http://www.artwoo.com Returned search results for clouds Copyright 2008 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 02:30:45 +0000 http://www.artwoo.com/rss/clouds http://www.artwoo.com/article/weather-systems-experts-can-tell-all-the-clouds-apart http://www.artwoo.com/article/weather-systems-experts-can-tell-all-the-clouds-apart#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2007 10:40:00 +0000 classification of cloudscirrus cloudstypes of cloudslevel cloudslayer cloudspuffy cloudsstratiform clouds http://www.artwoo.com/article/weather-systems-experts-can-tell-all-the-clouds-apart classification of clouds.

An English scientist, Luke Howard, presented a classification scheme to his local scientific society in 1803. Howard classified the basic cloud shapes and the language he used was Latin, the language of science. Since combination of words was allowed in his system that left the scope for further classification. Immediate acceptance and universal admiration were the gains of his system.

In our time cumuliform and stratiform are the two basic types of classification to start with. From cumulus, the Latin equivalent of heap,the word cumuliform is derived. Puffy clouds are called cumiliform clouds. From convection or orographic lifting this type is generated normally.

From stratus, the Latin equivalent of layer, the word stratiform is derived. A flat, layered shape is the characteristic of straiform clouds. Normally with the accompaniment of stable weather appear stratiform clouds.



Further classification of these two basic types is possible if the heights at which they form are taken into consideration. The term cirrus clouds are applied to high-level clouds beyond 16,500 feet. To a basic cloud type the prefix cirro is sometimes added. For clouds developed in the range of 6,500 to 16,500 feet the pr4ix alto is applied. No prefix is applicable for clouds developed below 6,500 feet and therefore the basic types, stratus and cumulus, are denoted by default as low-level clouds. For signifying quite a few types of clouds, height prefixes can be combined with basic types. Thus layer clouds at mid-level altitudes are termed allostratus clouds.



Since too familiar cumulonimbus cloud extends from low to high altitudes it itself is taken as a category. It is bears rain and the word nimbus means just that.

Not really a science classification of clouds is. Still considering the fact that clouds vary all the time and the variations are of endless forms, the best results can be obtained through a classification system that is flexible.

What does precipitation mean?

When air rises and cools till it is saturated with water vapor clouds formation takes place. In such a condition, water vapor condenses into tiny water droplets or sublimates into tiny crystals of ice. However due to gravity tiny water droplets or ice crystals fall into the ground if they become quite b big. Precipitation signifies this fall.

Determination of how it should be classified depends on the form in which the precipitation reaches the ground. On the process of formation, temperatures within and below the cloud and the ground temperatures as well depends whether precipitation will fall as rain, freezing rain, sleet, or snow.

Depending on water droplet size and quantity, steady or intermittent can be the classification of the precipitation. Steady or intermittent can also be the classification of the precipitation. Normally with frontal activity steady precipitation is associated, and with convection and atmospheric instability is the association of intermittent precipitation. Vince Paxton works especially for http://www.alicante-spain.com , a website on the topic of Denia and Altea. From his works (e.g. http://www.alicante-spain.com/costa-del-sol/malaga.html on places to visit in malaga spain ) the reviewer expressed his deep knowledge on the subject. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/effects-of-clouds-on-a-solar-panel http://www.artwoo.com/article/effects-of-clouds-on-a-solar-panel#comments Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:30:00 +0000 solar panelscloudscloudy weathersolar panelsunlight hoursbright sunlightcloud cover http://www.artwoo.com/article/effects-of-clouds-on-a-solar-panel Solar panels hold a wealth of benefits, both for individuals and for the world at large. Economically, solar panels promise to lower the cost of electrical power. Environmentally, solar panels can give us cleaner power, sustainable power that will not require further damage to the environment. Solar power can reach remote areas. It can carry education, or urgently needed medical information.

The effects of clouds on a solar panel, though, might diminish those and other promising benefits.

The effects of clouds on a solar panel might make it far less efficient in certain parts of the world and at certain seasons.

For that reason, people who are considering solar panels for their homes are often heard to ask: will clouds affect my solar panels?

Will Clouds Affect My Solar Panels?

Clouds do affect solar panels. The amount of power your solar panels can produce is directly dependent on the level of light they receive.

In full, bright sunlight, solar panels receive maximum levels of light. During those "peak" sunlight hours, your solar panels will produce power at their maximum capacity.

When clouds cover the sun, light levels are reduced. This does not shut down power production, however. If there is enough light to cast a shadow, in spite of the clouds, your solar panels should operate at about half of their full capacity. Thicker cloud cover will reduce operations further. Eventually, with heavy cloud cover, solar panels will produce very little useful power.

The Good News!

The effects of clouds on a solar panel can be surprising good, however. Incredibly, your solar panels will put out their ultimate amount of peak power during cloudy weather!

As the sun moves into a hole between the clouds, your solar panels will see something wonderful. They will see full direct sunlight "plus" reflected light from the clouds! They will drink in more energy than they could on a cloudless day!

The effects of clouds on a solar panel could then produce peaks at or above 50 percent more than its direct-sun output!



Meeting the Challenge

There are ways to meet the cloud challenge.

1. If you often have clouds in the afternoon, but mornings are clear, aim your solar panels slightly toward the east.

2. Be sure you use a large enough battery system to maximize the amount of power stored for use when the clouds arrive.

3. Make sure your controller has plenty of headroom over the rated panel output power so that it can absorb the surges when the sun reflects off the clouds.

Those tricks and more are practiced in cloudy regions of the world where people have sprinted far ahead of the United States in their use of solar panel energy.

Effects of Clouds on a Solar Panel in Germany

Germany is typically a very cloudy country. Read about the climate of Germany, and you will find that it is "temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind" according to Nation Master's website.

In spite of its cloudy climate, though, Germany is by far the world's biggest user of solar panels. If you lived in Germany, you could sell back to the main power grid all of the excess electricity produced by your solar panels. Why would I even care in such a cloudy climate? If clouds affect my solar panels too much, I would not worry about selling back to the main grid.

In 2006, Germany opened the largest solar park in the world. Germany also has Europe's most modern solar housing project =96 a solar village of 50 solar houses that produce more energy than they use!

Will clouds affect my solar panels? Even if I lived in Germany, the effect would not be enough to forego solar power.

Tip: There are few places that are so consistently cloudy that solar power is out of the question. Improvements are being made constantly, and even solar panels small enough to fold into a briefcase can produce helpful amounts of power. =A92007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about solar power at http://www.solar-energy-connection.com. Anna has posted articles on that site about various applications of this useful technology. If you want to know more about the benefits of solar power, you won't want to miss her article on the subject. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/water-vapor-in-the-atmosphere-affects-climate-changes http://www.artwoo.com/article/water-vapor-in-the-atmosphere-affects-climate-changes#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2007 10:45:00 +0000 water vapor moleculescondensation nucleiwater moleculessublimateair temperaturelevel cloudsatmosphere http://www.artwoo.com/article/water-vapor-in-the-atmosphere-affects-climate-changes atmosphere water vapor is present as an invisible gas. Through evaporation from the oceans about 90% of this water vapor joins the earth's atmosphere. As the ocean waters get heat from the sun, a part of the water transforms from a liquid to a gas and in the warm water that gas rises.

While the sun heats the water, more rapid movement of the water molecules starts. A number of these rapidly moving molecules succeed in detaching themselves of the water below and as water vapor they run away.

But the capacity of air to hold water vapor is not unlimited. On the air temperature depend how much it can hold. For warmer air the capacity to hold water vapor is more. As the limit it reaches no more water vapor it can hold, that is, it is saturated, or the saturation point it has reached. Beyond this stage, the water vapor will start coming back to liquid form through condensation.

When the water vapor starts condensing that very temperature point is known as the dewpoint here. For the condensation process dirty air formation above ground level is the need really. Particles like dust, salt, and suspended pollutants fill in the atmosphere we live in. As condensation nuclei these materials work since for the water vapor molecules to clump around they find a role.

