BLOGS

Antiferromagnetically ordered particles are represented by red and blue spheres in this artist’s impression. The particles are in an array of optical traps. Credit: Chen Lei

Topics: Applied Physics, Computer Science, Quantum Computer, Quantum Mechanics

Experiments on the Fermi–Hubbard model can now be made much larger, more uniform, and more quantitative.

A universal quantum computer—capable of crunching the numbers of any complex problem posed to it—is still a work in progress. But for specific problems in quantum physics, there’s a more direct approach to quantum simulation: Design a system that captures the physics you want to study, and then watch what it does. One of the systems most widely studied that way is the Fermi–Hubbard model (FHM), in which spin-up and spin-down fermions can hop among discrete sites in a lattice. Originally conceived as a stripped-down description of electrons in a solid, the FHM has attracted attention for its possible connection to the mysterious physics of high-temperature superconductivity.

Stripped down, though it may be, the FHM defies solution, either analytical or numerical, except in the simplest cases, so researchers have taken to studying it experimentally. In 2017, Harvard University’s Markus Greiner and colleagues made a splash when they observed antiferromagnetic order—a checkerboard pattern of up and down spins—in their FHM experiment consisting of fermionic atoms in a 2D lattice of 80 optical traps. (See Physics Today, August 2017, page 17.) The high-temperature-superconductor phase diagram has an antiferromagnetic phase near the superconducting one, so the achievement promised more exciting results to come. But the small size of the experiment limited the observations the researchers could make.

A 10 000-fold leap for a quintessential quantum simulator, Johanna L. Miller, Physics Today.

Power with a twist: Twisted ropes made from single-walled carbon nanotubes could store enough energy to power sensors within the human body while avoiding the chemical hazards associated with batteries. (Courtesy: Shigenori UTSUMI)

Topics: Applied Physics, Battery, Carbon Nanotubes, Chemistry, Materials Science, Nanoengineering

Mechanical watches and clockwork toys might seem like relics of a bygone age, but scientists in the US and Japan are bringing this old-fashioned form of energy storage into the modern era. By making single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) into ropes and twisting them like the string on an overworked yo-yo, Katsumi Kaneko, Sanjeev Kumar Ujjain , and colleagues showed that they can store twice as much energy per unit mass as the best commercial lithium-ion batteries. The nanotube ropes are also stable at a wide range of temperatures, and the team says they could be safer than batteries for powering devices such as medical sensors.

SWCNTs are made from sheets of pure carbon just one atom thick that have been rolled into a straw-like tube. They are impressively tough – five times stiffer and 100 times stronger than steel – and earlier theoretical studies by team member David Tománek and others suggested that twisting them could be a viable means of storing large amounts of energy in a compact, lightweight system.

Twisted carbon nanotubes store more energy than lithium-ion batteries, Margaret Harris, Physics World.

 Video Source: Quanta Magazine

Topics: Astrophysics, High Energy Physics, Particle Physics

Each week, Quanta Magazine explains one of the most important ideas driving modern research. This week, physics staff writer Charlie Wood explains why many researchers are looking to outer space for signs of “new physics.”

Fundamental physics has a problem. Some researchers say the field faces a “nightmare scenario.” Some say it’s “in crisis.” To others, it’s merely “stuck.” Whatever word they use, most particle physicists acknowledge that progress has slowed. After a rip-roaring 20th century that saw the discovery of general relativity, quantum theory, and a dozen or so fundamental particles, the first quarter of the 21st century has mainly brought further confirmation of those theories.

Physicists know their hard-won understanding of nature’s laws is incomplete. They don’t know why certain particles have mass, what sort of invisible stuff seems to be holding galaxies together, or what sort of energy is driving the universe’s expansion. But their biggest blind spot is one of scale. Physicists have equations that predict how molecules zig and zag, how atoms split, and how the heart of the atom holds together. They can continue zooming into the sub-sub-subatomic world for quite a while, but eventually — for any event playing out on a stage roughly 10⁻³⁵ meters across — they run out of equations. The universe seems to have rules that tell it what to do in those situations (it follows them during black hole formation, for instance), but physicists are ignorant of these instructions.

Particle physicists have pushed their frontier of ignorance back to this minuscule realm by repeatedly crashing particles closer and closer together, watching what happens, and developing the mathematics to capture the strange and surprising behaviors they witness. This strategy has culminated in Europe’s Large Hadron Collider, a 27-kilometer ring that can summon the energies needed to collide protons and study nature at 10⁻¹⁹ meters. The international physics community aims to build a next-generation collider — perhaps with a 100-kilometer circumference — this century. But the money, time and technology required to go much further boggles the mind. Numerous clever non-collider experiments are searching for subtle deviations from predictions and could lead to a major discovery any day, but researchers are ultimately facing similar problems as their experiments grow more and more intricate. Particle physicists are approaching a technological and financial wall as they attempt to probe ever deeper layers of reality.

One of the most promising avenues for new discoveries is the detection of ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves. Researchers have now racked up dozens of chirps originating from cataclysmic crashes between black holes, and they are rapidly developing ways of picking up cosmic clangs indicative of even more dramatic events. Particle physicists are anxiously awaiting the 2030s, when they hope to see a trio of satellites known as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) go into operation. If it flies, LISA will be capable of picking up gravitational waves generated during the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang, an intense era in cosmic history at the frontier of the known laws of physics. In those early moments, some physicists expect, the universe existed in multiple phases at once — like a pot of boiling water. If so, the bubbling would have set off space-time ripples that LISA will be listening for.

