Education

This is one of those pass-along things on Facebook, where you tell something about yourself to your friends. I liked doing this one so much I thought I’d post it here as well. The idea is to come up with the 10 books that have stuck with you the most—not necessarily the best, but the ones that had the most effect on your life. Here’s mine, with Amazon links:

1. How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne. Although it wasn’t written as a self-help book, it’s probably the best self-help book ever written! Browne gives you a practical, logical, no-nonsense approach for everything from relationships to taking on obligations. Read it and take charge of your own life!

2. Cosmos by Carl Sagan. The classic PBS series made such an impression on my 12-year-old mind when it first aired. This being the days before VCRs (or at least before we had a VCR), this book, written as a companion to the series, helped me not only relive the series but grow and develop my mental skills. Carl Sagan was truly a master at both astronomy and writing.

3. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. A masterful work of science fiction with so much food for the mind that I’ve read it again and again, from teenage years into adulthood.

4. Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer. I must admit I had no idea who Dr. Shermer was when I first read this book, but I was so taken with it I just had to read more from him.

5. Healing Our World in an Age of Aggression by Mary J. Ruwart. Imagine being taken on a journey to a place so enlightening your life will never be the same. Now imagine that every single step of that journey is based on logic and rational inquiry. That is precisely what this book does as Dr. Ruwart shows, almost to a scientific certainty, that aggression in all its forms—even when unseen—causes the harm we see throughout society.

6. The Mask of Nostradamus: The Prophecies of the World’s Most Famous Seer by James Randi. By all rights, this should be his book Flim-Flam!, but the truth is I only read that after I was a confirmed skeptic. The Nostradamus book got me on my way. I’d never heard of James Randi, and I was researching Nostradamus for a paper I was writing in college. I came across this book, completely rewrote the paper as a result, and my approach to research and learning has never been the same since.

7. Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard Maybury. As one of the Uncle Eric books, it’s intended for children, but great for adults, too. Probably the best introduction to economics (at least, its most important aspects) that I know of.

8. The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin. Although his science books The Origin Of Species and The Descent of Man rightfully have their place as two of history’s most important books, this earlier book detailing his years on the HMS Beagle tells an inspiring story of Darwin’s love for all humanity and how he was truly a man ahead of his time.

9. Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. Written in the 1940s but still just as relevant today, this one simple lesson is not only a good lesson for economics, but for everyday life as well.

10. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. Poirot rocks. That’s just all there is to it. Christie had a genuine talent for making improbable stories very real, with very real characters, and this masterpiece of hers has to be the best mystery novel ever written. Even if you’re not into mysteries, even if the identity of the murderer has been spoiled for you, this book is still a wonderful treat for the little grey cells.

In a previous blog entry, I speculated as to what a lunar eclipse might look like on the moon (which, from that point of view, would be a solar eclipse). No more speculating—the Japanese Kaguya probe took a picture of exactly that!

Now, this isn’t a fully total eclipse, as you can see from the sun brightly peeking out from the lower right, but it is enough to show the halo. Due to refraction, the parts of the halo near the sun turn red, while the parts of the atmosphere further away scatter blue light. All of this is for the same reasons that the sky is blue and sunsets are red. If the sun were directly behind the Earth, you likely would see a red halo all the way around.

It’s not only a beautiful sight, but it’s also wonderful when you consider that no human being in history has ever seen this before!

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. Astronomy isn’t just about studying things in the sky that have nothing to do with our life here on Earth. Discoveries of extrasolar planets allow us to have an insight into our own world, and other discoveries such as Dark Matter and Dark Energy serve as a reminder of how little we know, and how profound and wondrous the universe really is.

However, there are a lot of things we do know. One of the most amazing is the fact that we know with accuracy the components that make up the universe (even if we don’t understand the nature of most of it). We also know the age of the universe to within 1%. Another fact which is not only amazing but also has the added benefit of upsetting creationists is the fact that we can even extract energy out of a complete vacuum—literally getting something from nothing!

