beecee

The first that comes to mind is science generally, and large scientific endeavours specifically, despite political differences:eg: The ISS and of recent times the general distribution of covid 19 vaccines around the world. In recognising that, another aspect imo is sport in general. At present I am completely enthralled and stuck to the TV watching the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While there has at times been certain "over the top" rivalry, one incident being the water polo stoush between the USA and USSR at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic games...The Southern hemisphere's first Olympic games, [I was 11 years old] I particularly remember it because of Australia's complete domination of the swimming events, [we won every men's and woman's freestyle events and all relay swimming events. The Competition, rivalry, under the Tokyo and Olympic games banner of "faster, higher, stronger – together" is encouraging humanity to reach the top...together. Watching young atheletes pushing themselves to the limit, and making sacrifices with intense training schedules to be the best gives me great joy....watching incredible athletes like Usain Bolte, the great American swimmer Michael Phelps, with 28 Olympic medals, our own great Dawn Fraser [winning the 100mtr freestyle at three successive olympics] the beauty of the skill of the incredible Rumanian gymnist Nadia Comenski, just to name a few. The recent win in the 400 metre freestyle by the rank outsider, 18 year old Tunisian named Ahmed Hafnaoui, against the more favoured American and Aussie rivals had me applauding and nearly spilling my beer...he beat into second place Australia's Jack McLoughlin with the USA's Kieran Smith winning bronze bronze. Looking forward for later today around 1120 AEST, for the showdown between the young Aussie Arianne Titmus who won the women's 400 metre world title last year, beating the great American Kate Ledeski. The rematch between the young Aussie and American champion should be worth watching. No prizes for guessing who I am pinning my hopes on!😉 The following sums up my opinion pretty well....... https://www.qatardebate.org/qatardebate-journal/does-sport-unite-people-or-drive-them-apart/ Are sports a catalyst for hatred and tension or quite the opposite? Sport, in its many forms, is the largest human activity on the planet, that reflects on the human lifestyle and embodies, in its primitive image, and its physical and mental needs. It also reflects, in its more advanced form, an institutional system and phenomenon of social, economic and political dimensions that garner wide attention and broadly affects large and extended segments of society, changing the affiliations and convictions of individuals. It is even considered an icon of customs and values, contributing to building and forming identities. Sport is also part of religious and national rituals, the Olympic Games in its inception were linked to a Greek religious ritual that includes running and athletic sports and later horse races and so on until it reached its modern shape we all know now, which is considered the largest sporting event held periodically for more than a century. Moreover, sport has occupied a place in the context of military preparation and societies’ resilience in some civilizations as well as the context of recreation and entertainment for others. The biological perspective of sport has also evolved to be part of the healthy lifestyles and behavioral patterns, and it has occupied an educational place in preparing and upbringing generations. The importance of sport is also expressed through many indicators, most notably, the volume of interaction and interest which encompass all earth’s inhabitants – voluntarily and involuntarily – as it stimulates feelings of pleasure, curiosity and enthusiasm and expresses the passion for belonging to a person. It is also an economic engine that embodies investments, markets and trading for countries, institutions and individuals. The Forbes magazine, specialized in financial figures, estimated the income of FC Barcelona in 2020 at 840 million euros. Sport is considered an economic advantage for some sport entities and even countries, and it contributes to improving infrastructure and financial returns as well as helping in providing jobs. more at link..........................

We have gone through epidemics before...we even had the great depression. Some businesses will go to the wall, others will flourish...some airlines will cease to exist, others will return, take up the slack, and be far better off...some countries will need to become more self sufficient with reduced imports...The most likely effect imo, is the growing distrust with China. In more recent times, we [the world] overcame 4 years of Trump, and in time, this pandemic and its seriousness and current impact, will also be a memory. Some things may change forever, but as in the past, we'll all make adjustments.

The important thing to remember is that most analogies will have limitations. eg: The blowing up of a balloon analogy [with dots painted on the surface representing galaxies] illustrates that it is spacetime expanding, not the dots [galaxies] flying away from other dots [galaxies] It is a 2D illustrataion representing 3D space, or 4D spacetime. The better analogy [but still with limitations] is the raisin loaf analogy. The 3D dough representing 3D space [or 4D spacetime] and the raisins representing galaxies. Both analogies of course fail at explaining the gravitational effects of closely bound galaxies, groups of galaxies, and galactic walls, that overcome the expansion of space, due to the local density of different regions. The expansion is only seen over larger scales. I agree.

