Royal Institution

Nothing much to say of late. I have written about quite a few things but not published them, don't know why. Perhaps it's because I have many other things going on at the moment (too many other worries).

I am in the process of becoming a member of the Royal Institution, which should be good - promotes science and the use of thinking.

Demon haunted world

I have just started reading this book (sub-title : science as a candle in the dark). All I can say is if you have ever wondered why science works, read this. It does not pretend that science has all the answers, but it does explain why it is our best option for reasoned enlightenment.

Why Carl Sagan never became more highly regarded outside the world of science is beyond my comprehension.


As an aside to this point I am doing my bit for charity by joining the mobro initiative, whereby you grow a mo (moustache) during November and use it to raise funds.

This year

I know that we are not at the end of the year yet but I'd like to share one of my highlights.

It was seeing Kristine Opolais playing the role of ciao ciao san in the Royal Opera rendition of Madame Butterfly in July. Although the whole opera was good but not great, Kristine's performance was spell binding and I feel privileged to have seen it. In fact it's something that will probably stay with me for life.

In case you are not familiar have a listen to this

Books of note

Just a quick mention of two books I really want to get:

The Demon-haunted World:Science As a candle in the Dark

Pale Blue Dot: a Vision of the Human Future in Space

Both are by Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan, the Cosmos and what's wrong with us.

Before I really get into this topic I must point out that I have discussed some of these topics before.

Over the last few weeks I have watched the wonderful “COSMOS’ series, something I remember seeing in 1980/1981. The series has brought to my mind several issues relating to the series, my own personal thoughts and to other issues from Carl Sagan from various sources. Here I've included a link to youtube showing part of the series, where Carl explains the 4th dimension

First up there’s the wonder of all the beauty of the cosmos, especially the pictures of the  night-sky. I don’t understand how people cannot be moved when they see images of the stars and galaxies, or why people are not intrigued to know what lies out there. One of my first memories is watching the first moon landing and ever since I have always looked at the moon and wondered what it would be like to stand on another world. That moment in human history inspires me and makes me believe that if humanity really wanted, we could leave our Earth behind.

Something that ties in with the wonder and beauty is a video based on time lapsed photography taken from a mountain top in Spain. I really cannot find the words to express how this makes me feel, instead all I can suggest is that you take a look yourself here ...

One of the views that comes over in the Cosmos and was something Carl was especially pleased to promote was the need to examine concepts using scientific principles with a sceptical mind. (see earlier blog entries). It seems that Carl believed in the power of testing ideas and following the evidence, where-ever that may lead. 

One of the things I picked up was how many scientific concepts and ideas were around many thousands of years ago but were lost or suppressed by religion and mysticism. Just think if some of these ideas were allowed to flourish all those years ago we as a species may have been out in the stars long ago. Why is it that humans cling strongly to superstition and religious doctrine when there’s no evidence for these things and common sense suggests they are ridiculous. The problem is that many of these things are still prevalent in many nations of the world - an example of this is a recent survey which suggests that the majority of nations have given up fighting anthropogenic climate change (many believing humanity is not responsible because they distrust science), instead preferring to let climate change happen and deal with the consequences.

Another concept that came through often was “if mankind survives”. When looking at the probability of life other than on earth, one think that is discussed is that on many worlds life may have arisen and even reached a state of high technology, but that it is likely that few technologically advanced life forms avoid destroying themselves (could this be us). I often have doubts that we as a species will avoid this pitfall as I see very little in my daily life that fills me with confidence (based on human greed and the me culture that has developed). Carl however seemed to believe that humanity could, given the right motivation, reach out and become more than we are now - what potential. Is there anything as disappointing as potential unfulfilled, this is why the tragic death of any child is so much more disturbing (for me).

I thought I had written about this before but it seems not. Recently while lying on my back in the grass in Northumberland I was looking up at the sky and dreaming of a flight to new worlds. Slowly my mind wandered to life other than on Earth and I began to think about how tragic it would be if humans are the only “intelligent” life in this Universe, especially if we do manage to destroy ourselves and this planet.

Finally you really need to watch this video from Carl Sagan reading part of his book “little blue dot”. Any body who watches this and doesn’t believe that we, as humans, are all in it together and need to sort out our differences, are probably part of the problem. Loosing our religion and superstitions would probably help - in my view.

On a purely personal note this video  shows why Andy Irons surfed. (For those who do not know Andy died this year) It also resonates with me because I have to say that I feel exactly the same as I am always a better person when I have surfed, and it brings me peace, helping me with my own personal demons

Alone, Us?

The New scientist of 7th May 2011 had several interesting articles ranging from a guide to humanities search for alien life to how light can effect our health and a consideration of the limits of knowledge.

The search for alien life looked at the methods we use to find planets that have the potential to support life, but the thing I found most interesting followed the detail and was covered by the headline “Are we Unique?” The question was considered by Caleb Scharf (Director of Columbia Astrobiology centre in New York). The stand out thought here was that although it may seem inevitable, it could be that we are an extreme rarity “a Goldilocks event in time, space and the roulette wheel of evolutionary history”.

Personally I believe that although the odds of life existing elsewhere are fairly high (see details page of blog for more on this), we are in fact that extreme rarity. Now although that’s my belief, I also believe that the discovery of life elsewhere  could be the “kick up the backside” mankind needs to make us realise we are one species not many disparate groups. It could be what we need to really see the best of mankind. There should be a deal more about this to follow when I get onto Carl Sagan.

The limits of knowledge article is worth a read if you can get access to the New Scientist, putting forward several interesting points. 

The article that really caught my eye was how light can have a major impact on our lives, especially sleep patterns and health. As some-one who suffers from sleep problems it gave an interesting insight into how we require different intensities of light during the day and light of different wave lengths at night. It seems that all our light pollution can be having serious effects for us all. There were also some useful tips about light and achieving a good nights sleep (see details page).

Change of Use

Here’s something interesting from The New scientist 4th June 2011 written by MacGregor Campbell that shows how some ideas in one field of science can be adapted and used by others. 

It looks at how ideas related to the creation of invisibility cloaks has been applied to the more practical use of shielding coastlines from destructive waves. The idea for wave protection has come from semiconductor physics and meta-materials, the technology behind the invisibility cloaks. The application could lead to a zone in front of vulnerable coastlines where waves of certain frequencies will not be able to reach, with the added bonus of energy production.

The system works by using an array of offshore tubes. By adjusting the size of the cylinders, the size of slits within each cylinder and the spaces between them water can be made to flow in and out of the columns at a frequency to stop incoming waves. By using hollow cylinders and a float inside the peaks and troughs of each passing wave could be used to generate electricity.