John Boyd Thacher State Park, is situated along the Helderberg Escarpment, one of the richest fossil-bearing formations in the world. Even as it safeguards six miles of limestone cliff-face, rock-strewn slopes, woodland and open fields, the park provides a marvelous panorama of the Hudson-Mohawk Valleys and the Adirondack and Green Mountains. The park has volleyball courts, playgrounds, ball fields and numerous picnic areas with nine reservable shelters. Interpretive programs are offered year-round, including guided tours of the famous Indian Ladder Trail. There are over 25 additional miles of trails for summer hiking and mountain biking, and winter cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and snowmobiling.
But life is complicated. Male embryos die at a much greater rate then female embryos during the first week of pregnancy. But females don’t develop as well in the uterus and are more likely to naturally abort or be stillborn. For every 105 male live births only 100 females are live birthed in America. But as soon as a baby boy is born they face greater risk of morality then a baby girl.
Through age 28, the gender ratio of 105 men to 100 woman remains true. By as men reach there 30s, the weakness of the male gender – higher average morality at a younger age starts to creep in. By age 40, there are only 102 men for 100 women.
By the time a man and women reach the age of 53 in America there are 100 men for 100 women. At age 55, there are only 99 men for 100 women. By age 65 it drops to 93 men for 100 women. Gets worse for men at Age 70, when only 88 men are left for 100 women.
By age 91, there are only 50 men left for 100 women and for the 100 plus age group only 24 men for every 100 women.
Ultimately it balances out American population wise for 98 men to 100 women. But the story of life is complicated – high male embryo morality, then higher female fetus morality and then ultimately it’s the higher male morality that gives females a slight demographic edge throughout their lives. Demographics and the story of life is fascinating.
Riding to work this morning on this beautiful morning. But first I’ve been working on adjusting the gears to make sure they click tightly, though the chain is too loose. I need to figure out how to adjust that. Fortunately I have the internet and tools so I should have everything back to spec soon. I’ll work on adjusting it more in the morning.
Good morning! Sunny and 25 degrees at the Stewart’s. 🌞 There is a north breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The current wind chill is 14. Things will start to thaw out at around 11 am. 🌡️
Should be a beautiful day for the ride in. 🚲 I don’t have to dress up so I can peddle my way to work. Then sit down at work and do the work thing, and go for a ride at lunch time down to the Corning Preserve. 🏞 I was kind of hoping I could get in early and ride up to the Menand’s exit of the Corning Preserve Trail and not go up Erie Boulevard, but so be it.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 37 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 18th. North wind 7 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 55 was set in 1991. 10.8 inches of snow fell back in 1978.❄
Still not quite enough daylight in the evening to ride home 🌆 but with the clear skies, I should be able to get to the old train station 🚂 and catch the bus from there. It’s much better to go through Corning Preserve and take the pedestrain bridge then to ride over Water Street which can be busy at rush hour. 🚘 🚴♀️ I think come President’s Day assuming that it’s not too cold or snowy, I’l be able to ride both ways to work.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 31.6° from the due south horizon (-39.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:34 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (242°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (249°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:15 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 6 seconds with dusk around 5:44 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:18 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 35 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 13 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 28 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 20 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 23rd. North wind around 7 mph. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 13 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1995.
Cloudy ⛅but mild this weekend. Saturday, a chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees. The plan for this weekend is to stay in town.
Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until Last Day of Winter 🏂 when the sun will be setting at 7:08 pm with dusk at 7:34 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2023, we had partly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 33 and 22 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 46 degrees. We hit a record high of 78 back in 2012.
I was looking at his Facebook and he was so old looking compared to twenty years ago when I was in college. How fast those days come and go. Good music though, even if I haven’t listened to one of his records in a long time. Always had a bit of a man crush on him, lol. I wish I could be such a cool country boy.
Pretty sure that’s not the proper way to address cows on Facebook as they chew their cud. Dairy farmers get a laugh at how often their posts are blocked on the Facebook as bullying — which to be fair heifers certainly engage in time. It was a great morning for the bike ride out Meads Road before work. Not so cold for a change, more light in the morning too with the earlier sunrise. Plus Mom got me some glove liners, which may have helped with the numbness in the fingers after riding.
Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Partly sunny and 25 degrees at the Elm Ave Park and Ride. There is a north breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at around 11 am. 🌡️
It was a nice morning bike ride, 🚲 not so cold relatively speaking with the sun rising earlier each morning. Caught the express downtown, 🚌 and now it’s off to work. Going to be another busy week at work as we continue to transition the database to the new system and QAS the addresses to ensure timely delivery of client and non client mail. Did the usual loop out along Meads Road and Orchard Street 🐮 with the cows and the Mc Mansions and the hills. Derailer seems to have iced up after washing the bike. 🚿 Bus is running a bit late but I’m hopeful that I can catch the shuttle 🚀 in time to the suburban office building. I’m getting adjusted to the change, I hated it first with the acres of cubicles and parking 🅿 as I don’t drive but it’s great for bicycling on non dress up days 🕴🏻plus free coffee ☕ in the office.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 38 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 21st. North wind 10 to 13 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1890. 10.4 inches of snow fell back in 2014.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 31.3° from the due south horizon (-39.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:33 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (242°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (249°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:14 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 7 seconds with dusk around 5:42 pm, which is one minute and 19 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:17 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 35 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 11 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 27 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 20 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 23rd. Maximum wind chill around 17 at 9pm; North wind 9 to 13 mph. In 2023, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1948.
