Monthly Archives: August 2024

Anti-science stupidity

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I was scrolling TikTok yesterday and I came across a live stream that was run by a flat earther talking about the firmament. I stopped to watch for a bit with a voyeuristic, macabre eye… the same way people slow down on a highway to take a better look at a car accident. It was painful to listen to. It baffles me to think that there has actually been an increase in the size of the flat earth community since 2015, as shared in a BBC report. This report puts the blame on the YouTube algorithm that focused more on engagement than on factual information.

I’ve already shared a fair bit about the flat earth conspiracy including “Flat earth and flight times”, “Not even wrong”, and “Understanding QAnon”, but I came across this next video today and it reminded me of just how long ago humans had already figured out that the earth was a globe.

Over 2,200 years ago Eratosthenes did some calculations based on simple observations, and was able to not just determine the earth was round, but he was also able to calculate its circumference. Carl Sagan shares the story of Eratosthenes’ discovery in this video:

We can split atoms, view the planets in our solar system and beyond, and even see photos of the earth from space, yet because we can’t see the curve of the earth from our own vantage point people are convinced it is flat. They will negate and dismiss overwhelming evidence while conspiratorially justifying impossible coverups to ‘fool the masses’, (with no logical/apparent reason to really do so). ‘They’ are keeping the truth from us. ‘They’ faked the moon landing. ‘They’ want us to believe that the earth is round. ‘They’ are afraid of us knowing the truth.

Imagine believing that every pilot, NASA employee, physicist, and for that matter scientist, is lying to you. Imagine disregarding 100’s, or rather 1,000’s of years of knowledge and following unscientific morons producing YouTube videos that just feed you validating evidence. Imagine being that stupid.

Yes, I called them stupid. The irony is that no one that is a flat earther will read this, and if they did, they would consider me stupid. Personally I’d rather be a stupid guy learning about the globe from Eratosthenes and Carl Sagan than a stupid guy learning about a flat earth from YouTuber Mark Sargent, who himself probably no longer believes, but is too greedy to give up his lucrative YouTube channel.

I hope the phrase “You can’t fix stupid,” is wrong, but in all honesty, the growth of flat earth believers makes me think this statement very true.

Fishing with friends

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I got to go fishing with a couple different friends in the last few weeks. The first time we caught some trout and it was a blast. The second time, with a different friend, he caught a small catfish and I didn’t catch anything… This was also a wonderful day.

No one wants to spend a day fishing and not catch anything… that’s not the goal. But going fishing with friends isn’t just about fishing, it’s about doing something with a friend. It’s about having an experience and not just hanging out and reminiscing about past experiences. It’s all about the experience!

Yes, that experience might be more memorable if you hook a big one, but it’s not the fish that matters, it’s quality time with a friend that really matters.

In Transit

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Sometimes there are trips inside of trips, and that was the case for me these past 12 days. I returned my rental car earlier today. I drove just over 1,800 kilometres while visiting my mom in Oakville, Ontario. Even if you consider that I averaged 100 kilometres per hour, which I didn’t, that would mean that on my 12 day trip I spent 18 hours driving.

Basically a full (awake) day of my holiday was in a car, and most of that time I was alone… Well not really alone, but in the good company of an audio book or conversational podcast. Still, that’s a lot of time (and distance) to spend travelling in a car while travelling away from home.

How much time do we spend in transition, going from one place to the next? I started writing this at the airport in Toronto, wrote the next bit on the plane over western Canada, and am now finishing it on my couch in Coquitlam, BC. With driving, flying, and wait time, I spent 10+ hours today in transit. So much of our vacations are spent in transit, it’s a bit of a reminder that we are always on a journey.

And that’s a wrap

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My visit ‘home’ has come to an end. I had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends, and I achieved a lot. I sorted through the last of over 500 boxes of my dad’s files, and cleaned up my mom’s garage.

Last year working in the garage was almost all I did while here. This year I balanced the work with visits to friends and family. This year it really felt like a holiday. It helped that the majority of the work was done on my last trip, and yet it still took 7 trips to the dump with a packed RAV4 to clear out and recycle the last of his files.

