E. O. Wilson’s autobiography is called Naturalist. I recently finished reading it and found it full of good ideas and also a useful source of advice on the scientific life. The more of Wilson’s ideas I read the better it all hangs together. Next up: The Origins of Creativity.
Category Archives: Society
How the Universe Was Made
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How the Universe Was Made:
Before the Big Bang … and After
by Ken Roberts
24-July-2017
One day God was working on his latest project. He was making a perfect golden sphere. The sphere was so round, that there was nothing rounder. It was so smooth, that there was nothing smoother. And it was so pure, made of gold using only one type of atom, that there was nothing purer or more perfect.
You may be wondering why I am speaking of God as He. Well, it is a constraint of the English language that I am using to tell this story. God does not have a gender; God is He, She, It and everything else. God is plant, animal, rock, water and air. And time — God is past, present, and future, if those can be said to exist before the Universe. We will simply have to do the best we can in order to tell this story, using metaphors and frail vocabulary.
So … God had made a perfect sphere. It was almost done. Only a name was needed. The sphere was so perfect that only one bit of information would be needed to describe the sphere. God would call it 1. Or maybe 0. God hadn’t yet decided.
1 would be a good name, because it suggests One-ness, a Uni-Verse, a Poem that says everything. 0 would be a good name because it suggests the roundness of a perfect sphere, and the syllable Om. Either way, one bit would suffice for the sphere’s name.
While thinking about his decision, God took a coffee break. There was no rush … Infinite time, actually. After preparing his coffee, God returned to his workbench, where he had made the sphere. He set his coffee cup down on the workbench, and turned to examining the sphere, making sure it was perfectly smooth and pure.
Well, we’re here, so you know what happened. As God was concentrating on the sphere, his elbow nudged the coffee cup, which spilled coffee all over God’s workbench. God grabbed for the coffee cup, and the sphere, without his full attention, rolled to the edge of the workbench and fell onto the floor.
There was a Big Bang ! The perfect sphere was smashed into millions of bits. Coffee dripped off the workbench and mixed into the breakage, and created little bits of dark coffee and light cream. That became empty space and stary galaxies, and everything else in the Universe. “Oops!”, said God.
What happened after the Big Bang? Well, God is probably working on another sphere. Or, perhaps, She has a new project.
Pushkin Poem Arion Translation
Yesterday I tried translating a poem from Russian. Arion, by Alexander Pushkin, is a poem he published in 1827, when he was 27-28 years old. I’ve read three other translations, and all are good. However, each seems to miss some aspect of the original. So I tried my own translation. Remarks at end. Here is the translation.
Arion
Many men on board the bark.
Some strained the sturdy sail,
others set pace with powerful strokes,
oars drawing deep.
In calm control, our wise helmsman
lightly steered the laden ship.
And I – happy of heart,
careless of concern — sang sweetly.
Wild waves suddenly stopped our song …
All hands and helmsman were lost !
Only I, the singer, cast onto the beach.
I dance, chant songs of deliverance
and dry my garments in the sun.
Remarks:
1. Here are three other translations which I enjoy:
At https://russianlegacy.com/russian_culture/poetry/pushkin/arion.htm there are two translations, one by I. Zheleznova, “We many were who filled the boat…”, and the other by an unknown translator, “We sailed in numerous company…”. That site also has Pushkin’s poem in the original Russian.
A translation by Babette Deutsch, “We numbered many in the ship…”, appears on page 63 of “The Poems, Prose and Plays of Alexander Pushkin”. That volume was edited by Avrahm Yarmolinsky, and published by Random House, New York, 1936. It is part of the “Modern Library” collection.
2. Pushkin’s poem is 15 lines long, with a rhyme scheme of ABBA CDDDC EE FGGF. That is a variant of the sonnet form. All three translations also use 15 lines, with a similar rhyme scheme.
