TSA: *perplexed, talking to another agent*

TSA: “….it’s not a threat” *tilts head*

me: “is that my bag?”

TSA: “yeah, what is that?”

me: “it’s a telescope”

TSA: “a telescope, ohh, it’s the whole thing…”

me: “yeah, just without the tripod”

TSA: “how powerful is that telescope?”

me: *laughs* “it’s only a few mirrors, ma’m”

Communication & posts may be slowed or sporadic until June 1st. Unless I end up in a wormhole…you’ll never even know I was gone :)

Keep it sciencey everyone.

Ad Astra*

I took the above photographs inside the nature center at the wall of York, PA geology. More about the nature center below:

Nixon Park Nature Center is nestled in a stream valley about 5 miles south of York city. Secluded, yet nearby, this 181-acre park is the only one within the York County Park system set aside solely for wildlife and education allowing only foot traffic on the trails. The property offers habitats ranging from oak dominated dry hillsides to stream side forests to meadows and old fields. Three clear flowing streams and two small ponds add to the landscape. These aquatic habitats attract their own special animals from stunningly colored wood ducks to lumbering snapping turtles. A system of loop marked trails, offers a combination of habitats, topography and totals 6 miles.

Nixon Park’s centrally located 14,000 square foot Nature Center is rivalled by few other County Park systems. The combination museum and nature center has something for every nature lover. Housing a fine collection of stuffed, taxidermy mounts, the displays revolve around the nature of York County and animals from Africa, Northern Rockies and the Arctic. Built in two sections (1978 and 1992) the focuses are divided between the two wings. Anyone from outdoors person, to animal lover, to animal planet and discovery channel junky, from pre-schooler to senior learner will find something to suit their tastes.

The original center (1978) houses displays on York County Wildlife. With 80 bird mounts, including 28 waterfowl, 20 birds of prey and 32 songbirds, visitors can get a close look at many of the species that inhabit or visit York County throughout the year. The 20 mammal mounts show past and present inhabitants of the county. Additionally there are displays about: honey bees including a working observation hive, insects, reptiles including several live specimens, local Native American artifacts, mans role in preserving habitat, geology and soil. Housed in a building made to resemble a York County barn there truly is something for everyone’s interests. Seven large windows look out on the nature center’s feeding stations, stream and woods beyond. During the fall and winter the feeders attract 35 different species per year. Included in this portion of the nature center is the touch room whose revolving themes help young learners explore a habitat or animal group through hands on activities, puppet shows, a dress up box as well as a reading nook.

The main display room (1992) presents a collection of game mounts from around the world. Grouped into three main regions the displays focus on African, Northern Rocky and Arctic wildlife. Primarily the collection of William Koller, a York businessman, a visitor can stare in awe at a Polar Bear or a Kodiak Brown Bear both standing eight feet tall, as well as marvel at the smallest antelope from Africa or peer at a Hippopotamus exploding from its watering hole. The museum quality mounts are dramatically displayed in dioramas with fully painted backgrounds. These scenes depicting plant life, geology, climate and landscapes give the visitor’s eye a true feel of these diverse habitats. Display panels containing information about the individual animals as well as different ecological topics surround each diorama. Additional displays throughout this portion of the building include something for all ages. Visitors can learn more about specific animals or groups of animals, young visitors can measure themselves to life size animal drawings, work on their numbers or test their knowledge on the animal alphabet. The soaring dinosaur mural lets you look back at life from a bygone age.

Hmm. I’m assuming this is in response to this post? No matter what this hate-fueled statement is regarding, there’s a much more mature way to go about this. If that post conflicts with your beliefs, the hate need not be projected at me, simply try to understand why you are upset in the first place and re-evaluate your own “knowledge” of your religion, the world, life, etc.

As far as fact-checking goes, I’m actually feeling a bit oblivious to what this could be referring to, considering all of my posts are sourced via the picture, links throughout the body of the text, or sourced as noted at the bottom of each post. My posts may not be laid out the way others are publishing theirs, but I’m not here to conform. If anyone takes personal offense to me editing their post at all, please let me know. Let’s not keep secrets. We’re all here to share and spread good science, so let’s continue to do so without any pettiness nor any feelings being trampled on or lines crossed. I’ve been sourcing posts a bit differently than I used to, because the posts end up looking better/cleaner on the blog. That’s all. Other than that, the posts are sourced the same way as always, with the source link simply not being forefront before the body of the text because we’re not here to self promote, we’re here to source things accurately with the science and information being the primary goal, correct? Ok. Let’s move on.

