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Author Topic:   Significant Anniverary
AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


(7)
Message 1 of 11 (869132)
12-24-2019 12:27 AM


December 23, 1947, John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley demonstrated the first operational transistor.
The world experienced arguably the most significant event in modern human history.
Lance Geiger, the History Guy on YouTube, did a nice remembrance.

Eschew obfuscation. Habituate elucidation.

  
AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


(3)
Message 2 of 11 (871867)
02-13-2020 11:57 PM


Pale Blue Dot
30 years ago, February 14, 1990, Voyager 1 turned its camera back along its path and captured this image.
Edited by AZPaul3, : better video
Edited by AZPaul3, : embedded

Eschew obfuscation. Habituate elucidation.

Replies to this message:
 Message 3 by Tangle, posted 02-14-2020 2:29 AM AZPaul3 has replied
 Message 5 by Phat, posted 03-15-2020 3:16 PM AZPaul3 has seen this message but not replied

  
Tangle
Member
Posts: 9489
From: UK
Joined: 10-07-2011
Member Rating: 4.9


(1)
Message 3 of 11 (871871)
02-14-2020 2:29 AM
Reply to: Message 2 by AZPaul3
02-13-2020 11:57 PM


Re: Pale Blue Dot
Bloody hell, that camera had one heck of a lens on it...

Je suis Charlie. Je suis Ahmed. Je suis Juif. Je suis Parisien. I am Mancunian. I am Brum. I am London.I am Finland. Soy Barcelona
"Life, don't talk to me about life" - Marvin the Paranoid Android
"Science adjusts it's views based on what's observed.
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved."
- Tim Minchin, in his beat poem, Storm.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 2 by AZPaul3, posted 02-13-2020 11:57 PM AZPaul3 has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 4 by AZPaul3, posted 02-14-2020 4:25 AM Tangle has not replied

  
AZPaul3
Member
Posts: 8513
From: Phoenix
Joined: 11-06-2006
Member Rating: 5.3


(1)
Message 4 of 11 (871874)
02-14-2020 4:25 AM
Reply to: Message 3 by Tangle
02-14-2020 2:29 AM


Re: Pale Blue Dot
Getting Carl to sit still for the 5 1/2 hours it took to snap the photo from that distance was a bit of a challenge. That's why he's not in sharper focus. Still, not bad for a 1970's technology.

Eschew obfuscation. Habituate elucidation.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by Tangle, posted 02-14-2020 2:29 AM Tangle has not replied

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 18262
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 5 of 11 (873431)
03-15-2020 3:16 PM
Reply to: Message 2 by AZPaul3
02-13-2020 11:57 PM


Re: Pale Blue Dot
That speech was transformative. Here it is again, for reference:
quote:
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.
-- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994

As a believer, I imagine that if Jesus, among our many"supreme leaders, confidant ideologies and religions the unique cosmic visitor---actually was (and is) here, we are still left to deal with the fact that every apologist, every reformer, every Biblical teacher that ever lived lived out their lives here--- and so will we. Covid-19 underscores the necessity of global human cooperation, and yet I fear that as competition for resources increases and quality of life becomes challenging for each nation, we may well have yet one more attempt at securing our spot...to our eventual demise.
Which all boils down to one or both extremes:
  • Either Jesus is and was our only hope to get it together
  • or we ourselves are our only hope to survive
  • or perhaps a combination of these two realities. There is no fantasy option.
    Edited by Phat, : No reason given.

    The only way I know to drive out evil from the country is by the constructive method of filling it with good.Calvin Coolidge
    "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." ~Mark Twain "
    As the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, so the denial of God is the height of foolishness.-RC Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith

    - You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.
    Anne Lamott
    Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.~Andre Gide

  • This message is a reply to:
     Message 2 by AZPaul3, posted 02-13-2020 11:57 PM AZPaul3 has seen this message but not replied

    Replies to this message:
     Message 6 by Tangle, posted 03-15-2020 3:24 PM Phat has not replied

      
    Tangle
    Member
    Posts: 9489
    From: UK
    Joined: 10-07-2011
    Member Rating: 4.9


    Message 6 of 11 (873436)
    03-15-2020 3:24 PM
    Reply to: Message 5 by Phat
    03-15-2020 3:16 PM


    Re: Pale Blue Dot
    Phat writes:
    There is no fantasy option.
    The fantasy option is that there's some skydaddy going to help out with stuff here.
    (Especially as if there is a skydaddy, he put the bloody disease here to start with).
    Edited by Tangle, : No reason given.

    Je suis Charlie. Je suis Ahmed. Je suis Juif. Je suis Parisien. I am Mancunian. I am Brum. I am London.I am Finland. Soy Barcelona
    "Life, don't talk to me about life" - Marvin the Paranoid Android
    "Science adjusts it's views based on what's observed.
    Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved."
    - Tim Minchin, in his beat poem, Storm.

