Sublimation: Fun With Dry Ice

Sublimation: Fun With Dry Ice

fun-with-dry-iceI had some dry ice left over from repairing the freezer (we stowed the frozen food in a cooler with Dry ice while I disassembled, repaired, and reassembled the ice maker) Dry ice sublimates much faster when you put it in water, as they do to make smoke at Rock concerts and clubs:

When dry ice is placed in water sublimation is accelerated, and low-sinking dense clouds of fog (smoke-like) are created. This is used in fog machines, at theaters, discothèques, haunted houses, and nightclubs for dramatic effects. Unlike most artificial fog machines, in which fog rises like smoke, fog from dry ice hovers above the ground. Dry ice is useful in theater productions that require dense fog effects.

The Death of a Good Man: Norman Borlaug RIP

The Death of a Good Man: Norman Borlaug RIP

Norman_Borlaug

The anti-Christ of the Luddite factions in Greenpeace has died. Norman Borlaug was the pioneer of genetically modified crops that have kept billions in the subcontinent of Asia from starving to death as the Club of Rome report “Limits to Growth” had predicted in 1972. Literally billions are alive today because of Norman’s work.

Even with that proof of the value of GM crops and their long use the radical anti-science left in Europe still makes resistance to GM crops a staple of every demonstration, and there are even factions doing the same here in the US.

Norman was one of the good guys, and he will be sorely missed – it would be hard to find someone else who has really done more for all of humanity.