Category Archives: science

The Heat Death of Humanity


There are many claims being made about the Climate Change Horrors which await the Planet Earth.

Most are false.

Regardless of how hot the atmosphere becomes the Planet will continue to orbit Sol.

The seas and the continents will continue to dot the surface of the planet. The coastlines may look different but there will still be continents. Probably fewer islands, though.

Earthquakes will continue to shake the ground. Vocanoes will continue to erupt. Hurricanes and droughts will continue.

Many species of animals, plants and fungi will continue their lineages. Some because they live in the oceans and some because they are very adaptable. Yet that word ‘many’ is a problem. Tens of thousands are ‘many’ yet fade into insignificance compared with the hundreds of millions which are currenly co-tenants on our shared planet.

What IS true is that the Earth will become extremely unfriendly for poor old Homo Sap who caused all the perceived problems. It was Henry Louis Le Chatelier (1850-1936) who enunciated his famous principle which can be restated as ‘Any change in status quo prompts an opposing reaction in the responding system.’

As a species we are going to run into some major difficulties as the Earth’s biosphere attempts to remove that which is causing major changes.

Our living places will be inundated by rising sea levels and billions of people will have to move or drown. The majority of our farming and crop lands will also be affected by sea water leaving many humans to starve. Our infrastructure will be largely destroyed. No power, no internet, no mass transport because they all require many different skills which will be lost in the vast people relocations.

And yet all may not be lost.

Some humans already live in highlands which will be out of reach of the rising oceans. They are able to grow crops and raise food animals. With the changing climate, they may need to change their crops yet that is a fairly small price to pay for survival.

These survival pockets will not go unnoticed and many who want to survive and have their descendants survive will try to take these increasingly valuable refuges from the current occupants.

So not only will ‘Nature’ try to remove humanity from the planet, so will humanity itself in its ages-old habit of warring on fellow humans.

Of course, once industrialism has been destroyed by the events unleashed by that very industrialism, then the Earth will almost certainly begin cooling and reverting to the world we knew in our youth. It will only take around one to two thousand years.

Just 40 or 80 generations of our descendants.

Assuming there are enough people left to create those extra generations after earthquakes, storms, wars and plagues.

Yes, plagues. Medicine will be one of those industrial skills which will be lost!

Probably, we are witnessing the beginning of the Heat Death of Humanity!

This day in science history: Leonardo da Vinci’s “helicopter”


January 14, 1493

Leonardo da Vinci is remembered as one of history’s most extraordinary artists and scientists. He even created that painting of a woman who almost smiled (it was hundreds of years until someone completely smiled in any work of art).

But his most misunderstood invention might be the “helicopter” he created.

Thanks to the journals of patron Lorenzo de Midici, we know the device’s true purpose.

Today, I took counsel with Leonardo, who showed me a proposal for a new creation that has sprung forth from his fertile mind. I have transcribed our discussion of it.

Midici: What wonder have you presented to me today, Leonardo?

Leonardo: My dear Lorenzo, it is the perfect spinner for pizza dough. You put the dough on the top and spin the base. The angle is perfection.

Midici: You’re joking.

Leonardo: No, my lord, the spinner creates a perfect thickness and circle for the dough.

Midici: Uh, I’m paying you for this? This is such a stereotypical Italian joke. This is like a joke the Flemish would make. You know how I feel about Flemland.

Leonardo: Uh, I was just kidding. I don’t love delicious pizza.

Midici: I’m not saying pizza’s bad, I’m saying that I fund your lavish lifestyle and I want something super cool. Just give me something war-like, and not offensive to Italians.

Leonardo: Fine. This pizza spinner doesn’t carry dough in the air.

Midici: What does it carry?

Leonardo: Steak?

Midici: I think you should go…

Leonardo: People! It carries people!

Midici: Amazing! I’m going to write this word for word in my journal now.

Leonardo’s helicopter never did fly, but years later, it inspired the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ favorite food: the pizza that Leonardo longed to create.

 

Fake Science

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 27th Aug


I have created a spreadsheet from numbers on the covid19data website and updated from the morning’s numbers as released by the Victorian Government.

All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

New cases – 113

Five Day rolling average today –

146.6

Seven Day Rolling average today – 156.3

GROWTH RATE – Australia-wide

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 24th Aug


I have created a spreadsheet from numbers on the covid19data website and updated from the morning’s numbers as released by the Victorian Government.