Condensation just above the ground is behind fog formation. Clouds are produced by condensation at higher levels. Since the process for each is absolutely identical with the other, it is quite logical to feel that fog is nothing but a cloud on the ground level.

Formation of cloud

When condensation takes place above ground level clouds are formed. Water vapor condenses into water droplets when the surrounding air temperature is above freezing point. However water may sublimate or change directly into ice crystals when air temperature below freezing point prevails. Sometimes in a supercooled state below freezing the water vapor can remain.

Since generally with altitude temperature decreases, high level clouds have tendency to form into ice crystal clouds while low level clouds may become water droplet clouds, often a combination comes of middle level clouds. Hundreds of millions of droplets and/or ice crystals join to produce clouds. On a number of factors depends the cloud type.

For the rise of the air masses three processes work. Of those convection is the first. As the sun heats the surfaces the air above the surfaces starts rising since that air too gets heated. Soil, sand and pavement are some of the surfaces that heat up faster because of their efficiency in the matter. Everywhere these warm bodies of air begin to rise, they ultimately reach the dewpoint and cloud formation is the result.

The rise of air is also possible when collision of fronts occur. Cloud formation takes place if in the warm air enough moisture is present.



Lifting of air is also possible when it faces mountain ranges and other geographic features. Further, clouds will form if enough moisture is present in the lifted air. Rare cloud shapes are often resulted from orographic lifting.

The rise of an air mass continues so long as in respect of the surrounding air it is warmer. The conditions do not get stability still the rise continues. However, with equilibrium stable conditions are quickly reached. Normally, the conditions are unstable if over warm air is present cold air in the upper atmosphere. When warm air is over cold air, stable conditions result generally. Concentrating on news and information about Javea, Ken Morris is publishing primarily for http://www.alicante-spain.com . Through his writings such as http://www.alicante-spain.com/alicante-weather.html ,the columnist proofed his deep knowledge on areas associated to alicante weather. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/weather-changes-can-determine-what-color-the-sky-will-be http://www.artwoo.com/article/weather-changes-can-determine-what-color-the-sky-will-be#comments Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:15:00 +0000 weather watcherblue waveslight wavesatmospheresky changesdust particlesweather pattern http://www.artwoo.com/article/weather-changes-can-determine-what-color-the-sky-will-be atmosphere and the sun's heat results in the weather. The awesome, amazing colors that we see in the sky are produced storms and ever-changing weather systems as the atmosphere is without color on its own. Then how does this astounding display of color come about?

Air molecules and dust particles that are present in our atmosphere collide with the light waves from the sun and scatter in various directions as it enters our atmosphere. The waves that have shorter wavelengths like violet and blue waves get more effectively scattered than the orange and red waves having longer wavelengths. As a result varying mixtures of green, violet and blue waves along with small quantity of other colors scattered across the vast expanse of the sky. The blue that we see as our sky is formed due a combination of this mixture. But the exact shade varies depending on how the amount of dust particles and water vapor are present in that portion of the air. The shape of blue will get paler as the amount of particles and droplets increase in the air.

All the colors of the spectrum gets scattered by the water droplets that make up the clouds and thus making the clouds appear white. Meaning reconstitution occurs to the white light originally emitted by the sun. But the clouds appear gray or black if they are thick thus preventing light from passing through.

During sunsets and sunrises, the sky changes color frequently. The phenomena happens due the scattering of orange and red waves that gets though because as the sun is at a lower position in the sky during these times, the light gets to travel further into the Earth's atmosphere. The orange and red hew gets more enhanced due to the presence of ash, dust and pollution in the atmosphere.

Weather Watcher who are Beginners

An intriguing array of changes in weather pattern is created by Earth's atmosphere. Constant changes in weather in various parts of the world challenge our lifestyle as we adjust to it. For weather forecasting professional level, quality instruments have been introduction for the use of enthusiasts and amateurs in recent times. Contribute collected data by setting up your own weather station at home to the Internet and local professional forecasters is possible now because of these instruments.

Making distinction between high-level, middle-level and low-level clouds is a good thing to learn. An increase in the high and mid level clouds generally indicates the approach of frontal systems. Snow and rain is always a probability if low-level clouds follow these clouds.

A small chance of precipitation if there is fair weather accompanied by cumulus clouds that's indicative of stable atmosphere. Although you might be in for heavy rain, gusty winds and can even experience a hailstorm if you observe explosive and rapidly developing cumulus clouds.

Weather can be forecasted by keeping a close watch on the barometric pressure and the direction of wind Winds movement from the southwest and falling pressure on the barometer are often indicators of frontal systems in the Northern Hemisphere.

You can improve the accuracy of your forecasting by maintaining logs of actual weather events along side your predictions and observations. You will learn the correct local conditions with the help of these logs. Linden Walhard repeatedly writes papers on topics like Costa Blanca and La Manga. Sharing his passion in publications (for instance http://www.alicante-spain.com/costa_blanca_golf_courses.html on blanca costa golf property ) he showed his capability in the field. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-feel-like-youre-on-cloud-9-experience-the-stuff-that-dreams-are-made-of http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-feel-like-youre-on-cloud-9-experience-the-stuff-that-dreams-are-made-of#comments Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:43:23 +0000 tandem sky divehot air balloonstandem skydivelife dreamswhite cloudsdark cloudsspirit of adventure http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-feel-like-youre-on-cloud-9-experience-the-stuff-that-dreams-are-made-of
While dreaming of dark clouds may not be a good sign, dreaming of white clouds can signify prosperity. Dreaming of flying may be associated with a sense of ease and elation, with great achievement and being at one with the universe or with taking an overview of your life. Dreams of hovering or floating may be associated with success or optimism and having the world at your feet. According to Freud, an airplane is a phallic symbol but then according to Freud, most things are! Dreaming of hot air balloons is thought to express a desire to rise above the cares of the world.

They say every cloud has a silver lining. So why waste your days looking up and wondering if you should have brought an umbrella when you could get up there and seek out the silver for yourself? There are many ways to explore the sky and see the earth from a different perspective. Experience days can give you the chance to fly in a plane or a helicopter. You can glide or you can even jump. Jump! How high? How does free-falling at 120mph from 13,000 feet grab you? If you have a real spirit of adventure or you know someone who does, Tandem skydive experience days could be just the job.

Of course if you'd rather set your sights a bit lower to start with, you could try sky diving in an indoor wind tunnel first. This is so simple a five year old could do it. In fact, if you are looking for an original gift for your favourite adventurous five year old, Indoor Skydiving experience days could be the answer. But they'll have to wait a few years before they can progress to the real thing as you have to be 16 to do the Tandem Sky Dive.

Strictly speaking even that won't take you quite as high as cloud 9 as the highest clouds start between 18,000 and 45,000 feet. Clouds are generally classified as low, medium or high and there are different types of clouds at each level so the popular theory that the expression "on cloud 9" originates from the US weather bureau's classification of cloud types does seem to hold water, cloud 9 being one of the highest in the sky. However, it would be pretty cold up there but at 13,000 feet you should be able to catch enough clouds to check out a few silver linings on the way down. You'll have to be quick though as you'll be travelling pretty fast! There are of course plenty of rather more sedate experience days that allow you to explore the skies.

The harsh reality is that floating on a cloud would be rather a cold and damp experience but floating LIKE a cloud is a rather more attractive proposition. A ride in a hot air balloon provides very much that sensation. Choose from any of a range of Champagne Balloon Flight experience days, drink a toast to the skies and not only will you feel like you're floating on air, you actually will be.

Of course such is the perversity of mankind that once you get up in the sky, by whatever mans of propulsion you choose, you'll be busy looking back down at where you came from, marvelling at the beauty of the English countryside and how small the trees, people, houses and cars look from up there. If fields and trees don't provide enough excitement for you, you can choose one of the London Pleasure Flight experience days or take a helicopter tour over London. You can look down on the London Eye and soar above Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament.

