I love numbers—for various reasons. Most germane to this post is that I think that finding numerical patterns makes me feel like I have some control over things, although—to be sure!—such an approach is illusory at best, and misleading, at worst. Nonetheless, finding real or apparent numerical relationships in the Universe is interesting and comforting. So, finding this link that …
Sci-fi? No; reality!
This video/animation of the launch-through-landing of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), aka Curiosity, was initially produced in 2011, long before the successful landing of Curiosity on Mars. Except for the juvenile need to include sounds where no sound could carry (i.e., outside the two planets’ atmosphers), this is exceedingly well done, and worth about five minutes of your time. The …
The Technology Spectrum
I came across two apparently unrelated items today that I managed to relate. The first has to do with what could be a major discovery in the realm of particle physics and its impact on our understanding of the underpinnings of reality: Scientists at CERN have announced that to a greater than 99.9999+ percent level, they have detected the long-sought …
Go With the Flow
A recent report addresses what appears to be a long-observed phenomenon in some circles: That bubbles in stout often sink, rather than rise. No, this is not an effect enhanced by increased consumption of the imbibable under discussion; rather, it is a very real phenomenon, seen even by those who are not inclined to see what is not there. It …
It Must Be Magic
A little item has crossed my desk twice in the past week. As is often the case, it came from two different correspondents, a continent apart. How and why such things spread is worthy of another post, but for now, allow me to point you to this: A little thought and some research that confirmed my hypothesis was very satisfying, …
Spending Time Well
I’ve been using computers since 1968. I taught myself BASIC via a time-share arrangement, using a 110 Baud teletype connected to a computer several hundred miles away. Storage was on paper tape, and execution times were glacial, but I was using a computer! Time wore on. The personal computer age arrived, and I got very familiar with command-line control, first …
Being Prepared
I’d been having a long-term conversation with a friend, largely about his ongoing state of anxiety. He came to realize that he was concerned about not being prepared to deal with things–not when they arose, but before they arose. He’d spend hours, perseverating about things as they are, and projecting an infinitude of possible futures. I tried to get him …
High Expectations, Disappointing Reality. Or is it?
Apple has successfully transformed itself from its origins as a computer manufacturer into a consumer electronics innovator, manufacturer, and marketing whiz-bang machine. Witness the often blocks-long lines that await receipt of newly announced products. It’s gotten to the point that just about anything Apple announces sets off a speculation and purchase frenzy unequaled with most other such products. And so …
A Failure to Think Critically
Several weeks ago, a friend asked me what I thought about the advent of Comet Elenin, a long-period comet discovered in late 2010. What he found noteworthy was that the comet would be closest to Earth (perigee) during the Jewish High Holy Days this year, which occur over a 10-day span, late September into early October. He expressed some concern …