Some super-calculating intellect must have designed the properties of the carbon atom; otherwise the chance of my finding such an atom through the blind forces of nature would be utterly minuscule. A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seem to me so overwhelming as to put this conclusion almost beyond question. -- Fred Hoyle Sir Fred Hoyle was probably the most brilliant scientist of the 20th century who never became world famous. He was the man who coined the term "big bang" to describe the small, incredibly hot beginning of the universe. However, Sir Fred was ridiculing the theory because he rejected the Big Bang. Hoyle didn't believe an origin of the universe was possible, probably due to his atheism. Even after the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation supported Hubble's observations of redshift, which indicated the universe not static, but expanding. In the quote above, Hoyle is referring to his prediction about the carbon 12 atom, which was an extraordinary accomplishment, for which fellow physicists William Alfred Fowler and Chandra Wickramasinghe won the 1983 Nobel Prize in physics. Hoyle was famously snubbed and excluded from sharing the honor he so richly deserved, allegedly because he alienated and annoyed so many of his peers with his more controversial opinions. Author Simon Singh wrote the following about Hoyle: After ten … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2015
The Pearl: 22 March 2015
Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. – Khalil Gibran David Piccioli is a man without pride. He wants a $30,000 pension -- for working one day as a substitute teacher. One day. This will be in addition to two other pensions Mr. Piccioli is already collecting, each in excess of $30,000. The private sector taxpayers in the state of Illinois are being robbed blind by union thugs like Piccioli. The state of Illinois currently has $331 billion dollars in unfunded pension liabilities. Largely due to the greed of crooks like David Piccioli. … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 21 March 2015
Character is much easier kept than recovered. -- Thomas Paine Thomas Paine wrote the famous pamphlet titled Common Sense that fueled the inspiration for the American Revolution, publishing it on January 9, 1776. Six months later, the Declaration of Independence would be signed in Philadelphia, starting the war between England and its American colonies. In plain language every colonist could easily understand, Payne challenged the authority of the British crown to rule over America and inspired the revolution in doing so. Founding Father John Adams even said, "Without the pen of the author of Common Sense, the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain." The interesting thing about common sense is that it never goes out of style, nor stops making sense. Even today, his quote about character remains quite relevant. Monica Lewinsky found this out the hard way. When Bill Clinton had an affair with her while occupying the White House, it was her reputation that was destroyed, because Bill was a popular president. But Monica wasn't exactly innocent -- media reports suggested that she was a seductress who pursued the affair with Clinton. More problematic for her reputation was the fact that she lied in a sworn affidavit in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. The scandal led to the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, but Monica became the punchline for an endless stream of mostly tasteless jokes. Bill Clinton emerged from the scandal largely unscathed, however. Once the Senate acquitted him of perjury and obstruction of justice charges, he … [Read more...]
The Pearl: 20 May 2015
If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? – Albert Einstein Everybody knows who Albert Einstein was, right? He once owned a chain of bagel shops with his brother, didn't he? In all seriousness, for a brilliant, world famous physicist, Einstein had a pretty good sense of humor, as future Pearls will demonstrate. His theory of relativity made a crucial contribution to modern physics, as it explains the effect of gravity on space and time. His work also led directly to the development of the atomic bomb, which wasn't very funny. Today's "pearl" is funny, but it's also very true. The Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction was an unexpected result of an experiment observed by Boris Belousov. Because of laziness and/or shoddy peer review, the science journals to which Belousov submitted rejected his paper -- nobody believed his claims were possible, they didn't bother to attempt replicating his experiment. Belousov retired in frustration. Matches were also discovered by accident. Penicillin, Post-It notes, microwave ovens, safety glass, x-rays, and Viagra were all fortuitous but "accidental" discoveries as well. Perseverance and good luck had led to some of mankind's most important discoveries! … [Read more...]
Why the Georgia Bulldogs will win a National Championship in football in the next two years
I had the pleasure of attending the University of Georgia at the same time Herschel Walker was in school -- the undisputed best running back in Bulldog history thus far, and arguably the greatest college player of all time. Bulldog fans got spoiled rotten. The Junkyard Dawg defense coached by Erk Russell rarely gave up very many points, and it seemed that nobody could stop Herschel in the red zone. Then again, nobody could really even slow Herschel down for very long, period. He ran by people. Herschel ran through people, and even leaped over them. Mr. Walker simply wore defenses down. When asked how he could carry the ball thirty five or more times per game, Herschel famously replied, "The ball ain't heavy." You might be wondering if I've lost my mind: am I living in the past? What does reminiscing about the past and the great Herschel Walker have to do with the chances that UGA will win a national championship within the next two years? What gives me confidence to say the Bulldogs can and will win it all under Mark Richt, other than the fact I love our coach and think he's fantastic? Well, I can summarize my answer to that question with only two words: Nick Chubb. If you haven't noticed, satellite television and TIVO are wonderful inventions. Several UGA football games recorded from last season remain on my play list to satisfy the occasional urge to watch football between seasons. One of the recordings I've kept was the Auburn game. Watching the replay this afternoon I was absolutely mesmerized by what I believe to be the most amazing play … [Read more...]