Why the Next Physics Revolution Might Come From Above, Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine

Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Climate Change, Economics, Environment, Existentialism, Fascism

Tech bros (n): someone, usually a man, who works in the digital technology industry, especially in the United States, and is sometimes thought to not have good social skills and to be too confident about their own ability. Source: Cambridge Dictionary

“The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity,” Carlo M. Cipollo, UC Berkley, Economist, Historian

5 basic laws:

1. Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation. (E.g., Nazi Germany)
2. The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristics of that person. (E.g., economics, education level, skillset)
3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses. (E.g., authoritarian governments who destroy their countries, financial meltdowns, etc.)
4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular, non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places and under any circumstances, to deal with and (or) to associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake. (E.g., downplaying their impact, giving them the benefit of the doubt)
5. A stupid person is more dangerous than a pillager. (E.g., Bandits act typically in self-interest. Stupid people don’t consider collateral damage, even to themselves.)

Call it "Dunning-Kruger" on steroids. The lead description on Amazon is ominous:

An economist explains five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the world

Throughout history, a powerful force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness. It is more powerful than the Mafia or the military. It has global catastrophic effects and can be found anywhere from the world's most powerful boardrooms to your local bar.

It is human stupidity.

I apply stupidity not to intelligence but to behavior that, once achieving arguable success in an area of life, empowers said person to feel they have a right, and in their mind, a duty, to pontificate on other areas of life that they have no experience in, or clue.

 In 1862, a famous Irish physicist and mathematician, Lord Kelvin, estimated that Earth was between 20-million and 400-million years old. While that is an enormous span of time, even an age of 400 million years would make the planet quite young in relation to the rest of the universe. Lord Kelvin based his conclusion on a calculation of how long it would have taken Earth to cool if it had begun as a molten mass. While his estimate was wrong by a significant margin, his technique of drawing conclusions based on observations and calculations was an accurate scientific method. How Did Scientists Calculate the Age of Earth? NatGeo Education

Suffice it to say, Lord Kelvin, for whom the Kelvin scale in Thermodynamics is named for reflecting a "complete absence of thermal energy," was WAY out over his skis!

Lord Kelvin, God bless him, exhibited the logical fallacy called "appeal to authority." He appealed to the fact that he was a superstar in thermodynamics (KNIGHTED, for crying out loud), so he had to be right! The geologists, ahem, the people who study the structure and composition of the Earth, in his mindIn his mind, the geologists, ahem, the people who study the structure and composition of the Earth, were wrong.

So, the "bros" (and most of them are male), have the unfortunate habit of assuming after they conquered the hill in Silicon Valley and became "new money" millionaires and billionaires, they have a right and an obligation to pontificate on matters in society they have no experience in, or clue. The bros might spread misinformation online on a platform they bought that arguably fails to attract other customers and might sue those who have left. They might use their leverage to turn over precedents in our nation's highest court. They are Einstein in their areas of expertise, but Fredo in all others. They are over their skis. They read the Cliff Notes to Atlas Shrugged, and forgot that Ayn Rand ended up on the collectivist scheme she railed against in her latter years: Social Security. For the bros, the government is daddy bailing them out of a jam of their creation usually, and everyone else isn't "special" or daddy's favorite: they are. And they want what they want, damn the economy, the environment, and the planet—he who dies last with the gold wins.

The "bros" should study earnestly the real and fictional outcomes of Boesky and Gekko.

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 "Gray Matter" (2023) HBOMAX MOVIE

"Gray Matter" is a captivating sci-fi thriller that deserves a spot on any Afrofuturism playlist. Directed by first-time filmmaker Meko Winbush, the film presents a refreshing take on the superhuman genre, exploring themes of power, family, and morality through a uniquely Black lens.

The story follows Aurora, a young woman with extraordinary psionic abilities, as she navigates the complex relationship with her mother, Ayla, and uncovers the truth about their seemingly dangerous gifts. Mia Isaac and Jessica Frances Dukes deliver standout performances, imbuing their characters with depth and nuance.

What sets "Gray Matter" apart is its thoughtful exploration of the ethical implications of wielding extraordinary power. The film delves into philosophical questions about the nature of right and wrong, challenging the audience to consider the responsibility that comes with such abilities. This thematic depth, coupled with the film's stylish visual flourishes and tense narrative, make it a must-see addition to any Afrofuturism collection.

Winbush's assured directorial debut showcases her talent for crafting compelling characters and crafting a world that is both grounded and fantastical. "Gray Matter" is a thought-provoking and entertaining addition to the Afrofuturism genre, cementing its place as a standout entry in the ever-expanding canon of Black speculative fiction.

AP Photo/Andres Kudacki

Topics: Applied Physics, Diversity in Science, Physics, Physiology

"B-boys and B-girls wield physics to pull off gravity-defying dance moves."

Okay, "gravity-defying" is a bit of hyperbole. Break dancing, as the article alludes, started in New York, and the movements can be found in martial arts like Brazilian Capoeira. It's more centrifugal force and torque, but I get that "gravity-defying" will get more clicks. I wish it didn't and the science behind it got more attention.

Two athletes square off for an intense dance battle. The DJ starts spinning tunes, and the athletes begin twisting, spinning and seemingly defying gravity, respectfully watching each other and taking turns showing off their skill.

The athletes converse through their movements, speaking through a dance that celebrates both athleticism and creativity. While the athletes probably aren’t consciously thinking about the physics behind their movements, these complex and mesmerizing dances demonstrate a variety of different scientific principles.

Breaking, also known as breakdancing, originated in the late 1970s in the New York City borough of the Bronx. Debuting as an Olympic sport in the 2024 Summer Olympics, breaking will showcase its dynamic moves on a global stage. This urban dance style combines hip-hop culture, acrobatic moves and expressive footwork.

Physics In Action: Paris 2024 Olympics To Debut High-Level Breakdancing, Amy Pope, Clemson University

Scientists have found elevated mercury levels in dolphins throughout the Southeast since 2007. Sources: Bryan, Damseaux, Griffin, Stavros, Woshner. Credit: N. Hanacek/NIST

Topics: Biology, Chemistry, Civilization, Environment

In a study with potential implications for the oceans and human health, scientists reported elevated mercury levels in dolphins in the U.S. Southeast, with the greatest levels found in dolphins in Florida’s St. Joseph and Choctawhatchee Bays.

