David

November 2008

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Sunday, 2. November 2008, 14:20:37

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Those naughty physicists are banging protons again

Sunday, 30. November 2008, 17:03:44

We have read about the recent screw-up at CERN that damaged the superconducting supercollider to the tune of about $20 million dollars. This sum pays for the repair of a segment of the superconductor ring that confines the proton beams in their mad rush to oblivion. It can be likened to a timing problem on the engine of a nitro-fueled dragster, but in this case, the segment got fried, or perhaps transported off to the twilight zone.

When the main beams get focused so that they actually collide, and the experimenters stomp on the accelerator, there are going to be a lot of shamans, witch doctors, astrologers, and some physicists, nervously fingering their beads as they worry about the formation of a mini-black hole that could swallow the earth.

But their fear is misplaced, and very unimaginative. What I think they should be worrying about is bursting the envelope of our four dimensional space-time universe. Like a pin pricking a balloon.

Let me explain:

All of the current theories in physics regarding the beginning of the universe, such as the ‘Big Bang’ have a common assumption; that at the instant of creation, the temperature was so hot that the only thing that existed was a vapor or ‘steam’ that physicists call a quark-gluon plasma. It behaved as a ‘Perfect Fluid’ in our space-time geometry. Now, a quark-gluon plasma can only exist while the radius of the universe is very small. As the universe expanded, and time began, entropy set in, and the plasma began to cool.

Like the process of water cooling until ice crystals form, the quark-gluon superfluid condensed into the familiar zoo of ‘fundamental’ particles and forces that finally ‘froze’ into the atoms, electricity, magnetism, and so forth that we are familiar with, as described in the so-called ‘Standard Model’ and ‘Unified Field’ theories of physics.

The reason that I tell you all this is so that you can understand a strange event that occurred at Brookhaven National Labs last week. They have a super-collider like the one at CERN, but less powerful. It cannot achieve the ‘temperature’ of proton-proton collisions that the CERN machine can. These machines can be viewed simplistically as a tube that has a rifle welded to either end. The rifles shoot proton bullets down the tube at each other, with the bullets colliding in the center. This collision is monitored with all kinds of sensors and cameras that tell the experimenters what kind of particles and forces the ‘bullet fragments’ were.

In the event, they fired up this thing at Brookhaven, created a quark-gluon plasma, and lo and behold, they detected quarks being formed outside of the super-magnetic ‘bottle’ or in the case of our analogy, the rifle barrel that confined the beams and all of the byproducts of the collision. These quarks sprang up out of nothingness, decayed, and vanished in microseconds.

The problem is, that this outcome was not foreseen, and in fact, is prohibited by that holy-of-holies, the ‘Standard Model’.

In other words, we are now dicking around with the very fabric of the universe, without a clue as to what to expect. No one knows how fragile the interface may be between the ‘Branes’ of the eleven-dimensional ‘super continuum’ and our own bubble of a universe. Maybe that quark-gluon plasma needs only a little more ‘temperature’ (electron volts) in order to be the pin-prick that is the inverse of the big bang.

It is the ‘Big Burst’ that, after 15 billion years, follows the ‘Big Bang’. And the ‘gun’ big enough to do the job is over in Switzerland getting fixed.
Don't Panic

17 comments

Blog Contest

Wednesday, 26. November 2008, 17:34:29

I see I need to set aside this special time to publicly humiliate myself with a post regarding the ongoing blog contest here on Opera. It seems my blog was nominated by a good Opera friend David(thank you very much!), for the category of best blog by a man without the use of ‘Smiling Bob’s’ male enhancement pills.

So, this is a shameless pitch as to why you should consider my ‘Bringing things into focus’ a worthy nominee. First of all, I actually wear flowing white robes and sandals. Unfortunately, I never did get the beard trip down; mine, if left to grow, sprouts out here and there across my face, like moss on the Arctic Tundra.

But, enough about me; let’s talk about you for a minute.

Obviously, you must be highly intelligent and otherwise hot, or you wouldn’t be here in the first place. Secondly, I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to see it my way.

In this blog, I humbly offer the essence of my observations and experiences over a long life of stumbling between history and hope, expectation and reality. I’m not always right, but the subjects I touch upon are worthy of your further exploration in order to develop your own insights. I also give you an open forum in the comments section to hurl curses or otherwise call bullshit on anything I write. It’s a great way to get rid of your hostilities.

Lately, I have had to flog myself to make continuing posts after several years of continuous effort. I felt I had run out of things to rant about---that I had shot off my mouth quite enough. I’m fearful of losing control and needing ‘Depends’ for my brain sometime soon, because I remember reading somewhere that there is nothing worse than a garrulous old man who thinks he finally knows it all, and is happy to tell you all about it (pass the whiskey, please).

So, if you want to see more of my kind of weirdness and treachery, get out there and drum up some support (and votes) in our Opera Community. If you don't, you are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers. If you do, I’ll make it worth your while in Zimbabwe dollars, or in wicked little love notes sent by e-mail in the middle of the night.