I know I’ve come off a bit sarcastic in some of my posts. That’s because I am. I have to be, at times, to make light of this world and my own struggles that consume me nearly every single day. However, I also will not hesitate to talk with any of you, about anything, no matter the topic. And if it’s something I can’t relate to or which I lack knowledge of, I am not the type of person who will blindingly roll over the subject as if I know what I do not.

Science is a continuous process of self evaluation and as Carl has stated, “self discovery.” I’m not an astrophysicist. I’m not a mathematician, nor a professional scientist. I’m a natural scientist via the processes of natural selection at this current time in my individual evolution. I don’t claim to know things I have no formal background in, and I’m humbled to have anyone correct me on anything I may rush to post without understanding or attempting to understand it myself.

Again, if there’s an issue, please present it maturely and respectfully rather than leaving me hateful comments like these. It’s rude. I don’t go out of my way to make anyone’s life miserable or take shots at someone I don’t know, especially when he/she could be going through something unfathomable to me and my personal experience. I’ve taken the time to correct grammar on posts for others, address any grammatical or factual errors by bringing them to the attention of the blogger and I’ve been more than honored to even be a contributing science editor in the tumblrverse. It’s been a pleasure to share all of this information and my own interests with all of you.

As I continue to press forward in my life, and all of you with yours, let’s try to use our digital voices for good. You never know what one rude comment sent anonymously to another person may trigger in their lives, and no one wants to feel even remotely responsible for aiding in the despair of a stranger’s life.

Ad astra.

Anonymous asked: If you're going to make posts that long, it'd be nice if they were made into Text posts so that you can insert a Read-More break.

This blog is dedicated to Carl Sagan. That post was about Carl Sagan. The entire reason for this blog existing is because of Carl Sagan. I have trimmed my posts down wherever necessary to streamline information so that mobile/web users alike may navigate, like, comment or reblog freely. But when it comes to a post about Carl Sagan’s legacy, his wife, his contribution to humanity, you’d like to ask me to insert a Read-More break so that you can passively roll on by such a powerful article/interview about the human being responsible for the passion that’s sparked my deeper understanding of life?

This….Is….SAGANSENSE.

pay attention to it. There’s a lot of breadcrumbs (links) to follow. It’s a cosmic goodie-bag of awesomeness that I’ve infused within the article, published by Cannabis Culture, which I’ve edited for all of you.

the older America becomes and the more I witness, the more I feel like I’m living out the part in the movie ‘They Live’ where people’s masks were coming off and their true rotten selves show through the newly acquired frame of vision. so easy to spot the bullshit in a bullshitten world that it’s hard not to be a victim of anxiety and panic attacks.

Deep, close, personal feels.

(Source: ikenbot)

Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis (Colored Pencil Sketch)

FYI: The Monarch Butterfly’s migration and everyday navigation are achieved via the sun’s position, determined by a time-compensated solar compass coupled with a circadian clock within their antennae, and assisted by the earth’s magnetic field for orientation, due in part to crypto chrome, a photoreceptor protein sensitive to the violet-blue part of the spectrum. In presence of violet or blue light, it can function as a chemical gyro-compass, which confirms it’s alignment with the magnetic field; although, it cannot determine the difference between magnetic north/south. Each individual antennae possess this complex chemical advantage.

Stay Curious. Watch Brian Cox Discuss The Monarch Butterfly via Wonders of Life (BBC)

The Night Sky | Astronomical Societies & Public Observing

Our friendly, neighborhood science blogger ikenbot posted a brief “FYI” promoting the importance of astronomy organizations to the amateur astronomer (see below):

If you’re really serious about your amateur astronomy I recommend you take the time out to do a bit of research on what are the public organizations for astronomy in your area. In it you’ll learn what scopes to use, how to read charts, find asterisms, constellations, and so much more.

Find your local astronomy clubs/club and see which one is more convenient for you. Once you feel you’ve learned enough to handle your own telescope of your choice, you can buy one based on your taste and the suggestions and recommendations of the experts in the club.

I wholeheartedly agree and must express that you need not be an amateur astronomer to become involved or attend these events, as the best way to increase awareness of our place in space and aid in the public understanding of science is to attend for yourself, bring a friend and share this with others.

The York Astronomical Society

In my hometown of York, PA, the YCAS hosts these monthly events at two locations: the Planetarium at the York Learning Center , and the YCAS Observatory at John Rudy Park.

