Tractor Beams - No Longer SciFi

Rebel ships better watch out because, apparently, we’re closer to making tractor beams a reality than ever. Once relegated to the realm of fantasy in Star Wars and Star Trek, Phys.org is reporting that a team of aerospace engineers led by Professor Hanspeter Schaub is working on electron beams that use attractive or repulsive electrostatic force to remove space debris from orbit. Presumably, if the team finds success in creating these beams, we could prevent Kessler Syndrome from becoming a reality.

Kessler Syndrome is a phenomenon, laid out by NASA scientist Donald Kessler, where the space debris in Earth’s orbit becomes so significant that it hinders our ability to launch satellites, spacecraft, orbital stations, and anything else into orbit. It’s a major problem that could easily become the state of our orbit if measures aren’t taken to prevent it. Using so-called “space dump trucks” with tractor beams could be one way to lessen our debris problem.

The main problem with space debris is that it’s not so easy to clear out, as objects in space move rapidly and unpredictably, so you can’t just grab it like you would grab trash out of the ocean. Tractor beams would allow us to move debris and other objects out of the way without having to touch them directly. Another example of the usefulness of these beams would be moving old satellites out of the way to make room for new satellites.

Of course, there is still a lot of work today before these tractor beams can be applied in real-world scenarios. To test the technology, the team uses a vacuum chamber called the Electrostatic Charging Laboratory for Interactions between Plasma and Spacecraft. The vacuum chamber can simulate a space environment, and the team can place simulated debris made out of metal to experiment with the electrostatic tractors.  READ MORE...

Candles in the Wind

 

The Marriage License

I have been married twice, divorced once and have children from my first marriage.  My divorce resulted in 2/3 of everything going to my ex-wife, even 10 acres of land that was in my name, paid for my me, and was mine before we got married.  Divorce left a bitter taste in my mouth for both marriage and women.  My daughter sided with my ex-wife on everything and because I got remarried (as did her mother), she had decided not to have anything to do with me for the last 6-7 years...  which is her loss as well as mine.

But, what of marriage?

What's the point of getting married, outside of some religious belief that one should not engage in sex until one gets legally married?

I don't think there is a point...

While I did get married a second time, there was absolutely no reason to get married except to give the female financial security that she did not have simply living with me.

Not that I will have another chance but if I did, I would not get married.  I would keep my own checking and savings account.  All expenses would be shared based upon one's contribution to the overall finances.

For example, if I contributed $2,000 a month and she contributed $1,000 a month and our expenses were $4,000 a month, the I would pay 2/3 and she would pay 1/3 of $4,000.  My share would be $2,640 and her share would be $1,360.

Any purchase of a house would be done the same way and when it sold, I would receive 2/3 and she would receive 1/3.  If there was a parting of the ways, then she would take her assets and I would take mine...

Marriage is overrated and more often than not, marriage is simply a financial arrangement between two people that see themselves as either partners or roommates...   NOTHING MORE...

For Future Generations

 

White Dwarf Star

To us, stars may resemble cut jewels, glittering coldly against the velvet darkness of the night sky. And for some of them, that may actually be sort of true.

As a certain type of dead star cools, it gradually hardens and crystallizes. Astronomers have found one doing just that in our cosmic backyard, a white dwarf composed primarily of carbon and metallic oxygen just 104 light-years away, whose temperature-mass profile suggests that the center of the star is transforming into a dense, hard, 'cosmic diamond' made up of crystallized carbon and oxygen.

The discovery is detailed in a paper accepted into the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and available on preprint website arXiv.

"In this work we present the discovery of a new Sirius-like quadruple system at 32 parsecs distance, composed of a crystallizing white dwarf companion to the previously known triple HD 190412," write an international team of astronomers led by Alexander Venner of the University of Southern Queensland in Australia.

"By virtue of its association with these main sequence companions, this is the first crystallizing white dwarf whose total age can be externally constrained, a fact that we make use of by attempting to empirically measure a cooling delay caused by core crystallization in the white dwarf."

All things in the Universe must change. Every star that hangs in the firmament, shining brightly with the light generated by atomic fusion, will one day run out of fuel for their fires and evolve into something new.

For the vast majority of stars – those below about eight times the mass of the Sun, and including the Sun – that something is a white dwarf star.

When the fuel runs out, the star's outer material is shucked into the surrounding space, and the remaining core, no longer supported by the outward pressure supplied by fusion, will collapse down into an ultradense object, around the size of Earth (or the Moon!), but packing in as much mass as 1.4 Suns.  READ MORE...

Avoids Censorship

 

Cooking Biscuits

 

Species Buries Dead Before Humans 100,000 Year Ago

A reproduction of the skull of a Homo naledi named Leti, found inside the Rising Star Cave System at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site near Maropeng, South Africa.   Wikus de Wet/AFP via Getty Images

An extinct species called Homo naledi buried their dead 100,000 years before humans.

