comment: at time reference 1:17:45 the audience sees CNN reporter John Holliman mentioning the public outrage at spending nearly one-third of a trillion dollars on the machine consortium's plan to build a machine to visit the star Vega. Who would have ever imagined that the current annual defense budget of the USA is well over three quarters of a trillion dollars, standing at 812 billion.

It is a Charlie Rose (via CBS) interview of  Dr. Isaac Asimov.

Watch this video and realize that Asimov was a very-bright-light intellectual in our dark world.

Everything that Asimov warned about 35-years ago were COLLECTIVELY IGNORED.

He was an uber nerd of the first order (I say this as a complement)

It is a Charlie Rose (via his own web site) interview of Dr. Carl Sagan

This might be the last know interview with Carl who died 6-months later in December 1996. He was an uber nerd of the first order (I say this as a complement)

“There are naive questions, tedious questions, ill-phrased questions, questions put after inadequate self-criticism. But every question is a cry to understand the world. There is no such thing as a dumb question.”

Carl Sagan
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

Learn how "a NASA selfie in 1968" and "a moon-landing in 1969" triggered the creation of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in 1970 to protect our air and water.

quote: we journeyed to discover the moon but then we discovered the Earth

Laying the ground-work: Winner of 8 awards, Rachel Carson's 1962 book "Silent Spring" is the history making bestseller that stunned the world with its terrifying revelation about our contaminated planet. No science-fiction nightmare can equal the power of this authentic and chilling portrait of the unseen destroyers which have already begun to change the shape of life as we know it. "Silent Spring" is a devastating attack on human carelessness , greed and irresponsibility. It should be read by every American who does not want it to be the epitaph of a world not very far beyond us in time.”

Carl Sagan (last interview - 1996): https://charlierose.com/videos/9094

recent: I just heard some recent news stating that the US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case, West Virginia v. EPA, challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants (read more about it here). While it is one thing for US politicians to blame the lack of agreements on China and Russia, the whole world knows the US is one presidential election away from a 180-degree flip as Trump did when he exited the Paris Agreement of COP21. On top of that, many Americans are treating the current world-wide climate crisis the same way they treated the COVID-19 crisis. Many will deny the problem exists at all while others will claim changes will violate their personal freedoms.

• Will: It’s not the greatest country in the world, professor. That’s my answer.
• Moderator: You’re saying…
• Will: Yes.
• Moderator: Let’s talk about…
• Will: Fine. [Turns to Sharon] Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paycheck, but he [gestures to Lewis] gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn’t cost money, it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don’t like liberals? Cause they lose. If liberals are so fucking smart, how come they lose so god damn always?
• Sharon: Hey!
• Will: [Turns to Louis] And with a straight face, you’re gonna tell students that America is so star-spangled awesome that we’re the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom. Japan has freedom. The UK. France. Italy. Germany. Spain. Australia… Belgium! has freedom… 207 sovereign states in the world, like 180 of ’em have freedom.
• Moderator: Alright…
• Will: [Looks at Jenny] And, yeah, you… sorority girl. Just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know. One of them is: There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world. We’re 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending – where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies. Now, none of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, but you, nonetheless, are without a doubt a member of the worst period generation period ever period, so when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don’t know what the FUCK you’re talking about!… Yosemite? [Stunned silence]
• Will: … It sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws – for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were and we never beat our chest. We built great, big things, made ungodly technological advanced, explored the universe, cured diseases and we cultivated the world’s greatest artists AND the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn’t belittle it. It didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn’t scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed… by great men, men who were revered. First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.

This includes: stir-sticks, drinking straws, cutlery, soft-drink containers, and shopping bags.

They stated: if something isn't done now, then by 2050 there would be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

Canada announced it will follow Europe's lead and also ban single-use plastics by 2021.

Comments: Most rational people agree that using petroleum (a non-renewable resource) to create single-use plastic products (drinking straws, knives, forks, spoons, coffee cup lids, and cream containers) is wasteful as well as stupid. This is made worse by the fact that less than 9% of all plastic is recycled with the remaining amount going to land fills or, eventually, the ocean. Did you know that those resin identification codes imprinted upon plastic products is almost useless? Numbers "1" and "2" can be easily recycled while numbers "3" through "7" can only be recycled with great difficulty so are usually shipped elsewhere or discarded. So why did those numbers ever get printed? It is all a part of a huge marketing scam to maximize profit - but the misguided souls who made the decision had no idea that their short sighted decision would produce this mess. Now they expect the rest of us to clean it up. Let's start by having the laws changed so that the polluter pays. This generally means "the manufacturer" but until then consumers should just stop buying items vended in plastic.

