Geologists Reality February 29, 2008
Posted by physics309 in Science.14 comments
I have no idea if this is a true story or not, but it is very typical behavior of the geologists I know. This was sent to me by a friend who is a geologist. If it isn’t true, it should be.
Update: March 25, 2008: I have received so many emails and comments about this posting that I have to think that if there isn’t any truth to this story, then maybe the networks should really think seriously about this show. There appears to be a real mass interest in it.
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While the media rarely represents geologists to the general population, (excluding sound bytes on Discovery Channel volcano specials), there was one recent attempt to integrate geologists into a television program.
According to various blog sources, CBS was looking to produce a new reality TV show for 2008, after correctly predicting that the writers’ strike would cut down on their ability to create blue-toned dramatic shows centering around corpses. One of their production managers happened to see a documentary on a volcanologist researching lava in Hawaii, and seeing the danger and excitement inherent in people smashing molten hot ‘magma’ with rock hammers, pitched the idea of a ‘geologist survivor-type’ show.
In December of 2007, CBS hired a production crew to pull the show together; the scenario was that nine geologists would be placed in the field, where they would vote each other off based on their willingness to do dangerous geologist type feats common to the field; like researching active volcanoes, earthquakes,
landslides, and landing in bush planes on glaciers. Geologists that weren’t up to the task would be voted off, and the last remaining “Hard-core geologist” would win a prize.
The production was plagued from the beginning. They were successful in finding nine geologists, 6 males and three females, between 25 and 50 years of age, and they quickly set up the first challenge; researching an active volcano in the Phillipines. The geologists and camera crew set up camp near the bottom of the volcano. The camera crew filmed the nine geologists bonding. The geologists were supplied with alchohol (a common strategy to loosen up the cast in reality TV), but the camera crew was surprised to notice that even after drinking gallons of the liquid, the geologists did not change their behavior, and continued talking in an obscure jargonized language about ‘bombs’, ‘breccia,’ and ‘lahars,’ none of which made for good reality TV.
This trend continued through the entire first challenge; the geologists were seemingly oblivious to the camera, and the only interpersonal drama occurred when the seismologist and structural geologist got into a yelling match over the best recipe for chili. When the camera-crew and geologists went up to do research on the volcano, instead of sticking together, the geologists scattered into the landscape, and the camera-crew found themselves unable to find more than two at a time.
Also, after listening to the volcanologist eagerly predict just how soon the volcano would blow, the camera-crew became extremely nervous and returned to the camp. The final result was almost no footage, and the editors were unable to make sense of what footage there was because they had no idea what the hell the geologists were talking about. Finally, few of the scientists seemed to understand the concept of ‘voting off’ another member. After consulting a nearby university, the crew finally explained that the geologists were ‘competing for a GSA research grant.’
This didn’t go well either, as the geologists pointed out that they didn’t have the time to write a research paper. Finally, they were simply told to get rid of someone on some sort of criteria. After a council, the geologists decided that whoever had the worst aim with a rock hammer would be told to leave.
The second event, landing in a bush plane in upper Alaska, was a complete failure. None of the geologists were nervous at the idea, which destroyed the drama the crew was hoping for, and worse yet, no-one in the production crew was willing to accompany the geologists to the site, out of sheer terror. The result was that small cameras were given to two of the geologists to film themselves. When the footage and geologists returned, the editors found tapes filled with footage and commentary about mountains and ‘glacial erratics’. Only ten percent of the footage featured humans, and most of that footage was simply the petrologist standing by outcrops for scale.
By the time the production reached Hawaii, most of the camera-crew had quit (because of the steady diet of chili and the dangerous situations), and only five of the geologists were left; not because they had been voted off, but because they had been over-excited by rock formations at various locations and had refused to leave. Moreover, paying for an almost-constant supply of beer and transportation of the geologists’ luggage (which mainly consisted of rock samples and unmentionably dilapidated field clothing), had almost exhausted the budget. CBS finally pulled the plug on the project in January of 2008, despite their fear that they might be sued for withdrawing the promise of a prize; however, none of the geologists sued, as they were still under the impression that they needed to publish a research paper to receive the money.
