My last blast for 2011 TIME IN A BOTTLE

I have had a very profound realization in the past couple days. Not to take anything away from the spirit of the holidays, but in consideration of some larger associated issues I arrived at a startling discovery about the James WEBB telescope that I have previously written about. I have written about the startling impact of the discoveries of the Kepler in the last few months of the year. How these should be much more seriously considered issues among the masses and the press, but they are almost completely overlooked or 'fringe' in the current cultural lexiconography.

I will briefly review my previous points here.;

The hubble telescope was a huge leap for telescope technology. Finally we had escaped the confines of the atmosphere and its damned distortions of 'pure' imagery. We could see light, traveling almost completely through the vacuum of space for millions and million of miles on journeys consisting of hundreds and thousands of years. Our ability to observe phenomena in space has taken us almost to looking back into the origins of the universe as if we were peering backward through time itself with every increase of clarity and projection resoultion technology. Even though this was astounding in its own right, there were still limitations with focal distance. For example, though hubble could observe large and distant massive bodies of light in the darkness of space, it could not, very well, pinpoint any planetary systems. And so scientists had begun to develop our present telescope the Kepler. Hubble went on spotting stars and checking them for compatability with our theories of planetary systems evolution, but it had to leave any definite discoveries for Kepler, which would take this data about the stars with the highest likelihood of planetary development - and examine them.

In video games from KOTOR to Mass Effect (and farther into the past) planetary systems navigation has been a regular feature of space-fiction videogames. Also in television like star trek, a system of planets is quite readily presented in a believeable and realistic way. It seems very old hat for the members of any USS Enterprise to visit a strange new world. Especially in TNG timeline. Regardless, I only bring this up because it seems that just as cellular communications, touch screen computers and plasma energy - we may be about to turn another science fiction notion into science fact.

See, right now these discoveries seem remote to us because we have no way to derive any immediate impact/benefit from it. Okay, so there are planets around stars, we already knew that didn't we ? In fact no. We had speculated and postulated and Sagan had even simulated how and where other planets might exist, but even concrete visual data escaped our actual grasp. Though the common person takes it for granted that planets exist in vast number in deep space, it is almost an irrelevancy because we lack the technology or drive as a society to make any use of such an assumption. We squabble and fight to keep our resources limited and the disparity of wealth high, but in actuality, there is an almost INFINITE supply of every material in the universe if we just figure out where exactly its located and how to get our hands on it.

Well, now, we are just a few steps away from solving the first part of that dilemma. We have found some places. Real worlds, in areas of solar systems similar to Earth, so that if the formation of intelligent humanoid life has anything to do with the conditions on our planet, it may now be more reasonable to also inferr that such an event may have come to pass elsewhere as well.

Now I want to reach out into the edge of human thought for a moment. The theories you are about to hear are based on analysis of technology that does not yet exist. The James Webb telescope should allow us to map planets surfaces that are light years away as clearly as we see our own world on google earth today. Indeed I hope to see a 'GOOGLE KEPLER20F' program very soon (nudge nudge google). What this means is that within 5 - 10 years we may discover a planet with cities. The first images of another world filled with another dominant intelligent species may be viewed within our lifetime. IMAGINE !

Again, there seems to be a sort of public apathy about it all because of sci-fi characterization of aliens. The younger generation, because of the science they grow up in and the fiction of their time - have much less difficulty with the notion that intelligent life probably exists elsewhere in the cosmos. But for people even nearing 100 years old, this is as astounding as a super sonic jet flight (though perhaps because of the rapid pace of development in their lifetimes they are also highly apathetic). So we see that as a species and as a function of technology we are moving ever cloer to these realities. But what will it mean?