Continuing...

1. Everyone who has ever been concerned with both good nutrition and exercise will be familiar with powdered protein supplements sold in thick plastic bottles.
   
   Now take a close look at the protein container pictured to the right. This is not a plastic bottle. It is a much lighter, crushable cardboard container employing a thin plastic bag to protect the product inside (too bad they have not yet ditched the plastic lid). Although the protein is from Bodylogix, the container was manufactured by Ecologic Brands. Click here, here and here to learn more.
    
2. Question: What's wrong with these pictures of two competing toothpaste products? Answer: the second product employs more waste plastic in the lid which YOU pay for then discard. Suggestion: always buy the product with the smallest ecological foot print.
   
   Note: I am not taking a jab at any one company or brand here. They ALL sell products in containers with high levels of plastic waste. The plastic waste associated with roll-on deodorants is much worse (where did all the balls float to?)
    
3.  More Insanity: Many people drink multiple cups of coffee each day then throw in several creamers each time without giving it any thought. Now you have really got to think about this one: an inexpensive biologically replaceable resource (cow's milk) is served up in a one-time use plastic made from a non-renewable resource (petroleum). Suggestion: until dairy producers move their product into cardboard containers, we must reduce or eliminate the use of plastic creamers.

 

comments:

1. according to tide gauges by sea-faring nations, sea level increased by 22 cm (~ 9 in) between 1880 and 2004 which equates to 1.77 mm per year. Radar measurements by weather satellites show the new value as 3.3 mm per year which is double; and this rate appears to be increasing. So even if you do not accept the fact that the rate-of-rise is accelerating, sea level is absolutely guaranteed to rise an additional 33 cm (~ 13 in) in the next 100 years but remember that this rise is vertical. Beaches are sloped which means that tide-surges will make things a lot worse much sooner.
2. Ice ages come and go based when CO₂ levels naturally bounce between 180 ppm (ice age) vs. 280 ppm (inter-glacial). But humanity's industrial age has pushed CO₂ levels more than 140 units past 280 which is pushing "the melting of ice" to a totally new place. Had we known this earlier, then none of us would have built large cities so close to the coast. I fear that Venice Italy stands as a symbol for American cities like New York, San Francisco and Miami to only name three of many.

Continued here: New Scientist (2 August 2017)

-- Isaac Asimov (Column in Newsweek, 21 January 1980)

1. Facts are observations
   • the Sun rises in the morning then sets in the evening
2. Hypothesis (hypo-thesis literally means 'below thesis') is a proposed explanation; here are three of many:
   1. the Sun moves around the Earth (jump to step 3a) in circles
   2. the Earth moves around the Sun (jump to step 3b) in circles
   3. all planets, including the Earth, move around the Sun in elliptical orbits (although they all have different elliptical eccentricities)
3. Theory is the result of an experimentally tested Hypothesis; at this point a scientist will write, then publish, a thesis 
   1. experimental test of hypothesis 2a...
      • passes (until the era of precision measurements) so jump to step 4 to build models (mathematical, mechanical, computer-based, etc.)
      • fails during the era of precision measurements (Tycho Brahe) so go back to step 2 to develop hypothesis 2b
   2. experimental test of hypothesis 2b...
      • passes for a time (we have a theoretical understanding of the issue) so jump to step 4
      • fails during the era of evermore precise measurements so jump to hypothesis 2c
4. Law is a detailed mathematical description
   • develop a model to test the hypothesis with greater precision (early physical models were machines; modern models employ computers)
   • many times, a successful theory produces yet-unobserved predictions (eg. Atomic Theory, Quantum, Theory of Gravitation)
   • improved observations (new facts) through newer instrumentation may force us back to step 2 (eg. General Relativity morphs into General Relativity)

• Example 1
  • "S1 immediately engages S2 but fails to pass accurate information to S2 (causing S2 to make an error)"
• Examples 2-5
  • "S1 will answer incorrectly without ever engaging S2"
• Example 6
  • "S1 immediately engages S2; S2 employs a little algebra to compute the answer then notifies S1; S1 doesn't believe S2 so requests S2 to double-check; S2 repeats the solution then notifies S1; S1 still doesn't believe S2 so requests S2 to perform a detailed rationalization of where S1 had gone wrong"
• Example 7
  • "S1 will do a preliminary scan of the facts then will usually give up as soon as it notices one facts is missing; Sometimes S1 will defer to S2 which may dig deeper then make the same mistake; However, sometimes experienced "logicians" or "digital circuit designers" will notice that "since two of three facts were provided" that a possible solution might exist. So those people will reengage S2 to produce the correct answer.

