Friday, June 24
Thursday, June 23
Earth's Inner Core Oscillates
Scientists identify a six-year cycle of super- and sub-rotation that affected the length of a day based on their analysis of seismic data.
Earth’s structure is divided into layers, with the inner core at the center followed by the outer core, lower mantle, upper mantle, crust, and atmosphere. The inner core is the hottest part of the planet at about 10,000 °F (5400 °C), which is similar to the temperature of the surface of the sun!
Believed to consist mostly of an iron-nickel alloy, the inner core is mainly a solid ball with a radius of about 760 miles (1,220 km). It rotates slightly faster than the planet as a whole, which is called super-rotation.
University of Southern California (USC) scientists have found evidence that the Earth’s inner core oscillates, contradicting previously accepted models that suggested it consistently rotates at a faster rate than the planet’s surface.
Their study, published today (June 10, 2022) in the journal Science Advances, shows that the inner core changed direction in the six-year period from 1969-74, according to the analysis of seismic data. The scientists say their model of inner core movement also explains the variation in the length of a day, which has been shown to oscillate persistently for the past several decades. READ MORE...
COVID Prepared Us For Inflation
In 2015, my wife and I decided to retire at the same time; she was 62 and I was 67. I got full benefits and she received partial benefits.
From 2015-2019 (5 years), we traveled as if our lives depended upon it. Aside from the standard staying at Myrtle Beach, SC twice each year, we went on Caribbean Cruises, a Mediterranean Cruise, an Hawaiian Island Cruise, an Alaskan Cruise, Visited Las Vegas 3 times, flew to London, Paris, Rome, visited Switzerland by train, and also vacationed several times along the Gulf Coast, as well as on the Eastern side and Western side of Florida. All total, we had 12 Cruises, 3 trips to Hawaii, 3 trips to Europe, 3 trips to the Gulf Coast, 6 trips to Florida, and 10 vacations at Myrtle Beach.
37 Vacations in 60 months.
Our last vacation outside the USA gave us nightmares in the Paris airport as well as the NYC International upon our return. On the flight from NYC back to Knoxville, we decided that we had enough of traveling and would simply go to Myrtle Beach unless something special surfaced.
As we are all aware, COVID hit the USA like no one expected, and from 2020-2021, not only did we not go on vacation but we did not leave the house unless we had a doctor's appointment.
So, for 2 years, we learned to entertain ourselves at home. We started venturing out more in 2022 and have a vacation at Myrtle Beach planned for September.
NOW, we have record inflation that keeps increasing. Record gasoline prices that keep increasing. And, record food prices that keep increasing not to mention blank shelves due to supply chain issues.
So, my wife and I are again putting into action all the things that we did during COVID... like:
- buy in bulk as often as you can (check spoilage)
- buy only what you need not what you want
- stop going out for meals
- on the day you are going to be out, plan several visits to pick up things you need
- cook meals that you can freeze
- Dried beans are cheaper than canned beans
- drive the speed limit
- don't take off fast from stop light/stop sign
Unfinished da Vinci Work
When the Italian polymath and Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci swore allegiance to the French king in 1516 and accepted François I’s invitation to make his home in France, he brought with him three of his most famous works. Saint John the Baptist, the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and his most celebrated painting, Mona Lisa – all now hang in the Louvre in Paris.
Some Leonardo experts, however, suggest he may have arrived in France with another painting – one that remained unfinished – a work that he returned to and improved but never completed, despite keeping it near him for more than 30 years.
The mysterious Saint Jerome in the Wilderness, which Leonardo started some time in the 1480s, rarely leaves its permanent home in the Vatican Museums. Today, however, as the result of an exceptional loan agreement it is on display at the manor house at Clos Luc̩ Рnear the former royal ch̢teau at Amboise on the Loire in western France Рwhere Leonardo lived for just over two years until his death in 1519.
“Five hundred years after Leonardo da Vinci’s death, we will have the painting here for 100 days,” François Saint Bris, whose family owns the Clos Lucé, told the Observer.
“It’s extremely moving for us to have this work loaned to us. This is a singular canvas, a work in progress that comes more alive the more we look at it. In it we see the workings of Da Vinci’s brain, his techniques, his intelligence, his drawing. We hope visitors will come here to contemplate it.”