Well, the one thing I have come to realise is that it will mean the creation of time portals will become a reality also. Let me tell you what I mean because I know right now you're probably crooking your brow thinking this is some crackpot nonsense... but I am really not the sort, I assure you ;p

This is what I mean. When the james webb comes online it will enable us to make detailed examinations of the surface of other worlds on par with google earth. The seeming problem with this operation is in fact its great gift to our species; the problem is that Kepler is 600 years away, so what is the benefit, really ? Well for us, beyond a sort of scientific novelty, there seems to be little to gain. But what if you were a Keplerian ? Suddenly, as of say 2015, these people on Earth have an ongoing and accurate window into conditions on the planet Kepler20f some 600 years ago. Now think about what that means. That means for us, that if another species is in the same position as us, and if they have reached this sort of technology before or relative to us, then an exchange with this species would provide us with FACTUAL records of our own origins. Think, if we can see whats happening on kepler 600 years ago, then some planet 2015 light years out from us, could in theory be watching the life of Jesus unfold (or not) right now ! We could witness detailed recordings of ancient historical events. The construction of the pyramids, what has happened to all those craft lost in the bermuda triangle, who shot kennedy ?.... everything ! In a sort of eery bible prophecy way it seems that indeed, ALL will be revealed. I just hope whoever is slated to 'judge' us takes us in context of all possibility and that we havn't been doing as bad a job as we are all generally told.


Either way though, our whole history back to the truth of adam and eve or the missing link can be explored through societal exchange with other worlds ! And we would be developing the ability to provide certain unique perspectives as well for others ! Truly a valuable goal, to have an interplanetary data exchange network like this which effectively allows viewing of any world at any time, from any angle.... now THAT's a database project, cataloguing the peoples, histories and worlds of the galaxy ! IMAGINE; The MSNBC/GE Berkshire McGoogle Galaxy app from the planet Earth ? Imagine even postulating such a notion 100 years ago, they probably would have experimented on your brain in a public forum to try and eliminate this deviation from normalcy.

I suppose people who have things to hide will not be pleased about this technological and diplomatic scheme of revelation, but as they've been telling us for years, if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. Kind of like Minority Report meets Facebook ! hah ! Take that shadow government ! The light of knowledge is about to step it up. You can't stop an idea whos time has come and you can't keep good people down forever ;p I think the revelation of truth, though scary at times, is its own reward in many instances. Science keeps pushing us in the direction of enhanced knowledge, but there seem to be concerted forces against free access to it. The economy now contains unlimited currency, yet we still can't feed the hungry people of the world... we need to get our house in order, perhaps seeing another house - even far off- will finally inspire us to some action on this front. After all, if you know that guests may be arriving you generally make some preparations. I can barely wait to surf on the silvery mercury crests of the metallic-ocean moons of Alpha Centuri... or whevever they are... I will probably listen to Joe Satriani at the time.

Why I'm a tele fan

With the discovery of yet another 'earth like planet' in the 'habitable zone' of a 'sun like star' this week, I wanted to take a moment and discuss the impressive growth we have experienced in this area for some time now and some potential effects on the space industry as a whole.

With Hubble we became able to seek out and positively identify stars and formations at varying distances from our own spot in the universe. The range, accuracy and detail available through the Hubble program were state of the art, and also gave a great example of data from space projects that can have a viable impact here at home. Hubble set the standard for its era, but also enabled scientists to create a catalogue of their 'favourite' stars where life might exist because of more preferable stellar conditions than might exist in another region. Though impressive in its own right, these revelations did little to alter general paradigms, no 'game changers' were likely to result from Hubble for the common person. But now we have Kepler.



The Kepler telescope is the next chapter in this epoch of development. With this satellite, and the data gleaned from the Hubble program, we are able to peer far deeper into the details of these stellar systems we had previously bookmarked. The rate of discovery from the Kepler telescope has been staggering, every announcement could herald the discovery of a species of extra-planetary beings. Every day we ride the wake-crest of this exciting possibility into uncharted waters for the human experience.

Here on earth, we are turning LEO control over to the private sector, with the larger goal of governments beginning to press outward into the expanse. Though few details are emerging into the public domain at this time, the technological potential of our species is nearly boundless. In a few years the entire american economy was converted into the mightiest army complex the planet had hitherto witnessed. In this age of suppressed technological awareness, infinite money and digital integration there is little that someone with the will and connections could not produce. What the mind can conceive, it can achieve.

