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CNOT Gate...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 15, 2015 at 8:04am
Image Source: Joint Quantum Institute


Topics: Quantum Computer, Quantum Dots, Quantum Mechanics, Semiconductor Technology


The first quantum-logic device made from silicon has been unveiled by researchers in Australia and Japan. Their controlled-not (CNOT) gate, which is a fundamental component of a quantum computer, was made using conventional semiconductor manufacturing processes. The researchers now plan to scale up the technology to create a full-scale quantum-computer chip.
Spin doctors: Menno Veldhorst (left) and Andrew Dzurak with the equipment used to cool and monitor their CNOT gate.

Quantum computers exploit the weird laws of quantum mechanics to perform some calculations much faster than conventional computers – at least in principle. The main challenge facing physicists trying to build quantum computers is how to preserve fragile quantum bits (qubits) of information, which tend to deteriorate rapidly in real-world devices.

One approach is to use the spin of the electron – which can point up or down – as a qubit. Spin qubits have been made from tiny pieces of semiconductor called quantum dots, and quantum-logic devices have been made by coupling these qubits together. Unfortunately, the spin states in these devices rapidly deteriorate – or "decohere" – by interacting with nuclear spins in the compound-semiconductor materials normally used to make quantum dots.

Physics World: Silicon quantum logic gate is a first, Hamish Johnston

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The Surly Bonds of Earth...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 14, 2015 at 6:59am
Image Source: NASA.gov and [1]


Topics: Exoplanets, Mars, NASA, Space Exploration, Spaceflight


"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds -

and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of -..."

John Gillespie Magee, "High Flight"

NASA is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s – goals outlined in the bipartisan NASA Authorization Act of 2010 and in the U.S. National Space Policy, also issued in 2010.

Mars is a rich destination for scientific discovery and robotic and human exploration as we expand our presence into the solar system. Its formation and evolution are comparable to Earth, helping us learn more about our own planet’s history and future. Mars had conditions suitable for life in its past. Future exploration could uncover evidence of life, answering one of the fundamental mysteries of the cosmos: Does life exist beyond Earth?

While robotic explorers have studied Mars for more than 40 years, NASA’s path for the human exploration of Mars begins in low-Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station. Astronauts on the orbiting laboratory are helping us prove many of the technologies and communications systems needed for human missions to deep space, including Mars. The space station also advances our understanding of how the body changes in space and how to protect astronaut health. [1]

Building on the success of Curiosity's landing, NASA announced plans for a new robotic science rover set to launch in 2020. This announcement affirms the agency's commitment to a bold exploration program that meets our nation's scientific and human exploration objectives.

The proposed 2020 rover mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. Designed to advance high-priority science goals for Mars exploration, the mission would address key questions about the potential for life on Mars. The mission would also provide opportunities to gather knowledge and demonstrate technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars. [2]

In the not-too-distant future, astronauts destined to be the first people to walk on Mars will leave Earth aboard an Orion spacecraft. Carried aloft by the tremendous power of a Space Launch System rocket, our explorers will begin their Journey to Mars from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the spirit of humanity with them to the Red Planet.

The first future human mission to Mars and those that follow will require the ingenuity and dedication of an entire generation. It's a journey worth the risks. We take the next step on that journey this Thursday, Dec. 4, with the uncrewed, first flight test of Orion. [3]

Eventually, humans will most likely journey to Mars. Getting astronauts to the Martian surface and returning them safely to Earth, however, is an extremely difficult engineering challenge. A thorough understanding of the Martian environment is critical to the safe operation of equipment and to human health, so the Mars Exploration Program will begin to look at these challenges in the coming decade. [4]

1. NASA's Journey to Mars
2. 2020 Mission Plans
3. NASA's Orion Flight Test and the Journey to Mars
4. Goal 4: Prepare for the Human Exploration of Mars
5. Smithsonian: Here's how NASA Wants to get to Mars

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Rotating Curves & Wormholes...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 13, 2015 at 6:48am
Image Source: Space.com - What is a wormhole?


