SpaceyHead

The Sunset on the ISS (International Space Station)

2009-09-07T21:00:00.003-04:00

At an altitude of 86 degrees and a magnitude of -3.5, I watched the ISS (and consequently, the Discovery in space dock) cross the sky with unmatched brilliancy. It emerged from behind the trees and shown brighter than any celestial object in the sky at 20:53.
Then, quite unexpectedly, it began to grow dim. It turned a dull red and slowly faded into the dark blue of the night sky. It had crossed into the Earth's shadow. I had witnessed a sunset on the ISS.

The Tug-of-War

2009-08-25T17:26:00.003-04:00

I will start this article making the basic assumption that everyone has at one time or another experienced a conflict in their mind; part of them longs to do one thing, and the other doesn't. I can personally relate to this struggle, as I have encountered it often.
Recently, I began this tug-of-war (so to speak) over a very important issue. I am convinced in my mind that to oppose this issue would be the right thing to do, yet I am also certain that to attempt opposing it would not be wise - it might possibly toss me up into a debate larger than I could handle.
When one writes on the internet, there is always that possibility, slight though it is, that someone will uncover one of my obscure articles on this equally-obscure blog, and if it at all happens that they disagree with me, I doubt if I could stand my own without an exorbitant amount of research on my end.
My question therefore is, why should I write the article?
I can think of supporting views for both sides (why I should write the article and why I shouldn't) but I'll save them for another post.
You may wonder what the point of this article was. I sympathize with you. I am merely trying to grow more proficient in my writing, seeing as the SAT and its essays are approaching on me, and I determined that I should attempt working out a problem while I was at it.

40 years ago...

2009-07-20T13:48:00.005-04:00

July 20th, 1969. A quick glance in the back room - the mission control room. NASA is there, hardly daring to breath as it awaits the report from the Apollo 11 commander. Each passing second increases anxiety; will all that they have worked for be in vain? A clear voice breaks into the silence, carrying the joyous news...
"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed," the words spoken by Neil Armstrong come floating down to Earth through the vacuum of space.

...................

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?" ~ Psalm 8:3-4

Happy 40th anniversary of the first Moon-walk!

Why we can't grow a garden on the moon

2009-07-08T14:52:00.003-04:00

Q. Is lunar soil fertile?

A. No, it is not. Lacking both water and air, it is unable to support plant life. Even if it could, the extreme temperatures and periods of prolonged darkness would kill all plant life before it had a chance to become established.

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T12:05:00.002-04:00

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13, ESV)

I was contemplating the above verse when I first began to conceive a post for Memorial Day. The selfless sacrifice practised by our troops, sometimes on a daily basis is ... beautiful.
Don't get me wrong; I find death and war gruesome. The horrible stench of blood and the sickening heat of the desert; the rough winds whipping sand around in swirling clouds; the long marches and weary climbs - I wouldn't call those beautiful. But neither would I find the crucifixion of Jesus a beautiful sight.

What is beautiful is the motive for these things - their purpose. Jesus bore the righteous wrath of God in our place, out of love for some wicked, hopeless, sick sinners like us, of whom I am the chief.

And today we remember that our soldiers fight for us out of love for all they hold dear: their family, their possessions, their country.... The list goes on.

Let us be faithful as grateful citizens of the United States of America to keep our troops and our Commander in Chief in prayer.

A Tribute to Truth

2009-05-12T14:46:00.002-04:00

"I value the discovery of a singe even insignificant truth more highly than all the argumentation on the highest questions which fails to reach a truth."
~Galileo

Reflections of the Cross

2009-05-05T21:40:00.003-04:00

Jesus as the new and better Jonathan....

Just as Jonathan was willing to give up his Kingship to David out of love, so was Jesus willing to sacrifice His Kingship that we all might be kings.

The only way for David to become a king was for the heir to the throne to die. Even so, we could only be made kings by the death of the Heir to the Throne.

Jonathan died as a mortal man, and there his story on earth came to an end. Jesus died as a mortal man, yet rose again because He is God.

And His story shall know no end on this earth....

Chromium

2009-04-09T08:18:00.004-04:00

1. What is it?

a. A transition metal found in Crocoite, lead chromate

b. Of all metals, Chromium ranks number 21 in a list of most

c. Chemical symbol, Cr; atomic number 24

2. Discovery

a. Ural Mountains, 1761, Johann Gottlob Lehmann (Crocoite)

b. France, 1797: Louis Nicolas Vaquelin (Chromium)

3. Name Origin

a. Originally named Siberian red lead by Johann Gottlob

b. Later called Chromium after the word "color" in Greek: "chrōma."

4. Uses in industry

a. Makes pigments and can tan leather

b. Chrome (on cars, faucets, etc.)

c. Metal alloys , including stainless steel.