Fewer than 20 paintings by Leonardo are thought to have survived until now. Saint Jerome in the Wilderness is not the best nor, indeed, the brightest: the gloomy and largely colourless painting depicts the gaunt and penitent fourth-century saint – considered the father of the Christian church – beating his chest with a stone. At the bottom of the canvas the outline of the lion from whose paw Jerome has famously extracted a thorn lies sketched uncharacteristically ferocious, a change from its usual docile representation. READ MORE...
Snake Like Galaxy
The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have imaged a snake-like galaxy. Scientists named the galaxy NGC 1087, and it is swirling through space almost 80,000 light-years from our planet.
ALMA’s image of this snake-like galaxy is breathtaking
The snake-like galaxy spans over 86,800 light-years across. It can be found within the constellation Cetus. This particular part of the sky is home to several other water-themed constellations, too, such as Pisces and Aquarius. It isn’t the largest galaxy we have discovered but, it’s still impressive.
They created the main image by combining multiple images from ALMA and the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer on the ESO’s VLT. This allowed the ESO to create an image that showcases the full galaxy, along with the cold clouds of star-spawning gas that surrounds it. Additionally, the areas tinted with blue represent older stars that are more mature.
Scientists captured the shots as part of a conjunctive project called the Physics at High Angular Resolutions in Nearby Galaxies Survey, or PHANGS. The team assigned scientists to help deliver a catalog of high-resolution observations of nearby galaxies while using telescopes that target a wide range of different wavelengths. This snake-like galaxy is just one that the team has seen.
And ALMA is perfect for capturing images of galaxies like this because of how high up it is. The observatory is located at an altitude of 5,000 meters (16,500 feet) in Chile. As such, it has an excellent vantage point for the 66 radio telescopes the observatory is equipped with. READ MORE...
Wednesday, June 22
Language Helps Us Think
(Image credit: Digital Art via Getty Images)
Humans have been expressing thoughts with language for tens (or perhaps hundreds) of thousands of years. It's a hallmark of our species — so much so that scientists once speculated that the capacity for language was the key difference between us and other animals. And we've been wondering about each other's thoughts for as long as we could talk about them."The 'penny for your thoughts' kind of question is, I think, as old as humanity," Russell Hurlburt, a research psychologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who studies how people formulate thoughts, told Live Science. But how do scientists study the relationship between thought and language? And is it possible to think without words?
The answer, surprisingly, is yes, several decades of research has found. Hurlburt’s studies, for instance, have shown that some people do not have an inner monologue — meaning they don't talk to themselves in their heads, Live Science previously reported. And other research shows that people don't use the language regions of their brain when working on wordless logic problems. READ MORE...
Returning to Normal (somewhat)
Aside from the pain almost disappearing in my lower back, except when I adjust my position or walk... which I believe is a result of the 12-15 inch incision I have on my lower back and not the trauma of the surgery itself on my bones.
Also odd is the fact that I can sleep on my back in relative comfort which one would think would not be so easy to do still this close the surgery but more importantly because of the incision itself. My wife had hip replacement surgery and her scar was as long as mine and she could not sleep on the side of the scar until 6 months later and then not very long when she did.
Milestones yet to achieve:
Milestone 1 - two week appointment with surgeon after surgery which is almost going to be 3 weeks.
Milestone 2 - either a 4-6 week appointment with surgeon to release me to drive an automobile... I would suspect a lot of that depends on the results of my 2/3 week appointment.
MIlestone 3 - a 3 month appointment with my surgeon to determine if physical therapy can begin...
After Milestone 3, I don't believe I see my surgeon again unless there is a problem.
Milestone 4 - this is not really an appointment but after 6 months, I should actually feel I am back to normal or should begin to be feeling I am back to normal... with normal being about 95% or better. I suppose either my therapist or I determine that. If I don't feel 95%, then the normal part may take 12-18 months and sometimes 24 months.
CAVEAT: my surgeon tells me that there is a small possibility that this fusion surgery will not help me at all or very little, although he doesn't think that will happen... For that diagnosis, I will have to wait 3 months probably.
Meanwhile, after my first appointment with my surgeon, I will be having dental surgery, meeting with my Onocolist and treatment (Opdivo and IVIG), and a CT scan the following month... not because I stopped treatment for 3 weeks, but in the normal treatment cycle, it is time for me to have a CT, mainly because of my Melanoma.
A week after that, I will be fitted for a hearing air that I will wear for 30 days, to see if my hearing improves. Hearing aids are not covered by my insurance, so if I decide I need them, then that expense will be $3,000 and probably a little more.