Topics: Astrophysics, Cosmology, General Relativity, Quantum Cosmology, Wormholes

Abstract


In this work, we analyse static spherically symmetric solutions in the framework of mimetic gravity, an extension of general relativity where the conformal degree of freedom of gravity is isolated in a covariant fashion. Here we extend previous works by considering in addition a potential for the mimetic field. An appropriate choice of such potential allows for the reconstruction of a number of interesting cosmological and astrophysical scenarios. We explicitly show how to reconstruct such a potential for a general static spherically symmetric space-time. A number of applications and scenarios are then explored, among which traversable wormholes. Finally, we analytically reconstruct potentials which leads to solutions to the equations of motion featuring polynomial corrections to the Schwarzschild spacetime. Accurate choices for such corrections could provide an explanation for the inferred flat rotation curves of spiral galaxies within the mimetic gravity framework, without the need for particle dark matter.

Physics arXiv:
Static spherically symmetric solutions in mimetic gravity: rotation curves & wormholes
Ratbay Myrzakulov, Lorenzo Sebastiani, Sunny Vagnozzi, Sergio Zerbini

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ABC Conjecture...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 12, 2015 at 10:48am
Image Source: Scientific American, ©iStock.com


Topics: ABC Conjecture, Mathematical Models, Mathematics, STEM


You think MY posts are sometimes long... We'll see if time and peer review prove Dr. Mochizuki right.

Sometime on the morning of August 30 2012, Shinichi Mochizuki quietly posted four papers on his website.

The papers were huge—more than 500 pages in all—packed densely with symbols, and the culmination of more than a decade of solitary work. They also had the potential to be an academic bombshell. In them, Mochizuki claimed to have solved the abc conjecture, a 27-year-old problem in number theory that no other mathematician had even come close to solving. If his proof was correct, it would be one of the most astounding achievements of mathematics this century and would completely revolutionize the study of equations with whole numbers.

Mochizuki, however, did not make a fuss about his proof. The respected mathematician, who works at Kyoto University's Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS) in Japan, did not even announce his work to peers around the world. He simply posted the papers, and waited for the world to find out.

Probably the first person to notice the papers was Akio Tamagawa, a colleague of Mochizuki's at RIMS. He, like other researchers, knew that Mochizuki had been working on the conjecture for years and had been finalizing his work. That same day, Tamagawa e-mailed the news to one of his collaborators, number theorist Ivan Fesenko of the University of Nottingham, UK. Fesenko immediately downloaded the papers and started to read. But he soon became “bewildered”, he says. “It was impossible to understand them.”

Scientific American: Math Mystery: Shinichi Mochizuki and the Impenetrable Proof
Davide Castelvecchi and Nature magazine

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The Darkside Trilogy is Complete - all three volumes on sale now

Posted by William Hayashi on October 12, 2015 at 10:30am

The saga is complete.

The most original plot in AfroFuturism, contemporary and classic science fiction has come to its conclusion, with the forces of Earth pitted against several thousand of the most technologically advanced humans, African American humans, in the history of the world.

Discovery begins the tale with several seemingly unrelated mysteries and ends with a discovery that changes Earth forever.

Conception reveals the backstory of the discovery in the first volume, introducing the extraordinary people behind man's greatest technological achievements and the motivations behind their historic effort.

Confrontation chronicles the lengths a desperate Earth goes to in an effort to beg, borrow or steal the treasures of a community that has little need for the people they left behind, and brings the epic tale to its unexpected climax.

Click here to purchase

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100 words or less

Posted by JC Henry on October 12, 2015 at 10:00am

This is a one-word prompt 

Elevator

 

“Penthouse,”

The operator nodded then stepped aside, away from the doors.  Allowing the passengers more room to settle themselves. 

The operator inhaled deeply pressed the key on the control panel and began to recite the Lord’s Prayer in his head.

While the car moves up the grand hotel, a spectacular sight of the city came into view.

The passengers cooed in awe.  The operator pressed himself in the corner, his hands gripped the bars attached to the glass wall.  

The ping heralded the penthouse.  The doors quietly open the couple exit without a thank you, never realizing the operator’s courage.

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Breasts: the ultimate weapons (the views expressed are not those of the poster)

Posted by William Hayashi on October 9, 2015 at 9:10am

Forget guns. Forget nukes. The real ultimate weapon? Breasts.

