Arizona State Geologist, Lee Allison, notes on his blog that the New York Public Library has placed about 40,000 historical stereograms online.  About 196 of these are from Arizona (see here). A stereogram is a pair of photos taken from slightly different positions, which, when viewed properly, can produce a 3D effect.

If you go to the site, you find a gallery of photo pairs.  Click on one to see it larger.  Another click will make it even larger.  With practice, you can see the 3D effect even without a stereo viewer.  Try it with the medium size (one click from the gallery) photo pair. Here’s how. Instead of focusing on the computer screen, defocus your eyes and look behind the screen or cross your eyes.  Move your head around a bit and the photos will coalesce into a 3D image.  I have a practice photo pair below.  If that doesn’t work for you, go back to Allison’s blog and click on the “stereogranimator.”

From the Federal bureaucracy run amok: Doctors and hospitals use about 18,000 codes to classify their treatments for insurers. Now the federal government is mandating an expanded code which features 140,000 classifications.

See the story in the Wall Street Journal here.

The title of this post is a real new code. Among some others are: W22.02XA, “walked into lamppost, initial encounter;” W22.02XD, “walked into lamppost, subsequent encounter;” and R46.1 “bizarre personal appearance.”

“There codes for injuries received while sewing, ironing, playing a brass instrument, crocheting, doing handcrafts, or knitting…”

The big question: will your insurance pay if the coders accidentally enter a W22.02XD before reporting a W22.02XA?

Is this part of President Obama’s new jobs program for medical coders? Your tax dollars at work.

The Mining Foundation of the Southwest will hold its annual awards banquet and fundraiser at the JW Marriott Star Pass Resort, Tucson, Arizona on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

The Mining Foundation of the Southwest, based in Tucson, Arizona, is a non-profit organization working to educate the public about mineral resources and the mineral extraction and processing industries and to honor outstanding accomplishments in the mining industry.

The press release for the banquet:

Mining Foundation of the Southwest to Honor Rescuers of Trapped Chilean Copper Miners

The 29th annual American Mining Hall of Fame Awards Banquet and Fundraiser sponsored by the Mining Foundation of the Southwest (MFSW) will be held at the JW Marriott Star Pass Resort, Tucson, Arizona on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

 

Each year, one living inductee, two recipients of Medals of Merit, and up to five honorees from mining history are chosen by the MFSW for their outstanding contributions to the mining industry. Mr. Laurence Golborne Riveros will be the Guest of Honor, featured speaker, and Inductee into the American Mining Hall of Fame.

Laurence Golborne Riveros, Chilean Minister of Public Works (former Minister of Mining) was instrumental in managing the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners in October 2010 and in the coordination/management of the “townsite” for family members, rescue support, and the media. His engineering background and executive management skills made him ideally suited to assist in both a technical and managerial role in this emergency.

A Special Citation will be awarded to the American companies who had a part of the rescue and who worked together to do what was necessary to get the job done. These are: Aries Central California Video, Atlas Copco Construction Mining Company, Center Rock Company, Drillers Supply International, Jeff Hart, Geotec Boyles Bros., Layne Christensen Company, NASA, Schramm Inc., UPS, & Zephyr Technologies.

Medals of Merit will be awarded to Dr. Marco T. Einaudi, a mineral deposit researcher and professor of economic geology at Stanford University and Ralph B. Sievwright, a mining attorney, for their accomplishments in their respective fields.

 

As representatives of mining heritage, the Hall of Fame will induct Earl Herkenhoff, Pope Yeatman, Thomas H. Leggett, Samuel Newhouse, and Stewart R. Wallace. Herkenhoff was an innovator in iron ore benefication and clear vision of plant design. Yeatman was responsible for development of Kennecott Alaska, construction of Nevada Copper; Braden Copper, and evaluation and development of Chuquicamata. Leggett pioneered long-distance electrical transmission and use of cyanide for gold recovery in the U.S. Newhouse was the Utah mining magnate and civic developer. Wallace was a renowned molybdenum geologist, discoverer of the Henderson deposit, and philanthropist.

MFSW is a non-profit organization whose objectives are public education about the mineral industries, and recognition of outstanding accomplishments in and contributions to the fields of mineral and fuel resources. Funds are raised to the support the Foundation’s educational programs. Among these is the Educational Outreach Program operated jointly by MFSW and Science Foundation Arizona through the Lowell Institute of Mineral Resources at the University of Arizona.

Early sponsors for this event include: ASARCO ,Independent Mining Consultants, Golder Associates, Minas De Oro Nacional, Mintec, Modular Mining Systems, Inc., Mountain States R & D International, M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation, RDE Evaluations, LTD, United Mines Inc., Sonoran Process Equipment Company Inc. and SRK Consulting.

Information on tickets and sponsorships are available from the Mining Foundation of the Southwest.

Tel (520)577-7519, Fax (520)577-7073, e-mail: admin@miningfoundationsw.org or our website: www.miningfoundationsw.