Viewing path, according to NASA;
Greenland, China, Siberia and Mongolia - full eclipse
Most of Europe and Asia - partial eclipse
Northern Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces - partial eclipse at sunrise
Supposedly you can watch it here http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/2008/index.html
Photos:
There is a bizarre and disturbing war of misunderstandings going on between science and those claiming to be Christians. Oddly enough, there are those on both sides that claim the universe just "popped" into existence, although by completely different methods. I am amused at the whole situation.
Here's the scenario:
Science:
The universe began as an infinitely small singularity of infinitely large mass that suddenly exploded and created the matter of the universe, which eventually became solar systems, galaxies, clusters and super-clusters of today. What they don't say is why (or how) it exploded, how the singularity got there, and how the singularity was formed.
Everything you see is by sheer accident and purely random choice of happenstance, no intelligence involved.
Man and the animal kingdom evolved from a chemical soup, or came from a comet, or [insert newest theory here]. Evolution is the rule.
Much of Christianity:
God, an intelligent being that's everywhere and nowhere without substance etc., but loves us all, decided to say a few words and magically the universe appeared at his mere words.
Man and the animals appeared at God's mere words as well, and have always been as we see them now.
The beauty and grandeur of everything supports intelligence.
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Now, with that said, I can see why those on either side of the aisle can think the other one is completely nuts. From a scientific point of view, a scientist sees the mainstream Christian view as an energy creature straight out of Star Trek, that can change shape and form, with mystical magic powers said an enchantment and waved his wand, made everything appear, and decided to sight see as Jesus and tell everyone he can save them. That, with a few exceptions, is an atheist's point of view of the mainstream Christian.
Who's fault is this? It's (here come the flames) modern Christianity's fault.
Before I go on, I must say that I am Christian, and I belong to a church that is Christian. However, since this article is based on my opinion, I'd prefer to keep the name of this church silent.
Christianity has been around for nearly 2000 years. In this time, you have to be an idiot if you think that the words of the prophets, apostles, and Jesus himself haven't been lost or corrupted over this time. I believe the things the prophets and apostles wrote about were true as they were written by their own hand. However, politics, desire for power and human error (as there were no copy machines) have resulted in these writings either going missing, missing key and important information, been purposefully changed by one desiring power, and even simply having the real meanings getting lost in translation after translation and copy after copy.
First, a little lesson. For many centuries after Jesus and his apostles, the various churches (sorry, but "Catholic" wasn't the only one, it just was the biggest) used hand written copies of the writings of these men. Many were copies of copies of copies. Some were abridgments, and some were commentaries of the originals. Each church had a library and each Parrish could only store a small amount and so the priests usually had their favorites they would preach from, and only they were allowed to read them (odd, since Jesus preached to everyone, not just his Apostles). This was too cumbersome to have all of these scrolls and books around, so it was decided to come up with a standard canon or library all parishes would have and be able to preach from. It was also decided that this library would be small enough to just be bound into one volume. Incidentally, that Latin for "Library" is "biblia", which is where we get the word "Bible". So, a bunch of self-righteous, lazy, and uninspired bone-heads decided to ditch the vast library of religious knowledge they had access to, and only put their favorite parts into a small book and call it the "Library" or "Bible". Eventually, the other books either rotted away or were just simply lost to history.
So, here we have the Bible. It's based upon writings that were inspired by God and written by holy men, but it has gone through the careless filter of ignorant, power hungry, and careless men to become the volume it is today. This is why there is so much confusion.
Then add on to the top of that the various "creeds" by certainly uninspired men. Yes, the creeds, all founded by committee and not all members of these committees were all Christians. Some had pagan members. These creeds were designed to stop the bickering and fighting between churches, and were ordered by the sovereign (and not allowed to leave until a consensus was made). So, the best they could come up with was that God was a big mysterious "nothing" that was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and manifested itself in three different forms (father, Jesus, Holy Spirit). This is God being formed by committee. It's also total BS.
