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Sir Karl Raimond Popper (1902-1994) is recognized as a leading 20th century philosopher and is best known for establishing a practical philosophy of science with a framework and system for accepting scientific truths.

Popper was inspired by Sir Arthur Eddington’s 1919 south polar expedition, which tested Einstein’s 1915 General Theory of Relativity.  Using curved space equations, Einstein’s theory predicts that light bends as it passes objects of large mass.  The solar eclipse during the South Pole expedition provided an opportunity to witness starlight (produced behind the sun) being bent toward Earth as it traveled around the edge of the sun.  The well-documented polar event propelled Einstein to international stardom and changed the world’s 200-year-old perceptions of science; Newton’s gravitational force was superseded with Einstein’s acceleration in curved space-time.

After this event, Popper began questioning how other “scientists” verified and substantiated their theories and hypothesis.  For example, he refuted Freud’s theories of personality disorders because he considered “confirming instances” (coincidental verification) insufficient to establish proof.  Likewise, although astrology may make numerous conjectures on what will happen in the future, failed predictions are dismissed with “ad hoc” random excuses blaming (for example) the position of Jupiter in Aquarius.  Both of these areas of study are rejected as pseudo-sciences because the predictions they make are not “falsifiable”.

The advancement of falsifiability as the demarcation criteria separating true scientific theory from pseudo-science was an important initiative.  The scientific field was rife with conjecture and ideas positioning themselves as scientifically proven.  A measurement or standard was needed.  Popper stated that when a theory passes a test (achieves a prediction), the theory is not proven, but the corroboration makes the theory worthy of more testing; it becomes tentatively acceptable, but not proven.  Bona fide theories, therefore, must contain genuine predictions with a level of risk worthy and capable of critical testing.  Falsifiability provides an open framework where virtually all theories have the potential to be discarded if proven wrong.

Popper insists that science must progress by a series of rejected theories, and that if a theory does not contain criteria for proving itself invalid, then it must be dismissed as unscientific.

Sycophantic Narcissists Offloading Themselves

Facebook is a scary 21st century phenomenon. Glorifying mediocrity in the pursuit of fifteen minutes of fame can be a rewarding boost to the ego, but it is hardly a noble or practical use of time and effort. As a logical extension of today’s instant-gratification/Idol-driven society, Facebook has found its niche as the premier hub of shallowness on the internet.

The hilarious picture of you talking to Ralph on the porcelain telephone is not so funny when taken out of context. These classic “faceplant” entries rarely represent an individual’s lifestyle or accomplishments, yet they can affect personal and professional lives for many years.

Requesting the removal of compromising photos or anecdotes rarely eliminates the evidence. As all conspiracy theorists are aware, any photo appearing on the internet for even a short time will end up in an archived file somewhere and will be available to anyone with the determination to find it. The show-and-tell-all repercussions have extended to the courtroom where, for example, a defendant’s apparent lack of remorse provided grounds for a prolonged internment.

I am, of course, extremely biased; I do not have a Facebook account, none of my friends have accounts, and even if I had a Facebook account, my kids would not include me as one of their friends.

The dictionary defines snot as nasal mucus or phlegm. Snot is also defined as an annoying, arrogant or impertinent person. Although the concept of a (snotty) nose being the centre of a face (book) creates an interesting parallel, Facebook SNOT are typically not annoying, arrogant or impertinent by nature. Misguided, perhaps, but everyone in society has a responsibility to think just a little bit beyond self-gratification.

Facebook members cannot be held responsible for the relentless dumbing-down of society as they are much less cause than effect. The social website is pervasive and addictive and we can only hope that it will soon be relegated to the novelty-item shelf where it belongs.

Dr. Scott’s proposal for the electricity/hydrogen solution (hydricity) requires a paradigm shift away from the general public’s perception of energy. As a result of the 1970s “energy crisis”, oil became synonymous with the word energy and its predominance as the best/only solution for powering the world became over weighted and overrated.

Dr. Scott suggests viewing oil as just one of many options for generating standardized energy currencies. By distinguishing a difference between oil and energy, oil is made to compete both environmentally and financially with all other sources including water, wind, sunlight, coal, geothermal, natural gas and uranium.