Kepler began by identifying systems with short period planets, like mercury, whose orbit lasts only a few months. Once the telescope confirms more than one sighting, it will confirm that planetary bodies do in fact exist around star candidates. The Kepler team now projects that nearly 20% of all stars contain planetary bodies within their solar systems. While that is certainly encouraging for mining colony development, the team has also projected that only about 5% of all stars have any planets in the habitable zone. Nevertheless the potency of these discoveries should not be understated. For the FIRST TIME in our history, we have the optic technology to reach across time and space and examine other worlds. The fact that this exceptional nature of the discoveries in our time is so unnoticed must surely speak greatly to either public apathy or public suppression. How can we as a people not be truly captivated by these discoveries. These days we live in are surely among the most profound in our history. We could be plunged into a third world war almost any day, or we could discover another race of beings, or perhaps be discovered by them !!

I don't mean to sound extreme here. In fact I would suggest people who think my views are extreme should read up on Richard Dolan and his work. Not because I find Dolan extreme in any measure, much the contrary. His academic, balanced and thorough examination of social and technical issues around planetary affairs is one of the most reasonable and factual examinations and his conjectures are also enlightening. Though I have differences of opinion on some matters with Dolan, surely, there is tremendous knowledge in his uncovering the depth and nature of secrecy in our society around these such issues. His references to the NSA having 650Mhz computers in the 1960s is a great example to someone so familiar with computer technology as I am. That would be equivalent to saying that they had flying cars powered by banana skins to an automotive tech, by comparison.

Regardless, I digress, but Dolan, though somewhat exploited by the "UFO" community is a truly able researcher and a balanced presenter. You should check him out. Where I wanted to end this though was on discussion of the James Webb telescope which is the next generation to be deployed in the next few years. Just has Hubble was able to track star candidates, we now are beginning to identify planetary candidates in a like manner. When the James Webb is deployed in just a few years time, it will enable scientists to view the planet candidates in a way the reflects the leap forward that Kepler was over Hubble. So what am I getting at here ? It means that in the next year or so, if Kepler identifies more Earth Type planets, Webb will then be able to look at their surfaces and the data be posted much as we would look at Google Earth images of our own little world here. The interesting thing, is that we may find another civilization out there. If we did, and there is any correlation between our development timeline, we would be watching their world go through its own 'late medieval age', c.1400-1600. Even though that is true, they may be just as advanced, looking at us in the present day, but looking on our history, perhaps recording it for us as we would for them. In this way, one of our first exchanges may involve accurate records of our history ! What an interesting concept, that two so disparate cultures may be the only key to truly unlocking the mysteries of each others past.

Still, I hope not to draw too much attention to this amazing possibility, but rather to generally try and provoke some appreciation of the truly remarkable possibilities that exist. How special a time we are in and how we might not be the only ones out there. And if we are, all the better, that means that if you and I or our kids, or their kids get our shit together enough, they could potentially be, like, planetary governors working in a inter planetary society which develops the resources of many worlds for the benefit of all mankind.

On the other hand, the further we explore and reach out, we may find that we are only a little player in a big game. If that is the case I hope we can distinguish ourselves sufficiently to secure some reason for existing at all. This business of butchering our own people, exploiting and abusing natural resources and exercising policy from the absolute WEAKEST diplomatic intentions is surely not going to be a welcome contribution to galactic affairs. If we wish to integrate or lead a planetary civilization we will have to be more evolved than we presently are. Now what do I mean more evolved ? We already really know... talking our problems out, working together, being motivated and motivational for one another, having great dreams with both immediate and long term implications, innovation, discovery, great love !

I truly hope we make it and the culprits behind the present darkness are discovered and economy begins to serve the peoples interests again, instead of the people serving only the economy. The supreme courts of the world have ruled that corporations are legal people, but that doesn't mean those people can't be assholes.