These actions were previously thought to be associated with larger-brained species.

The findings challenge previous assumptions about the progress of human evolution.

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Researchers have found that an extinct human species buried their dead and carved symbols on cave walls 100,000 years before humans, challenging previous assumptions about human evolution.

The species, called Homo naledi, had brains about one-third the size of a modern human's, according to CNN.      

Until now, these behaviors had only been associated with larger-brained species such as Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.

The research is laid out in three studies accepted for publication in the journal eLife, CNN said.       READ MORE...

An Opening Rose

 

Saving Money

When I was lad growing up, I earned money by babysitting, mowing lawns, and selling vegetables that I grew in the back yard.  My parents encouraged this behavior only if I agreed to save half of whatever I earned.  The other half I could spend as I wanted.

I mowed 2-3 lawns a day in the summer of neighbors in our community and earned about $2/lawn after buying gasoline.  That worked out to about $40/week or $20 after half was saved.  That worked out to about $300 that I could spend each summer that I did this.

With my money, I purchased a set of weights, a TV, and a motorbike that I purchased in Italy on our way to Egypt.

All the money that was mine to spend, I kept with me in an envelope, but I do not remember ever being given the money I saved.  It would have been less than $1,000.

The point here is that I was TAUGHT TO SAVE MONEY...

Currently, my wife and I are saving $30,000/year from our retirement incomes that also includes a Trust Fund that will be depleted of money in 5 years or less.  From that point on, we will take money out of savings.  I would not be able to live like I do unless I had saved money.

During my 45 year career, I very seldom ate lunch at a restaurant.  I always brought my lunch.  I never purchased brand new cars, always purchased year old leased cars and saved thousands.  When on vacation, we would eat out once or twice, the rest of the time, we cooked our meals.  I never wasted money on lots of clothes, shoes, jackets, sweaters, or on the latest fashion.

At the age of 40, I stopped spending money on cigarettes and alcohol and by the age of 50, I was DEBT FREE...

I only purchased what I absolutely needed and did not care what the neighbors had and was never motivated by GREED.  I have enjoyed myself and lived an above average lifestyle all my life which for me and my wife, was all we ever wanted or needed.

 

Dazzle

 

Light Years In Length

It turns out those stretched-out hyperspace lines from Star Wars are real. Sort of. According to EurekAlert!, a team of astrophysicists has discovered a bunch of one-dimensional filaments between 5-10 light-years in length chilling in the middle of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

While the long white lines that appear when Han Solo throws the hyperspace lever on the Falcon are actually stars, these new filaments are thought to be some kind of outflow from Sagittarius A—a supermassive black hole that lies at the center of the Milky Way. 

Essentially the filaments are exceptionally long strings of electrons interacting with a magnetic field. These new filaments run horizontally and only appear on one side of Sag A, leading scientists to believe they were birthed from the black hole millions of years ago.

That’s right; these “new” one-dimensional space strings aren’t exactly new. Even if we set aside their age, the existence of gigantic one-dimensional filaments in the Milky Way was discovered back in the early ’80s by astrophysicist Farhad Yusef-Zadeh. 

The filaments Yusef-Zadeh discovered, however, were huge vertical monoliths measuring up to 150 light-years high. It’s the horizontal orientation of the new filaments that make them so interesting.

“I’m used to them being vertical,” Yusef-Zadeh confessed in the new paper released by Northwestern University. “I never considered there might be others along the plane.” 

Yusef-Zadeh went on to explain that studying the Milky Way’s filaments could help scientists learn more about the way Sag A spins and its orientation relative to the rest of the Milky Way.

The old vertical filaments first discovered hanging around the Milky Way in 1984 run perpendicular to the galactic plane. The new horizontal filaments, however, are parallel to the plane and point radially toward the black hole at the center of our galaxy. Another difference between the two types of filaments is how they behave.   READ MORE...

Change the World Robots

 

Time Explained

 

Longevity Diet

As a doctor and food scientist, I’ve spent 20 years studying how our diets can help us beat diseases and live longer.


I’ve always taken a natural food-based approach, and much of my diet is inspired by a unique blend of two of the greatest food cultures in the world: Mediterranean and Asia. I call it the “MediterAsian” diet.


Both the Mediterranean region and Asia have areas known as Blue Zones, where people age better and are overall healthier.

Here are six staples of MediterAsian eating that can help you boost immune health and stay healthy:

1. Fruit
Apples: An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but three apples a day can help reduce body fat. They’re versatile, great for salads, and delicious as a snack or baked in a dessert.

Pears: Pears are an excellent source of dietary fiber (a medium-sized fruit has 6 grams) for gut health.

Pro tip: to find a ripe pear, hold the fruit by its base with one hand, and with the other, pinch the flesh at the bottom of the stem. If the flesh gives slightly, it’s ready to eat.