Dolphins are considered a “sentinel species” for oceans and human health because, like us, they are high up in the food chain, live long lives, and share certain physiological traits with humans. Some staples of their diet, such as spot, croaker, weakfish, and other small fish, are most vulnerable to mercury pollution and are also eaten by people.  

The study, which appeared in the journal Toxics, drew no conclusions about Florida and Georgia residents’ mercury levels or the potential health risks to humans. It did, however, cite previous research by a different group of researchers that found a correlation between high mercury levels in dolphins in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon and humans living in the area.

“As a sentinel species, the bottlenose dolphin data presented here can direct future studies to evaluate mercury exposure to human residents” in the Southeast and other potentially affected areas in the United States, the authors of the study in Toxics wrote.

Research Finds Dolphins With Elevated Mercury Levels in Florida and Georgia, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Artist's impression of a microlensing event caused by a black hole observed from Earth toward the Large Magellanic Cloud. The light of a background star located in the LMC is bent by a putative primordial black hole (lens) in the Galactic halo and magnified when observed from the Earth. Microlensing causes very characteristic variation of brightness of the background star, enabling the determination of the lens's mass and distance. Credit: J. Skowron / OGLE. Background image of the Large Magellanic Cloud: generated with bsrender written by Kevin Loch, using the ESA/Gaia database

Topics: Astronomy, Astrophysics, Black Holes, Dark Matter

The gravitational wave detectors LIGO and Virgo have detected a population of massive black holes whose origin is one of the biggest mysteries in modern astronomy. According to one hypothesis, these objects may have formed in the very early universe and may include dark matter, a mysterious substance filling the universe.

A team of scientists from the OGLE (Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment) survey from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw have announced the results of nearly 20-year-long observations indicating that such massive black holes may comprise at most a few percent of dark matter. Another explanation, therefore, is needed for gravitational wave sources. The results of the research were published in a study in Nature and a study in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.

Various astronomical observations indicate that ordinary matter, which we can see or touch, comprises only 5% of the total mass and energy budget of the universe. In the Milky Way, for every 1 kg of ordinary matter in stars, there is 15 kg of dark matter, which does not emit any light and interacts only by means of its gravitational pull.

"The nature of dark matter remains a mystery. Most scientists think it is composed of unknown elementary particles," says Dr. Przemek Mr.óz from the Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw, the lead author of both articles. "Unfortunately, despite decades of efforts, no experiment (including experiments carried out with the Large Hadron Collider) has found new particles that could be responsible for dark matter."

New research challenges black holes as dark matter explanation, University of Warsaw, Phys.org.

Image Source: History.com/Civil Rights Act of 1964

Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Climate Change, Existentialism, Human Rights

Sixty years ago today, I was a month and twelve days from my second birthday. Sixty years ago today, my world was changed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act, ninety-nine years after the surrender at Appomattox, Virginia, and the cessation of the insurrection known by the Orwellian name: "Civil War."

A year prior, my parents would see four little black girls murdered by Klansmen on her 38th birthday (September 15, 1963), only exacerbated by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (November 22, 1963), which propelled his then Vice President into the presidency. The year prior to that, barely on the planet, the "Missiles of October" threatened my brief existence as nuclear weapons had been staged off the coast of Florida by Russia in Cuba (October 14, 1962). The sixties may have given us the utopian vision of Star Trek, but it was not the "Dawning of the Age of Aquarius" as the Fifth Dimension sang joyfully.

The project to dismantle American democracy started today as well.

The 9-0 vote on Brown vs. Board of Education was untenable at the time for Southern Dixiecrats, who wanted it as a ballot initiative because they knew they had the votes to defeat it, and "put things back in proper order," the hierarchy of the chattel enslavement of kidnapped humans, and Jim Crow. The parties "flipflopped" as Dixiecrats left the Democratic Party, after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 the next year, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, migrating to the Republican Party, all willing to absorb southern racists with the slick, Hollywood line a B-Movie Actor gave them as mantra: "I didn't leave the Democratic Party; the Democratic Party left me." After the Powell Memo that set the framework for the first decades-long lurch to fascism, "The Gipper" was born, the first of three avatar presidents that made you feel nostalgic for halcyon days that have never existed, all of them always preceded by memos, the Project for a New American Century, and the frightening, dystopian document Project 2025.

It was always going to come to this.

My letter to the President after the "Supreme Court" decision establishing a monarch:

The Revolutionary War was fought to get out of the authoritarian rule of a tyrant, King George of England. This "Supreme Court" is neither. It is broken, and I will be voting for you, working to elect Josh Stein in North Carolina, and donating to both campaigns. I feel passionate about the successes of this administration, and we're so close to addressing climate change. Mr. President, please consider something that goes against the grain and your respect for institutions: stack the court. Propose that if re-elected, you will rebalance the high court, which is clearly activist, out-of-touch, and out of control. This convicted felon, this adjudicated rapist CANNOT regain political power, or else we will be a byword, a proverb, an oxymoron. If the U.S. falls, so will every democracy across the globe, which is the goal of Vladimir Putin and the Russian government, a kleptocracy masquerading as a state. The extinction-level event for the dinosaurs was a meteor off the Gulf of Mexico. I don't see the human species continuing if this cretin gets back into the Oval Office. The United States is an essential nation. Thank you.

My biggest critique of the Democratic Party is they lack strategic vision. The evisceration of Roe vs. Wade was a decades-long strategy that the DNC treated as a political football. The party had since 1973 7 Republican - 2 Democratic justices' decision to codify women's bodily autonomy into law, but it was too useful a political football, so no one tried. Meanwhile, the Republicans are following no rules other than the grasp and maintenance of power; call it class warfare or white supremacy; it doesn't matter.