The Demise of Online Privacy & Random Rants

I have long been a proponent of the developer position of 'what appears on my screen is my property'. Copyright law is a valid concern surely. As a function of intellectual property it is essential. Nevertheless infringing on the privacy of the average person to create profiles and collect personal and perhaps the most private of information is not acceptible. I have never understood why a regular postal message has such privacy rights, but an email is like writing a letter from prison. It may (and you should assume will) be vetted by professionals -with the highest medical and scientific training possible (sarcasm). My point here is that people who work in data collection have no idea or experience with the social factors they manipulate. What is worse; to send a picture of my nipples to a friend in a private corrispondance of a jocular nature, or that someone may dig that up some day and reveal my niipples and their sorted history online? I say its far worse to invade people so. Ron Paul recently stated something quite profound in the debates "...if we wanted, yes, we could put a police officer in every living room in american and that might even reduce ALL crime, but then the real crime is against the people themselves by their governmnet." While I certainly agree that, though despised, governing authority is necessary, I am afraid that moreover I side with the globalists in the view that our present national models are provincial. But then that is a very arrogant attitude since 80% of the people of the world are NOT savvy metro-capital 21st century beings yet. They have the potential to become that very quickly now, but there is a serious learning curve required for such drastic changes to a people.



doggie-pooper-scooper

I am and have always been quite fond of Mr Rogers on this topic. Yes, the TV neighbour with the cartigan and slippers who somehow remained single (in character)for some 50 years. Fred, in the real world, he was a minister and a childrens entertainer and he also was a radical open source advocate. He believed we had a right to make mix tapes, especially of public content. If someone, for example, pays for a DVD, why should they not have rights to it in perpetuity, not when a new medium comes out they must repurchase, how is that the consumers fault ? That is market manipulation of the worst sort to have IP everyone wants and resell them the same piece over and ove rjust in differing mediums ? What a rip. With public or educational programs especially, there should be as much encouragement for copying and redistribution as possible. Anyway, I can do the topic no justice, if you're interested you should youtube his congressional testimony. He was totally responsable for the inclusion of a record button on all of our VCRs in the 80s, and tape decks for music, news, state announcements. See part of the privelage of copying is the right to maintain your own life experiences also. You should be able to own whatever films you want for as long as you want and it should be no ones business in the world.Now, with netflix for example, it is a whole new device, you own nothing, they collect complete data. At the end of the day if anything happens to netflix, you got nothing. And it is especially worrysome in this era of electronic warfare potential. An EMP placed in just a few places could destroy large swathes of the internet. Financial records, encyclopaedia, so much, business data, etc... All could be lost and without a well established and well distributed base of public knowledge there is no way to retrieve it. So even though terrorists may use e-mail me or you (generally speaking) are not one of them, so the practice seems somewhat "unwarranted" hah! And that's another thing too, in the name of "you old guys just dont get it, we should do this" the lawmakers of the day are going in the complete opposite direction from everything they claim to love and support. Most congressmen probably very much dislike online intrusion, public scandal, but these people CHOOSE to be put to this scrtiny in exchange for the privelage of service they recieve, you and I are born bound into citizenship, so some allowances of absolute freedom must be maintained. We see all tooo clearly that economic methods seldom enhance the freedom of the many. Religion provides little respite in the modern epoch as well... so where does one turn. Hopefully government, which in most democratic republics is PLEDGED to be the vanguard of mans freedom against greater forces. NOPE, our governments are turning us out and enabeling (if anything) these problems to persist. If is often cited that more people die from lightening strikes or bee stings than terror every year, a statistic to which the security muggles would reply "see aren't we doing a good job?" but the truth is we have no way to judge (based on one event 911) how effective they have been at all. One thing is FOR SURE though, liberty and freedom of person have been and continue to be drastically reduced every day. Thre is almost nothing left of sacred institutions that used to be cultural tells. In canada, the only thing remaining from several cycles of conservative fire sales is healthcare (just wait and see how long that hangs around, its already brutalized) and in america it was FREEDOM. They didn't have jobs, they didn't have any more money, but they still had the dream, the freedom... very quickly that seems to be a lucury of the past. One which, in these austere times, we just cannot afford to enjoy anymore.

Being a Space Pirate a crime ? Not if you don't come back.