Exposed breasts are a significant tactical advantage. In pop culture, large-breasted women fighters invariably wear very revealing, breast-emphasising outfits. There are numerous examples in comics (Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Psylocke, Emma Frost, Zatanna, Black Cat, She Hulk etc.) and video games (Lara Croft, Bayonetta, Blaze, Ivy, Rayne, Mai etc.) Presumably such capable individuals would be able to wear what they like, so why would they choose to expose so much skin to danger?

You might think it’s just a cheap and crude tactic by male-dominated industries to get more attention from what they assume to be their young heterosexual male audience. But you’d be wrong. The creators of these scantily-clad protagonists are aware of a greater truth; breasts are actually the most awesome weapons a human can possess, and to cover them up limits their effectiveness. No wonder there are games dedicated to women increasing their breast size. This may all seem far-fetched, but the science backs it up.

Click here for the full story

This explains the artistic obsession I see here all-to-often...

WmH

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Space Faring Species...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 9, 2015 at 6:44am
CGI by XIXO


Topics: International Space Station, Moon Base, NASA, Space Exploration, Spaceflight, Space Junk, Tribalism


In no particular order - inspired by both Interstellar and The Martian - this is a purely speculative post regarding becoming a space faring species, i.e. no longer confined to Earth and what that could possibly mean. A math nerd note: Jessica Chastain and Matt Damon are the Venn diagram intersection points of both space opera features. I have no qualifications other than a STEM background, enthusiasm, imagination and wonder.

International Space Station: Some projections have it going beyond 2020, and it is international with 15 member nations participating. It's not only the longest-running science experiment on human endurance, it's the best thing we have so far of mutual cooperation, the UN notwithstanding.

Moon Base: This is a possibility, only in the fact the moon has far less gravity than on Earth, therefore it would be easier to launch vehicles into space from here. The caveat is radiation from the sun and far-away sources in the form of cosmic rays and meteors - some really big, and others the size of boulders. A sturdy, 3-D printed domicile for mostly surface sensors would have to be piezoelectric - perhaps a combination of lead zirconate titanate and titanium. The humans could use volcanic caverns underneath that could be made reasonably habitable. Launches from platforms beneath the surface would be just as easy as on the surface with bay doors made of the same previously speculated material.

NASA: The agency and its viability will last as long as we have the vision to fund it. The spin off technologies fuel economies, and if the United States didn't do that, European or Asian countries are more than poised to take the lead in that sphere, and profit from the venture. This will create jobs for their fellow countrymen in an ever-changing employment landscape.

Space Exploration: A lot is made of Exoplanets in the Goldilocks habitable zone, but not much regarding Exomoons: like our own companion, a moon or moons in orbit would stabilize a planet's climate, giving it predictable seasons that are hopefully suitable for us as well. In the movies Interstellar and The Martian, since we can't create artificial gravity like Star Trek, parts of our spacecraft (as each illustrated quite well) will have to rotate, using centrifugal force to create surfaces on a rotating ring, or in a Bernal Sphere in a planet's geosynchronous orbit so we can stand up and bear our own weight. Experiment Example: Take a bucket of water with a wire handle and attach the handle to a rope. Fill it halfway with water and swing it above your head by the rope - I promise as long as you're swinging it, you won't get wet (that will likely happen when and how you stop). This of course, eliminates the great space battles we've come to thrill to in the movies - in light of our aggressive tendencies, I don't think this is a bad idea, really. Part of what we've learned so far is that in a weightless environment, astronauts loose bone density and muscle mass very rapidly. It is also a good thing if you're going to have deep space missions whereby it may take a few lifetimes to get to say, Alpha Centauri. Newton's Third Law of motion is the likely reason despite attractions astronauts in weightless environments have never been as "frisky" as Captain Kirk or Commander Riker. It would be...awkward.

