Category: Space

You May Ask Three Questions…

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A Little Break From Politics

What Happens After Death?

I have long been interested in the widely differing views, beliefs, and expectations people have about death and what comes next. Some base their views on religion, most often one they grew up with or are surrounded by culturally. Others base their views on long and deep thinking about the subject, trying to apply reason, intellect, and spiritual aspects – not an easy task.

I’ll share my views sometime in the future in another post (one sure to agitate a lot of folks, one way or the other).

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October 7, 2025

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A Happy Note, A Sad Note, A Cliffhanger – Three Unrelated Observations

A Happy Note

We had the great pleasure this past weekend of attending the International Storytelling Festival, in nearby Jonesborough, TN. This is a tradition with us since our first exposure years ago revealed a unique and marvelous experience. It is a happy experience and one with lessons for us all.

This small town, of about 4,000 people, hosts an international celebration of the great art of storytelling. About 14,000 of us show up every year to join the party.

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Technology, Science, Medicine,

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While We Focus on Ordinary Life Today, Impressive Changes are All Around Us

Hey, How About That?!

Turns out that yes, there are things to think about besides politics (although even the matters we will discuss today can be affected by politics, good or bad). But today, let’s just look at the tools, people, and research working hard to make us better, smarter, and safer.  Here are a few that caught my eye recently.

Quantum Computers

I would not even try to explain quantum computing to the uninitiated (partly because there is so much about it that I do not know myself).

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Watch for Big Stuff Coming Soon

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Be on the Lookout for Major Outcomes

What’s Up?

As always, a lot is on the horizon, much of it important. What follows is not the definitive list by any means, but the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I think about the following issues and potential outcomes. I would be major outcomes on the following items in the next 4-6 months, for better or worse.

International

Ukraine: The war is, unfortunately, not likely to end in this short time frame, but my sensing is that the expected Russian Spring offensive is not going to amount to much.

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The Week That Was

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A Few Less Obvious Reflections on the Past Week

Well, THAT was Quite a Week – We Were Deluged with News

We cannot say the past week was a boring one. A hastily schedule but powerfully executed January 6 Insurrection hearing. Important battlefield changes in Ukraine. A series of disastrous Supreme Court decisions. An historic NATO summit. And more, in every sector .

Today is the Fourth of July. We have much to think about, America. Somethings to celebrate, some things to regret. Let’s briefly observe some of the important side notes to some of these sagas.

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What Would You Put in a Time Capsule?

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The History of These is Fascinating

 

Why Do These Things?

They seem to have some popularity throughout the ages. One could even say they are… timeless.

Time capsules have been in the news lately. Not one, but two were found under a statue of Robert E. Lee that was recently removed in Virginia. Here in my hometown, one was unearthed a few months ago, also from a site that once hosted a statue of a civil war figure.

It is not hard to find news items and historical write ups around the world and through the ages of such capsules being implanted,

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Let Us Reflect in Wonder & Hope for the James Webb Space Telescope

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“We’ve Never Done Anything Like Any of This” – A Project Engineer

Son of Hubble

The Hubble Telescope has been the most amazing, gratifying, useful thing of modern science. Off to a rough start with lenses imprecisely ground (an error resulting in one part of the team using meters, the other using inches. Imagine that.). But all was well once an equally amazing rescue mission was launched,  installing “contact lenses” on the telescope, with perfect results as an outcome.

I hit the Hubble web site and similar sites regularly, still amazed at the science and the beauty just waiting for you almost every day.

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It’s Time for a Favorite Holiday

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No, Not That One Next Saturday. The One Today.

 

 Tis the Season – For All Kinds of Celebrations

As has been noted earlier in this space, this seems to be the time of year that people and cultures all over the world choose to celebrate some larger-than-life theme. From Thanksgiving to Christmas to Hannukah to Eid to Kwanza to Diwali, to New Year’s Day, and more.

Something like 19 major holidays are celebrated world-wide in the late NOV-early JAN time frame, and countless more withing individual societies. And that does not even count those like National Doughnut Day or Stout Day!

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Hope, Promise, and Fun from Science and Technology

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It Will be Hard to Avoid Politics for the Next Couple of Months. Let’s Take a Brain Break

Part of our Hey! Look at That! Series

We are in a time of challenge, tension, and reasons to worry. We have been here before in many ways, I note, on this the anniversary of the terrorism of 9/11. Still, even in times of risk and fear, there is also hope and good news. I thought we might take a one day break today to look at some of those things, take a deep breath,

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The Doppelgänger Effect – You, Meet You

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Is That Me, You?

 

The idea of a doppelganger is an ancient concept that literature loves to this day. The term originated in German folklore. It meant a ghostly or paranormal phenomenon, usually as a harbinger of bad luck. Today it is more broadly defined to include a non-biologically related look-alike or double of a living person. 

 

It is a concept fiction writers have loved since its earliest days. I am not much of a fiction reader (unless you count anything Trump says). But I do feast often on science fiction and here, too, the doppelganger often finds a home.

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