Here’s a shocker – the film wasn’t shot in Punxsutawney at all. Instead, Woodstock, Illinois was used. Punxsutawnians (I don’t know if that is what citizens of Punxsutawney are really called or not) were very upset by this at first, but later understood that perhaps their beloved town wasn’t quite Hollywood-worthy. For instance, the Punxsutawney had no town square, whereas Woodstock’s town square made for a very iconic, small-town feeling. Several scenes from Planes, Trains and Automobiles was also filmed in Woodstock.
Daily Archives: February 4, 2009
Blue, Blue, My Water is Blue
Water is blue … because water is blue
Actually, water is quite a transparent liquid, but not perfectly transparent. All substances to a certain degree absorb light, and as a consequence, the intensity of a beam of light spreading through matter drops exponentially with distance, as described by the so-called Beer-Lambert law. Pure water appears transparent because it takes a distance of the order of metres to reduce by half the intensity of light passing through it. And, what is most important for the apparent colour of water, the absorption depends on the wavelength of light, hence colour.
And, as it turns out, heavy water isn’t blue.
Holy Physics Quiz!
Riddle me this, Batman. Physics Riddle — Of Rope and Wood at Morning Coffee Physics
Playtime
[H]is data suggest that a lack of opportunities for unstructured, imaginative play can keep children from growing into happy, well-adjusted adults. “Free play,” as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving. Research into animal behavior confirms play’s benefits and establishes its evolutionary importance: ultimately, play may provide animals (including humans) with skills that will help them survive and reproduce.
Most of my childhood play was unstructured. Decent-sized back yard, and a dad who resisted the urge to yell at us when we trampled it. (There were several patches where grass did not grow for about 12 years, from all the foot and bike traffic.)
I also live by the adage It’s never too late to have a happy childhood
(though I would never describe my childhood as being unhappy)