Another silly baseless conspiracy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-polio-vaccine-crossfire-misinformation.html

Theories are our best estimates at any time, supported by the observational and experimental evidence. You don't have a theory, only a "fairy tale " idea that any person can pull out of his or her arse. It may give the Grimme brothers or Hans Christian Anderson something to think about, but at this stage, that's as best as it will get.

Absolutely! Most people follow long held scientific principles and knowhow everyday of their lives without giving it too much thought.... By the same token, many that are in reality, selfish and self-centered at heart, may see a need to ignore climate change for example, as its effects are generally long term....or the lame brain red necks that chose to ignore the science of social distancing, wearing masks, sanitisation, lockdowns etc with regards to covid19, because of probable temporary adverse personal affects on their wealth, or comfort zone. I'm not specifically speaking of the Dems/Rep American political scene, but people anywhere in general.

My first in depth knowledge on Richard Feynman came from reading the best book I have ever read, "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes. Everything you have mentioned, certainly would have [and did] put him in the spotlight to anyone with a passing interest in science. The book itself is probably more a history of late 19th century/20th century physics and science, from Bequeral, Rhotegen, Curie, through to Zsillard, Rhuterford, Fermi and Einstein, up to the likes of Feynman and Oppenheimer and company...fantastic read, giving a great rundown on the achievements and personalities of those great scientists among others.

On June 7, 2021, NASA’s Juno spacecraft flew closer to Jupiter’s ice-encrusted moon Ganymede than any spacecraft in more than two decades. Less than a day later, Juno made its 34th flyby of Jupiter. This animation provides a “starship captain” point of view of each flyby. For both worlds, JunoCam images were orthographically projected onto a digital sphere and used to create the flyby animation. Synthetic frames were added to provide views of approach and departure for both Ganymede and Jupiter.

That's simply false. Unexplained refers to something that at any particular time, we lack the observational data to explain properly...eg:There was a time when we lacked the knowledge to explain the forces controlling the Sun, or even the fact that the Sun is simply another star. Dictionary: not described or made clear; unknown."the reason for her summons was as yet unexplained" not accounted for or attributable to an identified cause."cot death is still an unexplained phenomenon" Supernatural is defined as https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supernatural 1: of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe especially : of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil 2a: departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature b: attributed to an invisible agent (such as a ghost or spirit) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural The supernatural encompasses supposed phenomena or entities that are not subject to the laws of nature.[1] This term is attributed to non-physical entities, such as angels, demons, gods, and spirits. It also includes claimed abilities embodied in or provided by such beings, including magic, telekinesis, levitation, precognition, and extrasensory perception. extract: The supernatural is featured in folklore and religious contexts,[4] but can also feature as an explanation in more secular contexts, as in the cases of superstitions or belief in the paranormal. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: So in essence something "unexplained" may still be capable of being defined as scientific and by the laws of physics, whereas something that we define as "supernatural" is simply an unscientific application of myth and scientific ignorance. Examples: Some reported sightings that are generally referred to as UFO's/UAP's, are unexplained events...nothing more, nothing less. We have evidence of "something" that lacks the evidence to specify what it is or isn't. Supernatural on the other hand [as quoted from the WIKI link] "The philosophy of naturalism contends that all phenomena are scientifically explicable and nothing exists beyond the natural world, and as such approaches supernatural claims with skepticism".

Spiritual basis, or bias? Wiki gives some views on it as follows...... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscience#Secular "Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system". Further, and more aligned with your own bias....."Religious views of conscience usually see it as linked to a morality inherent in all humans, to a beneficent universe and/or to divinity. The diverse ritualistic, mythical, doctrinal, legal, institutional and material features of religion may not necessarily cohere with experiential, emotive, spiritual or contemplative considerations about the origin and operation of conscience". And further, a more honest scientific appraisal, if less certain..."Common secular or scientific views regard the capacity for conscience as probably genetically determined, with its subject probably learned or imprinted as part of a culture"

That has been the case overwhelmingly in Sydney's current outbreak with the delta varient...Vaccinated, even partly vaccinated [one dose] of close contacts have tested negative.

10-43 seconds rather then 10-45 seconds...I need to remeber that. Thanks.