The Dred Scott Decision by Chief Justice Robert B. Taney is credited for the impetus of the "Civil War," resulting in about 622,000 countrymen dead from both sides, only surpassed by the ineptitude of the tyrant who botched the Coronavirus response, who Chief Justice John Roberts just gave dictatorial powers to if he were to return to office January 20, 2025.

For the maintenance of a toxic social hierarchy, may history list John Roberts as our last Chief Justice, the one who destroyed our republic and democracy worldwide.

The sixth mass extinction event clearly will not need meteors, just incompetent, pious jurists who think themselves gods.

Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Climate Change, Democracy, Existentialism, Fascism, Human Rights

Excerpt from Facts, Fascism, and Fascists, Friday, January 24, 2020

Tens of millions of Americans, lumped into a diffuse and fractious movement known as the Christian right, have begun to dismantle the intellectual and scientific rigor of the Enlightenment. They are creating a theocratic state based on “biblical law,” and shutting out all those they define as the enemy. This movement, veering closer and closer to traditional fascism, seeks to force a recalcitrant world to submit before an imperial America. It champions the eradication of social deviants, beginning with homosexuals, and moving on to immigrants, secular humanists, feminists, Jews, Muslims and those they dismiss as “nominal Christians” — meaning Christians who do not embrace their perverted and heretical interpretation of the Bible. Those who defy the mass movement are condemned as posing a threat to the health and hygiene of the country and the family. All will be purged.

The followers of deviant faiths, from Judaism to Islam, must be converted or repressed. The deviant media, the deviant public schools, the deviant entertainment industry, the deviant secular humanist government and judiciary and the deviant churches will be reformed or closed. There will be a relentless promotion of Christian “values,” already under way on Christian radio and television and in Christian schools, as information and facts are replaced with overt forms of indoctrination. The march toward this terrifying dystopia has begun. It is taking place on the streets of Arizona, on cable news channels, at tea party rallies, in the Texas public schools, among militia members and within a Republican Party that is being hijacked by this lunatic fringe.

The Christian Fascists Are Growing Stronger, Chris Hedges, Truth Dig

There has been high praise for the House Impeachment Managers: Representatives Jerrold Nadler, Val Demings, Zoe Lofgren, Sylvia Garcia, Jason Crow, Hakeem Jeffries; especially its leader, Adam Schiff. My fraternity brother, House Manager Hakeem Jeffries probably accomplished the first hip hop Biggie Smalls' mic drop rebuttal in impeachment history. I'm sure it completely went over Jay Sekulow's head.

Sadly, facts don't matter to fascists.

Belief in pseudoscience extended across the Nazi high command, from the Führer's search for 'death rays' to Goebbels reading Nostradamus in bed.

This is a dense and scholarly book about one of the pulpiest subjects of the past 70 years - the relationship between the Nazi party and the occult, which has been much debated across popular culture both in fiction (Captain America: Civil War, Hellboy, Wolfenstein, the Indiana Jones series, Iron Sky, The Keep and countless others) and in innumerable schlocky works of pseudoscience with runes and swastikas on the covers.

As it turns out, though, even this sober, academic treatment of the topic reveals stranger-than-fiction truths on every page.

Here are a few of them. In the 1930s, Hitler made extensive notes on a book called Magic: Theory, History, Practice and underlined passages such as "He who does not carry demonic seeds within him will never give birth to a new world". In 1934, the year after he was appointed chancellor of Germany, he hired a dowser to go over the Reich Chancellery in search of "death rays" that might damage staff in the building. He and Himmler held frequent conversations about "the World Empire of Atlantis, which fell victim to the catastrophe of the moons falling to Earth" and about a discredited pseudoscience called Welteislehre, or World Ice Theory, which taught that the cosmos was made of ice and which they saw as a "Germanic" counterbalance to the "Jewish" theory of relativity.

Hitler's obsession with the occult, Tim Martin, July 30, 2017, Independent.ie

Hitler's Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich, Eric Kurlander, Amazon.com

*****

The spectacle of televised debates ignores one key fact: the television was invented September 27, 1927 by Philo Taylor Farnsworth. Fast forward 33 years to the first televised debate between Kennedy and Nixon. I’ve heard that people listening to the debate by radio thought Nixon was victorious, because he had knowledge that Kennedy did not have. However, Kennedy “looked good,” he was young, tan, and Nixon was nursing an infection. It was the first instance of style over substance. Had Nixon won, there might not have been a Civil Rights Act, a Voting Rights Act, a Fair Housing Act, a Vietnam conflict, or Watergate.

In recent memory, John Kerry bested George W. Bush in every debate, as well as did Al Gore prior to him, and Hillary mopped the floor with orange bone spurs. The election at this time, is “baked in.” It will depend on which side gets its base out. Corporate debates are superfluous to democracy, and useless theater. If we copy anything from Great Britain, we should have a shorter campaign period.

If Biden wins (and historian Allan Lichtman thinks he will - he’s predicted 9 of 10 of the last presidential elections accurately), we have to think about who will represent the party and win in 2028. His "thirteen keys model" goes in the garbage if Biden is forced off the ticket. The twice-impeached, instigator of the insurrection, 88-count indicted, 34-count convicted (sentencing September 18th), adjudicated fraudster and rapist has not been asked to leave the ticket in all seriousness, nor is his personality cult likely to do so. This ageism-on-steroids was started by publications like the New York Times, and unlike the propaganda we've been sold about news outlets, they are more concerned with the bottom-line than holding power accountable, and they are loathe to print retractions admitting mistakes.

We will have a few seconds to breathe after this election cycle, if we're successful, to start thinking about 2028: whichever party controls the White House will be in charge of the 2030 Census, meaning the drawing of congressional districts. The party in power gets to draw congressional districts, i.e., the incumbents get to PICK their voters, which doesn't sound like how democracy is supposed to work! Fairness would be an AI algorithm that draws congressional maps with no respect to party, making the lawmakers actually speak to their constituents and have to WORK for every vote. I am fighting for democracy because, we haven't achieved it yet. The Founding Fathers are lionized, mythologized, and apotheosized as wise men, and they were. William Hogeland, historian, writes "The Hamilton Scheme: An Epic Tale of Money and Power in the American Founding," that though Lin Manuel Miranda had us jamming to the hip hop play with its diverse cast, Hamilton was antidemocracy, except for the ruling class in America that he was engineering, who, like their descendants, had an aversion to paying taxes.

