Covid 19

Hey guys, Adventure Van here with a blog about the Coronavirus. Everyone is talking about it, and it's somehow completely become a matter of conjecture. It's a strange time to live in, of course, but I believe that it's an interesting situation. There's the ideology of whether people or economy is worth more, as well as whether or not the social isolation is a violation of rights. I myself am under the opinion that any human life is more valuable then material gain, but I myself do not want to get into any arguments on the topic. I myself am currently in isolation so I do not have to worry about risk, no matter how 'small' it may be.

Plenty of people have died from the virus itself, even at conservative estimates. It's a dangerous virus that has begun raising questions if it's ethical to test early stage vaccines on volunteers in order to reduce overall deaths. It's also brought up many concerns about how well capitalism as a whole functions under a time of crisis, which will require many different changes in order to stay feasible in the future. It's lighting issues with the goverment's response, being split into multiple warring factions in their own parties about what to do while all agreeing to give the rich more money for some reason. And it's letting everyone know how much their neighbors actually understand science in the slightest degree. Whether or not these issues finally being brought up and forced into the lime light will end poorly or gracefully, there's no way of telling. Assuming we don't all die first.

Adventure Van, isolating.

Dogs.

Hey guys, Adventure Van here with a blog on dogs. You may remember dogs from my previous blog on them, and they haven't gone anywhere since. They're just as brilliant as ever, and as always, I recommend getting one if you have the room and time. The reason I am writing about them now, however, is due to recently reading a book appropriately titled "Top Dog". It is a book written about the many types of "breeds" that exist in this world. As much as I am fully aware that purebred dogs are not very good choices, and that kennels are very poor places to adopt from, the "breed" mix of dogs that you get effects a lot in how to handle them. This book gives a very thorough look at all of them, and I do mean all.

All dogs have specific qualities to them, that go far beyond four legs or lovable personalities. Some are larger with more fur, and some are smaller with very fine kept clothing, although that usually does not grow on them. Some have much longer tails, and some have very long snouts. Scent Hounds are all usually very healthy, due to being bred for function rather then looks. All working dogs are usually much healthier as well, and all of the dogs look lovely! Get a dog. Get multiple dogs.

Adventure Van, dogging out.

Concrete

Concrete. What is it? It's a useful building material that has been used in buildings as early as Ancient Rome's 600 BC days. It's durable, and can be molded into any shape. I had the privilege to be able to use some high quality concrete powder, and using my first hand experience I will now attempt to describe that. The first thing I noticed is how easy it was to actually make. Water and powder with a small amount of light gravel was all that was required to get a durable finished product. However, the quality is directly intertwined with the amount of time it has to rest. I got the recommendation to let it rest for at least three days before testing it, and I should probably let it rest for around two weeks as a baseline. I left it sit for around 10 months, but I have to assume that it capped at an earlier date then that. The textures itself changed dramatically based on the local environment. The parts that were directly touching the container were smooth and glossy, while the part that was touching air became rough and sandlike. All in all, I found new experience in the subject that I did not have before, and gained active, hands on experience from using it.

Both glossy and sandy sides.

Adventure Van, bricking out.

The Big Short

Hey guys, Adventure Van here with a blog about the Big Short by Michael Lewis. The 'Big Short' is a book about the housing bubble and the people who predicted it popping in 2008. The book is well researched, with a multitude of direct interviews. The book in and of itself has been made a successful movie as well, which I have also watched and gets across the same information and points. It is very eloquent, giving the reader or watcher a good grasp and understanding of the topics that were brought up, bringing complicated economic structures and details down into a highly comprehensible.

Adventure Van, studying economics.

Fold Out Atlas of the Human Body

Adventure Van here with a blog about the Human Body, or the fold out atlas of it. Made my Alfred Mason Amadon, M.D., in 1906, it is a very fun book that has an indepth amount of a lot of information about the human body. It is, however, a very old book which endangers the idea of opening and closing the flaps. Overall, it is a wonderful book that is very well drawn and accurate for a book that is over a hundred years old.

Adventure Van, folding out.