Watershed

Water Power?

I've got to wonder about the details of this blurb in the Sun-Sentinel today.

FAU gets grant for ocean project

Posted November 17 2006

Florida Atlantic University received a $5 million grant for an ocean energy research project, less than $5.75 million originally announced.
...

FAU researchers are developing technology they think will allow consumers to power homes and fuel cars using ocean water.

- Scott Travis

The World Is Stanger than We Can Conceive

Brand new substance created from water

    * 13:27 27 October 2006
    * NewScientist.com news service
    * Rob Edwards

If you think we know all there is to know about water, think again. Scientists claim they have created a totally new alloy of hydrogen and oxygen molecules by splitting water.

It takes high-energy X-rays and an extremely high pressure, but the end result is a solid mixture of H2 and 02 that has never been identified before, they say. The discovery could change our understanding of the complex chemistry of water.
...
Mao’s team subjected water to a pressure 170,000 times greater than atmospheric pressure at sea level. Then they bombarded it with X-rays, causing the water molecules to split and reform into a previously unknown crystalline solid made of H2 molecules and 02 molecules.
...
The new alloy is "a highly energetic material", says Wendy Mao at Los Alamos National Laboratory, US, who led the research. "It may help us find a way of storing energy."

In other words, no one really knows what this is useful for, but it's frickin' cool that it happened!  And maybe we can make a battery out of it?  Wouldn't that be cool?

Man, I love when scientists just do shit to see if they can. 

Well, I will grant that it was worrisome that lots of the Los Alamos guys thought the atomic bomb would vaporize the entire atmosphere.  But other than that. 

And, you know, Frankenstein monsters from cloning.

Besides those two falsse hypotheticals, science is cool.

Converting Sewage into Drinkable Water -- by Pedaling

Water filter system will benefit millions

Wednesday, 25 October 2006, 2:21 pm
Press Release: Kelly Technologies October 25, 2006

NZ-designed water filter system will benefit millions worldwide

Pure drinking water, the most sought after commodity on the planet, could soon be within reach of millions of people thanks to the ingenuity of Kiwi Russell Kelly, backed by space age technology developed for NASA.

His recently designed filter system can turn sewage-polluted water into drinking water. International patents and trademarks protect the various processes.

Having lived in Kashmir on the India/Pakistan border, and having travelled widely through Asia, Kelly and wife Sue set about inventing a simple filter system that was portable, required low maintenance and that could be operated by gravity, bicycle power or a generator.

"We have also had 17 years practical experience in the water treatment business in New Zealand which assisted us in developing the necessary technologies that were efficient, robust and practical, and in most cases did not require electricity to achieve the goal. We were always confident in our ability to come up with the appropriate solution to the problems and knew what was required, but it has taken a long time to get there," he said.

This is a press release from the maker, but fair enough.  He wanted to avoid using electricity, which led down certain roads.

The filter is a four-step process where the polluted water first passes through a carbon-based filter. It then passes through a specifically designed 0.2 micron ceramic filter that has an iodine resin embedded in the ceramics to filter out cysts and bacteria and kill viruses in the water. The water then goes through a third filter which contains an iodine scavenging resin which removes the iodine taste from the water before it passes through a final carbon-based filter.

"The iodine technology was crucial and we have been fortunate in that NASA has not only given us the rights to use it but also granted approval to use the Certified Space Foundation logo as they see our invention as having a Œsignificant beneficial impact on mankind'.

If he had used UV rays, the filtration results would have been about the same, but wouldn;t have needed the NASA technique.  but that would have required electricity of some sort.  I'm curious what the price point is, because a solar panel driven (or pedal power driven) product using UV with the carbon filter would probably come out around a few grand, as I remember.

Also, I am not sure if the iodine filter and "filter out the iodine" filter need to be replaced.  My knowledge of the carbon filter is that those do.  So I wonder if part of the implementation plan includes processes for replacement of the filters.

Also, I wonder if the final product just has the basic rough filtration -- just cloth -- which makes sure that the big chuns in sewage or wastewater don;t get through and clog the finer filters.

These are all roughly nitpicks, though.  Sounds like a good product.

"Water Woo"

Beyond the supermarket shelves, there is whole range of water products that claim to do amazing things to your body and soul.  It's not just "Joe Water" with extra caffeine stuffed in.

Orac Knows recently wrote about the "water woo" of H2Om, a water infused with the power of the meditative word "om".  Sigh. 

From Orac:

Like all good water woo, Dr. Emoto's water must be treated with a special process. In this case, he boasts of a special "infusion" process used to make it H2Om the spiritually delectable refreshment that we all crave:

Let us begin by saying that everything in the universe contains a vibrational resonance or frequency. There are several distinctive energetic frequencies that are infused in each bottle of H2Om. We employ the power of intention through words, thought, music and human interaction.

