We are at a dilemma in terms of power. The best thing that we have going for us as humans is nuclear fission, but that is far too dangerous. There is another form of nuclear energy known as nuclear fusion, but that is still under development. The major problem is the inability to produce more energy than the amount put in. Are we plagued with inefficiency of power for the remainder of our existence? Hardly, that is unless someone will "step up" with an innovative approach. Yes, I am referencing Nikola Tesla, the Lost Wizard.
Back in the olden days of Edison and the light bulb, Edison hired Tesla to create a more efficient form of electrical power. I will not go into the whole history of Edison and Tesla, but I will sum it up that Tesla succeeded with Alternative Current. This was vastly superior to Edison's Direct Current, the direct flowing of electrons from one area to another. AC involves the alternating current of electricity to give power. This gave more power than DC and would reach much farther distances. So, are we to just wait until another Tesla comes up with a magical idea? No. Let put this this into perspective about what really went on.
Direct Current is simple. Electrons flow from one area to another. Like static electricity from your hand to the door knob or vice versa. Alternative Current is more complicated, but far more interesting. It reminds me of a video I saw from MIT OpenCourseWare with Professor Lewin.(not sure if I spelt the name right) I strongly encourage anyone reading to check out any of his lecture videos. They are truly worth seeing; perhaps, some of the best lectures I have ever seen. Anyway, he rubs a balloon against his head and hair, giving both the balloon and his head a negative charge. (I believe negative or possibly positive. Let's assume negative) With the balloon stuck to his head, he turns on a device that emits the opposite charge. (Going to assume positive) At this, the balloon rushes over because the negative charge is attracted to the positive charge. Once the balloon makes contact, it springs back to the head. The negative charge (excess electrons) was (were) removed from the balloon, and the balloon became positively charged (lack of electrons). Because his head was still negatively charged, the balloon was attracted back to the head where the balloon will gain excess electrons once it makes contact with his head. It was truly hilarious to watch the balloon repeatedly bounce back and forth between the device and the Professor's head, but it was also fascinating to watch how quickly and efficiently electrons are moving to give this balloon an alternating path. It all made sense, but it was not as nearly as simple as direct current. At a time where all anyone knew was that electrons flowed to positively charged sources from negatively charged sources, the premise of alternating current was truly advanced and (most importantly) creative. It was a creative approach to solving the problem to make electrical energy much more efficient. This was the key for alternating current. It did not take magic to create, just an innovative mind with a different perspective.
This is how we can use nuclear fusion. We haven't been able to do it because we have not been looking at it the right way. We need to look at it like Tesla, not magically, creatively. I strongly think we can attain usage of nuclear fusion; we just need the right creative mind for it.
Lastly, I would like to encourage anyone to check out Epic Rap Battles of History: Tesla vs. Edison. If you know the history between Tesla and Edison or perhaps a Tesla, check it out on Youtube. It truly is an entertaining video that I think portrays Tesla as the epic, scientist he is.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Gifted or Plagued?
Well, I have been neglectful of my blog, but I hope that is to change. This is going to be more of an opinion post than anything else (sorry, no science). What I want to know is why the "gifted" must suffer.
All my life, I've been different from everyone else. This has had its benefits and malefactors. Well, things in school have always came easy to me (except gym, social graces, and flirting with girls). Sure, it seems that I have a bright future ahead of me, but there are so many other things going on. I'm bored. I really feel as though I'm wasting my time ging to school because I'm not getting enough out of it. I'm taking all honors and AP this year, and I can say that I am bored with the level of material. The amount of material is staggering, but that does not compensate for me actually being challenged on an intellectual level. Also, because I am in the wonderful world of high school (sarcasm intented), everyone and their brother hates and judges me because of my intellect. I have to be so careful in what I say and do so I don't upset anyone in the class. Besides, I don't think I have such a bright future. I used to stress over everything, especially my grades. I still do, but the medicine made me stress A LOT less. I always mess up, and it is always a constant reminder of why I will never be good enough... People think I'm lucky to have a high I.Q., to be smarter than 99.99 whatever percent of the population. All that means is that I can't relate to 99.99% of the population, and it is VERY hard to find good, relatable friends. I do have friends, but I don't think a single one understands who I really am. I can't share what I am passionate about with anyone because there is no one to share it with. I hate being alone, but it is all I know how to be.