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 5 by Phat, posted 03-15-2020 3:16 PM Phat has not replied

    Replies to this message:
     Message 7 by Faith, posted 03-15-2020 3:30 PM Tangle has replied

      
    Faith 
    Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
    Posts: 35298
    From: Nevada, USA
    Joined: 10-06-2001


    Message 7 of 11 (873439)
    03-15-2020 3:30 PM
    Reply to: Message 6 by Tangle
    03-15-2020 3:24 PM


    Re: Pale Blue Dot
    You do have a very interesting way of confusing me with Phat. What you attribute to me is something Phat said.
    However perhaps I'll add here that when I first heard Carl Sagan's immortal words about how the universe is all there is and all there ever will be I wrote him off as an arrogant imbecile.

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 6 by Tangle, posted 03-15-2020 3:24 PM Tangle has replied

    Replies to this message:
     Message 8 by Hyroglyphx, posted 03-15-2020 4:27 PM Faith has replied
     Message 9 by Tangle, posted 03-15-2020 5:06 PM Faith has not replied
     Message 10 by ringo, posted 03-16-2020 12:21 PM Faith has not replied

      
    Hyroglyphx
    Inactive Member


    (1)
    Message 8 of 11 (873446)
    03-15-2020 4:27 PM
    Reply to: Message 7 by Faith
    03-15-2020 3:30 PM


    Re: Pale Blue Dot
    Carl Sagan's immortal words about how the universe is all there is and all there ever will be I wrote him off as an arrogant imbecile.
    If that was your take-away from his message then perhaps you are the arrogant imbecile. He is reminding us about perspective and that by reevaluating our imagined significance that we might learn something about humility and simply live in awe about the majesty of the universe. You could just as easily attribute it to the majesty of God, Faith, if that suits your fancy. I have watched this video many times over the years and still to this day get emotional over it almost every time I watch it. The point is that all of our enmity and strife is so often self-induced... and perhaps if we were able to see our place in this world from a more humbled perspective that we might have a more harmonious coexistence.

    "Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it" -- Thomas Paine

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 7 by Faith, posted 03-15-2020 3:30 PM Faith has replied

    Replies to this message:
     Message 11 by Faith, posted 03-16-2020 12:29 PM Hyroglyphx has not replied

      
    Tangle
    Member
    Posts: 9489
    From: UK
    Joined: 10-07-2011
    Member Rating: 4.9


    (1)
    Message 9 of 11 (873448)
    03-15-2020 5:06 PM
    Reply to: Message 7 by Faith
    03-15-2020 3:30 PM


    Re: Pale Blue Dot
    quote:
    However perhaps I'll add here that when I first heard Carl Sagan's immortal words about how the universe is all there is and all there ever will be I wrote him off as an arrogant imbecile.
      —Faith
    Of course you did.

    Je suis Charlie. Je suis Ahmed. Je suis Juif. Je suis Parisien. I am Mancunian. I am Brum. I am London.I am Finland. Soy Barcelona
    "Life, don't talk to me about life" - Marvin the Paranoid Android
    "Science adjusts it's views based on what's observed.
    Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved."
    - Tim Minchin, in his beat poem, Storm.

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 7 by Faith, posted 03-15-2020 3:30 PM Faith has not replied

      
    ringo
    Member (Idle past 411 days)
    Posts: 20940
    From: frozen wasteland
    Joined: 03-23-2005


    (1)
    Message 10 of 11 (873507)
    03-16-2020 12:21 PM
    Reply to: Message 7 by Faith
    03-15-2020 3:30 PM


    Re: Pale Blue Dot
    Faith writes:
    You do have a very interesting way of confusing me with Phat. What you attribute to me is something Phat said.
    It's easily done. Phat is becoming you. You can sleep easy knowing that your stand-in is waiting in the wings.

    "I'm Fallen and I can't get up!"

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 7 by Faith, posted 03-15-2020 3:30 PM Faith has not replied

      
    Faith 
    Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
    Posts: 35298
    From: Nevada, USA
    Joined: 10-06-2001


    Message 11 of 11 (873511)
    03-16-2020 12:29 PM
    Reply to: Message 8 by Hyroglyphx
    03-15-2020 4:27 PM


    Re: Pale Blue Dot
    I haven't seen the video but I don't get all choked up over anything to do with the earth or the universe. It's huge but hugeness doesn't inspire humility. God does however.
    ABE: Well I sort of have to take that back a little, because lately I've been wondering how on earth anyone who is adapted to this physical world can possibly adapt to the spiritual world we are to inherit. I've been pretty depressed lately and was thinking what would stop me from being depressed in heaven which is going to be so foreign to us. I guess I just have to leave all that to God.
    AbE Second thought. The next stage is to be the Millennium which will be played out on this planet. Perhaps I should think of that as God's kind provision to help us adapt to our changed circumstances. Raptured believers will be in our new glorified bodies which are going to be hard enough to adapt to.
    Nevertheless I look on this planet as a wreckage left over from the Flood, and the human world is so shot through with sin due to our fallenness my attachment to it is more from habit than love any more. But maybe the Millennium will transition me.
    Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
    Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
    Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
    Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

    This message is a reply to:
     Message 8 by Hyroglyphx, posted 03-15-2020 4:27 PM Hyroglyphx has not replied

      
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