astro picture for the day/ Astronomy mysteries, Space Aliens, and Gods

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/John Landino

I've related the hypothesis about the U.F.O. craze that started up right around the time of the space age and gods before. My Thursday, March 3, 2016 blog post - astro picture for the day/ "In Search of . . ." as a window onto the mythmaking mind.  This desire to read into things "aliens/intelligence/gods" just keeps going(not that any of these people read that blog post).

This anthropocentric interpretation of anything weird in astronomical phenomenon goes back long before the two examples I'm about to show.  Back in the 1960s, Joselyn Bell and her colleages at first thought the impossibly regular energy bursts they were detecting with their new radio telescopes must be Aliens, sending out messages to us. They originally called these radio bursts - LGM's, little green men.  Here's Jocelyn's wiki - > Jocelyn Bell wiki . Scrolling down to "Academic Career", we see "In July 1967, she detected a bit of "scruff" on her chart-recorder papers that tracked across the sky with the stars.^[19] She discovered that the signal was pulsing with great regularity, at a rate of about one pulse per second. Temporarily dubbed "Little Green Man 1" (LGM-1)"  What she had in fact discovered were Neutron Stars - the compact remnant of a supernova explosion.   These were theorized before, but the theory seemed crazy at the time.  But, this craving to be saved by some intelligence has continued.

Around 2015, some astronomers were disturbed enough by a certain stars sudden brightening and dimming to suggest that, KIC 8462852, a star about a thousand light years away, must be Extraterrestrial Intelligences building a Dyson sphere.  A Dyson sphere is a kind of inverted solar collector completely surrounding a star.  So, the collective energies of the star is collected for as long as the star lives.  The smaller the star, the longer it lasts.  If you have a comparatively smaller star than our sun, this technology can feed a culture for trillions of years.  If you tap the energies of say a neutron star, or even a black hole, one could go for even longer periods, but that's beside the point here.   Here's the wiki - > KIC 8462852

Tabby's star, above, didn't get any E.T.'s.  So, the search has continued. Now, it's great radio bursts from billions of light years away. These impossibly energetic bursts must be E.T.'s accelerating solar sails to near light speed!  If not that, they must be E.T's, billions of light years away, trying to make contact with . . . us! Here's the fast radio bursts wiki - > fast radio bursts wiki Quoting from it(scrolling down to "Origin Hypothesis"), "Some have speculated that these signals might be signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.^["

While I'm at it, let's show some. I remember meeting some fellow Avionic Tech back in my navy days. Me and this guy actually went out some some American Civil war park in Tennessee.  Somewhere in there, he related something to me.  I mean I'm talking science, and his scientific excitement is . . . the face from Mars. Googling "face of Mars" didn't take me long to find this wiki -> Cydonia (region of Mars) . The first image is this famous "face of mars."

I'm willing to guess that I don't have to point out which mound on this Mars image is the face of mars.

Here's the recent imaging of this face of Mars,

The wiki link provided above even shows what E.T. dreamers hope is an Alien pyramid,

I can't even keep track of how many times  I've seen at Yahoo news, people viewing images from the Jet propulsion laboratory, have found some impossible space relic somewhere on the surface of Mars. There must be some shiny piece of an Alien spacecraft off in the distance. It just never ends.

Even some of the most rationalistic futurists, like Arthur C. Clarke was fond of reading into astronomical phenomenon, some intelligence.  I remember reading in some writing of his that one of the asteroid moons is hollow.  Ope!  says Arthur C. Clarke it must be some calling card from an ancient Extraterrestrial Intelligence.  There must be a library of knowledge in there that these E.T's must have left us to save us from ourselves.

I don't feel like rereading Isaac Asimov's "Extraterrestrial Civilizations", but as time goes on, the book takes center stage.  It was the original "Rare Earth Hypothesis."  And, it's a great rationalists book about Extraterrestrial Civilizations. It points out that the mythologizing of god(s) of ancient times is the same as the U.F.O. craze of today.

thought for the day - nanotech generalisation for Gospel of Truth - real life proof of fear

Image Credit: Rosetta OSIRIS-NAC

It's been awhile since I read Eric Drexler's chapter on A.I. in his "Engines of Creatoin."  So, I don't remember it all, and I don't feel like rereading it this very instant.  But, I recall him talking about how if someone uses a hammer, they view everything in terms of nailing things. I found a book, comparatively recently, called "Metaphors we live by" which is saying much the same thing that Eric Drexler says about the guy with a hammer.  That one often expresses, or understands everything in terms of some ingrained idea.  Intelligence is when one overcomes these very specific viewpoints.