My second main point is on mental illness. I don't know if high intelligence attributes from a major flaw or a low capacity in another area of the brain, but from what I have found, you can't really say that smart people are gifted. Now, I do not include all people considered "smart", I mean genius level. I apologize if I am coming off as pompous, but the higher high level people are the ones I am focusing on. Studies have shown that "gifted" individuals (generally with IQ's 140+)(these are the ones I am talking about), tend to be deficient or ill in other areas of the brain. First, there are the savants, which are (forgive me for being politically incorrect) autistic geniuses, Rain Man for example. Next, there are the typical "nerds". I have anxiety and depression problems, far greater than the average person. I get panic attacks from high stress, confined spaces, and loud noises. I also hear voices when I am under high stress. These voices don't tell me to do crimes; they remind of how miserable I am. These symptoms are quite common among those with high creativity and intellect. They make it hard to live everyday life, and it seems like there are only a few people in the world who understand that we are in pain, that we don't want this burden.
Why is it like this? Why is it that any other person can live a happy and fulfilling life yet I am destined to do something like prove string theory? Why is it that I am miserable in the process? Why are people still jealous of my potential for success when it costs happiness? Am I destined to do something "great" and sacrifice any hopes of happiness? What if I can't do anything good enough? Do I have any hopes at real happiness? Feel free to comment on your opinions of the plague of being "gifted".
All my life, I've been different from everyone else. This has had its benefits and malefactors. Well, things in school have always came easy to me (except gym, social graces, and flirting with girls). Sure, it seems that I have a bright future ahead of me, but there are so many other things going on. I'm bored. I really feel as though I'm wasting my time ging to school because I'm not getting enough out of it. I'm taking all honors and AP this year, and I can say that I am bored with the level of material. The amount of material is staggering, but that does not compensate for me actually being challenged on an intellectual level. Also, because I am in the wonderful world of high school (sarcasm intented), everyone and their brother hates and judges me because of my intellect. I have to be so careful in what I say and do so I don't upset anyone in the class. Besides, I don't think I have such a bright future. I used to stress over everything, especially my grades. I still do, but the medicine made me stress A LOT less. I always mess up, and it is always a constant reminder of why I will never be good enough... People think I'm lucky to have a high I.Q., to be smarter than 99.99 whatever percent of the population. All that means is that I can't relate to 99.99% of the population, and it is VERY hard to find good, relatable friends. I do have friends, but I don't think a single one understands who I really am. I can't share what I am passionate about with anyone because there is no one to share it with. I hate being alone, but it is all I know how to be.
My second main point is on mental illness. I don't know if high intelligence attributes from a major flaw or a low capacity in another area of the brain, but from what I have found, you can't really say that smart people are gifted. Now, I do not include all people considered "smart", I mean genius level. I apologize if I am coming off as pompous, but the higher high level people are the ones I am focusing on. Studies have shown that "gifted" individuals (generally with IQ's 140+)(these are the ones I am talking about), tend to be deficient or ill in other areas of the brain. First, there are the savants, which are (forgive me for being politically incorrect) autistic geniuses, Rain Man for example. Next, there are the typical "nerds". I have anxiety and depression problems, far greater than the average person. I get panic attacks from high stress, confined spaces, and loud noises. I also hear voices when I am under high stress. These voices don't tell me to do crimes; they remind of how miserable I am. These symptoms are quite common among those with high creativity and intellect. They make it hard to live everyday life, and it seems like there are only a few people in the world who understand that we are in pain, that we don't want this burden.
Why is it like this? Why is it that any other person can live a happy and fulfilling life yet I am destined to do something like prove string theory? Why is it that I am miserable in the process? Why are people still jealous of my potential for success when it costs happiness? Am I destined to do something "great" and sacrifice any hopes of happiness? What if I can't do anything good enough? Do I have any hopes at real happiness? Feel free to comment on your opinions of the plague of being "gifted".
