Porches

From the Mind of Muggington

Every home should have a front porch.

As I write I am seated in a comfy wicker chair on the porch of a bed and breakfast. I don’t know why this simple setting produces so much relaxation.

Maybe it brings back fond memories of porches past. As a kid I loved porch swings. There was a sense of danger as I sat on the rickety wooden swing. I could hear the screw fasteners above squeaking and ceiling wood cracking with every move.

I guess what I like most about porches now is that they seem to be unsuitable for anything except rocking, sitting, swinging, reading , writing and talking. You certainly can’t have a productive meeting or teach a class on a porch.

It’s kind of nice when you can’t do something in a place.

 

Novae

From the Mind of Muggington, nature is awe inspiring, nature is awesome, physics, science, science fiction

They approached the white dwarf with caution. “No life forces appear to be within range,” it said. An intense beam shot down to the surface of the fiery white sphere and a tiny puff ball appeared. “Approaching ignition point,” it said. A purplish flare rose from the white dwarf and zoomed by them.  Everything occurred in silence. The writhing sheets of violet continued to spew into space.

It began to chuckle. It turned to its partner. “Let’s do another one,” it said. “I don’t know if we should,” the other said. “Come on, it doesn’t hurt anything, it’s just a little gamma radiation,” it said. “Alright, but this is the last one, okay?” the other said.

It grinned and turned them towards another juicy white dwarf.

The data driven road to happiness

From the Mind of Muggington

Everyone wants to collect data. I have an idea that might help

Let’s collect data on the number of smiles, laughs and compliments people exhibit.

Why not find out what increases these positive behaviors?

If something increases the number of smiles and positive comments then maybe we need to encourage it.

Instead of forcing people to compete, why not find ways to help people enjoy each other’s company?

Any second

fantasy, From the Mind of Muggington, Pomroy's World, science, science fiction

It could happen to any of us, any second.

Today I read about a thirty five year old man who had blood clot in his ankle. The next morning he was found dead.  It is so sad but also something all of us face.

Life is an incredibly fragile phenomenon. Life is also one of the most persistent, unusual, and mysterious forces in our Universe.

In my novel Pomroy’s World I attempted to explore this fear that hangs over all humans. A young teenager is on his skateboard and weaving his way down a street. All of us see teens like this every day. They don’t seem to have a care in the world.

At the same time, on the same street, I watch impatient drivers honk when the car in front of them slows down for a second. They race their engines and lean on their horns to show their hatred and anger at the unfair delay they are being subjected to.

It is only a matter of time and chance before the unthinkable happens.  A boy is hit by a racing vehicle and he either lives or dies. In Pomroy’s World, a third possibility is presented. The teen is in a coma and the doctors say he will never regain consciousness.

What happens next is my dream and my hope for Pomroy and everyone else like him.

pomroysworld.com

 

We needed it

fantasy, From the Mind of Muggington, nature is awe inspiring, nature is awesome, science

I woke this morning to a nice drizzle of rain. Our parched lawn needed a good soak. The only downside is that the mosquitoes are probably rubbing their limbs in glee anticipating all the great spots to drop clusters of eggs.

I can just imagine the revelry and chaos in plant cells right now. Water is rushing into root hairs and whooshing up xylem vessels. Cells are frantically trying to take in as much water as they can, their cell walls turgid to the point of bursting. Up in the leaves the palisade cells are grumbling, “Come on, get that good stuff up here,”  but they are going to have to be patient.

In order to get the water up that high, they are going to need to get some heat and a nice breeze.  Once the water molecules get jumpy enough they will hop out of the stomata and fling themselves into the air. Now, those long columns of water can start clawing their way up the insides of the zillions of tiny tubes. If all the leaves cooperate just right they can pull the water up a surprising height.

It’s those greedy little green guys that are desperate for the water. As soon as they get some water they will start tossing electrons around, breaking and making chemical bonds and churning out gooey carbohydrates that are destined to be the supposed bane of human dieters everywhere.

Back down at the roots, things are getting mushy. Earthworms are gasping for breath and squirming their way skyward. The fungal mycelia are happy. They just grow and grow and digest and absorb. It’s a great life being a decomposer.

