
I found this NASA photo evocative. Suggestive. What did it make me think/feel? Of many things: I wondered why, rather than tepid inkblots, some psychiatrists don’t use photos such as above to inspire the tongues of their patients. Or works of art. (Of course, there is the TAT — Thematic Apperception Test — and the above could be used for that, I bet.
More thoughts: Silence above the noise . . . the remarkable Big Picture above and including the hubbub of passing concerns . . . wonders beyond the customarily seen . . .
Do those personal responses tell you something important about me? Did I unintentionally (unconsciously) reveal a truer self?
More thoughts (insert yours here: _____________ )

The above NASA pic reveals what we could see without the clouds and ambient light normally obscuring our vision. I’m not sure what coastline that is, but let’s call it New Found Lands.
Stars and galaxies — the backdrop to our relatively puny spinning planet. Far out, man!
Although I find existence to lack meaning with a big “M,” it does strike me as wonder-full.

Can you believe the resolution to the above photo of the Martian landscape? I can hardly.
At the closest, Earth and Mars are 55 MILLION km apart. And yet, the pic. Wowza!
Of course, the image wasn’t captured with a zoom lens the size of Manhattan. No, the NASA rover Spirit did it.
That ‘twernt no spirit that took the photo. It was mind-blowing technology.
Thanks for the thrill, NASA.

The Sun is not an atom. According to the Etymology Online Dictionary, atom comes from the Greek, a-tomos, or “uncut” (a = “not” + tomos = “a cutting”).
Can the star at the center of our solar system be cut into smaller units? Sure can. The Sun is not elemental.
Likewise, “science” is not a singular entity. It consists of thousands upon thousands of individuals doing their work, millions upon millions of bits of information. At least.
And speaking of science, I invite you to check out the latest blog carnival dedicated to celebrating science-for-all: Scientia Pro Publica #38.
Cutting further, a huge part of science is biological life. How that life changes and develops from generation to generation is called evolution.
And, what do you know, the next edition of the Carnival of Evolution is going to be hosted on September 1st here, at 360 Degree Skeptic. If you have a post you’d like to contribute, please do. Otherwise, stay tuned for some hot science.
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[Image thanks to NASA]

Florida, my present home state, has been called “the lightning-strike capital of the world.” Personally, I enjoy lightning storms. Well, not all. Those at some distance. And that distance is about a mile. Any closer and the massive discharges of electromagnetic and sonic energy make me jump. Like two afternoons ago. And they threaten the viability of the electronics in our household.
Still — they are wild. Awesome. And awesome is good — provided it doesn’t cause damage.
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Image thanks to NASA.
From Eymology Online:
lightning
late 13c., prp. of lightnen “make bright,” extended form of O.E. lihting, from leht (see light (n.)). Meaning “cheap, raw whiskey” is attested from 1781. Lightning bug is attested from 1778.

Daylight is very nice. Good ambiance. For a heavily visually-oriented species, there’s nothing like it. I give it 5 stars.
Speaking of stars. It does have a drawback. All that reflected blue light — can’t see the stars. But maybe that’s good. Maybe it helps us focus and get things done. Star-gazing may not be conducive to productivity. But what a respite!
Photo thanks to NASA.

















