The Modern Scientist

There is a change in the way we view the world and science.  We are shifting away from the wars of yesterday and tomorrow and looking to the wonder and amazement of the world we live in.  I have heard so many groups and people talking about the need for change within society to get away from our petty differences and begin exploring the frontiers we have opened.

This is, however, a vision, not a fact.

Wednesday I drove to the University of Indianapolis to see a lecture given by the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.  Dr. Tyson is the fifth director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, and is the host of the reboot series Cosmos.

His lecture was entitled This Just in: Latest Discoveries in the Universe and covered topics like the moon in eclipse, why Pluto isn't considered a planet anymore (get over it), and the world's focus on science.

His lecture was a roller coaster of fact, fun, and somber truth.  But it wasn't filled with facts or data or high amounts of questioning.  Instead, it was like we were in a bar, and he was talking to us about the universe.

I watched Dr. Tyson and saw that he had a finger on the pulse of the universe, and he recognized that today, that pulse is us.  The most astonishing fact to him (and now me) is that we ARE a manifestation of the universe.  We are a concoction of star dust that combined to make elements.  Elements that make life, and the possibility for that life to understand its origins, its path from the beginning of known time (4.8 BILLION YEARS) to now.  We have the power to recognize things that can kill us, make us happy, and put us in touch with the natural world.

And the amazing part of his lecture is that Dr. Tyson can just talk about it.  He does it to capture the interest of science, to unlock the secrets.  and not to find answers, but to find more secrets and recognize who we really are.

On Pluto, he stands by the designation of a dwarf planet.  He helped put it in such a designation, so blame him.

For the moon, he criticized the media, how it considers cosmological events to be "rare" and, in some cases, "signs of the apocalypse."  Of course, for him, he knows all these things.  He has his own planetarium.

He talked how there is plotting for the number of asteroids large enough to eliminate all life on the planet.  And there are pages of them that at any time can hit us.  Think of the one that just detonated above Siberia.  It was 40 meters in diameter, and traveled at 40,000 miles per hour.  when it hit the Earth's atmosphere, it stopped.  Like a car hitting a wall.  The explosion was equivalent to 500 megatons of TNT.  The nuclear bomb over Hiroshima was only 20 megatons.  And the asteroid detonated with such force it broke windows around the towns it detonated.

He talked comets.  The Rosetta probe, launched earlier this year, caught up to a comet and is soon going to place a probe on the surface of it.  Comets are little more than ice balls and dust hurtling through space, so putting a probe on the surface of one is extremely delicate and awesome.  Tyson also discussed how a comet shouldn't mess with the sun.  The sun wins every time.

I admire Neil deGrasse Tyson because he speaks with such passion about these things.  I want to harness that emotion when I talk, feel the passion through me when I present my case to the world.  Another part I admire about Neil is how he talks to people.  He talks to everyone exactly the same.  What you see is what you get, no matter who you are or what age you may be.  I watched him last night explain (highly sarcastically) to a teenager why he tries not to reflect his opinion on matters.  He wants to express fact when he has a debate.

He showed us a picture someone took of him making waffles one morning.  Then later, someone used Photoshop to make it look like he was creating the Earth.


Original                                                              Photoshop

Looks great too.  But in my opinion, I see Dr. Tyson not creating the Earth, but adding the knowledge of the cosmos to the Earth.

Plus it looks good on a van.



Until next time.

Watching "The Judge"

Its hard to see Robert Downey, Jr., in any other role besides the billionaire Tony Stark.  But he did it -anyway, playing a quick witted Chicago defense lawyer in The Judge.

Its hard to criticize him in the role he was given.  The film is rated R, and Downey is allowed more reign than any Marvel movie would allow.  He unravels his character in bits of rage, sorrow, and fun, leaving you rooting for him at every turn in the story.

The Judge, at its heart, is a family movie.  Downey comes back to his backwater, hometown roots of southern Indiana, where his father is the the judge.  And his father is a brilliant Robert Duvall.  Downey comes back to see his two brothers, a younger one who is autistic, and an older one who is trying to be everyone's rock.  he only plans to be in the town for a short time for his mother's funeral.  But he gets called back to defend his father, who is being charged with murder.

