Old Acquaintance is Not Forgotten

 

Met up with a friend the other day,

we fished and talked and reminisced;

The passage of years spun me away,

left in a state of remembrance bliss.

The span of time over years made me dizzy,

as we recounted people we knew and loved,

or escaped or discarded or left in a tizzy.

All the old feelings that were shoved

aside bubbled back into the sunlight.

No longer anything except friends,

we can share and laugh and remember

all of the experiences covering decades.

We spent some pleasant moments together

before returning to our own living situations.

Finding out some things about each other

we never knew, then or now, that reveal

more facets of each others personalities;

Shortcomings and strong points alike.

A friend rediscovered is a friend anew!

Wacky engineering thought

 

Sometimes coming up with a new tech idea means changing the way we think about physics, and physical laws. Oftentimes they do this with huge mathematical models, etc. But sometimes a different viewpoint can help matters too, or adding another element to the techno-pysical collection or soup.

Rockets lift using the physical concept of action-reaction. A huge hot mass is ejected out the back of a rocket, and it lifts off and ‘rockets’ away. Perhaps the physical concept of action-reaction could be modified. Could there be a way to “trick” a mass into thinking that it is ejecting mass? Somehow at a subatomic level or something. Maybe by just creating a super-hot center and compressing it (without ejecting it), and on some subatomic level the mass comprising the rocket “thinks” it is giving up mass and/or being pushed upward, and therefore the rocket mass reacts by lifting off. Just an idea to play with, something to nudge thinking in this direction.

Maybe there is some way we could manipulate subatomic particles under a rocket and trigger a reaction of lifting off. I’m sure Werner VB and Robert Goddard probably thought about this too. But then again, they didn’t have the tools we do at the present time. Anyway, happy tinkering out there. I hope (or wish) that someone could come up with some novel way of escaping the Earth’s gravity well.

Profundities and Absurdities

 

Sometimes a profound statement or idea will occur to me.

Like ‘time is an accidental by-product of existence’

or ‘when the Big Powers learn to manipulate gravity,

then the real wars will begin.’

Profound concepts of time and space all shifting around.

Time is the 4^th dimension, controlling the shape, look, appearance,

texture of space. Space is always changing in time,

so what space looks like always depends on the timing.

In our minds, all space from birth to present exists simultaneously in memory.

The longer we are alive, the more time is stuffed into us.

Maybe our lifespan depends on how much time our brains can hold.

Pondering that a pot-smoker might have -

or a bored oldster,

typing away another Saturday night.

But the daily absurdities keep playing out in the news,

and overwhelm any rare profound moments.

Polls keep showing a certain candidate beating of his rivals;

He is merely a reflection of the worst in humanity,

a darker image of us that we just can’t escape.

The US forming alliances with other world powers,

and repeatedly getting betrayed by said same powers.

Hemorrhaging billions on warfare with Russia and China,

even if the alternative is worse.

Nature is full of the eaters and eaten.

The bears eat seals or whales, or anything

else they can find that is tasty to them.

Many animals spend all their time

seeking food, fending off attackers,

or mating and rearing their young.

Only humans need to seek out entertainment.

Only we have enough food to eat that we can

seek out other pleasures at our leisure.

Enough random profundity for one evening.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

Keeping in Good Repair

 

Riding along on a trail,

shifting gears up and down.

Over time the gears slip out,

requiring more and more attention.

Derailleurs and sprockets eventually wear...

Driving down the highway,

the Ford roars with a louder voice

every month – those manifold pipes

and catalytic converter showing their age.

My old house remains a comfortable abode,

even as the soffit sags, paint peels, and pipes leak.

“She” is showing her 60 plus years more and more.

Physical things last for a time and then they wear out.

Human bodies, too, acquire age and show their wear.

Knee cartilage wears out, hips need replaced, lungs scar.

We just hope for a good “body mechanic” to

stave off catastrophic failures and keep us humming along.

Entropy is one tough opponent,

a target for temporal postponement!

BRIC a brac

 

They are forming a line,

all of these little countries eager to

escape the US Dollar’s “hegemony” over the world.

They form little partnerships to

trade back and forth, and generate new alliances.

But can they really trust each other?

Every country has its own interests to protect,

they tend to forget that they all share one

common globe, that ‘third rock orbiting’ the Sun.

