Watching Our Water Ways

It’s time to revisit our old friend Flow Man, who always finds a way to “cut through” the most complex problems.

In his latest video, Flow Man comes to the rescue of a snowboarder. This particular athlete is about as far from an Olympic medalist as you can get. Flow Man’s nonsensical, but amusing, answer is to put a ragged edge on the snowboard.

When I first started posting the Adventures of Flow Man, I didn’t know that the corporate headquarters for the company responsible — Flow International Corporation — was located in Western Washington. The company was started by former Boeing engineers who saw the advantages of cutting with high-pressure water jets.

With its corporate headquarters in Kent, Flow employs more than 700 people in offices in Indiana, Michigan, Canada, Brazil, Germany, UK, Sweden, Spain, Italy, France, Taiwan, Japan, and China.

As for the benefits of water-jet technology, Wikipedia is running a well-written, basic article about the history, technology and benefits of high-pressure water. What is impressive is that jets of water can make cuts as fine as a human hair. One of the strong selling points is the low temperature, since most cutting techniques generate heat that can damage the cutting material. See this video overview of the technology.

What can’t be cut? According to the Wikipedia article, water jets don’t work for tempered glass, diamonds and some ceramics.

Other recent Flow Man videos ask these questions:

Can water cut a rug?

Can water cut a cheeseburger?

Can water cut a bowling ball?

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

A cultural image for all time: African women carrying water in pottery vessels resting on top of their heads.

It is such an indelible image that anything else seems amusing — such as watching African women roll blue plastic barrels filled with water. The video at right tells a labor-saving story with music, style and a touch of humor, but the serious importance of this product should not be underestimated. (If you would like to see a version of the video that plays better at full-screen, go to Hippo Water International.)

These plastic barrels, named Hippo water rollers, move so much more water than the old way that these women are saving hours in their day — hours that they can spend with their children or on other chores.

The Hippo water rollers are so innovative and time-saving that they have been included among products considered part of a “design revolution” that could change the world. See the book “Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People.”
(more…)

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

Are you a fan of Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart, both hosts of programs on the Comedy Central cable TV network?

Of course, both are known for finding humor in news of the day, but their styles are different. On a recent day, both “The Colbert Report ” and “The Daily Show” focused on the snowy conditions in the East.

And who should play in a prominent role in both reports? None other than the wizard of climate change, Al Gore.

So how does Gore explain some of the worst blizzards ever seen on the East Coast? And, for that matter, how does he explain darkness?

I hope you find both videos amusing. But which of these reports do you like better?

By the way, I want to thank Kitsap Sun reporter Steve Gardner for calling the Colbert clip to my attention.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

In recognition of Octopus Week at the Seattle Aquarium, I’m putting up a few videos for your entertainment and education. I’m posting this “Amusing Monday” early, so you can review the list of events at the Seattle Aquarium beginning this weekend.

First, before getting to the serious stuff, I’d like to start with an animated short film, “Oktapodi.” The film started out as a graduate school project by a team of French animators from Gobelins L’Ecole de L’Image. The production was nominated for an Academy Award during last year’s presentation and won numerous honors at film festivals.

The YouTube version here is OK, but if you want to see the film in full quality and can wait for the video to download, visit the official Oktapodi Web site and view the QuickTime version.

Back to the real world, check out this BBC video showing a diver up close with a giant Pacific octopus.

Elsewhere, the so-called mimic octopus is a fascinating creature, as shown in this video shot in Indonesia.

Finally, completing the tour, here’s a video from the Seattle Aquarium Web, which includes this sea creature as well as others.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

An amazing collection of wildlife photographs came together in the 2009 contest sponsored by National Wildlife Federation. These are pictures that touch you with their beauty, inspiration and humor.

Grand Prize, Amateur, 2099 National Wildlife Federation Photo Contest. Minke whale by Steffen Binke

The photo at right shows a minke whale descending the Great Barrier Reef off Australia. The picture, by Steffen Binke, won the Grand Prize in the amateur division.

