November eleventh, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven. As a follower of science I am not too worried that today or any other predicted dooms day date can be forcast without solid proof. One might predict exactly when a comet might hit the earth, or tell when the energy from a gamma ray burst will reach the planet, but with nothing more than an arbitrary date coinsidence; I'm not convenced enough to dig the shelter yet. 2012 doesn't make me want to rent a backhoe yet either.
You would think somebody writing an apocolyptic novel would be more pesimistic, but I expect humans will be around a very long time, long enough to explore the cosmos. I'm not saying we wont experience some major setbacks like plagues or famine. There will always be catastrophys due to changing weather patterns. Movement of the earth's crust due to plate tecktonics will always cause earthquakes, volcanos and tsunomies. The seas will rise, the glasiers will melt, but we will learn to adapt and deal with it. Humans will continue to die. We reside in some of the most dangerous geographic areas on the planet. Sooner or later the earth moves and people are in the way. It's nature.
Should something big occure at one of the many predicted dates, I will be the first person to say WTF.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Fifty years of reflection
Fifty four years to the day, the Russians launched Sputnik.
On July 20th, 1969, my family and the world witnessed Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin make the first foot prints on the moon.
At the time we (the human species) weren't sure if the moon's crust could even be walked on. Today we know the satellite we thought was a barren wasteland, harbors vast quantities of water valuable for further space exploration.
I was seven when the Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility; we watched on a black and white television. Soon after, I came home from school with a book club application. $9.00 was a lot of money when we were paying $20.00 a month for rent, but I still asked my father, ( I was only seven, I didn't know the value of money, plus it came with a model of the LM).
For two months an exact replica of the lunar module rest upon a stack of three books in their original cardboard case. Eventually my father did the math and realized he paid $9.00 for a plastic toy. He then encouraged me to read the books. The books were full of beautiful pictures of rockets, planets (or at least artist's depictions), and stickers.
Once Dad realized I was putting the stickers in the book without reading it, he laid down the law. "You can't put a sticker on, till you read the page!"
I was seven. I did what I was told.
I have loved science for the last forty three years and have witnessed many changes in theories and hypothesis. Lately even Einstein's theory of relativity has been challenged.
Today I celebrate my fiftieth revolution around a star, not unlike all the countless other stars so similar to the one we call the Sun.
In fifty years I have seen the rings of Saturn. I witnessed a moon landing. I've seen the atom ripped to shreds compared to what it was when I was in high school, Plate tectonics didn't exist, and I didn't know why the dinosaurs went extinct, but I do now. At one time in my life there were nine planets, then eight. Today keeping up with how many possible vs comfirmed hits in the data varies from day to day.
Fifty years isn't enough time to answer all the questions I have, but with age comes wisdom, so at least I understand more of the answers I get.
I can only wonder (or write) about what discoveries, changes, or challenges science will face in my next fifty years.
On July 20th, 1969, my family and the world witnessed Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin make the first foot prints on the moon.
At the time we (the human species) weren't sure if the moon's crust could even be walked on. Today we know the satellite we thought was a barren wasteland, harbors vast quantities of water valuable for further space exploration.
I was seven when the Eagle landed in the Sea of Tranquility; we watched on a black and white television. Soon after, I came home from school with a book club application. $9.00 was a lot of money when we were paying $20.00 a month for rent, but I still asked my father, ( I was only seven, I didn't know the value of money, plus it came with a model of the LM).
For two months an exact replica of the lunar module rest upon a stack of three books in their original cardboard case. Eventually my father did the math and realized he paid $9.00 for a plastic toy. He then encouraged me to read the books. The books were full of beautiful pictures of rockets, planets (or at least artist's depictions), and stickers.
Once Dad realized I was putting the stickers in the book without reading it, he laid down the law. "You can't put a sticker on, till you read the page!"
I was seven. I did what I was told.
I have loved science for the last forty three years and have witnessed many changes in theories and hypothesis. Lately even Einstein's theory of relativity has been challenged.
Today I celebrate my fiftieth revolution around a star, not unlike all the countless other stars so similar to the one we call the Sun.
In fifty years I have seen the rings of Saturn. I witnessed a moon landing. I've seen the atom ripped to shreds compared to what it was when I was in high school, Plate tectonics didn't exist, and I didn't know why the dinosaurs went extinct, but I do now. At one time in my life there were nine planets, then eight. Today keeping up with how many possible vs comfirmed hits in the data varies from day to day.
Fifty years isn't enough time to answer all the questions I have, but with age comes wisdom, so at least I understand more of the answers I get.
I can only wonder (or write) about what discoveries, changes, or challenges science will face in my next fifty years.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Self promotion: sometimes it has to be done.
Now that I have you here, I want to show you what my book is about. I hope that showing these links doesn't wind me up in court, but they show exactly what I am trying to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssC7znywJSo&feature=share "The Second Intelligent Species" is about a couple who experience a mass extinction event just like this one, except nobody knew it was coming. This is what it could look like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlF8APEkh-E&feature=share
Those of you that know how hard I've been working on this, now is the time to comment, cheer, rant, rave, bitch or complain. I need all the support I can get.