Climactic shifts and mega-disasters affect us all.

It seems it’s time for humans to learn to cooperate.

Cooperation yields better results than desperation.

Like lead actors in a high-school play,

we need to get over our personal fits and do the right thing.

For our descendants and their offspring too,

end the constant warfare,

learn to work together,

solve common worldwide problems.

For the benefit of us all.

But the BRIC throwing will probably continue,

hope my glass doesn’t get broken out!

Next trip to the grocery store,

thank those petty alliances for the latest

price shocks.

Maybe now is a good time to expand that home garden.

Energetic Questions

 

They always show up with polite smiles,

when they drop the big bill in front of you.

But when you look you see corporate wiles,

service fees and charges up the wazoo.

It takes the joy out of a vacation

when you are gouged beyond reason.

Re-assess your current economic station,

after paying too much for food that pleases.

Makes one anxious for what the future holds,

when the present drains your wallet so fast.

Despite hopes of finding some random gold,

the monthly income just doesn’t seem to last.

Hostile countries and fighting political factions

render useless any “pump-priming” bank actions.

Seems like the 1970’s have repeated at last,

when will energy shortages come to kick our ass…?

They have the faith

 

They have the faith, so they keep coming.

They crowd the streets and fill the hills,

they believe in me the messiah, so they keep coming.

They think I can cure all their ills.

I feel their pains, I suffer their setbacks,

My empathy is universal, my tears cry blood.

They have faith, so they keep coming,

they keep coming to me, the messiah.

They believe I will heal them of sickness,

they have seen my so called miracles.

I get lucky at times and bring sight to the blind,

hearing to the deaf, awakening to the comatose.

They have faith so they keep coming,

but am I really the messiah?

My mother birthed me without a father,

does that mean that I am the son of humankind?

Just because god chose me in some cruel twist

of humor or some lark of entertainment -

how do gods play anyway?

I got picked, so I can start tornadoes with my screams,

earthquakes with my anger,

miracles with my care and love and tenderness.

surely this does not mean I am the messiah...

The faithful keep coming, leaving flowers and notes.

They all come for me, my name is Jodie.

They leave me notes, they weep and wail my name.

They sing and preach and talk and laugh,

for I can make them whole and start a new day.

But it is not really me -

just this darned Netflix special.

My name is not really Jodie, either.

Had you fooled – hahaha.

Not the actions of a messiah,

just a lucky earthbound kid who got to star on TV.

Don’t get taken in by appearances ;-)

A Few Mental Connections

 

While watching some videos about scientific discoveries and the connections between inventions, some thoughts came to mind. So many inventors discovered or worked on groundbreaking devices, processes or inventions. But while they contributed some knowledge, they rarely profited from their work. In many cases they died broke, or at least very poor. But so many did seem to add their layer of knowledge and insights onto the whole, and thus put us ever closer to real life-changing inventions, like air conditioning, lighting, better ways to heat, easier ways to get around, safer ways to live. And life-saving medical procedures too.

A good number of companies and corporations were not evil, and did take people’s well-being into consideration when bringing a product to market. Many did not have scruples or ethics, but many did!

The human brain seems to be hard-wired for metaphor. That seems to be why we took to storytelling and poetry so early on, and this clearly separated us from the lower life-forms. Metaphor, the act or art of defining how one thing is or seems like another thing, is the spark that can come up with new inventions. A rounded rock rolling down the hill – hmmm, wonder if we could chip or make two of those, and create an axle. The wheel, next to fire, was such a tremendous invention that changed our lives. Or look at the birds soar on drafts of air – can we do that? We certainly did. And on and on.

There are other ways to generate new ideas. But this art of metaphor that seems wired into us is a real powerful way to change our lives and future history.

Another realization (probably obvious) is that we are taught in school that certain people invented certain things, and the world was changed. It was never that simple – many people that came before would make some incremental advance or finding, that would build on the body of knowledge. One person discovered that by compressing air in a piston, and then expanding it, this would create a cooler temperature. But it took many refinements over the years to turn this finding into, say, a window AC unit. Much, or most, invention seems incremental – and nothing wrong with that – our lives are still improved.