I try another approach. Instead of rhyme, I use alliteration to provide rhythmic structure in the poem. There is a tradition of alliterative verse in early English. Arion’s is an old tale and it is suitably respectful of that classic tale, of the poet Arion, and of Pushkin, to use an old form. Arion was the poet who established the dithyrambic poetic form, choral dance and song to be performed in honour of the wine god Dionysus. In telling Arion’s tale, one should not feel confined by the formalities of sonnet.
3. The rhythm is regular at first, then becomes rough when the storm arises. I hope to capture that sea change. In the lines at the end, the structure returns somewhat as the poet offers Thanksgiving and rejoices at his rescue.
4. Pushkin was a young man, age 27-28 when this poem was published, and like many young men held passionate opinions about improvement of the social order.
The classical tale of Arion is that he was captured by pirates, and forced to choose between being killed on-board their ship, or being thrown into the sea – where he would drown. Arion sang while he made his choice, and dolphins gathered around the ship to admire his beautiful song. Arion was thrown into the sea, but was carried safely to shore on the back of a dolphin.
It is not unreasonable to suppose that Pushkin knew that his poem might be read with a political subtext. In Pushkin’s poem, Arion is not a captive, and his shipmates are companions not pirates. However, ships of state can encounter heavy weather. Ambiguity adds to the appeal of “Arion”.
5. Here are some links to articles about Pushkin, Arion, and dithyrambic poetry.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pushkin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dithyramb
And a link to two readings of the original poem, in Russian. Click on either of the first two “Play” buttons to hear the reading.
6. And finally, to attach an image to this post, here is a painting of Alexander Pushkin.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
04-Sep-2016
Edmund Little — The Fantasts
Decades ago, I became an enthusiastic reader of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Hobbit tale and the Ring trilogy, and later other Tolkien works. Recently I encountered a small book, The Fantasts, by T. Edmund Little, which presents an excellent analysis of the idea of sub-creation and Fairie. Fairie was the subject of Tolkien’s famous 1938 lecture, On Fairy-Stories, which was published as the first half of Tree and Leaf — the second half being the story, Leaf by Niggle, one of my favourites.
Little’s book is worth one’s attention. Little explores Tolkien’s assertion that fantasy involves a process of what is called Sub-creation. Little considers five authors and their fantasy worlds: J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast, Nicolai Gogol’s town NN depicted in Dead Souls, and Kenneth Grahame’s river bank world depicted in The Wind in the Willows. Little’s book The Fantasts is an extended essay, interesting and stimulating for anyone who has wondered about the process of sub-creation.
I will not attempt to summarize Little’s many insights and observations here. Suffice it that careful consideration of the details of sub-created worlds, as provided by Little in this essay, reveals many subtleties and amendments to the sketch provided by Tolkien in his essay on fairy story. For your enjoyment, and perhaps useful if you are engaged in creative (or sub-creative) writing …
T. Edmund Little died in 2013, and I provide links to two obituaries for your interest. The photo used to introduce this post from the second obit, and was perhaps taken in February 1997.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
31-July-2016
Bertoia Dandelion Sculpture
This metal dandelion sculpture is by Harry Bertoia, and is one of the most beautiful of his works. There are links below to a Wikipedia page about Bertoia, and to the Milwaukee Art Museum where this dandelion is on display. A visit to the Milwaukee museum is worthwhile, as the building’s entryway is fabulous, and the collection includes many excellent modern works, contributed by Mrs. Bradley who evidently had very good taste.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
23-July-2016
Wikipedia article about Harry Bertoia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Bertoia
Milwaukee Art Museum links:
http://collection.mam.org/artist.php?id=632
Bernays on Propaganda
Propaganda is the title of a book by Edward Bernays published in 1928. A less provocative title might be Public Relations. Bernays was the pioneer of public relations.
The premise of Bernays’ book is that “in almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons … who understand the mental proceses and social patterns of the masses.” [pp 9-10]. Is that bad? I suppose it depends upon one’s position in society. It is not egalitarian.
