I really hope I'm never involved in a stupid, embarrassing scandal. I'd have to stop watching the Daily Show.

How's this for a theory - if the oxide has a strong enough bond, oxygen won't migrate from the already formed oxide to the element to continue corroding, but if it's weaker it will?

Oh, AND, apparently bronze is actually stronger (and superior in many other ways) than (to) wrought iron.

Why did we bother having an Iron Age, then?

So... sometimes oxidation is what protects it from corrosion, sometimes oxidation is the corrosion? I'm a little confused.

Well, with aluminum and stainless steel, the thin oxidized layer blocks any further oxidization. But with, say, iron or non-stainless steel, more oxidization can always occur under the outside layer of oxidized metal.

Looks like it was cheaper to make. Also, steel is better than bronze, but it was hard to produce. Some people seem to think maybe the tin trade got more difficult? Interesting -- looks like copper and tin rarely occur near each other, so you'd have to trade with somebody before you could make bronze!

Heh. Cool.

Well, with aluminum and stainless steel, the thin oxidized layer blocks any further oxidization.

And, apparently, with bronze as well!

God, could we be any metallier?

Tin is hard to come by. If you're cut off from your source of tin to make bronze, you're screwed. Iron, on the other hand, is easy to find. While it's not as good as bronze, it is often good enough.

I love Gossip Girl too, Sophia, but I have to avoid the talk about it places that aren't my friends list.

Jesus God, I know I am not the most articulate person, but reading a couple of board I felt like I was reading lolcat!

We should start talking about here! I think smonster and a few others watch it too.

That would be great, although now I can't think of anything to say. I am just in love with the costumes and the colors and beautiful, broken people.

An FYI for fans of Keith Olbermann's special comments--he's doing one tonight on Hillary, and it's not expected to be pretty. He spent some time on last night's show on all the Ferraro comments, and he was obviously pissed off about it.

The sword Susan posted is gorgeous. Must have now.

Also, my wireless is very slow. Slow, as in, spent the last meeting kind of talking with vague gestures because none of us could actually get anything to load. Came back to the office, and when I went to put in a ticket, there was a status report on the IT groups website saying: ISSUE: Reports that wireless may be slow.

Umm, thanks.