For a long time plastics were touted as such a wonderful life-changing “advancement”. In many ways I suppose they were. But plastics never biodegrade; so now we are practically drowning in our plastic waste. Each new advancement brings with it new problems. We can never go back – we wouldn’t want to go back, to a dirtier ruder past where we died younger and were sicker and less well fed. But going forward will not be a “picnic” either. As the universe and humanity expand, sh** is just going to get more complex.

It’s amazing what kind of thoughts a 40-year-old TV program called “Connections” can generate. Time to end this rant and connect with my coffee cup. Have a good day everyone – enjoy it. Tomorrow is sure to be different.

Tiger, Tiger 24

 

Tiger, tiger where are you now?

That pain in my back, is that your stare?

Will you soon leap out and bite my neck,

sink fangs in deep and draw out my life?

Primal, feral remnant of the jungle wild,

the sight of your fangs enough to trigger

deep-seated fears and make one wary;

You the life-taker lunge and sink fangs deep....

Yet human armaments could extinguish your kind,

high explosives and projectiles tear you all apart.

Maybe we should eliminate your threat for good,

but compassion and reservations hold us back.

So go ahead and prowl and eat in the territories

we allocated to you, as long as you are able.

One day we may change our mind, and then

your skin will be on the wall, your meat at our table.

For the time being we can leave the debate to

angry villagers and passionate conservationists.

We’ll leave it to a future generation whether to

render your species to meat processors and taxidermists.

For now we will see you in zoos and enclosures,

marvel at your great power, which once made us cower.

Heeerrrreeee it comes

 

Campers and RVs sprout like sprawling weeds,

trailing cords and blossoming extensions too.

Something big is coming as we all well know,

preparations buzz and clink all over the place.

Trucks and transports parade in and out,

sounds and smells of various animals arrive.

Yards soon show signs and cords and posts.

Amateur and professional merchants prepare,

rub hands and grin in anticipation of crowds.

The ten-day onslaught of humanity is coming,

making me wonder again just why we do this.

Education, entertainment, commerce certainly.

Reflecting an earlier era of local entertaining,

simple transacting and having fun -

now overshadowed and subsumed by digital

commerce, yet persisting and shining bright.

So step right up!

Enjoy the indulgent fair foods,

ride the carnival rides,

see farm and exotic animals up close!

Whatever you may think of it,

here it comes, ready or not!

Dog Days of Summer

 

August steams in like some deranged engine,

hot and intense, hearkening and darkening.

Indictments handed down, credit rated lower,

watching national news with grimace and glower.

Partisan fights never go away, just simmer.

Weather patterns continue to punish us all

for existing and pursuing convenience;

some enjoyment during an oppressive summer.

The occasional bright spots keep us going,

special time spent with friends out in nature.

Happy moments help dim impressions of ongoing

warfare in Europe, the daily nuclear threats uttered.

There have been other dark moments surmounted,

civilians and innocents wring hands, and hope

this current miasma of battle will also have an end.

Then we can dance with happiness and joy,

until someone else, somewhere else, starts

another war.

Oppenheimer

 

     Some thoughts on that big new movie everyone is hearing about. “Oppenheimer” was long, but the time went fast for me. The creators seemed to throw some special effects in there just to jolt the audience. And the way that the plot jumped around in time was a bit confusing at times to me. But I enjoyed it overall. It was during WWII, and the Nazis were ahead in many technologies. If we needed a new town built in the middle of the desert in hopes of catching up, the town got built – in record time. The atmosphere was desperate, and conflicting personalities had to work together.

Leading it all was a guy whom many doubts were swirling around, not the least because of past political affiliations. But despite the long-shot nature of the whole effort, they came up with an A-bomb that worked. The almost immediate misgivings of many of the scientists did not prevent its use on Japan, in hopes of ending the war sooner (which it undoubtedly did).

But in the nightmare accusatory atmosphere of the 1950’s, much damage was done to people who did nothing but give their country so much, and simply wanted the best for our country.

The movie could be a lesson for us nowadays, that we will need to put aside partisanship in the face of immensely powerful enemies. I hope that message gets out. But in any case, it was a pretty darned good movie. Don’t think I gave much away here – the movie has a lot in there I have not mentioned.

Enjoy!

No one said there would be snakes

 Indiana Jones Meditations and Revelations

Take the path less trod by others,

whether a cave or passageway hidden,

or through a wall that might look solid,

but crumble when one is thrown against it.

