Age

How, exactly, do we age? Why is it that our bodies begin to grow old and die? Why can't our body cells just keep reproducing and keep us young and healthy? Well, after talking with Dad, I came to find out that we have, on a certain chromosome, a set of genes that gets smaller every time the cells split, and as these bits of gene get smaller and smaller, we get older. So, is there a way to either lengthen this gene so that the aging process takes longer? Or could we perhaps come up with a way to keep those genes from splitting during cell reproduction? Either way, it's like searching for the fountain of youth. It's pretty impossible. We know for a fact that when we clone, those little aging genes inside the clone subject cell have already aged, so when the cell is cloned, the subject ages rapidly because of the already aged cell. So, if we are to clone someone, do we use a cell from a fetus? That way the clones are identical? Or do we want to clone EVEN EARLIER? Could we perhaps make 7 different, yet physically identical people? But then again, what mother would want septuplets? Another question is how do our exercise habits affect our aging? Why is it that really obese and unfit people end up dying when they are 50? Could it be that the body is having a hard time maintaining itself, or are their actions making their body cut off more and more of that gene every time the cells split? I'm probably not going to find out any time soon, seeing as I'm not a geneticist. But oh well. We'll find out eventually.

Dark Matter

Dark matter is pretty much THE most complex and difficult to understand thing that I have learned recently. Dark matter, to put it blankly, is not normal matter. There are no protons, neutrons, or electrons. It is an inferred idea because of strange gravitational pulls that have manifested themselves, but not their sources. It was hypothesized to make up for the discrepancies between measurements of the mass of galaxies, cluster galaxies, and the entire universe made through dynamical and general relativistic means, and measurements based on the mass of visible "luminous" matter that these objects contain. According to Friedmann equations,72% of the universe is dark energy, 23% of the mass-energy density of the observable universe is dark matter, and 4.6% makes up the ordinary matter. Thus, 80% of the entire observable universe is dark matter, and only 20% is normal matter. The idea of dark matter was created when a man by the name of Fritz Zwicky observed "missing mass" in the orbital velocities of galaxies in clusters. The difference of dark matter and normal matter is the fact that dark matter is not made up of atoms and such, but rather is made up of neutrinos, axions, and supersymmetrical particles. Scientists have used gravitational lensing to see that light has been bent at places where there wasn't any grouping of visible matter.  There are three kinds of dark matter. Cold, warm, and hot dark matter. Cold dark matter is particles moving at classical velocities. Warm matter is particles moving at relativistic speeds. And hot matter is particles moving at ultrarelativistic speeds. Fritz then went on to try and observe this dark matter at work. He applied the virial theorem to the Coma cluster of galaxies and obtained evidence of unseen mass. Fritz estimated the cluster's total mass based on the motions of galaxies near its edge and compared that to one based on the number of galaxies and total brightness of the cluster. He found that there was about 400 times more estimated mass than was actually visible. And this is where I'm stumped so far, because I'm still trying to figure out the equation of the shape of galaxies which is quite difficult to understand at the moment. So if you want to add anything that I left out besides the fact that dark matter is invisible because it doesn't reflect light, then go ahead and post.

The Facts of Energy

Energy, as we know it, is present in many forms. The most obvious of these forms is lightning, electricity, and static electricity, because these can be felt physically. Other forms are light, radiation, and matter. Matter is the least known of all sources of energy, because frankly, how does it have energy? Well, it's like compacting a lot of oxygen into a block of solid air. Matter is compacted energy, and when fission occurs, the energy is released in exponential forms of explosions, nuclear reactors, and other such technologies. According to E=mc2, energy and matter are interchangeable, and thus, we can use matter as a source of energy. Now, a question that we have been struggling to answer, is this. What happens to matter when it reaches the speed of light? It gains infinitesmal mass, and thus is impossible to attain. But, if we had a source of energy that was made of matter on the ship, when once we reached infinitesmal mass, we could use the infinite mass of the fuel to propell us infinitely. But we would have to burn massive ammounts of fuel just to get up to the speed of light. So if we can't do this, the what can we do with matter and energy? We could create a weapon that fires molecules at people fast enough that it punctures their body, yet only damages what's inside. Or we can use it to map out certain objects in every day life. What if we were able to discover the string theory somehow? The string theory states that there are tiny ammounts of energy vibrating inside every proton, neutron, and electron, and if these vibrating bits of energy existed, then alternate realities DO exist. But since we can't even get a clear photo of an atom, I doubt we'll be getting anything out of that for QUITE some time. But think, that would mean that wormholes could be portals between dimensions, and that black holes are just ways to go from one place to another instantly. But we wouldn't know, because we've never been able to encounter a black hole up close.

