The Real Source of Global Warming, and How To End It

Everybody knows that friction causes heat. The fractious and hateful attitude of most Americans is the greatest social friction in the world today. So, yes, global warming is real and man-made. The United States is the world’s greatest contributor to global warming because the United States is the world’s biggest cause of social friction.

We have an obligation to the well being of the planet to dampen the global heat we generate by treating each other with tolerance and acceptance. Christians, your own faith teaches that you are all sinners saved by the grace of God. Begin to treat the other sinners who have not yet received that grace with the love and acceptance that Jesus showed to those who approached Him. LGBTQs, quit making an issue out of the fact that someone doesn’t share your exuberance for sexual exploration of the traditional taboos. Agnostics and atheists, quit demeaning people who have faith. Democrats and Republicans, can you please act like grownups?

There is a reason that anger is called hot and love is called cool headedness. The social friction of this flaming society is really warming up the world. Greenhouse gasses are not the cause of the warm up. They only act as a blanket to retain the heat. Solar flares and the proximity of Earth to Sol let more sunlight into the Earth’s atmosphere. But it pales in comparison to the heat of social friction.

We need to be cool. We need to act with love, not hate, toward all the people who come across our path. That is the greatest contribution we can make to the reduction of global warming.

The Cost of Hate

What good is it to hate the way we do in America? Look at what it has cost us. Our political institutions are log-jammed with obstructionist tactics. Our prisons are filled to capacity and beyond, and at least one in ten prisoners are not guilty of the crime for which they’re imprisoned. “Protesters” wreak havoc in our streets. Innocent people are beaten and killed without rational cause. Nations that had once been our close friends are now considering breaking off relations. Neighbors won’t speak to one another. Businesses are boycotted on the flimsiest excuse. Society has come to the brink of civil war. All because we love to hate.

Hate damages the hater more than the hated. When you hate, with or without cause, you diminish your capacity to love even those whom you wish to love. Hate causes the “love muscle” in your soul to bend down like a frown bends your mouth down. Try it, smile at one person while frowning at another. can’t be done. Nor can you truly love anyone if you harbor hate for another.

Democrats hate Republicans. Conservatives hate Liberals. Racists hate those who look different. Citizens hate criminals and illegal aliens. Where is this going to lead us.

In the languages of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, mercy is an inseparable component of justice. Mercy is one expression of love. Did the Eastern Mediterranean people have more love than the Western people? We see the wars and conflicts over tribal and differences taking place in the Middle East and think that hate is the normal way of life for people there. This is not normal. Most Middle Eastern people are loving and willing to get along with their neighbors. The hateful minority has caused the rest to suffer from their expression of hate. Here the hateful are becoming the majority if the media are to be believed. It may be a self fulfilling prophecy.

The primary driver of American hate seems to be the form of media we have developed in the last half century. “How does that make you feel?” is the question asked in every sound bite. As if the real news is the feelings of hate stirred up by the event reported. We eat it up. This is the driving force behind our society’s descent into hate fueled nihilism.

We must change the way we view news and demand our media quit pushing emotions over facts. Like Joe Friday, just give me the facts, ma’am.

Here Comes the Future

NPR news this morning reported on a paralised man in the United States who has regained the use of his right arm through the use of cybernetic technology. This wonderful application of cybernetics didn’t come about in a vacuum. As long ago as the 1950s, science fiction writers have predicted the connection of anatomy and technology. Use of computers without input devices, but by thought, is called “direct neural interface” (DNI) in scifi circles.

Frankly, I am very excited about this opportunity for advancing the state of the art to the fulfillment of science fiction predictions. The dystopian problems are reparable if we work to resist the trends of politics and law that would lead to it. But the technological prospects for improving human life are profound. Imagine a DNI flash drive that backs up your memory to mitigate the loss of dementia. Or a built in internet connection that allows you to check your email or social media in the background of your mind without distracting you from driving. You could even make a VoIP phone call without speaking. Neat!

Science fiction has been a very good prognosticator of human future expansion in technology and science. The huge growth of communications, wireless tech, commercial space exploration, etc., have all been predicted by scifi. Some of it is caused by engineers and scientists who were scifi fans as children. Other advances are simply the product of good foresight on the part of scifi writers who are versed on science and technology. Many science fiction authors have been and still are scientists and engineers. The most famous past author of scifi, Robert Anson Heinlein, was a Naval Engineer from the 1920s to the 1940s, before he ever became famous for his scifi work.

Ironically, the technology is secondary in science fiction. The entire genre is based on human interactions and the story is about the people. The technology is actually just the setting. We owe a debt of gratitude to these authors who have spent so much thought on window dressing.

The research into cybernetic prostheses is worthy of support by everyone. If you are looking for a tax break, find a foundation or other charity that supports this kind of work and make a tax deductible donation.