If we are to make ethical anything, one should question everything.  One should seek the highest viewpoint. I agree with Jacob Bronowski, the highest viewpoint is mathematics. Understand how mathematics works, and understand how everything relates to that gives the wholistic viewpoint of everything else. I explain Jacob Bronowski's philosophy of mathematics a little bit here and there in my "Gospel of Truth."  But, for the most part, I concentrate on the mythology side first.

- My Gospel of Truth -  http://wwwscientifichumanism.blogspot.com/2017/01/gospel-of-truth-final-complete-version.html

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before they had electromagnetic radar, they had stone sound radars to detect aircraft - http://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/07/13/radar-used-giant-concrete-sound-mirrors-detect-incoming-enemy-aircraft/

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quote for the day,

“Seldom do those who are silent make mistakes.” Uncle Eunar, in Norse Mythology

for here, The Sayings of Hár - http://www.asatru.org/havamal.html

- this is real life data - not just some movie dramatization.  A Pamela L. Gay quoted it . . .

“Seldom do those who are silent make mistakes.” Uncle Eunar, in Norse Mythology by @neilhimself This is a lesson we all need now and then.

- Scientists today, it seems have a psychological problem.  They're worried about loosing their 'reputations' if they say one wrong thing. Wait a minute, how do we come up with a new idea if one doesn't come up with new ideas?  One should loose their reputations if they don't test their new ideas, discard it if it doesn't fit the data. Or, they should loose their reputations if they don't try daring new ideas.  If they hide behind all kinds of evasive language.

    Either through childhood experiences or they never learned the scientific spirit in the first place of being excited by new connections/ideas, the fact that scientists today are afraid to point out irrationality is proof of the power of the dark side of the force. My pun on all this fear/evasive language I've been pointing out.

fear/evasive language . . . Planet of the Apes

Astronomers have this volcano named specifically - Tvashtar Paterae. This video of an Io volcano was taken by the New Horizon's spacecraft.  The spacecraft that went on to image Pluto/Charon for the first time.

As with my "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" post, just below, see my Sophie and Silas post if you haven't seen it, or don't know what I'm talking about.

I'm amazed at seeing these great dramatizations of fear and irrationality from, probably non-mathematical scientists.  Maybe mathematical scientists don't have time to put these types of things together. People are generally too busy to stop and notice things.  It takes stopping to notice things.

I like to point out how a stream looks chaotic.  But, if you manage to pick a point upstream and follow it down about the same speed as the stream, suddenly a simple, stable pattern is revealed. It takes this type of stopping ones busy life to notice things, to do mathematics, and to notice these fear and evasive tactics. 

Anyway, let's do the Planet of the Apes movie highlights of fear/evasive language . . .

Here, Dr. Zaius, who's in charge of both the science and religion of the Planet of the Apes, comes in to see Taylor(the caged human who can talk). Dr. Zaius uses evasive denial language when he says "he has a talent for mimicry." Zira, the female Ape of behavioral science is stunned at the close-mindedness.  Dr. Zaius says "it's a question of survival."  Well, that's what's left out of this movie clip.

In the above outdoor cage scence. Taylor writes in the sand.  A Ape soldier says "I don't get it; what's Zira trying to prove?"  Dr. Zaius replies "that man can be domesticated" at which both laugh it off.  Dr. Zaius notices and then erases Taylor's writing in the sand.

- Some scenes not readily found on youtube right now . . .

Taylor is with Zira and her boyfriend/archaeologists Cornelius.  Taylor writes some letters(because he can't speak due to an injury); but, Cornelius is shaking his head in denial.  Zira is saying "don't you believe your own eyes?"