Now, back to the universe...
Christianity and science could co-exist if both parties really knew what the other was REALLY talking about. For example, there is no word "create" in Hebrew. The word "qaneh" is usually translated to "creator". The Hebrew "QaNeh" means "to build a nest", the English word originates from the Latin word "creat" which means "to bring into existence". OK, we have a problem here.
To a Hebrew (from which we get the "creation" account in the Old Testament), the word "create" is an abstract concept, and nothing in the Hebrew language can translate to "create" or "creation". In fact "organized" would have been a better word. Many Christians see God as a being that makes something appear out of nothing, this is incorrect. It is not what Moses wrote down, nor told his children. The Hebrews saw God like a bird who goes about acquiring and gathering materials to build a nest, and saw man as the "eggs" he was building the nest for. This something out of nothing is an incorrect and recent concept. It is not "Biblically based" as many would claim.
If you carefully read the account in Genesis, that Moses wrote, you will notice that if you replace the words "create" and all similar with "organize", your perspective changes. Oddly enough, what Moses describes can't be much different than what we hear on the Science Channel.
God is the master of delegation. Choosing prophets, apostles, etc. proves this. Like a foreman on a construction site that gets credit for it and is responsible for it, God is the same with how this Earth was organized. This is why God has angels etc. This is how he can seem to be everywhere at once. He has servants (angels) everywhere.
Let's see, Moses says "the Earth was without form". A sounds like the solar system is just one big pile of supernova rocks and hydrogen gas. A pretty dark place.
So when God says "Let there be light". He's giving an instruction on organizing the materials necessary to form the solar system. What is the first thing that happens in solar system formation? Why, I do declare, a star is formed by a quick collapse of hydrogen into a gas ball supporting nuclear fusion which gives off light.
"Let there be a firmament" and so on sounds like gathering debris to form a planet with an atmosphere, a "firmament".
Then we see water and dry land forming. Once it was ready, here come the plants. Let's see now, my own mind says God commanded his servants to plant seeds. Does Moses say where they came from? Nope, but I'd venture to guess there has been seeds and plants for many eternities.
Then we learn that sea life was placed here first. Moses doesn't say how, but I'm sure it's the same way we would bring fish to another planet should we travel there. Yes, I believe the animal life was brought here, and has always existed throughout eternity.
Next comes the land animals, I believe placed here as well.
All these things were done at God's word. Not by "magic" or "poof!", but by servants obeying a command.
Before I continue, let my scientific friends consider their "accident" or "random" theory for a moment. Consider the following:
OK, now finally we have man. Notice how God himself does this step. We really don't know how, and frankly it's not important to me right now. Nevertheless, the specifics of man being formed is that God made man in "his own image". How hard is that for people to understand and grasp? God made us to look like him! So, is God a mysterious nothingness that is both everywhere and nowhere? No, of course not. God "looks" just like us. Although I'd venture to say in a more perfect form. Jesus tried telling that to his disciples many times. He said he was the "spittin' image of his father" (paraphrasing obviously). Gee, that means his father looked like him. Wait a minute, his father was someone else. So when Jesus says he and his father are "one" that certainly means they have one purpose or think alike, where the heck a bunch of dark-aged boneheaded idiots thought he meant they were the same being is beyond me. It's one of the truths about God that was not lost to history in the Bible. Heck, the account of the baptism of Jesus plainly says God the Father is one individual, Jesus is another, and the Holy Spirit is a third individual. When Apostles say they had visions seeing Jesus on the right-hand of God, they didn't see a guy standing on his own right hand. They saw a father and his son standing next to him.
This brings meaning to us as God's children. This means we literally are his children. Get over it. Yes, humans are special and distinct from the animal kingdom. It's why God gave us dominion over everything in and on the Earth. There's a good reason why we are here. When Jesus says "everything in my kingdom is yours" you may want to consider the vast aspects of that incredible promise. Eternal life is different than immortality. God and Jesus are eternal. Just think about what that means.
