Monthly Archives: August 2011

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

Posted on 31 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

09:20 – We’re well into the endgame for the euro. Even with the ECB buying huge amounts of Italian debt on the secondary market, yields on new Italian debt crept above 5% yesterday in the first auction since the ECB … Continue reading →

Posted in business, culture, personal, photography, politics | 10 Comments

Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Posted on 30 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:00 – The Pentax K-r DSLR showed up yesterday, along with its kit lens, a spare battery, and a memory card. When I opened the battery and charger, I plugged in the charger and plunked in the battery, only to … Continue reading →

Posted in personal, photography, science kits | 7 Comments

Monday, 29 August 2011

Posted on 29 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:58 – As regular readers know, I’m no friend of either government or religion, which I consider to be twin plagues on humanity. Either on its own is bad enough; the two working together have historically been the single greatest … Continue reading →

Posted in government, homeschooling, politics, science kits | 30 Comments

Sunday, 28 August 2011

Posted on 28 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

12:17 – Irene nailed the North Carolina and Virginia coastal areas pretty badly, but we saw no effects in Winston-Salem other than a stiff breeze and a bit of rain. This storm had the potential to make landfall as a … Continue reading →

Posted in business, government, personal, science kits | 3 Comments

Saturday, 27 August 2011

Posted on 27 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

11:11 – Irene has made landfall on the North Carolina coast, fortunately as a Category 1. We’ve seen almost no effects from Irene here in Winston-Salem. It was a bit breezy when I took Colin out around 0700 this morning, … Continue reading →

Posted in friends, personal, science kits | 13 Comments

Friday, 26 August 2011

Posted on 26 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

09:30 – Colin loves sticks, and we always try to keep a “good stick” on hand. That is, one that’s solid wood and maybe a cm or two in diameter by 30 or 40 cm long. Yesterday, I let Colin … Continue reading →

Posted in business, dogs, government, science kits | 5 Comments

Thursday, 25 August 2011

Posted on 25 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:22 – I’ve been thinking about unusual antonyms, ones that almost no one knows. Last night, I was thinking about writing something about the Euro crisis, focusing on the mistaken idea that the Eurozone is an “optimal currency area”. Far … Continue reading →

Posted in government, personal, photography, politics, writing | 8 Comments

Wednesday, 24 August 2011

Posted on 24 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:34 – The biggest earthquake in almost 70 years hit the east coast yesterday afternoon, and I missed it. A few minutes before 14:00 local time, Colin started running flat out up and down the hall, barking insanely. I couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in personal | 10 Comments

Tuesday, 23 August 2011

Posted on 23 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:38 – Urk. I’m down to two of the chemistry kits in stock, which means I need to build another batch today. Fortunately, that doesn’t take long, as long as I have all the components at hand, maybe an hour … Continue reading →

Posted in personal, science kits | 10 Comments

Monday, 22 August 2011

Posted on 22 August 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

10:11 – The Euro continues to stagger toward its inevitable collapse. Finland, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Holland have now essentially pulled out of the second Greek bailout, calling into question whether Greece will ever see those funds. Other EU nations, … Continue reading →

Posted in government, politics, science reporting | 21 Comments