Radians

Imagine a circle. The circumference of the cirlce is 2 times pi times the radius of the circle (2*pi*r).

Now say the radius of the circle is 1. The formula of the circumference of the "unit" circle (a circle with a radius of one) is two times pi. (Since the radius is one, we can eliminate the multiplier "radius" from the equation.

The circumference is 360 degrees. It is also 2pi: 360=2pi. The units are radians. 360 = 2 pi radians. Dividing both sides by 2 results in 180=pi radians. It follows that 90 degrees equals pi/2 radians.

Thus we have a way of describing an angle that relates very directly to the formula for circumference! And how cool is that!

Looking for a few writers

OK, people. Other than the Letts', who have their own blog which they post to regularly, I seem to be the only person contributing to this blog. IS THERE A PROBLEM? Everything I have read about creative writing says to write often. We will acknowledge that our efforts will not be Pulitzer Prize material. Some of it will be downright bad (see my last post). But if one never posts, one will not grow as a writer, will one? So let's (not Letts') get going! Jennifer and Marianna are our inspiration! We can do this! GO! GO! GO! WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! SCORE!

The Antherium

Written by Ron on Maui.

When life hath you befuddled, and you don't know where to turn, go to the Antherium, where you will get all the antherth to your quethionth.

Or ith that the name of a flower?

Kona Wind

Written by Ron on Maui. May 18, 2006.
The smoke from the sugar mill rose straight up out of the stacks this morning. Usually it was blown south by the trade winds. The foul smell that emanates from the factory had nowhere to go and was especially overpowering as I drove past on my way to work. With no wind, the West Maui Mountains were unusually cloud free.
About 10:00 AM, a slight breeze started stirring. The windsock was clearly confused. It would point south, then hang limp, then jump to the east or west. All at once, it swung around and pointed to the north. It was going to be a Kona Wind day!
In Hawaii, the normal wind is from the northeast and is called the Trade Wind. The winds are almost always Trades. This is why the rain forests are on the east or windward side of the island. The leeward side is dry and warm. Kihei!! But during a Kona wind, wet may be west, both sides wet, both sides dry. It all changes during a Kona wind.
As the velocity of the air increases, small bits of grass and trash free themselves from their prison against the south boundary fence and begin a headlong rush across the tarmac, tumbling frantically to the fence on the opposite side of the airport, there to wait patiently for the next wind change.

Slider Birds

These Java Sparrows come to our birdfeeder, which is just off our lanai. They are a very noisy, boisterous bird that are very fun to watch. Notice that at the feeder, and in the trees, they are in pairs? A bird will tolerate its mate, but will cruelly drive off any other bird. To get a space at the feeder, a bird will fly alongside or come up from underneath and attempt to get a bird to leave. If it does, it takes its place on the feeder and then will fight with the remaining bird to drive it off. Of course, it is trying to get the newcomer to leave. If the newcomer succeeds, its mate will join it and they will quickly grab some of the birdfood, because a new challenger is sure to be right there.

We call them slider birds because when they land on the palm branches, they slowly slide down the branch to the trunk! It is so funny, because they don't seem able to stop the slide.

These are the most common bird we see at the feeder. Other species: house finch, red crested cardinal, zebra dove, francolin, common mya, Japanese white-eye, chickens, northern cardinal and spotted dove.

The Paths Taken

The Paths Taken
Written by Ron on the Island of Maui. May 17, 2006.

This little Hawaiian village is on the northern shore of Maui. The beach is a rock beach: no sand, but the beach is entirely made up of rounded rocks about the size of a coconut. From the overlook where this picture was taken, you could hear the rocks grind together every time a wave crashed in to shore. Because of the distance, the grinding sound would come about midway between the waves. What must it be like to live in a house here and listen to rocks being tossed about by the waves?

I think this is the village that Richard Ho'opi'i is from. He is a famous Hawaiian falsetto singer that last year had his music put in the Smithsonian. We saw him perform at the Maui Mall last fall. His music is beautiful, and his range is incredible.

We were born under a wandering star. Our belief is to pursue a dream. For each of us, this represents a personal quest. Some of us move about. Some of us pursue a career, some of us are content, some are restless. Sometimes, our perspective changes and we yearn for stability, or more adventure, or for each other. Life is a journey. This is our journal.