In addition to the immense impact the hydricity solution would have on the environment, the key financial benefits are in economies of scale and manufacturing efficiencies. Power generating facilities could operate at optimum performance levels 24/7 meeting demand for electricity during the day and creating/storing hydrogen at night.

By conceptually separating energy currencies from energy sources, cost-benefit analyses become simpler and more practical providing tangible numbers for comparison on a clear and level playing field.

David Sanborn Scott
Smelling Land - The Hydrogen Defence Against Climate Catastrophe
http://www.smellingland.com/

One of the key objectives in new swimsuit design technology is the elimination of turbulence caused by oscillating skin.  Manufacturers use the word “compression” to describe how a corset-like suit, that takes up to a half hour to put on, forms and holds the body in optimum position.  By decreasing votex activity at the interface level, water flows by the body freely and unencumbered. 

The “core stabilizer” maintains the optimum hydrodynamic form by 1) holding tight muscles and body parts, 2) providing body length rigidity and 3) reducing muscle fatigue thereby preventing hips from hanging low in the water .  The suit uses water-repellent surfaces and ultrasound-welded seams to reduce wave and friction drag.

The principles applied in the design of the LZR are all based on minimizing vortex activity around the body.  NASA used wind tunnels and “computational fluid dynamics” to find the key areas to reduce drag and apply compression.  Many of these same ideas can be applied (without the LZR) to improve swimstroke efficiency.

Each suit is good for approximately five swims (due to stretching) and is priced at approximately $500.00.  Although the suit is credited with breaking world records, it may not be the suit-of-choice for recreational swimmers.

The superimposition of human characteristics on inanimate objects is called personification.  The character of God, in the compilation of short stories called the Bible, represents personification of the unknown.  By definition, all of religion can be reduced to a simple literary technique.

Providing human behavioral traits to non-human occurrences is a device for improving understanding.  Personifying good and evil creates a format whereby the masses can relate, on a very simplistic level, how and why events occur: Misfortune is due to someone’s disapproval; Success is a result of conforming to someone’s desired behavior; Unexplainable events are attributable to someone’s incredible and mysterious powers.

The Bible uses standard metaphorical techniques to accomplish its message.  The “Good Book” is a literary work complete with colorful plot line and fictionally believable characters.  The melodramatic activity is enormous and the reader is presented with extreme positions of good and evil leaving no doubt about how one should judge each character’s behavior.  The message is simple; conform or rot in Hell.

God, as personification of the unknown, is an excellent example of the quest for a comprehensive Theory of Everything.  Einstein worked his entire life toward this fundamental idea for simplifying our existence and felt failure in the end as he realized it would not be attained in his lifetime.  When religion provides human characteristics to the unknown, the Big ToE is then simplified into “He did it”.  How convenient.  How simple.  How comforting.  How ridiculous.

Religion uses confirming instances (such as those used by Freud) as proof of its existence and ad hoc excuses (such as those found in astrology) as its alibi when expected results fail.  Karl Popper, creator of the falsifiability criteria and main contributor to today’s Philosophy of Science, dismisses both of these practices as inadequate.  The fickleness of human personality allows religion to selectively choose how to justify God’s “reaction” to everything; sometimes good, sometimes bad, but whatever happens is appropriate and undisputable.

Personification is a powerful literary technique and the Bible may be one of the first published documents to use it successfully.

Although the term “fast water” is often used jokingly by swimmers to deflect personal performance issues, it has its roots in science. 

Fast water is calm water free of waves and sub-surface turbulence.  Pools with surface gutters (wave catchers) and good quality buoy lines are faster than open surface pools with hard and high vertical walls.  Deeper pools allow the vortices to dissipate before being reflected back to the surface.  Swimming close to a wall will increase reflected turbulence.  While racing, leading the pack has a distinct advantage because the water will have less wave motion from competitors.  The fastest and most worthy racers are typically assigned the middle lanes to more evenly distribute wave activity to opponents.