Spaceflight: Voyager leaving our solar system (or, at least the heliosphere of the sun) actually made us officially an interstellar space faring species! I don't think the transition was appreciated much by the media. I know EVERY Trekkie wants to go warp drive! However, we're not even at the level as a species just yet to generate a craft going at 0.10 c (one-tenth the speed of light) that would have us to Alpha Centauri - if it has habitable planets - in about 40 years. Hence the need for using Newton's Third Law to our advantage! This star ship would have to be shielded from cosmic radiation and meteorites (tricks we'd have learned from our Moon Base). Either fission, fusion or a very large solar powered sail would propel our craft. The sail would have to be propelled by lasers or masers we'd bring with us. For those of you that are interested, the 100 Year Star Ship project by former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae C. Jemison may give you vision for at least our great-grandchildren making the journey.
Popular Mechanics - How To Build a Starship

Space Junk: Not a sexy topic, but we've been chucking things to the Clarke Orbit since Sputnik. There's a lot of debris floating above us, and with the right training, the opportunity to employ people and possibly recycle the metals and materials used to build probes that outlive their usefulness and technology. Subset: We have a lot of Earth junk we need to clean up, both physical and atmospheric. I've often said, before we attempt Terraforming another planet, we ought to try Terraforming Earth.

Tribalism: We're in a special time in human history I kind of talked about in Terms of Indifference. This is the basis of our historic and current woes; geopolitics has always balanced on a knife's edge, especially as many of us long for a nostalgic utopia (literally "nowhere place") that never was, fearing constantly what's ahead. Many are resorting to either political fiat or violence to realize their vision on their respective populations using authoritarian means that inevitably restrict the rights of certain groups. The past cannot change, nor is time travel (except in certain relativistic cases) possible, but the future - relentlessly coming - we can plan for. "Failure to plan is planning to fail."

 As things come to light, now briny water on Mars may point to a life form: a closer microscopic analysis of the Martian salt water might have a Tardigrade/Water Bear staring back at us! Such a discovery would change our collective history, our culture, our poetry and literature; our sense of ourselves. Part of being a space faring species would hopefully break down the artificial barriers we've erected separating us from our fellow humans. On a Martian or Moon Base - I've wondered - if you're an Imam conducting prayers: what then would be your reference to Mecca? Or, for any of the various human faiths, a large part of their identity is "where" they began, as then the humans there said: "we are the people of"... As more of us experience the Overview Effect, like our astronauts - a very limited group for now - more of us (I hope) will view the whole Earth as our home; ourselves as Earthlings.
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CV Nation Season 3 Indiegogo campaign

Posted by scott f evans on October 8, 2015 at 9:32pm

What's up fam? CV Nation has been a passion project of mine for the past few years. Producing and growing this show has been my constant focus. I believe in it, it has value and in my humble opinion, shows like ours are necessary. We all know that the best way to move forward is together and co--creator DeWayne Copeland and I have reached a point in the series development where we understand that to take the Nation to that next level, we're going to need your help. So click that link below and come along with us on this journey!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cv-nation-season-three#/

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SOS...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 8, 2015 at 7:03am
Image Source: Support Our Science [1]


Topics: Economy, Education, Science, STEM


A play on the maritime acronym: in this case, it's Support Our Science, though with the tremendous outside pressures to muddy the waters of K-12 with pseudoscience, Save Our Souls is also quite descriptive. Another gem from the Science Channel, and this technically at the commercial breaks, mind you! I plan to help as much as possible, I hope I've inspired you to do the same.
The Science Channel, along with Discovery Communications, recently announced their Support Our Science initiative which seeks to bring innovative science programming and educational tools to get kids interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
(Photo : Lars Plougmann) [2]

Science is everywhere. It’s the DNA for progress and possibility. Support Our Science is committed to igniting students’ passion for science, technology, engineering and math on-air, online, in the classroom and in local communities. Science Channel and Discovery Education, together with partners, The Planetary Society, Girls Inc, and Maker Ed will ensure our kids are the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and game changers.

1. Site: Support Our Science
2. Tech Times:
Science Channel Launches 'Support Our Science' Initiative, Robert Burks

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Moogega...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 7, 2015 at 6:18am
Image Source: LA Weekly (link below)


Topics: African Americans, Diversity, Diversity in Science, HBCU, NASA, Women in Science


If you watch How The Universe Works on the Science Channel (as I'm apt to), you might have caught a glimpse of this young lady doing several monologues in the series. She was pretty easy to find with such a unique spelling (and apropos meaning) of her name. The pronunciation of the same is below, phonetically and brilliantly explained by the article's writer (likely with Moogega's help). She is the picture of the strength of diversity, and the talent Historically Black Colleges and Universities can produce.