ATTACH

37 comments

Prospective socio-economic system for these troubled times

Sunday, 23. November 2008, 17:12:14

I can envision a dramatic change to the world’s economic systems coming soon. I am not talking about the simple problems we are dealing with right now, such as the impending global depression. Rather, my focus is on whether it is possible to continue doing ‘business as usual’ in an era of diminishing resources and a burgeoning population.

Certainly, our environmental issues will limit our ability to simply expand the size and extent of our economies to accommodate growth. In fact, it is becoming apparent that our basic understanding of the drivers of Earth’s climate engine is seriously flawed. Evidence is emerging that climate extremes are triggered by orbital mechanics and solar output on a scale that makes the puny contribution of humans to global warming/cooling seem insignificant. In addition, the Earth’s protective magnetic field is collapsing rapidly as it gets ready to ‘flip’ polarity as it has done many, many, times in the past.

During the null period of the collapsed field, the Earth’s surface will no longer be shielded from harmful high-energy ultraviolet radiation in the solar wind. Who knows what the impact will be on our ecosystems? For sure, it won’t be good.

At some point in time, available resources will diminish to a level that no longer supports economies based on growing consumption. Consumerism will be replaced by rationing, and conspicuous consumption will be viewed as obscene.

At this stage of the game, mankind will be faced with a fundamental choice: Do we institute tight controls on individual behaviors, consumption of resources, and harsh punishment for infractions? Or, do we dramatically reduce our population to a level that allows individual ‘wealth’ and freedom of choice within our agreed-upon ecological boundaries.

It seems obvious to me that the choice is a no-brainer; far better to live a life of abundance on an uncrowded world, than to live a life of privation and hardship while elbowing our way through the masses. One thing is for sure: In our future society every member of the community will have to contribute 100% to the proper functioning of the system. There will be no room for slackers and the infirm. We cannot allow consumption of valuable oxygen and carbohydrates, proteins, and other commodities by bums and ne’r-do-wells. Nor, can we tolerate their pollution.

If we are wise, we will take off our ethnocentric glasses, and take a new look at the various political systems in operation today. Be it socialism, democracy, communism, whatever; each has some strengths that can be used, and weaknesses that can be discarded in order to synthesize a new system that incorporates the best attributes of each.

This new political system will oversee a new economic system where the currency is based on the net value of human labor within a zero-population growth society. The unit of exchange would be the ‘Credit’. This form of money would be very stable, and not subject to inflation, deflation, or manipulation.

The political system, recognizing that any society is composed of individuals, will celebrate and cherish the individual as much as possible within the constraints imposed by the system. As sloth and ignorance will not be tolerated, neither will poverty, hopelessness, and despair.

The foregoing does not mean that the society need be highly regimented. On the contrary, free time and the ability to take advantage of it in a pleasurable way will be sought after and publically encouraged, as will be freedom of expression. In healthy societies, the arts and sciences flourish, and this will be one measure of the success of our endeavor to evolve human society to keep pace with our understanding of the universe and our rapid technological progress.

We need an arbitrator on this one

5 comments

Logical Fallacies

Saturday, 15. November 2008, 14:26:44

I started down the long and difficult road to reality at an early age, and at first opportunity, commenced to call ‘BULLSHIT!” on just about everything around me. It was a sort of knee-jerk reaction to the incredible tide of foul verbal excrement that swept around my body in the course of daily living.

Surrounded by liars and monsters, I fought off panic attacks and sweaty paranoia around every corner. Little by little, a little later, I learned to be less fearful as I fine-tuned the bullshit goggles I was developing. It seems to be a life-long enterprise, those goggles.

Well, I’m pleased to report that The New England Skeptics’ Society has laid it all out for you, dear reader. No more need for Gurus’ and other intermediaries between you and the cosmic unknown. No more need to read Herman Hess or Ravo’s rants about critical thinking. Find it all at:
Logical Fallicies

Now, I’m telling you that if you apply these principles of inquiry in your daily lives as though they had been handed to you from a burning bush on some mountainside, you will live long and prosper.

And, while we’re on the subject of avoiding slick patches in the road, here is a graphic that I thought might be of interest to those folks who have moved their savings to the ‘safety’ of municipal and state bonds. It was prepared by Paul Kedrosky as a part of an article he had written for ‘Seeking Alpha’. It is a ‘heat map’ of U.S. states compared by current deficits as a percentage of FY 2009 general revenue. California, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida are in the top five (as is Rhode Island, surprisingly), but 41 states now face rapidly growing shortfalls.

Fortunately, my home state of Utah has a constitution that does not allow deficit spending by state and local governments. Therefore, we will avoid the long line of governors with tin cups in hand, snaking down the steps of Congress. Nonetheless, your so-called safe investments may need a careful review at this point in time.

5 comments

A Martian's view of world economic systems

Thursday, 6. November 2008, 15:00:07

What with the whole world's economic systems on the verge of meltdown, I thought it might be useful to provide a perspective from a distant and unrelated observer, especially since the recent elections held in the United States.

So, consider this view of the world's economic systems:

DEMOCRATIC
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. Barbara Streisand sings for you.

REPUBLICAN
You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?