I’ve kept 6 boxes of his work that I don’t know what I’m going to do with? This is his work that I know is innovative and brilliant, but who do I share it with? And how? My dad would have wanted it thrown away, but it would be sad to see the knowledge and insight he was able to achieve vanish.

But for tonight that is a question that will have to wait until another day, because I head home in the morning and this trip is a wrap.

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The accompanying image was taken with my mom after a walk earlier this evening.

Expectations versus Outcomes

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In yesterday’s post, ‘The very best and the second best’ I wrote:

“To one person second best is amazing and to another it is the first loser. It’s the same medal, but it means so much more or less, depending on what they believed they could achieve. It’s a good reminder of what our expectations do to our experience.”

My focus was on gold and silver/first and second place. Manuel Are responded in a LinkedIn comment. He left a wonderful story of EJ Obiena, who was the Philippines representative to the Pole Vault Event in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Obiena placed 4th. Manuel concluded the comment saying,

“Obiena’s emotional response and remarkable progress from 11th to 4th place prompt a reflection on the nature of success in sports. While medals are tangible rewards, the essence of athletic endeavor lies in continuous improvement and the courage to compete on the world stage. His achievements have not only brought attention to pole vaulting in the Philippines but also inspired countless young athletes to dream big. Obiena’s near-miss should be viewed as a stepping stone toward future success, embodying the qualities of a true champion.”

Indeed Manuel, 11th to 4th is a massive feat, and to do this would be the equivalent of winning gold to that athlete with the new achievement.

I think what we are both describing is that the measure of success of the outcome depends on the expectations… and success doesn’t always include winning a medal.

The very best and the second best

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I haven’t watched a lot of the Olympics, but I’ve enjoyed everything I have seen. I love watching athletes give everything they have, and finding extra reserves or incredible composure in the face of exceptional competition.

For some athletes who dream of gold, the only acceptable place to come in is first. For others, the silver medal is an incredible achievement, that seemed almost impossible before the competition.

To one person second best is amazing and to another it is the first loser. It’s the same medal, but it means so much more or less, depending on what they believed they could achieve. It’s a good reminder of what our expectations do to our experience.

Holidays and routines

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Exercise, writing, meditation, diet… even vitamins… my schedule and routines are completely out of whack, and I’m feeling the struggle. I don’t mind a few days off, but I’ve been off of a regular schedule for over a month now and it’s getting to me. My back is achy, I have less energy, and I’m not sleeping well.

I often talk about this, and I get comments like, ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself.’ But the reality is that it’s not about me beating myself up or not giving myself a break. Rather it’s that I get huge benefits out of maintaining my routines, and I am not as energetic and vital when I let things slip.

Furthermore, when I lose my routines on holidays, I spiral a bit and end up missing things that are well within my ability to schedule. For example, I’ve only meditated twice in the last week, but I’ve definitely had at least 10 if not 20 minutes each day that I could have used to meditate. Also, I’m writing this when I should already be sleeping.

So, once again I’m sharing my complaints, but neither for sympathy nor for comments about not being so hard on myself. Rather I’m sharing because outwardly discussing this, putting it ‘out there’ is a way I hold myself accountable. And so I’m just saying that I need to do better… and tomorrow I’ll make things better.

This is my way of manifesting the behaviours I want for myself. And I’ll feel better both physically and mentally.

Wipeouts and learning

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I haven’t done a lot of board sports. The last time I stood on a surfboard I was 9, and I was not very good. I didn’t skateboard and I don’t snowboard. I do ski, and I’ve been on water skis a few times, but it has been 3 years since I skied on snow and over 2 decades since I skied on water. So I didn’t expect wake surfing to come naturally to me… and it didn’t.

The one time I actually got up, I was behind the wake, and instead of taking my time to gain some confidence, I raced forward to the front of the wake, and kept going for a nice wipeout.

After about 7 or 8 attempts, I’d had enough and then a few others took turns. Then my friend Mark suggested I try again with a start off of the back of the boat… and I found success.

I had a full 3 and a half minute run, trying my best to put myself in a position where I could actually surf the wave with slack on the rope, with the wave pushing me forward. Although I couldn’t get the knack of it, I had a few near falls trying, and was able to recover and keep trying. A few things helped:

1. Good coaching. Mark was amazing. He was calm, with clear instructions, and good space between coaching to just let me try.