So, enjoy the Year of Astronomy, and keep enjoying it for many years to come. You don’t have to spend any money, or do any studying, and there’s no math involved if you don’t want to do it. You don’t even have to buy a telescope. Just spend a little more time outside at night looking up.

Wednesday’s total lunar eclipse was a treat, as we were treated to mostly clear skies and the moon was never more than a minute or two out of view as the clouds moved overhead. I set my digital camera on a tripod and proceeded to get several pictures of the event. It’s useless to try to get a video of the event, as it happens so slowly, but with good timing I managed to get one good pic every 5 minutes or so. I put them into a video, and to simulate a proper video I had each picture fade into the next over 5 seconds. This made a video of the eclipse that was about 60 times as fast as the real eclipse occurred:

As the eclipse progressed to totality, I edged up the exposure so that the area darkened by Earth’s shadow (called the “umbra”) became visible. It turns a haunting red color, for the same reason the sunset turns red. The Earth’s atmosphere refracts the red light from the sun and it lights up the darkened portions very dimly, although quite visible with the naked eye; I always imagined this would mean that, if you were on the moon at the time (it would be a solar eclipse there), you’d see the blackened Earth surrounded by a sunset-red halo. It must be beautiful. I had to go to bed, so I didn’t get anything after totality, but at that point it’s mostly the same thing in reverse.

The lunar eclipse has always been the stuff of history. According to legend, Christopher Columbus saved his life in the New World with a well-timed lunar eclipse, his foreknowledge of which convinced the locals that he had a special relationship with God. Also according to folklore, Columbus was a genuis who knew the Earth was round, where most everyone else, including his fearful crew, believed it was flat and they would fall off if they sailed too far. I don’t know about the eclipse legend, but the second claim is complete bogosity. It was widely known that the Earth was spherical at least since the 2nd Century BC, and the lunar eclipse is one big reason why.

The reason why we don’t have a lunar eclipse every month is because the moon’s orbit is tilted about 5 degrees with regards to Earth’s orbit around the Sun. So a total lunar eclipse only happens when the three bodies align at the time of the full moon. It doesn’t happen often, but wherever you are you should see one every few years or so. That’s enough to do several good observations in a single lifteime and share those observations with others.

One observation is that the curve of the Earth’s shadow is the same no matter where the moon is in the sky when the eclipse occurs. That can only occur if the Earth is a spheroid. Not only that, but you can also deduce the ratio of the size of the Earth to the size of the moon (which, by the way, is about 3.67:1). I’ve illustrated that with this picture:

Here, I’ve made the Earth (photo from NASA) its proper size relative to the moon using one of the eclipse shots I took (if you like this picture, click it for a 1024x768 version suitable as a wallpaper). Notice that it fits the curve of the shadow perfectly. Our ancient ancestors noticed that, too, and so they knew not only that the Earth was spherical, but also how big it was relative to the moon. Eratosthenes, after his brilliant calculation of the size of the Earth, could then deduce the size of the moon—both of which he got to within 1% of the correct answer (using the most generous length for the “stadium”).

Never underestimate how clever human beings are, or how much can be learned by just looking up and using your mind.

Many pundits (when they can tear themselves away from the primaries for long enough) express complete horror and dismay at the fact that last month oil prices reached $100 per barrel.

However, that still means that it’s cheaper to get half a pound of oil from halfway around the world than it is to mail a 1-ounce letter across the street.

My daughter came home today and, as usual, I checked her schoolwork. She had made a self-portrait, and above it, she had written, at the teacher’s direction, “Aleena has five senses.”

If you’re wondering what’s wrong with that, you’re probably not alone. You could probably even get this answer from any given skeptic: five senses, no more. What? A sixth sense? What kind of paranormal newage woo-woo is that?

But the truth is, our bodies are much more magnificent than that. Instead of being limited to seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching, we have a much greater experience in sensing both ourselves and the world around us.

What about when you go outside and feel how cold it is? And come back inside to the warmth? That’s not touch; you can’t touch heat. It’s thermoception.