Pan-fried Oatmeal for Breakfast

I like to experiment in the kitchen, and make up recipes as I go along. Sometimes I come up with a recipe that deserves to be shared. Until now I had no voice to let people know my inventions. If you like the idea of me sharing my recipes, leave a comment on the blog to that effect. This morning’s breakfast menu for Ol’ Fuzzy is four strips of bacon cooked in the microwave oven (this provides the fat for the nest item.), Steve’s pan-fried oatmeal, one apple and one banana. The pan-fried oatmeal is so simple and easy to clean up afterward that I eat it the day after I eat pourage every time. It does require long enough preparation to freeze the oatmeal to be fried.

Ingredients: One portion of oatmeal pourage, frozen; oil or fat enough to coat the pan; cinnamon; syrup or other favorite topping.

Preparation: Cook oatmeal pourage as for serving (I usually cook two servings, eat one and prepare the other for frying.). In a soft plastic dish with a cover (mine is a square Ziploc brand of Tupperware analog leftover saver.) pour a serving of pourage so that it is no more than ¾ inch thick. (I pour mine so that it is about half an inch. If it comes out thicker, it doesn’t properly thaw in the pan.) Freeze hard.

Cooking: Heat pan with just enough fat or oil enough to cover the bottom of the pan, just as if cooking pancakes. (This is important because if it is too thick, the oatmeal soaks up the fat, and if it doesn’t coat the pan, the oatmeal will stick.) Place frozen pourage in pan and cover with a splash screen or lid. Turn every two minutes until both sides are crispy and brown while center is thawed and hot. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and serve with favorite pancake toppings.

Cleanup: One pan, one plate, one plastic dish with cover, fork, spatula, and splatters off the range top.

And that is it. It is a tasty and healthy whole grain breakfast dish (so long as you don’t use too much fat!) that is quick and easy to cook. Try it for yourself.

Human Migration and Racism

I have ancestors from five of the seven continents on Earth. So I have always been fascinated by the history and prehistory of migration of humans all over the Earth. I realize there has never been such a thing as a pure race of humans. We have mixed with each other, and in Europe at the least, with Neanderthals. Therefore, I am proud to be a product of the American melting pot, where all these migrations have come together. There seems to be three primary starting places for all these migrations: the Great rift valley in Africa, the Tibetan Plateau, and the valley of Mesopotamia.

Europeans tend to originate from all three, but the various tribes that became European nations were conditioned to a colder, lower sunlight existence than the people who stayed in Africa and the Middle East.

So far as the anthropologists can discern, the people who settled the Americas came from the Tibetan Plateau and crossed from Siberia to Alaska. There is also evidence of migrations across the oceans from Africa, China, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. North America has always been a collection point for the various migrations of tribes and clans. New comers would start out keeping to themselves for a few short generations, then become absorbed into the going predominant culture of the land. Phoenicians, Norsemen, pre-Celtic Irish, Moorish monastics fleeing persecution from Roman or Muslim conquerors, anthropologists have found evidence of all of these.

So I am really confused at the attitude of these people who would make a case for “racial purity.” To be the most pure of human race a person would have to be able to trace ancestry to all of the human “races.” Most of us are a mix of three or four “races,” even in the most isolated communities. When people have urged me to take sides in a racist conflict over the years, my response has been, “Which side of me should I take?”

I don’t identify with any of the common racial labels. The government has always classed me as “white” or “Caucasian.” I always want to check the “other” box on government documents, but it causes such a stink when I do that a acquiess to being labeled “white.” When I faced legal problems in a racist city each wanted to condemn me for being too much of the other. I don’t want to be one of them.

Since the racial labels are all questionable and arbitrary, I propose we dump them. I have met humans who resembled elves in superficial ways, yet I have never met an elf. I have met humans who had congenital dwarfism, yet I have never met a Tolkenesque dwarf. I have met humans who resembled the anthropologists’ description of a Neanderthal man, yet I have never met an orc. I have seen Vulcans and Romulans on television and in movies, but not in real life. Face it, there’s only one race of people on Earth, and you are all my family. And I love you, cousins.

Attractions of Franklin, NC

I live in a town along the Appalatian Trail. We get hikers from spring to autumn, who stop in for a short break in their trek from Alabama to Maine. The beauty of this valley is breathtaking any time of year. But there is a special season in the autumn when people come to view the changing of the leaves. When you visit these hills, go slow. Take time to simply sit and gaze at the beauty of God’s creation.

The only thing more beautiful than the view from my front stoop is the love and cheer of the local people. Those who live here, whether native or transplant, are generally open, honest and friendly. The few who are not tend to stay out of the way or fake it in public. In all the places I have been, and I have been all around the world, I have never ween such a concentration of genuinely nice people as I have in Franklin, North Carolina.