Somewhere on Mars, the initials of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, J-P-L, are written in Morse code spanning hundreds of meters across the red planet. It's this kind of detail that thrills JPL scientist Moogega Cooper - especially since JPL, considered NASA's little brother, accomplished this on the sly.

"Initially, for the robotics missions, we had JPL [stamped] on the wheels so that as it rolls along Mars it would tag Mars: JPL, JPL, JPL. And NASA stepped in and said, 'No, you can't do that,'?" Cooper explains. "So JPL said, 'OK, sure, we'll take that off.' And instead they put it in Morse code."

Cooper, named rainbow or "moo-jee-gae" by her Korean mother and raised by her African-American World War II veteran father, is a human comet of beauty, intelligence and creativity. The scientist graduated from high school at 16, and at 24 earned her Ph.D., then launched her NASA career.

Now 28, she is a planetary protection engineer at JPL. A big part of her job is making sure that NASA doesn't contaminate other planets with terrestrial microorganisms or any other Earth life, and vice versa - bacteria from, say, Mars, that could potentially harm humans.

She's currently working on a 2020 Mars mission, which involves drilling core samples from the planet, and contamination prevention during NASA's orbit of Jupiter's icy moon, Europa. "It's so great! We recently saw that there are geysers on the surface of Europa and that means it's much more active than we thought," Cooper says. [1]

Moogega Cooper: You know, I say Pasadena is my hometown but I actually grew up in Beverly, New Jersey until I was 11 when we moved to Hampton, VA. I was pretty sheltered growing up so I spent most of my time playing with my siblings or by myself. I attended college at Hampton University where I majored in Physics and minored in Space, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences. The program was beyond amazing and that is where I learned my first programming language and worked with real NASA satellite data at 16 years of age. I have so many people to thank at Hampton who significantly contributed to where I am today (Including my main mentor, Dr. James Russell III). [2]

1. LA Weekly: Moogega Cooper: The JPL's Space Engineer, Sophia Kercher
2. Madame Moire: College At 16, NASA Career, & Reality TV: Moogega Cooper Is A NERD And PROUD Of It, Lauren DeLisa Coleman

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Finally

Posted by Leah Ashton on October 6, 2015 at 2:29pm

I finally did something about going to school for writing. I am now a student in Full Sail University.  I am enrolled in their Creative writing for entertainment program.

I'm excited. I really think this school will help me develop the talent i already have. I have passed my first two classes. When I pass the first four, they will send me a fully loaded Mac book Pro. it will be loaded with all the software i will need for a career in the entertainment industry.

This means a lot to me so I want to do my best, and grow with this chance. I have always wanted to be an author. I just have to make sure my stories are ones that haven't been told already. That much i think will work. I love the supernatural and anything dealing with it.  I get a lot of flack from my church for some of the things i write about.

See because I am Christian, I'm not supposed to believe in the supernatural. My pastor told me something that made me glad I spoke to him about it. He told me, "How can you believe in Jesus and the miracles he did and not believe in the supernatural?"

with that, he helped me get over my fear of being judged by members in my church. Writing is my god given talent and if I don't try and use it, I just might wake up to find, this gift was taken back.

I know there are a lot of books about witches and wizards, so it might be good for me to write about something else. As long as its supernatural, I will be just fine.

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2015 Nobel Prize in Physics...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 6, 2015 at 5:24am


Topics: Neutrinos, Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize, Physics


The IB Times prediction:

There are no betting lines for the Nobel Prize in physics, but there's plenty of speculation about the award. Many believe, based on perceived patterns of voting, that a cosmology discovery will be awarded the prize. Ben Stein, director of the American Institute of Physics' Inside Science who correctly guessed the 2014 Nobel Prize in physics, believes Vera Rubin and Kent Ford will win for establishing the presence of dark matter.

The actual winners (can't win em all, Ben):

A classic, obviously before the Internet in 1921 (but he had something to do with it):

Presentation Speech by Professor S. Arrhenius, Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, on December 10, 1922*

Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen.