Of course, there are also plenty of experience days to choose from where you can have your head metaphorically in the clouds while keeping your feet firmly on the ground. Your idea of heaven might be a chocolate making workshop or a facial and a massage. Or maybe you or someone you know would be in their element having a makeover and photo session or a real life recording session in a proper studio.

Perhaps the time has come to replace those dreams of what might be with vivid memories of real life experience days that will stay with you forever. It's a chance to get a whole new perspective on life.To explore our range of experience days further, please visit our website at http://www.gettingpersonal.co.uk.]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/best-seasons-in-phoenix-az-for-a-good-wedding-video http://www.artwoo.com/article/best-seasons-in-phoenix-az-for-a-good-wedding-video#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:29:26 +0000 professional camerassource foelectrical lightingpersonal preferencearizona weddingdifferent colorstime restrictions http://www.artwoo.com/article/best-seasons-in-phoenix-az-for-a-good-wedding-video
Weddings are usually themed with different colors to suit the season. Bows, ribbons, flowers, and dresses will be all tied together by complementing colors and styles. A wedding video will be similar in the fact that it will reflect the wedding in it's season. The video will tie the motifs of the day together in a documentary style. But there are more things to know about what will effect the actual video itself.

Video cameras are very sensitive to light. Essentially all a video camera does is capture light into frames. The time of season will effect this lighting. Couples getting married in Phoenix are fortunate in the fact that the weather is sunny year round. Plenty of light will lead to bright and vibrant videos that will depict the wedding in a more actual way. Dark cloudy days or shortened days will effect the vibrance of the wedding video and may cause graininess in the footage. It's also important to realize the difference between video footage taken at night, and video taken during the day.

Many parts of the United States have shortened days during the winter. Wedding ceremonies are often held during the night time because of time restrictions or because of personal preference. Sometimes night wedding ceremonies can add dynamics in lighting and can be very elegant. But it can be very detrimental to the quality of a wedding video. Many professional cameras perform poorly in night conditions. The graininess will be amplified noticeably and the video will not be nearly as sharp. Sometimes the video can seem blurry during and shots that aren't stationary. Also colors can be dimmed tremendously or misrepresented depending on the electrical lighting. It is important that a wedding is recorded as it is seen as it is the main source for couples and families to remember their wedding days for the rest of their life.

Another advantage of Phoenix, Arizona is because of the mild weather in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. Often there are soft breezes and open skies. If there are clouds, it is more than likely that they will be soft white clouds and no the tremendous rain clouds so common in other states. Soft white clouds can actually be helpful to the video by diffusing the light which lessens shadows and harsh light. There is no need to explain why rain clouds are negative for a video, but there are many states during many seasons where it is more likely to rain than not to rain. There is no such season in Arizona, although the late summer months can bring significant storms.

The perfect season for a wedding in Arizona is easy to pick. The best season is almost all of them including Spring, Fall, and Winter. Summer's are possible but not ideal. The mild weather and the long sunny days will make for a spectacular Phoenix wedding video. If you are from the northern or eastern states, consider a destination wedding to Phoenix. You will not regret it. Once you are in Arizona, it will be up to your videographer to make the video that will reflect you and your special day.Get to know a professional videographer who has the eye to make your perfect phoenix wedding video.]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/weather-fronts-are-a-factor-of-air-movement http://www.artwoo.com/article/weather-fronts-are-a-factor-of-air-movement#comments Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:24:59 +0000 stratus cloudscumulus cloudscirrus cloudslevel cloudscontactoccluded frontsoccluded front http://www.artwoo.com/article/weather-fronts-are-a-factor-of-air-movement
The existing air mass in a region gets encountered that is already there when another air mass moves in. front is the boundary that is created between these two air masses. Cold front is when the cold air replaces the warm air and when cold front gets replaced, it is known as a warm front.

A cold air mass when encounters a warm front, the colder air get pushed below the warm front. Condensed water vapor changes into clouds when the warm front rises and cools down. Appearance of mid-level clouds follows high cirrus clouds. Mid-level cloud is followed by Thick stratus clouds. Precipitation and wind come next.

Often cold fronts produce weathers that are more volatile by nature. The warm air mass moves upward sharply when it comes in contact with a cold front. Convection and instability results due to this sharp upward movement. Along the front trigger storms and formation of large cumulus clouds. An area of strong winds and low-pressure zone gets created due to the quick rise in air. The actual front is accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain. After frontal passage come the persisting showers.

At times a cold front overtakes a generally slower moving warm front. The warm front gets pushed aloft the cold front when this happens. An occluded front is the line formed in-between the two fronts as they continue to move together. Light precipitation and Stratus clouds generally accompany the occluded fronts.

A stagnant area is formed when two air masses that are different but not strong enough to push and replace the other meet. Precipitation for a long time period accompanied by cloudy weather results in due to this stagnant situation. This stagnant front may as a warm or cold front begin to move or after a few days may dissipate. In summer the chances of occurrence of such stagnant fronts are higher.

More than 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by the oceans. Land surface doesn't cool down or heat up as quickly as the water surface and hence heat is efficiently stored in seawater. Due to this characteristic cold or warm water is carried to different parts of the globe by ocean currents. The temperature of the currents below affects the temperatures on the surface. Changes in temperatures of the sea alter climates. It affects more effectively the climate of the coastal region.

In the few weeks around the summer and winter solstices the maximum and minimum sea temperatures legs because of the slow heating and cooling nature of water. The weather is affected by the variation in sea and land temperatures that gets heightened due to this lag. As a result large portions of the water surface may experience fogs and the weather in the coastal region might be cooler.

In the air the water vapor gets condensed to form clouds that eventually as precipitation falls down on the Earth surface. The whole process starts all over again as most of it goes back to the oceans after a small portion of it gets absorbed by snow and rain. Eric Slarkowski frequently edits publications on subjects dealing with Moraira and Gandia. His work on murcia airport car rental can be found on http://www.alicante-spain.com/murcia-car-hire.html and also various other websites. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/spirituality-information-journey-in-the-fields-of-forever-part-3 http://www.artwoo.com/article/spirituality-information-journey-in-the-fields-of-forever-part-3#comments Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:14:52 +0000 high above the cloudspale blue skygiraffesleeptime zonesacacia treefirst flight http://www.artwoo.com/article/spirituality-information-journey-in-the-fields-of-forever-part-3 first flight as a teenager leaving one country for another to continue my education. The excitement of foreign adventures was mixed with the sadness of leaving my family. As the plane took off and the northern coast of South America dropped below the horizon, I remember brushing a small tear off my cheek, yet smiling at the glorious possibilities of exploring a new, fascinating and sometimes frightening world. It would be years before I would see my family again.

I don't sleep much on airplanes and I read very little when up in the air. High above the clouds enveloped in this meditative environment, I much prefer to reflect on the nature of reality, to philosophize and luxuriate alone in my thoughts. Today was no different as I reflected on the past week. Indeed it was a grueling one. My body's bio-clock was indecisively choosing among time zones across three continents, but my mind, at ease on an uncrowded flight, was drifting among the clouds of yesterday and tomorrow.

Yawning, I glanced through the window again. If you leave London in the late afternoon flying west ward toward New York, you would experience a prolonged twilight period. It's as if you were racing after the sun, never quite catching up as it drops into its nest in the west, leaving you to sleep or gaze hypnotically in its spell.

Another yawn as I glanced again at the clouds. There weren't many of them, but they appeared to come to life changing shapes and evolving into new, intriguing forms, ever so slowly, ever so peacefully as we sailed overhead.Here was one that resembled a giraffe,long neck, spots and all stood out against the pale blue sky. And over there, another cloud took the shape of an acacia tree,complimenting the giraffe on the African landscape. Lower and somewhat farther to my right was one shaped like a car =97 a Volkswagen beetle no less. Lecturer, entrepreneur and MBA business consultant, John Harricharan is the author of the award-winning book, "When You Can Walk on Water, Take the Boat." For more information, visit: http://www.spiritual-simplicity.com http://www.vish-writer.com ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/why-lighting-happens-during-a-thunderstorm http://www.artwoo.com/article/why-lighting-happens-during-a-thunderstorm#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:15:00 +0000 cumulus cloudscumulus cloudwater dropletsparticlesthunderstormslightning and thunderdown to the earth http://www.artwoo.com/article/why-lighting-happens-during-a-thunderstorm thunderstorms occur in the world, most commonly in the equatorial region and in the United States, specifically in the Midwest and the South of the nation.

