Bethlehem Public Library 📍

Bethlehem Public Library values its responsibility to enhance the general welfare and quality of life in the community and region it serves. The library pursues excellence in its mission: to provide equal and uncensored access to resources and services that encourage lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and professional growth.

http://www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org/

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February 5, 2016 Night

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Good evening. Currently mostly clear and 27 degrees in Delmar. Tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low around 19. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm after midnight. A nice starry evening, I saw a shooting star on my evening walk. The shooting star was super bright as it burned up across the space into a series of sparks.

Tonight we will have a Waining Crescent Moon with 15% illuminated. It will rise at 4:56 am. You still have plenty of time to view the stars before the slender moon rises. Tomorrow’s sunrise will be at 7:03 am with first light at 6:33 am, which is 2 minutes and 11 seconds earlier then today.

I hope you had a good work week. It’s now the weekend. Sleep well!

February 5, 2016 Morning

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Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! It is currently overcast and 34 degrees in Delmar. Today will have a slight chance of snow before 11am. We once again will miss the northeaster pounding Boston. Darn snow hogs. We might get snow early next week. More depressing weather this morning but it won’t last. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Northwest wind 9 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Sunset will be at 5:14 pm with twilight at 5:43 pm which is one minute and 19 seconds later then yesterday. Tonight we will have a Waining Crescent Moon with 15% illuminated. It will rise at 4:56 am. Not much of the moon left. Probably it’s the fault of Obama. The New Moon is on Monday.

There are 4 months, 13 days until Go Fishing Day. They usually have a free fishing weekend that weekend in June. Summer nights aren’t that long away.

This day in 1994, Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission for the years did what they could to protect him from prosecution. They also supported the assassin in many ways. It was pretty gross what happened in Mississippi in the 1960s on behalf of their government.

February 4, 2016 Night

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Good evening. Currently overcast and 37 degrees in Delmar. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Northwest wind around 7 mph.

Went down to the library and for my evening walk. Ended up reading about Mac OS Copeland and the history of Mac OS 7 and 8. Pretty nice evening, not too cold. A good 4 miles of walking is healthy after work. The warm winter means the sidewalks are pretty much been snow and ice free, making for better walking after work.

Started looking at Digital TV to HDMI adapters. I didn’t know they were a thing but they allow you to access over the air Digital TV signals over your HDMI computer monitor, and they’re only $30-40. One of my colleagues mentioned it at work. You do have to buy an antenna but for an urban area like where I live, a $20 antenna should work. I might need one other adapter to hook up the speakers. But then I could watch the 20 or so HDTV stations broadcast locally. HDTV offers a lot more channels then conventional over the air television. I’ve never had much interest in television, certainly not paid cable TV, but a one time purchase for the price of a tank of gas might be worthwhile for the few times there is something like the Democratic debate that I want to watch on TV.

My 23″ HDMI monitor I use for mapping would be excellent for watching TV. Bigger than most TVs a few years ago. I am still hesitate to bring TV into my apartment but if I could do it without adding a lot of new junk, and do it inexpensively with mostly existing technology I could spring for it. We will see. I previously looked at adapters for watching TV on my laptop but decided against it due to the complexity of setting up with my Linux based laptop. I don’t have a lot of free time available for watching TV, so I don’t know how worthwhile it would be. I’m also concerned about the impact of all that advertising and violence in my home. But PBS has such great documentaries and the PBS News Hour with Jim Laher. I know this is a radical change in perspective from last week. I’ll think about it more. Maybe, despite the low cost, TV is too evil to have at home.

Tonight we will have a Waining Crescent Moon with 22% illuminated. It will rise at 4:00 am. Tomorrow’s sunrise will be at 7:04 am with first light at 6:34 am, which is 2 minutes and 10 seconds earlier then today.

I hope you had a good day. Tomorrow is Friday. Sleep well!

Penna. the Abbreviation

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The official abbreviation for Pennsylvania prior to 1963 was Penna.
 
Unlike New York, which has always used N.Y., the use of Penna was common until the post office started requiring two letter abbreviations in the post office as part of the Zip Code plan. The AP Style book requires old-style abbreviations for some states (such as Wash. and Wis.), but not Pennsylvania — articles written per the AP Style book must use Pa. as an abbreviation for the state.
 
Pennsylvania still uses Penna in a few locations. The signs for the Pennsylvania Turnpike all say “Penna Turn Pike”, and lifeguards wear shirts that say “Penna Life Guard”. Generally Penna is still used in places where the Penna. is put in the Keystone. But not always. The modern logos of the Pennsylvania DCNR and Pennsylvania State Forests almost always write out Pennsylvania in small text in the top of the keystone.

January 30, 2016 Afternoon

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Good afternoon. Currently mostly sunny and 39 degrees in Delmar. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. South wind 6 to 10 mph. Bit of a chilly breeze this evening but fairly mild.

Sunset will be at 5:06 pm with twilight at 5:36 pm which is one minute and 19 seconds later then yesterday. Tonight we will have a Waining Gibbous Moon with 53% illuminated. It will rise at 11:40 pm.

Sunday will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. South wind around 7 mph. Warmer but not as nice today. There have been too many cloudy days recently.

Recovering from last night today. I also spent a fair bit of time working on maps of various state lands and finishing my PyQGIS scripting project. Going out to Five Rivers to watch the sun clear on this nice but cold evening.