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Only through Darkness and Death can one find Light and Life
I'm switching up my style here. I've recently finished reading the book "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers. The entire book is an interview between Moyers and Campbell. Joseph Campbell was a very enlightening mythologist. I found this book itself to be very enlightening. It is packed with mythological and religious stories. Most of my post for the remainder of the summer will probably deal with the mythological ideas and stories. This one is the concept of rebirth.
Whoa! Do you come back to life? Not quite. Rebirth in a metaphorical sense shall be touched upon. Every human being goes through a metamorphisis, a rebirth. Most commonly it takes place during the adolescent years. To better explain this topic, I will include two stories. These summaries will be quite short and probably not nearly as forceful as the actual book; so, I recommend you read the book. First, there is Siddhartha Guatama (pardon me for spelling) who was a wealthy Hindu prince. Throughout his youth, Siddhartha had been shielded by his father of the horrible tragedies that haunt our world, sickness, age, and death. When Siddhartha had finally been exposed to the tragedies, he ran away into a dark forest. After undergoing meditation and various obstacles, Siddhartha left the forest as the Buddha, the Enlightened One. Now, keep in mind the idea of going into a dark place as a youth and exiting as someone greater.
The second story is the classic "Dante's Inferno". Dante is is traveling through a dark forest and encounters a lion, panther, and she-wolf (I think they represent pride, desire, and fear). To escape, he follows Virgil, and Virgil then leads Dante through the 9 circles of Hell. Not only does "The Divine Comedy" provide an allegory for "your actions have consequences", but there was more to the story. Upon exiting the Inferno, Dante is left out of the forest staring into the stars of the night sky, knowing that he has learned/changed.
The whole idea of this is to metaphorically show that by traveling through "a dark place", whether be a dark forest or Hell, which represents the death of the previous character (Siddhartha the prince or Dante cornered by pride, desire, and fear), a new enlightened character emerges. This concept is found in other stories as well. Jesus died on the cross, descended to Hell, rose three days later, and new life emerges (Christianity). The Great Flood which lasted for 40 days and 40 nights wiped out great sin. The Flood was no picnic; so, the Flood can be looked at as the "dark place". Out of that came land cleansed of sin.
There are even more practical examples of this (when I say practical I mean a myth that explains a real world phenomenon, not a practical myth). I forget where this story originated from, but it was from a Native American tribe. A man approaches a boy everyday in the same place, and the man challenges the boy to wrestle with him everyday. One day, the man tells the boy once they are finished wrestling to kill the man and bury his body. The boy does so, and buries the body. Out of the spot where the boy buried the man arises maize, corn. This is believed to be the origin of corn. The philosophy in this is out of death comes life. Out of the death of the man comes life of the tribe because they now have maize to eat. It has been a while since I last read that story; so, there mmay be a few details off, but that is basically the concept.
Ok, ok. How does this apply to us modern-day? Well, the most common place for the biggest metamorphisis to occur is in adolescence. Those raging hormones take a toll on the teenager and can make a relatively mediocre obstacle seem like the world's coming to an end. The teenage years still can be tough no matter what environment. In essence, we die as teenagers (the end of our childhood), and we are reborn as adults. Out of every single tragic event, we can become that much stronger (Dragon Ball Z philosophy), for every tragic event or major instance of suffering is a dark forest. We can fight through the Inferno or forest or whatever and find the new light or life that we may embrace. Why should we learn this through mythology? So we know that when we go through that dark forest that there is a light waiting for us, but it is still up to us to find that light. When my biology teacher died, and I sat crying in his class, I promised him that I would never give up at my dreams, and that I dedicate my life of physics to him. Out of his death, sprung my true ambition to live for what I dream.
These are my views and opinions, and I wish not to be judged upon for them. Some parts of these stories may be incorrect, but that is because I'm doing this from memory, and I can make mistakes. I hope this has made somewhat of an impact in at least one person. 'Till next time.