Moisture, instable climate and air lift are the three primary causes of thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are examined to go through 3 distinct stages: the cumulus (or the developing) stage, the stage of maturity and that of dissipation.

The first stage takes place when warm and moist air flows upward replacing the cold air. The air rises for convectional movement or frontal clashes or even orographic lift. The moisture content in the mass of air cools down and forms cumulus clouds. Condensation of the moisture also causes convection.

The mature stage of the storm begins with the rising air meeting the tropopause. Then the clouds spread on top and gives the cloud its characteristic anvil shape. In case of sever storms the updrafts are so strong that they even punch up to the stratosphere from the tropopause.

Within the clouds the water droplets turn into raindrops and even ice particles at times. Theses particles become rain again as they fall. Sometimes the updraft is so strong that it forms larger ice particles which do not melt and come down to the earth as hail.

Lightning and Thunder

When electrical charge builds up in a thunderstorm then the lightning is formed. These electrically charged particles emits bright light and the electrical current heats up the air into a plasma mass which produces the acoustic shocks which we can hear as the roaring of the thunder.

It is not fully known exactly how the electrical discharge creates thunder. The widely accepted idea says that it is the polarization of the precipitation within the cumulus cloud that produces it. As the ice crystals and water droplets move along the earth's electric field they take up positive and negative charges. The positively charged particles tend to go up while the negatively charged particles accumulate in the bottom of the cloud.

The oppositely charged particles attract each other but are insulated by the mass of air. When the charge builds quite strength, there might occur an electrical discharge within the cloud or between the clouds and even turn from the clouds to the ground. But one out of four thunders reaches the earth. Bolts of lightning moves at about 60000 miles an hour.

About 95% of the lightning is negative. This is because it is the negative charged particles that get discharged from the cloud. However 5% of the thunders are positive which travels down to the negatively charged ground. It was discovered only in the 1970s that the positive lightning is 6 to 10 times more powerful than the negative ones. It has the potential to become a threat to all mankind and technology.



Thunder forms when the lightning bolt heats its surroundings to a great extent and this makes it to expand and then contract fast. Sound travels slower than the light. This makes it possible for us to calculate how far the lightning is by counting the time between the light and the sound of the thunder. Sound travels at around one mile in 5 seconds. The thunders that occur about 20 miles away are usually not heard. Robert Carlton routinely creates detailed papers on information much like Calpe and Javea. You can have a look at his publications over at http://www.alicante-spain.com/murcia_flights.html and various other sources for flights to murcia in spain information. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/new-age-spirituality-journey-in-the-fields-of-forever-part-104 http://www.artwoo.com/article/new-age-spirituality-journey-in-the-fields-of-forever-part-104#comments Sat, 14 Jul 2007 20:19:59 +0000 spiritual simplicityclouds of glorycoffee cupsgideonmagical universemarlaawe struck http://www.artwoo.com/article/new-age-spirituality-journey-in-the-fields-of-forever-part-104 Gideon, "that the magic is not only in you, but all around you. This Universe is a magical Universe and was designed for our enjoyment and growth. You change your world by changing the way you look at it. It's all a matter of perception and attitudes. We'll meet whenever you want to and chat about things that are important to you. Call on either or both of us and we'll be there. From now on, so long as you always re- member that the Presence is with you, your life will flow in trailing clouds of glory from God Who is your home."

"How about some more coffee?" I offered. I was so overwhelmed, it was all I could think of saying at the moment.

"No, thank you," said Gideon.

"Not for me, either," replied Marla.

Suddenly it had become extremely still around us. Not even a whisper in the wind could be heard. Without warning, the detonating sound of thunder exploded. Instinctively I blinked and in that split-second I found myself alone, holding my half-empty cup of coffee. Gideon and Marla had vanished. I rose from my seat and walked into the kitchen. There,in the sink, I found their coffee cups. Somewhat awe-struck, I stood staring at nothing in particular. "In trailing clouds of glory. . . ." The words echoed through the hallways and ricocheted off the walls of my mind as I went about preparing dinner.

Now, dear reader, as you and I arrive at this point,perhaps, it's a good time to consider, without a doubt, that each of us has been led here to reflect on this simple truth =97 Although our beginnings may end and our endings begin again, throughout all eternity we will be journeying in the everlasting Fields of Forever.

To read the rest of the story visit http://www.spiritual-simplicity.com Lecturer, entrepreneur and MBA business consultant, John Harricharan is the author of the award-winning book, "When You Can Walk on Water, Take the Boat." For more information, visit: http://www.spiritual-simplicity.com http://www.vish-writer.com, http://www.innerpeaceandbalance.com ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-get-a-guy-back-5-ways-to-get-a-guy-back-after-break-up http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-get-a-guy-back-5-ways-to-get-a-guy-back-after-break-up#comments Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:36:24 +0000 acts of desperationdark cloudsfirst mistakecrying all dayneedy personbingereflection http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-get-a-guy-back-5-ways-to-get-a-guy-back-after-break-up dark clouds and you will never truly be happy again. Everything is lost, your guy is gone. Then you begin to get your thoughts together, you begin to see a break in those dark clouds. You want you want him back and you want to know how to get a guy back!

How to Get a Guy Back-5 Ways to Get a Guy Back After Break Up

1. Get Control of Yourself.

The very first thing you need to do is get your emotions under control. You need to get yourself under control so you can get a plan together to get your guy back. You cannot think clearly if you are crying all day, binge eating ice cream, or feeling massively depressed. Yes, there is hope that you can get your guy back. There are proven ways on how to get a guy back.

2. Did Not Call Your Guy-Not Yet!

I know, you first reaction after a break up is to call him and plead or down right beg for your guy to take you back. You are afraid you are going to lose him. You think if you do not do something right away then you will never have a chance of getting your ex back. This is usually the first mistake a woman makes when she tries to get a guy back.

3. Take a Break From Your Break Up.

Both you and your guy need a break from each other. You need to minimize the contact between you and him. There is a reason that the break up happen, you both need time to reflect on the cause. Not only does this give you time for reflection and thought on the relationship, but it also give him time for clearing his mind. If he loves you then he is going through the same process that you are. He may not be as emotional just because a man tend to be less emotional than a woman.

4. Do Not Be Weak or Needy.

One thing a guy does not like is a weak or needy person. Begging, being too clingy, or other acts of desperation will not win your guy back. It will do the opposite, it will repel him. Do not cry or yell in front of him, you need to present yourself as a positive self-assured person.

5. Relearn How to be Yourself.

You know yourself, why would you want to relearn how to be yourself?

First, answer these questions.

Are you the same person now as you were when the relationship first started? Why was your guy first attracted to you? Do you remember the first weeks of the relationship and why both of you were special to each other? What has changed?

You were a unique person to him then, has things become monotonous, have you forget what qualities about each other that made both of you so compatible.

Take this break from the breakup to think about how you can relearn yourself; find those special qualities about you that made him fall in love with you in the first place.

The above 5 ways on how to get a guy back after a break up are very basic strategies and are just a start on winning back your guy. It is not going to be easy, but if you are still in love with him, you will need to learn advance strategies on how to get a guy back. It is possible, you can be happy again.Watch Free Videos Here. Yes, it is possible to get your guy back and you can be happy again. You can get proven ways and strategies on how to get a guy back although some of them may be unconventional!]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/diamond-clarity http://www.artwoo.com/article/diamond-clarity#comments Sat, 12 Aug 2006 22:27:13 +0000 diamond claritygemological institute of americaflawless diamondsmagnificationgemstonedotsclouds http://www.artwoo.com/article/diamond-clarity Diamond Clarity?