Power

What exactly is power? Power is the ability to do or act, or the capability of doing or accomplishing something. It also refers to roughly twenty other definitions ranging from political power to molecular power, but that's not the subject that I'm focusing on. Power is what enables us to do and act by our own choices. And if I may quote someone,"Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But it's absolutely awesome." -Despair.inc. This is a true statement. Power does corrupt. When one has power GIVEN to them that is. However, when one works hard and goes through trial and error to get this power, depending on their circumstances, they may: first, be bad when they search for power and end up using it wrongly anyway. Second, they seek it with good intent, yet make bad choices to get it and thus become corrupt. Third and rarest of all, they don't seek for power, but through good choices and good example are handed the power by those who want them to have it. The third person is who all of our greatest leaders were or aspired to be. George Washington lead with example on the battlefield, executed wise and cool headed orders, and was elected into office against his wishes. Abraham Lincoln sided on the values that were deemed right and made complementary choices in order to bring those values into fruition. He then was hated by the Confederate states because of the fact that they all thought of slaves as animals that were property, yet he saw them as human beings that wanted their freedom and rights. Ronald Reagan led with the awareness of the American peoples' needs. He lowered taxes, gave wise words of advice, even if those words were taken from scripts that he had used in films that he starred in at Hollywood. These men used their heads and made the right choices, not for themselves, but for the benefit of others, and thus are known as the best leaders of our country. Others, however, have used their power irrationally and have payed for it dearly. Hitler used his power to enslave the countries of Europe using brute force to get them to surrender. He used his power and made the choice to get rid of the people that he hated by imprisoning and killing them in the most brutal of ways. Gas chambers, firing squads, torture, furnaces, etc. He was then opposed by those who desire freedom for everyone and was defeated. This is why we desire the ability to act like those in movies that have superpowers or have extreme skills that put them in extreme circumstances that make them loved and admired by those innocent bystanders that the superhero is trying to protect. But, because of the natural way of mankind, none of us would survive long with powers such as these. We would become corrupt and would seek to use them for our own purposes. That is why we must temper ourselves to become rational enough and wise enough to use any power correctly that we are given. Otherwise, we will destroy ourselves with that power if we use it incorrectly.

Modifications

I have applied a few modifications on my blog so that everyone can post again. Apparently, the template that I was using was preventing you all from doing this. Sorry for the inconvenience! And now, I will post something of philosophical nature. What is the ability to see? It is the comprehension of our environments through visual learning. But, how is it that when someone is blind, they see darkness? Why is it that when someone is deaf, they can still sense that they are hearing nothing? How is this? How is it that we have these senses, but not others? Perhaps we cannot know the full extent of our senses because we don't know the absence thereof. Even those who are born with these absences of ability are able to sense that there is something missing with their body. Is this knowledge embedded in our minds? Or is it our observances of our surroundings? These are things that only God can answer.

Deception

Human beings were born into the world, having many traits with which to ensure their own survival. Deception was infused into the human personality, for the sole purpose of protecting one's self against dejection or rejection of the village. What is this cursed thing, this thing that causes pain to all who use it, and to those that it is directed towards? By definition, deception is the same as its definition. Confusing, isn't it? It puts forth the interesting question of how do we tell deception from truth? We can usually tell by the past character observations of the person talking. If they have deceived in the past, they are probably still doing it. If a person is morally trustworthy, people expect him/her to be truthful and honest. Another way we can tell is by certain and minute details that speak of truth or lie. If something is described thoroughly, most of the time it is a truthful statement. However, if it seems rushed and blends together badly, there is most likely falsehood. But, there are those that are professionals in lying and tricking. And these are the people that we must look out for the most. But, these people are easily distinguished between themselves and honorable people. Those who are trustworthy are hardworking, long suffering, positive, and are good examples of Christ. Those who are master deceivers can be singled out because of their dirty dealings, their dark personality, the bad feeling they bring, and the uncertainty that you feel when around them. We can protect ourselves from these people with practice. But, how do we protect ourselves from ourselves? How can we distinguish what is truth and lie inside our minds when they feud with each other, yet both make reasonable arguments in your head? The deception of yourself lies within your own pretenses and can only be decided by you. But make sure you think everything through, try to notice the details that will make it a false idea, test it against your own experience, and if you don't have any experience in that field, go to someone who does. I made a grave error of judgment and thought that life had stabbed me in the back with a rusty knife. Little did I know that it was me who was doing the stabbing. Imagine my surprise when I realized this. All that despair and sadness was for naught? D'oh! And this is where I am, kicking myself and laughing at how quick I was to judge, and how that ended up being a source of great pain for myself.

