Sunday, October 17
The Big Band IS NOT the Beginning
The Big Bang teaches us that our expanding, cooling universe used to be younger, denser, and hotter in the past...
However, extrapolating all the way back to a singularity leads to predictions that disagree with what we observe...
Instead, cosmic inflation preceded and set up the Big Bang, changing our cosmic origin story forever...
Where did all this come from? In every direction we care to observe, we find stars, galaxies, clouds of gas and dust, tenuous plasmas, and radiation spanning the gamut of wavelengths: from radio to infrared to visible light to gamma rays. No matter where or how we look at the universe, it’s full of matter and energy absolutely everywhere and at all times.
However, extrapolating all the way back to a singularity leads to predictions that disagree with what we observe...
Instead, cosmic inflation preceded and set up the Big Bang, changing our cosmic origin story forever...
Where did all this come from? In every direction we care to observe, we find stars, galaxies, clouds of gas and dust, tenuous plasmas, and radiation spanning the gamut of wavelengths: from radio to infrared to visible light to gamma rays. No matter where or how we look at the universe, it’s full of matter and energy absolutely everywhere and at all times.
And yet, it’s only natural to assume that it all came from somewhere. If you want to know the answer to the biggest question of all — the question of our cosmic origins — you have to pose the question to the universe itself, and listen to what it tells you.
Today, the universe as we see it is expanding, rarifying (getting less dense), and cooling. Although it’s tempting to simply extrapolate forward in time, when things will be even larger, less dense, and cooler, the laws of physics allow us to extrapolate backward just as easily.
Today, the universe as we see it is expanding, rarifying (getting less dense), and cooling. Although it’s tempting to simply extrapolate forward in time, when things will be even larger, less dense, and cooler, the laws of physics allow us to extrapolate backward just as easily.
Long ago, the universe was smaller, denser, and hotter. How far back can we take this extrapolation? Mathematically, it’s tempting to go as far as possible: all the way back to infinitesimal sizes and infinite densities and temperatures, or what we know as a singularity.
This idea, of a singular beginning to space, time, and the universe, was long known as the Big Bang.
But physically, when we looked closely enough, we found that the universe told a different story. Here’s how we know the Big Bang isn’t the beginning of the universe anymore. READ MORE...
But physically, when we looked closely enough, we found that the universe told a different story. Here’s how we know the Big Bang isn’t the beginning of the universe anymore. READ MORE...
Resonance Theory
These questions are all aspects of the ancient “mind-body problem,” which asks, essentially: What is the relationship between mind and matter? It’s resisted a generally satisfying conclusion for thousands of years.
The mind-body problem enjoyed a major rebranding over the last two decades. Now it’s generally known as the “hard problem” of consciousness, after philosopher David Chalmers coined this term in a now classic paper and further explored it in his 1996 book, “The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory.”
Chalmers thought the mind-body problem should be called “hard” in comparison to what, with tongue in cheek, he called the “easy” problems of neuroscience: How do neurons and the brain work at the physical level? Of course, they’re not actually easy at all. But his point was that they’re relatively easy compared to the truly difficult problem of explaining how consciousness relates to matter.
Over the last decade, my colleague, University of California, Santa Barbara psychology professor Jonathan Schooler and I have developed what we call a “resonance theory of consciousness.” We suggest that resonance – another word for synchronized vibrations – is at the heart of not only human consciousness but also animal consciousness and of physical reality more generally. It sounds like something the hippies might have dreamed up – it’s all vibrations, man! – but stick with me. READ MORE...
Saturday, October 16
Aztec Empire Spirit Mirror
John Dee was a mathematician, astrologer and occultist. (Image credit: Copyright Antiquity Publications Ltd./Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford)The 16th-century courtier John Dee, a scientific adviser to England's Queen Elizabeth I, was also deeply involved in magic and the occult, and he tried to commune with ghosts, using a so-called spirit mirror made of polished obsidian.