5. Visual aspects

a. "...[S]teely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point..." ~Chromium - Wikipedia

6. References

a. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium

b. http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/chromium.htm

Cadmium

2009-03-31T16:08:00.003-04:00

1. What is it?

a. A naturally occuring transition metal harboured in zinc ore

b. Chemical symbol, Cd; atomic number 48

2. Discovery:

a. Discoverer was Friedrich Stohmeyer

b. Found in Germany, 1817

3. Diseases it may cause

a. Various forms of cancer

b. Is amongst the cancer-causing ingredients obtained through smoking

4. Uses in industry, etc.

a. Mainly in NiCd (Nickel-Cadmium) batteries

b. Yellow pigment

c. Is sometimes used for solder (the joining together of metals with another fusible metal with a certain melting point)

5. Visual aspects

a. blue-white

b. "Malleable" or "ductile," referring to its ability to be misshapen without forming cracks.

6. References

a. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmium

b. http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/cadmium.htm

Beliefs on the Origin of the Universe

2009-03-26T14:41:00.003-04:00

Introductory Paragraph
There are many views surrounding the origin of Earth. Some say that it was formed by evolution for billions of years, while others believe that it was created by a supreme Being in six literal days. Other theories have been made as well, including one view that is a combination of evolution and creationism. It is this theory that I would like to defend in this essay.

Point one: Evolution
Evolution has some kinks in it that have not been ironed out. For instance, the lack of transitional forms in the fossil record. According to Darwin's original hypothesis, that simple forms evolved into more complex forms, and that these forms are found in the fossil record, there should be billions of fossils containing transitional forms. Also, we face the problem of "simple forms:" even the most basic of life forms could not function without even one of its parts. This means that during evolution, every part of every life form had to remain fully functional at every moment.

In my opinion, however, evolution could be the answer to a few questions that been raised. We consider the seemingly ancientness of the stars and planetary objects. How could these appear so very old if they have been around for only several thousand years? And, does the fossil record have to contain evidence for every life form that ever lived? Fossils are thought to be formed during a catastrophic event, such as a flood, or sudden mudslide, or even a volcano. Did a catastrophic event have to occur every time a new wave of transitional forms appeared?

Point two: Creationism
Next, we have our literal six-day creationist view. It makes the case that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days. It clears up the problem of transitional forms and might be able to answer the appearance of ancientness to the universe. If Christ was able to create old wine from water, could not God create an old heavens and earth?

On the other hand, people who believe in this view are believing in a God who likes to create things. Why would He quickly pack everything into six days and just get things moving if He savours the process of creating things? Also, the Biblical account of the six-day creation, found in Genesis one, seems to follow the patterns of other poetry (and genealogies, if one thinks about it) found elsewhere in the Bible. It is followed by a chapter that seems to reiterate the whole first chapter without setting strict boundaries of time to the creation process. Why the repetition?
I see the second chapter a summary. If I were to write a poem on the metamorphis of a butterfly, and present each stage as a day in length, I might follow that poem with a short summary, explaining what I meant. Supposing that chapter two is the summary of the poem in chapter one? Was the poem then supposed to be taken literally?

Point three: My theory
My theory is a combination of the above views, however it leans more towards the latter view than the former one, as I believe that the heavens and the earth were created by God and that He formed man out of the dust of the ground, making that man in His own image. My view begins to differ after I reach the "literal six-day" part. And I will show below why.

I believe that God is a God who takes delight in creating. He took his time forming the delicate petals on a flower and the smallest markings on a stone. I believe that He is so great and marvellous that He could have very easily put into the genetic code of an animal the ability to evolve from one form to another. The amount of planning and engineering He would have to use in order to make sure that every animal evolved just the way He wanted it to is too great a concept for us to imagine, but I know that He could do it. This would clear up the ancientness of the universe.

One other alternative could have been that our world is not the first. Our very planet might have been a different world at one time that is now gone. The old world had served is purpose, and it was changed, but the universe around it was not (see 2 Peter 3: 5-7). This could offer an explanation for the age of the stars....

Conclusion
Now that I have laid this out before you, that you might see the reasons for why I believe some of what I believe, I challenge you, dear reader. Go and write an article of your own. In writing a defense of your beliefs, you will gain surer footing for yourself, and might be of help to someone else. You can reach where I, though I try, cannot.

Bohrium

2009-03-12T12:30:00.001-04:00

1. What is it?

a. A man-made transition metal

b. A radioactive metal

c. Chemical symbol, Bh; atomic number 107

2. The name

a. At one time called Nielsbohrium (Ns) named after physicist Niels Bohr

3. Discovery: rather sketchy

a. The Heavy Ion Research lab, Germany (1976) created the first really persuasive metal, using the function laid out by Dubna, Russia (1975). ?

4. Life time

a. Only about 61 seconds constitutes the "half-life" of the most stable of Bohrium isotopes

5. Uses in industry, etc.

a. No known uses in industry

b. Short life span prohibits long term uses

c. Few atoms of the metal ever made

d. The possibility of creating enough atoms is hindered by the radiation problem that might result.

6. References

a. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohrium

b. http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/bohrium.htm

A statement on fear

2009-02-20T11:37:00.004-05:00

For myself, it is not that which I can see in the world that causes me fear; it is that which I can not see. I have a mortal fear of demons and of hell and of what they might do to me. Yet is this not a silly fear?
As a Christian, I believe that Jesus took the wrath of God in my place, on the cross. He was fully God and fully man, and he lived a fully perfect life. He rose from the grave three days after his death, not only proving himself to be who he said he was, but also showing us that God was satisfied in his sacrifice, that we are truly redeemed.