Whoa! Do you come back to life? Not quite. Rebirth in a metaphorical sense shall be touched upon. Every human being goes through a metamorphisis, a rebirth. Most commonly it takes place during the adolescent years. To better explain this topic, I will include two stories. These summaries will be quite short and probably not nearly as forceful as the actual book; so, I recommend you read the book. First, there is Siddhartha Guatama (pardon me for spelling) who was a wealthy Hindu prince. Throughout his youth, Siddhartha had been shielded by his father of the horrible tragedies that haunt our world, sickness, age, and death. When Siddhartha had finally been exposed to the tragedies, he ran away into a dark forest. After undergoing meditation and various obstacles, Siddhartha left the forest as the Buddha, the Enlightened One. Now, keep in mind the idea of going into a dark place as a youth and exiting as someone greater.
The second story is the classic "Dante's Inferno". Dante is is traveling through a dark forest and encounters a lion, panther, and she-wolf (I think they represent pride, desire, and fear). To escape, he follows Virgil, and Virgil then leads Dante through the 9 circles of Hell. Not only does "The Divine Comedy" provide an allegory for "your actions have consequences", but there was more to the story. Upon exiting the Inferno, Dante is left out of the forest staring into the stars of the night sky, knowing that he has learned/changed.
The whole idea of this is to metaphorically show that by traveling through "a dark place", whether be a dark forest or Hell, which represents the death of the previous character (Siddhartha the prince or Dante cornered by pride, desire, and fear), a new enlightened character emerges. This concept is found in other stories as well. Jesus died on the cross, descended to Hell, rose three days later, and new life emerges (Christianity). The Great Flood which lasted for 40 days and 40 nights wiped out great sin. The Flood was no picnic; so, the Flood can be looked at as the "dark place". Out of that came land cleansed of sin.
There are even more practical examples of this (when I say practical I mean a myth that explains a real world phenomenon, not a practical myth). I forget where this story originated from, but it was from a Native American tribe. A man approaches a boy everyday in the same place, and the man challenges the boy to wrestle with him everyday. One day, the man tells the boy once they are finished wrestling to kill the man and bury his body. The boy does so, and buries the body. Out of the spot where the boy buried the man arises maize, corn. This is believed to be the origin of corn. The philosophy in this is out of death comes life. Out of the death of the man comes life of the tribe because they now have maize to eat. It has been a while since I last read that story; so, there mmay be a few details off, but that is basically the concept.
Ok, ok. How does this apply to us modern-day? Well, the most common place for the biggest metamorphisis to occur is in adolescence. Those raging hormones take a toll on the teenager and can make a relatively mediocre obstacle seem like the world's coming to an end. The teenage years still can be tough no matter what environment. In essence, we die as teenagers (the end of our childhood), and we are reborn as adults. Out of every single tragic event, we can become that much stronger (Dragon Ball Z philosophy), for every tragic event or major instance of suffering is a dark forest. We can fight through the Inferno or forest or whatever and find the new light or life that we may embrace. Why should we learn this through mythology? So we know that when we go through that dark forest that there is a light waiting for us, but it is still up to us to find that light. When my biology teacher died, and I sat crying in his class, I promised him that I would never give up at my dreams, and that I dedicate my life of physics to him. Out of his death, sprung my true ambition to live for what I dream.
These are my views and opinions, and I wish not to be judged upon for them. Some parts of these stories may be incorrect, but that is because I'm doing this from memory, and I can make mistakes. I hope this has made somewhat of an impact in at least one person. 'Till next time.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
HIGGS BOSON DISCOVERY!!!!!!!
Title says it all. I've done a bit more research into the Higgs Boson, and its main function is that it proves the Higgs field which explains the mass of particles. Imagine a body of water as the Higgs field and fish as particles. Some fish can swim quickly because they are streamline and interact little with water. Some particles have little (or no) mass because they interact little (or not at all) with the Higgs Field. See the connection? It is not the size of the particles that determine mass; it is the interaction with the Higgs Field. This also means a heavy particle has a lot of interaction with the Higgs Field. NOTE: THE Higgs Boson still needs more looking into, but A Higgs Boson was discovered. The scientists do not know if what they found was THE Higgs Boson, but it is definitley A Higgs Boson. So that is good enough reasoning for us to have the party of our lives! WOOHOO! Scientific Discovery! Oh yeah... Happy Fourth of July, as well.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Higgs Boson Alert!!!!
