If it were not for very many many factors about Earth and the Solar System, we would not exist. I have heard time and time again that this is a valid argument as to why god is real (1st question). However, this logic is very much flawed.
The Earth is situated in the Solar System in what is called the "Goldilocks Zone." If we were very much closer or further from the sun, life could not exist due to the extreme temperatures. We would have either been burnt up like Mercury or frozen like Mars.
The Moon is also a very important aspect as to why life exists. Long ago during the formation of the planets, a planet sized object smashed into the Earth causing excessive debris to fall off the Earth and into orbit. The debris would eventually, because of the affects of gravity in space, clump together and form the moon. If we did not have the moon then we would not have such powerful tides to stir up the minerals and organic molecules in the oceans. Without the moon, life may not have thrived as well as it has.
Jupiter: if it did not exist, we would have been bombarded with thousands of asteroids from the outer rims of the solar system. Jupiter's gravity is so powerful that it acts as a sort of bodyguard for the small inner planets like Earth. Anything that gets in too close is eventually sucked up by Jupiter, thus saving our sorry asses from annihilation.
Anyways...the point is there are many things that contribute to us existing. However, the only thing this PROVES is that we exist and that's what it takes for us to exist. It in no way whatsoever implies the need for a creator. You may say it is coincidence, but I say it's probability. There are trillions of stars, many with a multitude of planets. The probability is actually fairly good that another planet will have all of the same benefits that the Earth does for life survival. If these people looked into astronomy a little better rather than jumping to conclusions, they would understand what they were talking about and maybe not further delude poor questioning minds.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
If I were to build a spaceship...
I like watching science tv shows as well as sci fi and both tend to discuss the problems and necessities of space travel. The main issues are creating a living condition similar to that of Earth (i.e. gravity, atmosphere, etc.) I'd like to take some time to explain the concepts behind solving these problems and exactly what is necessary in building a spaceship.
First of all, one of my favorites, the usage of artificial gravity through centrifugal force. When you put a spin on something it creates g-forces, such as those carnival rides that spin really fast and make you stick to the walls while also forcing your stomach contents upwards. If you put one of those spinning carnival rides in space, then you would be able to walk on the walls almost exactly as you would walk normally on Earth. The reason they don't work that way on Earth is because of the added gravity that already exists from Earth. However, in space, you don't have that gravity.
Honestly, when I watch or read something about NASA's difficulties with the 'space adaptation syndrome,' I always wonder why they don't immediately start experimenting with artificial gravity. It would certainly solve many health issues.
Second, there is no atmosphere in space to protect us from deadly radiation. The Earth protects us from this deadly radiation with its atmosphere and magnetic field. If you've ever seen the 'Northern Lights', they are a good example of proving this radiation's power. I believe in a spaceship, we would need to create our own artificial magnetic field. I'm certainly no scientist and I haven't heard much research being done into this issue, so I'll just use this paragraph to promote some people to START WORKING ON IT, please. I assume you would just need some pretty powerful magnets and some kind of electromagnet layout throughout the ship.
Third, there's the issue of thrust. The rocket boosters we're currently using to get off the planet are very inefficient for long distance traveling. Japan is currently working on a project called Ikaros which is essentially a giant solar wind sail boat powered by the sun's 'wind.' This method seems fairly cheap to build and simple in nature but I'm not so certain about it's maneuverability or speed. There's also ion engines but they are still being worked on in labs and I'm not certain they can be put to any practical uses anytime soon. I suspect that our future spaceships will most likely have several different forms of thrust. Perhaps we would use sails to build up speed and set sail for long voyages and then when we arrive at our destination we would use some combination of ion or rocket engines.
Fourth, there's the issue of resources such as food, water, and oxygen. If we were to build a spaceship and take it on very long voyages to far off planets, then we would need to restock every so often by mining and collecting water and other materials from planets/asteroids and we would need a very efficient method of recycling everything we use. I'm sure with our similar future issues right here on Earth related to this matter, that we will perfect our recycling habits and technologies so I'm not incredibly worried about this issue. This problem is not only important for future space flight, but for our own home world. There will most certainly be plenty of people working on it, I'm sure.
Fifth, there's the issue of shielding. The tiniest of rocks in space can cause enormous damage to a ship. Everything is usually going much faster in space, so a tiny pebble going several hundred miles per hour can be an issue. We're currently working on materials much stronger than steel that should do the trick. One of these materials that I know of is carbon nanotubes. They are essentially carbon molecules wrapped into a cylindrical shape, creating a very tight and tough structure. As the technology for developing these nanotubes develops, we should be able to mass produce the material and create the necessary amount to cover our ships.
And that's just about it. There's probably some other various minor problems that face the engineers working on these things, but these are the five biggest issues to overcome first and it seems, so far, we have solutions. It's only a matter of time until soon we will be going 'to infinity and beyond.'
