Faith in we trust

Of course u might walk away.

You can't win.

May the Fourth be with you

As a sign of nerds ever increasing power in society, we now have the mainstream acknowledgment of May 4th as "Star Wars Day", due to the pun "May the 4th be with you". Haha, right?

So, add it to your calendars, folks. Picard Day is coming up in June, and Sagan Day is in November.

Any other nerd days of note? I'm sure I'm missing some.

Shells

Let me drop some more perspective on you. Here's our old friend, the Oort Cloud. Picture billions upon billions of icy little comets tumbling around in a vast sphere, such that our entire solar system is enshrouded in a cloud of ice. A shell, like the electron shell.

It's big - extending almost a light year in all directions from the Sun. And then as you see, far closer in, is another sphere, or shell, of icy bodies, but also rocky bodies too - like Pluto. The Kuiper Belt, another shell - also like the electron shell.

So again picture this from far away in space, looking towards the Sun. First a giant cloud of white ice, floating lazily in a vast sphere. And another sphere of ice and rock far within that, and then tucked inside that shell are planets, and a star.

Every star with planets probably has something similar. And so now look up into the dark sky and picture every star you see as a white egg of ice shells, within beats the bright nucleus of a galactic atom. Together these atoms join with vast clouds of gas to create galaxies, and galaxies join other galaxies strung along in necklaces of dark matter, grouping in vast clouds of millions of galaxies, stretching.... forever?

Is a shell forever?

Satellite Photographers

Earth and the Moon as pictured by Voyager 1 back in the 70's. Beautiful, haunting, evoking a wonder and loneliness that is life. And the artist is a historical explorer. Yay culture!

Earth and Moon as seen by the Mars Global Surveyor, a craft currently snapping lovely pics on assignment at Mars. MGS is the foremost auteur in Red Planet Studios.

Earth and Moon as seen by the Juno space probe, launched last Summer for a mission to Jupiter. Currently, Juno is getting ready to swing by Earth for the last time, obtaining a huge sling shot of gravity assisted speed which will scoot it on the way to Jupiter in 2016. Prospects there are rated "ridiculously good". The moons of Jupiter in all their glories!

Speaking of Moons - Saturn's got a lot of them. But, see that bright dot in the upper right, between the rings? That's no Moon. Magnified in the inset, hey, it's Earth! As snapped by a contender for greatest space artist of all time, Cassini, currently orbiting around Saturn making fantastic discoveries.

All thematic riffs on the PBD, of course, but why wouldn't you love this shot? Only a handful of photographers ever get the opportunity, and it certainly is a lesson in perspective.

Beyond the Pale Blue Dot

Click for big if you can't read the text. Wise words, and it puts things in perspective. A True perspective, but then you'll find that the objective, absolute Truth often does not matter, but instead what does is our subjective truths. Or even our lies.

Send your mind out into space - past Neptune, past Pluto, past Sirius, past Orion, past Andromeda, keep going out billions of light years, and there are more stars, more galaxies, more planets, but keep going, it never ends - space stretching out to infinity in all directions, and here we are, simultaneously at the center of everything and just another speck in the cosmic infinities. This is all Truth, and in this Truth the value of a single life is insignificant. In fact, the value of our planet, our solar system, our star, is utterly insignificant in comparison to the scale of our Universe, and perhaps even the Multiverse. But then there's this:

Caroline Previdi, age 6 when she died yesterday at the hands of a truly sick individual with guns. And you think of the terror and the horror she must have experienced in her last moments, and all the ensuing horror for her parents, her family, her friends, and all the other people affected by the events in Newtown, CT yesterday. And it's all very significant, isn't it?

Will this horror change anything here on planet Earth, in the country of America? I sure hope so. Today it seems like it might. But I've grown cynical enough over the past... 20 years... that I'm pessimistic.

I spend a lot of time (too much) in the "trenches", so to speak, of Right Wing thought. Let me summarize them for you: No matter how bad you think they are, they're worse then you know, maybe even worse then you can imagine. After being shocked then thinking I cannot be shocked any more, I was once again shocked yesterday reading their reactions to this tragedy. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that in our subjective little insignificant reality, there's real people, real issues, and real evil out there who don't give a fuck. And you can't use mental illness as an excuse for these people. For the leadership of the NRA, for example. For the Republican party, for example. These people are actually evil - in our subjective state - and unfortunately we often live, and die, at their whims. In their quest for nothing more than money.