Thanks
The Beave.
Those of you that know how hard I've been working on this, now is the time to comment, cheer, rant, rave, bitch or complain. I need all the support I can get.
Thanks
The Beave.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Zombie Land
Once again I find myself pulling my thirty six hours of night shift. A weekend in Zombie Land.
As always, we who must endure sleepless nights followed often by sleepless days, learn to take advantages of any entertainment offered: be it a practical joke, a good lunch packed by a loved one, or a celestrial cornucopia served throughout the summer evenings.
A full moon, the Perseids meteor shower, Jupiter in all its glory, plus four passes of the International Space Station (ISS) gave me something to do other than swill coffee just to keep awake. A mild summer storm with cloud to cloud lightning was topping on the cake.
Staying up all night is an advantage for a star gazer like myself. Of course I wanted to share my good fortune of clear skies with my associates. Some were interested, some were not; understandable when you work with thirty or so different individuals. What did suprise me was two called their spouces and told them to watch for the ISS.
As the one who dragged them outside to see a star-like light slowley streak across clouded skies, I was expected to answer questions posed to me. I could answer most about Jupiter and some of the moons. I did my best to tell how the Perseids came from dust left over from a comet called Swift something or other. Comet Taylor Swift, no that's not it. Anyhow some of them were interested and I want to give them the answers I promised.
1) The ISS travels about 17,227mph.
2) Its altitude moves between 173-286 miles up. It needs to be adjusted about twice a year.
3) It orbits the Earth 15.7 times a day.
4) No, they don't dump their poop in space. It could be used better as a fertilizer.
To watch for the ISS for yourself, click on the link.
I support every dollar spent.
http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/
As always, we who must endure sleepless nights followed often by sleepless days, learn to take advantages of any entertainment offered: be it a practical joke, a good lunch packed by a loved one, or a celestrial cornucopia served throughout the summer evenings.
A full moon, the Perseids meteor shower, Jupiter in all its glory, plus four passes of the International Space Station (ISS) gave me something to do other than swill coffee just to keep awake. A mild summer storm with cloud to cloud lightning was topping on the cake.
Staying up all night is an advantage for a star gazer like myself. Of course I wanted to share my good fortune of clear skies with my associates. Some were interested, some were not; understandable when you work with thirty or so different individuals. What did suprise me was two called their spouces and told them to watch for the ISS.
As the one who dragged them outside to see a star-like light slowley streak across clouded skies, I was expected to answer questions posed to me. I could answer most about Jupiter and some of the moons. I did my best to tell how the Perseids came from dust left over from a comet called Swift something or other. Comet Taylor Swift, no that's not it. Anyhow some of them were interested and I want to give them the answers I promised.
1) The ISS travels about 17,227mph.
2) Its altitude moves between 173-286 miles up. It needs to be adjusted about twice a year.
3) It orbits the Earth 15.7 times a day.
4) No, they don't dump their poop in space. It could be used better as a fertilizer.
To watch for the ISS for yourself, click on the link.
I support every dollar spent.
http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Mirror image handwriting.
When I was in my early twenties I learned I had an unusual gift: the ability to write cursive with my non-dominant hand in mirror image at the same time as I wrote normally with my right. It wasn't until middle age did I find out just how few people can do that.
One of the most famous people I discovered who could write backwards was Leonardo da Vinci. I don't know if he could write with both hands at the same time or not.
Some dyslectic children can do it when they are young, but not as they get older. I have read it's because a membrane seperating the right hemisphere from the left side of their brain is not fully developed, information is shared by both halfs.
Maybe my membrane has a hole in it, but one thing I have found, is people who like to write are more prone to the talent. Do all writers have a hole in their brains? I suggest we must considering what we put ourselves through.
If there are any writers, artist or psycopaths who can share their stories or shed some light on the subject, please comment. If there are any talent scouts, circus owners or even a neurologist who needs a lab rat out there, give me a call.
One of the most famous people I discovered who could write backwards was Leonardo da Vinci. I don't know if he could write with both hands at the same time or not.
Some dyslectic children can do it when they are young, but not as they get older. I have read it's because a membrane seperating the right hemisphere from the left side of their brain is not fully developed, information is shared by both halfs.
Maybe my membrane has a hole in it, but one thing I have found, is people who like to write are more prone to the talent. Do all writers have a hole in their brains? I suggest we must considering what we put ourselves through.
If there are any writers, artist or psycopaths who can share their stories or shed some light on the subject, please comment. If there are any talent scouts, circus owners or even a neurologist who needs a lab rat out there, give me a call.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Does anyone give a shit what it's called, or does anyone give a shit?