Regardless of one’s take on the ethics of propaganda, there is certainly a great deal of realism in Bernays’ view of the world. Anyone who hopes to improve the world should be aware of the ideas and methods described by Bernays.
I wish I had read Bernays’ book many decades ago when I was engaged in social justice and political endeavours. I was no great activist, but did fight many minor skirmishes. Perhaps, using Bernays’ ideas, some situations might have been handled better.
So … a word to the wise — which means you, dear reader! — Bernays’ book is worth one’s attention. It’s a fast read, and decently written. The examples are a bit antique in some ways — 88 years ago — but the book is up to date in essentials.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
02-May-2016
Links:
Wikipedia article about the book:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_%28book%29
Wikipedia articla about Edward Berneys:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays
Online text of Propaganda, book by Bernays:
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/bernprop.html
Scan of first edition of the book, open source:
https://archive.org/details/Propaganda1928ByEdwardL.Bernays
Clarity, Delusion, and Focus
Clear and focused thinking is important for progress when working on a task, such as understanding a situation. One brings to bear whatever one has deduced from previous encounters with a similar situation, as well as whatever one has learned from study of books — history or worked problems, as appropriate. Yet clear and focused thinking is also very closely related to delusional thinking. Clarity and focus can also prevent one from including important information that might bear upon the matter. Another person, observing one’s reasoning, might categorize such a problem formulation or investigative framework as delusional.
For instance, Freeman Dyson, recalling his work in the Operational Research Section of the British RAF Bomber Command during the second world war, tells how his and colleagues’ inability to go beyond operational dogma was a contributing factor to their failure to deduce the existance of a German fighter anti-bomber weapon system: “Schräge Musik”. This weapon involved guns pointing upward from the fighter at an angle of about 60 degrees from the horizontal. The fighter could fly underneath the bomber, observe its outline against the night sky, and shoot up at it; without the bomber crew being aware of an impending attack.
Dyson’s words: “I later applied the same method of analysis to the question of whether experience helped crews to survive. Bomber Command told the crews that their chances of survival would increase with experience, and the crews believed it. They were told, After you have got through the first few operations, things will get better. This idea was important for morale at a time when the fraction of crews surviving to the end of a 30-operation tour was only about 25 percent. I subdivided the experienced and inexperienced crews on each operation and did the analysis, and again, the result was clear. Experience did not reduce loss rates. The cause of losses, whatever it was, killed novice and expert crews impartially. This result contradicted the official dogma, and the Command never accepted it. I blame the ORS, and I blame myself in particular, for not taking this result seriously enough. The evidence showed that the main cause of losses was an attack that gave experienced crews no chance either to escape or to defend themselves. If we had taken the evidence more seriously, we might have discovered Schräge Musik in time to respond with effective countermeasures.
Source URL: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/406789/a-failure-of-intelligence/ (Dyson, 2006)
Another illustration, which is similar in nature, is inherent in some post-war comments by the German general Siegfried Westphal:
“Propaganda must be flexible, although it must not be forgotten that the tune cannot be changed from day to day. Under certain circumstances it can be a very dangerous poison since it may influence or frustrate the decisions of its propagators against their will. Examples of this can be found on both the German and Allied sides during the war and also after it.” (S. Westphal, “The German Army in the West”, Cassell & Co, 1951, page 16).
We can observe numerous illustrations of such delusional behaviour, believing one’s own propaganda, nowadays.
The risks of clarity and focus are not restricted to military or political situations. Scientific investigation, and organizational structure, are also worth considering in the context of the clarity – delusion – focus model.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
10-Feb-2016
Microcephaly, Zika Virus, and Radiation
There are many news stories currently about the Zika virus, including a possible link with infant microcephaly. The news coverage is sometimes too decided on such possibilities, and it may be worthwhile to stand back a bit from decisions. Microcephaly can have several causes. I’m not a medical practitioner, but even a non-specialist can get a bit of calm perspective from reviewing some of the info sources.