My scientific friends. The rules of God are quite literally perfect science. Everything makes sense, has order, and is always in complete conformity with the rules of science. Unfortunately for Earth science, they don't know everything. If they did, they would be God. There are obviously higher laws that govern the behavior of the lower ones. We on Earth only see the lower laws, and that's part of the plan.
Now my Christian friends. You can't go to a university or seminary to learn about what the scriptures mean. Nor can you trust a bunch of angry men's compromise theory of the nature of God either. Such knowledge is taught through carefull and prayerful study. How do we know this? This very question was asked of James, an Apostle and Jesus' half brother. James 1:2-6 basically says to not just take a book's or man's word for truth (sometimes called "blind faith" or fanaticism). James says God loves to give knowledge to those who sincerely seek it, and NEVER chews them out for asking ("Upbraideth not" means he won't be angry with you for asking). If you ask and expect to really receive an answer, then you with receive an answer. What he was basically saying was study hard and think it out in your mind first, and when you come to an impass or a point to where the need to know needs to come before further action is taken, then that's the time to sincerely, humbly, and patiently ask God, expecting an answer. You will receive that answer.
To a scientist that isn't the "scientific method". However, if God does exist, and God does personally answer heartfelt and sincere prayers for knowledge, then this answer must be so obvious and personal that it cannot be denied as to its origin, thus proving it sufficiently enough for the individual. This is the method God has given us to find out what is true and what is a lie. Who do you trust and who do you mistrust?
Many Chrstians misunderstand how to pray and its purpose, which is the main reason why atheists misunderstand and are scared of the prospect of a supernatural being controlling someone's life. First of all, God gave us brains and an intelligence of our own to think for ourselves. He gave us prophets and Apostles to write about how to live and treat each other. God expects us to know these things. God also expects us to educate ourselves as much as possible about the topic at hand. He expects us to study out a problem in our minds, come to a conclusion or choice, and then ask God if this is the right choice. Prayers of "tell me what to do" in most instances will get you the answer "see if you can figure it out first". God put us here to have us make choices and have the freedom to make good and bad choices. This is how we learn. Asking God to tell you what to do about each and every aspect of life is not his desire, nor plan, and frankly you'll find yourself no better off. Want to pass a test? Good, then study hard and ask God to help you remember. Asking God to give those that didn't study the answers won't work.
God's a "fill in the blanks" God, not a "spoil the rotten child" God.
So how does all of this fit with "Intelligent Design?" It's very simple. Science is blind to all of the perfection and intelligence around them. Each single one they claim is accidental or random. Yet as a whole it's an amazingly perfect collection of random accidents to come together so perfectly to be so mathematically unlikely that the odds of even ONE thing happening (like the large moon and small earth coming together) is so remote, that the odds favor an explosion in a print factory to accidentally form the dictionary from the resulting debris. Combine all of the "accidents" odds together and you get an astronomically large number that represents more than the total number of atoms in the universe (to one) odds of everything on the earth happening as it did.
Those of science just open your eyes, there's evidence of intelligence everywhere. Those of Christianity, pull your head out and actually learn the truth about what you are supposed to believe and share with others. Stop basing your beliefs on the uninspired and committee born creeds of the dark ages, and just read and learn from the scriptures as they were intended to be learned.
Both science and Christianity will actually find that they are quite similar and that true science and true Christianity has an eventual convergence.
]]>Oh yes, a great science fiction plot object. My father's favorite story line. The "Time Travel" gimmick that entertains everyone from the Geek to the casual reader.
I am a big viewer of the "Nerd Channels" on television. I like to watch the Science Channel and Discovery channel quite regularly. I've given up on TLC as it has just become the decorator channel. Although Discovery seems to be the Alaska channel now, but I digress...
I have always been interested in science. No, not the junk science so many practice now days with their "assume that..." theories and such, and claiming them as facts. I am talking about pure science. The kind of real science politics, government funding and Al Gore can't pollute into a false religion.