Growing older physically is no fun but after 14 years, I am kinda getting used to the impact it has had on my physical activities... it is just something that all of us will go through, some journeys will be easier than others.
China Conducts Anti-Ballistic Test
China successfully conducted a mid-range anti-ballistic missile test late Sunday, its defense ministry said.
The land-based test “achieved its expected objectives” and was defensive in nature and not targeted at any one country, according to the statement.
The country conducted a similar test in February 2021 and brings the tally of publicly announced Chinese land-based anti-ballistic missile technical tests to six, state media Global Times reported.
The test could add to tensions in an already volatile region, where Beijing and Washington are vying for influence. Neighboring North Korea has also ramped up its missile tests in recent months, prompting South Korea and the US to respond to its provocations.
Far Right Shock Waves in France
PARIS, June 19 (Reuters) - France's far-right scored a historic success in legislative elections on Sunday increasing its number of lawmakers almost tenfold and cementing the party's rise from fringe status to the mainstream opposition.
Since taking the helm of the party in 2011, leader Marine Le Pen has sought to rid the National Front - now called the National Rally (RN) - of the anti-Semitic image it acquired under the nearly 40-year leadership of her father, ex-paratrooper Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Securing 42% in April's presidential election, Le Pen had already tapped into the general disenchantment with President Emmanuel Macron and identifying anger across the country over the rising cost of living and the decline of many rural communities.
On Sunday, she took that one step further. According to estimates, Le Pen's party will win between 85-90 seats, up from just two in 2012 and eight in 2017, which could make it the second-largest party in parliament. Major pollsters last week estimated just 25-50 seats. READ MORE...
Tuesday, June 21
Belief in God Drops
The percentage of Americans who say they believe in God has dipped to the lowest number in the past nearly 80 years, according to a new Gallup poll published Friday.
The Values and Belief poll, conducted from May 2 to 22, showed 81% of people answered that they believe in God. That is down six percentage points from the 87% of respondents who said they believed in God in the 2017 poll. This year is the lowest percentage in Gallup’s trend since the public opinion polling company first asked the question in 1944.
This year’s poll found 17% of Americans said they do not believe in God.
When asking the question first in 1944, again in 1947, and twice each in the 1950s and 1960s, a consistent 98% of respondents said they believed in God. When Gallup asked the question nearly five decades later, in 2011, 92% of Americans said they believed in God.
A subsequent survey in 2013 found belief in God dipping below 90% to 87%, roughly where it stood in three subsequent updates between 2014 and 2017 before this year's drop to 81%.
The poll found that the belief in God has plummeted the most in recent years among young adults and people on the left of the political spectrum, namely liberals and Democrats. READ MORE...
Ending Racial Disparities
“We need to know so people can heal from it and never let it happen again,” said Lee, whose 2 1/2-mile (4-kilometer) walk through Fort Worth symbolizes the 2 1/2 years it took after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in the Southern states for the enslaved people in Texas to be freed.
A year after President Joe Biden signed legislation making June 19 the nation’s 12th federal holiday, people across the U.S. gathered at events filled with music, food and fireworks. Celebrations also included an emphasis on learning about history and addressing racial disparities. Many Black people celebrated the
day just as they did before any formal recognition.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to order freedom for the enslaved people of the state — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered in the Civil War.
“Great nations don’t ignore their most painful moments,” Biden said in a statement Sunday. “They confront them to grow stronger. And that is what this great nation must continue to do.”
A Gallup Poll found that Americans are more familiar with Juneteenth than they were last year, with 59% saying they knew “a lot” or “some” about the holiday compared with 37% a year ago in May. The poll also found that support for making Juneteenth part of school history lessons increased from 49% to 63%. READ MORE...
Ancient Black Death Mystery
Researchers believe they may have found ground zero for the deadliest plague in human history, the Black Death — pulling the veil off a mystery that has been shrouded for nearly 700 years.
A paper published in Nature on Wednesday details how a team of archaeologists and geneticists sequenced the genome of plague bacteria found in medieval corpses that predate the first plague outbreaks in Eurasia. The make-up of this ancient bacterial DNA has led researchers to believe it was the origin for almost all subsequent strains of bubonic plague.
Samples of this original Yersinia pestis bacteria, the pathogen that causes bubonic plague, were found in northern Kyrgyzstan, in villages that were along the old Silk Road trade route in Central Asia.