SPACE PIRATE LOG

Though I am pretty buttoned down now that I'm getting older, I think everyone holds a secret rebel streak somewhere inside forever. Well, I just can't hold back anymore, so here it is; Deep down inside, I really want to be a space pirate. So, what , you may be asking, is a space pirate ? Well, let me tell you. Basically I wake up one day, its pretty early, still dark. Maybe even winter. I go through a pretty normal, if slightly futuristic (holo mirrors) morning routine. I take the dog out, drink a coffee, have a smoke, and look at the moon as it hangs in the remaining blackness of this days revolution. Then it happens, everything gets a little weird. I double check my carry on, I open the closet and put on my metallicish pressure suit. I fire up the portable life support box and plug in. Everything is ready, except the helmet. I kiss my puppy on the head and tell him I'll be back... and I love him. I go out to the barn and get in my spaceship. Only a few people know about it now, but soon, everyone will know its name forever. I pause and think. Think about so much. Check my watch. It is time.

I power on the computer and watch it boot. The engine ready light is activated, and I depress it. The gentle hum of operational activity is both comforting in its innovation and perfection, and terrifying in its purpose. I depress the flight controls activate to manual button, the controls present themselves on mounted tablet computers at the 'end of the chair arm' in my tiny cockpit in a very natural and comfortable position. Everything is next gen. Everything is crisp. I vent the startup plasmas then put on my helmet.

Slowly the craft rises 2 feet from the pad. I press the departure gate opener and it opens as seamlessly as the slickest suburban garage door in july. I slowly guide the craft forward out the door. I double check the systems as me and her pass through the portal, life looks good, emf systems, kenetic dampeners, everything's green. Away we go, I switch the viewscreen to split views and begin to guide it up. Radar and EF on. Up it goes, steadily. About the height of a small plane the view and feel is familiar to flying such a plane, except the rate of vertical climb. Not terribly fast, but pretty much direct, just rising like a guided balloon with nearly 360* view... prety neat. All systems still green. I increase the rate of ascent, but not enough to appear ballistic, the last thing I want is a domestic military confrontation, though that may be a foregone conclusion - I'm not sure why my overlords are sooo determined to keep me here, but I guess we'll find out... up, we go...

Past the point of normal propellor effecincy now, I worry more about detection, though I have taken precautions for stealth, they have had to be offset with concerns of safety, like radio, broadband, computer systems... I know I'm noticible at this level, I have taken precautions to remain outside normal air lanes, but that may in fact be the problem... I know I'm flying an unregistered craft, but I feel like I belong to something bigger than a petty regulation, any of them, I am ascending all the little problems of that world. As expected, the radio comes alive. There is a cordial though firm request for identification, the time has come... I contact the few journalists that were pre-arranged to receive the downlinks. My little ship is covered in corporate logos as a peace offering, but we'll see how it goes. The journalists are already tracking it all on civil viewing satellites from orbit and I'll get this front line footage out to them starting now... we're recording and broadcasting to youtube, all so indie. I identify with my radio digits, and go to some length to drag the process out as I continue to ascend, nothing on radar yet, must be a base... I'm so excited I forget their callsign....

They process my info quite quickly and inform me I am not cleared for anything of the sort i am attempting, but they do not understand that THAT is the very essence, a requirement of the act itself. How should I be so restrained from coming and going to and from the Earth as I please. I have taken every precaution, I created my own technology and vessel... today is the day, no such permit even exists for what I'm doing here... what else are the options... this is how innovation lives...

They advise me to alter course to about 50,000 heading W and hold. I decline with a proper ettiquite and begin to explain the situation, but they do not want to listen, so we tie up the radio bickering and getting emotional, then an IM "incoming". Shit, I don't see anything on radar, a stealth fighter and missile, I drop three flares and frost-shield the ship. About 20m below me they detonate... from that info the computer works out the planes likely location and shows me... 3 F35s, shit, SHIT ! I am on the radio, a few messages are coming in, and the journalists are going live.... suddenly we're plugged into a few thousand computers around the world as this unfolds..... todays the day !