Thrilling to the romance of becoming the one-man inventor of a modern nation, our first Treasury secretary fostered growth by engineering an ingenious dynamo—banking, public debt, manufacturing—for concentrating national wealth in the hands of a government-connected elite. Seeking American prosperity, he built American oligarchy. Hence his animus and mutual sense of betrayal with Jefferson and Madison—and his career-long fight to suppress a rowdy egalitarian movement little remembered today: the eighteenth-century white working class.

If you're wondering why lawmakers seem older than you would like, or why after an election that showed a plurality of voters voting for another outcome, gerrymandering is the answer. Case-in-point: North Carolina GOP lost the popular vote in 2018, but gained seats in the house, to now a veto-proof majority. That is gerrymandering, that is the Census. My biggest criticism of the Democratic Party is they are great tacticians, and poor strategists. I hope they're gaming this out, because both National Committees (D&R) did the citizenry a disservice by running primary dog-and-pony shows in 2016, 2020, and 2024, each with diverse voices, diverse opinions, and DIVERSITY, only to end up with two old white guys in the mold of George Washington, so that Barack Obama can be seen as a one-off fluke. Heaven help us if a woman or another person of color can run the country as effectively as the 43 other white males that preceded the first black president, and it seems the oligarchy is determined that that will be the last deviation from their preferred "norm."

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.

Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, No. 1, Dec 19, 1776 (published pamphlet), Dec 24, 1776 (Read to Washington's troops before crossing the Delaware for the Battle of Trenton).

The (not) Supreme Court by a 6-3 vote impowered a king, destroyed the "rule of law" and enacted a tenet of Project 2025 that Taraji P. Henson on the BET awards got to be the most searched term on the Internet. I placed it here for you to read it.

“We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless—if the left allows it to be,” Roberts said, in front of a backdrop advertising the Heritage Foundation. You only have to read the forward - the abstract, or preamble if you will - to the 920-page document. Kevin D. Roberts list his terminal academic credentials as PhD in History from UT Austin. His threat wasn't even trying to be subtle, or coy. Like William Luther Pierce, a PhD in Physics and author of the Neo-Nazi Turner Diaries that inspired Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, having a PhD doesn't make you moral, ethical, or intelligent.

Conservative Behind Trump Agenda Issues Cryptic Threat to Liberals, Talia Jane, Yahoo News/The New Republic

I'm tired too. But psychopaths don't take holidays, and not only democracy, but the planet will be impacted by the next election, and who wields now, god-like powers. My prediction is that the Insurrection Act will be invoked by the next president, either to quell another cosplay/Civil War/January 6 redux, or to imprison citizens, "disappear them" by deportation, or into American Gulags like Gitmo and black sites we thankfully have never heard of.

We are in a modern American Crisis, and the future will be shaped by what we do, win, or lose, in the next few months. We are not voting for a candidate, we are voting for Democracy, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Those words should matter.

Review of Netflix's "SupaCell"

**Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐**

"SupaCell" is a standout series on Netflix, starring a primarily Black cast and delivering a refreshing take on the superhero genre. In a television landscape that often lacks diverse representation, "SupaCell" not only fills this gap but does so with excellence and innovation. The series sets itself apart by offering a fresh perspective on superhero narratives, focusing on the unique experiences and challenges faced by its characters while maintaining universal themes of heroism, resilience, and community. Here are some of the reasons why this show deserves a spot on your must-watch list:

**1. Great Acting**
The cast of "SupaCell" delivers powerful performances that draw you into the story from the very first episode. Each actor brings depth and authenticity to their characters, making the series a gripping watch.

**2. Strong Characters**
The characters in "SupaCell" are well-developed and compelling. They are not just heroes with powers but individuals with rich backstories and relatable motivations. Their journeys are as emotionally engaging as they are action-packed.

**3. Virtually Stereotype-Free**
One of the most commendable aspects of "SupaCell" is its commitment to portraying characters in a positive and realistic light, free from common stereotypes. This adds a layer of authenticity and respect to the series, making it stand out in today's media landscape.

**4. Believable Science in the Fiction**
The science behind the superpowers in "SupaCell" is presented in a believable and intriguing manner. The show strikes a perfect balance between fiction and plausible scientific concepts, enhancing the overall storytelling.

**5. Great Special Effects**
The special effects in "SupaCell" are top-notch, bringing the characters' extraordinary abilities to life in a visually stunning way. The action scenes are exciting and well-choreographed, making for an immersive viewing experience.

**6. Good Music**
The soundtrack of "SupaCell" is carefully curated to complement the tone of the series. It enhances the emotional impact of scenes and adds to the overall enjoyment of the show.

**7. Not Full of Vulgarity**
"SupaCell" manages to tell a compelling and mature story without relying on excessive vulgarity. This makes it a show that can be appreciated by a wider audience, including younger viewers.

In summary, "SupaCell" is a must-watch series that excels in acting, character development, and special effects, all while breaking stereotypes and presenting a believable and engaging story. It's a fresh and exciting addition to the superhero genre, and its positive portrayal of a primarily Black cast is both inspiring and necessary. Highly recommended!

Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Existentialism, Fascism, History

“On **May 17, 1954**, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. State-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment and was, therefore, unconstitutional. This historic decision marked the end of the "separate but equal" precedent set by the Supreme Court nearly 60 years earlier in Plessy v. Ferguson. It served as a catalyst for the expanding civil rights movement during the decade of the 1950s.”