A sad day, a sad world. And yet one we can make better. If we try. Will we?

NEEERRRRDDDSSS!!!

And so, lo! As prophesied in the thoughtful teen comedy "Revenge of the Nerds", the nerds have had their revenge.

Money was all it took. A few million and whammo! Even the geekiest nerd is swimming in babes. And as stated many times before, it's always about the babes. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, has fluctuated from 21.2 BILLION dollars to today's 4.5 BILLION. Tough losses, but still enough money to buy all your bases and then some. Meh on the babe part though - hope he's got a good pre-nup.

Anywho, money. It's the lingua franca of power in today's age of police states (meaning, the police will arrest you if you kill someone - probably!). Many, many years ago, there was no police, and the means of power were physical - kill or be killed. Kill to eat, or die. Fists, rocks, fire hardened wooden spears, the list goes on. But for the majority of our existence, power was a direct, literal thing. You had it, or you didn't, and if you didn't you could die at any time. Now though, we live in far more abstract reality. Sure, war is the expression of physical power, but it's scaled way up, a different beast entirely. Money is by far the more persuasive and omnipresent tool for the expression of power. Keeps your hands soft.

Which leads to, of course, the Rise of the Nerds. Money brings power, power brings the babes, babes lead to success over generations. And so we go from this

Sincere, and probably scorned. To

Ironic, and the toast of the Internet. Get him a million bucks and he'll have a 6 foot Finnish model girlfriend.

You'll note the key here is getting a million or more dollars. Otherwise, nerd, you're on your own, and that rarely works out.

However, if for some strange and weird reason you're NOT in it for the money, then, we could all do worse than follow these wise words

Give not a fuck except for the truth and the well being of not just all humanity, but all life, yay, all of existence. Did ya know Mr. Sagan was a regular user of marijuana? It's true. Also, he commanded the awesome powers of the turtleneck like no other, before or after. Proof in a museum

Kinda looks like Starfleet uniforms circa TNG, yes? Sagan was a visionary.

Sagan Day 2012

Happy Sagan Day! 2012 as a Mayan Apocalypse means nothing, by the way. Let's get that out of the way immediately.  But I will still use it for humorous effect.

Turning more Vulcan by the year.

Carl took ZERO bullshit. That was his thing - see, that's the thing with science. No bullshit. Ever, for any reason, at any time, ever. Antithetical to the very enterprise. Whereas Religion is clearly built on lies. Consider that, Godlings.

The proof is always in the pudding.

Also:  Not a College Republican, though everyone from the 50's looks the part.

Pioneer, our immortality

Say hello to the piece of art - the poem, the story, the epic of us - that will last the longest of any piece of art. In fact, it's likely to last far longer than humanity itself. The Pioneer Plaque, conceived and implemented by Carl Sagan and Frank Drake (of the famous Drake Equation:

It looks wicked complicated, doesn't it? But it's not really - look it up. This is not the place for equations!).

Anyways, look:

The plaque is made of solid gold, and was mounted on the inside of Pioneer's legs, in order to protect it from the solar wind and space dust. For reals - it's abrasive! Anything is, really, over millions of years.

There's the story, by the way. Designed to relay as much information about humanity and Earth as possible in such a small space. Also to note - the size of the spacecraft on the right is proportional to the size of the naked humans.

Imagine! Can you imagine NASA trying to send an image of naked people to space today? Ah, how we've progressed. Anywho:

Mr. Sagan with the actual plaque, in front of Boston City Hall, beautiful monstrosity that it is. I used to smoke cigarettes to the way back right there, and I've previously posted this picture:

This wondrous display of FREEDOM! takes place on the right of City Hall above, and that's the Old State Building at the end of this corridor, which, hilariously, was the scene of the BOSTON MASSACRE, featuring the wonderfully named Crispus Attucks - the first "martyr" of the Revolution. Ironic, right?

Anyways, now that I type this all up - nicely, I think :) - I realize I might have done a similar post many, many years ago. And while I certainly strive not to repeat any pictures, ever, unless for effect, in this case, what the heck! Behold the glory that is dialectic free association. Man.

