On differences of opinion, my favorite philosopher says, "If all the threads in a tapestry were the same size, shape, length, and color, it would be a rug. It's our differences that make humanity the beautiful work of art that it is."

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Saturday, March 23, 2024 - 12:59 pm: Edit

Leonard Susskind on Quantum Gravity Black Holes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqyMVHh10uE

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Saturday, March 23, 2024 - 01:01 pm: Edit

Betelgeuse Is Being Strange Again!

Say its name three times!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2WPVThTklo

By Joseph Jackson (Bonneville) on Saturday, March 23, 2024 - 04:11 pm: Edit

To wax philosophical, and further import my thoughts on science (the 'what' that gives us something to do), and philosophy (the 'why' that gives us something to talk about), may I say this:
Humankind is a one trick pony. Reduced to our simplest component, we are never satisfied. Always we go where we have never gone before. (Hey, that sounds familiar.) When we turn that inward we tend to run-a-muck. When we get over ourselves we tend to achieve great things.
The universe appears to have no end. Every time we look, every time, we see farther, we see more, we see something new.
So there is the universe that never ends, and us, who are never satisfied. Chocolate and peanut butter. We were made for each other.
I beg forgiveness for preachy commentary and letting my brain run wild. I'm going back to my corner now.
Betelgeuse . . .Betelgeuse . . .

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, March 25, 2024 - 03:56 pm: Edit

Analog Black Hole Created in a Lab on Earth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr7kDuzTkU8

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, March 25, 2024 - 09:56 pm: Edit

Astronomers Create the Biggest 3D Map Of the Known Black Holes (Quasars)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHi_DrHXSLY

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, April 08, 2024 - 03:13 pm: Edit

Total Eclipse as seen in Celina Texas at 1:44 p.m.

Total Eclipse 8 April 2024

Because the Sun is at solar maximum, the corona is huge and overwhelmingly bright. It wasn't that dark here even at totality, and only the brightest stars could be seen.

By Nick Blank (Nickgb) on Monday, April 08, 2024 - 05:50 pm: Edit

A few photos of the eclipse from northern Ohio. High thin clouds did not interfere with the view. Saw some impressive solar prominences against the solar corona during totality, really amazing through my scope.

Eclipse Photos

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, April 08, 2024 - 06:59 pm: Edit

Nick, GORGEOUS photos!

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, April 09, 2024 - 08:00 am: Edit

Isn't this how "Heroes" started?

By Nick Blank (Nickgb) on Tuesday, April 09, 2024 - 03:20 pm: Edit

I'm not feeling any superpowers yet...

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 - 07:40 am: Edit

Ability to do fractional math for speed changes in your head.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Wednesday, September 04, 2024 - 10:28 am: Edit

Since I posted here about determinism, I've been thinking a lot about the subject. I can draw no other conclusion than that everything that happens is inevitable and that we have no free will. I see no solution. Causes have causes, and the chain goes all the way back to the beginning of the universe. These were not pleasant thoughts to dwell on, especially when I was feeling a bit depressed in July

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Wednesday, September 04, 2024 - 11:55 am: Edit

@Carl: Take heart. Quantum mechanics proves there is no determinism, because there is true randomness in the Universe. For example, radioactive decay is purely random, even if the probability of decay events may be understood. Indeed, that is the riddle of Schroedinger's cat.

If physical processes are indeed truly random, then the sequence of events since the Big Bang cannot be deterministic. Probabilities might influence the shape of events and their order, but if another Universe were to bloom again with the same laws, then a different result would occur by the time you get to 13.7 or so billion years (the currently estimated age of our Universe).

Now, all that is science. Questions of free will and no free will are beyond positivism.

However, if I venture into metaphysics, then I would say that if there is pure randomness in the universe, there cannot be deterministic fate. By negative inference, there must be free will.

Edit: I have a B.S. in physics and grew up in a household where my dad was an astrophysicist. While others on this BBS are more qualified in science than I, I still have some knowledge about physics and cosmology.