2. Positive cheerleading. Everyone on the boat was rooting for me, and every wipeout was met with encouragement.

3. Watching others. Seeing others both struggle and find success made the task seem like it was something I could accomplish.

4. A willingness to fail. I knew that I wasn’t coming into this with a lot of similar skills, and so a wipeout wasn’t really a failure but a learning opportunity.

But of all these, good coaching was the most critical. A good teacher is a gift.

Lifelong friends

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I’m back in Ontario and I was invited to my friend’s cottage. He specifically invited friends that I’ve known for years. Most of them I met in 1986, one of them I met back in ‘83. One I hadn’t seen in over 25 years, another one I’d last seen close to a decade ago.

Every one of the boys, in the photo I’ve shared, I’ve played water polo with. All of them have also coached. There was a lot of reminiscing today. A lot of teasing, and a lot of mutual respect and admiration.

There is something so special about lifelong friends whom you can have long breaks from and still easily connect with. The time we spend with them is priceless!

New Podcast: Joseph Truss – “The Tetraverse… It’s all about resolution!”

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After a 4 year hiatus, I’ve just published another podcast. Unfortunately, my link isn’t updating to my podcast hosting app or to Apple iTunes right now, and so the best place to listen is on my podcasting blog.

Description: 

Join me on a trip in to Haliburton, Ontario, where Joseph Truss and I discuss the building blocks of the universe. This conversation assumes the conjecture that “We Live in a Tetraverse,” (the first video in a series called, “Book of Codes”). Watch this video first, to appreciate the premise of our conversation.

A conjecture is defined as: “an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.” Joe is challenging the way Mathematicians and Physicists look at the universe today. Most perspectives put us in a three dimensional world based on three axis: X, Y, and Z. Joe says these are “necessary but not sufficient“, and that while we can do calculations based on this model of the universe, it will always require us to work with irrational numbers and rounding errors… but it’s all a question of resolution. Go deeper than the perspective of X,Y, Z and you encounter a universe built on triangles, or more specifically tetrahedrons. In a way, his premise is that working in a cube-based, X, Y, Z, universe is conjecture… it is working ‘on the basis of incomplete information.’

If we recognize that the smallest possible object in the universe (at the Planck length) is a tetrahedron and not a cube, (again see We Live in a Tetraverse to gain this insight), this doesn’t dismiss any calculations done in a cube universe, it simply allows greater resolution… and maybe eliminates the need to work with irrational numbers and rounding of decimals.

A simple metaphor for this would be moving from the imperial system of measurement to the metric system… measuring in millimetres instead of 16th’s of an inch.

Admittedly, this is a bit of a challenging conversation to follow, first because we start talking about waves as seen drawn in 2 dimensions on paper, and so the conversation is lacking some visual descriptions we discuss. Secondly because we have discussed these ideas at length previously, we are quite comfortable describing shapes and making connections that are not so easy to visualize when you haven’t had the same background conversations we’ve had. And yet, I felt the need to share this conversation, to bring to light some of the brilliant insights of Joseph Truss. One specific topic we discuss, that I haven’t seen anywhere else, is the idea that infinity is a fractal. The infinity conversation begins at 21:08 of the podcast and if you only listen to one segment, that’s the one to listen to. If you want to follow the full conversation, I’d suggest watching the video first.

 

Joe and I had walked down to a slow-moving river that adjoins his back yard. Joe, a musician as well as geometer, brought a drum with him and after playing a bit we started this conversation. I realized that this was worth recording and so I went back to to the house to get my phone. The podcast starts and ends with Joe playing the drums, and there is a drum interlude in the middle as well. So, pull up a seat next to us and enjoy this riverside conversation.

Show Notes: [Listen Now: Joseph Truss on Podcasting Pair-a-Dimes – Slower loading here than on my podcasting blog.]

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Please subscribe to Podcasting Pair-a-Dimes with iTunes, Android, Email, or get the  RSS feed. And if you like what you hear, please rate and comment on iTunes or leave a comment below.

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Opening Music: Solar Flares by Silent Partner
Drums by Joseph Truss