Big Stick Physics

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What is Dark Energy?

March 8, 2023 /

What is Dark Energy?  It’s a word we use to mean that there is more to learn about the nature of the universe.

The Big Bang Theory holds that the universe started from an infinitesimal point with nearly infinite energy that started to expand 14 billion years ago.  There is evidence for this.  For example, deep space is at about 3 degrees Kelvin.  As the universe gets bigger, the energy is distributed over a larger volume, so is cooler. 

The energy wants to expand, and gravity wants to pull it all back together.  A big question in Physics was how the universe would end.  Energy could win, gravity could win or it could be a draw. 

Ending in the Big Freeze, meant that gravity was too weak to pull everything back together.  The universe would continue to expand until the energy density is so low, that no life could exist and nothing else could happen.
The Big Crunch meant that the relentless pull of gravity would slow the expansion until it reverses, causing the universe to collapse.  Then there could be another Big Bang, and it all starts over. 
A third option was that the expansion would slow, but gravity wouldn’t be strong enough at such large distances to cause a collapse.  The universe would remain in a steady-state.  That seemed unlikely.
Better tools, like the Webb Telescope, yielded more and better information.  We found that the universe is actually expanding faster.  That wasn’t one of the conceivable options.  There are four fundamental forces in the universe, and none of them can account for a universe that is getting bigger, faster.   Physicists have no explanation, so new theories were needed.  Dark Energy is like a word variable that stands for this thing we can’t explain. 

There could be a fifth fundamental force, the four fundamental forces may be more complex than expected or numbers we call “constants”, may not be constant over long distances or time scales.  Not comfortable for physicists, but it does gives them a problem to resolve.

Cleat invention for fence climbing

March 8, 2023 /

If there is a product available for climbing over chain link fences, I can’t find it.  Occasionally, I have to climb over a chain link fence, and I don’t mean the easy kind with a pipe at the top.  Pointy shoes are out, and you’d think a ladder would work, but you need two of them.  I could use two buckets, but empty buckets always get used for something.

I made a couple of fence cleats to step over the fence.  This may not be the optimal solution, but they are small and hold my weight.  If they hold up for the couple of times per year when I need to hop the fence, then I’ve got it made.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 8/10

March 8, 2023 /

The Critical Drinker  does reliable movie reviews.  He actually understands plot structure and character arcs.  When he is enthusiastic about a movie, it’s worth watching.

The Critical Drinker was very surprised by Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, considering it one of the best movies he’s seen this year.  That’s not a movie suitable for Movie Night and not a movie I’d normally watch.  Based on the review, I tried it. 

When I watch movies at home, I usually get distracted.  Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was engaging and witty enough that I actually focused on it.  Many modern animated movies that are supposed to work for adults and children, are too sentimental or obvious.  This movie had snappy dialogue and humor that is subtle and quick, even adults can miss it.  The pacing is brisk, with the story moving along at a good clip.  The plot and themes are pretty advanced. 

Sparky doesn’t pay much attention to TV.  He will watch some World War II documentaries, but that’s about it.  Animal documentaries don’t intrigue him.  He watched this movie for a little while, and barked at this scene.  I don’t know what bugged him or inspired him to comment.  This is the first time he ever barked in the house.  He’s a quiet dog, and had been with me for a month before he howled at the neighbor dog.

Buttigieg thinks it matters where Tucker Carlson shops.

March 7, 2023 /

Buttigieg interview is a disaster.

You think Tucker Carlson knows the difference between a T.J. Maxx and a Kohl’s?

I don’t know the difference between T.J. Maxx and Kohl’s, but I can spot Buttigieg’s problem.  It’s all about the class struggle for a Marxist.  So long as people from your class are in positions of power, the the country is in good hands.

Buttigieg is a useful idiot, not a Marxist.  He is bland and unobjectionable, and doesn’t think too deeply.  As head of the Transportation Department, he really thought he was just a figurehead.  

It doesn’t matter where the people in charge shop as long as they understand that their job is to make every decision to benefit the American people. 

Top ranked tennis player, Novak Djokovic, is denied entry to US over COVID-vaccine status

March 6, 2023 /

Homeland Security denies entry to top ranked tennis player, for no reason that I can figure out.  Covid-19 is over and Fauci lied about everything.  Sure, some people will get a Covid variant.  People at great risk can keep getting booster shots and wearing masks, but the rest of us have moved on.