Two leading scientists in the field of fluid dynamics are Dr. Raul Arellano (Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science, Granada University) and Dr. Jun Zhang (Physics Department, New York University).  Dr. Arellano has spent decades studying water propulsion and how the resulting vortex activity affects speed and motion.  His filmed experiments using tiny air bubble delivery mechanisms on the feet and hands are a unique method for visualizing flow.  Studying swimmers passing through and along his “bubble wall” revealed a variety of vortex activity at each phase of the stroke.  Among many revelations, his 1999 paper on “Vortices and Propulsion” states that “the size and movement characteristics of the vortex seem related to propulsion obtained by the hand and foot movements.”

Dr. Zhang and his team are studying filament activity in fast moving soap film mediums to gain insight into the relationship between “flapping phases” versus “stretched-out phases” and how this vortex activity might apply to swimming and gliding.  In Dr. Zhang’s words, their “ultimate goal is to better understand how fish swim and why they are so efficient.”  Some of his tests suggest that a swimming fish produces an “inverted von Karman” vortex street which could have implications on swim stroke style and movement.  Both of these scientists recognize the overwhelming importance of vortex management while swimming.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) gained notoriety during the late 20th century for his views on compassion and the role of his Übermensch hierarchy in modern society.  As an author, Nietzsche is very accessible.  His 1882 book The Gay Science (politically correct translation being “The Joyous Wisdom”) is a relatively easy read and contains Nietzsche’s first reference to “God is dead”. 

In 1883, Nietzsche wrote his self-proclaimed best work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which reveals his view of compassion.  Nietzsche’s opinion is that pity is a self-indulgence of the weak and he asserts that where society distinguishes between love and pity, Christianity does not.  Zarathustra (or Zoroaster) is an ancient Iranian prophet and founder of Zoroastrianism, the national religion of the Sassanid Empire of Persia (226-651 CE).  A somewhat mythical figure (his existence is estimated to be between 10000 BCE and 1000 BCE), he was possibly the first Gnostic to utilize “revealed” scripture (i.e. his own revelations).  In Nietzsche’s book, Zarathustra is driven to rise above the “final sin” of pity.

Nietzsche’s middle period writings are most practical and, although not joyous, he seems hopeful and cautiously skeptical.  The Übermensch or “Super Human” is a standard which great men are born to achieve and it is this theme of constant self-examination and reverence-for-self that became the center of his life’s work.  Nietzsche despised the weak and felt that concepts such as “the meek shall inherit the earth” were excuses to do and achieve nothing.  His opinion of nihilism is somewhat confusing as he feels that it is bad for humanity yet necessary and good for the few “higher men” to rise above and create new “suns” (sources of value).

Nietzsche may be the most misquoted philosopher of all time.  In spite of his well documented displeasure with German society and a very vocal campaign against anti-Semitism, the Nazi party chose him as their philosophic inspiration.   His famous quote “God is dead” is an over-simplification of his view on the importance of a self-centered existence and is less of a declaration than a comment regarding the liberating effect of independence.  His written displeasure of Richard Wagner downplayed his overwhelming commitment to music and art.  (The musical work Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss - later used in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey - was inspired by Nietzsche.)  A misogynistic introvert, but somewhat less extreme later in life, his writings regarding women are horribly insulting, usually requiring a Henny-Youngman-style rim shot to salvage their awkward delivery.

Although his general philosophy discourages democracy, Nietzsche’s writings on personal self-development (knowledge, creativity, the arts) set standards and goals which many feel a progressive and democratic society can support.

Truth is a matter of perspective involving time, place and available information.

A classic misrepresentation of truth (and time) was the 17th century declaration by Archbishop Ussher of Armagh and his contemporary John Lightfoot.  Based on “information found in the bible”, they proclaimed that the earth was created on Saturday October 23, 4004 BCE, at 9:00am.  Ussher used biblical references for time (it rained for 40 days; Jesus lived for 33 years) and stories (October because apples were on the tree; Saturday because it took all week) to establish the date.  Considering that there was little progress in geological sciences until the 18th century and the existence of the dinosaur was not confirmed until the early 19th century, the Archbishop’s enthusiasm can be forgiven.

It is amazing that even today some people quote this declaration as fact, stating that the information is confirmed in the bible.  The successful mass marketing of this bogus story is the result of a person of authority promoting a misinterpreted truth.  This point is important.  The texts of the bible were written in the vernacular of the era with stories pertaining to the established beliefs of the time.  Because it is likely much of the truths derived from the bible are determined with insufficient and/or self-serving information, most interpretations can be considered of questionable merit.