There is probably no physicist living today whose name has become so widely known as that of Albert Einstein. Most discussion centres on his theory of relativity. This pertains essentially to epistemology and has therefore been the subject of lively debate in philosophical circles. It will be no secret that the famous philosopher Bergson in Paris has challenged this theory, while other philosophers have acclaimed it wholeheartedly. The theory in question also has astrophysical implications which are being rigorously examined at the present time.**

NobelPrize.org: Albert Einstein's Nobel Prize Speech
(**Being too remote from Sweden, Professor Einstein could not attend the ceremony)

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Nobel Immigrants...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 5, 2015 at 6:47am
Image Source: Physics World


Topics: Immigration, Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize, Physics


Tomorrow, they'll announce the Nobel Prize in Physics. I have someone I'm always rooting for, he himself the son of immigrants to New York by a few generations at least.

I'm sure "The Donald" crowd will ignore this and its significance. The closest scientists get to anything as poorly descriptive (and political) as "race" is the more accurate continental ancestry, based on genome type and genetic markers. We are all from somewhere else.

Next Tuesday [tomorrow] the Nobel Prize for Physics will be announced at 11:45 CEST and I am making the bold prediction that the winner – or one of the winners – will be an immigrant. Why? Because this year’s Physics World Nobel-prize infographics show that of the 198 people who have won the prize, 51 are immigrants – so I reckon there is a reasonable chance that I will be right.

What do we mean by an immigrant? This is a tough question, especially in science, where people tend to move around a lot and don’t always settle in one place. For the purposes of these infographics, we have used a rather crude definition of an immigrant laureate: someone who died or currently lives in a country other than that of their birth. There is more about how we made the infographics later in this post – but first, what do they tell us?

Physics World:
New infographics show that more than one-quarter of physics Nobel laureates are immigrants
Hamish Johnston

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Fait Accompli...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 3, 2015 at 6:00am
Image source (sigh): here


Topics: Commentary, Fait Accompli, Politics


Thursday night I was at work, numb from the news of yet another shooting. I remember an essay I wrote titled "I'll be famous," a sentiment from the perpetrator of a mall shooting in Utah (apparently, a breakup with his girlfriend sparked it). I repent of blaming mental illness in this and related cases, the go-to knee jerk shtick of every pundit and schlock spouting psycho-babble on flat screens for ratings. I recall the graph I pulled from NASDAQ data on Smith and Wesson (the only publicly traded stock of a weapons manufacturer I could find), and correlated it to an apparent increase in value after every significant, newsworthy shooting. The president's remarks were emotional, genuine and probably a few outlets took him up on his challenge of comparing ten years worth of public shootings to terrorist attacks. My guess is a few affiliates, likely after their statisticians compiled the data, opted not to broadcast it as it went against their stated dogma.

I live in upstate New York, and visited Newtown, Connecticut Christmas Day in 2012 with my family - my wife, my daughter-in-law; my sons to pay our respects. The emotions we encountered were still raw and dour; variations of twenty-six angels erected as we slowly drove or walked through; the flowers and teddy bears fresh. Alex Jones suspected a "false flag operation," which supports he knows little to nothing of the term's origin by his overuse of it to everything of evidence he won't accept. Despite our current naval-gazing and "soul searching," I sadly have come to a dark conclusion:

When twenty children and six educators could be gunned down in their own school and our lawmakers did absolutely NOTHING, it was pretty much a wrap after that!

We...are...nothing...to them.

We are of no importance to elected officials that are behind metal detectors; bomb shelters and have their own armed congressional security - and equally impressive at their progeny's private schools; we are nothing to 47% of legislatures who are themselves millionaires or multimillionaires: how does a body like THAT raise taxes on THEMSELVES? We are especially gnats compared to pachyderms when we cannot write checks in the thousands of dollars to fund their next election to keep their jobs (with taxpayer subsidized health benefits and a really GOOD retirement) for 20, 30, 40, 50 years! In the case of the presidency, both major candidates must raise close to a BILLION dollars for a job that pays $400,000.00. Let that irony sink in.

So, as much as I agree with the president's statements, I am both a rationalist and realist. Like the mythical Chris Kringle, I no longer believe in jolly old elves sliding down chimneys; nor unicorns; Bigfoot; UFOs or Loch Ness Monsters. There are however, monsters, and I'm not talking the "lone wolf"/individual psychopath trooped out to steer the conversation toward a faux angst about "mental health"...it is US.

