The figure illustrates three events in Minkowski spacetime. Event 𝐵 is neither in the past nor in the future of 𝐴, 𝐴 ∼ 𝐵, and event 𝐶 is neither in the past nor in the future of 𝐵, 𝐵 ∼ 𝐶. Despite this, 𝐶 ≁ 𝐴. Indeed, 𝐶 is in the future of 𝐴: 𝐶Continue reading “Past Future Second…”
Author Archives: reginaldgoodwin
40 Years To Now…
Image Source: University of Notre Dame Topics: African Americans, Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Existentialism Update on what I’ve been doing: I was on the workgroup out of Washington for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) on this project. Perchloroethylene (Perc) is a common solvent for dry cleaning, selected for its low flashContinue reading “40 Years To Now…”
Entropy and Empires…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Climate Change, Entropy, Existentialism The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival, Sir John Glubb, Abe Books In these inspiring essays, Sir John Glubb examines the human race over 4,000 years and finds the same patterns of rise and fall of national greatness on the same timescale. I. Pioneers –Continue reading “Entropy and Empires…”
The End of History…
Topics: African Americans, Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Democracy, Existentialism, Fascism, History “The End of History and the Last Man,” by Francis Fukuyama “a 1992 book of political philosophy by American political scientist Francis Fukuyama argues that with the ascendancy of Western liberal democracy—which occurred after the Cold War (1945–1991) and the dissolution of the SovietContinue reading “The End of History…”
Wages of the Thermal Budget…
Topics: Applied Physics, Astrobiology, Astrophysics, Civilization, Climate Change, Existentialism, Exoplanets, SETI, Thermodynamics Well, this firmly puts a kink in the “Fermi Paradox.” The Industrial Revolution started in Britain around 1760 – 1840, and there was a colloquial saying that “the sun did not set on the British Empire.” The former colony, America, cranked up itsContinue reading “Wages of the Thermal Budget…”
Antarctic Greenbelt…
Hummocks of moss cover Ardley Island off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Credit: Dan Charman Topics: Antarctica, Civilization, Climate Change, Existentialism, Global Warming A fast-warming region of Antarctica is getting greener with shocking speed. Satellite imagery of the region reveals that the area covered by plants increased by almost 14 times over 35 years — aContinue reading “Antarctic Greenbelt…”
Who is STEM for…
Mutant Reviews of the 1981 movie “Excalibur,” with the caption to this photo: “Yes, Merlin got struck by lightning a lot.“ Topics: Applied Physics, Astrophysics, Chemistry, Civics, Civilization, Computer Modeling “Who is STEM for?”: a fairy tale. The title of this post is from a question Dr. Fatima Abdurrahman raised on her YouTube channel regardingContinue reading “Who is STEM for…”
Driven to Caveat Emptor…
Meinzahn/Getty Images Topics: Applied Physics, Atmospheric Science, Chemistry, Climate Change, Global Warming Note: It’s disheartening that geoengineering, made popular by science fiction novels and plots in Star Trek, is being considered because we’re too selfish to change our behavior. More and more climate scientists are supporting experiments to cool Earth by altering the stratosphere orContinue reading “Driven to Caveat Emptor…”
Lasers and Plasma…
A researcher holds the scaffolding with tiny copper foils attached. These copper pieces will be struck with lasers, heating them to thousands of degrees Fahrenheit. Credit: Hiroshi Sawada Topics: Applied Physics, Lasers, Materials Science, Plasma, Radiation, Thermodynamics For the first time, researchers monitor the heat progression in laser-created plasma that occurs in only a fewContinue reading “Lasers and Plasma…”
Running on Air…
Running on air Close-up of the air-powered sensing device. (Courtesy: William Grover/UCR) Topics: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Microfluidics A device containing a pneumatic logic circuit made from 21 microfluidic valves could be used as a new type of air-powered computer that does not require any electronic components. The device could help make aContinue reading “Running on Air…”
Physics and Nano 