The world’s religions rely heavily on decisions, edicts and interpretations handed down by their leaders.   Fact-challenged data and truth by authority combine to create a powerful marketing campaign.

Knowledge and information will change just as leaders and opinions will change.  As a result, our interpretation of truth requires constant review and a relentless application of reason.  Truth, as well as life, must continually evolve.

David Sanborn Scott has been promoting hydrogen as the solution to the world’s energy problems for decades. The concept of “currency” is used to describe how electricity and hydrogen can be created from any source (preferably nuclear) and delivered to the world as the primary mediums for all energy needs - the hydricity solution. This is a thoroughly thought through, well considered and spectacular idea.

David Sanborn Scott
Smelling Land - The Hydrogen Defence Against Climate Catastrophe
http://www.smellingland.com/

CBC Ideas - The Hydrogen Solution
http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/hydrogen-solution/index.html

TVO - The Agenda
http://www.smellingland.com/agenda.html

June 21, 2008

Mr. Gary Lunn
Natural Resources Minister
c/o Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON   K1A 0A2

Dear Mr. Lunn,

Canada has an opportunity to launch new technology with an environmental impact that surpasses Kyoto Accord standards.  With the exception of one component, the product and process is in place and ready to go.  Are we ready for leadership?

It is not a stretch for anyone to envision oil at $200/barrel or gasoline at $3.00/litre.  Fuel surcharges continue to plague a struggling air travel industry as greenhouse gas issues and global warming disasters play out on a world stage.  Thanks to George W. Bush’s ill-informed and desperate environmental initiatives such as the hydrogen-powered car (can we wait 20 years for a local distribution system?), or the ridiculous antics of Virgin Atlantic and their ethanol powered 747 (isn’t farming already the world’s largest subsidy?), the public’s awareness of energy alternatives is misguided.

The benefit of converting aircraft to using hydrogen engines is nothing short of mind-bogglingly spectacular.  Everyone, from the scientific community through Energy Probe to Greenpeace, agrees that the positive environmental impact would be enormous.  Financially, it is competitive with today’s aircraft fuel prices and moving forward, as an infinitely renewable “currency”, hydrogen’s supply chain efficiency will continue to improve.

Hydrogen is the only viable and sustainable portable solution for the world’s energy requirement.  As a non-carbon-based currency, its only bi-product is water.  Mass production of hydrogen can be accomplished using existing power generating facilities during off-peak hours, making these facilities more efficient and productive.  Hydrogen is as safe, or safer, than gasoline and it can use some of the same delivery mechanisms.

Over the past 25 years, Bombardier has received over $1 billion in government grants and contributions, as well as additional billions of dollars in loan guarantees through the EDC.  It is as close to being a crown corporation as international competition/subsidy standards will permit.  Technology for hydrogen powered engines is well established and proven.  The cost of incorporating these engines and systems as alternatives into existing products such as the new C-Series or the LearJet XR-Series could be accomplished through the existing R&D infrastructure.  Customer demand for smaller and more efficient aircraft is inevitable and it is unlikely that government intervention would be required at that level.

International law requires aircraft refueling stations to be within certain distances of each other.  This has been a major obstacle in the development and deployment of hydrogen alternatives.  The made-in-Canada solution would initially be within Canada’s borders only and would exist in tandem with standard refueling operations.  Hydrogen refueling sites (the missing component) could be established at major Canadian airports, such as Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal, and the initial investment would be recouped as the industry develops. This proposal is financially and environmentally sound, requiring no huge outlay of cash or assumption of risk.  It is scalable and can be phased in within five years.

The world needs this technology and Canada needs an environmental facelift.  I look forward to the day oil-sand executives fly between Toronto and Calgary on hydrogen powered aircraft. 

Yours very truly,

Keith Loach
c.c. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister
Jim Flaherty, Finance Minister
 Andre Navarri, President, Bombardier Transportation
 David Sanborn Scott, Inst. For Integrated Energy Systems
 Norman Rubin, Director Nuclear Research, Energy Probe