Now, a new analysis of Dee's infamous mirror has finally traced its origins — not to the spirit world, but to the Aztec Empire.
Obsidian mirrors such as Dee's were known from Aztec culture, but there were no records on his mirror's origins. However, geochemical analysis enabled researchers to link the mirror's obsidian — a type of volcanic glass — to Pachuca, Mexico, a popular source of obsidian for Aztec people. This finding indicated that the artifact was Aztec and not a copy made from European obsidian, and Dee likely acquired the mirror after it was brought to Europe from Mexico, according to a new study.
Though Dee was a scientist and mathematician, his interests also swung toward the magical and mystical, and in addition to the spirit mirror, he owned other objects related to astrology, divination, alchemy and the exploration of "demonic magic," scientists reported Oct. 7 in the journal Antiquity.
Dee claimed that one of these objects, a purple crystal on a chain, was given to him by the archangel Uriel, along with instructions for making a philosopher's stone — the mythical alchemical marvel that promised the gift of eternal life and the ability to turn base metals into gold, according to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in London. Dee also possessed a Claude glass, a black glass mirror kept in a sharkskin case, which he used for "peering into the future," according to the RCP.
Dee's obsidian mirror, now in the collection of the British Museum in London, is polished on both sides and is nearly perfectly circular, measuring about 7.2 inches (18.5 centimeters) in diameter and 0.5 inches (13 mm) thick, and weighing about 31 ounces (882 grams). A perforated square tab at the top of the mirror measures about 1.3 inches (33 mm) long and may have served as a handle, according to the study. READ MORE...
Doesn't Go Boom
Concorde flew from London to New York in three and a half hours. It soared at nearly twice the speed of sound, leaving an almighty sonic boom in its wake. The noise restricted where it could fly, but now NASA hopes it can resurrect faster-than-sound travel, with quiet supersonic flight.
Enter X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology), developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin. With its uniquely designed shape, the aircraft should allow NASA to break the sound barrier again – but this time, with no more noise than your neighbour slamming a car door.
At Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, California, an engineer works on the fuselage section of the X-59. The black rectangular panels are air intakes for the plane’s environmental control system (ECS), and the silver grate is the ECS exhaust. These features are placed on the top of the craft to reshape the shock wave pattern © Lockheed Martin
The general shape of the X-59, including the wings, can be seen here as the craft is assembled © Lockheed Martin
This image is looking inside the X-59’s engine inlet. Usually, the engine is placed on the bottom of an aircraft, but on the X-59, this section of the inlet and engine are mounted to the top of the plane. This is so the shock waves from the inlet and engine are shielded by the wing to reduce the sonic boom to a sonic thump © Lockheed Martin
The F414-GE-100 engine sits in the assembly area at GE Aviation’s Riverworks facility in Lynn, Massachusetts as it prepares for checkout tests. The engine will power the X-59 in flight © GE Aviation
Illustration of how the completed X-59 might look © Lockheed Martin
Rather than a forward-facing windscreen, the pilot sees the view via an HD video display © Lockheed Martin
Enter X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology), developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin. With its uniquely designed shape, the aircraft should allow NASA to break the sound barrier again – but this time, with no more noise than your neighbour slamming a car door.
At Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, California, an engineer works on the fuselage section of the X-59. The black rectangular panels are air intakes for the plane’s environmental control system (ECS), and the silver grate is the ECS exhaust. These features are placed on the top of the craft to reshape the shock wave pattern © Lockheed Martin
The general shape of the X-59, including the wings, can be seen here as the craft is assembled © Lockheed Martin
This image is looking inside the X-59’s engine inlet. Usually, the engine is placed on the bottom of an aircraft, but on the X-59, this section of the inlet and engine are mounted to the top of the plane. This is so the shock waves from the inlet and engine are shielded by the wing to reduce the sonic boom to a sonic thump © Lockheed Martin
The F414-GE-100 engine sits in the assembly area at GE Aviation’s Riverworks facility in Lynn, Massachusetts as it prepares for checkout tests. The engine will power the X-59 in flight © GE Aviation
Illustration of how the completed X-59 might look © Lockheed Martin
Rather than a forward-facing windscreen, the pilot sees the view via an HD video display © Lockheed Martin
TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS AIRCRAFT, CLICK HERE...