The jet interceptors scream past, very close... either intentionally or as a result of their speed and the small size of my craft... such a barbaric technology... they are circling back....... I know I can out yaw them, but I dont want to push the speeds to high.... I ascend more quickly and engage an evasive movement pattern, but they are fast, and the pilots are good.... they are firing some shots at me now... shit... I dont have much defense against such a savage kinetic attact if it hits, just destiny, but either they're warning shots again or I'm too small..... if I can hold out for another few minutes I can get too high for their engines to work... another missile, shit, I breathe deep and cut a hard 90* the missle goes screaming past and I flare out while the internal cockpit spins away the incredible g's by flinging me through some centrifigual training. Once I get my bearings I hit it, I am accelerating very very quickly, my body is not happy about any of this.... I feel dizzy, sick, sweaty and shitty... I wont survive many more volleys like this, but I must get out of here either way.....the jets pursue me as high as they can straight up, they keep good enough pace but after 75k, its over, they go wild with missile fire, but I can easily flare them out from above... I am pretty safe now. I check life support, green, I take off my helmet...get the bonnet and puke my face off.... water, I need water... this damned ship is hot as hell... I drink... I breathe.... Then I look up........... Majestic... the beauty of the planet, our existance, everything, revealed. This was why I did this.... I dont know what it means, but this is why.

Suddenly as if lightening hit me (or was about to) I snap out of it and realize that my radar is going INSANE ! You ever wake up and then you realize there are noises happening, and they were happening the whole time, but you had blocked them out or something. Well it was like that, a hundred blinking warnings, all cameras tracking, incredible velocities.... shit, the debris ! I am not entitled to any charts of the entry holes, so I knew this would happen, luckily my craft moves in complete 3D, and has a pretty quick computer.... I set it to navigate me up a few dozen km and hold on tight... the computer knows what my body can handle, but I've been fucking with this AI on my own too and it knows that sometimes there are acceptible margins of risk within parameters... otherwise it probably wouldn't have let me lift off.

The craft is jerking wildly left and right, I winch up my suit belts but I risk restricting my organs and causing a rupture if I press it too much.... I decide on prayer instead.... I know that the recordings of this probably dont look too good at this point, but shit, you know, you only live once, right ?

finally the jerking deminishes its frequency. just the odd little bump of the last few course corrections as we enter the more useful spacelanes. The viewer maps out locations of various satellites and objects in this layer with ease... eventually the ship stops, and the previously breathtaking view is outdone by the nearly entirely spherical view before me.... I know its a bit of a stretch but I cry... The ship is just a ball in space... beside another ball in space... the whole thing gets very existential, but I digress... I am shaking. Panicing.... I feel so strange being away from the Earth... my internets are cutting in and out because of the debris field below.... I didn't realize the power I would need to blast through it with integrity, but we're still able to get online for short bursts here and there... I am getting IMs.... I dont know how to respond.... I dont know if I'm okay... I was just shot at, shaken up and now am, well, lost in space.... what am I gonna do ?!

Shit, okay, I need to get to the ISS... I look it up, I can make a rendezvous in about 27 minutes... I plot it. Not to dock , but to synch up... communicate... ask for advice.... I take some time now to take proper photos... check the systems...drink... shit, I'm getting low on water... its so heavy, shit.

The ISS enters my ranges, and I theirs..... I set my radio and broadcast over a traditional STAR TREK hailing sound (lol) ... I resend as I approach and begin synchronous orbit with the station... I know there is a live broadcast happening, so maybe they will not be able to take my call right away, I'll pop in the coupola..... the radio lights up before I am in view of the coupola, its another request for ID, from the ISS.... I explain the situation a little... there is no response... I'm in the coupola now.... I can see the startled astronauts looking slack jawed for a couple minutes, then another one shows up and they start fiddling with the camera.. cutting the feed, I know. The radio is back, I am frought with emotion and cannot properly articulate what I wish to convey... the IM arrives ... "got it" I was on NASA TV ! everything is going according to plan.... and now the next step... whats the plan.

The ISS eventually comes back on and advises that I return to Earth immediately, that I may be in violation of many laws and I will soon be contacted by authorities... I should also retreat from the ISS ... as if I have any intention to harm anyone !

I comply and indicate I will be standing by. I retain a close orbit, but I am racing in my mind for what to do next... going back to the earth seems like a bad idea all of a sudden... I knew the airships would try and stop me, but I thought I'd get here and something amazing would happen, but I feel very trapped, scared. I bring up info on the moon... shit, the water...