Understanding life through General senses
A few years ago, my family got me a digital microscope for my birthday. The samples that come with the package include slices of onion skin, a horse fly leg, cotton and a wood stem. It’s fascinating to see cells form into patterns and designs on a microscopic level through artistic eyes, when the reality is what we see is years of evolution, construction and the random complexity of life. There is so much to see and I can’t wait to look into more fun stuff. Any recommendations?
What an amazing event! Intriguing stories, great thinkers and most of all, a very entertaining gathering of some of the best in their field. I truly recommend watching both parts of the symposium, as part 2 has the questions and answers portion, with some extra enthusiasm with Neil deGrasse Tyson’s participation.
Sometimes it is okay to admit that you don’t know the answers to some of the major questions about life; where do we come from and what are we doing here? If you claim to have the answers, then it is your duty to present proof, not the skeptic. “When someone makes a factual claim, the obligation lies with them to support their claim, it is not the obligation of the skeptic to prove the claim false.” Absolute certainty comes with the burden of proof. Doubt, skepticism and questioning are tools to search for the truth and not the truth itself.
Quantum mechanics is a bizarre topic in science, and the many scientists who specialize in this field usually say the same thing about it. Richard Feynman once said” I think I can safely say nobody understands quantum mechanics.” Niel Bohr, who was the father of quantum physics, chimed in and said ” If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked you, you haven’t understood it yet.” In his speech, Jim Al-Khalili describes how European Robins (the birds) migrate in a direction that might link the way they navigate to the earth’s magnetic fields on a quantum level. Complicated but very thrilling, alluding to understanding biology, chemistry and physics in quantum level. Imagine if he is right! This will shed light on many important fields in the future such as quantum computers, medicine and the origins of the universe. Experiments and tests are still being conducted in this field since it first started in the 1920′s and I think in order to understand quantum mechanics, we have to use our imaginations because in the quantum world some major principles do not necessarily apply. Enjoy!
Some topics in science, like quantum mechanics and evolution, are overwhelmingly confusing. I feel the majority of people do not take the time to understand science because of this particular reason. People confuse this confusion between sadness and frustration when instead it should be excitement and adventure. Richard Dawkins explains ” We evolved to avoid tigers in the wild, we didn’t evolve to do quantum physics.” Physics is a very exciting topic to me. I am awestruck with its principles, always a humbling experience and it is a very powerful tool to understanding the world around us. I think Lawrence Krauss is an excellent teacher of modern science. I recommend taking the time out of your busy schedule to understand this little bit of science. Enjoy!
Back in 2005, a few months after it was announced that women can both vote and run in elections, Taibah took the chance to run in her district in the up coming elections in 2006. Her platform was the separation of state and religion to the shock of many people at the time. Brushed aside and discredited for her views during the elections, what Ms. Al-Ibrahim achieved in her stance was opening the door for some of the tolerance of differing views we have today. Even though she knew she would not win, she knew that her message had been heard. She is one of my idols, one of the few Kuwaiti females with fearless courage to express her views openly, relentlessly and without censor. In my opinion, she is the female version of Christopher Hitchens, but in a much milder manner. I wish I had the chance to get to know her more before she passed away in 2011. This is the only picture I took of her during the election campaign and the internet has no images at all.
عندما حصلت المرأة الكويتية على حقوقها في التصويت والانتخاب في عام 2005، اختارت طيبة الإبراهيم الترشّح في أول انتخابات تشريعية للمرأة بحماس انعكس على رسالتها التي حملت شعار فصل الدين عن الدولة والتي كانت بمثابة الصدمة للمجتمع آنذاك. ورغم كل ردود الفعل السلبية التي أثارتها الحملة، لم تكترث طيبة بل استمرت بنفس الجرأة بما يشير أنها لم تنوي الفوز بمقعد المجلس بقدر رغبتها بكسر الاحتكار الثقافي للتيارات الدينية. تفوقت طيبة بشجاعتها ووعيها على مجتمع لا زال يعالج مشاكل اليوم بحلول الأمس. في رأيي، طيبة الإبراهيم قد تكون المثال الكويتي الأقرب لكريستوفر هيتشنز، وإن كان الاختلاف في النمط والطابع موجود. لم تسنح لي الفرصة للتعرف عليها قبل أن ترحل بكل هدوء عن عالمنا الذي هو بأمس الحاجة لمن هو في طرازها
حاولت أن أجد لها صورة مناسبة من أرشيف الإنترنت دون جدوى، لذا أرفق هنا الصورة الوحيدة لدي والتي أخذتها أثناء حملتها الانتخابية في عام ٢٠٠٦
Jacque Fresco is an inspirational man. He is very well spoken, and his words and ideas are very clear. To me, he is the definition of a natural leader, and how I wish every politician or person with power shares views like those of Mr. Fresco. The world would be a better place. “I believe they [people] can change quickly if the information is presented to them clearly.” I recommend watching this interview, especially if you are pursuing architecture and engineering or have an interest in these fields. For more information on Fresco’s designs click here.
THE GENERALIST 