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Daily Archives: May 5th, 2011

Angry Suns are angry

Remember that?  Well, now you know what it is.  It’s a few pieces of the pattern I made for a summer-themed swap.  I made a slew of ANGRY SUNS because I think they describe summer SO. WELL.  And huzzah!  A real craft post!

Now then, if you don’t remember what the Angry Sun is, I will point you here and really…how could you forget?  I think I might have been slightly traumatized by the Angry Sun chasing me when I was making my mad dash through those desert levels in Mario 3 as a child.  Ok, so like there were only two desert levels and then the sun was never seen again.  But look at them, they are so angry!

Now then, I made patterns for all my different sizes (those are 0.25″, 0.1875″, and 0.125″ pixel sizes), cut them out, cut the same out of felt, sewed them up, and stuffed them.  Easy!

I had to change the flames around the outside a little to accommodate that I was making these out of felt and that I was stuffing them.  But overall, I think they look rather nice…and angry.  I will note that these would be easier to make with perler beads, and indeed someone already has.  Now to send them off.

[EDIT: I forgot to mention that is is my geek craft for Geek Crafts Month.]

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What really happens before/during an earthquake

Disclaimer: The following is inspired by a conversation with someone about what happens leading up to an earthquake.  Yes, I had this conversation with someone else.  Yes, that means that there are more people on earth that have such disturbed mental processes than just me.
Also, the links don’t really correspond to anything.  I’m just hoping to trap you in a Wikipedia loop about earthquakes, that’s all.

Earthquakes are like the fights that break out amongst small children (I imagine small, unruly boys, but it doesn’t really matter) jostling for space whilst trapped in the backseat during a long car ride.

For earthquakes caused by dip-slip faults:
Child #1 (C1), generally the taller child, tries to gain more space by simply invading the airspace of Child #2 (C2), generally the much put-upon younger child.  C2 protests and finally snaps and punches C1…or something, I don’t know.  The resulting fight causes an earthquake.

For earthquakes caused by strike-slip faults:
C1 and C2 are jostling for space again.  They try and lean forward or backward in their fight for more room.  Sometimes their shoulders hit each other.  The resulting fight causes in earthquake.

For earthquakes caused by oblique-slip faults:
C1 and C2 are jostling for space again (such unruly children).  C1 tries to invade C2’s airspace.  C2 moves forward or backward to dodge C1.  Shoulders hit, fists fly…the resulting fight causes an earthquake.

I imagine, for those fights as listed above, the conversation before the event go something like this:
C1: I’m so crowded!  (to C2) Give me more space!
C2: Hey!  I’m crowded too!
C1: I need more space! (leans into C2’s area)
C2: Hey stop it!  That’s my space!  (shoves at C1, may be the cause of a foreshock)
C1: Move over!  You have so much room!  (leans forward trying to get ahead of C2)
C2: I do not!  You have plenty of room!  (leans forward to protect space from C1)
C1: Move over! (leans backward trying to get behind C2)
C2: Stop stealing my space! Moooooom!! (leans backward to protect space from C2)
(jostling continues, foreshocks are felt over the region)
(a fight breaks out, a major earthquake occurs)

So, what we see from this is that we can predict earthquakes with a fair amount of accuracy if we can listen to the tell-tale childish bickering that inevitably will take place before the actual fight.  Also, we can see that Mother Earth is unlikely to be a disciplinarian if she lets her kids go on like this all the time.