Taylor has a court hearing with Dr. Zaius and all his fellow believers.  Dr. Zaius tests Taylor by saying "what's the second article of the faith". I feel like I need to rewatch this part. Dr. Zaius is trying to disprove Taylor's story, and Dr. Zaius just thinks that if the ideas are not already expressed in the scripture, then don't listen to new ideas. - Cornelius starts reading Taylors letters, because the Court has already banned Taylor from doing any writing(which would prove his case).  They then stop Cornelius from finishing Taylors written testimony.

Taylor has a private talk with Dr. Zaius.  A highlight is Dr. Zaius says there's no conflict between science and faith - so long as the science is in support of the religion.

Here's the famous statue of liberty scence at the end of the Planet of the Apes movie. Dr. Zaius destroys the archaeology dig where Cornelius was digging to hide the evidence of a pre-Ape/Human world.  This is like Pres Trump today who want to shut up climate scientists, burn the books. If one tries to operate a piece of technology with illogical concepts, the machine doesn't work - in computer programming, this is called a bug. If one destroys rationality and science, then the science/technology world will fall apart.

fear/evasive language, and . . . Invasion of the body snatchers

Copyright ESA/Herschel/PACS, SPIRE/Hi-GAL Project. Acknowledgement: UNIMAP / L. Piazzo, La Sapienza – Università di Roma; E. Schisano / G. Li Causi, IAPS/INAF, Italy

More evasive language I've been finding that proves fear of thinking(for whatever reason) found in the movies "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."  The 1978 version even features Leonard Nimoy.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, check out my Sophie and Silas post - Jun 8, 2015 post.

- The Invasion of the body snatchers is a kind of parable of how people pick up ideas and become cultish.  Of how people become conditioned in a given culture and incrowd.  Of how, if someone doesn't go with the cultural flow, they get pointed out.  This all seems surreal; but, the following Biblical quotes proves it!

2 Thessalonians3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us."

and another, "3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed."

Well, the first scene I can find that corresponds to my notes is the rat terd scene,

Here, Donald Sutherland, who plays Matthew, finds a rat terd in the food.  The owner uses evasive language, being in denial, and calls it a caper. Some of the rest of the scene that is not shone are the restaurant chefs acting offended at Matthews presence.  Then, when Matthew finds the rat terd, they go and egg his car.

One of the main characters, Elizabeth, explains to Matthew that her punk husband has changed.  She followed him once and noticed he's with others and they're all passing around seed-pods. This reminds me of religious people who run around passing out bibles.  - I further noted that this passing around of seed-pods is like Eric Drexler's "disruptive".  Everyone gets in the act - to be cool.

The scene above is a guy who's trying to whistle blow; but, Matthew just blows him off.  He doesn't want to think there's a problem.  He's a bit cowardly here.  The whistle blower runs and gets hit by a car.  They turn the corner, and they see everyone looking at the whistle blower in a rather empty feeling way. They're all the converted.

- There's a scene where Matthew is calling Elizabeth's huspand.  The husband doesn't say anything.  He just listens and hangs up so that Elizabeth can fall asleep and wake up as one of the pod-seed people.

Elizabeth tries to get one of the pod-flowers tested.  But, her boss is uncooperative.  He asks "how" and tells her "you're consistently late".  He doesn't want the flower tested.  He doesn't want information to get out until the pod-seed invasion of the body snatchers conspiracy is in full swing.

The above is kind of a central scene. Matthew and Elizabeth are found by the now converted Leonard Nimoy and some others. Leonard Nimoy and the others say, "It's so much easier if you just convert."  Then, they make a bunch of evasive spin doctor talk - "all are one", "born into an untroubled world", "no fears or anxiety", "no room for hate . . . or love", and "don't be trapped by old concepts."

This last scene is kind of famous amongst "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" fans. Earlier in the movie, when he, Elizabeth, and his other friends are running away from the pod-people, they learn that if they just act like the rest, they can walk amongst them - unnoticed.  The last scene is a play like Matthew has perfected this. One of his friends finds him and thinks he must know how to walk amongst the drones as well.  But, to her horror, Matthew screams and points to her, signaling to the others that he's found someone who's walking disorderly.