If attacked by bad guys, grab any nearest

artifact, be it a spear or statue or piece of marble.

Hit them on the noggin while they are making

some silly or threatening speech to someone.

Be able to change plans at the drop of a hat,

or crack the whip on trying a different passageway.

It only takes one shot to bring down a Nazi, or

a few stabs with a knife ought to do the trick.

Be careful when borrowing any uniforms,

the bullet hole will give you away every time!

When escaping in a truck or airplane,

enlist a young teenager to drive/fly/pilot the thing.

They’ll claim inexperience, but get you away just in time.

When trying to wrest control of a careening vehicle,

stretch your neck and watch out for looming rockfaces;

kick out the bad guy before he dangles you facedown.

Don’t trust anyone to back you up all the way,

but know that oftentimes your enemies will screw up

enough to help get you out of any kind of jam.

A yell and howl and rash move will get you down,

or out or nearly so, and save your skin.

Alter your course just so, every so often;

those alternative moves and outside tracks

can save the day and bring you and yours

battered and bruised but alive, and with

artifact intact, to win the day every time.

Cue audience cheers and indy theme

Enjoy that movie, folks.

Torturous Roadways

 

Summertime, and retirement: A good time to go on some longer drives and see the country. So I have. I’ve driven around the home state of Iowa, and into Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois and Nebraska. Even went to Colorado with a friend, and also to Kansas City. Some things have stood out during the travels.

The Interstates seem to be in rough condition in a lot of places. They are working on sections here and there, repairing or re-painting. But I’ve encountered lots of cracks, and dimples in the surface that a tire hits and bounces on, and even potholes here and there (especially I-70 going through Missouri). There are spots whee an asphalt coating is coming off of concrete underneath, leaving large blotchy “holes” about an inch deep, that make for pretty rough driving.

My car is a compact, with smaller tires, and these uneven, rough surfaces make for a bouncy ride. I take it slower than the speed limit in these spots, but bigger vehicles don’t have as much of a problem, so they ‘tailgate’ and pass me with abandon. It can be scary, especially in heavy traffic with lots of semis.

Another interesting event is when said semi loses a tire, or a re-tread, and leaves shreds of tire skittering down the roadway. These are big enough to present a hazard, and I swerve to avoid them.

To be fair, there are large stretches of Interstate that are smooth, (or grooved) and are easy to drive on. But it seems like states have a real struggle ahead to maintain them, with the increasing amounts of traffic of all kinds. Secondary roads, like state highways or county roads, are similarly a crapshoot as to what kind of shape they are in. But the secondary roads can offer more entertaining sights. Rest stops with historic markers, or unique and unusual spots near a town of some kind can appear. I have enjoyed seeing some sights, visiting some state parks and the like. A treat of retirement is that, instead of pushing myself out the door to go to work, I can push myself out the door to go take a drive or do something else pleasant. But one still has to be on full alert, whether or not one is going to work. Be careful out there!

What, no Rivers?

 

Why did Grant never seem to paint a river?

All of those symmetric fields rounded just so,

those dour farm families, expressions sour;

Where are the fishers, or thirsty livestock?

American Gothic,

The Appraisal,

Daughters of American Revolution,

(Sultry Nights at least had water in it.)

Young Corn,

Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,

Storm Coming – (at least rainwater there.)

Fall Plowing,

Stone City, Iowa.

So many landscapes and pastures,

but nary a river or stream to be seen.

Come on, Grant, rivers are the givers of life,

bringers of sustenance and refreshment too.

Wherefore are any in your many fine works?

Surely you didn’t a key feature of nature shirk?

Perhaps it just did not occur to you,

so busy with teaching, commissions and travel.

To paint just one fine, wide river,

maybe the Missouri from our side, even the Cedar?

How about the Wapsi in spring all swollen?

The Nodaway nodding southward, or Skunk swirling?

That is okay, the omission can be forgiven,

your fame still spreads far and wide.

Even the greatest can miss one small item,

for a critic to pick out with so much pride.

Thank you nevertheless for giving us so much fine art,

stamping colorful images of Iowa on retinas for all time.

NASA 901 1966

 

They were flying to a factory one morning,

to see their Gemini spacecraft being birthed.

Two dedicated astronauts in T-38s piloting,

ready for more training, not feeling any mirth.

Bad weather set in and fouled their plans,

affecting their final landing approaches.