Emptiness

When somebody asks, is the glass half full or half empty, you automatically think, "I'm an optimist, so it's half full." But in reality, the glass isn't half full nor half empty. It's actually full of water and air. So long as one is present, the other is present in the same amount in volume. But, when the glass is taken away, then it's just scattered water on the floor and air that has diffused into the air within the room. Thus the water and the air must exist separately because there is nothing to hold them together. Eventually, though, the water will evaporate and will diffuse into the air. However, it will never reunite with those exact air molecules, no matter what kind of environmental miracles occur. In this sense, many things need other things in order to survive properly without grief. Humans need clean water to survive without grief, because with dirty water, humans still survive, but with many diseases that are transfered among those who drank that water. Humans need shelter to survive without grief, because we could survive without shelter, but we would be subject to all of the elements. Humans also can survive without well cooked food, but it would be tedious. Love, hate, pain, comfort, sight, blindness, sleep, insomnia, fruition, and emptiness. These are but a few of the things we live with, some very pleasureable and joyful, others, painful and greivous. The impossibility of the water and air reuniting fully is guaranteed because somebody decided to take the glass away. And now, that bond will never be recreated fully. And this, my fellow people, is what has happened to me, because of me being naive, reckless, and impatient. And now, the glass has been taken from me, and I can never fully reunite with the other element that was inside the glass.

The Death of Evolution

One controversy that is going around in the world of science is the Theory of Evolution. It was conceived by Charles Darwin that we humans are evolved from moneys, seeing as they are our closest animal relatives. Maybe, but how can we prove it? There are those who believe that the first life on Earth began when some lightning struck a mass of chemicals at the exact time when conditions were right for life, and that started the first microorganisms. That guy obviously missed out on his High School biology class. In my biology class, we have discussed the term "spontaneous generation" which is when something non-living spawns something living. This was proven by Louis Pasteur to be a false pretense. It was PROVEN. How could something living have come from something non-living? Then, on another issue, the complexity of the human genome and the genomes of all of the other species is WAY too diverse to be in any way related. How could evolution have occurred when a disease called Tay Sachs is caused by the misplacement of one base on the ENTIRE DNA strand? One base out of billions can cause death before age 5. So how could the DNA of a monkey have mutated safely enough to give the offspring the intelligence of a human? Everything is supervised, is how. We control nothing of the human genome and the effects that it has on us. We are learning, but it will take several decades before we understand the genome. This all speaks of a Creator. One Supreme being that supervises and oversees everything in the universe. Otherwise, we would all have never existed in the first place. You can't get bacteria out of a place where bacteria didn't already exist. You can't get humans from monkeys because of the complexities of the human genome and the severe effects that it has when even one base out of billions is messed up. God exists. There are too many things that would have gone wrong had there not been a god. He watches you. He loves you. And He's the whole reason that we are here today.

Undeniability of God

Many people disbelieve there is a god because they say there is no proof. Well, I have to strongly disagree with you. You say there is no proof, yet how is it that atoms came together to make molecules? And then how did those molecules join with others to make particles? If it were a random sort of thing, there would be millions of elements and molecules that all had their distinctive differences. Now, on to the subject of life. How is it, may I ask, that these assorted molecules were able to come together to make a being that had enough intelligence to move, to eat, to drink, to sleep? Trees, an assortment of cells that are made up of millions of atoms. These cells are encoded with DNA which is a combination of 4 molecules over and over to give the tree its characheristics. How is it that these molecules don't interchange very often? How do they keep their pattern, when this pattern has over 600 billion parts to it? And you would think that proteins, complicated as they are, would also have an ifinite number of equations and combinations. But where is the proof of this? There are too many things that are believed to be part of a code that goes through reality. But how did this code get here? Too many explanations for too many problems lead to many more unsolvable problems that can only be solved by inserting the human religion equation. There HAS to be a controlling hand, an omnipotent being that controls even the smallest things in life. Gravity, lightspeed, electromagnetic tracing, telescopic effects, weather, natural disasters, and many more things scream that there has to be a God, otherwise, none of this would work. This universe and its laws are to complex to have just "happened". The fact that life even exists is proof of God. He's there. He's watching. And no matter what you say, He will never go away.

Gravitation

What in the world is gravitation? The definition of gravitation is a natural phenomenon in which two objects with mass attract each other. But what is gravity, to be exact? Nobody really actually knows for sure, because we don't exactly know what gravity is, or how it is generated. Electromagnetism is much stronger than gravity, but it can be measured and can be traced. We can find the electromagnetic source by tracking the field around that which is producing the field. But gravity, that is something that is only measured by the effect it has on matter. We can't really gauge how the congregation of matter creates gravitational pulls and fields. Einstein suggested that gravity is something's effect on time-space. He spoke of a three dimensional grid going through all of space, and when something has a lot of matter, it acts like a bowling ball on a suspended and stretched out blanket. The ball creates a bowl-like shape, and anything that gets sucked into the bowl is sent towards the ball. This is the same, only it occurs on all three dimensional planes, which is hard to comprehend. Einstein also said,"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love." And he's right, according to the equation used to find out how much gravitational pull two objects have on each other. According to this equation, the pull between two humans is almost nothing. But, gravitation is mostly applied in physics, like with satellites orbiting the planet. In reality, the satellites are falling fast enough to miss the earth, and thus are kept in orbit. This explains the weightless sensation in space, because we are basically falling endlessly.