Tougher Than I February 21, 2008
Posted by physics309 in Musings.add a comment
I took a walk to the beach this evening and it was beautiful, but cold. I took a route that put the wind at my back instead of in my face. Still, even bundled up in all of my winter gear with earmuffs and gloves and heavy coat, I was still cold. I was looking out over Long Island Sound and enjoying the pleasant evening, thinking about how nice a hot mug of tea was going to be, when I looked down. There were two lines of footprints. I mean ‘foot’ prints, as in bare feet! And, this wasn’t just someone playing around, there were two sets of tracks that stretched at least as long as the beach I was walking on. At the waterline!
All I can say is that those were two hearty souls.
I’m not making this up February 21, 2008
Posted by physics309 in Musings.Tags: chocolate, condoms, fruit flavored, Telemarketers
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WARNING: MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE OVERLY SENSITIVE!!!
I don’t get reception on my cellphone at home, so I turn it off every night when I go home and then turn it on when I leave in the morning. I got a bleep this morning telling me I had a voicemail and when I checked it I found it was from a telemarketer. I was about to delete it when I heard what they were selling and had to stop:
FRUIT FLAVORED CONDOMS!!!
I’m not kidding! The young lady making the call was telling me about how they have orange, and sour apple, and cherry and several other flavors. The visions started coming to my mind. Who thought of this? Imagine the business proposal. The marketing research (‘Excuse me ma’am. Could I ask you some questions?’). How about the company meetings? Just think about the advertisements (‘Hmmm! Lemon is my favorite, honey!’ ‘Well, dear, be sure to try them all!’)
Then it occurred to me:
CHOCOLATE COVERED CONDOMS!!!!
Now, that’s something I bet you could market!
Lunar Eclipse February 20, 2008
Posted by physics309 in Science, Wicca.Tags: aristotle, columbus, diana, eclipse, lunar, moon, Science, selene, Wicca
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Posted on The Wiccan Scientist
Tomorrow evening, Wednesday February 20, there will be a total eclipse of the Moon that will be visible over much of the world. North America will have a particularly nice view of it because it will be in the evening when most people are still awake. It should be totally eclipsed by 10:00 PM, Eastern time. Here is a story that gives the timeline. This will be the last total lunar eclipse until December 21, 2010.
All lunar eclipses occur at the full moon. This is because a lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. This means it must be directly opposite of the Sun, from Earth’s perspective. This perspective is also what causes the Moon to be full. We don’t get a lunar eclipse with every full moon because the Moon’s orbit is inclined to the Earth’s equatorial plane. Most full moons, the Moon is either above or below the Earth’s shadow and no eclipse occurs. Sometimes, it passes through a little bit of the shadow and we get a partial lunar eclipse.
Eclipses have a tremendous amount of history to them. Aristotle used his observances of lunar eclipses as part of his argument that the Earth was round. It was understood, even before 500 B.C., what a lunar eclipse was and Aristotle argued that the Earth had to be round, because the shadow falling on the face of the Moon was always a circle. The only was it could be a circle every time was if the Earth was a sphere. There’s also a story that Christopher Columbus saved his crew in the Caribbean when the local Indians were getting tired of the Europeans. Columbus knew there was going to be a lunar eclipse and used this knowledge to convince the Indians that their god was angry at them and was taking the Moon away. Of course, the only way to make the god happy was to give the Europeans everything they wanted and the Moon returned once they agreed to this. This was on his fourth and last voyage to the Americas.
Certainly the full moon and eclipses have featured rather prominently in nearly all religions, in art, writings, and lore. One of the questions I get frequently is why the Moon doesn’t have a name. I always answer that it does. First, Moon is a proper name and was used to indicate our moon before any others were discovered. All other moons received that moniker afterwards. I have long argued that Moon should be capitalized when referring to our moon, but I’m certainly in the minority on this one. The Moon is also known as Selene and people who study the Moon are known as selenologists. There is also an element named for Moon, selenium. There is also Diana, but this isn’t really a name for the Moon. Diana was thought to be a goddess that resided in the Moon, but not the Moon itself. However, the Moon has frequently been referred to as Diana. Shakespeare is a good example of this.