The local music scene is also quite eclectic, with concerts by bluegrass, classical, country, gospel, pop, hip hop, and jazz groups on a regular basis. There may be other forms of music that I have missed here in town. But music of all sorts is an integral part of life in these Smokie Mountains.

We also boast a large number of restaraunts throughout the county. We have restaurants that specialize in local fare, and cousin from all over the world. Whatever it is you have a hankering for, we can feed you in Franklin.

If you want to shop, there are many small stores that sell local crafts, outdoor gear, clothing, tools, and just about everything you would imagine. We also boast some big-box stores like WalMart, K-Mart, etc. If you want to buy something not generally made here it can usually be found in one of those.

One of the biggest attractions in this county is the corundum gems that are just lying around to be found. Within the folds of the mountains in these parts are vast deposits of corundum, the mineral that makes up the gems ruby and sapphire. There are many placer claims where visitors may buy a bucket of sand from the creek and sein it in a trough to wash out small particles. It is then easy to find gems among the other stones, some of which have great value.

I recommend for everyone to visit our little piece of paradise. We’ll welcome you like family and miss you when you go. Y’all come and stay a spell.

The Big Bang and Before

I want to speculate on the conditions at the moment of creation. Physicists have been doing this for most of a century. According to the most common theory that has been made public, these scientist speculate (They cannot measure and observe the first moment, so all they can do is extrpolate, intrapolate and speculate based on current conditions.) that all that is was merely a potential and then in a single, dimentionless point, everyting suddenly became. But what was there before the becoming? That is a question that cannot be answered by science. Before the moment of becoming, the extrapolation, intrapolation and speculation based on current conditions breaks down. So metaphysics has to take over. The philosophy of metaphysics is tasked with answering the same questions as science, yet metaphysics is not constrained by the empirical method.

How do you use philosophy to answer the question of the conditions before the beginning of everything we know? Logic and rhetoric play the primary role in philosophy. Assumptions from which the metaphysicist begins his or her mental exploration are usually what dictate the outcome. In the exercise tonight, I start with the assumptions that, first there is a creator, second principles that pervade creation were importaint in creation, and third mystical experiences can give insight into what came before creation.

In our universe, objects are both matter and energy at the same time. The subatomic building blocks of atoms act as both particles and standing waves. That surprised the physicists who first explored these particles. They also discovered that when these particles were not being observed, there was no way to predict their state. But when the scientists measured the particles, they acted exactly the way the experiment expected, even if it directly contradicted results of other validated experiments. This behavior can give a clue to the mechanism of creation. But the conditions before can only be worked out from the principles displayed. Nothing existed before the moment of the big bang. But the potential fot everything was everywhere, although there was no there there. The potential for everything existed undefined. Then the Creator expected existance, measured what would be, and it was. So is there this potential in each point of existance? I believe it to be so. The existance of what is has its being in the measurment of the Creator. Saint Paul said, “In Him we live and move and exist.”

Can our expectation make this potential become something out of nothing as the Creator did? Yes and no. Yes, we have consciousness and particles respond to our expectations. No, we can’t hope to compete against the expectation of the Creator to uncreate His work. But if we work in concert with Him, our expectation will bear fruit.

So before the Big Bang, there was nothing, no space, no time, no matter or energy. But there was the infinite potential of all things in every point.

A New Relativity

Listening to NPR this morning, I heard an interview with an internationally renowned physicist named Carlo Rivelli, describing the modern understanding of reality. He has written a book on physics that borders on the spiritual. The border between science and spirituality is thinning. This is a good thing when we try to understand the reality of the things we cannot measure.

The meat of the current understanding is that we perceive the universe not in terms of things but of relationships between things. Even down into the quantum level this proves true that objects are not defined by their intrinsic existence but by their relation to the objects around them. People have had this existence defined by our relationships as long as we have written our history and philosophy down for future generations to see.

Interraction of people, interraction of particles, interraction of forces, interraction ad infinatum all defines what is real and what is not. Time is the memory and expectation of interraction. Space is the degree of interraction between points. All of the universe is a grand relationship. That’s infinitely cool.

I urge everyone to read Seven Lessons on Physics, by Carlo Rivelli, and give me a book report. I would read it for myself had I a copy. I could find a sermon in this.

World Shaping Impact

What would the Earth be like if the crustal plates didn’t shift around and bump against each other? There is evidence that the Earth, like Mars, has been slammed by a massive object that passed through the core of the planet. Only the Earth is larger than Mars, and the object was smaller. The result is Iceland, the Atlantic ocean, continental drift and a renewing of the crust of the Earth over time.