All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

New cases – 116

Five Day rolling average today –

184.8

Seven Day Rolling average today – 204.0

GROWTH RATE – Australia-wide

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 22nd Aug


I have created a spreadsheet from numbers on the covid19data website and updated from the morning’s numbers as released by the Victorian Government.

All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

New cases – 182

Five Day rolling average today –

221.0

Seven Day Rolling average today – 241.0

GROWTH RATE – Australia-wide

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 20th Aug


I have created a spreadsheet from numbers on the covid19data website and updated from the morning’s numbers as released by the Victorian Government.

All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

Five Day rolling average today –

265.2

Seven Day Rolling average today – 282.3

 

GROWTH RATE – Australia-wide

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 18th Aug


I have created a spreadsheet from numbers on the covid19data website and updated from the morning’s numbers as released by the Victorian Government.

All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

Five Day rolling average today –

291.6

Seven Day Rolling average today – 306.6

GROWTH RATE – Australia-wide

 

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 15th Aug


I have created a spreadsheet from numbers on the covid19data website and updated from the morning’s numbers as released by the Victorian Government.

All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

Five Day rolling average today –

339

Seven Day Rolling average today – 343

GROWTH RATE – Australia-wide

From the ABC

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 14th Aug


I have created a spreadsheet from numbers on the covid19data website and updated from the morning’s numbers as released by the Victorian Government.

All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

Five Day rolling average today –

342

Seven Day Rolling average today – 366

GROWTH RATE – Australia-wide

From Aug 12th (data is a little delayed) The University of Melbourne Website.

 

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 1th Aug


I have created a spreadsheet from numbers on the covid19data website and updated from the morning’s numbers as released by the Victorian Government.

All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

Five Day rolling average – today – 391

Seven Day Rolling average – today – 450

From the ABC Website – this is yesterday’s Growth Factor –

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 10th Aug


All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

5 day rolling average – 418

7day rolling average – 465

COVID-19 Victoria (Aust) – Rolling Averages – 9th Aug


Just for my own interest I am going to store this info here. I have created the spreadsheet from numbers on the covid19data website.

All charts have to begin somewhere. these charts began, arbitrarily, on 2nd July 2020.

Five Day rolling average

7 Day Rolling average

Thoughts Caused By Imminent Extinction.


A vague 3am thought which has been bugging me.

With the combined efforts of a changing climate, evolving virii and bacteria, increasingly possible nuclear war and the poisoning of our environment for short-term benefits and shorter term bottom lines, extinction of the human species is, at least, a possibility. Oh, and never forget the chance of a stray asteroid impacting on our planet.

At the same time our ever-present human curiosity continues to look for life beyond this planet. There are growing signs that there may well be extra-terrestrial life and proof is being actively sought.

Since homo sapiens first thought of the possibility of life on other planets there has been an assumption that it will be intelligent life. Possibly friendly, possibly hostile.

But intelligent. Evolved from single cells into intelligent beings.

Yet must this be so?

We, as a species, have evolved from earlier species which have not developed intelligence to the level of creating science. Evolution has created many lines of specieal existence, yet only one with ‘human’ intelligence. An attribute which seems to be counter-productive to all other living beings.

Should our intelligent species become extinct, is there any guarantee that another species, of whatever lineage, would develop the intelligence to continue the progress of earthly life to the stars?

There is a distinct possibility that star-gazing, star-reaching intelligence may be a one off, not only on this planet, but also on all planets throughout the Universe.

 

 

Image

Giving Thanks


After COVID-19


I have been noting the excellent coverage by the ABC of the current COVID-19 pandemic. It has been comprehensive and, with the help of Dr Norman Swan, understandable.

There is one area in which it can be improved.

Yes, we need to know ‘new cases’.  Sadly, their continued use of the term ‘total infected’ is a misnomer because some have recovered and are now, theoretically ‘immune’.

The ABC could improve and add a column to their COVID-19 statistics.  We need to know how many have recovered! They are the herd who will protect us with Herd Immunity.

They are also the cohort which would make a very good source for nurses, carers, hospital cleaners, meals-on-wheels people and other front-line workers.

No longer able to be infected, sensible use of sanitising would allow them to do many of the tasks for which non-immune people require so much protection.

Obviously not all recovered COVID-19 patients would be interested in doing caring work but a reasonable percentage will be and they should be fast-tracked into those very necessary roles.

In this time of crisis, we need to use every resource at our disposal to lift our nation back to some form of normality.