The WHO (world Health Organization) website has some Q&A about the Zika virus, and includes this text:
“Should pregnant women be concerned about Zika?
“Health authorities are currently investigating a potential link between Zika virus in pregnant women and microcephaly in their babies. Until more is known, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should take extra care to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
“If you are pregnant and suspect that you may have Zika virus disease, consult your doctor for close monitoring during your pregnancy.
“What is microcephaly?
“Microcephaly is a rare condition where a baby has an abnormally small head. This is due to abnormal brain development of the baby in the womb or during infancy. Babies and children with microcephaly often have challenges with their brain development as they grow older.
“Microcephaly can be caused by a variety of environmental and genetic factors such as Downs syndrome; exposure to drugs, alcohol or other toxins in the womb; and rubella infection during pregnancy.”
[end of quote from WHO] Source URL: http://www.who.int/features/qa/zika/en/
Another possible cause of microcephaly is exposure of the fetus to radiation. Here is a text from the “Mother to Baby” website supported by the the state of Illinois, USA:
“CNS [Central Nervous System] defects and Growth Retardation
“Manifestations of in utero irradiation in humans are microcephaly, mental retardation and other CNS defects, and growth retardation (Mole 1991). Microcephaly is the most common malformation reported after exposure to a high dose of radiation during pregnancy. In one study, 25% of children exposed to more than 100 rads of radiation during gestation were microcephalic or hydrocephalic (Goldstein and Murphy 1929, 1930). Almost all microcephalic children irradiated in utero were mentally retarded and had short stature as well. The incidence of microcephaly rose with increasing exposure (Brent et al. 1993).”
[end of quote from “Mother to Baby” website] Source: http://fetal-exposure.org/radiation-and-pregnancy/
Another, non-medical, resource on the relationship between radiation exposure and microcephaly is found in Susan Southard’s book “Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War” (2015): “Microcephaly — a condition defined by a significantly smaller-than-average head size in proportion to a child’s body, reduced life expectancy, and decreased brain function — occurred in approximately 15 percent of children exposed to radiation in utero up to 1.25 miles from the hypocenter [of the atomic bomb explosion], a rate almost four times higher than for those not exposed.” [page 177]. Also, on page 190,. a study is cited that exposure during weeks 8-15 after conception was much riskier than exposure in later weeks of pregnancy.
Bottom line for a cautious non-specialist reader: There can be a variety of causes of the observed high incidence of microcephalic infants. A possible connection with the Zika virus is worth investigation, but also it is advisable to investigate possible presence of other causative factors. WHO is doing those investigations. We should not rush to decision and action about a possible mosquitoes and Zika virus causation, if that would result in other avenues of inquiry being abandoned. It is worthwhile to reduce mosquito populations in general, because of other diseases they can transmit (Dengue fever, for instance). But, regarding Zika, don’t let media frenzy divert investigative focus.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
03-Feb-2016
Neon Cactus
This neon cactus has been around my house for about 25 years. It serves as the night-light in the main room. Last week, it died, and that led to some investigation of the details…
The cactus is made from a “neon” sign tube, which glows brilliant green. The pale green color in the photo is an artifact of my camera. The transformer is hidden within the metal pot, and covered with a large amount of fish tank gravel, to support the transformer and the base of the neon tube. The toothiness along the neon tube is achieved by little bits of clear silicone caulk applied along the glass.
Inside the metal pot, there are two sets of connections: from the transformer to the neon tube, and from the power cord to the transformer input. The supply to the tube (output of the transformer) is rated at 3000 volts and 20 milliamps — enough to give someone a dangerous jolt, I believe. We are fortunate that we have never had a house guest who emptied his beer into the metal pot.