Source: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on April 4, 1968, a Thursday. My graduating kindergarten class at Bethlehem Community Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was told by our teachers on Friday, who cried with us and reassured us that the men outside with Confederate flags, shooting in the air, reveling “that n----r’s dead” would not harm us, or prevent our celebration. We slept as well [as possible] through nap time and dressed for our day and [our] parents. Not one child in my photo of the event is smiling. Not one.

I attended segregated schools in Winston-Salem, NC, until my fourth grade year in 1971. “All deliberate speed” had some considerable foot-dragging.

I was bused across town for 4^th grade only to Rural Hall, and their kids were bused across town to Fairview Elementary for 5th and 6th grade. I was bused to Mineral Springs Middle School for 7th -8th grade. ALL the former Black High Schools, like Atkins, Carver, Hanes, and Paisley, had to be “9th and 10th grades only,” as North, East, Parkland, and West were reserved for the higher grades for high school graduation.

“We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I believe that we will win, but I have come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house. I’m afraid that America has lost the moral vision she may have had,” as the nation is not deeply concerned “with the plight of the poor and disenfranchised.” This failure, King argued, would only further stoke “the anger and violence that tears the soul of this nation. I fear I am integrating my people into a burning house.” Dr. King confessed to his friend, the Civil Rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte.

I am sixty-one years old, a grandfather, and a late entrant to the ranks of a Ph.D. I am sad to say that despite the movement's optimism, NOTHING has changed.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

“What's past is prologue.” William Shakespeare, The Tempest.

Worrying trend Reliable climate models are needed so that societies can adapt to the impact of climate change. (Courtesy: Shutterstock/Migel)

Topics: Applied Physics, Atmospheric Science, CERN, Civilization, Climate Change

It was a scorcher last year. Land and sea temperatures were up to 0.2 °C (32.36 °F) higher every single month in the second half of 2023, with these warm anomalies continuing into 2024. We know the world is warming, but the sudden heat spike had not been predicted. As NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt wrote in Nature recently: “It’s humbling and a bit worrying to admit that no year has confounded climate scientists’ predictive capabilities more than 2023 has.”

As Schmidt went on to explain, a spell of record-breaking warmth had been deemed “unlikely” despite 2023 being an El Niño year, where the relatively cool waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean are replaced with warmer waters. Trouble is, the complex interactions between atmospheric deep convection and equatorial modes of ocean variability, which lie behind El Niño, are poorly resolved in conventional climate models.

Our inability to simulate El Niño properly with current climate models (J. Climate 10.1175/JCLI-D-21-0648.1) is symptomatic of a much bigger problem. In 2011 I argued that contemporary climate models were not good enough to simulate the changing nature of weather extremes such as droughts, heat waves and floods (see “A CERN for climate change” March 2011 p13). With grid-point spacings typically around 100 km, these models provide a blurred, distorted vision of the future climate. For variables like rainfall, the systematic errors associated with such low spatial resolution are larger than the climate-change signals that the models attempt to predict.

Reliable climate models are vitally required so that societies can adapt to climate change, assess the urgency of reaching net-zero or implement geoengineering solutions if things get really bad. Yet how is it possible to adapt if we don’t know whether droughts, heat waves, storms or floods cause the greater threat? How do we assess the urgency of net-zero if models cannot simulate “tipping” points? How is it possible to agree on potential geoengineering solutions if it is not possible to reliably assess whether spraying aerosols in the stratosphere will weaken the monsoons or reduce the moisture supply to the tropical rainforests? Climate modelers have to take the issue of model inadequacy much more seriously if they wish to provide society with reliable actionable information about climate change.

I concluded in 2011 that we needed to develop global climate models with spatial resolution of around 1 km (with compatible temporal resolution) and the only way to achieve this is to pool human and computer resources to create one or more internationally federated institutes. In other words, we need a “CERN for climate change” – an effort inspired by the particle-physics facility near Geneva, which has become an emblem for international collaboration and progress.

Why we still need a CERN for climate change, Tim Palmer, Physics World

Two researchers have revised the Drake equation, a mathematical formula for the probability of finding life or advanced civilizations in the universe.

University of Rochester. Are We Alone in the Universe? Revisiting the Drake Equation, NASA

Topics: Astrobiology, Astrophysics, Artificial Intelligence, Civilization, SETI

See: Britannica.com/The-Fermi-Paradox/Where-Are-All-The-Aliens

Abstract
This study examines the hypothesis that the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), culminating in the emergence of Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), could act as a "Great Filter" that is responsible for the scarcity of advanced technological civilizations in the universe. It is proposed that such a filter emerges before these civilizations can develop a stable, multiplanetary existence, suggesting the typical longevity (L) of a technical civilization is less than 200 years. Such estimates for L, when applied to optimistic versions of the Drake equation, are consistent with the null results obtained by recent SETI surveys, and other efforts to detect various techno-signatures across the electromagnetic spectrum. Through the lens of SETI, we reflect on humanity's current technological trajectory – the modest projections for L suggested here, underscore the critical need to quickly establish regulatory frameworks for AI development on Earth and the advancement of a multiplanetary society to mitigate against such existential threats. The persistence of intelligent and conscious life in the universe could hinge on the timely and effective implementation of such international regulatory measures and technological endeavors.

Is artificial intelligence the great filter that makes advanced technical civilizations rare in the universe? Michael A. Garrett, Acta Astronautica, Volume 219, June 2024, Pages 731-735

Filled with briny lakes, the Quisquiro salt flat in South America's Altiplano region represents the kind of landscape that scientists think may have existed in Gale Crater on Mars, which NASA's Curiosity Rover is exploring. Credit: Maksym Bocharov

Topics: Astrobiology, Astrophysics, Atmospheric Science, Mars, NASA, Planetary Science

The most surprising revelation from NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover—that methane is seeping from the surface of Gale Crater—has scientists scratching their heads.

