IRRITABILITY + END TIMES SPAM + PHYSICS MYSTERY ANSWER
Irritability
When I went shopping at Trader Joes on Saturday morning,
I found that there was a line to get into the store. The line seemed longer
than it was because most people were standing the recommended 6 ft apart, so it
didn't take that long to get in.
But I also noticed a slight change in mood since I was shopping last weekend: people
seemed more stressed. There were still smiles (and I smiled too), but there
was something a little more on edge than last week.
Worry about money and the economy, being cooped up inside too long and too much news can put
people on edge
and that can make them irritable. Be ready when family members or friends become irritable
or react emotionally to things that they would normally take in stride. Before
you react to their reaction, try to remember that it's probably not you they are reacting
to, it's the situation. You can help defuse the tension by not taking it personally and
recognizing it for what it is.
If you haven't gotten outside for walks or runs, kept up with an exercise routine
or put some structure in
your day, you may find yourself getting irritable also. Keeping yourself healthy
can be an enormous help to family & friends when things are stressful. When you are
feeling good, you can be a haven of calm for those around you. So take care of those
around you by taking care of yourself!!
End Times Spam
Lots of new corona-related spam has been arriving, as I'm sure you noticed
if you've been checking your email. "Hand Sanitizer Available!",
"Masks in Stock!", etc.
But a new one arrived in my spam folder over the weekend: "Corona Virus and
the End Times". In case you don't know what "End Times" refers to, it
is the lead up to judgement day in the Christian tradition.
It is quite natural for those who are religious to turn to their faith in stressful
times. In fact, I think I advised you on Day 2, to:
#6 Start Something Good. Start up a good habit. Maybe it's exerise or meditation,
or if you are religious, do something devotional. This is a great time to do that -
you have at least two weeks with few commitments.
But for people to take advantage of your fear and anxiety to get clicks on their website
or views on their youtube channel, I think is reprehensible. Real
religious leaders are trying to calm people, not stoke the fears.
But there will always be a few Peter Popoffs who would try to take advantage of the situation.
Be wary of them.
Physics Mystery Answer
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On Friday, I posted this picture and asked why the water
was different colors on either side of the tree.
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There are two reasons water looks the color it does.
1) You're looking in the distance and the water is reflecting the sky.* That is the case
with the water in the upper part of the picture at left. It's a deeper blue.
2) You're looking down into it and you're seeing through the water. When it's deep enough
and the water is clear,**
H2O tends to absorb out reds and oranges from the sunlight,
leaving mostly greens and blues. That's the
cyan or aqua color in the water near the shoreline in the picture at left.***
In case of the mystery picture with the tree, the left hand side is reflecting
the cloudy sky and
appears more grayish, while the sky on the right is clearer and bluer which is faithfully
reflected by the water on that side.
Congratulations to Matt Drayton who figured it out!
* - I find that students often have this reversed in their minds, that the sky reflects the water.
That is incorrect. The water reflects the sky. Why the sky is blue, we can talk about another day.
** - Water appears murky brownish or greenish when there's a lot of sediment churned up
in the water or there's a lot of algae growing in it.
Whether the water
is murky or clear often has
nothing to do with how polluted the water is, by the way.
Some of the worst pollutants dissolve in the
water leaving it clear.
*** - Pools aren't deep enough to absorb out much of the reds and oranges. The reason
pools look blue is because they paint the bottom of the pool blue, or use a blue liner.
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