The study began several years ago when Philip Slavin, an economic and environmental historian for the University of Stirling, came across records that a pair of 14th-century cemeteries had a significant amount of tombstones dated from 1338 to 1339. Ten of these tombstones explicitly referenced pestilence.
This was unusual because, prior to this study, the earliest deaths associated with the plague were in 1346 in the Crimean Peninsula.
“When you have one or two years with excess mortality, it means something funny is going on there,” Slavin said at a news conference. READ MORE...
Monday, June 20
Mother Ship of Drones
An aerial view of Whitsun Reef, Spratly Islands, South China Sea imaged 24 March 2021.
Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2021)
China has launched the world's first crewless drone carrier that uses artificial intelligence to navigate autonomously in open water.
Beijing has officially described it as a maritime research tool, but some experts have said the ship has the potential to be used as a military vessel.
The autonomous ship, the Zhu Hai Yun (pictured here) is around 290 feet long, 45 feet wide, and 20 feet deep and can carry dozens of air, sea, and submersible drones equipped with different observation instruments, according to the shipbuilder, CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipping Co.
It describes the vessel as "epoch making" and the "world's first intelligent unmanned system mother ship." READ MORE...
A Little Mishap
That ignoring worked to my disadvantage as when I turned the damn irobot was right behind me and after my first step, I immediately fell. My arms instinctively reached out and hit the top of our free-standing island, slowing me down enough to land on my knees and not bounce off the island and onto the floor quite possibly landing on my back or side.
I stayed in that position for a couple of minutes waiting for the onset of additional pain but none arrived, so I pulled myself up and called out to my wife as I headed back to the bedroom to lay flat on my back on our bed. My wife entered the room and checked me out as I explained to her what had happened. She found nothing.
But, as the day gradually unwound, my lower back began aching more and more so I spent more than normal today laying on my back on the bed.
I don't think I damaged the surgery but I do think my already beat-up back muscles went into action as soon as they realized I was falling... it will take a couple of days perhaps to get them calmed back down.
Lesson Learned: pay attention to everything in your house or in your environment, even if you don't think there are any hazards around... because they are there and they will reach up and bite you in the ass like they did me. Don't take anything for granted and make sure you are aware of sound and anything around whenever you decide to move or change locations.
Inevitable Growth
Since the birth of the USA, about 250 years have passed by to get us to where we are in 2022... Since a generation spans about 20-30 years (25 on average), those 250 years have given us 10 generations... 10 generations is a lot of time, for instance:
- My family
- My Parents
- My Grandparents
- MY Great Grandparents is still only 4 generations and I have no memory of my Great Grandparents because I never met them... and, about the only memory of my grandparents were when I was a young child up through my first marriage that my grandfather attended. Shortly thereafter he died... I was 21 years old.
So, this should impress upon you the the absolute length of 250 years.
1772/1776
- Underwater warfare - submarine - the Turtle
- Chronometer - accurate time
- Underwater exploration with scuba
- Indoor Plumbing
- The Kitchen Stove
- Electricity
- Mechanical Motion
- Steam Engines
- Multi-tasking - revolving bookstand
- The Spinning Mule
- The Cotton Gin
- Bubbles in Water (Soda)
EARLY 1900s
there were 600,000 telephones in American homes across the USA
by 1905 - 2.2 million telephones
by 1910 - 5.8 million telephones
by 1915 - first transcontinental cable laid connecting telephone service from USA to Great Britain.
by 1973 - first mobile phone released to the public
First Computer
1830s - Charles Babbage invented the first digital computer
1951 - first keyboard invented to access computer
1974 - the first personal computer
What do we have in 2022?
You name it, we have it...
- smart phones
- smart vehicles
- smart homes
- wristband computer phones (iwatch)
- electric vehicles
- surgeon robots
- artificial intelligence
- online classes
- virtual learning head devices
- students can perform virtual surgeries
- space flight
- reusable spacecraft (returning to base, landing upright
By 2025...
38.6 billion smart devices will be collecting, analyzing, and sharing data.
The web hosting services market is to reach $77.8 billion
70% of all tech spending is expected to go for cloud solutions.
There are 1.35 million tech startups.
Global AI market is expected to reach $89.8 billion.
There are 4,383 million internet users.
Solar energy adoption has grown by around 50%.
The web hosting services market is to reach $77.8 billion
70% of all tech spending is expected to go for cloud solutions.
There are 1.35 million tech startups.
Global AI market is expected to reach $89.8 billion.
There are 4,383 million internet users.
Solar energy adoption has grown by around 50%.
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