Sort of adds a new spin to "Brownian motion", doesn't it... On Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 1:09 PM, Steve Smith <sasm...@swcp.com> wrote:
> ahh Doug... I *knew* we could count on you! > > Let's not ignore temperature: my farts are a good 20 degrees F above > ambient (at present), and tend to rise before mixing into the unfortunate > nearby environs. And, just in case you were wondering what the composition > of a fart was: > > The major components of the flatus, which are odorless, by percentage > are:[4] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence#cite_note-3> > > - Nitrogen <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen>: 20–90% > - Hydrogen <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen>: 0–50% > - Carbon dioxide <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide>: 10–30% > - Oxygen <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen>: 0–10% > - Methane <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane>: 0–10% > > > *4. ^ <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatulence#cite_ref-3>* "Human > Digestive > System"<http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-45361/human-digestive-system#294193.hook> > . *Encyclopædia Britannica*. Retrieved 2007-08-22. > > While I still refuse to believe the myths about igniting one's own > petard (by which extra lift is gained beyond the mere ejection at high > velocity?) I'd never researched it this far but anecdotally assumed it was > the "methane" presumed to be flammable, but if this "recipe for a petard" > is accurate, it seems more likely to be the Hydrogen that one would get > their "lift" from. > > Your recent silence online lead me to believe you were already > "putt-putting" your way toward Alaska on your yearly loop! Or are you > posting from the road? > > The only factoid in the Flatulence FAQ that really caught my eye was that > NZ's GDP is so highly based in agriculture that they have a "Flat"ulence > Tax to offset the Greenhouse gas emissions. And complementary to this, it > was interesting to note that the majority of Bovine Methane emissions are > NOT flatulence but rather exhalations and gastric belching (how many > stomachs do they have again?)... > > On the other hand, I do believe that methane production from cellulose by > anaerobic bacteria is a big deal, and I'm a little surprised that the > Bovine intestinal tract is not an obvious place for this to occur already? > > I'm presuming that Hydrogen production is a byproduct of the very same > bacterium? Or perhaps it is a different one. I suppose it is also > possible that "biogas" production en vitro suffers from the difficulty of > *containing* hydrogen and perhaps that direct, immediate use of "biogas" > benefits from high H concentrations with the methane? > > Too much to ponder on such a hot day! > > Pull your own damned finger! > - Steve > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > -- Doug Roberts drobe...@rti.org d...@parrot-farm.net http://parrot-farm.net/Second-Cousins <http://parrot-farm.net/Second-Cousins> 505-455-7333 - Office 505-670-8195 - Cell
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