Many cultures and religions today still observe the lunar cycle, the Chinese and Jews are just two examples. The cycle of the Moon is observed in Wicca, going back thousands of years to the old pagan religions where the cycle of the Moon was the primary means of keeping a calendar. Today, most Wiccans hold some form of festival associated with the lunar cycle. This could take place at the new moon, or any other phase of the Moon, but is usually observed at the full moon. These festivals are known as esbats. The make-up of esbats will vary from person to person, but for me, they are times to reflect on how much I have to be grateful for and renew my beliefs.
This is a good time for an esbat for me. I’ve been really overwhelmed lately, have been receiving lots of bad news, and things have just been stressful and difficult. It is easy to sink into depression or negativity under these conditions and I have been at risk of this lately. Meditation has helped, but the thing that helps the most is to reflect on the long list of things I’m grateful for, the long list of things that are going my way, and all the good things in my life. It gives me the strength and the outlook needed to continue in a healthy frame of mind.
So, I will find the time tomorrow to spend a few minutes reflecting and giving thanks. Even if you’re not a Wiccan, you might take a minute or two while you’re watching the eclipse to do the same.
Dry Suit Diving February 18, 2008
Posted by physics309 in Old Lyme.add a comment
Basically, there are three ways to go diving: in little more than a swimsuit, in a wet suit, and in a dry suit. The swimsuit is pretty obvious. You need something to prevent chaffing from the gear and protection from anything you might rub against, but this is a very comfortable way to dive, but only if the water is warm enough. Wet suits provide some insulation by covering your body with a neoprene suit that allows water in. The water makes a warm layer next to the skin and the neoprene slows the heat loss from your body. This is good in water with a temperature down into the 40s, or so. Below that, the heat loss begins to become so severe that you will suffer from hypothermia. This is more than uncomfortable, its potentially fatal. This is where the dry suit comes in. It is watertight and keeps you insulated with air. Air doesn’t allow heat to get through as quickly and a dry suit can keep you warm all the way to subfreezing temperatures. Some people even use argon instead or air because argon is an even better insulator.
When I first got certified for scuba diving in 1973 (yes, that long ago), we discussed dry suits in the class and the basic message was that they were very difficult to use and required special training. You could over inflate the suit and this could cause you to ascend to the surface uncontrollably, a very dangerous situation for a diver. They could pinch you and cause severe injuries. The seals around the neck and wrists were a problem and didn’t last long. On and on. It was clear we were being told that dry suits were for professional divers only.
Well, I recently had the opportunity to sign up for a dry suit qualification class through the Mystic Aquarium and jumped at the opportunity. The course was this past weekend. I am really overwhelmed right now and gave some serious thought about not doing the course, even though I had already paid and wouldn’t get my money back. I just didn’t feel like I could afford to take the time. But, it was a good opportunity, so I worked my schedule and did the course and I’m glad I did. It was a lot of fun. We did the classroom portion on Saturday and then yesterday we were in the pool for the wet portion.
What I found was that the technology has either greatly changed since 1973 (no surprise there), or the instructor exaggerated the difficulty of dry suit diving (also not a reach of the imagination). It was actually very easy and pleasant. And, this baby really does keep you warm. We were in a pool and just wore swimsuits and t-shirst underneath and we were all very hot by the time we got out. I can see that it really would keep you much warmer. We discussed the issue with the seals and they will last several years with proper care. We discussed and practiced events where we were overinflated, or the air rushed up into our feet and held us upside down. Both scenarious were easy to deal with. It all went very smoothly.
So, I’m looking forward to the chance to use this new training in the future and go diving in areas that were denied to me before because of water temperature. If you’re a diver, I recommend that you check it out.
The Wiccan what? February 10, 2008
Posted by physics309 in Wicca.add a comment
I have to confess that I get a real reaction if I tell someone that I’m a Wiccan, so you can imagine the reaction to ‘The Wiccan Scientist.’ I think this is mostly due to the misperceptions of what Wicca entails. Wicca is merely a nature-based philosophy rooted in ancient pagan religions. But, that isn’t what most people think it is.
Many people typically think we are Satanists, which is nowhere near the truth. This is something that the opponents to Wicca have been pushing for hundreds of years. This belief is certainly aided by certain aspects of Wicca. Wiccans frequently form covens for the purpose of worship and the pentagram is a common and important symbol in Wiccan rituals. The visage of the male deity is normally depicted as having horns, which opponents to Wicca point to as proof that we are devil-worshippers. In fact, Wiccans don’t even believe in Satan and don’t worship the dark forces of nature. The male deity is believed to embody, and be embodied in, animals (among other things, such as flames) and the horns represent the horns of animals. Of course, this issue is greatly complicated by the fact that there really are devil worshippers and they typically use the pentagram in their rituals. But, just as Wiccans are not devil-worshippers, Satanists are not Wiccans.