I think I better take a closer look at the water, the main player in this morning’s drama. What this? It seems the hydrogen atoms won’t stay still. They are jumping from one water molecule to another, almost like they are doing the Lindy.  And they are throwing the electrons back and forth. Naughty polar molecules, I wish you could just sit still for a millisecond. Still, you’re all we’ve got in the liquids that make life possible category so I guess we will just have to put up with it.

We did really did need a good soaking today.

Urgent need for a quantum robot

From the Mind of Muggington

When my wife and I sit down to a home-cooked meal we usually have at least three separate dishes. For example, tonight we had salmon, kale and a mix of potatoes, onions and tomatoes.  Everything was absolutely delicious. The salmon skin was crispy and the veggies were fantastic.

The problem is one of time.  As soon as the food is served onto my plate I start to eat one of the dishes, in this case I started with the salmon. At this point my wife invariably asks, “What’s wrong with the kale? You  aren’t eating it.”  I keep eating as fast as I can. “Are the potatoes alright,” she asks.  I keep eating with the intention of sampling all three dishes as soon as I can.

“You haven’t tried the wine yet, it’s really good,” she says. I keep eating determined to finish the bites in my mouth.

This is why I am requesting that DARPA consider an urgent competition to develop a quantum robot. Husbands cannot possibly try every dish in a meal at the same time and this causes misunderstanding that could lead to a threat to world peace.

I hereby request that scientists and engineers develop a quantum robot that can perform tasks simultaneously in at least three different states (please note: this is because we normally don’t have more than three dishes for dinner).

I feel that the phenomenon of superposition is currently being underutilized for domestic purposes. A quantum robot would be a welcome addition to our family and it would definitely let me eat my dinner at a more sedate pace.

Sincererly,

Samuel Muggington

Landing

fantasy, From the Mind of Muggington

The spacecraft settled onto the surface and cheers erupted in the control room.  They did it.  If all the calculations were correct, humanity had successfully completed the first landing on an exoplanet.

Kapteyn B was an odd choice but eventually the scientific community gave it their blessing.  After all it was the closest exoplanet to Earth that could conceivably support life.

Reporters shouted questions at the flustered scientists. “When will we see pictures from the spacecraft?” “Do you think there is life there?” The team leader rose to his feet and asked the crowd for silence.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment and I would like to thank all the members of our team. The knowledge gained from this journey will be of benefit to all humanity. Some day we will send humans to planets such as this,” he said. “We want to see the pictures,” an insistent reporter said. The team leader cleared his throat. “As you may be aware, Kapteyn B is the closet exoplanet to Earth that could possibly sustain life. It happens to be located 13 light years away from us.” “So what,” the reporter said. “That means that it will take thirteen years for the first video feed to begin.”

“What? What’s the point then?” the reporter said. “This isn’t news, it’s history before it happens.” “Exactly,” the team leader said.

“There is a possibility that someday, someone will find a way around the laws of physics as we now know them but don’t hold your breath,” the team leader said.

…

They approached the shiny thing carefully. Light from their red dwarf sun glinted on the strange object and they could see parts of it moving. They picked up rocks and looked at each other. The first stone hit the spacecraft. Soon a shower of rocks shattered the glass camera lenses and bent the antennae. The solar collector lay in pieces on the ground. They turned as a group and returned to their waiting positions.

Muggington on Mosquitoes

From the Mind of Muggington, nature is awe inspiring, nature is awesome

The annual battle with mosquitoes is fully underway at our house. The only thing that keeps them at bay is burning mosquito coils. We have tried the recommended methods, citronella candles, citronella this and that, spraying mosquito repellent through a garden hose, an electronic contraption that is supposed to attract and suck in mosquitoes. We also remove all stagnant water to prevent breeding.

Nothing seems to work except burning a piece of plant material formed into a brittle coil, which by the way is not a very sophisticated technology. It is interesting to note that this is how we controlled mosquitoes in the 1970’s in Africa, along with an aerosol spray chillingly called “Doom”.

Our current crop of mosquitoes on Long Island is particularly devious. For some reason they are smaller and harder to see and they’ve toned down their whine so we can’t hear them coming.

There are thousands of brilliant scientists and engineers scattered over the globe and we are rapidly approaching the Singularity (hah!). Our vaunted big brains are capable of comprehending the multiverse and string theory.  Couldn’t they spare a little of their time to deal with these annoying , disease carrying flying needles?