Saturday, August 05, 2006

Star Trek Education and Personality


Well, it is interesting how some stories and ideas in life seem to come together in the most obsure and rather arcane or occult ways. I was listening to NPR's Talk of the Nation - Science Friday yesterday and one of the guests was bemoaning the lack of science education in America and the lack of anyone with any intestinal fortitude to do anything about it politically. The question was then asked if there was something that the media could do to help. The guest laughed and said that the best show to inspire young people to want to go into science was Star Trek! Yup. And to think that I grew up on watching Star Trek then became a scientist.... go figure. Today I was reading the Bad Astronomy Blog and came across the "Star Trek Personality Quiz". This is where I ended up:
Your results:
You are Will Riker
































Will Riker
95%
Deanna Troi
90%
Spock
82%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)
80%
Mr. Scott
80%
James T. Kirk (Captain)
75%
Mr. Sulu
75%
Data
68%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)
65%
Jean-Luc Picard
60%
Chekov
60%
Geordi LaForge
55%
Uhura
50%
Worf
50%
Beverly Crusher
40%
At times you are self-centered
but you have many friends.
You love many women, but the right
woman could get you to settle down.


Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

Friday, August 04, 2006

More from my Universe... Lesson 2


Some stars don't act like the sun because they are much bigger and their ultimate ends are very different as well. But without these stars, all the elements heavier and bigger than Helium would not exist. These stars blow up and scatter these "new" elements into the space between the stars and sometimes new generations of stars form as a result. These new stars and ther "new" planets may even have the conditions which favor a very special form of matter... life. And so, I'll tell you... Yes, Virginia, you ARE made of star-stuff.

Now, my Universe... Lesson 1


It has been my observation that most of the fascination people have with stars and astronomy comes from the simple fact tat it is not adequately taught in school. This is not surprising if you consider the fact that so few instructors in the early years of our education are so poorly trained in the physical sciences. As such, here is your first lesson in astronomy. Have fun.

Oops, my bad.... made you think again.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Meteor - Not At All Uncommon


Next, we find out from science that the occurance of meteor impacts is not nearly as uncommon an occurance as most might think. Luckily, the Earth has a wonderful atmosphere that protects us in a multitude of ways. I wonder if the cop in this police cruiser noticed the event and that's how the video was saved?

Made you think again...

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Apocolypsis - A Revealing


There are times when the revelations of science are far more emotional and heart-rending than any biblical quotes can be. If you wish to know of the end of the world (or AN end), watch this video: a 500 mile wide asteroid/planetessimal strikes the earth; it is the most accurate depiction of such collision I have ever seen. And now for the biblical quote:

"And I looked... and I saw a pale horse; and he who sat upon him, his name was death... and hell followed with him."
Revleation 6:8

Made you think....

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