What about when you get hurt, or in near danger of being damaged? That pain you feel isn’t touch; it’s pain, and it’s extremely useful. This is nociception.

There’s also equilibrioception, which helps us balance and gives us a sense of acceleration. If this sense is damaged (by, say, an ear infection) it can be as debilitating as losing a limb.

Proprioception, the kinesthetic sense, lets you know where the parts of your body are and what position they’re in. When you wake up, you haven’t been keeping track of how your body has moved in your sleep, but you still know exactly what position you’re in—where your arms and legs are, what side you’re lying on, what direction your fingers are going, etc. Again, people who lose this sense (generally through nerve damage of some kind) realize how much we rely on it.

Those make up our nine basic senses, but there are more besides:

Do you like spicy food? That’s due to special cell receptors which are completely different to taste. Although it activates the same nerves as for temperature, it is a different sense, and one can easily tell the difference between spicy food and food that has been heated.

You have sensors in your lungs telling you how much air is in them and how much you need to breathe.

You have sensors in your gut alerting you of gastrointestinal distress.

Your stomach has sensors that give you a feeling of hunger or fullness.

Ever felt tired or achey? That’s a response to the body dealing with some extra task such as fighting a disease.

For that matter, getting sleepy is the result of a sense, too.

We have a mild (in comparison to other animals) electroception. We can feel electric charges of a certain voltage (like static-electric shocks), and strong electrical fields (just ask anyone who’s played an electric guitar outside in the rain). We can’t use it to navigate like birds can, but it is there.

Humans have been found to have a form of echolocation, although we can’t produce any sounds other than verbally. But verbal noises, as well as attached devices that send out an audible ping, have been used in tests of blindfolded subjects to help them navigate around a dark room. It isn’t yet known how much we use this in real life.

We have pressure-detection senses, which helps us when we move from a low to a high altitude (or vice-versa).

The list goes on. There is universal agreement among scientists for the nine basic senses; whether the rest should be included, and as how many senses, is a matter of debate. By some counts, there are as many as twenty-three senses.

Why make such a big deal about this? Because the five basic senses come from Aristotle, who also said there are four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. What if we taught our children there were only four elements? Would you feel good about that? So why teach them only five senses?

What, is it because it’s easier to teach? Well, why not teach that the Sun goes around the Earth, since that’s easier for kids to understand? You shouldn’t be giving kids misinformation just because it’s easier.

I think the answer is, because the teachers just don’t know any better—and that’s a shame.

But now you do.

I felt the loss last month when Don Herbert, aka “Mr. Wizard,” died at the age of 90. So I really liked it when my friend and fellow skeptic Rebecca Watson of skepchick.org made a YouTube video asking people to do a moment of science in his memory. Here’s mine:

I think I’m getting my 15 minutes of fame 20 seconds at a time. I was interviewed again by Ken Lemon of WSOC-TV’s Eyewitness News about the trojans going around in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Some websites which are posing as charities to help Katrina victims are preying on the good and generous nature of Americans—instead of taking you someplace where you can help hurricane victims, it instead puts a trojan (a malicious piece of software) on your machine to try and steal your passwords.

As always, be diligent. It’s okay to be paranoid if they really are out to get you! Never trust anything you read in an e-mail, even if it appears to be from someone you know. Always check things out for yourself before going to a new website, and fer-gosh-sakes run Windows Update often! Better still, configure it to automatically notify you when updates are available.

And if you really want to contribute to the relief efforts (good for you!), contact directly a charity you trust, or a charity directly recommended (not in a standalone e-mail) from someone you trust. Me, I recommend Oxfam America.

Be generous, but be safe, too!

Over on my Issues page, I have an article explaining why so many jobs have been lost. I attribute most of the job loss to government regulation. This has been confirmed by new research compiled by the Cato Institute:

We hear lots of talk about exactly why (and if) [outsourcing] is happening, but rarely do pundits and commentators look at the relationship between companies moving plants overseas, and the kinds of tax and regulatory policies employed by the states they’re moving away from. As it turns out, states with business-friendly public policies attract and retain jobs. States with policies hostile to business tend to lose them.