Other people think we sit around casting spells ala Harry Potter. Magic is part of Wicca, but the term ‘magic’ is very different in Wiccan usage than in common usage. The everyday use of the word means something supernatural, beyond the realm of science. The Wiccan usage is completely opposite. Magic in this usage means the use of the natural forces, many of which are explained by science and others that science may still be investigating. Acupuncture would be an example of magic under this definition. So would modern herbal medicine. Advertisements fall under the realm of this kind of magic because marketers are using psychology to influence the way people think. For this reason, many times this kind of magic is frequently referred to as magick to distinguish it from the Hollywood version. Practitioners of magic are called witches, whether you’re a male or female. Some Wiccans are witches and some witches are Wiccans, but neither is necessary.
I am not a witch, but under the Wiccan definition of magic I certainly do practice magic. I try my best to influence the way my students think and change their study habits. Some of the methods I use are rather unconventional. And, whenever I do an experiment, I employ the rather mundane laws of physics that I have studied long and hard to understand so that I can use them effectively. We have been studying electric fields this semester and it is interesting to see the students waving wands around in the classroom. If you rub a long rod of non-conducting material with something, such as fur or silk, you will charge it up with static electricity and we can then do experiments with them. This is probably the source of the idea of using a wand in magic. In the old days, the things we are doing would make for a good show and people would pay money to see someone do the experiments we are performing. The difference is that these events are now well-understood and in the past they seemed mysterious because the physics involved wasn’t known. Wicca rejects the idea of the supernatural and so do I. Everything must conform to the laws of nature.
Still, people have problems with this idea. They can be uncomfortable with me being a Wiccan and don’t understand how I can be a Wiccan and a scientist. At the same time, they are comfortable with the idea that a Christian can be a scientist, or a Muslim. And, we all know there are some Jews that have become remarkable scientists. If you point this out the reaction is that Jews value education. This is a true statement, but how does it exclude Wiccans? They think by calling myself the Wiccan Scientist I have crossed over into the realm of the kooks, such as the people that claim there is a giant face on Mars, or the Moon landings were a hoax.
Wicca values education, hard-work, and devotion. It also values nature and our place in the natural world. It is a religion that values peace and tolerance. The interesting thing is that I have essentially been practicing Wicca my whole life. I have always had difficulty with organized religions, even as a child, and have always been drawn to nature and natural philosophy. We lived on a farm when I was born and for six years I was given free reign to run around mostly unsupervised. I was the seventh of nine children and by the time I came along my parents didn’t feel the need to hover over me the way new parents typically do. The die was cast for me from the beginning.
What Wicca has done for me is to put a name to what I’ve always been doing and believed in. It also gives me a chance to expand my beliefs and understanding by interacting with other people that feel and believe the way I do.
So, what I am doing here with my new blog? Simple, I want to share with you the my thoughts on science, nature-based philosophies, and events in the news that fall under those categories. Hopefully, this will lead to some interesting discussions and debates.
The Wiccan Scientist February 5, 2008
Posted by physics309 in Wicca.add a comment
I’ve begun a new blog and will be doing most of my blogging through there. The new blog is The Wiccan Scientist at http://thewiccanscientist.blogspot.com. I put a link under my blogroll to the right. (I also added the Astronomy Picture of the Day, one of my favorite sites. I don’t how I missed putting it here for so long.)
I’ve decided that I wanted a blog that was devoted to this idea of melding nature-based philosophies with science. I believe that we must come to grips with this issue if we want to progress for the long-term. There are a great deal of problems in the world and the list is growing. We have the means to fix these problems, but we must devote ourselves to it. A consumerism philosophy will not work going into the future, we have to rethink the way we do business. To that end, I have identified three requirements I believe we need to satisfy:
1) We must learn to live with the planet.
2) We must learn to live with each other.
3) We must educate ourselves to the fullest extent.
This was the topic of my first posting at The Wiccan Scientist and I will follow it up with postings on each of these points.