1. This graphical algebra problem employs picture symbols rather than x, y and z. (answer)
   step-1: "Apple = 7"; step-2: "Pear = (7+5) = 12"; step-3: "Three Bananas = (7-1) = 6"; therefore: One Banana = 2; step-4: "2 + 12 + 7 = 21";
2. "All flowers need water. All roses need water. Therefore, all roses are flowers". Is this logically true? (answer)
   S1 usually answers "yes" but this is logcially false as many things require water
3. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? (answer)
   S1 usually answers 10 cents but the correct answer is 5 cents (Proof: bat + ball = 1.10; (ball + 1.00) + ball = 1.10; (2 x ball) + 1.00 = 1.10; 2 x ball = 10; ball = 5)
4. If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? (answer)
   S1 usaully answers 100 but the correct answer is 5
5. A lily is placed in a lake. Every day the lilies doubles in number. If it takes 48 days for the lily patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of it? (answer)
   S1 usually answers 24 but the correct answer is 47
6. Three people check into a hotel room. The clerk says the bill is $30, so each guest pays $10. Later the clerk realizes the bill should only be $25. To rectify this, he gives the bellhop $5 to return to the guests. On the way to the room, the bellhop realizes that he cannot divide the money equally. As the guests didn't know the total of the revised bill, the bellhop decides to just give each guest $1 and keep $2 as a tip for himself. Each guest got $1 back: so now each guest only paid $9; bringing the total paid to $27. The bellhop has $2. And $27 + $2 = $29 so, if the guests originally handed over $30, what happened to the remaining $1? (answer)
   The misdirection in this riddle is at the end of the description, where a bunch of unrelated totals are added together, and the listener assumes these numbers should add to 30 (should be 27 after the 1 dollar refund)
7. Jack is looking at Anne but Anne is looking at George. Jack is married but George is not. Is a married person looking at an unmarried person? Possible answers are: "yes", "no", and "cannot be determined" (answer)
   At first their appears to be insufficient information. But let's assume that Anne is unmarried. In this case the question would be true. Now let's assume that Anne is married. Once again, the question is true. This reducation in the size of logic happens all the time when digital engineers employ "boolean algebra"

A little math proves the current human population is already too large at 8.0 billion (view current). Anything higher (humanity adds 1 billion every 12 years) is certainly out of the question. Why?

Higher temperatures reduce the efficiency of photosynthesis resulting in a loss of agricultural productivity (biologists estimate a 10% drop for every degree increase). This is a shift in the direction of famine, disease (due to compromised immune systems), war (due to food and water shortages), and death. Since photosynthesis is required to replenish atmospheric O₂ (oxygen), then we can expect O₂ to drop as well. So I guess it should be no surprise that...

Atmospheric oxygen levels have been dropping ever since measurements began in 1990. While CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) technologies promise to limit some CO₂ releases, any burning of fuel will continue to consume atmospheric oxygen. So when calculating the optimum human population we also need to include the number of large internal combustion engines. (for now, just think about the number of ocean-going boats, jet airplanes, locomotive engines, and one billion functional automobiles). Now for one additional thought...

Many people mistakenly believe higher CO₂ levels "are good for plants" and "will trigger plant growth" (some people call CO₂ the gas of life). First off, atmospheric CO₂ levels have risen from 315 to 420 ppm (an increase of 33%) ever since direct annual measurement began in 1958 but humanity has not noticed any explosion of plant life to compensate for the increase (if we did, we might not have seen an increase in CO₂ levels). Secondly, this schematic diagram of photosynthesis shows the first stage involves the photolysis of water by sunlight (this is the only place where oxygen is released to the atmosphere). This diagram is proof that sunlight (input 1) and H₂O (input 2) are more important than CO₂ (input 3) but each ingredient is considered a limiting factor to maximum photosynthetic productivity (it goes without saying that there is no release of oxygen on short days, cloudy days, or at night). The majority of plant life acquires water through roots rather than the atmosphere. Higher temperatures will evaporate a greater volume of water into the atmosphere making it bio-unavailable to plants. While more evaporation usually translates into more rain fall, higher temperatures will send it back into the atmosphere sooner.