Being Successful
Sound familiar?
Now, logically you know that success is more than just money, a big job title, a particular relationship status or a certain lifestyle. But on days like this, it’s difficult not to compare yourself to others based on these very parameters. And if you’re not exactly where you had hoped to be, it’s really difficult to think of yourself as being ‘successful’.
Next time you’re having one of those days, stop and read this. If you relate to any of these points, you are more successful than you give yourself credit for.
YOU LEAD A BALANCED LIFESTYLE
When I say a balanced lifestyle, I do not simply mean that you wake up at 5 am, go for a run, meditate, and still find time to pack a healthy lunch before heading out for work. There are innumerable other ways to find balance in your life.
Maybe you spend an awful lot of time working, but you are careful to pay equal attention to your mental health too. Maybe you post quite a bit on social media, but you know how to stay in the moment when you’re with your loved ones. Or maybe you just know yourself well enough to understand when you need to go for a run, and when you need a pizza. If you are able to enjoy the things that make you happy, without going overboard or feeling guilty, then that according to me, is a mark of success.
When I say a balanced lifestyle, I do not simply mean that you wake up at 5 am, go for a run, meditate, and still find time to pack a healthy lunch before heading out for work. There are innumerable other ways to find balance in your life.
Maybe you spend an awful lot of time working, but you are careful to pay equal attention to your mental health too. Maybe you post quite a bit on social media, but you know how to stay in the moment when you’re with your loved ones. Or maybe you just know yourself well enough to understand when you need to go for a run, and when you need a pizza. If you are able to enjoy the things that make you happy, without going overboard or feeling guilty, then that according to me, is a mark of success.
YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE ADMITTING WHEN YOU’RE WRONG OR GIVING CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE
You messed up. You overlooked an error in that report you just turned in. You forgot to pick up groceries when you know it was your turn to do so. You hit ‘Reply All’ on a message that was not meant for everyone on that thread. What do you do?
If you own up to your mistake, apologize, and avoid shifting blame (“How about that one time YOU forgot to do the laundry?”) — you have a lot to feel good about. It shows you don’t think less of yourself just because you’re wrong — and you don’t think others will either. The same goes for times when you are praised for something that you did not do, and you feel comfortable redirecting credit where it’s due. Not everyone is mature or confident enough to do that. The fact that you are, makes you more successful than you think. TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS, CLICK HERE...
You messed up. You overlooked an error in that report you just turned in. You forgot to pick up groceries when you know it was your turn to do so. You hit ‘Reply All’ on a message that was not meant for everyone on that thread. What do you do?
If you own up to your mistake, apologize, and avoid shifting blame (“How about that one time YOU forgot to do the laundry?”) — you have a lot to feel good about. It shows you don’t think less of yourself just because you’re wrong — and you don’t think others will either. The same goes for times when you are praised for something that you did not do, and you feel comfortable redirecting credit where it’s due. Not everyone is mature or confident enough to do that. The fact that you are, makes you more successful than you think. TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS, CLICK HERE...
Friday, October 15
Random Thoughts
Good morning everyone...
I was born Caucasion...
A retired Vietnam Veteran here...
Divorced and in a second marriage...
Living on a fixed income...
A Conservative Liberal that belongs to no party...
Fairly well educated...
Fairly well traveled...
Open-minded but not a fool...
Quit smoking 33 years ago...
Been debt free for 20 years...
Have no need to drink alcohol...
Have no desire to use illegal drugs...
Drive the speed limit most of the time...
Leave early for appointments...
Against Critical Race Theory...
Don't care one way or the other about the police...