First of all, one of my favorites, the usage of artificial gravity through centrifugal force. When you put a spin on something it creates g-forces, such as those carnival rides that spin really fast and make you stick to the walls while also forcing your stomach contents upwards. If you put one of those spinning carnival rides in space, then you would be able to walk on the walls almost exactly as you would walk normally on Earth. The reason they don't work that way on Earth is because of the added gravity that already exists from Earth. However, in space, you don't have that gravity.
Honestly, when I watch or read something about NASA's difficulties with the 'space adaptation syndrome,' I always wonder why they don't immediately start experimenting with artificial gravity. It would certainly solve many health issues.
Second, there is no atmosphere in space to protect us from deadly radiation. The Earth protects us from this deadly radiation with its atmosphere and magnetic field. If you've ever seen the 'Northern Lights', they are a good example of proving this radiation's power. I believe in a spaceship, we would need to create our own artificial magnetic field. I'm certainly no scientist and I haven't heard much research being done into this issue, so I'll just use this paragraph to promote some people to START WORKING ON IT, please. I assume you would just need some pretty powerful magnets and some kind of electromagnet layout throughout the ship.
Third, there's the issue of thrust. The rocket boosters we're currently using to get off the planet are very inefficient for long distance traveling. Japan is currently working on a project called Ikaros which is essentially a giant solar wind sail boat powered by the sun's 'wind.' This method seems fairly cheap to build and simple in nature but I'm not so certain about it's maneuverability or speed. There's also ion engines but they are still being worked on in labs and I'm not certain they can be put to any practical uses anytime soon. I suspect that our future spaceships will most likely have several different forms of thrust. Perhaps we would use sails to build up speed and set sail for long voyages and then when we arrive at our destination we would use some combination of ion or rocket engines.
Fourth, there's the issue of resources such as food, water, and oxygen. If we were to build a spaceship and take it on very long voyages to far off planets, then we would need to restock every so often by mining and collecting water and other materials from planets/asteroids and we would need a very efficient method of recycling everything we use. I'm sure with our similar future issues right here on Earth related to this matter, that we will perfect our recycling habits and technologies so I'm not incredibly worried about this issue. This problem is not only important for future space flight, but for our own home world. There will most certainly be plenty of people working on it, I'm sure.
Fifth, there's the issue of shielding. The tiniest of rocks in space can cause enormous damage to a ship. Everything is usually going much faster in space, so a tiny pebble going several hundred miles per hour can be an issue. We're currently working on materials much stronger than steel that should do the trick. One of these materials that I know of is carbon nanotubes. They are essentially carbon molecules wrapped into a cylindrical shape, creating a very tight and tough structure. As the technology for developing these nanotubes develops, we should be able to mass produce the material and create the necessary amount to cover our ships.
And that's just about it. There's probably some other various minor problems that face the engineers working on these things, but these are the five biggest issues to overcome first and it seems, so far, we have solutions. It's only a matter of time until soon we will be going 'to infinity and beyond.'
Thursday, May 20, 2010
We Have Created Life.
Scientists create artificial life in laboratory
We've really done it. We have done what only our imagined gods could do, create life. Possibly one of the most ancient of science fiction possibilities, the creation of life, and we've done it. This holds practical purposes for our situation today of course, but what I'm most impressed with is the fact of it. With this artificial life, we have real substantial proof that the creation of life is a scientific endeavor and not one of religions.
The only thing we really need to prove at this point is how to create life using only natural processes. I believe there was an experiment done in the past proving you could create very basic building blocks for life, but a completely new life form has not been done yet. This artificial life should help us in understanding how life is made and hopefully within the next few years we will create a life form through natural processes. When that day comes, I hope religious institutions finally die out.
We've really done it. We have done what only our imagined gods could do, create life. Possibly one of the most ancient of science fiction possibilities, the creation of life, and we've done it. This holds practical purposes for our situation today of course, but what I'm most impressed with is the fact of it. With this artificial life, we have real substantial proof that the creation of life is a scientific endeavor and not one of religions.
The only thing we really need to prove at this point is how to create life using only natural processes. I believe there was an experiment done in the past proving you could create very basic building blocks for life, but a completely new life form has not been done yet. This artificial life should help us in understanding how life is made and hopefully within the next few years we will create a life form through natural processes. When that day comes, I hope religious institutions finally die out.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Stupid
My opinion of everyone besides myself and a select few that have proven themselves to me is pretty much the same. That is...everyone is mildly retarded. I'm not sure if I even feel sorry or bad for calling everyone retarded either. I mean, you deserve it...maybe you'll learn from it. Most likely you won't but it can't hurt to try at least one more time.