Like Texas textbooks, we can classify Africans as "workers" as if they willingly boarded the "Good Ship Jesus" to the New World seeking opportunity: the word "slave" or slavery appears at least 21 times in the official articles of secession, just not in these textbooks. We can say "all men are created equal," ignoring 3/5th a person; lynchings, castrations, burning crosses; burning people at stakes (usually after lynchings and castrations); voter suppression, poll taxes and personhood conferred to corporations not by Citizen's United, but the 14th Amendment during Robber Baron days. We can say "remember the Alamo," and forget the entire state that legally CAN'T secede used to be the territory of Mexico. We can dismiss the thousands of Asians that built the railroads for those barons, losing their lives and the Japanese Americans like George Takei's family (Mr. Sulu of Star Trek) interned on suspicion based on their appearance. We can call it "western expansion" and "Manifest Destiny" and completely ignore the indigenous people whose land was taken; populations wiped out, "Trail of Tears" in Oklahoma, and their only compensation thus far has been "reservations." We can bury recent history under a dark carpet - Iraq had no "weapons of mass destruction"; was not affiliated with Al Qaeda, but we invaded it anyway and stayed for longer than WWII, after two tax cuts for the wealthy; an unfunded Medicare Part D, and loosened financial regulations that caused our economy to go into free fall before the 2008 elections. Hell, if we can ignore all that, climate change denial is a snap!

If "corporations are people," then America is a psychopath. It at least explains a lot regarding our current political morass and ineptitude, and maybe that it's always been.

The last paragraph of Tim Kreider's superb essay in The Week, May 29, 2014 brings it home with a punch. I invite you to read it in its entirety:

If we're not going to do anything again, I'd just like to make one request: given that we've all agreed, if only by our passive acquiescence, not to keep this from happening, can we please quit pretending to care? Let's just skip the histrionics this time: no pro forma shock, condolence photo ops, somber speeches, flags at half-mast, meaningless noises from liberals about legislation, meaningless counter-noises from the NRA about armed guards in elementary schools. Why bother going through the motions of soul-searching when we know very well there's nothing to search? If we can't be brave we might at least be honest: when we see the familiar helicopter shots of ambulances outside a school, the clusters of classmates hugging, the sobbing parents being led away, the makeshift shrines of candles and plush toys, instead of looking stricken or covering our mouths or saying "Oh my God" or "How horrible," let's just all look each other in the eye and say: "Shit happens." Jeb cleaned it up.

If that is to be all our fates, let that be our epitaphs without further pretense, or delay!
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The Martian...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on October 2, 2015 at 6:37am
Image Source: Link Below


Topics: Astronaut, Astronomy, Mars, NASA, Science Fiction, Space Exploration


The Martian is a geek's dream: blogging a story, self-publishing it and seeing your creation on the big screen! Kudos to Andy Weir. I look forward to his future creations and success.

Matt Damon has had a few rough days opening his mouth and inserting his foot quite deeply. To prop up his street creds post-Bourne Trilogy, Interstellar and embarrassing serial Tourette's syndrome, he kind of needs this distraction.


Seriously though: Mr. Weir got a lot of help with the science from other experts specializing outside of his area of Computer Science that perused his prose, correcting some plot lines. There are inevitably going to be random conspiracy provocateurs that ties this movie's release to who-knows-what, though I'm sure we'll be impressed by their chutzpah and hubris - the Jade Helm 15 hysteria comes to mind.

For humanity to even try a voyage to Mars, we're going to need [from the Astronomy article] "a surge" of interest beyond our social media distractions. Ironically, the things that are the core of our distractions - integrated circuits - were developed by industry and MIT for NASA to design a new guidance system and reduce rocket payloads. First the explorers are financed by governments; then the entrepreneurs and spin offs follow. This was during the Cold War with the former Soviet Union, so the government in this case was the United States almost exclusively. As we venture forth into the "final frontier," we're going to need to cooperate beyond borders. When Apollo happened - and we actually saw a man on the moon - we started briefly (ever so briefly), seeing ourselves as a species, devoid of imagined boundaries, creeds and nationalities. It was during the sixties, near the end of the Civil Rights era; many of us reeling from the death of Dr. King. As a country; as humanity, we needed such a boost - and still do.

Astronomy: Behind the science of The Martian, Eric Betz
NPR: How 'The Martian' Became A Science Love Story, Geoff Brumfiel

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