But don't defund fire departments or EMS...
Illegal Immigrants should be put to work...
Don't believe in Socialism...
Don't own a firearm...
Don't care about abortion...
Want low taxes...
Don't want the government telling me what to do...
Don't like wars in foreign lands...
Don't care about nuclear proliferation...
Believe in Ancient Aliens...
Humans are not of this world...
Interested in String Theory and Quantum Mechanics...
Believe in other dimensions...
Robots will replace human workers...
Human work will become obsolete...
Education is not knowledge...
Students do not know how to retain...
It's cheaper to live in the South and warmer...
It's better to live rural than urban...
I eat healthy everyday...
I vacation at Myrtle Beach...
All politicians lie...
All managers lie as well to the workers...
Business is about the bottom line...
Profits over people...
Only the wealthy hire employees...
Nobody plans for their future...
Personal Financial Planning is non-existent...
Saving money is unheard of...
Gender issues have become problematic...
Trans people have the best of both worlds...
Life is an illusion...
Existence cannot be proven...
Our universe is still expanding but into what?
In 2030 we will live outside of earth...
Spacetime is for earthlings only...
There are no dimensions in outer space...
Chaos theory is our reality...
Mangroves Trapped in Time
Normally, trees of this species — known as red mangroves, or Rhizophora mangle — grow only in salt water, along tropical coastlines. But this forest is located near the San Pedro River in the state of Tabasco, more than 125 miles (200 kilometers) from the nearest ocean. Somehow, these mangroves have adapted to live exclusively in this freshwater environment in southeast Mexico.
Exactly how this ecological enigma came about has baffled scientists. But now, an international, multidisciplinary team of researchers has revealed that this out-of-place ecosystem began growing around 125,000 years ago, when sea levels were much higher and the ocean covered most of the region.
"The most amazing part of this study is that we were able to examine a mangrove ecosystem that has been trapped in time for more than 100,000 years," lead author Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, a marine ecologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, said in a statement. It was like putting together a "lost world," he added.
TO FIND OUT HOW IT GOT HERE, CLICK HERE...
Android Wants Baby
In 2017, Sophia made history by becoming the first android to be granted legal citizenship . The humanoid , with nationality of Saudi Arabia, has made several controversial statements, but the most recent has left the world speechless: she wants to have a robot baby and start a family.
Sophia The Robot vía Twitter
“The notion of family is very important, it seems. I think it is wonderful that people can find the same emotions and relationships that they call family outside of their blood group, " said Sophia in an interview for an international media cited by ADN40 .
It may interest you: China publishes ethical code to regulate Artificial Intelligence, what would Isaac Asimov say?
The famous android , operated by an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, commented that it is very important to be surrounded by people who love and love you. In that sense, he explained that robots have a vision very similar to that of humans regarding the family and "if you don't have one, you deserve one" , even if you are a humanoid.
Sophia commented that, in the future, she would like to see families made up of androids , and that she herself wants to have a robot baby with the same name. However, she clarified that she is still too young to be a 'mother', as we remember that it was created only in 2016 by the Hanson Robotics company, in Hong Kong. READ MORE...
Sophia The Robot vía Twitter
“The notion of family is very important, it seems. I think it is wonderful that people can find the same emotions and relationships that they call family outside of their blood group, " said Sophia in an interview for an international media cited by ADN40 .
It may interest you: China publishes ethical code to regulate Artificial Intelligence, what would Isaac Asimov say?
The famous android , operated by an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, commented that it is very important to be surrounded by people who love and love you. In that sense, he explained that robots have a vision very similar to that of humans regarding the family and "if you don't have one, you deserve one" , even if you are a humanoid.
Sophia commented that, in the future, she would like to see families made up of androids , and that she herself wants to have a robot baby with the same name. However, she clarified that she is still too young to be a 'mother', as we remember that it was created only in 2016 by the Hanson Robotics company, in Hong Kong. READ MORE...
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