Sagan Day '11

Carl Sagan was born today in 1934, and I'll try and note it till the end of my days, for he was a great man, with many great things to say to all of humanity. I hope a thousand years hence the world still knows of the Carl. Above is Carl and son Nick.

Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return. And we can. Because the cosmos is also within us. We're made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself. - Carl Sagan

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. - Carl Sagan

I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking.
The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides. - Carl Sagan

Sagan Rules!

Sex Trek 2: Star Sexier

So - apparently - this Star Trek porn homage is taking off. Here's a cast pic from one of the latest. Pretty impressive, actually. I haven't seen the "movie", so I can't speak to that.

It's funny they chose The Next Generation because it's without a doubt the least sexy Trek. The Original Series is clearly the sexiest.

Hey! That's Olivia Munn, beloved of nerds everywhere. But truly, the original fashions rocked:

That's right, ladies - it's a working retro tricorder! Ready to be scanned?

TNG and DS9 were both unsexy, as was Voyager when it started. But then ratings sagged, the network execs stepped in, and we got 7 of 9. The same crew that brought us the sexiest Borg ever also gave us the super-extreme amped to the max sexy Enterprise!

Even though it was the future, it wasn't the super future, so in order to remain free of alien bacteria and space germs, anyone returning from a planet would have to lather up in the Decon Chamber. Preferably, hot chicks and dudes and a dog. Imagine the creative team behind Enterprise creating this "set" - "OK, we got to show more T&A, and we don't have a holodeck. What to do... what to do... DECON!"

Enterprise was a transparent attempt to "Sex up" Trek after the supposed blandness of TNG through 1/2 Voyager. It failed, equally transparently. But that won't stop those slick Hollywood execs from trying to make the next Trek sexier still.

To be fair, at times, few and far between, Enterprise had some cool moments. Check out this segue!

No doubt pandering to nerds like me, but I can't begrudge any mainstream reference to Sagan.

Happy Sagan Day!

A proto-nerd, born long before nerds even dreamed of being cool (thanks dotcom!).

In his full glory as 70's Galactic Guru.

An apple pie recipe and inside nerd joke. Do you know it? You should! Being a nerd is awesome!


Because knowledge is awesome - knowing how to do things IS important. Knowledge IS power. Alas! In our redneck, Palinized, 21st century America, learnin' is for Liebrul elites. And that attitude is certainly not good for any culture.


Buck the trend! Stand for truth and apple pie! 

If you're looking for a genuine role model and inspiration, give Carl Sagan a try. If you value reason, common sense, and wonder, all mixed up with knowledge, you won't be disappointed.

a poem eternal

Here's good old Carl holding what will most likely be one of the longest lasting artifacts of humanity. This plaque was attached to the spaceship Pioneer, currently heading towards the star Aldeberan. We lost contact with the tiny ambassador in 2003, and so now she's destined to silently float forever, unless there's an incredible stroke of bad luck (like .0001% chance). We're talking hundreds of millions of years, flying black out into the deep darkness.


As an example of what makes Carl the man, he and some fellows put together this plaque made of pure gold, which tells a little story about mankind. Here:

It is of course highly, highly unlikely (like a .0000001% chance) that anyone(thing?) will ever read this - that would assume aliens, our some futuristic, peace loving human explorers of the far distant future. But does that matter? It's a wonderful expression of the human spirit, of awe and wonder, dedication and curiosity. It's what makes us human.

For all our toil and grandeur here and in the days to come, it's far more likely all life will be wiped out on Earth than anything will ever happen to this plaque. All kinds of bad things could happen easily enough and, poof! All gone. But this golden plaque is safe as the safest house you ever knew. And thus, a poem eternal, floating in empty space, waiting for SOMEONE! to show up to the reading, forever...

Also, Boston City Hall - pretty futuristic on the outside. You'll be dissuaded of the notion, however, if you are ever unfortunate enough to visit an office inside.

Pixels in the Solar Wind

When I officially establish my new Religion (so close!) Carl Sagan will be one of the patron saints. In fact, this effort is largely inspired by the passion Sagan displayed towards all things science. It IS possible to maintain a sense of wonder, even of the mystical, while adhering rigorously to the Scientific principle. I mean, quite simply, if a Black Hole is not enough to convince you of the miraculous nature of our reality, what will? O right, some fairy tale about a stolen God... Boring!