ALERT!!! Higgs Boson may be discovered. On July 4, 3 a.m. ET, a webcast will be broadcasted to show three weeks of "secret research" done by the folks at CERN. "Reports from the experiments indicate that at least one of them, if not both, will reach the 5 sigma level of significance for the Higgs signal, when they combine 2011 and 2012 data and the most sensitive channel. So, this will definitely be the long-awaited Higgs discovery announcement, and party time for HEP [high-energy physics] physicists," Columbia mathematician Peter Woit. "5 sigma" means that it is officially discovered. The actual discovery of the Higgs Boson would be the most important discovery in particle physics of all time. This is the only particle theoretically proposed by the Standard Model of particles that have not yet been discovered. The Higgs Boson will clarify and make sense the fundamentals of particle physics. It provides an explanation to electroweak symmetry and supersymmetry. What does this mean for string enthusiasts like myself? It actually means that string theory can provide a logical explanation of nature. Supersymmetry would make sense if the Higgs Boson exists; so, it is further acking for string theory. There is still a possibility that CERN has only been picking up signals from a particle similar to the theoretical, God-particle known as the Higgs Boson. I'm keeping my hopes up, and I cannot wait to hear more. Here is the article where I gathered information. HIGGS BOSON BABY!!! Please do not mind the link. That is not the actual title of the article.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Everthing is Connected
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
I'm Growing Up
As my Freshman year of high school winds down, I am making a post about my maturity through this school year. I feel as though I have grown the most out of my life during this year. During this school year, I have been keeping a journal. I am going to post a summary of the first entry and compare it to the last entry. Then, I am going to go in depth on what exactly I went through and what I learned. I will leave out people's names in this post (each person's name will be identified by the number of asterisks), and these summaries will not be word for word of what I have written down.
September 27, 2011
I have just been assigned my first book report in world history. (At this time, I felt a little overwhelmed with my work load. I had no idea what to expect for an honors class in high school.) My biology teacher was today on a double lab (double period) again. I hope he feels better, he seems like a really great guy. ***** just gave a speech during lunch today. I think she will make a great VP. She is hardworking and dedicated; so, that is good. (At this time, I was trying (but failing) to get over a girl; so, I was thinking about other girls to get my mind off of her. ***** was one of the two girls I began having feelings for.) I see **** (other girl) outside, but she doesn't even notice me anymore, at all. I don't think she even sees my as a friend. My class advisor seems like a friendly guy with some really great ideas. Overall, I felt this day went well, but I still miss ******. (The girl who I am trying to get over.)
June 4, 2012
Thanks to my prescribed anti-depressants, I feel much better, today. I met the new class advisor, and she seems very nice. As the new VP, I can't wait to show her what I can do. I'm going to give my passion project presentation in G+T next period. I even included a quote from my biology teacher, Rest In Peace. I'll make you proud, Mr. ******! **** just walked by. I may have a fool's chance with her, but what is life without trying. As for *****, I'm really hoping that I can just keep my distance from her for the rest of high school. I've been hearing from a very trusted friend that she hates me. I've heard some other things, too, which add up to ***** has been lying to me all along. I'm not going to dwell on the dislike we have for each other; I just don't want to get hurt again, like last time. I saw a picture of ******'s sister on the wall in the middle school. This rekindled some hope that ****** still exists. But, I know she hates me. She still didn't respond and never will (I had sent her a friendly letter over spring break, and she never responded back). This is my call to move on. I'm going to let it go. Goodbye ******.