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Wednesday, September 04, 2024 - 05:25 pm: Edit

Ted, given your background, I think you might enjoy my short story "Timelines", if you haven't already read it. (Hopefully you won't be able to pick scientific holes in it.)


Garth L. Getgen

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Thursday, September 05, 2024 - 03:29 am: Edit

Thanks, Ted! You're probably right that the present isn't predetermined from the start, and I shouldn't obsess over causality and free will. Frankly I don't have the theoretical knowledge for that.
However, I still find the concept of causality valuable as a tool for personal growth by fostering empathy for others and helping people reduce guilt and self-blame.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Thursday, September 05, 2024 - 08:47 am: Edit

Carl, check out the far side cartoon for today.
https://www.thefarside.com/2024/09/05

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Thursday, September 05, 2024 - 02:30 pm: Edit

Glad I could help!

Being a man of faith and science, I have thought long and hard about the intersections of the two. I cannot say much here due to BBS rules, but my conclusion is that they compliment, rather than oppose, each other.

Others have different opinions, of course.

@Garth: I shall check it out!

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Friday, September 06, 2024 - 03:48 am: Edit

Mike, heh. Yeah, indeed; One won't find meaning in life through science.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Friday, September 06, 2024 - 08:36 am: Edit

Or alternately you can use science to learn about the wonders the Creator gifted us.

Consider how closely Genesis mirrors the formation of the universe, Earth and life as a metaphor.

From nothing there was light. Then the matter condensed... Even notably there were sea creatures before land dwelling ones.

Pretty amazing actually.

By Mike Dowd (Mike_Dowd) on Friday, September 06, 2024 - 10:28 am: Edit

For some, religion/ faith helps them cope with the vagaries of life -- no matter what "flavour" they choose to follow.

Some (like me) chose to follow science and the scientific method. If I need help with a quandary I am wrestling with, like depression, difficult decisions or coping with loss, I get counselling from secular sources, although I would not hesitate to speak to a priest/ deacon/ minister/ reverent provided that they strip out the faith portion of their approach. I recognize the time and effort that they spent training to become effective counsellors.

I don't begrudge people their choice in what to follow -- I only shake my head when they start following things blindly, without critical thought, and act as mindless zombies because someone in a pulpit told them to hate another, or crusade against an action that it considered a "sin" to their chosen flavour of religion...

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Friday, September 06, 2024 - 11:34 am: Edit

Worked for a while in a warehouse with a couple folks attending Baptist Seminary School and learned a couple interesting things from them.

Would you believe that the translations from Ancient Hebrew to Ancient Greek to Old English to Modern English kinda warped the meanings of some of the terms in the Old Testament?

Weird, but true. This was discovered with the Dead Sea Scrolls, once they were translated directly from Ancient Hebrew to Modern English, what was referred to (in the King James version of the Bible) as six "Days" translated more correctly as six "Cycles" or "Phases."

It's what I was told.

Another curious translation was Adam's "Rib" more correctly translates as "The smallest part that contains the essence of the whole." Modern Israeli scientists use the term from Ancient Hebrew when discussing cloning.

Another thing that they told me, which I have independently confirmed, was that in his classic, "On the Origin of the Species," Charles Darwin referred to his theory of evolution by natural selection as, "The tool by which God created diversity of the animals of the land, sea, and sky."

(I love to throw the last fact out to those people who get furious at the thought of evolution as blasphemy... )

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Friday, September 06, 2024 - 12:27 pm: Edit

Considering the fear early humans had about the world around them, which IMHO lead to the rise of "Leaders", who in turn tried to explain the unknown through Deities, which lead to exploring things more deeply....
Though not formally what we would define as religion, but close enough for me to rate religion as the grandfather/godfather of both Science and Politics....

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Friday, September 06, 2024 - 12:31 pm: Edit

I love these discussions. However, I fear they have already strayed too far into the verboten topic of religion...

Thus, I will say no more. At least here.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Hardcore) on Saturday, September 07, 2024 - 03:26 am: Edit

Mark, yeah literally so. IIRC they needed to learn math to figure out astronomy to make the calendar
and mark the holy days in old Mesopotamia.
I wonder if we would ever got anywhere without that boost.