Curiosity

Is curiosity really the thing that killed the cat? Or was it what it found that ended up killing it? Maybe it was something that was undeniably captivating, yet ended up killing or hurting it so much it wanted to die. Love is one of the things that when encountered, can either make you feel as though you are on top of the world, or it will send you to the depths of despair. This is something, that when discovered, is good. But, beware of the things that kill, both spiritually and physically. Pornography is something, that once discovered, can become one of the most addictive things on the planet. This kills you spiritually and will probably keep you from going to the temple if you let it progress from there. Drugs are a physical addiction that kills you slowly by making you want more and more until it kills you. As you can see, there are a lot of addicting things out there, one of which is food. Many people eat food when they are nervous, discouraged, or tense, and end up gaining exponential amounts of weight over short periods of time. And so, I bring this subject to a close.

The Unknown

One of the most intense fears that all human beings share is the fear of the unknown. Standing on a diving board at a pool at night, you can't tell if there's water or not, so naturally, you don't jump because, first, it would be freaky if there was water, and second, if there wasn't water, you'd be pretty banged up. And so there is the unquenchable need to learn, to be curious, to wonder about that which cannot be known, and sadly, our need to know will never be satiated. As long as we don't have the ability to understand something as small, yet complex as a protein that could heal someone of cancer, or something as large, yet so distant, as another galaxy, we won't be able to comprehend everything. One thing that would be very useful in the long run would be if we could create a protein that elongated the life of the cell by 5 years. This way, we could live for much longer periods of time, have more children in that time, like Adam and Eve, and travel to extremely far away places by using another protein to stop all monetary progress of the cell, and thus put the entire body in stasis for very long flights or travels. Then again, this is only theoretical, and therefore is a matter for God to handle. But anyways, we live our lives based on fact, even if that fact is hard to accept, such as death. And there are those who live their lives in deceit, making a living off of it in fact, like politicians or bureaucrats. These facts are what give us order and peace to live on, whereas, lies and deceit leave a place for the unknown, and therefore, are unstable.

School, the necessary, yet hated, educational program.

Well, here I am at school.........updating my blog. It's a weird sensation, knowing that I can update my blog, but I can't check facebook or youtube. It seems that those things are too stimulating for school-going teenagers, and so must be banned. School is regarded by many to be very boring, tedious, and stressful all at the same time. And who wouldn't? Some assignments are given out of a bad mood that the teacher is in. Others are given because there are goof-offs that won't shut up and thus the whole class gets an unplanned assignment. School is something that we students are legally obliged to attend, and if we don't, we can be prosecuted in the court of law. It's ironic that a thing so controlled by the law is so easily changed by a teacher who decides they can give any kind of assignment to the students. College, on the other hand, is people teaching others what they know with only a few tests to see what they have learned. This method of teaching is concrete, and cannot be changed because it is a person teaching what he or she knows to a bunch of college students. And to go along with it, we don't have to attend because they don't really care if we attend or not, because we're paying the money. The irony is in the difference in education. Maleable, yet enforced by law, or concrete, yet is meant for you to attend when you want to.

The first day of nothing!

Everything, when discussed philosophically, amounts to just about zero. Take happiness for instance. Happiness is a hormone that triggers when we see something familiar, humorous, or joyful and it uplifts our mood. Happiness is triggered by how we react to things, based on how well we know ourselves. When an oil well erupts, thousands of environmentalists go crazy about how this will affect the environment. Others will look at it as a way to get sweet mula. As you can see, the perspective of things especially effects our views and emotions about life and its events. Goodness and evil are also things that we have categorized and labeled from emotions and perspective. Goodness is an applicable thing that goes along with that which does nobody harm or pain. Pain is that which helps our bodies to know what will harm it, and what will not. Goodness is that which does not inflict pain or negative emotions. Evil is that which is easily comparable to being animal or savage. Take the Indians for example. They took a dead man's scalp for a trophy to show their strength and to boost their honorable status in the tribe. To those whose relative lost their scalp, it is an act of savage and horrible actions that make them see the Indians as harmful and evil savages. And so, evil and goodness are things that are not to be trifled nor changed, seeing as the leaders of our nation are changing the Constitution which holds the values and beliefs of every American, and they are breaking it. To everyone his own, to choose what he may be, but it is not for others to criticize that which another believes. If they know that what the other believes is wrong, such as murder, then it is their responsibility to befriend them, to nurture them, and to help them see the error of their ways, not shove values and beliefs down their throats. Do what must be done to bring peace and joy to those around them. This is an idea that all can apply and respect.