“The idea is not to live forever; it is to create something that will.”
Living Forever
Virtual Coronation
The Coronation of Charles III was a world wide hit for the UK and the royal family. I thought why don’t they do a reenactment every five years or so to attract more tourists? And perhaps they could do more Medieval rituals using the British Armed Services but it would be a struggle to overcome the bureaucratic objections. Then I had a private enterprise idea that is a surefire money maker and is very doable.
I propose that someone use the footage from the coronation of Charles III and the technology from Immersive Van Gogh to make an Immersive Coronation Experience in London. If you have been to the Immersive Van Gogh you will understand how wonderful it could be to be in Westminster Abbey during the coronation and then to be in the front row for the parade back to Buckingham Palace.
Larry B, Matt B and James A.
Aging Out
TLDR
Washington DC
“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”
William Shakespeare
This old postcard arrived from Columbus Ohio and since we are going to be in Washington DC I’m hoping to Folger Shakesperian Library and retake the image. We shall see. It appears that the library is closed but we should be able to get near it.
Droning about Drones
Last week I had the brilliant idea to uses drones to wash windows in high rise buildings. The idea came to me because we live in a high rise building and washing the outside windows is complicated and dangerous. Men on platforms with ropes and pulleys maneuver to get to the windows. At the same time the news is full of “drones at war” stories. I made the connection and got excited until I searched Google and found out that there are lots of companies offering drone window washing and that you can buy a complete system for under $50,000 including training.
The best word I found for the same idea occurring to multiple people at the same time is synchronicity.
Placebos
My Brother Tom sent me a link to an Australian web site that purports to sell placebos.
http://www.placebo.com.au/
What a great business idea but not what we are talking about today.
The discussion of the Placebo Effect on the web site got us thinking about other placebos. The ones that aren’t pills but that make us feel better without any measurable or scientific reason.
One of them is beauty. We feel better, happier or more joyful in the presence of beautiful things.
Another thing that gives a placebo effect is feeling like we are helping. So actions like “Raising Awareness” are a placebo for actually doing something.
Which raises the final question: Is god just another placebo that for some people makes life worth living?
The Three Rules of Conversation
The three rules of conversation:
Is it kind,
Is it true,
Is it necessary.
Thanks to Steve Gerst for this very useful set of rules. He and I agree that rule #3 is most difficult.
Photo is an Inukshuk with a quartz head near the base of Piestewa Peak .
Math
Which do you think costs more per pound a commercial airplane or a smart phone. Take a guess before you scroll down.
To figure this out roughly you have to know how much each of them weighs and how much they cost.
A smart phone weighs about a half a pound and costs about $800
A Boeing 737 weighs about 90,000 pounds costs about 100 million dollars
So doing the Math a smart phone costs about $1,600 per pound and a 737 costs about $1,100 per pound.
I know there are lots of variables in the prices, discounts and weights but by my rough calculations smart phones by weight are more expensive than modern commercial jet planes.
If you don’t agree you can show me how I’m wrong in the comments.
Election Day Should be a Day
There are a couple of reasons I think that early voting is a bad idea. If during the Civil War when Lincoln was running for re-election there had been early voting people would have voted before the victory at Atlanta and McClellan might have won the Presidency. So my first objection is that we should all be voting at the same time so we all have access to the same information.
My second objection is that everyone voting together is one of the tiny and fragile acts that makes us feel united as a people. Election day should be a day. Doing it together is an important part of that experience.
Now of course there have to be exceptions for the infirm, the aged and those who are traveling but on the whole election day should be a day. Not five weeks like in some states.
For instance what if a hostile nation attack one of our allies with nuclear weapons just a few days before an election. The thirty or forty million people who had already voted would not be able to put that data into their choice.
I am in favor of electronic voting as it becomes feasible and safe. I generally oppose initiatives but these are both subjects for another post.
The photo is the Space X launch from Vandenburg AFB last Thursday.