Homeland Security may wish to finish building the border wall and get serious about the legal and illegal immigration system.  They certainly aren’t acting in a way that benefits the American people.

Troll is only okay. 6/10

March 6, 2023 /

For Movie Night, we watched Troll.  It’s Norwegian, dubbed in English.  It was your standard Godzilla movie.  Something happens to awaken a creature that was thought to by mythical.  People in the government are skeptical until the evidence can’t be ignored. 

Troll was a serviceable movie.  Decent plot, the dialogue was natural, with a little humor to accompany the tension.  I enjoyed the Norwegian version of a few stereotypes, like their version of a computer nerd, that were thrown in to fill out the characters.   

I’d give the movie about a 6/10.

Troll Hunter was a much better Norwegian Kaiju movie.  It’s shot in a documentary style, and has more of the dry Norwegian wit.

Millennials aren’t buying houses.

March 6, 2023 /

Housing affordability hits historic low, and I’m not sure that’s a problem. 

Not everyone would thrive in a house.  Owning a house is expensive and time consuming. 

  • The skilled trades are currently very busy, so the price goes up. 
  • Fewer people have, or even think they need, practical skills. 
  • Unemployment is low because so many people dropped out of the workforce.
  • Post-Covid, some young adults aren’t ready to take on adult responsibilities.
  • Fewer young adults are getting married or even partnering up.

A condominium counts as a house, so some of those reasons don’t apply, but many people don’t consider that option.

Housing prices are cyclical.  The housing situation will change, but young adults seem to be taking longer to step up to full responsibility.   

Reckless, ignorant Prince Harry won’t shut up.

March 6, 2023 /

Reckless, ignorant, self-serving… Prince Harry’s words will cause huge harm, says psychiatrist DR MAX PEMBERTON

Once again Prince Harry is wading into the debate on mental health with reckless ignorance, oblivious to the facts and the catastrophic effects his words could have.

He speaks about using drugs that are illegal in this country, proclaiming the benefits he has enjoyed from cannabis and hallucinogenics such as ayahuasca. It’s hugely irresponsible.

Shutting up is a primary trait of competent royalty.  Queen Elizabeth II made it look easy.  I can’t believe Prince Harry doesn’t shut up.

History of the World Part II

March 5, 2023 /

I will be surprised if History of the World Part II is very good.  Mel Brooks is involved with the TV series, but his best movies are considered unacceptable by whomever is running our culture.  Perhaps Mel Brooks can still bring the fun in these prudish times.  The series airs tomorrow.

Climate change isn’t a problem to solve, but an opportunity to exploit.

March 5, 2023 /

If you aren’t skeptical of the authorities, experts and the commercial media after the disastrous handing of Covid-19, then I can’t help you.

There are dozens of valid reasons to be skeptical of the narrative on climate change.  If you are actually interested in learning, then Watts Up With That is a good place to get educated.  If you aren’t interested in getting educated, then you should get off your high horse and shut up about it.

Climate change is real and ongoing.  I am confident of that because my area was once covered by a thousand feet of ice.  Climate change would exist whether or not people existed.  What should we do if the Earth is getting too hot?

If the climate is heating up too much, geoengineering is the only solution.  Rolling back civilization to pre-industrial levels and allowing billions of people to die will not necessarily reduce global warming.  There are many approaches to cooling the planet, but there will be unintended consequences and many approaches aren’t easily reversible.  The time scales will be long, and natural processes can cause ice ages.  We must be very careful.

The best approach is a sun shade at the L1 Lagrange Point between the Earth and the Sun.

Earth-Sun Lagrange Points

In a two-body system, a Lagrange Point is a place where the forces all cancel out.  A satellite placed on a Lagrange point will just sit there, with minor adjustments necessary to hold station.

The L1 Lagrange Point is a million mile above the Earth.  That’s four times the distance to the Moon, but not particularly far.  At it’s closest, Mars is 50 million miles from Earth, and we’ve sent plenty of equipment there.  A satellite could be placed at L1, with huge shades that unfurl.  The forces all cancel, so shades could be very lightweight. 

We would want to make an infinitesimal reduction in the energy reaching the Earth, and watch for the temperature trends over several years.  A large volcanic eruption or meteor strike to the Earth causes atmospheric changes that result in global cooling.  Both of those have happened in the past and will happen again.  If necessary, the solar shades could be removed.

It is no secret that the WEF and global elites want us to eat bugs, own nothing and shut up.  I suspect that we don’t talk about solutions like this because their goal is power.

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