The cause of the failure last week was the transformer overheating. After 25 years, it deserves a rest — and has taken a permanent break. Power consumption of about 50 watts x 24 hours = 1.2 kwh/day = approx operating cost 30 cents/day at modern rates. Less than a single movie admission ticket per month. So it costs to operate a neon cactus, yes, but it is not out of line with other entertainment.
Rather than replace this neon cactus art with another neon construction, or hunt all over for a new transformer, I think it will be more in tune with the times to look for some LED or other pixel-based art. One might, for instance, mount a photo frame where the cactus was, and set up a suitable permanent or slowly cycling slide show fed from a USB stick. A bit of consideration and searching on the net and asking friends, should produce an abundance of good ideas.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
28-Dec-2015
Climate Change Agreement Text
The purpose of this post is to provide a link to the text of the recent Paris agreement regarding climate change. I’m not sure how this text and its followups are going to be referred to in web links in future, but it appears that search terms (Paris Agreement) and (Framework Convention on Climate Change) are relevant. Perhaps (Paris Agreement on Climate Change). The website http://unfccc.int/ appears to be the online presence of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The URL for the text of the agreement itself is at…
I have not yet read the text. I post the link at this early date (the text was just adopted yesterday) because the great interest in this topic may lead to an excess of interpretation and commentary, some of which is likely to be grounded in emotion rather than consider the substance. I will read the text.
My own interest in Climate Change is more towards the physical data. To that end, I am enrolled in an intro geography department course (2nd year undergrad level) on climate change, as an auditor. That course is oriented towards a study of the physical data. There are many significant social and political aspects, and I do not mean to trivialize them. In my personal life, I have found political work is much like washing dishes — necessary, and needs to be re-done every day after the dishes have been used as intended. Washing dishes can be calming and contributes to good health of oneself and others. It is an appropriate use of a part of one’s time, even if not one’s core role in society.
Likely my subsequent posts on the topic of climate change will be regarding physical data, as interesting tidbits of information come by.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
13-Dec-2015
Soil Loss – Grantham
Nearly one-third of the world’s arable land has been lost to erosion or pollution in the last four decades. That comes from a briefing note prepared by the Grantham Centre, entitled — A sustainable model for intensive agriculture. It’s a quick read. The pdf file is only four pages; just two pages of content, plus cover sheet and backgrounder on the Grantham Centre and the paper’s authors. I recommend it.
A couple of observations, off the top of my head:
— The Haber-Bosch process used to produce inorganic nitrogen, consumes 3-5 percent of the world’s natural gas production (as hydrogen feedstock to make NH3), equivalent to 1-2 percent of the world’s annual energy supply. I remember thinking about the Haber-Bosch process while studying thermodynamics, and set the topic aside, but never got back to it. There is clearly an opportunity to develop replacement processes, feasible on an industrial scale, taking advantage of more recent discoveries.
— I once killed the soil around my house, which has exterior log walls, by treating the walls with a fungicide: disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT). Rain caused DOT washoff into the soil, and all the mycorrhizal fungi in the soil died. I ended up with dust, not capable of sustaining life, about 1 meter around the house to a depth of half a meter. That was a lot of wheelbarrows of moving earth! My point is that such an extreme of what-not-to-do, may give some guidance in identifying what-better-to-do.
These are just initial observations. You will probably see more opportunities. The briefing note is full of ideas.
Some links:
http://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/ — Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures
http://grantham.sheffield.ac.uk/soil-loss-an-unfolding-global-disaster/ — The page for the briefing note, with link to PDF of the note itself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disodium_octaborate_tetrahydrate — Wikipedia re disodium octaborate tetrahydrate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haber_process — Wikipedia re Haber-Bosch process.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
03-Dec-2015
Island of the Colorblind
Someone told me recently about an island where a large fraction of the inhabitants were colorblind. Then, very fortuitously, I encountered a book by Oliver Sacks, The Island of the Colorblind, in my local library. That was serendipitous — I was looking for books on snow crystals — and illustrates the merits of browsing library shelves instead of requesting and obtaining just particular books already identified.
