Daily Archives: September 24, 2006

Nine Years of Water Testing

adult learning, blogging

Water Test Procedure

  1. At home, do the sodium thiosulfate test. Check kit for equipment and data sheets.
  2. At the dock, hang the thermometer out of the sun to take air temperature.
  3. Complete the front of the data sheet.
  4. Use the secchi disk to record water clarity and water depth.
  5. Use the bucket to collect a water sample. Place it on the dock, preferably out of the sun.
  6. Record air temperature and put thermometer in the bucket to test water temperature.
  7. Begin dissolved oxygen test: add the first two chemicals and then let the precipitate settle.
  8. While it’s settling, record water temperature and complete the ph test.
  9. Complete the DO test.
  10. Do the salinity test.
  11. Check all recorded data, especially tidal stage.
  12. Complete rest of form. Sign.

This is the procedure I have been following for the almost 200 water tests I have done at this same spot on Morris Creek. My data is available online. Yesterday, I attended the bi-annual recertification workshops where they review procedures and issue new equipment and chemicals. Continue reading Nine Years of Water Testing →

NEO Blogging

adult learning, blogging, technical skills

Normally, my location is probably of no interest to anyone reading this blog. But, this post is all about location. I am sitting on my dock, which reaches out into Morris Creek, a fresh water tidal creek along which my husband and I own a piece of property. I want to record my thoughts about the water testing I’ve been doing for almost a decade. In order to do that, I am going to use a very handy piece of technology called a NEO.

Part word processor, part micro computer, the NEO is an Alphasmart product. I normally don’t bring any technology out to this undeveloped property about 30 minutes from our home. There is no electricity or running water, just a tent with some adirondack chairs and a spectacular view. The quiet peacefulness seems to preclude sitting in front of a computer, and I can see you shaking your head over this breach of the nature/technology border.

Continue reading NEO Blogging →

Quieter Lives for 60’s Militants, but Intensity of Beliefs Hasn’t Faded

documentary film, weather underground

Quieter Lives for 60’s Militants, but Intensity of Beliefs Hasn’t Faded

From The New York Times, an article about the Weather Underground.  I was particularly interested in the quote late in the article from Brian Flanagan.  He did appear to be more “rueful” than the others in the film, something he says isn’t a true portrayal.  This article also highlights some of those who are anti-Weather Underground, feeling they got off easy for their crimes.  But, then, the WU members would say that is typical:  while black radicals were killed outright, these young often well-off white kids did their deeds, went underground, then emerged later only to have their charges dropped.  Flanagan gets quoted a lot: “When you feel you have right on your side, you can do some pretty horrific things.”  So, it seems that the filmmakers used Flanagan as a way to show a different side of the Underground.  And, unlike the NY Times article, the film doesn’t interview any WU members who are now completely negative towards the group.