Living creatures produce most of the methane on Earth. But scientists haven't found convincing signs of current or ancient life on Mars, and thus didn't expect to find methane there. Yet, the portable chemistry lab aboard Curiosity, known as SAM, or Sample Analysis at Mars, has continually sniffed out traces of the gas near the surface of Gale Crater, the only place on the surface of Mars where methane has been detected thus far. Its likely source, scientists assume, are geological mechanisms that involve water and rocks deep underground.

If that were the whole story, things would be easy. However, SAM has found that methane behaves in unexpected ways in Gale Crater. It appears at night and disappears during the day. It fluctuates seasonally and sometimes spikes to levels 40 times higher than usual. Surprisingly, the methane also isn't accumulating in the atmosphere: ESA's (the European Space Agency) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, sent to Mars specifically to study the gas in the atmosphere, has detected no methane.

Why is methane seeping on Mars? NASA scientists have new ideas, Lonnie Shekhtman, NASA, Phys.org.

This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for... the swashbuckling Spider is coming to

! Follow the pre-launch and get ready for vengeance.

Dark Spider pre-launch link

Image source: Wikipedia/Pine_Tree_Flag

Since its creation during the American Revolution, the flag has carried a message of defiance: The phrase “appeal to heaven” comes from the 17th-century philosopher John Locke, who wrote of a responsibility to rebel, even use violence, to overthrow unjust rule.

Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home, Jodi Kantor, Aric Toler and Julie Tate, New York Times

Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Democracy, Existentialism, Fascism

So what is the Comstock Act? Many of us have heard of it, if only vaguely. We may also have heard the term “Comstockery,” defined as the “strict censorship of materials considered obscene” and “censorious opposition to alleged immorality,” and know that it was coined by playwright George Bernard Shaw.

The occasion was the removal of Shaw’s Man and Superman from the shelves of the New York Public Library in 1905. Taking umbrage and spotting an opportunity, Shaw fired back, announcing his intention to bring “Mrs. Warren’s Profession”—a play that had been banned in London for its frank discussion of prostitution—to New York, telling the city’s papers, “Comstockery is the world’s standing joke at the expense of the United States. It confirms the deep-seated conviction of the Old World that America is a provincial place, a second-rate country-town civilization after all.”

Anthony Comstock, by then America’s leading moralist, hadn’t heard of Shaw until the playwright’s words were published in the papers. He did a little quick brushing up and fired back, calling Shaw an “Irish smut peddler” and alerting the New York police to the dangerous content of Shaw’s play. He also wrote a huffy letter to Shaw’s producer Arnold Daly, calling “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” “filthy” and quoting, with an ominous tone of warning, recent court decisions in obscenity cases. Daly, a savvy publicity man, did not let the opportunity go by. He sent Comstock’s letter to all the papers, along with an exquisitely civil response inviting Comstock to come to a rehearsal. 

The result? Ticket sales went through the roof, and the play was sold out weeks before the curtain went up. The police were called forth on opening night—not to raid the play, but to dispel the overflow mob in the streets clamoring to get in. Score one for GBS.

A Nationwide Abortion Ban Could Really Happen. You Can Thank Anthony Comstock’s Suitcase Full of Dildos. Eleanor Clooney, Mother Jones

George Bernard Shaw, in The Guardian article from 1997, is lauded as one of the "founding fathers of British socialism," which also meant at the time that he was an avowed eugenicist. (The title of the play was a dead giveaway.) The author of "The Handmaid's Tale," Margaret Atwood, has said in interviews that she's not keen on the term "progressive," since it was born in the era of trying to breed "better humans" and sterilize underserving others.

However, Comstock managed to model for conservatives yet born the extremism that we are now witness to in the 21st Century. He's noted in her research for "setting up stings" and physically fighting against those he SET UP in the sting because only he was the "righteous one." He was also known for pouring out his ration of whiskey as pious as any of the Pharisees, so he wasn't particularly the "life of the party" as the Continental Army fought the War of Independence for "religious freedom" and to skip out on the taxes the colonists owed King George of England.

I do agree with Clooney's article on one thing: this puritanism is inherent in human culture. It's been with us since, metaphorically, Eden.

I do appreciate from her that we have had, and probably always will have puritanism: "behavior or beliefs that are based on strict moral or religious principles, especially the principle that people should avoid physical pleasures." Collins Dictionary In that respect, Osama Bin Laden was a Muslim puritan, influenced still by the author Sayyid Qutb (1906—1966). "As an Islamist, he held that all aspects of society should be conducted according to the Shari’a, that is, laws of God as derived from the Qur’an and the practice (sunna) of the Prophet Muhammad. Probably his best known and most distinctive doctrine is his interpretation of jahiliyya (pre-Islamic ignorance) as characterizing all of the societies of his time, including the Muslim ones." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Sayyid Qutb

*****

The Louisiana House approved a bill Tuesday that would add two medications commonly used to induce abortions to the state’s list of controlled dangerous substances, making possession of the drugs without valid prescriptions a crime punishable by fines, jail time or both.

The measure, which has drawn support from anti-abortion groups and alarm from medical professionals and reproductive rights advocates, would add the medications mifepristone and misoprostol to Schedule IV of the state’s Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law. Abortion — both medical and surgical — is illegal in Louisiana, so it is already illegal to prescribe the medications to terminate pregnancies, except in very limited circumstances.

Medication abortions accounted for 63% of all abortions last year, according to the reproductive rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute.

The bill passed 64-29 in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. It will now go back to the Senate, and if it is approved, it would then be sent to the governor to sign into law.

Louisiana House passes bill to make abortion pills a controlled dangerous substance, Daniella Silva, Marissa Parra and Natalie Obregon, NBC News.

There is a desperation in these actions at the oxymoronically-named Supreme Court and local levels: "Demographics is destiny" is being fought tooth and nail.

