Monday, March 26, 2018
The Future of Humanity
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| photo from barnesandnoble.com |
Since learning about the death of Stephen Hawking, I've immersed myself with cosmological stuff, reading snippets about string theory and quantum mechanics, sort of like a refresher to my readings some twenty or thirty years ago. Not that I fully understand the surface of the iceberg, but when YouTube became an obvious option, I used to watch Prof. Michio Kaku's easy-to-follow explanations of attempts to get hold of the Theory of Everything. It was just like watching Carl Sagan programs in the eighties, at best mind-blowing to a dreamer like myself, encouraging at the very least. I love his mental swagger and sense of where we humans are truly at in the universal pecking order, both of which are admirable and at the same time, humbling. The future of humanity? With SpaceX in place, it's already happening now. We have no other choice.
Stephen Hawking
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| Photo from theguardian.com |
English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking passed away mid-month, and while I don't pretend to understand his cosmological equations, I admire him for his numerous achievements despite being confined to a wheelchair. Stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease, his body muscles withered away but his mind remained sharp as ever. Said to be the most influential scientific mind since Einstein, his indomitable will to contribute to the body of human knowledge despite great odds remains the best lesson for us all.
Fermi's Paradox
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| The Crab Nebula |
"Where is everyone?" It's the famous question uttered supposedly over lunch by Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi, much to the amusement of several other scientists around the table. So many stars, and so many planets capable of supporting life as we know it, yet we haven't made contact with anyone else. Everyone is curious--are we alone? Your guess is as good as mine.
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