The Planetarium

The most recent show I viewed with my son was called “Max Goes to the Moon”, in which Max (the dog) and a young girl named Tori take the first trip to the Moon since the Apollo era. Along the way, the story sets the stage for the more sophisticated science of the topics including “Phases of the Moon,” “Wings in Space?,” and “Frisbees and Curve Balls on the Moon” — all thoughtfully explained so that grownups and children can learn together about science. Toward the end, Max and Tori’s trip proves so inspiring to people back on Earth that all the nations of the world come together to build a great Moon colony from which “the beautiful views of Earth from the Moon made everyone realize that we all share a small and precious planet.” You can view the trailer here. (description via YCAS)

Programs range from an introduction to the night sky, telescopes 101, current skywatching tips/advisories, astronomy/cosmology history and interchanging programs to promote a better understanding of science and the importance of astronomy in our culture.

Prices for shows are not the same everywhere. Here, it’s $4 for adults, $3 for children under 18 and seniors. The funds and donations allow the YCAS to flourish through the aid of public interest.

Scouts: Merit Badge Astronomy Workshop

In this two hour class, 15 to 40 scouts will learn there’s more to the night sky than bright dots on a black background. Investigate the stars and other celestial bodies and learn about the tools and methods used by astronomers to study what’s beyond our sight.

Programs are offered Monday through Thursday nights, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. The fee is $8 per scout. There is no charge for the adults chaperoning the scouts; there should be one chaperone for every five scouts. The money raised from these programs goes towards the cost of using the planetarium and developing other astronomy programs for the community. See image (2), above, of the Astronomy Merit Badge.

The Observatory

The YCAS owns 4 research-grade telescopes: a 13.1” f/4.5 Coultier Dobsonian; 12” Meade SCT computerized goto telescope; 10” SCT Meade telescope; 4.5” Newtonian telescope; 4” Astro-Physics Refractor telescope; Celestron NexStar i 8 GoTo telescope with GPS; two 8” Dobsonian telescopes; Coronado PST Solar Telescope; and a single 12’ dish antenna for radio astronomy, and associated electronic recording equipment.

This caliber of equipment has enabled views of galaxies such as Andromeda, Whirlpool and Sombrero; nebula’s such as the Ring, Orion and Crab nebula, along with pristine views of the planets such as recently captured Saturn (below via a CCD display, courtesy of YCAS Member and Hubble Space Telescope Commanding Astronomer, Mike Wenz, pictured above as well) along with many other celestial objects.

During peak viewing times for comet PANSTARRS, a special observing night was held for the public to witness the setting of the fuzzy beauty. Click here to view my published post on the event.The photo below was taken by another amateur astronomer and YCAS member who is also a member of the Planetary Society as well.

Let me just state that I am not a member of the YCAS. i began going nearly 3 years ago while learning to effectively use my Edmund Scientific Astroscan. From the moment I set up my equipment I was approached by stargazers in the form of parents, children, grandparents and other amateur astronomers to check out the scope, talk science/space and enjoy the night sky. Ever since, it’s provided me a place to volunteer (other than tumblr) where I can share my passion for the cosmos and pass on information to the public alongside veteran astronomers who become preoccupied with calibrating their scopes and equipment while attempting to field questions at the same time.

I encourage all of you to look into your local astronomical societies and attend these public observing opportunities to learn, engage and educate. Ad astra.

sagansense.

May (the) 4th (be with you)…weekend festivities: t-ball, baseball, horses, spin art, Star Wars & fun times during the Fairie Festival @ the Spoutwood Farm in Shrewsberry, PA.

Most of my unpublished writerly output - handwritten manuscripts and letters, lectures and lab notes, university and government documents that I helped prepare - is deposited in the archives of Harvard University and of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. In time, it will all become available to the public, mostly through the Internet, for those preternaturally curious about how I have moved through life. Rather than let other commentators have the first crack at those writings, I opted to be the first to employ them extensively to prepare this look at my life before middle age became obvious - my childhood, university years, career as an active scientist and professor, and my first years as director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

As this book’s broad features came to cohere, I began to see Avoid Boring People as an object lesson, if not quite an exemplary history of the making of a scientist. It is my advice in the form of recollections of manners I deployed to navigate the worlds of science and academia. The thought that this instructive value might be made explicit in the form of self-help led me to conclude each chapter with a set of “remembered lessons” - rules of conduct that in retrospect figured decisively in turning so many of my childhood dreams into reality. Suffice it to say, this is a book for those on their way up, as well as for those on top who do not want their leadership ears to be an assemblage of opportunities gone astray.