I think it is instructive that white evangelicals became a numerical minority in 2017. In 2045 or sooner, white Americans are projected to be 49.7% of the population (Brookings) versus 50.3% of all ethnic groups combined (African Americans projected to remain around 13%). It's slight, it's petty, but it does explain a lot about them, even the repeal of Roe v Wade: Kate Cox in Dallas wasn't arrested for seeking an abortion outside of Texas. Brittany Watts in Ohio was criminally charged with a miscarriage in a toilet that could have been avoided had the state not banned the procedure and threatened doctors with arrest. Thankfully, the grand jury overturned it.

White woman: A mulligan. No arrest, but instructive that authorities will look the other way because she will "help" in the anxious arithmetic of white supremacy.
Black woman: A prison sentence (if they could), and a toilet for her fetus.

We may never see a national abortion ban, but that may be unnecessary if the spirit of Anthony Comstock is invoked in these draconian measures NATIONWIDE.

The phrase “appeal to heaven” comes from the 17th-century philosopher John Locke, who wrote of a responsibility to rebel, even use violence, to overthrow unjust rule.

It's the formula for the Republic of Gilead in "The Handmaid's Tale." Like the fictional "Sons of Jacob" before the hierarchy of the Commanders, they are willing to do violence to bring about their fever dreams of of a "united Reich" dictatorship.

Perhaps we humans are simply the ultimate expression of Comstockery, cognitive dissonance allowing us to gaslight collectively into thinking of ourselves as "blessed," the "Promised Land," "Manifest Destiny," Homo Sapiens ("wise men"): we have created works of artistry, delved into the mysteries of quantum mechanics, split the atom, created technologies at nanoscales and have the ability to launch objects into near orbit or, for interplanetary and interstellar journeys, and simultaneously created several means to end our existence, and all life on the planet. Instead, the more apt description, Homo Stultus ("stupid men"), is apropos because intelligence applied without thought of the consequences beyond a business quarter is active, abject stupidity! It does, however, resolve the Fermi Paradox: Intelligence might well be its own Entropy. The aliens that we seem to have not yet communicated with or made contact with might have killed themselves. This is hopefully instructive. Humanity needs to pass through its "great filter" to build starships.

(a) Schematics of the word INFORMATION is written on a material in binary code using magnetic recording. Red denotes magnetization pointing out of the plane and blue is magnetization pointing into the plane. (b)–(d) Time evolution of the digital magnetic recording information states simulated using micromagnetic Monte Carlo. (b) Initial random state. (c) INFORMATION is written (t = 0 s). (d) Iteration 930 (t = 1395 s) showing the degradation of information states. Reproduced with permission from M. M. Vopson and S. Lepadatu, AIP Adv. 12, 075310 (2022). Copyright 2022 AIP Publishing.

Topics: Chemistry, DNA, General Relativity, Genetics, Nucleotides, Thermodynamics

Reference: Electronic Orbitals, Chem Libre Text dot org

As Morpheus describes, “You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill; you stay in Wonderland. And I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Neo takes the red pill and wakes up in the real world. Source: Britannica Online: Red Pill and Blue Pill Symbolism

The simulation hypothesis is a philosophical theory in which the entire universe and our objective reality are just simulated constructs. Despite the lack of evidence, this idea is gaining traction in scientific circles as well as in the entertainment industry. Recent scientific developments in the field of information physics, such as the publication of the mass-energy-information equivalence principle, appear to support this possibility. In particular, the 2022 discovery of the second law of information dynamics (infodynamics) facilitates new and interesting research tools at the intersection between physics and information. In this article, we re-examine the second law of infodynamics and its applicability to digital information, genetic information, atomic physics, mathematical symmetries, and cosmology, and we provide scientific evidence that appears to underpin the simulated universe hypothesis.

Introduction

In 2022, a new fundamental law of physics has been proposed and demonstrated, called the second law of information dynamics or simply the second law of infodynamics.¹ Its name is an analogy to the second law of thermodynamics, which describes the time evolution of the physical entropy of an isolated system, which requires the entropy to remain constant or to increase over time. In contrast to the second law of thermodynamics, the second law of infodynamics states that the information entropy of systems containing information states must remain constant or decrease over time, reaching a certain minimum value at equilibrium. This surprising observation has massive implications for all branches of science and technology. With the ever-increasing importance of information systems such as digital information storage or biological information stored in DNA/RNA genetic sequences, this new powerful physics law offers an additional tool for examining these systems and their time evolution.² 

The second law of infodynamics and its implications for the simulated universe hypothesis, Melvin M. Vopson, AIP Advances

I grew up reading comic books since the mid-eighties before there were comic books shops. Back then, we got our comic books from spinner racks in convenience stores. Back then, they were worth .75 cents.

That was the beginning into the world of fiction. I have written poems, screenplays, novels and digital contents.

Overtime, I have read all forms of comics, graphic novels, anime and more. I am extremely fond of the Golden, Silver and Bronze Age of Comics along with Old Time Radio programs and movie serials.

As I began to appreciate the vintage age of comics and radio programs, I realized that there was an extreme lack of diversity in its stories.

Occasionally, I would come across gems like All-Negro Comics from 1947 by Journalist Orrin Evans. Weird Fantasy Comics #18 brought "Judgement Day". a story of a black man deciding if a robot civilization can enter a galactic federation but denies them entrance since they discriminate another robot race because of their color. Another great story is from Weird Science #22 called "Outcast of the Stars." This story is about a Italian man who attempts to take his poor family to Mars like other prosperous families.

The Golden Age of stories really made an impact when it challenges the social norms of the time. A great radio program called "Superman versus the KKK" speaks for itself.

Heroes Like Me Presents will recreate that time period with more diverse stories for a modern audience. These will be stories that should have been told but wasn't. The Golden Age Begins Again.

Because We Can. Come along for the ride

Expect the first issue to be out by July 2024 at Indyplanet.com/Heroes-Like-Me

-Chris Love
May 12 2024

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Heroes Like Me Presents #1 - IndyPlanet