The World As it Stands

At some point I'd love to get an armillary sphere for my tree house. The armillary (though not invented in Victorian times) still has a solid presence in our modern day world.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica the armillary sphere is an:

early astronomical device for representing the great circles of the heavens, [often] including...the horizon, meridian, Equator, tropics, polar circles, and an ecliptic hoop. The sphere is a skeleton celestial globe, with circles divided into degrees for angular measurement.

In the 17th and 18th centuries such models—either suspended, rested on a stand, or affixed to a handle—were used to show the difference between the Ptolemaic theory of a central Earth and the Copernican theory of a central Sun.

You might have seen cruder versions of this device as you were walking around in furniture stores. For some reason that's where I've often seen them sold.

Either way I'd love to get one for myself. A nice one though. I really like this one from Overstock.com and the price is decent to boot.



In my opinion, it would be a really nice addition to any steampunk collector's decor. Maybe I'll get one some day if I wish upon a falling star. :)

Rene's Recommendation: Elliptical Trainer

About a year ago I joined a gym. I had to quit my gym membership because I was moving, but before I did I discovered the magical wonder of the elliptical trainer. Now, granted, gym equipment has always frightened me. I feel stupid on it, don't know if I'm using it right and dread someone coming over and having to "correct" me on how it's done. But after a few weeks of using the treadmill at the gym, for some crazy reason, I'd thought I'd give the elliptical a try. It was a little scary at first but easy to figure out.

And let me say, it was thrilling once I realized how much fun it was. For one thing the elliptical is easier on your joints. So you can go faster with less work. It's like running in mid-air. I'd always like to watch and see how fast I could get my heart rate up. If I put on the right music it really was like flying. I probably looked ridiculous acting like I was running through a battlefield even though I wasn't going anywhere. Point being, if you're at the gym and want to try something easy and new, hop on the elliptical. It's a blast!