Anyways, the quote above sums up much of my thoughts on the always interesting subject of "perspective". This picture was taken in large part because Sagan pushed for it, convincing otherwise skeptical NASA administrators it would be worth it. So, as Voyager 1 streamed well past Uranus (hehehe!), they turned the spaceship around and pointed it back at Earth - the pale blue dot above.

Here's some recent homages:

  Click for big - Earth and the Moon as seen from Mercury

 Earth, as seen from Saturn - we're in the upper right, magnified in the upper left.


This is a more complicated phenomena than it might appear on the surface. To wit, Religion placed Mankind as the center of the Universe - God made us in HIS image! But since science has come on the scene, our "place" in the Universe has been constantly demoted. From the Earth no longer being at the center of the Solar System (Copernicus) to the discovery of other Galaxies, the discovery of other planets, and so on, all the way to the Darwinian concept of Evolution - which states we're monkeys!

So, on the one hand, we realize we are just dust motes in the grand scheme of things. It might be depressing, but it's the truth. In fact, from this perspective, you can do away with any objective, external sense of "worth", and instead accept the Existentialist viewpoint: In a reality of no meaning, the only meaning that can exist is the meaning you create.

OR! You can deny it all, and live in a fantasy created by men over the years designed to enslave you, in the name of God - God has a plan for YOU, child.


The choice seems simple to me. I realize this is not the case with many others. What to do about it, however?


New Religion!

God Enough

If you think about the creation of the sun, fusion, the creation of the earth, the creation of life, molecular chemistry, biology, etc, etc..... we have all the wonder, all the mystery we'd ever need to satisfy that metaphysical itch which keeps the various sham religions of this world in business.


Worship the wonder of our existence. It's a miracle, really, and proof enough that God loves us, each and every one.

When Dalai met Carl

And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

No but seriously, this is why the Dalai Lama in specific, and Buddhism in general, is mostly cool, and when The Mighty Lord Emperor Redshirt rises up and takes over this World, swiftly banning most religions, I think Buddhism will make the Do Not Cut List (DNCL), at least for a while. So you got that goin' for you, Buddhism.

No, wait, seriously. I kid, but that's all in good fun. But the Dalai Lama is really cool, and the Chinese are foolish not to deal with him. Here's a snippet from Carl Sagan's book "The Demon Haunted World":

In theological discussion with religious leaders, I often ask what their response would be if a central tenet of their faith were disproved by science. When I put this question to the Dalai Lama, he unhesitatingly replied as no conservative or fundamentalist religious leaders do: in such a case, he said, Tibetan Buddhism would have to change. Even, I asked, if it's a really central tenet, like (I searched for an example) reincarnation?
Even then, he answered.
However, he added with a twinkle, it's going to be hard to disprove reincarnation.
Plainly, the Dalai Lama is right. Religious doctrine that is insulated from disproof has little reason to worry about the advance of science. The grand idea, common to many faiths, of a Creator of the Universe is one such doctrine - difficult alike to demonstrate or dismiss.

So while Buddhism definitely operates as a Religion in many ways, with some of the negatives that comes with - I suppose (don't know really, as I have about zero experience with formalized Buddhist Religion and am assuming that any formal institution of men will have corruption within it), this attitude - dare I say it's scientific - is refreshing and healthy. Couple that with a consistent and good moral system lacking hypocrisy, and a lack of actual Gods (Big G) (gods [small g] in Hinduism and Buddhism are openly acknowledged for their symbolic values and abstractness, or so I have read), and I think this is close to as good as a "religious" system can get.

Personally, I would fuse a Sagan inspired Cosmology with the more practical aspects of Buddhism for a synthesis of science and meditation based "spiritual" practice. Also, martial arts.

You won't see any Stars in the City

A great idea, in principle! This is NYC, 1933.

Saganbag

Iteration process underway

Copy Error Reproduction incomplete (new beginning)

Unwind from a common mind

Protip: Don't Let Carl Cut Your Pie

He's not very good at it. If he were still with us, I'm sure he'd readily admit.

Also:

If you're looking for a new guru, you could do far worse than Sagan. If he were still with us, I'm sure he'd disagree. He was that kind of guy.