I like living somewhere warm and for the most part I don't miss winter. However, I do miss certain winter activities, such as ice skating and sledding. I've found ice skating is a lot more fun indoors, without that pesky risk of falling through the ice. Sledding remains an outdoor activity... one which requires snow (or a box and really wet grass, but that entails its own set of risks). Since it isn't likely natural snow will fall this year, I've been keeping an eye on the weather for an opportunity to make snow myself. It's easy to do... all you need is a source of water, a way to disperse it, and cold. Let's make snow!

What's an osmotic power plant? It's a facility that uses the energy of a concentration gradient to produce electricity. In this case, fresh water and seawater are separated by a membrane. The fresh water is pulled across the membrane to the seawater side by osmosis. This increases the pressure on the seawater side of the chamber, powering a turbine. An osmotic power plant is an enviromentally friendly way to produce power. These power plants could be built pretty much anywhere freshwater and seawater meet, such as where a river empties into the sea. The problem? While osmotic power plants look good on paper, a working one has not been made operational... until now.

Statkraft's osmotic power plant officially opened on November 24, 2009. The prototype plant will be used primarily for the validation and testing necessary to bring a commercial plant into production. The first use of power generated by the plant was to heat water for the refreshments provided at the opening ceremony, though the possibilities for the technology may extend to generating 1600 to 1700 Twh globally (according to Statkraft).

November 28^th marks the passing of Enrico Fermi. Fermi was an Italian physicist who made many advances in the field of nuclear physics. He was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for producing radioactive elements through the bombardment of slow neutrons. During his trip to Sweden to receive his Prize, he took advantage of the situation to move his family to the United States. He became one of the members of the Manhattan Project working on the first atomic reactor.

In the squash courts under Stagg Field of the University of Chicago, Fermi supervised the design and building of the world's first self-sustaining "atomic pile" that produced energy from controlled atomic chain reactions. The reactor consisted of bricks of carbon graphite with uranium with cadmium coated rods to control the number of neutrons produced by the reactions. On December 2, 1942, Fermi's reactor reached critical mass and was allowed to continue the chain reaction for 28 minutes before being shut down.

This achievement is a landmark in the history of atomic research and made Fermi one of the foremost physicists of the 20^th Century. Find out what else occurred on this day in science history.

I love having a real Christmas tree, but I'm a little lazy on watering and usually don't get around to taking down the tree until... say... Valentine's Day, so for the past few years I've kept a potted living tree. I recommend trying a living tree to people who have a little light in their homes and don't mind having a large houseplant, at least until the weather is warm enough to move it outdoors.

If you're going the traditional route, with a cut tree, you can keep it green and healthy for a month by giving it a little care at the beginning. First, cut off the bottom inch of the trunk to provide a fresh surface for the tree to uptake water. You may want to spray the tree with an anti-dessicant to help prevent too much water loss through the needles. Make sure the tree has a lot of water when you first bring it into your home. Mixing Christmas tree preservative into the water can help keep your tree fresh for an extended length of time, but the most important step of watering the tree is to make sure it never dries out. You may want to make certain any lights in contact with the tree aren't hot. Obviously (I hope) don't position the tree near a lit fireplace. Similarly, try to avoid placing it the path of a heater vent.

I realize people who read this blog come from a variety of backgrounds, so a holiday tree isn't something everyone 'does', but if it's one of your traditions, I hope your tree is beautiful this year.