Not so cold this evening 🚶 so I plan to walk. Probably cook up a stir fry tonight I’m thinking. 🥗 Then walk and knead bread. 🍞 Then head to bed 🛏 fairly early as I did not get to work early enough last night.
After a sunny week, maybe cloudy but mild for the weekend. ☁️ Saturday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees. This is going to be a stay in town weekend most likely, which is fine because I had a good time camping last weekend.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Presidents Day 👴 when the sun will be setting at 5:33 pm with dusk at 6:00 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly cloudy and temperatures between 47 and 23 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 37 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1981.
Good morning! Happy Sunday. Mostly sunny and 22 degrees at the Rensselaerville State Forest. 🌞 Deep blue skies with glittering trees with the sunshine. There is a north breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at Wednesday around 11 am. 🌡️
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 32 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around January 25th. North wind 7 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 18 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1991. 15.5 inches of snow fell back in 1926.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:11 pm with sun having an altitude of 31.1° from the due south horizon (-39.8° vs. 6/21). Good for solar power. Except for the heavy frost we had last night kind of covering the panel on my truck. A six foot person will cast a 9.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:33 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (241°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (249°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:14 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 7 seconds with dusk around 5:43 pm, which is one minute and 19 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:17 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 28 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 9 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 25 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃 , with a low of 15 degrees at 6am. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 3rd. Maximum wind chill around 9 at 5am; North wind around 9 mph. In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 18 degrees. The record low of -15 occurred back in 1918.
Looking ahead, next Sunday is Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day 🥛 when the sun will be setting at 5:24 pm with dusk at 5:51 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 38 and 23 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 35 degrees. Definitely past the coldest time of the year by then. Heck it might be in the fifties by Friday. We hit a record high of 59 back in 1981.
It’s such a glistening and beautiful winter day here at the State Forest. I wish I had cross country skis after mine got worn out, snapped, then chopped up burnt last winter. So much fiberglass in those skis, and they held up for 20 years, but like all things, they don’t last forever.
Good afternoon! Partly cloudy and 26 degrees at the Rensselaerville State Forest. ⛅ There is a north breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. The trees are still covered with snow and there is something we haven’t seen in a long time — blue skies. There is a 6 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at Wednesday around 1 pm. 🌡️
It is remarkably beautiful out today. 😀 Cold but beautiful. Yet that’s to be expected camping in the winter up in the mountains. The good news is the road is nice and solid this time for camping, so not playing in the mud or getting wet. The snow is frozen fairly solid, but also is light in fluffy. If I had skis, this would be almost ideal weather for skiing. 🚲 After lunch and finishing setting up camp 🏕 and gathering firewood 🪵 I plan to ride some of CCC Road and maybe go down to the OSI Parcel 📸 to look at the snow covered mountains. Then come back to camp and have a good fire. 🔥
This afternoon will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 29 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees below normal. North wind around 11 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 33 degrees. The record high of 57 was set in 2016. 6.1 inches of snow fell back in 2004.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:11 pm with sun having an altitude of 30.8° from the due south horizon (-40.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 10 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:31 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (241°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (248°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:13 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 8 seconds with dusk around 5:42 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:16 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 27 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 11 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 23 seconds over yesterday.
One thing that’s nice about this time of year 🌆 is we are definitely picking up more daylight in the evening, which makes it not as long at camp. That’s good as the nights can drag on. Going to be fairly cold but not super cold by the campfire for tonight, and I will have a nice fire.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 18 degrees at 4am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 15th. Maximum wind chill around 9 at 1am; Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph. In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 13 degrees. The record low of -13 occurred back in 1978.
Looking ahead to next weekend, the following Saturday is Clean Your Computer Day 🧹 when the sun will be setting at 5:23 pm with dusk at 5:50 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly cloudy, mild, rain showers and temperatures between 51 and 34 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 35 degrees. We hit a record high of 53 back in 1955.
The United States, we’re told, is increasingly a house divided. Conservatives and progressives are so alienated from each other that conversation is virtually impossible. But are we really as divided as we’re led to believe? As we begin what promises to be a pivotal election season, we’re kicking off a new series about how we form our political beliefs. We’re calling it “US 2.0.” We begin with psychologist Kurt Gray, who studies how we think about our political allies and opponents — and how these insights can help us to chart a new path forward. Have you tried to talk with someone who disagrees with you about politics? Have you found effective ways to get through? If you’d be willing to share your stories with the Hidden Brain audience, along with any questions you have for Kurt Gray, please record a voice memo and email it to us at ideas@hiddenbrain.org. Use the subject line “politics.” And thanks!