SOCIALIST
You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST
You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows. Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.

AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.

FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good.

JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school.

GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You engineer them so they are all blonde, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

TALIBAN CORPORATION
You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature' s private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.

IRAQI CORPORATION
You have two cows. They go into hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing.

POLISH CORPORATION
You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

BELGIAN CORPORATION
You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy.

FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out of state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.

CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
You have millions of cows. They make real California cheese. Only five speak English. Most are illegals. Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

I hope this has made it all clear to you, dear reader. Now, for a final graphic, I submit that any human civilization with an expanding population is simply a Ponzi scheme. Here is your universe of opportunity, and your chances of reaching the top:

12 comments

New rules for the non-military

Tuesday, 4. November 2008, 02:15:24

A friend who recently retired from the US Air Force sent me an e-mail explaining the new rules for civilians in the United States. I thought I had better share it with my readers so that I don’t get my ass kicked!

Rules for the Non-Military:

Dear Civilians,

'We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation has many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military. For those of you who can't join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas where we would like your assistance:

1. The next time you see any adults talking (or wearing a hat) during the playing of the National Anthem - kick their ass.

2. When you witness, firsthand, someone burning the American Flag in protest - kick their ass.

3. Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans. If you see anyone doing otherwise, quietly pull them aside and explain how these veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second. Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation great. Then hold them down while a disabled veteran kicks their ass.

4. (GUYS) If you were never in the military, DO NOT pretend that you were. Wearing battle dress uniforms (BDUs) or Jungle Fatigues, telling others that you used to be 'Special Forces,' and collecting GI Joe memorabilia, might have been okay when you were seven years old. Now, it will only make you look stupid and get your ass kicked.

5. Next time you come across an Air Force member, do not ask them, ' Do you fly a jet?' Not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot. Such ignorance deserves an ass-kicking (children are exempt).

6. If you witness someone calling the US Coast Guard 'non-military', inform them of their mistake -and kick their ass.

7. Next time Old Glory (the US flag) prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart. Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her - of course, failure to do either of those could earn you a severe ass-kicking.

8. Don't try to discuss politics with a military member or a veteran. We are Americans, and we all bleed the same, regardless of our party affiliation. Our Chain of Command is to include our Commander-In-Chief (CINC). The President (for those who didn't know) is our CINC regardless of political party. We have no inside track on what happens inside those big important buildings where all those representatives meet. All we know is that when those civilian representatives screw up the situation, they call upon the military to go straighten it out. If you keep asking us the same stupid questions repeatedly, you will get your ass kicked!

9.'Your mama wears combat boots' never made sense to us - stop saying it! If she did, she would most likely be a vet and therefore could kick your ass!

10. Bin Laden and the Taliban are not Communists, and several nations that we now have cordial trade relationships with have Communist governments. So, stop saying 'Let's go kill those Commies!' And, stop asking us where he is! Crystal balls are not standard issue in the military. Brass balls are the norm.

11. 'Flyboy' (Air Force), 'Jarhead' (Marines), 'Grunt' (Army), 'Squid' (Navy), 'Puddle Jumpers' (Coast Guard), etc., are terms of endearment we use describing each other. Unless you are a service member or vet, you have not earned the right to use them. Using them could get your ass kicked.

12. Last, but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen far from home wishing they could be with their families. Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our country would get it's ass kicked.

Let's hope the new President doesn't make further budget cuts!

9 comments

The Lucky Generation

Saturday, 1. November 2008, 14:16:27

At last! Someone has finally put a label on people of my age—born between 1938 and 1945. It seems we are considered the ‘Lucky Generation’ by the ‘Baby Boomers’, ‘Generation X’, ‘Generation Y’, and so forth.

I’m not sure what is supposed to have made us lucky. Some point to growing up in the untroubled ‘50s, in families that had both a mother and father, no street gangs, no terrorists, no drug culture to contend with, and the ability to enjoy clean air, clean water, uncontaminated food, and all without the mind control exercised by television and other forms of media.

Well, I’m here to tell you that it ain’t necessarily so.

We had the Korean War, the A-bomb paranoia, and extreme competition in our schools to obtain meaningful grades in a system that actually scrutinized accomplishment and shined a spotlight on stupidity and sloth. We had mostly silent and respectful citizens that would kill you if you looked at them funny, and could form a lynch mob in a heartbeat. And, so on…..

As someone once said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Finding clarity in this pivotal moment in history is extremely difficult, and the choices we make now will effect generations yet to come. In keeping with the theme of this blog (bringing things into focus), I wanted to make you aware of one of the most important pieces of writing I have come across in many years. This article is focused on the ‘Baby Boomers’, but it has much more than that to inform us. It clearly spells out why we are in the mess we are in today. Please take the time to read it. It could change your life.

The Shallowest Generation

After you read it, you can see that the results of the upcoming presidential election will not matter one whit, and little or nothing in the way of meaningful change will result. The changes that ARE to come will be harsh, and we are helpless to take any proactive steps, as a society, to avoid them. The best that can happen is that we will learn some very painful lessons.

15 comments