Society tries to make it seem like it's okay to be kind of dumb as if it makes you a 'special person' literally speaking and the suggested kind. Imagine you're in grade school and you say something stupid in front of class and your fellow classmates start to giggle. Should the teacher tell the class to stop giggling and that it's rude? I think not. How else would you learn not to say stupid things the next time around (i.e. learn something) and then know when to mock others for being stupid. Being made fun of is a sort of teaching method. There could probably be some kind of scientific experiment I could come up with to test this but I don't have the resources for that...but if YOU could, be my guest :) Unless they've already tested it, then I guess nevermind. Okay, I'm starting to ramble so that raps up this post. Peace!
Edit:
One more thought...I wonder if it can be proven that the ones picked on and teased the most in school end up as the most intelligent.
Society tries to make it seem like it's okay to be kind of dumb as if it makes you a 'special person' literally speaking and the suggested kind. Imagine you're in grade school and you say something stupid in front of class and your fellow classmates start to giggle. Should the teacher tell the class to stop giggling and that it's rude? I think not. How else would you learn not to say stupid things the next time around (i.e. learn something) and then know when to mock others for being stupid. Being made fun of is a sort of teaching method. There could probably be some kind of scientific experiment I could come up with to test this but I don't have the resources for that...but if YOU could, be my guest :) Unless they've already tested it, then I guess nevermind. Okay, I'm starting to ramble so that raps up this post. Peace!
Edit:
One more thought...I wonder if it can be proven that the ones picked on and teased the most in school end up as the most intelligent.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Discrimination
America has gone through quite a lot in terms of discrimination and equal rights. However, it's not quite there yet. I suppose it is fairly recent that women and African American's were allowed to vote, but to me it seems so pathetic that it's taking us so long and we're still not even there yet.
"Treat others as you would like to be treated." It's the most basic moral principle and yet no body knows what it means or how important it is. We're still in the process of developing our society and ever so slowly the progressive types have improved conditions for many people throughout this country. However, there's always people (usually conservatives/republicans/whatever-you-want-to-call-yourselves) that discriminate.
Well you know what? I disapprove of YOU. How would you feel if I just shouted constantly that you should leave my country and that you don't belong here because this country belongs to "better" people than you. Think about the result of your actions from the other perspective. If you've ever said a hateful comment about a certain stereotype then you should honestly be ashamed of yourself.
We still have discrimination issues with race, gender, religion (or lack-of), sexuality, age, national origin, etc.
Women still don't make as much money in the workplace as men.
African Americans may receive "extra" attention in gaining jobs but that's just as discriminatory.
There has never been an atheist president and very few in any political office.
The debate continues over whether Homosexuals 'deserve' the right to be married.
Everyone should already know not to discriminate, but somehow, I fear, the discrimination may be increasing. And if it continues, then I hope I have enough time to pack up and get of this country before it blows up in your faces.
"Treat others as you would like to be treated." It's the most basic moral principle and yet no body knows what it means or how important it is. We're still in the process of developing our society and ever so slowly the progressive types have improved conditions for many people throughout this country. However, there's always people (usually conservatives/republicans/whatever-you-want-to-call-yourselves) that discriminate.
Well you know what? I disapprove of YOU. How would you feel if I just shouted constantly that you should leave my country and that you don't belong here because this country belongs to "better" people than you. Think about the result of your actions from the other perspective. If you've ever said a hateful comment about a certain stereotype then you should honestly be ashamed of yourself.
We still have discrimination issues with race, gender, religion (or lack-of), sexuality, age, national origin, etc.
Women still don't make as much money in the workplace as men.
African Americans may receive "extra" attention in gaining jobs but that's just as discriminatory.
There has never been an atheist president and very few in any political office.
The debate continues over whether Homosexuals 'deserve' the right to be married.
Everyone should already know not to discriminate, but somehow, I fear, the discrimination may be increasing. And if it continues, then I hope I have enough time to pack up and get of this country before it blows up in your faces.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Modern Evolution on the Human Race
I'm somewhat afraid that our species is damned to return to the dark ages. In our modern world, it is possible for the dumbest and most parent-incapable people to have many children and survive for quite awhile, as shown in the movie Idiocracy:
Our society has grown so powerful with the help of technology that the basic survival needs are covered fairly well for everyone, even homeless schizophrenics, so the idea of what drives most evolution (the strongest/most capable will survive) no longer applies. What drives it now is who can pump out the most babies and get more of your DNA out there. From what we've experienced, poorer, less intelligible, less capable families are the ones that have the most children. Thus, the future of our species is essentially these lower class individuals.
I'm not trying to be discriminatory towards all lower class people. Although, I think that's what it sounds like anyways. The fact is, lower class is lower class. The advancement of society and technology does not depend on lower class. It depends on the smartest and greatest people.