Diamond clarity is the measure of flaws found in and on the outside of a diamond. The less flawed a diamond is, the more value it has and the higher the price tag. There are very few diamonds which can be categorized as having no flaws at all, however, most diamond flaws cannot be seen without magnification of at least 10 times. Because issues with diamond clarity are often undetected when looking at a diamond, some people consider this to be one of the least of their concerns when selecting a diamond to purchase.

How is Diamond Clarity Determined?

The most well known measurement of diamond clarity is done by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). It ranks diamonds based on a grading system it created that ranges from flawless diamonds, to imperfect diamonds, with many different grade ranges in between. The better the clarity ranking, the more expensive a diamond will sell for as it has more value.

Types of Inclusions that Effect Diamond Clarity

Inclusions are flaws that effect diamond clarity. They make it so that the diamond is not "perfect", and there are visual imperfections within the gemstone. Most flaws however, are un-noticeable to the naked eye and can only be seen under high levels of magnification.

There are names for many of the most common inclusions. Carbons effect diamond clarity because they are very small black dots found on the surface of a diamond, which may or may not be visible in regular lighting. Some may be so small that you need magnification to view them. Pinpoints effect diamond clarity because they are white dots along the surface of a diamond. Pinpoints are the most common of all diamond flaws. Clouds effect diamond clarity because they cause what look to be cloudy areas within the gemstone. The clouds are actually made up of many growths of crystals that are positioned very close together within the diamond, and their proximity to one another is what causes the cloudiness to appear. Feathers effect diamond clarity by causing cracks to form within the diamond, that look similar to that of broken glass.

Clarity Enhancements

Diamond clarity flaws can often be fixed or reduced by using a variety of clarity enhancement treatments. Some diamonds are painted, some get lasered in order to remove pinpoints and carbons, and some diamonds undergo a process by which tiny holes are drilled into the diamond in order to reach areas of inclusions within the gemstone, and then the cracks are later filled with molten glass. Having enhancements done to improve diamond clarity decreases the overall value of the diamond, but can improve it's appearance. Diamond certificates should indicate that enhancements were done on the diamond, so ask to see documentation before making a purchase. While most enhancements just cause the diamond to look nicer, some may actually cause the diamond to be weaker, and more prone to breakage than a diamond that has not had any treatments. Burt Cotton http://www.about-diamonds.com ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/can-you-really-get-paid-for-just-surfing-the-net http://www.artwoo.com/article/can-you-really-get-paid-for-just-surfing-the-net#comments Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:14:55 +0000 make money onlinetraffic swarmemailsinging your praisessun shinesmoment of clarityagloco http://www.artwoo.com/article/can-you-really-get-paid-for-just-surfing-the-net sun shines like never before and you hear the birds singing your praises. You have a moment of clarity, you are going to be your own boss. Work for yourself from home in you pajamas! Great but what business are you going to do? Then you get the email that puts it all together for you. "Make Money Online Surfing!" Divine intervention some would say, but how does it work and do you really get paid?

You decide to find out. So you take the day off from the job that you don't like but does give you a paycheck and decide to check it out. You roll out of bed, get some coffee and sit down in front of the computer to make the money that you gave up for taking the day off. Little did you realize the options that you have when it comes to making money from surfing the net. There are hundreds of different companies out there that say they will pay you to surf the net and read your email. To find these companies do a search using the keywords, "make money online surfing."

My first piece of advice, do not pay to join any of these. It doesn't cost you any extra to surf the net without them and they shouldn't charge you to sign up with them in order to pay you to surf the net through them. That should be a clear warning that they want your money because that is how they make their money.

There are sites like Marketpond, Traffic Swarm, HitMaster, Surfing 2 Cash, Dot =96 Ad and the list goes on and on and on. There are also places like Agloco, which is a company that asks you to install a bar on your browser and it clocks the time you spend on the net and you will get paid for it. This one I actually signed up for, it doesn't cost anything but it is not available yet, they are still in the testing phases. There is a max amount of hours per month that they will pay and you can get paid from people that you refer and join. I checked them out with the Better Business Bureau and they checked out.



A lot of people will tell you that they have made "big" money surfing the net but I have yet to see it pay off. In most cases, the amount of money that they say they will pay you pales in comparison to the amount of time you have to spend on the net. I suggest you figure out what your time is worth. You just wasted an entire day sitting on your butt in front of the computer with no other human contact and didn't make a dime! Don't waste time thinking that you are going to make money online surfing and live the life of luxury.

This is where the clouds fill the sky and rain falls down on those big dreams of big money for playing on the net and the birds aren't really singing your praises, they are trying to wake you up! Yoshi Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He writes about entrepreneurs and working from home. You can read his articles about "Make Money Online Surfing", visit his blog at: http://www.didyousmellthat.com/main/making-money-takes-a-lot-of-this/ ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/trials-and-tribulations-one-reason-why-we-must-go-through http://www.artwoo.com/article/trials-and-tribulations-one-reason-why-we-must-go-through#comments Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:30:02 +0000 son jesus christholy saintsstorm cloudsreason godarms and legssanctificationwar in iraq http://www.artwoo.com/article/trials-and-tribulations-one-reason-why-we-must-go-through reason God will allow all of His own to have different kinds of adversities, trials and tribulations come our way in this life is for our own sanctification in Him.

Per the article we have titled "Sanctification," God's ultimate and highest aim for all of us is our sanctification in Him. God wants to make us more holy like He and His Son Jesus. He wants to transform us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ. He wants to consecrate and set us apart unto Himself.

God is the Potter and we are the clay. He wants to mold, shape and transform us into godly, righteous and holy saints. But this shaping, molding and transformation process can be a very painful process at times. And at times, a certain amount of adversity and conflict is what God will use to help shape, mold and transform us.

Some of the verses I will list below are very extreme, but very powerful. In the wording of some of these verses are some very profound and powerful revelation being given to us by the Lord as to why He is allowing some of these storm clouds to come our way in the first place.

A perfect example of this type of sanctification in action has to be with some of our soldiers who are returning back home from our war in Iraq, with many of them coming back home with some very severe and serious injuries. Some have literally lost arms and legs. I just recently saw two of them interviewed on TV.

When asked if they were bitter or mad as a result of the serious injuries they both had received, both of them responded back with some incredible statements. Both of them said that the severe and serious injuries that they had sustained actually helped them to become better people.

The one girl interviewed said before she had received her serious injuries, that she was a very judgmental and critical person. They both had taken too much of their lives for granted and really did not appreciate the little things of this life. After sustaining these types of serious injuries, both of them said they are now much more appreciative of every little thing in their lives. They now no longer take their lives for granted like they used too, and they now see where their priorities should all be set at.

They now see what is most important in this life. They now have a fuller and deeper appreciation of the value and sanctity of human life, and they will never again take for granted what time they still have left down here to do something very meaningful and purposeful with their lives.

Instead of letting their serious injuries totally crush and destroy their personal lives and what little time they still have left down here, they are both using their personal trials and tribulations as a spring board to become much better people - not only for themselves, but for their families and friends, and for the goals and aspirations that they want to pursue from this point on.

Adversity has a real way of humbling you. For those who are operating in too much pride, severe adversity has a way of knocking most of it right out of you. Once you see how powerless you really are against the real severe storm clouds of this life, and that you really need God's help and guidance to make it through this life in one piece, many people can be brought completely down from their high horses with one or two good torpedo shots.

This is why God will allow a certain amount of trials and tribulations to come our way in this life. These trials and tribulations will either make you or break you in your own personal walk with the Lord. Put someone through the fires of a real testing and you will find out very quickly what they are really made of.

Some people make their greatest strides in spiritual development and personal growth in the middle of these types of severe storm clouds. There is something about severe adversity that will either cause you to spiritually grow and mature in your walk with the Lord very quickly or it will cause you to quit and throw in the towel on both Him and with what He wants to do with the rest of your life.