So, do all states experience outsourcing? Hardly:

How well are states with business-friendly public policy doing at attracting and retaining jobs? The evidence suggests they’re doing well. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, the only state that actually gain net manufacturing jobs from 2000 to 2003 was Nevada. Nevada ranks 2nd on the SBSC’s business-friendly list. It ranks 3rd on the Tax Foundation list. It ranks in the top four of CFO’s list.

Which really only leads to one conclusion:

So the next time a local politician blasts NAFTA or greedy corporatism for the loss of local jobs, it might not hurt to take a look at just how friendly that politician’s state or city tax, and regulatory and labor policies are toward business. It’s likely that same politician’s policies are a big reason those jobs left.

You can read the entire article here.

Smashing, isn’t it?

I’ve been a big fan of David Willey for years. He’s a physics instructor who does really cool and dramatic science demonstrations such as walking on broken glass or lying on a bed of nails while a cinder block is smashed on his chest with a sledgehammer. Whether he’s making soda bottles explode or enclosing unsuspecting volunteers in giant soap bubbles, he does a great service by not only teaching science, but making his students want to learn it.

The reason I bring him up is, I’ve just received an announcement that he will be on The Tonight Show on Wednesday, May 11. If you’ve never had a chance to see this guy before, make sure you tune in!

I appeared on WSOC-TV’s Eyewitness News Monday at 5:00 and then again at 11:00. Apparently alocal website was hacked and defaced by a disgruntled former employee. I was interviewed to explain how this happens and how people can secure themselves.

This is a very serious issue. Last year, 2500 web sites were hacked everyday, and the problem is only growingworse. It is imperative that people get virus protection software such as the free AVGAnti-Virus from Grisoft and keep it updated, run a good personal firewall such as unless you’re absolutely sure the person sent it to you on purpose.ZoneAlarm or the one included with Windows XP Service Pack 2, and run Windows Update often (and configure it to automatically notify you when updates are available). Oh, and whatever you do, don’t open email attachments

Remember: the question is not, "Can they get in?" The question is, "How long will it take them?" Your computer is vulnerable; taking the abovesteps will hopefully make it so difficult to get in that the hacker will give up and go elsewhere looking for easier prey.

You know, I am getting sick and tired of hearing people complain about spam (meaning unsolicited commercial email, not SPAM the lunch meat). Yes, I get tons of spam. And yes, I hate it. But as far as problems in my life goes, this ranks up there with stubbing my toe on the bed.

It wouldn’t be so bad if these whiners just kept their complaining on internet discussion boards. But now we have Federal laws designed to stop spam (and they have the Constitutional authority to do this, how?). The government has for years been looking for excuses to get in and regulate the internet, and all of this hype about spam has given them just another excuse. Not that they’ll be successful, but they’ll make so many lives miserable in the attempt.

The reason why there’s so much spam is that, unfortunately, it works. A study from the University of Maryland has found that 4% of internet users buy something they read about in a spam email. That’s a fantastic response rate given how cheaply emails can be sent.

You might say that there’s no reason that 4% should "force" the rest of us to read spam. But that’s simply not what’s happening. We are all responsible for our own lives, and most of the problems facing this country are caused by people trying to avoid that responsibility. There are tons of solutions, many of them free, that exist to help alleviate the problem. I use the Mozilla suite to read email, and it has an excellent intelligent learning spam filter. The same filter is in their standalone email reader, Thunderbird. If you don’t want to switch email programs, and your email program doesn’t already have a spam filter (most do by now), there’s always the free and excellent SpamBayes. They even have a version that plugs directly into Outlook. Mine gets about 95% of all spams and sticks them in a Junk Email folder, where they’re automatically deleted after seven days. For the few that remain, it’s an easy matter of simply deleting them, or marking them as spam and they automatically go to the Junk folder.

So get over yourselves and take responsibility for your life. It won’t kill you to have to hit the DEL key a few times.