Could life as we know it have come to exist on Earth without Tectonics? There is debate on the subject among some geologists. The mountains and the shape of the continents are all created by these tectonic plates bouncing against each other violently and with force. Volcanoes and Earthquakes would not exist. The rocks on the surface of the Earth would all be the same age, as old as the planet itself. Hawaii and the Emperor Seamounts would not exist, nor would the deep ocean trenches or the mountain ranges. Earth would be a relatively flat and uniform place with shallow seas and rolling plains.

This impact nearly split the planet! That it did not is fortunate for us. Look at the hapless Mars and you will wee what could have become of Earth. It’s something to ponder when we consider the “Goldilocks” world we live on. That is, the one world in our known universe where all conditions are “just right” for us to live. It should also make us willing to keep everything on this world “just right” for life as we know it.

Making Humans At Home on Mars

There are many things essential for human life to thrive that must be present on Mars to make it like home for colonists. First, you have to have breathable air with enough pressure to maintain the human body’s physical integrity. The average human can hold his breath for only three minutes. Second, you need water that is clean and free of dangerous bacteria. The average human can live for three days without water. Third, you need shelter. Depending upon environmental conditions, the average human can go for hours to a lifetime without shelter. But we must assume the conditions on Mars will require shelter at the short end of that spectrum. Fourth, you need food. The average human can go for six to ten days without food before suffering harm to internal organs. Fifth, you need company. The average human suffers severe psychological distress after only twenty-four hours of isolation from other humans.

We can assume any colony mission will bring with it as much of each of these needs as can fit in the spaceship. What can’t be brought is an atmosphere that will support human life without carrying supplemental oxygen and wearing a pressure suit. But an atmosphere can be generated on Mars to support a human colony. We only need to overcome the conditions that have stripped Mars of its atmosphere in the first place.

If enough air was released on Mars to give it and atmosphere of 50% of the Earth’s at sea level, it would be blasted away in the Solar wind. The reason Earth doesn’t suffer this fate even though it is so much closer to the sun and the Solar wind is so much stronger here than on Mars, is that Earth has a strong magnetic field protecting it from the charged particles blowing out of the sun at a high force. The Van Allen radiation belts are made up of these particles caught in the Earth’s magnetic field. The aurora, both borealis and austrialis, are the particles leaking into the atmosphere at the magnetic poles.

Why doesn’t Mars have a magnetic field like the Earth? There is evidence in Martian rocks that a magnetic field once existed on Mars. But looking at the planet, anyone can see that one hemisphere of crust was blasted off and the core leaked onto the opposite surface at Olympus Mons. Scientists speculate that a comet struck Mars in the prehistoric past, and did the damage. When the object passed through the core of Mars, the molten core was solidified, and the magnetic generator shut down.

So in order to keep any atmosphere we generate on Mars, we need to establish a magnetic field around the planet strong enough to protect the nascent atmosphere from the Solar wind. We could build a superconducting coil about the equator of the planet, generating a magnetic field by brute force. This method would be prohibitively expensive in both construction and operational costs. Or we could melt the Marsian core to allow a natural magnetic generator to be reestablished.

The easiest way to do that is to set a number of piles of fissile materials around the planet and let them melt their way into the core. In the power generating industry that is called China Syndrome. We could “kill two birds with the same stone” by using terrestrial nuclear wastes from our own power plants. That way the waste is not polluting Earth and is will be shielded from irradiating the Marsian surface by the bulk of the planet.

I have not calculated the amount of heat necessary to melt enough Marsian core to generate a field strong enough to protect the atmosphere. I don’t have the math. But there are enough planetologists around that can do that job. I’m just throwing out ideas anyway. What do you think?

Welcome to My Hearth

Hello folks.  Pull that seat over here and park by the fire.  I want to muse about the various ideas and interests that cross my scattered mind.  I hope you'll give me feedback, in the way of comments on the page, on the things we talk about around the fire.  It's not a formal counsel, but everyone will get his or her say nonetheless.
Did anyone hear about the NASA probe at Jupiter?  They're letting the public suggest where to point the camera to view interesting spots (pun intended) on the biggest planet in our Solar System.  That's neat.  Any takers?  Go to the NASA web page and look it up.
Things are moving pretty quickly in space today.  There are many private companies launching spacecraft, and not just for governments.  There's a hotel being built by Bigelow Aerospace, sort of an orbital Budget Suites.  Musk has his Dragon rockets and lots of competition too.  There's even a consortium for mining asteroids.
When I was a child, I read lots of science fiction.  The writers of the 1950s through the 1980s all predicted there would be space habitats and colonies on the moon and Mars by now.  It may not have already happened, but it's coming soon.  Frankly I'm excited by the advance of private space exploration.  I feel it may be the best thing to happen to Earth if humans all went up there.  What do you think?