Friday, July 25, 2008

I'd Like A Quick Word...

Nothing huge today. Just some short thoughts on various goings-on and about things I have been mulling over as of late.

Oh, if you'll notice, I (slightly) changed the layout here, adding a blogroll and some links. Take a look there. You might find something of interest (or even your own site). If you read this space, and want me to link to you, just let me know.

Now, the scattershot musings:

  • This is one of the best written and funniest pieces on Barack Obama's image and media coverage that I have read recently.
  • I sincerely hope that this bill dies in the House or is killed by a veto. I promised no diatribe on this subject, but I will point out that if you eliminate or limit speculators, you give more control of energy prices to powers like OPEC. With a government-backed cartel like OPEC, prices only go up (among other really bad consequences).
  • Why does our society have such strange views on friendship? In the hierarchy of interpersonal relationships, why can't friendships be as deep/meaningful as marriages seem to be? I get the feeling (being familiar with the scholarship) that this was not always the case.
  • I have recently gotten back in touch with the work of Carl Sagan. I read The Dragons of Eden when I was in high school, but not much more. I saw Cosmos for the first time and was utterly enthralled. If there is a person who can explain scientific principles with more passion or simplicity, I don't know them. Click here for the introduction to Cosmos. Click here for him reading from his book Pale Blue Dot. You'll be hooked.

That's about all for now. Have a good weekend and remember, in the words of Carl Sagan that "we are all made of star stuff."

3 comments:

Lost A Sock said...

Thanks for the plug on your blogroll. I really like how it shows the beginning of each person's latest entry. Neat feature.

I have to apologize for the lack of comments lately, I've been a read and run, more often than not without even popping blogs out of my feed reader. I'm here, though!

MJenks said...

to say that we're all made of "star stuff" is disingenuous. Most of the "heavier" elements (those above lithium) were created during the Big Bang event.

It's true that stars build hydrogen into helium in order to make their little engines go, but stars don't make elements much past lithium, because everything after that is too heavy.

It's more truthful (and flat out correct) to say that "we're all made of that stuff that was compacted together into an infinitessimal point prior to the Big Bang event". I guess that just didn't have the ring for the late Mr. Sagan.

MJenks said...

I'm really bored, so I thought I'd come over here and kick Sagan's corpse around a little more.

If you want someone in the scientific field to read, try Michio Kaku. He kicks ass.