Don't get me wrong, TV is not my only source of information. I love to read as well, and have read more than just fiction. While I don't claim the mental fitness of Einstein, I do grasp the concept of relativity and for the most part, it makes sense to me.
Many times, when I see scientific and experimental concepts discussed about time travel, I only hear the theoretical and Earth-centric aspect of it being spoken of. Things such as worm-holes, warping, and folding space come into the conversation. These theories may have scientific merit, but they don't have practical understanding. I frequently see scientists in the world that concentrate on their fields exclusively, and frankly, are completely ignorant of many other scientific fields of study. If there's one thing I have learned as a computer professional, it's that knowing hardware, software, and all technologies relating to the industry gives an edge to the quality of work offered as a programmer. Those that only understand programming and have no idea how a CPU and its relating electronics work together will always be at a disadvantage and missing a very important point of view. Science is the same way. You may be nuclear physicist, but maybe, just maybe, knowing a bit about astronomy and geology might just help you in your field.
Back to time travel. I hear a lot about the fundamentals of relativity being discussed in relation to time travel theories, but I never ever hear the practical and obvious problems relativity brings to the issue. Only the deepest theories are discussed, but never the problems they cause.
Let me lay it down, so to speak, for everyone to understand. Let's say someone figures out how to travel through time and makes a "Mr. TimeTravel" or "flux capacitor" device. Yay for him/her! Guess, what? It still will be unusable. They have only conquered the tip of the iceberg. How? The universe is not like a Hollywood movie, nor is the Earth sitting stationary in space. Bending some laws to achieve time travel does not eliminate other laws.
Consider for a moment that nothing in the universe is sitting still. In fact, most, if not all of it is moving quite fast, blazingly fast. You think you are sitting still on Earth reading this, but in reality this is happening:
OK, you now have this fancy-schmancy "Mr. TimeTravel" device or a flux capacitor, and you want to do some time traveling. GREAT! Now you need to solve the problems of distance. If you want to appear even five minutes into the past, then you had better be wearing a space suit and have a REALLY fast space ship, because you aren't anywhere near the Earth when you arrive. You will appear at precisley the point where you left the Earth at that particular time. You will also have the relative inertia of all of that speed from the Earth's rotation, the Earth's orbit, the Sun's orbit, and the Milky Way's speed all at once without the gravity to govern it. In a split second after you arrive, you will be nowhere near where the Earth is going to be even in just five minutes worth of time travel.
Where you appear all depends on what direction you were heading when you left, and what direction the Earth was heading. There is a chance you might end up inside the Earth itself or inside the moon or other object, if not out in space. There's no way you are landing on the Earth after you zap to another time.
So time travel may sound cool, romantic, and a great way to write a story. I don't think mankind will ever be able to actually experience it. There's just too much going against you.
The official story of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster is that the shuttle went down because of damage caused at its launch when a peace of frozen foam came of Columbia's external tank. But recently another belief is that the shuttle was brought down by an unknown craft. I was very unbelieving of course when some one described the craft until I saw a news clip from Fox News Channel of the craft that was described brought down Columbia on the news clip. I was stunned and now lean to the side that Columbia was brought down by an unknown craft on it's way back to earth.
The Google Lunar X PRIZE announced 10 teams for the race to Space on February 21. They include Odyssey Moon, Astrobotic,Team Italia, Micro-Space, the Southern California Selene Group,LunaTrex, FredNet, ARCA, Quantum3, and Chandah. These ten teams represent many different ideas and many different nations and each brings exciting new concepts to the competition. We are thrilled to welcome each of them to the competition and we hope you will join us as we follow along with their progress. Each team will be keeping blogs and posting photos and videos online: be sure to visit www.googlelunarxprize.org often to keep up with the latest!
We also announced a new Preferred Partner, Space Florida, who is providing a $2 million bonus to any team that launches from Florida.