Monday, September 22, 2008

Scienterrific

With all the excitement of the Large Hadron Collider and the possibility that it could open a rift to another dimension, or at least show evidence of their existence, and the discovery that there are 26 dimensions (see previous post) and (a further Hawking thought) it is theoretically possible to travel through time, I thought it well and truly time to see what science was up to, now that we're living in the future.

Well we've observed a gamma-ray burst 12.8 billion light years away. Due to the time-space aspect, we are looking into the past to see this.

We're still unsure about life on other planets, but we're busy gathering data.

We know that most religions got it wrong. The Earth is at least 1.6 billion years old.

We're making strides in molecular biology and genetic engineering. We've cracked the DNA code.

What was discovered by the Human Genome Project? Despite the odd cranky telling off of scientists for flirting with abstracts when life is threatened, human biology will remain an area of intense research and interest.
Peering into the past will also continue to produce dividends, as we know with more fossil discoveries what we are now looking at.

We keep tripping on the mysterious, even in hard science like physics and chemistry.

While the less certain areas of scientific endeavour are still represented by psychology.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Twenty Six Dimensions

Twenty six dimensions
that's beyond my comprehension
I didn't pay much attention
after the last black hole

It's a genius postulating
Cosmologist since collating
Irradient and irritating
rings round us regular folk

Four dimensions a fortunate case
Anything more is a waste
It's not that I mind its misplaced
Hawking a true expanse

Saturday, September 20, 2008

If and when it happens

When I'm published and I have my own website and I'm collaborating with another musician and we're doing the odd performance, then I'll look at drawing trees. It's the thing I pictured doing in my retirement. I'd have the time and the patience to do it.

Not, I hasten to add, that I'm racing to get there. The trees can wait.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Worst cake scenario

I was going to do a completely frivolous post on bad stuff but Aus political events keep interrupting my irrelevance/irreverence.

As expected, Brendan Nelson has been rolled as Opposition Leader after a few lacklustre months in the job and the guy who contested him first time round now has the job. While over in WA, the fools got rid of a good government and their protest vote has left them with shite. Glad I'm over here.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

GGirl

Australia has its first female Governor-General.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Reestablish

You may be wondering why it's taken me a week to gloat. No reason really. I was going to post last week.

I am glad we have seen a few more notorious ministers take a tumble, not least power sellouts Premier Iemma and Treasurer Costa but I heard that Frank Sartor has also hatched his last development scheme.

Heady days for people who don't approve. Not that there's any joy in seeing the procession of spectacles that yer contemporary NSW Labor Right member get themselves caught up in, as I'm not fond of conservative rule.

The rate of ministerial sackings has accelerated to such an extent that the police minister lasted three days. Pretty soon they'll be being cleaning out their desks at the rate of a CERtaiN particle accelerator.

It's not just here either. the Western Australian premier, Alan Carpenter, is being forced to form a minority government, with the rural conservative National Party. Strange bedfellows and strange times we live in.

I'm glad that the NSW Labor Left are finally getting more of a look-in and I have some hopes for Nathan Rees, though he's got his work cut out for him.