Sacks will be familiar to may as the author of other popular books. This was my first encounter with him. He is worth reading.
Sack’s book is really a pair of extended journals of his voyages to islands in the Pacific. The first journal is to the islands of the colorblind, Pingelap and Pohnpei, and the second journal to the islands of Guam and Rota.
It appears that on Pingelap, some 5-6 percent of a population of about 800 people cannot distinguish colors — their eyes lack cones, having only rods. Pohnpei has a community, about 2000 inhabitants originally from Pingelap, who have similar colorblindness.
Colorblind Pingelapians have a compensating awareness of pattern, and a greater sensitivity to low light levels. Night fishing is easier, for instance.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
30-Nov-2015
Excuse me for living 2
A friend has pointed out an earlier use of the term … Excuse me for living … from 1929, in a book Practical Salesmanship, by W. L. Barnhart.
To see this book, go to the catalogue record at Hathi Trust:
http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006554995
Click on “full view” and go to page 114.
Barnhart has a different understanding of the term. An “excuse me for living” salesman is one who is a hopeless underachiever, who has what we would nowadays call a defeatist attitude.
I prefer the Rex Stout or Noel Coward use of the term, as a zesty response to a social improprietity. But it shows how language develops.
The Hathi Trust website is an excellent resource.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
19-Aug-2015
Excuse me for living
A recent re-read of Rex Stout’s second Nero Wolfe novel — The League of Frightened Men, published 1935 — led to an interesting excursion into a dictionary of catch phrases. In chapter 8 of LOFM appears this dialogue:
Wolfe: … [Mr Chapin’s] vanity undid him; he wrote that threat and sent it broadcast. That was dangerous.
Goodwin: How sure are you?
Wolfe: Sure —
Goodwin: That he sent the threat?
Wolfe: Did I not say he did?
Goodwin: Yeah. Excuse me for living.
Wolfe: I would not take that responsibility …
“Excuse me for living”, or the British variant “Pardon me for living”, is a catch phrase response. When A says something normal in conversation, and B responds with a grump, A then replies with “Excuse me for living”. The meaning of A’s complaint response is that B has failed to follow the customary “grooming rituals” of conversation; that B is being a social outlier, whereas A has behaved normally in the course of the conversation.
This catch phrase is documented in Eric Partridge’s book “A Dictionary of Catch Phrases”. That is an enjoyable book; one can browse in it comfortably. Partridge’s entry for “excuse me for living” refers to “pardon me for living”. The latter phrase is stated to be Canadian in origin, and adopted by Noel Coward, used in his 1945 story “A Richer Dust”. We see that Rex Stout used the phrase ten years before Noel Coward. That is not to say that Stout was the first; it is entirely possible that “excuse me for living” was known from radio or film prior to 1935. But it’s nice to push back the horizon when trying to trace a phrase’s origins.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
18-Aug-2015
SciELO Electronic Library
SciELO is a very good library of scientific publications, mostly from researchers in South American countries. It has articles in Spanish, Portuguese and English, and also has search engine interfaces in each of those languages. I’ve found it an excellent alternative resource for finding articles that do not show up in the customary search engines such as provided by my university’s libary catalogue. It contains about half a million articles.
The SciELO search engine is quite flexible. For instance, if one wants to find articles in Spanish or English, about diode (juntura) models which use the Lambert W function, one can use this search term: ((diode) OR (juntura)) AND (Lambert)
Here is a link to the English language search interface:
http://www.scielo.org/php/index.php
And a link to a Wikipedia article with some background about the project:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SciELO
And, so we have a nice picture to head up this post, here is the SciELO logo (of course, copyright owned by them):
I like the pun in their name!
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
31-July-2015
Leonardo’s Machines
There is an excellent exhibition of machines constructed from the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. The exhibit is presently located in Lucca, Italy, at the Chiesa di San Cristoforo, on Via Fillungo, open daily 930 am to 730 pm. I originally saw this exhibit 2.5 years ago in Venice, and recently had another opportunity to view everything carefully. It is a marvelous experience, and if you should have the chance to study Leonardo’s machines, you will surely find it beneficial to your design activities.
