alternatively, others may be active at night to avoid predators.
As we learned how to control fire, then moths had to deal with a new source of light. Moths that are attracted to artificial light may be on a disaster path. Bug zappers use light to kill insects, car lights attract insects, lights that attract insects bring them close to humans armed with insecticides. This is all disastrous to an insect... unless they want to commit suicide that is...
Hence, the moral of the entry is, not all moths are stupid. Only those attracted to light. I hear it's the same with frogs. If you want to catch a frog, shine your torch into it's eyes and it'll be mesmerized. Try to avoid the poisonous ones though...
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Mix or Original?
Someone just asked me on mIRC if I was mix or original. It made me feel like I was a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Well... at least I know I'm finger licking good. Still... what is it with people and race?! People I hardly know always want to confirm that I'm Chinese like them. It's as though it's illegal for them to interact with other races.
The weightage given to the importance of one's race is preposterous! Obviously, the education system has failed us miserably. All this talk about becoming a united multi-racial nation and mumbo jumbo is just all talk and no action. Whatever it is, language barriers have got be demolished. Most people are too ashamed to talk to another person of a different race because of their lack of proficiency in a certain language. Mindsets need to be changed, and new policies introduced. Then again, there are assholes who just think one race is superior to another. We should brain wash them and send them to a poverty stricken part of the world to work for a couple of years. Alternatively, maybe they should be kidnapped and made slaves to an amazon tribe.
On a lighter note, I like KFC and I still think that the ones back home are better then the ones here. I dont know why, but somehow, it tastes more tender, hence I never eat KFC here... not unless I have a coupon or something for a cheap meal. I wonder why the chicken here sucks? Probably cause the chicken back home has been pumped up with so much antibiotics that they're so fat and their meat filled with so much oil. Thats the best kind of chicken kids! 11 herbs and spices! yum yum!
The weightage given to the importance of one's race is preposterous! Obviously, the education system has failed us miserably. All this talk about becoming a united multi-racial nation and mumbo jumbo is just all talk and no action. Whatever it is, language barriers have got be demolished. Most people are too ashamed to talk to another person of a different race because of their lack of proficiency in a certain language. Mindsets need to be changed, and new policies introduced. Then again, there are assholes who just think one race is superior to another. We should brain wash them and send them to a poverty stricken part of the world to work for a couple of years. Alternatively, maybe they should be kidnapped and made slaves to an amazon tribe.
On a lighter note, I like KFC and I still think that the ones back home are better then the ones here. I dont know why, but somehow, it tastes more tender, hence I never eat KFC here... not unless I have a coupon or something for a cheap meal. I wonder why the chicken here sucks? Probably cause the chicken back home has been pumped up with so much antibiotics that they're so fat and their meat filled with so much oil. Thats the best kind of chicken kids! 11 herbs and spices! yum yum!
Sexy Quiz Final Score
Congratulations, You are 69% sexy
"You are pretty sexy and you definatly have a wild side. You are a good catch for some lucky person. You could always let your hair down a little more and get wilder but your alright by our standards"
.....................
69% aint so bad innit? Not too wild, but not too innocent.. I like it... it let's me know I'm interesting, but not a complete slut in that area. cool...
Congratulations, You are 69% sexy
"You are pretty sexy and you definatly have a wild side. You are a good catch for some lucky person. You could always let your hair down a little more and get wilder but your alright by our standards"
.....................
69% aint so bad innit? Not too wild, but not too innocent.. I like it... it let's me know I'm interesting, but not a complete slut in that area. cool...
Monday, January 17, 2005
I'm 29 today... scary revelation...
Apparently I'm getting older in all senses...
| You Are 29 Years Old |
Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. |
What Age Do You Act?
Pretty scary stuff. If this keeps up, I'm going to start my mid-life crisis before I reach my thirties! Just the other day, the weighing machine in my housemate's room lied to me. Apparently I'm 74 kgs. I am so NOT 74 kgs. I have proof! The next day I weighed myself, I was only 70kgs. I'm adamant that I'm do not qualify for the 65kgs and above category. Whatever it is, I want wantan mee...
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