Perhaps in the future our species will be split between those that are intelligent and control things, and those that aren't and make the most babies. If it does end up this way, then I hope the smart ones at least perfect cloning technology or an artificial womb. Otherwise, we're all doomed. :(
Our society has grown so powerful with the help of technology that the basic survival needs are covered fairly well for everyone, even homeless schizophrenics, so the idea of what drives most evolution (the strongest/most capable will survive) no longer applies. What drives it now is who can pump out the most babies and get more of your DNA out there. From what we've experienced, poorer, less intelligible, less capable families are the ones that have the most children. Thus, the future of our species is essentially these lower class individuals.
I'm not trying to be discriminatory towards all lower class people. Although, I think that's what it sounds like anyways. The fact is, lower class is lower class. The advancement of society and technology does not depend on lower class. It depends on the smartest and greatest people.
Perhaps in the future our species will be split between those that are intelligent and control things, and those that aren't and make the most babies. If it does end up this way, then I hope the smart ones at least perfect cloning technology or an artificial womb. Otherwise, we're all doomed. :(
Monday, May 3, 2010
Why I disagree with Steven Hawking - Aliens
If you've noticed, there's a new show on Discovery called "Into the Universe with Steven Hawking." In one of the episodes Hawking discusses his opinion on alien lifeforms in the universe and if intelligent aliens were to visit Earth.
Hawking believes that the aliens to visit Earth would only be interested in our planet/sun for it's resources and most likely will declare war on us. The only way, he thinks, aliens would travel great distances is in vast armies of ships, traveling from planet to planet, collecting whatever resources and sucking it dry.
Steven Hawking is certainly a smart guy, but I don't buy it. An armada of ships traveling great distances does not seem very logical to me.
1.) It would take a lot more resources to supply than a single ship.
2.) It is possible to create artificial world-ships. If you've played Halo then you know what I'm talking about. If you put a spin on something in space, you can create a sort of artificial gravity, which would allow you to do just about anything we can do from Earth. Which would make the need to suck a planet dry, unnecessary.
3.) I find it unlikely that the only determinable source of energy for vast space travels would be a star. Yes, stars are powerful, but what's even more power is making your own star. With fusion reactor technology being worked on right now on Earth, I think aliens should be able to develop and perfect the technology. It would essentially be the same as creating your own star. Remember Dr. Oc's power generator thing in Spider Man 2? That's essentially what I'm talking about.
4.) We've noticed how societies develop through evolution. By being nice to your neighbor and helping them out, you both survive a little better than you would going it alone. So, why not do the same for intergalactic societies? By working together with humans, the aliens could learn about our world and the possible microscopic dangers that might affect them (as in War of the Worlds) if they were to visit. We could teach each other the things we've discovered about the universe and conquer it, as well as possible multiverse travel. The benefits of working together seem to be greater than war.
In my opinion, Hawking is stuck with the idea that aliens would be somewhat like us today. Since the birth of this country we've been in war after war with seemingly no end. Perhaps other life forms would do the same, but I'd think by the time they're exploring the universe, they will have finally learned the basics of moral behavior (unlike our poor species). I'm sorry Mr. Hawking, but I think SETI should keep at it a little longer.
Hawking believes that the aliens to visit Earth would only be interested in our planet/sun for it's resources and most likely will declare war on us. The only way, he thinks, aliens would travel great distances is in vast armies of ships, traveling from planet to planet, collecting whatever resources and sucking it dry.
Steven Hawking is certainly a smart guy, but I don't buy it. An armada of ships traveling great distances does not seem very logical to me.
1.) It would take a lot more resources to supply than a single ship.
2.) It is possible to create artificial world-ships. If you've played Halo then you know what I'm talking about. If you put a spin on something in space, you can create a sort of artificial gravity, which would allow you to do just about anything we can do from Earth. Which would make the need to suck a planet dry, unnecessary.
3.) I find it unlikely that the only determinable source of energy for vast space travels would be a star. Yes, stars are powerful, but what's even more power is making your own star. With fusion reactor technology being worked on right now on Earth, I think aliens should be able to develop and perfect the technology. It would essentially be the same as creating your own star. Remember Dr. Oc's power generator thing in Spider Man 2? That's essentially what I'm talking about.
4.) We've noticed how societies develop through evolution. By being nice to your neighbor and helping them out, you both survive a little better than you would going it alone. So, why not do the same for intergalactic societies? By working together with humans, the aliens could learn about our world and the possible microscopic dangers that might affect them (as in War of the Worlds) if they were to visit. We could teach each other the things we've discovered about the universe and conquer it, as well as possible multiverse travel. The benefits of working together seem to be greater than war.
In my opinion, Hawking is stuck with the idea that aliens would be somewhat like us today. Since the birth of this country we've been in war after war with seemingly no end. Perhaps other life forms would do the same, but I'd think by the time they're exploring the universe, they will have finally learned the basics of moral behavior (unlike our poor species). I'm sorry Mr. Hawking, but I think SETI should keep at it a little longer.
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