The photo is of a self-propelled cart designed by Leonardo. It may have been designed for use in theatrical productions. The motive power is provided by two large spiral springs, wound inversely to one another, which turn the two drive wheels. There is an escapement mechanism which makes the motion smooth. A brake is provided. There is a small wheel for steering the cart. The entire assembly is very ingenious, and makes use of several of the mechanisms found elsewhere in Leonardo’s drawings. Reference folio 812r of the Codex Atlanticus.
The book “Leonardo’s Machines: Secrets and Inventions in the Da Vinci Codices”, edited by Mario Taddei and Edoardo Zanon, text by Domenico Laurenza, translated into English by Joan M. Reifsnyder, published in 2005 by Giunti Editore S.p.A., is closely related to the exhibition. If you cannot attend, perhaps you will have an opportunity to view this or another book.
The exhibition has a website: http://www.leonardoavenezia.com with some information. However, I noticeed only a brief mention of the Lucca exhibit at this website. I understand that the exhibit in Lucca is expected to remain there for several months. I am not certain that the Venice exhibition is continuing concurrently, but I believe that may be the case.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
04-May-2015
Log Slice Table 2
The top for the new log slice table is mostly finished. Here is a photo. It is about 55 cm diameter.
Those interesting black lines are something that elm wood has. That’s one reason I like to use it. They are not the rings — the rings can be seen, and counted, though they are not prominent visually. This tree was about 40 years old.
To supplement the comments on finishing which I made in the previous post: I put four coats of spar urethane on the top. Spar urethane is intended for marine use — outdoors or indoors — and is very durable. The first coat was applied to the top only, and really soaks into the wood, because it is being applied to end grain. The second, third, and fourth coats are applied pretty thickly, and the sides (edges) of the slice are also urethaned at the same time. Just an extremely light hand sanding is done to each coat, prior to applying the nexct — the sanding is so light it is invisible, and just develops a bit of tooth on the surface. Coats at intervals of about 12 hours. After the fourth coat, the top surface is smooth and sealed.
As it happens, in the upper left corner of this photo, if you look at the enlarged image, you can see the little tool (for rug hooking?) that I use to clean the bark off the log slices.
Now I will wait several days for the urethane drying to complete, then turn the slice over, and seal the bottom surface. Then make the legs.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
03-July-2014
Log Slice Table
Here’s a log slice table that’s pretty easy to make. What you need is a thick slice of some interesting wood — elm is a good choice as it has curious lines within it. And you need a router and a portable belt sander. Let the wood sit for a long time — years perhaps — to ensure it is thoroughly dried out inside. The next time you have a tree cut down, ask the workmen to save you 3-4 slices of the trunk, each slice about 15-20 cm thickness.
The second photo shows the log slice being flattened using the router. The wood box provides a sturdy frame with two flat rails, the slider for the router moves at right angles to that, and you draw the router back and forth to mill the log slice flat. The little wooden strips on top, alongside the router, keep the router from drifting so far to one side that you might gouge out the slider boards.
The router bit is one of the square-bottom profiles; I like to use a 1.2-cm bit, as a 1.8-cm bit chatters too much. Very small depth cuts, maybe 4-6 mm, are made on each traverse. After one level has been taken off, a thin board (foamboard or plywood) can be put under the log, to raise it up for the next round. You are essentially being your own milling machine, without the cost or complexity of a real machine. The tradeoff is your time — it will take several hours to get the log slice just right. I like to flip the slice over a couple of times, to ensure that each face is being milled parallel to the other, with no unwanted bevels at the edges.