Does this mean the bottling plant workers speak, sing, and play music at the water?

The First is the vibrational frequency of the label. The use of words, symbols and colors on the label. Each bottle contains the symbol of the Absolute " Om ". It also contains the vibratory word "Love" or "Perfect Health" written on the label in many of the world's languages. A specific color vibration has also been chosen for each bottle, this color coordinates with the corresponding chakra.

Wow. I'm getting tingly all over already just thinking about this water. It must be H2Om's energy interacting with my chakra from 2,500 miles away. Who knew you could infuse water with so many special properties just with a label and specific color "vibration"? Certainly not me.

The next energetic frequency is introduced to the water through the power of sound and music. After the bottling process is complete, we charge the water in the storage facility with sound and music with intent.

Sound and music with "intent"? What the hell does that mean? Does that mean you just think your intent at it? And then...what? What does it mean to have one's "intent" alter the water?

The final energetic frequency is the power of thought. The consumer's ability to connect to the water and literally, "Drink" the vibration inspired and supported by the words on the label. This not only reverberates in their body, but out into the world as well. It also brings about an awareness that connecting with your food and water is a sacred grateful act.

Does this mean I'm "drinking" the thoughts of some worker in Dr. Emoto's water bottling plant whenever I take a drink of H2Om? Or maybe the thoughts of Dr. Emoto himself (a scary thought). I wonder: Does Dr. Emoto himself show up to think at each new lot of water before it goes out for distribution? Inquiring minds want to know! More importantly, what is Dr. Emoto doing to make sure his workers are happy and in a proper state of mind to imbue the water with a happy, healthy "intent." I mean, wouldn't it be a a major bummer, man, if one of his workers came in after having had a really, really bad day, putting him in a really, really bad mood? What would happen to his "intent," then? What if his had wife left him the night before? His "intent" would be full of negative energy! He could pollute whole batches of water with his negative "intent"! Is it possible to reverse the process if somehow a whole tank of H2Om water is ruined with nasty, negative thoughts?

Clearly, Dr. Emoto hasn't  thought through all the implications of his "theory."

I will say that H2Om says they use a solid combination of UV and Ozone to sanitize the water before bottling.  So it probably has a pretty clear and taste, as long as they use a decent grade of plastic.  Probably won't have as much flavor as, say, Vittel or Evian, but might have more than your local supermarket generic brand of bottled.  The Orlando water utility uses ozone and Orlanod water tastes great out of the tap.

But as to how chanting "'Om" at a bottle of water aftects the taste, I would guess not at all.  And if you want to be really refreshed, then drink Gatorade.

Water on Saturn's Moons

Because Drudge hyped it, based on hype from Channel 13 in Orlando, some science bloggers seem to be almost let down by NASA possibly finding water on Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons.  I, however, find it pretty damn cool.  First other place in the solar system to have liquid water?  Good deal.  Maybe we won't have to drink nothing but recycled piss and sweat all the way to Pluto.

In fairness, PZ Myers was sceptical because NASA also has a bit of a hype problem. 

And Phil Plait at Bad Astronomy has links to great pictures of the plumes of what may be water crashing up from Enceladus.

Update:  here's the main page for the cool image on Bad Astronomy:  Cassini Images of the "Fountains of Enceladus"

Modeling

Most global warming stories tend to talk about computer modeling of the systems.  Yet I cannot think of a single Everglades story that talked about modeling the flow of the river of grass, and how it might be fixed.  I wonder if those models exist, as oposed to the satellite photographythat appears in the Grunwald book.

Quote Dredging

James Cameron makes pretty pictures, and he clearly thinks the sea is neat.  But I wouldn't bother to post a link to what is basically a press release unless it has a really good payoff.

NASA and Hollywood Collaborate On Film

NASA scientist Kelly Snook says of the undersea exploration, "It's similar in many ways to exploration of another planet.  You have a vast, unexplored territory, very difficult to get to, very dangerous.  It requires a lot of technology, the same kind of technology designed to protect human beings and allow them to do what human beings do best, which is explore."
...
Pam Conrad is an Astrobiologist with NASA. "You cannot go to the bottom of the sea and come back as the same person. The bottom of the sea is all that it promises to be when you see it. The surprise is just how emotional it is.  Every time you go on an expedition, you start out as one person and you finish as another."

Once past the Heraclitus ("can't step  in the same river twice") aspect of that quote, I like it.  I think Davy Jones would like it, too.  And the Pirates of the Caribbean.  Even in the era of underwater hotels, the commonest way to go to the bottom of the ocean is to drown.  And the coolest way to come back up, outside of a James Cameron film, is to become a raggedy-ass ghost and haunt some unsuspecting Jonah Watch.  Almost a shame that living people can do it so easily.