That is all I want to give away in the story, due to how new the movie is.  But a captivating performance is given by the entire cast.  Robert Duvall really steals the show at points, being hard on his sons and trying to uphold the righteousness of the law.  He gives real insight to what it could be like living as a respected person in the community, and Downey as his opposite only adds to the great pair.

What was great about the movie was all the actors got to be multi-faced.  They were allowed different emotions and stories that interacted on the main plot intricately and artfully.  I really haven't seen such a great courtroom scene since To Kill a Mockingbird.

Until next time.

And we're moving...

So unfortunately today was a stretch for me to write about something.  I am fresh out of ideas, and since I am not exactly a newsroom, I don't think much has changed since our last meeting (chuckle).

Wednesday nights I have a philosophy class, entitled Bioethics.  It is a course which "teaches" (you'll understand later) how to be a professional in your job.  This course mostly focuses on the healthcare field, determining what is and is not good for the patient.

I am not exactly in the healthcare field.  I was my freshman year, but now I want to pursue a career in environmental law.

I took the course because I needed a final philosophy course, and I didn't want to take a course on a specific Gospel or religion.  Plus I am going to be a professional.  So why not?

My professor is a doctor (M.D.) and a Jesuit at the local VA hospital.  And the course isn't exactly the best teacher.  Or the way the course is laid out is the problem.  I have only learned that as a professional, I cannot take advantage of clients, as well as be ethical in the way I approach a client's work.  Those are the only tenants I have learned thus far, with multiple philosophers to tell me their opinions of ethics in healthcare.

So besides that, we had guest speakers my last class.  They were supporters of the United Federation of Nations.  Now, I understand that many of you are either going "Where are you going with that?" or "Star Trek Federation?"  This is actually a movement to make the United Nations more powerful and  a real governing body of the world (like Star Trek...).

So why am I bringing this up?  Because I liked the option of having a complete world governing body.  The proposition basis this world order on a checks and balances system.  Countries gain representation to the system through a mixture of wealth, size and population.  All of the countries will resolve problems and conflicts in the world legislation, and make sure that countries uphold a standard of human rights for all.  Trade and corporations will be accountable to the world, not individual states.

So most of what I said above are the beliefs of the group.  And I think that having a world governing body will help resolve issues that are in the world today.  I take the issues that the Ukraine is having as an example.  The United nations actually told Russia that they couldn't take Crimea.  Or they just asked if Putin stayed out.  Either way, a world federation would put their foot down on whether Russia laid claim to that territory or not.  Also, It would be nice to see that companies with stakes in countries outside of their home territories to avoid certain laws that would "constrain" their business.

If you have any questions about this movement, comment below with questions or your own opinions.

Until next time.

NHL Kicks Off!

I am really excited, like Christmas morning excited.

Its hockey season America!!!

(Crickets)

Okay, maybe everyone is too busy watching the sixth week of football to care that the real cold-weather sport has started again.  Or maybe it is the playoffs in baseball.

I don't see an excuse anywhere in there for missing the heart-stopping, hard-hitting action of the NHL.  The season kicked off Wednesday, and Thursday my favorite team, the Chicago Blackhawks started off right with a win in Dallas against the Stars.  The Hawks beat the Stars 3-2 after overtime and a penalty shootout.

The Blackhawks have been my local team to root for most of my life.  The offense (usually) plays with speed and quick passing, while the defense has some hard hits to deliver as well.  The only wish I have for the Chicago team is that they pick up a big defender.  Like some guy who is out there just to bee big and annoying to the other team's forwards.  As an aside, I miss Dustin Byfuglienn.

But I like hockey because of how fast it is played.  teams skating up and down the rink, battling for possession of the puck.  A goal can come at any time and can make anyone the hero of the game.  Physical play is encouraged, and referees have a good sense of the game's pace.  Hockey does not usually make you wait between plays, and the action is so constant I don't feel like I am watching commercials the entire game (FOOTBALL).  And there are now 81 games left in the regular season before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin!

Speaking of sports, I seem to be in the middle of my prime sports-watching season.  English premier league soccer started last month, and Manchester United is working on rebuilding after a disastrous last season.  So far, there have been more wins, and a better mood about the Red Devils side, but the season is going on to be less spectacular.  Injuries have kept some key players off the pitch, and new signings are still feeling their way into their method of a new coach.  But the season goes until May, so there is a lot of room left for improvement.

Let me know what your favorite soccer or hockey teams are below.

Until next time.