Here are some of the positive qualities that can literally be burned and molded into your personality as a result of going through some severe storm clouds:

Bravery Courage Boldness Patience Steadfastness Tenacity Perseverance Humility Self-control A calmer and more peaceful heart A kinder, softer and more caring heart Greater empathy and compassion for others Greater appreciation of the sanctity of life Greater appreciation of the other people in your life Increase your faith and trust levels in the Lord

In addition to being able to mold and burn these kinds of positive qualities into your personality, trials and tribulations can also serve to burn out some of the negative qualities that the Lord really does not want operating in your personality such as:

Pride Haughtiness Arrogance Callousness Self-centeredness Narcissism Self-righteousness Hard-heartedness Bad tempers Mean and vengeful spirits Verbally and physically abusive spirits Manipulating and controlling spirits Know-it-all attitudes Judgmental and critical attitudes

Again, I know this is not a real popular piece of revelation being given to us by the Lord, but as you will see in the Scripture verses I will list below, this is one of the main reasons that God will allow a certain amount of adversity to come our way in this life from time to time. Article written by Michael Bradley, you can get the complete article on the fruit of the Spirit at http://www.bible-knowledge.com - and get 20% off retail on all Christian books at his online bookstore at http://www.bibleknowledgebookstore.com ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-is-title-insurance-for-a-home http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-is-title-insurance-for-a-home#comments Mon, 30 Oct 2006 08:27:07 +0000 title searchcloudsunpaid taxesproperty changes handsestrangednotationstitle insurance http://www.artwoo.com/article/what-is-title-insurance-for-a-home Title Insurance?

When you sign a contract to purchase a home, it usually takes between 30-60 to complete the transaction. During this time, usually referred to as the escrow or closing period, many activities occur to secure a loan and to transfer the property from the seller to the buyer.



What is a Title Search?

One of these steps is called a title search. A title search is conducted to determine who owns a property. A property's title records the history of ownership about a property and identifies any parties that have an interest in a property. A clear title indicates that the current seller has full rights to sell the property,

A title company or their representative usually conducts a review of a title. These people are looking for any notations in the title's history that would suggest problems in clear ownership of a property. Any problems identified in a title are commonly referred to as "defects" or "cloud on title."



Defects or Clouds on Title

There are many causes of defects or clouds on title. These defects or clouds could have occurred with the current owner or with any previous owner of a property. For example, two owners prior to the current owner, a husband may have sold a home without the permission of his estranged wife. The "wife," in this example, may have some claim of ownership to the property since the property was sold without her permission. There may be other problems in a title such as forged or missing documents, unpaid taxes, liens, judgments, or other claims against ownership to the property not uncovered in the title search or review of public records.

In most cases, a title search does not reveal any problems with a title, and if problems are identified, they are resolved before the property changes hands. However, there are occasions that claims against a property are filed after the new owner takes ownership of a property. So this creates a problem for the new owner and their lender because other parties are asserting an ownership interest in the newly acquired property. This is the type of situation that title insurance was designed to address.



How is Title Insurance Relevant?

Title Insurance is an insurance policy issued by an insurance company to cover beneficiaries if there are claims against a title. If defects are found after a buyer closes escrow, then a title policy usually covers the expense to remedy the defect (if possible), or pays the insured for any loss due to the defective title.

If you get a home loan to purchase a property, most lenders will require that you purchase title insurance for them at your expense. This will cover the lender against any claims filed against the title of a property. Lenders usually require this coverage. Title Insurance companies also offer coverage for the homebuyer, but this is optional and is separate from the coverage required by lenders.



Compare Companies

As with any other form of insurance, different companies cover different items and charge different rates. Be sure you understand what your policy covers, since each company will have their list of included and excluded coverage items. You should also know that you might be able to get a lower rate on title insurance if the current home seller provides you a copy of their title policy. In these situations, you may be able to use the same insurance company and request a "reissue rate."



Title Insurance Cost

The cost for title insurance is usually charged as a one-time fee and itemized as part of your closing costs. While rates vary from company to company, they generally range from 0.5% to 1% of the mortgage amount. Be sure to get several bids when comparing title insurance.



Bottom Line

A title insurance policy will provide you or your lender protection against defects in a title. There are separate policies for both the lender and the homebuyer. The lender usually requires the homebuyer to purchase title insurance for the lender and pay the expense. The owner's coverage is usually optional. The title insurance industry is a competitive business so it's best to compare rates and coverage benefits between companies. Title insurance is a complex decision, so be sure to talk to your real estate agent or attorney before making any decisions about title insurance. http://www.sdhomedatabase.com http://www.downtown-san-diego-homes.com http://www.leucadiacondos.com ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/arts-and-crafts-for-kids-and-other-creative-exercises http://www.artwoo.com/article/arts-and-crafts-for-kids-and-other-creative-exercises#comments Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:50:27 +0000 creative self expressionchild gluetypes of emotionsoil pastelscolored pencilsold magazinesarts and crafts http://www.artwoo.com/article/arts-and-crafts-for-kids-and-other-creative-exercises arts and crafts for kids while also giving children an environment that is open to artistic and creative self-expression. Below are some additional exercises you may want to consider implementing in your home to achieve the desired results in your child.

Combining Music and Art

Part of providing the right environment for encouraging creativity is by joining your child in exploring the fun of arts and crafts for kids. One activity is to take a sketchbook and some oil pastels (they produce better results than crayons) and turn up some great music. If you love classical music, that's a good choice. However, any type of music will work as long as you feel it's appropriate for your child. Now using these arts and crafts for kids create a picture of using the music as an inspiration. When the song is over, compare your efforts and talk about the types of emotions you both felt from the same song.

You can repeat the activity with different types of music and compare those results, too.

Cloud Inspiration

We all know that some people can see shapes and designs in clouds, right? Well, practice with your child for a few days and get in the habit of talking about the shapes you see in the sky. Then take your trusty arts and crafts for kids outside, including colored pencils or paints and some paper, and each of you should draw something you see in the clouds. Don't talk about what you're creating on the paper until you're both finished.

Magazine Story

If you want to encourage both your child's artistic skills and writing ability, gather some old magazines and start clipping out pictures together. Then bring in the arts and crafts for kids. Let your child glue some of the cutouts into his or her sketchbook. Then using colored pencils write a story to go along with the images. The story can be written right on the page or can be type of up neatly, printed off, and glued in as well. By combining both of these elements, along with the arts and crafts for kids, you'll be challenging your child to definitely think outside the proverbial box and come up with something truly unique. Then you can share your stories with one another.

The Story of the Day

If the two of you aren't together during the day, take about 15 minutes each night before dinner to recreate some of the highlights of your days using arts and crafts for kids. Then you can share them and talk about them over dinner. This can be a great way to work out any stress or negativity either of you are feeling if you've had a bad day. It's very therapeutic no matter what age you are.Smalltime Child offers a great selection of arts and crafts for kids in addition to Toddler Toys. Check out our arts and crafts for kids today!]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-invention-of-the-sky-second-half-of-part-four-the-invention-of-everything-an-eyewitness-account http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-invention-of-the-sky-second-half-of-part-four-the-invention-of-everything-an-eyewitness-account#comments Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:27:07 +0000 http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-invention-of-the-sky-second-half-of-part-four-the-invention-of-everything-an-eyewitness-account "I dunno. If I did, I'd be in tech."

"Heat."

"Oh, right. We don't want the team to be cold, at least, not all the time."

"No way. They'd be miserable."

"And we don't want that."

"So we need light and heat."

"How do we manage that?"

"We're thinking of overheads."

"Overhead lighting?"

"Yeah. Also, heating."

"All that, hanging up there? I don't know. This sky is starting to sound kind of busy to me."

"That's because you're not seeing it the way we are."

"Go on."

"Helen has a fantastic idea for her atomic brainstorm."

"What?"

"Instead of just planets, we create these other agglomerations that produce heat and light."

"One for heat, another for light?"

"No, no. The way we envision it, one does the work of two."

"Great, if you can pull it off."

"But how? Just with Helen's 'H's.'"

"That's the plan."

"I say, go for it."

"Will do."

"How long do you think these agglomerations can do both things?"