As for everything that happened between (so this all makes sense), here it is. I have had an intense work load that I did not expect to be as hefty. Stress has gotten to me so badly, I have had to see a psychologist. My biology teacher remained to be out sick for a large amount of time. He was in though, and he proved to be one of my favorite teachers. He passed away on April 23 (I think it is that day). The class advisor we originally had, quit being our class advisor due to lack of participation. I was the most active member in class; so, that helped for me to achieve VP. Lastly, the problems with *****. I will sum this up as there was a "debate fiasco" and I was left feeling betrayed, let-down, and heart-broken. Then, she harshly scolded me afterwards for something that I did NOT intend as revenge. Now, what could I have learned from this year?
September 27, 2011
I have just been assigned my first book report in world history. (At this time, I felt a little overwhelmed with my work load. I had no idea what to expect for an honors class in high school.) My biology teacher was today on a double lab (double period) again. I hope he feels better, he seems like a really great guy. ***** just gave a speech during lunch today. I think she will make a great VP. She is hardworking and dedicated; so, that is good. (At this time, I was trying (but failing) to get over a girl; so, I was thinking about other girls to get my mind off of her. ***** was one of the two girls I began having feelings for.) I see **** (other girl) outside, but she doesn't even notice me anymore, at all. I don't think she even sees my as a friend. My class advisor seems like a friendly guy with some really great ideas. Overall, I felt this day went well, but I still miss ******. (The girl who I am trying to get over.)
June 4, 2012
Thanks to my prescribed anti-depressants, I feel much better, today. I met the new class advisor, and she seems very nice. As the new VP, I can't wait to show her what I can do. I'm going to give my passion project presentation in G+T next period. I even included a quote from my biology teacher, Rest In Peace. I'll make you proud, Mr. ******! **** just walked by. I may have a fool's chance with her, but what is life without trying. As for *****, I'm really hoping that I can just keep my distance from her for the rest of high school. I've been hearing from a very trusted friend that she hates me. I've heard some other things, too, which add up to ***** has been lying to me all along. I'm not going to dwell on the dislike we have for each other; I just don't want to get hurt again, like last time. I saw a picture of ******'s sister on the wall in the middle school. This rekindled some hope that ****** still exists. But, I know she hates me. She still didn't respond and never will (I had sent her a friendly letter over spring break, and she never responded back). This is my call to move on. I'm going to let it go. Goodbye ******.
As for everything that happened between (so this all makes sense), here it is. I have had an intense work load that I did not expect to be as hefty. Stress has gotten to me so badly, I have had to see a psychologist. My biology teacher remained to be out sick for a large amount of time. He was in though, and he proved to be one of my favorite teachers. He passed away on April 23 (I think it is that day). The class advisor we originally had, quit being our class advisor due to lack of participation. I was the most active member in class; so, that helped for me to achieve VP. Lastly, the problems with *****. I will sum this up as there was a "debate fiasco" and I was left feeling betrayed, let-down, and heart-broken. Then, she harshly scolded me afterwards for something that I did NOT intend as revenge. Now, what could I have learned from this year?
- Trust is delicate. Do not give trust out to anyone, even the people who think are your friends unless trust has been built up.
- Never give up. No matter what pushes you down, you get back up. No matter what rains down on you, you must still live through it. However, there is a catch. You still have to choose your battles and know when to cut your losses. There is a difference between a wise choice and laziness.
- Letting things go. I always hold on to grudges. But, now I feel as though I can stop. I am not going to hold onto the debate fiasco. In fact, I want to forget all about it, even though I feel I was the victim in the situation.
- Life is short / Seize the moment. You never know if you are ever going to see another happy moment again. For every one that comes your way, treasure it. Don't hold on to it to the extent you miss it, but enough so you can look back and say "I was happy".
- Friends. I don't care how strong you think you are. You need friends. You need people to be there for you. Lonliness really hurts. You cannot solve all of your problems, especially emotional and psychological ones, by yourself. You can still be strong and accept help from friends.
- Don't let people take advantage of you. This relates to the trust lesson. People that take advantage of you are scientifically considered parasites. You have to be able to live YOUR life, not live by constantly helping someone else out with their life.
- Everything is connected. This was a quote my biology teacher used. I will make another post exemplifying it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)