To see a slide show of all 32 winners, visit the Web site of National Wildlife magazine. I hope you can take a few moments to enjoy them.

Other entries were so good that the magazine put together a slide show of 60 honorable mentions that are worth seeing.

If you are a photographer interested in entering the 2010 contest, you will find information on the online magazine’s Web pages.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

I love the reaction of newcomers to the Northwest when they see a giant geoduck clam for the first time.

Some people laugh; others stare in disbelief at the unique creature that reminds some people of the male anatomy.

After you’ve lived in Washington state, you learn that this massive mollusk is not only funny, it is big money on the international market. Geoducks are believed to play an important role in the ecosystem, where they filter water and can live for 100 years or more.

Geoducks grow naturally in deep water and are harvested by divers who dislodge them from the seabed with jets of water. Revenues go for managing the resource and to local governments willing to make recreational improvements to the shoreline. Some people contend that the state is over-harvesting, at least in certain locations.
(more…)

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

As part of my weekend duties this month, I’ve been checking police reports for the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office and other local law-enforcement agencies. It’s amusing sometimes how clumsy people can get while breaking the law.

I thought today I’d share some real news stories — mainly from elsewhere in the U.S. — about incidents involving water and the law. The Web site Clumsy Crooks helped me find and sort through these stories.
—–

Returning home, a woman caught a suspected burglar in her house, and he was rummaging through her things. The man looked up, asked the woman for a glass of water and went on his way.

Police caught up with him an hour later and discovered that his backpack contained electronic equipment and DVDs. The story does not say if he ever got the drink he was looking for.
Treasure Coast (Florida) story and mugshot

—–

Two men faced theft and public intoxication charges after allegedly filling a 1,500-gallon tank from a fire hydrant. They were towing the tank with its stolen water on a trailer when a tire blew out, sending their rig into a ditch. They told police they needed the water to operate their water slide.
ABC News picked up the story
—–
(more…)

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

I missed most of a story as I turned to KOMO-TV news today, but I was impressed with a group of young Chinese musicians playing traditional Chinese music.

So far, I have been unable to find a video clip of KOMO’s piece, but I was equally impressed by the competitive performance of an orchestra from the Shuiyuan primary school.

I know almost nothing about Chinese music, but I’m inspired to learn more, and I wanted to share at least one piece with you. I believe the name of the song performed on this YouTube video is called “The Unforgettable Water-Splashing Festival,” which makes this video highly appropriate for an Amusing Monday entry.

I would welcome anyone with a knowledge of Chinese music to educate me, and other readers, a little bit about the history and styles of Chinese music, and how young children are encouraged to play.

I will post the KOMO piece later, if it shows up.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

Do you remember Emily Litella, the confused “Saturday Night Live” character who was outspoken on many issues? Created by Gilda Radner, she was one of my favorite SNL characters of all time.

Last week, when I became confused about a scheduled activity, my boss informed me that I was off by exactly one week. “Well,” I wrote in a note to her, “that’s different. Never mind.”

I got to thinking about this indelible character. I recalled that Emily Litella once commented about a water issue: boats on a river. If you don’t remember Emily, then take a look at the video on this page before moving on.

I’ve included transcripts of a few Emily Litella sketches — with Chevy Chase, who seemed to tolerate the little lady; Jane Curtin, who had no patience for her; and the bewildered captain of a liverboat (?).
—–
(more…)

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

This week, I’ve gathered up a few fun tricks and science experiments you can do at home with regular old tap water.

Several of these come from Steve Spangler, whose motto is “Making science fun!” The nice thing is, if you don’t want to mess around, you can just watch these videos. If you have kids, however, you must admit they would love to carry out these “experiments” and many more you can find on YouTube.

How much does pepper like you?

Pouring water into a hot pan

Do you like your whiskey with or without water?

“I get to pour something on my brother’s head?”

How do you get a water balloon into a bottle?

Enhancing the old upside-down-jar-with-a-card trick

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post