• When sunlight falls on the light-mill, the vanes turn with the black surfaces apparently being pushed away by the light (is photon momentum being absorbed?)
• In 1901, with a better vacuum pump, Pyotr Lebedev showed that the radiometer only works when there is low pressure gas in the bulb but the vanes stay motionless in a hard vacuum. This is proof that the thermal properties of the low pressure gas are responsible for the motion, not the direct action of photons. Climate-Warming Food-for-thought: too much gas traps too much heat causing the machine to stop working.
• The radiometer can also be made to rotate backwards in a refrigerator.
• Other mistaken explanations for the radiometer: Since the black side of each vane would absorb heat from infrared radiation more than the silver side, then this would cause the rarefied gas to be heated on the black side.  In that case, the obvious explanation is that the pressure of the gas on the darker side increases with its temperature, creating a higher force on the dark side of the vane which thus pushes the rotor around.  Maxwell analyzed this theory carefully and discovered that, in fact, the warmer gas would simply expand in such a way that there would be no net force from this effect, just a steady flow of heat across the vanes.  So this explanation in terms of warm gas is wrong, but even the Encyclopedia Britannica gives this false explanation today.  A variation on this theme is that the motion of the hot molecules on the black side of the vane provide the push.  Again this is not correct, and could only work if the mean free path between molecular collisions were as large as the container, instead of its actual value of typically less than a millimeter.
• The correct solution to the problem was provided qualitatively by Osborne Reynolds in 1879 in a paper to the Royal Society in which he considered what he called "thermal transpiration". To explain the radiometer, therefore, one must focus attention not on the faces of the vanes, but on their edges.  The faster molecules from the warmer side strike the edges obliquely and impart a higher force than the colder molecules.  Again, these are the same thermo-molecular forces responsible for Reynolds' thermal transpiration.  The effect is also known as thermal creep, since it causes gases to creep along a surface that has a temperature gradient.  The net movement of the vane due to the tangential forces around the edges is away from the warmer gas and towards the cooler gas, with the gas passing around the edge in the opposite direction.  The behavior is just as if there were a greater force on the blackened side of the vane (which as Maxwell showed is not the case); but the explanation must be in terms of what happens not at the faces of the vanes, but near their edges.

He was known for his radical views on religion and politics. As a young man, he was banned by his own religious community for his scandalous ideas. He made his living by grinding precision lens for scientists. He died young, at the age of 44, presumably from inhaling glass dust. Spinoza did not believe that God created the heavens and earth per se. For Spinoza, God was equivalent to all of nature. He believed that "false religion" created superstition. A "true religion," on the other hand, was liberating because it allowed freedom of thought. The Europe of 17th century was a place of stifling religious orthodoxies, strife and war. Spinoza believed in freedom of thought and the principle of religious tolerance. Spinoza also had radical ideas about the nature of politics. He believed in democracy. He is credited with helping to shape the revolution in human thought known as The Enlightenment. This program is an introduction to Spinoza's life and thought.

CBC IDEAS host Paul Kennedy explores how Spinoza's thoughts on God, the universe, ethics and politics helped ignite the flame what became known as The Enlightenment.
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/spinoza-1.2913483 Audio: 53:59

• 1776 Common Sense (American Revolution)
• 1791 Rights of Man (French Revolution)
• 1794 The Age of Reason (Enlightenment).
  • Part-1 was written while under arrest in France awaiting the guillotine
  • Part-2 was written in 1796

• Begin the World Over Again: Thomas Paine and the American Founding (lecture)
  • https://vimeo.com/141926959
• To Begin the World Over Again: The Life of Thomas Paine (DVD)
  • http://www.deism.com/thomaspainefilm.htm

• The Enlightenment

• Size differences in two brain structures (the amygdala which is larger in conservatives and the anterior cingulate which is larger in liberals) bias human perspective of the world, especially the political world. Therefore:
• Conservatives tend to see issues as "black and white" while liberals tend to see "shades of gray"
• Conservatives play politics as a team sport so will almost always "vote their party" while Liberals will split their vote choosing alternate parties (now you know how Trump got in)
• Conservatives (larger amygdala) are more fearful of others so are more easily encouraged to vote for POPULIST issues like "building the wall" or BREXIT
• funny point: Britain had the lowest number of Syrian immigrants but apparently the highest political reaction against them
• Since conservatives tend to see issues as black and white, they try (and sometimes succeed) in converting liberals over to their way of voting. It seems to me that the reverse never happens
• Click here to learn more