Or not.

B.C. Beer

This most important thing about science, about the final culmination of the Enlightenment is that we can now re-create a 9,000-yr.-old CHINESE BEER!

9,000-Year-Old Beer Re-Created From Chinese Recipe

John Roach
for National Geographic News
July 18, 2005

A Delaware brewer with a penchant for exotic drinks recently concocted a beer similar to one brewed in China some 9,000 years ago.

Sam Calagione of the Dogfish Head brewery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, used a recipe that included rice, honey, and grape and hawthorn fruits. He got the formula from archaeologists who derived it from the residues of pottery jars found in the late Stone Age village of Jiahu in northern China.
...
n earlier research McGovern found evidence of a similar alcoholic beverage in a 2,700-year-old royal tomb in Turkey—perhaps that of King Midas. He then collaborated with Calagione, Dogfish Head's president, to re-create the drink.

The result was Midas Touch Golden Elixir, a brew that "put us on the map for historical beers," Calagione said. Based on the success of Midas Touch—it has won several beer-festival medals—McGovern again turned to Dogfish Head to brew up the ancient concoction from China.

"Hence Chateau Jiahu," Calagione said, referring to the new-old brew's brand name.
...
Given the requisite addition of barley malt to Chateau Jiahu, Dogfish Head's concoction is classified as a beer, Calagione said. However, McGovern said the beverage made in China 9,000 years ago defies description.

"We called it a mixed beverage, because we're not sure where it fits in," he said.

Gerhart too struggled to categorize the beverage. "It wasn't a beer, it wasn't a mead, and it wasn't a wine or a cider. It was somewhere between all of them, in this gray area," he said.

Visually, Gerhart described Chateau Jiahu as gold in color with a dense, white head similar to champagne bubbles. Calagione said the beverage most closely resembles a Belgian-style ale.

According to McGovern, the brew is "very intriguing" with a taste and aroma of the grape and hawthorn fruits. To better match the 9,000-year-old beverage, however, he said it should probably be sweeter.

"Sugar is relatively rare in nature, yet we're very much attracted to it. We're also attracted to alcohol—all animals are attracted to these substances. They [the ancient Chinese] would have wanted to retain as much sugar as they could. They would have had a sweet tooth," he said.

Hidden Mysteries

Ran across a couple of stories that seemed strangely similar.  Waves upon waves, sometimes hiding, sometimes revealing.  First story is from India, second from California.

Receding river unearths the past

HIMANSHU KAUSHIK
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2005  11:04:04 PM ]

AMRELI (GUJARAT): Remnants of an ancient civilisation have emerged in Amreli district as the waters of Shetrunji river receded after the recent floods.

The flooded Shetrunji, believed to be an ancient river of the Pleistocene period, had eroded nearly six-feet-deep soil cover stretching seven km along the Vithalpur-Khambaliya road, revealing concrete plinths of regular shapes.

State Archaeology Department (SAD) director Y K Rawat says, "In the past also, several late Harappan sites have been found in Amreli district. This could be one of them."Rawat confirmed that the Shetrunji river was an ancient one (between 11,000 and two million years old).

Large bones unearthed near suburban river

(07-12) 17:06 PDT    San Jose, Calif. (AP) --

The fossilized bones of a creature that might have been a mastodon were unearthed Tuesday in the creek bed of a suburban river being renovated for flood protection.

The remains of what appears to be a massive pelvic bone, ribcage fragments and a tusk were uncovered along the Guadalupe River in San Jose. The river project has been cited as a model of how to integrate nature and development.

The Cali story also has pictures.

Both of these stories reminded me of a cool and claustrophobic documentary that has played on the Orlando PBS station a few times over the the months:  Water’s Journey: The Hidden Rivers of Florida.  Two divers are shown followng the underground pathway of water flow between two springs in Central Florida.   

That by itself would be neat, and the photography is excellent -- even when the divers appear to be stuck, with no way through tight channels of rock, meters below the surface.  But the divers also have a transmitter, which is boradcasting their position to two guys who hike along the surface, through all these Florida areas -- from swamps to subdivisions.  They happily tromp through Florida greenery, cross highways, and politely ask to walk through people's houses. 

My favorite part is when the divers are trying to find a good patht through the underground river, and the guys up top are in a bowling alley, goofing around in one of the lanes.

The final images, seeing the divers appear out of an underground cave, while the two guys up top are walking down the surface of the spring, is absolutely riveting and disorienting.

Constant Vision of Inconstant Steadiness

Or:  a cool thing to do with department money.

MyPond, by the University of Connecticut. 

[V]iew temperature, oxygen, pH, and other water quality measurements updated hourly from Swan Lake, Storrs, CT.