Grapefruit: Grapefruit flesh contains disease-fighting flavonoids and vitamin C, which is a powerful DNA-protecting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substance.

Avocados: The fats in avocados are healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, which can reduce blood levels of bad LDL cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease.

2. Vegetables
Broccoli: Broccoli is potent in sulforaphane, which protects stem cells, improves gut health and metabolism, and amplifies immune responses.

Soy: Soy is eaten as a bean, made into tofu, fermented, and can even be transformed into wine. It has been associated with lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20% and diabetes by 23%.

Carrots: An ancient root vegetable that originated in Southwest Asia, carrots are a good source of dietary fiber for gut health. A half cup of grated carrot has 2 grams of fiber.

Mushrooms: Mushrooms contain a soluble fiber called beta-D-glucan, which stimulates defenses to grow new blood vessels needed for healing wounds. At the same time, it can prevent harmful blood vessels from feeding cancers.  READ MORE...

Stars

 

Cruising - The IDEAL Vacation

My wife and I like to go on cruises and have been on 10 cruises, including:

1. Mediterranean 
2. Caribbean (6)
3. Bahamas
4. Alaskan
5. Hawaii

We have sailed on:

• Celebrity
• Carnival
• Royal Caribbean
• Norwegian

For some reason we like Royal Caribbean the best.  Our statements have either been with a window or inside and we have done this because not much time is actually spent in the room, and the money saved could be used on excursions.  However, after COVID and passengers, we were told, were kept in their rooms, we know we will never get another inside cabin.

We always bring:

• 2 Power strips with 6 outlets each
• A YETI coffee cup
• A YETI drinking cup
• Clips to hold the towels on the chair
• Medical supplies
• Set up phone texting only on cell phones
• Walkie-Talkies (palm size)
• No dress (Church clothes)
• Extra travel bag for gifts

Hints:

1. Board as early as you can so that you can familiarize yourself with the ship and arrange your eating schedule.
2. If you have afternoon excursions, make sure you eat at the second dinner time not the first.
3. don't bring dress clothes for dress night in dining room as it is not enforced.
4. On sea days, get up early to select your lounge chair but one person must remain seated there...  cannot save chairs on sea days.  Alternate going for meals.
5. We never buy any drink packages.
6. We never buy any wifi packages.
7. Most ports have free wifi connection inside the customs building.
8. Water/Soda beverages are cheaper in ports than on ship and each passenger is allowed to bring back a certain amount of each.
9. If you do your homework or attend the cruise briefings on each port, you can arrange for your own excursions cheaper than booking on the ship.
10. Look into walking tours at each port as they are usually inexpensive.
11. Set a gambling limit and stick to it.
12. If you want to buy something on the ship, buy the last night as the prices are reduced.
13. If you are worried about gaining weight because of all the food, then just eat 3 bites of everything.
14. Take advantage of all FREE areas on the ship

As far as a cost/benefit analysis is concerned, cruising is the best return on your investment, taking everything into consideration.  Any health concerns that you may have, you can always wear a mask.  However, washing your hands, avoiding close contact, and watching what you touch should always be followed.

Perpetual

 

There is no SELF

Western philosophy typically conceptualizes the self as a stable, controlling entity, comparable to a pilot, while Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism argue that the self is an illusion, a byproduct of our thought processes. 

Modern neuroscience provides evidence that aligns with the Eastern view, revealing that the left hemisphere of the brain constantly creates narratives to interpret reality, leading to a mistaken identification with these self-narratives.

This false sense of self, which is often equated with the incessant internal dialogue, contributes significantly to human mental suffering.

The brain-powered individual, which is variously called the self, the ego, the mind, or “me,” lies at the center of Western thought. In the worldview of the West, we herald the greatest thinkers as world-changers. 

There is no more concise example of this than philosopher René Descartes’ famous statement, “Cogito, ergo sum,” or, “I think, therefore I am.” But who is this? Let’s take a closer look at the thinker, or the “me,” we all take for granted.

Western view: The self is a pilot

This “I” is for most of us the first thing that pops into our minds when we think about who we are. The “I” represents the idea of our individual self, the one that sits between the ears and behind the eyes and is “piloting” the body. 

The “pilot” is in charge, it doesn’t change very much, and it feels to us like the thing that brings our thoughts and feelings to life. It observes, makes decisions, and carries out actions — just like the pilot of an airplane.

This I/ego is what we think of as our true selves, and this individual self is the experiencer and the controller of things like thoughts, feelings, and actions. The pilot self feels like it is running the show. It is stable and continuous. 

It is also in control of our physical body; for example, this self understands that it is “my body.” But unlike our physical body, it does not perceive itself as changing, ending (except, perhaps for atheists, in bodily death), or being influenced by anything other than itself.   READ MORE...

Black Hornet Drone