Skipping high school’s last years led to my never learning how to type, and even today I generate left-hand-written version sof the first drafts of all my writings. Without my administrative assistant Maureen Berejka’s ever-increasing skill in handling strings of seemingly indecipherable squiggles, this book could never have come into existence. In preparing successive early drafts of the manuscript, I much benefitted from the able Barnard College chemistry graduate, Kiryn Haslinger, whose expert knowledge of the English language led to many improvements in my word use. New York University psychology graduate Marisa Macari ably provided help in inserting period photographs and documents. Later, Stanford biology major Agnieszka Milczarek invaluably corrected the many errors of fact and spelling spotted by friends to whom I sent preliminary drafts. Finally, I much thank George Andreou of Knopf for masterly editing that has much improved this volume’s clarity and intellectual thrust.

James (Jim) Watson, Author of The Double Helix, Nobel Prize Winner for revealing the structure of DNA, March 26, 2007; Avoid Boring [Other] People: Preface

*I picked this up awhile back and I’ve been anxious to get to it. As I journey through the text, I’m bound to share much more bits with you all. Stay curious*

I understand that my run-in with Christianity happened the way it happened, influencing my “bias” from being around people who interpret the Bible literally. And there’s this Christian club people seem to love. How could they not? There’s loud music and visually appealing graphic designed “trailers” and “cool-club” videos, an exhibition to show how it’s “down” with pop culture.

But it also takes the reality we live in and perverts it with Biblical fallacies, the natural way of life forever altered into a self-righteous, we-are-so-worthy attitude based on the human desire for a nurturing parent or guardian.

Why? Because those are the three main questions that popped up in the essential heart of philosophy and theology: Who/What Are We?, Why Are We Here? and Who’s Caring For “Us”, or to put it bluntly, Who’s In Charge? or further, “How Do We Explain The Not Yet Fully Understood?”

I would take this entire way of life, interpretation of the natural world and superimposed theory of creation riddled with love, nurturing and discipline a bit more seriously & respectfully if, aside from being absolutely the most generally racist, homophobic, stereotypical, deceitful, greedy, hypocritical, malicious, self-centered, disgusting, overly presumptuous, blusteringly overgeneralized and non-informative piece of literary idealism ever written for the benefit of a subservient population persistent in circular reasoning to deny and falsify eons of time and meticulous study and observation of the natural world,

if it weren’t simply…

false. Sorry? I mean…how many translations have there been now? And there still doesn’t exist a steward or some sort of village man or woman or group who aided this great man, Jesus, or these great men in the studying of the earth and it’s cycles of climate change, weather, natural disasters, species proliferation/extinction, biodiversity, archaeological uncoverings, geological resurfacing,

or the deep, mysterious and over 2,000+ years ago - illustrious - night skies, which were sure to put on quite a spectacular display of cosmic events, parallel to which we study today: comets, meteors, supernovae, conjunctions, eclipses, the solar system (because they were bound to observe and postulate some sort of “order” to accept that God had an organized plan for this life, on this planet, (the only planet that truly matters, of course)) along with countless oversimplification of the universe, which, to them, existed statically, with Earth at the center….of the whole universe. Yeah. And we’re supposed to “tolerate” and even more so, “be sensitive” to these religious “rights”.

Yet, I sit here reading Galileo, a man who was tortured, scrutinized, persecuted, outcast and ultimately, under imprisonment (via house arrest) and constant stress, died from a fever and heart palpitations, which doesn’t take into the reality that he was physically and mentally overworked by people believing with such intense conviction that this Biblical recounting was all there was to it and to alter it would be a sort of, no pun intended, “shattering of their universe” as they saw it. It was disrespectful to them and deemed it that way simply due to the confliction it posed for the establishment of the church and allegiance toward the willful ignorance that guided their blind faith. Truth, as it was revealed (and conflicted with “His word”), was attacked for heresy. This kind of belligerent ignorance is still thrust upon our society today.

Our brains are capable of such magnificent dreams, fantasies and in the right conditions or in that case, time periods and locales, indoctrination of this sort of ‘surreality of reality’ through the eyes of these “truths” - no matter the harmful consequences that would psychologically occur when/if confronted with the true nature of things - a population can be manipulated when not presented with an accurate account of the natural world (and (visible) universe) in a timely manner every week, month, months…which has become the case as technology evolved with our species.