Now, if I can paint a picture of some sort, we will pretend that I am a vase. I am a vase that fell in the roaring ocean. The one who made me and owns me plunges into the roaring water, risking his own life in order to save me from crashing to bits on a stone. Do you not think, that if he went through so much for me, that he would put me some place safe, so I would not fall into the ocean again? or fall upon the floor and crash there?
If I am the vase, and Jesus did more than risk his life, he was killed for my sake, why would he let me fall into the hands of Satan? Why would he let me be robbed? he can (and will) allow trials and things into my life (if we remember anything about the story of Job), but he will not let me be completely destroyed, will he?
So therefore, why am I afraid of demons and things? "If God is for me, who can be against me?" 'tis true we are warned to fear not man who destroys the body, but to fear him who will destroy both the body and soul in hell, but if we are to focus so much on wary, how will we live?
Let our focus be on God, and him alone, and come what may, we shall stand firm in our faith.

Some Forms of Selfishness Are Good

2009-02-02T15:53:00.003-05:00

Thesis Statement: There are some forms of selfishness that are not bad.

In the studying of a word such as "selfishness," it is important to understand from the beginning what the word means. According to Webster's dictionary, selfishness is being obsessed with one's self, and having no regard for anyone else. An example of selfishness would be the proud monarch who looks more to his own affairs than to the welfare of his citizens.
When looking closely at every aspect of life, it can easily be discovered that selfishness is a prominent feature of humanity. The very desire to be free from selfishness is, in itself, a selfish longing.
Based on Scripture, the desire to be free from selfishness and sin is a good desire, and one that can inspired than no one other than God himself.
How then can all selfishness be bad?

Sound

2009-01-12T15:15:00.003-05:00

Question: When a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around, did it make a sound?

The answer to this question really lies in the definition of sound. This much we know: sound is a vibration. The question is, is it a vibration able to be heard by the human ear, or any vibration that occurs?
The former definition can be further split in two ways. Either the tree has not been heard by a human, due to the fact that the human was absent, and therefore it did not make a sound, or it made a vibration loud enough to be heard, and even though no one was around to hear it, the sound was made nonetheless.
This is the type of question that is no more solved at the end than it was at the beginning. If one can officially define sound, the answer to this question also, will be uncovered.

Post Script: If a book is closed, then how can one know if the words remain on the pages? This is an easier question to answer, since the words on a page are not like the fading sound. The former can be tested by its result, the latter can not be tested lest it defy its one logic.

Anatomy: the silent killer

2009-01-09T13:54:00.003-05:00

Thesis statement: Forcing students to take biology classes in school may result in various health issues.

In schools all across the country, students are being forced to take part in gruesome anatomy and physiology courses. While this is alright for some, such as those with plans for becoming doctors and the like, there are many others whose very health and life expectancy may go down due to forced attendance to these classes. To these weaker students, anatomy classes in particular are hardly anything more than instruments of death.

The weaker student will be seated at his or her desk respectively, and will be suddenly confronted with a page in their anatomy book, showing an unending list of diseases, viruses, and other organ and functional disorders. The student will observe this page, and suddenly imagine the symptoms occuring on him or her. The prickling of the finger tips, sudden pain in the stomach, the pain in the chest, and so on.

Overcome with anxiety at their imagined illness, they will experience severe adrenaline rushes, thereby putting undue stress upon the heart. If kept up for the required length of the course, the heart will be permanently affected by the incident, reducing life by perhaps a few years.

Indigestion may also occur. The student may have worked up his or her stomach to a point of nausea, resulting in vomiting or an inability to take in food during lunch or dinner. If this state of nausea continues for the remainder of the school year, or the required length of the course, the student will inevitably lose healthy muscle weight.

This can be applied to sleeping as well. As the student lies in bed, waiting for sleep to come, he or she will feel a sudden need to fear as they remember the biology class awaiting them the next morning.

Stress, not enough sleep, and too little food are proven killers over time. Thus, for the weaker student, the taking of anatomy course in particular may result in death.

The only way to prevent further deaths amongst the student population due to biology courses, is the giving of choice to students. The student will decide whether he or she wants to take the course, thus resulting in only the strong-stomached students, or those wishing to take on a medical career later in life, showing up for anatomy classes.

Therefore, life expectancy and health can be expected to increase if anatomy classes are either separated from the biology course and used as a free elective, or if the student is given the choice to make for him or herself.

Introduction

2009-01-08T20:42:00.004-05:00

Hullo!
This is a blog.
This is a blog that has articles.
This is a blog that has serious articles.
And this is the first post on this very serious blog.

First impressions aren't always accurate.
And a first post is hardly anything to go on.

So what is the point of this blog?
To practise writing.
Writing on science and mathematics and Theology and reviews on "classics" that I read.
Put bluntly, this is a blog created for school purposes.
So you are the guinea pig.
Unless you decide to be smart and stay away from this blog for the rest of your life.