Global Warming, Climate Change, Mass Extinction: no matter the title given to the storm, the shit's gonna hit the fan.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110621/sc_nm/us_oceans
Some reject any and all evidence put forth by climatologist. The idea that climate change can be observed in a lifetime is unheard of in geological time scales. Anyone over thirty can see the changes. One generation observing changes in the local climate is a sure sign that a spike is occurring right now. Climate change should not happen that fast. Most changes in the past took thousands of years. What's happening on the planet today is being expedited by our waste. The air, our fresh water, our oceans, even the land beneath our homes is contaminated by one toxin or another. Fish in the seas are eating plastic, large areas of the ocean are dead due to a lack of oxygen. Coral reefs are bleached white as the living sea creatures that built the structures have died out.
When will the human race realize our petty differences are meager to the problems we will face as a species?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110621/sc_nm/us_oceans
Some reject any and all evidence put forth by climatologist. The idea that climate change can be observed in a lifetime is unheard of in geological time scales. Anyone over thirty can see the changes. One generation observing changes in the local climate is a sure sign that a spike is occurring right now. Climate change should not happen that fast. Most changes in the past took thousands of years. What's happening on the planet today is being expedited by our waste. The air, our fresh water, our oceans, even the land beneath our homes is contaminated by one toxin or another. Fish in the seas are eating plastic, large areas of the ocean are dead due to a lack of oxygen. Coral reefs are bleached white as the living sea creatures that built the structures have died out.
When will the human race realize our petty differences are meager to the problems we will face as a species?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
How a science fiction writer thinks
The subtitle for this blog is sci fi for the working guy. I try to take the most recent news about science and talk about it so the guys at work can relate to it. Let's face it, few people follow news about super colliders or new discoveries in space. While they are interested in sports, politics or union matters, I follow science. They explain what a two point conversion is to me, and I try to explain why we only see one side of the moon.
Here's three stories to think about.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110406/sc_livescience/45billionyearoldantarcticmeteoriteyieldsnewmineral
Wassonite is a newly discovered mineral found in a meteorite. Composed of sulfur and titanium, this rare mineral has never been found in nature on the planet until now, and this sample came from space. Why haven't we found this before? We have lots of sulfur and titanium, so why is this mineral so unique? We are learning so much from meteorites. They were formed in the violent creation of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. Nothing on earth has been able to recreate the same mineral naturally. I can see some science fiction writer imagining Wassonite mines on some asteroid in quadrant 5-c.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110406/sc_afp/scienceusphysics_20110406155429
The CERN Large Hadron Collider in Europe has been looking for the same kind of bump in the data that this site has encountered. These two facilities, among many others look for the smallest parts of what we call real.
When I went to high school the atom was made of neutrons and protons, orbited by electrons. Now Quantum mechanics involve such a diverse group of particles, one can't keep up. The proof of this one particle, this force of nature, is important enough that many countries spend billions to build the massive underground labs to conduct these experiments. What will the future be like once the scientist learn to control the Higgs-boson.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110329/ts_yblog_thelookout/for-12-year-old-astrophysics-prodigy-
Watch for this guy. Diagnosed with autism, he is one with mathematics and is questioning some of Einstein's equations. Many with autism display an ability to do things we call miraculous. Isn't it possible that they can see areas of reality that we who are "normal" can not. Is it possible that they are the chosen ones. More fodder for the science fiction writer.
Things are going to change fast in the realm of science, will the human species adapt fast enough to comprehend the data at the speed it is becoming available?
Here's three stories to think about.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110406/sc_livescience/45billionyearoldantarcticmeteoriteyieldsnewmineral
Wassonite is a newly discovered mineral found in a meteorite. Composed of sulfur and titanium, this rare mineral has never been found in nature on the planet until now, and this sample came from space. Why haven't we found this before? We have lots of sulfur and titanium, so why is this mineral so unique? We are learning so much from meteorites. They were formed in the violent creation of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. Nothing on earth has been able to recreate the same mineral naturally. I can see some science fiction writer imagining Wassonite mines on some asteroid in quadrant 5-c.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110406/sc_afp/scienceusphysics_20110406155429
The CERN Large Hadron Collider in Europe has been looking for the same kind of bump in the data that this site has encountered. These two facilities, among many others look for the smallest parts of what we call real.
When I went to high school the atom was made of neutrons and protons, orbited by electrons. Now Quantum mechanics involve such a diverse group of particles, one can't keep up. The proof of this one particle, this force of nature, is important enough that many countries spend billions to build the massive underground labs to conduct these experiments. What will the future be like once the scientist learn to control the Higgs-boson.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110329/ts_yblog_thelookout/for-12-year-old-astrophysics-prodigy-
Watch for this guy. Diagnosed with autism, he is one with mathematics and is questioning some of Einstein's equations. Many with autism display an ability to do things we call miraculous. Isn't it possible that they can see areas of reality that we who are "normal" can not. Is it possible that they are the chosen ones. More fodder for the science fiction writer.
Things are going to change fast in the realm of science, will the human species adapt fast enough to comprehend the data at the speed it is becoming available?
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