One pulled away as the other tried to land,

One survived, the other crashed in smoke.

So much effort and personal sacrifice

went into that early NASA space program;

affecting astronauts, their kids and wives,

two losing their lives while trying to land.

It is given to us to honor their memory,

record their names for all time in history.

Getting There

 

When one retires, they tend to look back...

on all of that time spent earning a living,

working on an assembly line,

slogging it out in a busy office,

being careful in a computer room.

Even riding elevators,

or waiting for one at work.

How many hours have we spent

just looking up inside an elevator,

avoiding eye contact,

trying to be polite,

and wasting more minutes of our life?

No small amount of minutes were wasted

being inside an elevator that got halted

by accident or mishap or mechanical fault.

It would sure be nice to get those moments back,

and release the hidden terrors they conjured.

Perhaps they are better than gasping one’s way

up interminable flights of stairs -

Better perhaps, but not much easier.

Companion in Solitude

 

It is the times one is alone

that the small stream speaks,

just the right size for whispering to one.

Curls around rocks and under roots,

gurgles out a quiet greeting again.

Tiny creatures surface and splash hello,

or just chase food, that chases other food.

Watch out, here comes a skin-clad human to

join your underwater (and above) play.

Highway noise is never far away,

civilization maddeningly near.

But this spot is quiet, the water clear.

On this warm summer day, one can

wade up and down, or just relax in place.

Let the water settle, and see the activity within.

Minnows dart about, tadpoles hug the shoreline,

birds sing, raptors swoop high in lazy circles.

A clam traces a thin white trail in sand underwater...

You have a front seat to something that money cannot buy,

and it is all free, except for the cost of getting here.

Finally the sun banks lower, and an internal clock chimes.

Time to head out soon,

get something to eat,

resume life in civilization.

And don’t forget to say thank you and goodbye to this

secluded small river, your ever-present friend,

who will wait here until you come back again.

Religion and Government Do Not Mix

 

Christian beliefs are fine in the home,

helping bond a family in love and care.

But once these beliefs are set to roam,

into the halls of government they tear.

And tear and rip the fabric of humanity,

forcing all to accept one belief system.

A virus that spreads and corrodes civility,

angers and polarizes people, creates schisms.

Folks can believe whatever they want,

an old man thundering in the night sky,

the earth resting on a giant turtle’s paunch,

a pantheon of gods that argue and lie.

But none of that should determine the direction

of a capitol municipality, or it invites insurrection.

Learning Curves and Supply Slopes

 

In the last 10,000 years or so, humans have learned how to mine the metals and materials of the Earth, and make many useful objects, from tools to (sadly) weapons, to eating utensils, and PC’s and smartphones. Ultimately we were able to fabricate spacecraft, and send them off to other planets.

In the meantime, we have been rapidly depleting the Earth’s resources in our economic quest to prosper and get around. Petroleum from ancient dinosaurs and forests. Rare earth metals to power our devices, and build them. Even fresh water to slake our thirsts and clean ourselves, and power many industries.

Now we are at a threshold. We have accumulated the knowledge and expertise to visit nearby planets and asteroids, and even acquire small samples. But we are using up the Earth’s petroleum and fresh water reserves at an unsustainable rate. So we need to make some hard decisions and maybe, slight changes in emphasis too.

Outer space can no longer be the province of purely scientific research. We need to learn how to live on nearby worlds, to mine essential metals and materials to enable continued existence of the human race. Ultimately we should create an economic system that can use resources and thrive in an outer-space setting.

Selfish, perhaps. But who wants to just use up one planet’s resources and then go extinct? I’ll leave the argument of whether we deserve to, to someone else. I just would like to see us survive and prosper, at least in our own solar system.

But this may require a renewed effort to find resources, including water, not only on the Moon but also on asteroids and planetesimals. And then develop techniques to use the water for sustenance, and possibly someday, even delivering some water from celestial objects back down to the earth.

Humanity is already depleting the Earth’s supply of fresh water at a rapid rate. As some already understand, we had better find ways to go out there and get more, water and everything else, before we run out here. (sometimes it seems to me that population control of some kind wouldn’t hurt either, but again, that is a different argument).

Let’s renew our vigor and go out there and find more resources, and figure out how to use them – sooner rather than later! Thank you for taking the time to read and think about this.