What fascinates you?

fuzzybuddy said:
What fascinates you?
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Most cherished, fascinating moments up at our mountain cabin;

The eerie wailed songs of the prairie wolves at dusk
wafting thru the misty pines
Sending a chill thru even this grizzled stoic

thru the woods.jpg

I so loved hearing, feeling their chorus

Hearing them would put a halt to whatever I was doing

They have a way of traveling thru the depths of every fiber of one's being
Romancing a soul


Best of times was sipping hot java on the porch, taking it all in

Miss it so
 

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Gary O' said:
Most cherished, fascinating moments up at our mountain cabin;

The eerie wailed songs of the prairie wolves at dusk
wafting thru the misty pines
Sending a chill thru even this grizzled stoic

View attachment 270666

I so loved hearing, feeling their chorus

Hearing them would put a halt to whatever I was doing

They have a way of traveling thru the depths of one's being
Romancing a soul


Best of times was sipping hot java on the porch, taking it all in

Miss it so
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Amazing!
 
Magna-Carta said:
I see the universe as a cake.

My cake analogy is based on everything within it, between any two points, expanding at a constant rate. But when you then add several 'two point' together in a line, the extremities of each end of all those points are moving away faster than any two points within that line. Due to relative velocity.

These edges of the cake therefore are moving apart faster than any two points within it. If I were then use that analogy to look at the universe. This might be why opposite edges of the universe might appear as though they are moving apart faster than the speed of light.

The speed limit of all things ‘within’ the universe being the speed of light (186282.397 miles per second). I see light as being just one thing within the universe, complying with a speed limit of everything. But the ‘universe’ being its own entirety, which might in itself, appears as if it’s breaking any speed limit rules?
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Not quite sure I follow. For me, the trick is to avoid analogies that use words like "edge." I think these kinds of issues are bumping up against the limits of coherent language. Hence, why physics needs mathematics.

Although it seems to make sense to talk about the universe as some sort of thing, it doesn't actually have most of the characteristics that we normally associate with the word "thing." That is because the universe is the thing such that there isn't anything else.

Talk about God also bumps up against the same problem. It is why in Christianity there are so many analogies used to try and explain God, while at the same time claims that God is utterly mysterious.
 

oldlongwalker said:
Not quite sure I follow. For me, the trick is to avoid analogies that use words like "edge." I think these kinds of issues are bumping up against the limits of coherent language. Hence, why physics needs mathematics.

Although it seems to make sense to talk about the universe as some sort of thing, it doesn't actually have most of the characteristics that we normally associate with the word "thing." That is because the universe is the thing such that there isn't anything else.

Talk about God also bumps up against the same problem. It is why in Christianity there are so many analogies used to try and explain God, while at the same time claims that God is utterly mysterious.
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Many things, scientific or otherwise might require an analogy to start to begin to figure things out. Other things and understandings then come from those analogies. I would never avoid analogies.

I would say that analogies are valuable tools for teaching and learning. Especially when looking at some complex thing for the first time. Then move on from the analogy
 
Magna-Carta said:
Many things, scientific or otherwise might require an analogy to start to begin to figure things out. Other things and understandings then come from those analogies. I would never avoid analogies.

I would say that analogies are valuable tools for teaching and learning. Especially when looking at some complex thing for the first time. Then move on from the analogy
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Agreed. Analogies can be very useful. Einstein was quite fond of them. Daniel Dennett, a philosopher, uses what he calls "intuition pumps."
 
Here's an example of a person fascinating me...

Scott Adams, a successful cartoonist (creator of the Dilbert cartoon), made some racist comments on his podcast. Unless he's really stupid (which he may be), he must have known that was going to cause problems. His syndicated cartoon has since been removed from news sites around the country, which is going to eliminate a lot of revenue for him.

What exactly did he gain by making racist comments? His racist fans probably like what he said, but that's about it, so he connects with some people who are probably mostly teenage boys or young men. He's a babyboomer, so that's kind of pathetic.

He lost a lot of revenue doing what he did and his fans no longer get to see his cartoons. Nobody gained by him making racist statements. That's the definition of stupidity according to Carlo M. Cipolla, author of the book The Basic Laws of Stupidity.
 
Some of the things that fascinate me are:
~People with: green eyes, curly hair, dimples and God don't let them have all three! :love:
~Music! Even as a composer myself, I marvel at how so few notes can make millions and millions of beautiful songs.
~Huge machines that produce tiny, delicate, perfectly shaped products (like Hersey's Kisses, Cheerios, etc.)
~People who have the ability to sing and play an instrument at the same time.
~Authors of novels who come up with characters and cohesive plot lines that make for good reading.
~The ocean. Love being near it...don't have take a dip in it though.
 
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How did the universe get started? What was the infinitely tiny thing, with no dimensions, that exploded? Will the universe eventually collapse back into that "singularity?" Does it happen again and again?

If not, does the universe keep growing infinitely? And what is infinity? Does it curve back on itself like a mobius strip? At least, that is something I can imagine. I can't imagine anything that just keeps growing with no limits, ever.

Also, what is actually inside a black hole?

In other words, all the scary science fiction astronomy stuff (not war with Martians).
 

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