There are a lot of “I wonder what they were thinking” moments when you read the Bible, which should be blindingly obvious to the “serious” reader. And I don’t want to sit here and make a mockery of things, so respectfully and forthright, let me say this: it’s 2013. This religion is embedded into our society’s culture and it’s been used as a crutch excuse scapegoat for far too long.

Am I the only one who feels this way? Certainly not.

However, let me make some things perfectly clear to my fellow brothers and sisters living in such a pivotal time in human/Earth history:

I/We do nothave to be tolerant to a religion exploited by a society which clearly doesn’t have their priorities in order.

I/We do nothave to be tolerant or respectful to a club of people who would much rather attach themselves to a doctrine they’ve chosen to pull their favorite parts out of to psychologically comfort them and apply to the present day whilst this same text is used to manipulate the minds of vulnerable children, vulnerable humans in general, whom are all, out of the womb, potential contributors to the foundation of our existing knowledge.

I/We do not have to be subservient to those who make excuses for their fellow members who occasionally “do bad things” simply because of how persecuted or attacked they feel when confronted with the true, rational, scientifically understood reality of reality, or as Richard Feynman suggested, “nature of nature,” making it devastatingly clear that most of them don’t understand the root origins of their own religion and have overlooked the passage of time to which this religious influence - built solely on the tales of others without a valid reason for it’s perpetuation other than tradition regarding a comforting delusion - have distracted, distorted, enslaved, tortured, killed and stagnated generations and centuries of human ambition, curiosity and ultimately - progress.

If it’s so important for this religion to continue. For what benefit? If the evidence to their suggested claims was actually valid under the most rigorous of scientific standards and processes, why not put them to the test? We have millions upon millions of humans who pray every single day. These people talk to a voice in their head.

Don’t worry about that sickness, ailment or broken arm, “I’ll pray for you.”

I am truly sorry for the loss of your only child. “I’ll keep you in my prayers.”

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this most recent natural disaster.”

We must move past this irrationality if we’re to survive. In a colony of bees, if one worker drone decided to go off on his own and “imagine” its way through its existence, that organism would die. This applies to every organism on this planet, if not, the universe. However, due to our ability to, like I said before - rationalize our irrationality - it’s become quite easy for members of our culture to persist in this delusion because we’ve made things pretty comfortable and convenient for our species on this planet.

Example (at least in America): it’s easier to have a big meal, get in a gas guzzling vehicle, attend a church service in the company of others who interpret life this way as well, delight in the praise of a divine being by reapplying vague passages to the modern world, reinforcing our ignorance by making us feel as if we are doing the best we can, then returning from this place of worship, able to come home and turn on the tube, immersed further in a distorted view of life, led by “reality” television, corrupt politics, sexism, racism, the “news” as someone else’s opinion applies and corporations deem suitable for our brain, all while not being shot at, slain, bombed, exiled or persecuted, because it’s better for our mental health? Salvation? Afterlife? Relationship with a deity and deceased human?

I’m not on board with religious apologetics. If you can’t see the negativity and destruction while this society prints “in God we trust”, and “God bless AMERICA” on everything, you may want to re-evaluate your entire perception of life as we’ve come to understand it.

Every other species on this planet recognizes it’s errors and corrects them for self-preservation in order to perpetuate the species for further generations. Humans haven’t operated as a solitary organism, not all of us, together, moving toward a common goal with unified understanding of the natural world. No. Instead, we operate independently, choosing whichever path leads us toward that feeling of happiness, via whatever delusion feels the best in that point in time.

We will remain bound to adolescence when applying the occam’s razor principle to problem solving. It becomes an extremely dangerous gamble when betting against the natural/physical world with human conceit.

“The universe is nto required to be in harmony with human ambition.”
- Carl Sagan

Types of things you find posted on the bathroom bulletin board at this wonderful place of serenity I venture to from time to time, the York Emporium. If you’re ever in the area, aside from letting me know, definitely check this place out and get lost in some fine literature.

Why you should care: the last time I decided to drop in (and the main reason I haven’t returned lately) - the astronomy/cosmology/astrophysics/quantum mechanics section had a “special deal” where you fill up a grocery/market-sized basket with as many books as you can fit for $5. Five. Dollars. 5 DOLLARS.

Yeah. The store owner said the cart was the most full and efficient use of space (no pun) he’d seen anyone accomplish. Some of these books were marked at over $40+ each. I easily had a couple hundred dollars in that basket.

The York Emporium
343 West Market Street
York, PA 17401

Stay Curious: The Frailty of Knowledge: Carl Sagan on the Library of Alexandria, Hypatia