I often copped six of the best with a 1 inch square, 18 inch long leather strap! And I was also an Altar boy at Sunday mass and needed to answer the priest in latin. eg priest: "dominis vobiscum" Me: "Et cum spirito tuo" First and only job I have ever been sacked from after found drinking the Altar wine behind the altar! 😁 Getting back on subject, If I was confronted by any Alien, I would simply utter those age old words, "take me to your leader"

The quantum foam is a reasonably scientific speculative explanation of spacetime before 10-45th seconds. Lawrence Krauss sees it as the nothing that we generally define as nothing, that has existed for eternity. Still it is speculative. And that is the main relevant point. I often use it in debates without IDers and creationists, but it is still speculative and I make sure they understand this as speculation just as there own IDer/creationist is also speculative...and unscientific speculation.

With you 100% on that Ken!

As an old fart still driving, this certainly interested me. Let me first say that in Australia, once a person reaches 75 years, he or she is required by law to undergo a medical examination every 12 months, and of course attain the required standards, otherwise your lincense is cancelled. Once a person reaches 80 years, he needs to undergo and pass the same medical, plus a driving retest. Of the situations listed in the article, yes, I certainly drive "slower" always sticking to the speed limit and adjusting according to conditions, and keeping as much as possible in the left hand lane [remember in Australia we drive on the correct side of the road 😉]. I have never been confused to what pedal is where, and never make abrupt changes other then in emergency situations. I still take the other half on weekend drives to as many different destinations as possible. At the same time, we on many occasions often decide to take a train ride/ferry ride, as in NSW the maximum daily fair is fixed at $2.50, no matter how many modes of transport, or how far as dictated by Sydney's public transport system, which extends about 100kms West/North/South. While the fact that people's driving behaviour changes when they have Alzheimer's is well documented, so to older people's reaction time slow somewhat as they age...https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=562

I'm sort of at the mindset that any sufficiently advanced civilisation, would have out grown, war mongering, violence, and/or general aggressiveness, and probably be inclined towards a more co=operative and peaceful scenario. Perhaps though I have been too indocrinated with Mr Spock and his fellow Vulcans, having been an avid watcher of Star Trek and all the movies that followed.

While often directing my anger/disatisfaction towards public officials and politicians, I am always reminded of the question, "where do politicians come from" 😉

If we were to make face to face contact, I tend to agree. Other then answering the age old question "are we alone" I would imagine the forces of reasonability to generally prevail on Earth...well at least that's what I would like to believe. The fanatically religious may need to do some rethinking, or re-interpreting. But the majority of us would find the answer to the question awesomely fascinating at the time of revelation, and then a gradual acceptance. I believe we would co-operate more and as a result and thereby flourish as a species ourselves. If face to face contact was impossible due to distances/time constraints, [which obviously would more then likely be the case in retrospect] that imo may be the catalyst for some sort of upheaval, particularly again by the fanatical religious fraternity as well as other extremist groups. Not knowing who or what we were dealing with would not go down well with many imo. But again, I would like to believe that in the course of time, most would accept it as is, until we [or they] had the technological means to somehow overcome the distance/time barriers.

OK, point taken. If I could give him two likes I would!

Nice rundown, just one querie from an old fuddy duddy...."Geometry = matter", should that be "Geometry = Gravity"? [you got a like from me anyway! 😉] Excellent certainly, while the book is outdated, I'm not sure the explanation of those first three minutes is.

As an now elderly retired tradesman, with a similar interest in science, particularly cosmology, one of the first things I learnt, was that anyone that believes he or she has an alternative hypothetical, must first understand what mainstream theories entail, and why they are generally accepted. The theories pertaining to the evolution of the universe/space/time, the BB, BH's etc, came about because of the preponderence of observational data...they were not just the result of guess work. This is the same message that is being presented to you in the following... My advice? besides listening to the advice of the reputable outlets on this forum, try some reputable reading...Kip Thorne's "Black Holes and Time Warps" or "Gravity's Fatal Attraction", by Mitch Begalman and Martin Rees, or "The First Three Minutes" by Stephen Weinburg. Don't give up though...Cosmology is the most awesomest of subjects!!

Experimental data tells us that our observable universe is flat, to within very small tolerences. Flat meaning that two beams of light emmitted parallel, will remain parallel. And as opposed to closed or open. But we also have plenty of evidence to show the universe is much much bigger [perhaps infinitely bigger] then what we observe. While the flatness error bars exist, we can never really be sure as studiot says.

That is the way I would interpret it also. Would an example be Space and time possibly at or before the quantum/Planck level and where our laws of physics and GR do not apply?

Ahh yes, the game where half the time is spent in huddles discussing tactics, unlike the greatest game of all, Rugby League and the non stop action and thrills!!!!😉https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozcMwlbLU1A