"The way we're thinking, for plenty long enough."

"How so?"

"Helen, who, as you know, is a very outdoorsy type, who just loves to go fly fishing.'"

"I don't understand what that has to do with the longevity of heat and light."

"One day when she was on the stream she had this idea that she calls 'fishin.'"

"'Fishin?'"

"Yeah. It's a process that makes heat and light with H's for an incredibly long time."

"I'm fine on the process. But the name? Way too confusing."

"Why?"

"Because 'fishin' is done down in the water, and this happens up in the sky."

"I pointed that out to her. But you know Helen. When she gets an idea, she's really hard to dissuade."

"May I suggest a compromise?"

"Always."

"Give her the sound she wants, but spell it differently."

"Do you think she'll go for that?"

"Give it a shot."

"OK. I'll let you know."

"I think we've gotten a little ahead of ourselves with all this discussion of heat and light. Let's get back to the sky. Anything we haven't covered?"

"There is an important detail. It has to move around."

"Why?"

"So it can take the water from one place and drop it on another place."

"Makes sense. But how can the sky carry it around? I don't see something that light having arms, legs, and buckets, do you?"

"No way."

"And it can't swim around with it, can it?"

"No."

"Then how do you expect it to lug the water around?"

"What do walking and swimming have in common?"

"Go on."

"It's all about the pressure principle. You press your foot down and the ground pushes you forward. You push the water to the side, and the water pushes you ahead. Action, reaction."

"I don't understand how that applies to the sky?"

"Simple. We're going to make it so there's pressure up there that will fluctuate from one place to the next."

"And?"

"It gets high in one place, and low in another place. So what happens? One kind of pressure is always pushing out or sucking in the other kind of pressure."

"Hmm, what do you call such movement?"

"We're adapting the concept of winding up and winding down."

"So you get?"

"We're just going with the first syllable."

"'Wind?'"

"Right. But to avoid confusion with 'winding,' we thought we'd say it differently."

"How?"

"Oh, the change is as light as the invention itself. We just moved in a short 'i' for the long one and came up with 'wind.'"

"'Wind,' as in the 'wind flows,' sort of like how we decided water flows?"

"Almost. We thought we'd give it its own word for movement, but we didn't want to go too far afield, so we went for a handy rhyme."

"What?"

"'Blows.'"

"The wind blows?"

"Right."

"And the water flows. I like that."

"Sounds good."

"Thanks. Of course, sometimes the sky can pretty much just sit there. Picture this: movement and stability, perfectly joined?"

"I can see that."

"I have a concern."

"Go ahead."

"Light as it is, the sky is enormous. So it can't move too fast. Or it might blow all the land and water away."

"We figure that most of the time it will blow gently."

"Good."

"But what about at other times?"

"Remember our variety principle -- and that you can't appreciate one thing without the other. Gentle wind, hard wind. But don't worry. We set limits."

"Like what?"

"It won't blow all the land or water away at once. That we know for sure. But we're still calibrating."

"OK. Work on it. Anymore additions to the sky?"

"I know it's moving. But I still don't see how it's going to carry the water around? It's light, water's heavy. Frankly, I find the whole issue troubling."

"We considered that apparent contradiction, but we quickly realized it's not really a contradiction. All we had to do is make sure the sky has the right luggage."

"This I can't wait to hear. Tell me about the luggage in the sky."

"Remember I said we plan to make the rain out of itty-bitty pieces of H2O, so it can 'uperate.' Sorry, I keep forgetting, 'evaporate.'"

"Yeah?"

"We figure once they're up there the itty-bitty pieces can get together and make their own luggage."

"Neato! How?"

"We went back to agglomeration."

"You're finding that concept very useful?"

"Yes, we are. You have a problem with that?"

"No, just pointing it out."

"Trust me, we need all the workable principles we can get. Now, to return to the rain. The itty-bitty particles will agglomerate into luggage we're calling clouds."

"Clouds?"

"It's just our word for mounds in the sky."

"Fine. So the itty-bitty water particles agglomerate, like dust, excuse me, atoms and molecules, agglomerate into what we call land? Only now they're clouds."

"Kind of, but, unlike land, the agglomeration proceeds in a much more diaphanous way."

"'Di-' what?"

"Lighter to you. So the clouds can still stay up there."

"And move from place to place?"

"Right. Only when they agglomerate a certain amount of water, they let go and down it comes."

"Neat. But not too much at once."

"Well, no guarantees there. Remember our variety principle."

"Just set some limits, OK? I don't want to see the whole thing we're making get washed away."

"We're in the same boat."

"Good."

"Esthetically speaking, got a color for clouds?"

"We think white when they're light; then, as they get more H2O in them, since they're heavier, they'll look darker."

"Seems right. So when they're darker, the creatures will be able to expect rain?"

"Frequently."

"Why isn't anything with you ever just one thing or the other?"

"What? You want simplicity, too? Let's just get the universe right, OK?"

"He's right. Anyway we can manage the task. Please, continue."

"At other times, the dark clouds could just go somewhere else before they dump."

"Excellent. Got a background color for all this cloud activity?"

"Not yet. It has to wait until we invent the lights."

"Why?"

"They're kind of tied together."

"In what way?"

"Oh, with what gets through and what doesn't."

"I think we're getting into tomorrow's meeting."

"Let's just stay with the sky a moment longer. Anything else to it?"

"Lots."

"Like?"

"Well, for one, Nancy has a real contribution."

"What, 'N?' I'm not sure about this practice of letting the people in tech name their inventions after themselves."

"Why? We find it to be a great morale builder. And, given the amount of OT we're putting in, we sure can use it."

"I'm in complete agreement. What to talk anymore about the 'N'?"

"Maybe at a later time. Before we call it a wrap, I do want to mention that we have an alternate name for the sky."

"What?"

"Sometimes we call it the atmosphere."

"Why that?"

"Well, the "at" part kind of stands for the atoms we put into it, and the 'sphere' stands for how it kind of wraps around the land and water."

"Could get a little cumbersome."

"We thought about that. So for short we also decided to call it 'air.' It comes from 'fair.'"

"'Fair?' Why that?"

"When the sky is calm and clear, we decided to call that condition 'fair weather.'"

"Oh, I see. 'Fair,' 'air'?"

"Right. We wanted to go witha name that accents the positive."

"Excellent! I think that about does it. We're into detail work that's better off left to you people in the lab."

"I couldn't agree more."

"So next on the agenda, we need some bright thinking about heat and light. Good work and everybody have a nice evening."

So now we had the sky pretty much under control. I could see it now, sort of like beautiful wrapping paper for a planet. But bringing heat and light together into one thing. That really gave me something to exercise my noggin about. Tom Attea, humorist and creator of http://NewsLaugh.com, has had six shows produced Off-Broadway. Critics have called his writing "delightfully funny," "witty," with "good, genuine laughs" and "great humor and ebullience." ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-importance-of-image-content-recognition http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-importance-of-image-content-recognition#comments Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:25:00 +0000 airliners netthumbnail imagesimages on the webimage searchlightning strikesearch enginesimage comparison http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-importance-of-image-content-recognition image search, also known as content based image retrieval (CBIR) is an intuitive development in search engines based on pictures or images rather than on text files. Content based image comparison checks the data on a pixel by pixel basis and checks the internet for like images. This allows you to click on an image and find similar images on the web.



The content based image search doesn't look at the pixels and recognize them as an horse, for instance, but instead uses technology to mirror and allow for fuzziness so that pictures that are similar can be identified and brought to the screen. For example, if you were to go to www.airliners.net and run a search on the photos, you will find the option of viewing a large picture of the thumbnail images, but you can also select the option to view similar pictures. This is done through the content based image comparison software. Another example of a such kind software is Image Comparer by Bolide Software. http://www.bolidesoft.com/imagecomparer.html

For the person who is searching for just the right image to work with a feature article, or a mood piece, the content based image search is extremely helpful. The images that have been indexed, and there are thousands, not only have the content based image comparison visual recognition feature, but many of the images which are indexed also have numerous text keywords attached to the images as well. For example, clicking on a picture of a lightning strike and asking to see similar images brings up dozens of pictures of lightning and storms, as well as dark clouds. Clicking on the individual images bring a list of content words such as lightning, clouds, electromagnetic phenomenon, thunderstorms, and weather events--among others.