Once the log slice is the right thickness with two parallel faces, I like to remove the bark around the edge, so it does not flake off later. I use a small tool with about a 1-mm diameter rounded blunt tip — originally intended for rug hooking, I think. Then sand the faces, and finish them with urethane. Both top and bottom, and the edges, so the log slice does not absorb moisture unevenly.
To attach the legs (which can be anything you find convenient and attractive), I make a plywood flat which can be screwed underneath the log slice, with its profile about 2-3 cm inside the profile of the base of the log slice. Screws are run down through that flat, into the legs. Then the flat is screwed to the base of the log slice. One final coat of urethane, including the legs, and the table is complete.
I’ve made three of these log slice tables in the past, for personal use and gifts, and the one I’m making presently will be the fourth, another gift. It’s been a really enjoyable activity. If you make one of these tables, I hope you have fun.
Perhaps I should mention cautions. Protective goggles and ear muffs, of course. More importantly, there are lots of wood chips flying about — you might want to consider a dust mask. And some woods (eg, black cherry) are poisonous when breathed in as sawdust. Check the woodworking websites if you’re in doubt about the wood which you’re working with. As with any power tool, know where each of your hands is positioned at all times when you are going to use the tool.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
29-Jun-2014
Thermoelectric Cooler 2
I’ve been running the thermoelectric cooler (prior post) steadily for a significant fraction of a day, and measuring its power consumption and the temperature difference. It uses about 1.0 kilowatt-hour per day of power (from the wall outlet, via convertor to 12V DC). That costs about 25 cents US. The temperature difference maintained is about 13.3-13.5 degrees C.
Perhaps I should elaborate on that 25 cents per kwh figure. When I take my electrical bill, and look at the power actually used (before markup of quantity by about 9 percent for transmission losses), and divide that into the total charge (inlcuding various service charges, etc), it is about 22 cents Canadian, or 20 cents US. However, a couple of decades ago when I was reading a lot about solar power alternatives, especially for off-grid situations, a figure was offered that if you were on-grid, local solar generation would be an economic break-even if the grid charge was about 25 cents per kwh. Considering capital costs, etc. Thus I’ve taken to using 25 cents/kwh as my guideline for evaluating the economic cost or value of a kilowatt hour of electricity, however produced.
There are always other considerations. But it’s nice to have a rule of thumb, so that one does not have to get into some complicated calculations when a simple Yes/Maybe/No question is being asked, and if the answer is Yes or No then the action to take is simple. It’s mostly the Maybe answers that require a further detailed investigation.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
28-Jun-2014
Wigner and Dirac
I’ve been reading a brief sketch of Eugene Wigner’s life, written by Jagdish Mehra, in vol 1 of Wigner’s collected papers. Well written, and enjoyable. Great scientists come from various origins with various career intents. Wigner’s original plan was to be a chemical engineer. He took courses in physics and inorganic chemistry, and worked on the crystal structure of rhombic sulphur. His doctorate was in chemical engineering. All this study up to about 1925. By 1928, three joint papers with his friend John von Neumann, and in 1931, Wigner’s book on group theory and atomic spectra.
These years were a time of great intellectual ferment. Recently I ran across the 1928 volume of Zeitschrift for Physik which begins with four papers on the (new) Fermi-statistics (nowadays Fermi-Dirac statistics) version of the gas theory of electrons in metals, two papers by Arnold Sommerfeld and two by colleagues working with him. These years were also a time of great political turmoil; it is interesting how much scientific work was done in those times, despite the political disruptions. “Carry On and Keep Thinking”.
One other bit … Dirac married Wigner’s younger sister, Margit, in 1934. Many of the other marriages noted in Mehra’s biographical sketch of Wigner were between people with physics connections. It was a close-knit community of people with shared interests and outlooks upon the world.
My university library has only volume 1 of Wigner’s collected works (which seems to run to 5 volumes of scientific plus general articles), but even this single volume has much useful scientific information.
Best wishes,
Ken Roberts
14-Jun-2014
Logic, Astronomy, Science, and Ideas Too 
