MarioKart Wii!

Mario Kart. The epic battleground of famous Mario characters. Sure you know the story of Mario, Princess Peach, Luigi, and so on, but what about the less famous cartoons?

To start off with.....

Daisy

Image from backofthecerealbox

Daisy, the anti-Peach. In the more modern systems, Daisy and Peach wear the same dress, just in different colors. Daisy first appeared in  Super Mario Land, though there are those that claim she is also in the original Mario Tennis. Since she is the anti-Peach, many think that Luigi is her man. 

Daisy is not immediately available in Mario Kart. She is unlocked after winning the 150cc Special cup (where winning means 1st place). Once unlocked, Daisy is a medium weight character. She has 2/3 stats for acceleration, top speed, and off-roading. Playing as Daisy will give you +2 speed and +1 handling/mini-turbo.

Dry Bones

Image from Mariowiki

Dry Bones looks like the skeleton version of Koopa Troopa. He is not the only one, either. Dry Bones are often found in the castle scenes, and are very difficult to kill. When hit, they collapse, only to bring themselves back together. Different articles and polls have listed Dry Bones as in the top 20 enemies of all time due to their difficulty to kill. 

It's fairly easy to unlock Dry Bones. All you need is a gold trophy in the 100cc Leaf cup. Dry Bones is considered a lightweight character, which gives him a poor top speed but an excellent acceleration. Dry Bones has a large mini-turbo bonus, which makes using this character on manual a must. All of Dry Bones' vehicles are gray and black, and when a trick is done with Dry Bones, the character splits into individual bones.

Birdo

Image from FlyingOmlette

Birdo was first seen in Super Mario Bros 2 for the first Nintendo system. Birdo was the pink dinosaur/energizer bunny looking boss that spat eggs at you as you tried to end the level. It was always assumed that because Birdo was pink, Birdo was a girl. However, in the original game manual, Birdo is described as a man who always wanted to be a girl. Later versions of the manual had no mention of this, and, in most games from then on, Birdo is depicted as female (complete with a pretty red bow). 

Birdo can be unlocked by playing and completing (but not beating) any 16 time trials. She is a Medium weight character, with an awesome turbo boost. While racing, some audience members appear to be blue/green Birdos, suggesting that Birdo is not alone...

Rosalina

Image from Mario Neoseeker

Rosalina was introduced in the Wii Super Mario Galaxy. A little star shaped creature, called "Luma" follows her around. She is incredibly powerful, and is charged with taking care of the cosmos. Rosalina is depicted as being "good", and helps Mario and Luigi during their quests in Super Mario Galaxy. 

Rosalina is unlocked by getting a star class rating (getting first place in every race) in mirror mode. She is the first (and to date, only) female heavy weight character. Rosalina has two special vehicles that are associated with herself. While driving, her Luma will circle around her kart and cheer when she performs a trick.

Make sure to check back soon for even more characters!

The Impact of Sunspots on the Earth

Sunspots are naturally occurring pockets of super concentrated magnetic energy that stops the standard method of convection on the sun. This means that the strength of the magnetic pull in these spots is so great, the normal heat flow of the gases and plasmas on the surface of the sun are disturbed. For this reason, sunspots are actually colder surfaces on the sun.

Sunspots occur a basic eleven year pattern. They build up quickly, then dissipate slowly through this cycle (rightly call the sunspot cycle). Written and natural observation show that this cycle has been happening for millions of years. The earliest written documentation about sunspots can be found in the year 364 BC. These observations were made by the Chinese astronomer Gan De. Natural data comes from studying tree rings and the thickness of rock sedimentation, where there is evidence of thickening during eleven year periods.

 It is only recently that the effect of sunspots on the Earth has been studied. Since we can see the pattern for millions of years, one would think that it would be obvious there is some sort of impact from these cycles. Closer observation has shown that the overall temperature of the Earth fluxes in time with these cycles.


Sunspot cycles occur within 11 years, sometimes shortening their time, and sometimes lengthening the number of years. Since 2007, however, we have been in an over extended minimum period. This means there have been very few sunspots, sometimes even going days without a single visible spot. The last time such a minimum was seen has been termed a Maunder Minimum.This period, from roughly 1645 to 1715 is also known as the "Little Ice Age".

During the Little Ice Age, Northern Europe saw many changes. Farms were destroyed by moving glaciers, and many villages were able to have winter festivals on frozen lakes/ponds. A huge impact was the freezing of the seas, were armies were able to cross bodies of water to attack other nations, such as in 1658 when the Swedish Army crossed the frozen seawater to conquer Copenhagen.

It seems that we may soon be coming to another Maunder Minimum, or our own modern mini iceage. Some argue that this disproves man made climate change, and state that the weather on Earth is largely impacted by the Sun. Others state that we are still in a state of global warming, and that it is a good thing we may be entering an ice age so that rising temperatures are not as readily felt. No matter what, it seems things are changing, for better or for worse, and the only thing to do is sit and watch.