Issues in American Indian Research

My Grandfather Was a Quantum Physicist

I can see him now
smiling
in full dance costume
in front of the roundhouse
on a sunny afternoon.

Scientists have finally discovered
that the intimate details
of our lives
are influenced by things
beyond the stars
and beyond time.

My grandfather knew this.

The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto is going online at the rate of a chapter a month. The whole thing will be posted by September 2003.

Akiyoshi’s illusion pages

This is pretty cool. Mind bending.

Federation of Canadian Municipalities: FCM Sustainable Communities (2.5d pr)

I know I’ll need this somewhere along the way.

Origins

Details aside, the story is simple. The universe began with the Big Bang. From this event came two elements: hydrogen and helium. The first stars ever � the so-called Population III stars � formed from these primordial gases and shone brightly in the early universe. Those stars eventually died, some as supernovae, and in the process released elements heavier than helium. These new elements, known in astronomical circles as “metals,” were incorporated into the second generation of stars, which in turn lived, exploded, and produced more metals. Some 9 billion years after the Big Bang our Sun formed, and along with its hydrogen and helium, inside it are several generations of supernova-produced metals.

A long-sought astronomical Holy Grail is the discovery of any still-living Population III stars. Their interiors would contain the most pristine Big Bang material known. While that discovery remains elusive, astronomers have uncovered the next best thing: the most metal-poor star known � a telltale second-generation star.