I
saw this posted on FB and it reminded me of my “Janus Program” that I initiated
at Mendocino College in 1986 (?) It is
the two faced, but not deceitful, Roman God of pathways and change. The program
was designed as an Elder Citizens class where I could talk about ANYTHING! I
was really in my powers as a teacher at that time and the program was a delight
to teach. It was later changed to "Elder Studies” but the format never changed.
I was very honored by the attendance and always gratified by their keen minds
and appreciation. Some of them still read this blog – if you are one of those
attendees – thank you for the opportunity you gave me.
Two
animal pictures I saw on Biographic and wanted to share plus a really beautiful
carving.
The Lion Monument, or "The Lion of
Lucerne" is located in Lucerne, Switzerland. It was designed
by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. It
commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during
the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries
Palace in Paris.
Cursed!
Some years back Susan and I toured the four corners region of
the U.S. One day I went on a hiking tour of an ancient Anasazi site called
Betatikin.
While investigating these ruins I saw a cliff bearing some
petroglyphs and climbed over a low wooden fence to get a better look. It was a
very insensitive thing to do but I was drawn to it like a magnet. When the
ranger with us saw me in the enclosure he berated me for my arrogance in
climbing over the fence and into and area not meant to be entered.
This photo
was taken by two ladies nearby. It turned out to be the Shamans corner and was
very powerful – not meant for casual scrutiny. The ranger who was half Navajo
chewed me out real good. He said there would be a curse on me for the
transgression. I think about that occasionally when things go south!
Astronomy time:
As always, cool new stuff is happening in the field I may have chosen as
my course of study had the math not been so far over my head. I still love to
learn a little more nevertheless.
The Earth-Moon system, as imaged by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Credit: NASA/OSIRIS-REx team and the University of Arizona. And yes, that's really the moon out there on the upper right.
And add this to broaden that perspective
Here’s a photo I took while touring The Maya Ruta in the
Yucatan back in the day.
Chichen Itza
In recent years, scientists have also learned of ice
deposits that exist in the equatorial regions of Mars, though it was unclear
how deep they ran. But according to a new
study led by the U.S. Geological Survey, erosion on the surface
of Mars has revealed abundant deposits of water ice. In addition to
representing a major research opportunity, these deposits could serve as a
source of water for Martian settlements, should they ever be built.
In 2009, Arkyd Aeronautics was formed with the intention of
becoming the first commercial deep-space exploration program. In 2012, the
company was renamed Planetary
Resources, and began exploring the ambitious idea of asteroid
prospecting and mining. By harnessing Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) for their water
and minerals, the company hopes to substantially reduce the costs of space
exploration.
And it all started in places like this:
Lets take a break
from astronomy until next time.
Trees; the ultimate expression of the plant world on earth.
Some miscellaneous stuff:
Death
an illusion ?
Two books I highly recommend:
Refuge Terry Tempest Williams: beautifully written book of sensitivity, love and death...and birds.
Hue
1968 Mark Bowden: for the realist military historian, the fight for Hue during The Tet Offensive in Viet Nam.
The
Future is Quantum with Dr. Krysta Svore
If someone mentions quantum computing, and you find yourself outwardly nodding your head, but secretly shaking it, you’re in good company: some of the world’s smartest people admit they don’t really understand it either. Fortunately, some of the world’s other smartest people, like Dr. Krysta Svore, Principal Research Manager of the Microsoft Quantum – or QuArC – group at Microsoft Research in Redmond, actually DO understand quantum computing, and are working hard to make it a reality.
Today, Dr. Svore shares her passion for quantum algorithms and their potential to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, explains why Microsoft’s topological quantum bit – or qubit – is a game changer for quantum computing, and assures us that, although qubits live in dilution refrigerators at temperatures near absolute zero, quantum researchers can still sit in the comfort of their offices and work with the computer programmer’s equivalent of Schroedinger’s Cat.