By using content based image search software, you aren't dependent upon just the text to find a good sidebar image to attach to your article or story, you also have the many picture images that are available on the internet as well. Sometimes the keywords are not rigid, more like a free association type of exercise. Such the above mentioned lightning picture which also contains keywords such as amazement, awe, danger and menacing.

This makes it possible to write around the picture, or to start with the words and find an appropriate picture image to enhance the written words that you come up with. In addition to writing and blending images with writing. Content based image comparison is largely used in law enforcement as a standard platform for forensic analysis at the digital level. This technology can be used to do such tasks as to find pornography, to look for copyright violations, to check facial characteristics and many other uses helpful in working with law enforcement tasks.

Another application for the content based image search technology is that of an international property registry. The software has been applied to the identification and prevention of sale of stolen goods. Recovery of items looted during World War II and following before they can be traded or sold has been a direct result of such software technology. Maxim Smirnov, Bolide Software CEO, http://www.bolidesoft.com/imagecomparer.html ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-rapture http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-rapture#comments Thu, 10 May 2007 09:25:02 +0000 jesus christ is lordplace jesusjesus will returnheavenly bodiestrumpet soundslast trumpettrumpet call http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-rapture
Immediately proceeding the seven year period of the Tribulation, Jesus will return for all those who have placed their faith in Him. They will be transformed in an instant, and appear before the throne of God in heaven. Several New Testament passages reference this event. The Apostle Paul mentions it in his first letter to the Corinthians:

"But let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us.

Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed. It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die." 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (NLT)

Why does this event occur? Jesus tells us why: "Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world." Revelation 3:10 (NLT)

Prior to the Tribulation (the "great time of testing"), Jesus will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, accompanied by the call of the archangel and the trumpet call of God. At that time, all those who believe Jesus Christ is Lord, who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, will be transformed into the spirit and will be caught up into the clouds to dwell forever with the Lord. All this will happen in a "blinking of an eye." As Paul further describes:

"I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (NLT)

Almost everyone has heard of the Second Coming of Christ, but few realize that the Second Coming is divided into two parts: the rapture and the glorious appearing. The glorious appearing will occur at the end of this age, approximately seven years after the rapture. When this happens, every eye on the earth will see the Lord coming, and He will be coming to judge the people of the earth. This is the event Jesus referred to when he said, "in the future you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God's right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven." Matthew 26:64 (NLT). This will not be an unexpected coming because this event will be preceded by the prophesied events of the Great Tribulation.

However, the rapture is different. It will take the world completely by surprise, and it could happen at any moment. This is the event Jesus described when he said:

"However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes."

"Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming. Know this: a homeowner who knew exactly when a burglar was coming would stay alert and not permit the house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected." Matthew 24:36-44 (NLT)

The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, quickly and unexpectedly. Those who are alert and awake will be caught up into the clouds to be with God; while those are not will be left behind to endure the "great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world."

As this website attests, this generation will surely see the fulfillment of the end times prophecies of the Bible, including the rapture, the tribulation, and the glorious appearing. Jesus instructed his followers to look for the signs of his coming. In rebuking the Pharisees and Sadducees, he said "You are good at reading the weather signs in the sky, but you can't read the obvious signs of the time!" Matthew 16:3 (NLT) He was admonishing the religious leaders of his day, and their inability to recognize the time of his coming as foretold in the Old Testament Messianic prophecies. Just as the people of that day refused to recognize the "signs of the times," we too must be on guard at all times, watching for the signs of his coming.

The most important sign is that Israel is once again a nation. Jesus told his followers:

"Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near. Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever." Matthew 24:32-35 (NLT)

The fig tree Jesus refers to is Israel. It's been six decades since Israel was once again declared a nation against all worldly odds. Jesus promised that the generation which witnessed fulfillment of this prophecy would not die off until all the things of which he spoke came to pass.



The hourglass is running out on this promise, so be alert. Invite Jesus into your heart, and change your worldly perspective into a heavenly outlook. Prepare yourself for His soon return, and you will not be disappointed. For "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT) To learn more about the rapture and bible prophecy, visit: http://www.brittgillette.com/WordPress/ ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/british-clouds-brighten-menorca http://www.artwoo.com/article/british-clouds-brighten-menorca#comments Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:29:25 +0000 menorca holidaysmediterranean holidayspanish economyforgotten oneholiday spendingholiday companiesholiday island http://www.artwoo.com/article/british-clouds-brighten-menorca Mediterranean holiday island of Menorca, a favourite holidays destination for many European families.

The top reason for a drop in visitors is currencies - Menorca like the rest of Spain is part of the Eurozone, while the UK where most of Menorca's visitors are based has maintained her own currency - sterling - and the Euro has gained strength in the last 12 months, making Menorca holidays some ten per cent more expensive this year than last.

But some areas outside the Eurozone - notably Turkey - have gained popularity, with holiday spending money going further there during the week or two away, and allowing a full holiday instead of having to economise on luxuries such as dining out virtually every evening, excursions - and importantly for many Brits, time spent in the bars and clubs night-time.

And Britain's top tour operators shifted part of their holidays campaign away from traditional popular areas like Menorca to the cheaper destinations such as Turkey in a bid to maintain market share, adding to the drop in tourists who booked their flights and accommodation independently of the package holiday companies.

Many in the travel industry, notably in Menorca itself, were widely predicting a drop in the number of people taking Menorca holidays of up to ten per cent, and with the Spanish economy in recession and Menorca's two main markets - Germany and Britain - also in trouble, the outlook has looked bleak.

But the travel industry analysts and tourism experts predicting the drop in Menorca holidays for 2008 had forgotten one chilling factor that has cut that anticipated ten per cent drop to nearly half that figure - the appalling weather and summer in Britain.













Map of Menorca

The clouds of economic woe had been gathering before the summer in Britain, with warnings of a recession and higher unemployment, but to add to the gloom there were real life clouds over Britain - for nearly six weeks the country hardly saw any sunshine at all, to the extent that doctors in Scotland reported a marked increase in the number of patients they were seeing with depression and illness.

Prescription drugs were being handed out to alleviate the depression many people felt after weeks of poor weather - but others took the iniative and realised why they were feeling down - the lack of sunshine - and suddenly holiday bookings started to go up noticeably, with tour operators and holiday companies reporting increased bookings.

One leading Menorca holidays internet site noted a sudden surge in bookings for holidays and flights to Menorca in early September that lasted three weeks - not very long but enough to give the island's tourism a late boost, and considering the season ends in early October it was both unexpected and welcome.

'The weather in the UK certainly impacted the number of people booking a Menorca holiday for September', say the travel site, 'There's normally quite a good number of people who take a week or two on the island once the schools are back - Menorca is quieter but still has all the benefits of an August holiday as everything is still open but the weather is still really good - and the cost of Menorca villa holidays and hotels in Menorca are less - but this was beyond the norm - there was a definite late surge in bookings directly due to the British weather being so poor in August.'

Overall, they believe the number of bookings in late August and through September could see the predicted ten per cent drop in tourism this year be cut. 'Our estimate is that instead of a ten per cent fall this will be revised to six or seven per cent when it comes to announcing the official figures. It's enough to turn it from a disastrous year to a poor year for tourism. Not a lot to celebrate and Menorca needs to do more to draw holidaymakers for the 2009 holiday season.'

As well as the number of tourists for Menorca being affected this year by the strength of the Euro, the Menorca property market has been hit too by potential British buyers of Menorca property waiting for their currency to improve from the lows they are currently experiencing.

Menorca property agents as well as the travel industry will be hoping for more poor British weather!Villa holiday companies offering villa holidays in Menorca are available at yourmenorca.netThey also now have a Menorca property blog]]>