The universe ONLY 14 BILLION years old???

I’ve been reading some of this lately and I am quite frankly, annoyed

as Hell.

I will use the following article as a reference…

New Scientist Article

In part:

2 The horizon problem

OUR universe appears to be unfathomably uniform. Look across space from one edge of the visible universe to the other, and you’ll see that the microwave background radiation filling the cosmos is at the same temperature everywhere. That may not seem surprising until you consider that the two edges are nearly 28 billion light years apart and our universe is only 14 billion years old.

Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, so there is no way heat radiation could have travelled between the two horizons to even out the hot and cold spots created in the big bang and leave the thermal equilibrium we see now.

This “horizon problem” is a big headache for cosmologists, so big that they have come up with some pretty wild solutions. “Inflation”, for example.

You can solve the horizon problem by having the universe expand ultra-fast for a time, just after the big bang, blowing up by a factor of 1050 in 10-33 seconds. But is that just wishful thinking? “Inflation would be an explanation if it occurred,” says University of Cambridge astronomer Martin Rees. The trouble is that no one knows what could have made that happen, but see Inside inflation: after the big bang.

So, in effect, inflation solves one mystery only to invoke another. A variation in the speed of light could also solve the horizon problem - but this too is impotent in the face of the question “why?” In scientific terms, the uniform temperature of the background radiation remains an anomaly.

Ummkay, who can point out the problems here?

The first thing that pops out at me is this…

“That may not seem surprising until you consider that the two
edges are nearly 28 billion light years apart and our universe is
only 14 billion years old.”

Didn’t we go through this a few hundred years ago? As I recall it, it
was Copernicus that stuck his neck out and suggested that the Earth
was not the center of the bloody universe!

Oh, wait, heres a lovely Wikipedia article about it…

Wikipedia article on Copernicus

Now it seems that allegedly modern astronomers have taken a
long step back and decided that our little spinning rock is the
center of the universe.

Hmmm…

Could it be that the 14 billion light years we can see in any given
direction might just be as far as our telescopes can see? Admittedly
14 billion light years is a long damn way to see but it also implies that
logic has been put on the shelf so some jackass can draw a paycheck
for not using the gray matter between his ears! Until someone can
show me empirical data proving me wrong, the Earth is not the
center of the universe!
To think otherwise implies an arrogance that is utterly
mind staggering.

Next up…

”Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, so there
is no way heat radiation could have travelled between the two
horizons to even out the hot and cold spots created in the big bang
and leave the thermal equilibrium we see now.”

Proof? Can anyone prove beyond any doubt that nothing can travel
faster than the speed of light?

Now before you go on about this theory, that theory, and the other
theory take into account that they are theories. With all due respect
to Einstein, Hawking and all of the other brilliant minds engaged in
academic pursuits, theory is fine. Facts and proof are better.
Theoretically, nothing can travel faster than light. This does not
mean that there is something we have yet to observe that could make
light look like a narcoleptic snail in comparison.

In theory I can make your piss turn blue if I focus my mind but
I ain’t countin’ on it.

And finally…

“So, in effect, inflation solves one mystery only to invoke another.
A variation in the speed of light could also solve the horizon problem
- but this too is impotent in the face of the question “why?” In
scientific terms, the uniform temperature of the background radiation
remains an anomaly.”

So far the only anomaly I see is their lack of logic. I suppose
Cambridge must be paying by the hour so they have to cast
all efforts at logic to the wayside to make a living.

Here is a logical theory for you to chew on Mr PhD, sir….

Some time beyond our feeble comprehension, the universe was
formed and all the matter was scattered far and wide. How far
is hard for us to say as our current level of technology limits us
to a relatively small sphere of the vastness that is the universe
that is observable from our tiny planet. To assume that all we can
see at this time is all there is to see is foolish at best.

What are my credentials, you ask? My credentials are two eyes
and a functional brain. Apparently that is no longer a requirement
for paid cosmologists.

How to correctly use a doorbell.

I have noticed that all too many people seem utterly clueless
when it comes to how to use a doorbell in a proper and civil
manner, having had my sleep disturbed by more than one
inconsiderate person randomly banging on the button like a
three year old banging pots in the kitchen…

As a general rule most people tend to get a little annoyed when
their doorbell rings repeatedly during the ten to twenty seconds
it may take them to answer the door. Yes, it is supposed to get
our attention, No, we cannot magically appear at the door on the
first sounding of the chime. And no, pressing the button every 0.5
seconds will not make us open the damned door any faster!

Now, onto the proper civilized way to use the doorbell…

Depress the doorbell button once and them stand back and
count off thirty seconds to yourself. If no one responds after
thirty seconds you may repeat this process once. If after the
second thirty seconds has elapsed and no one has answered the
door, you may assume that: 1) No one is home. 2) Everyone is
asleep or otherwise indisposed*.

* If the sun has gone down and it is after 9:00 PM, it is generally
safe to say that the home’s occupants have retired for the evening
and it would be best to try again at a later date (preferably during
day time the next day).

For more sarcastic wit, watch this blog…

Random rant: unemployment, the media and just general bitching

Normally I try to make a blog entry that is something worth
reading but Nah, not today.

This is just a random and slightly pissed off rant today.

Someone's probably already said this and probably far more
eloquently than I ever could but here's my two cents worth
on a few subjects...

The media drives me nuts with their blow dried hair and
$10,000 + smiles when they start yapping about how
unemployment is up or down on any given day. All they are
quoting is how many people are drawing their
unemployment benefits!

Not how many people are stuck sitting around the house
or at some job center looking at some highly bored and employed
person telling them that either they are under qualified, over
qualified, or that no one is hiring. Period.

How about all the people that aren't drawing the benefits anymore?

Take a look at this from CNN (the irony is not lost on me here)...

Unemployment state by state

*sarcasm by the gallon*
Gee, that doesn't look too very bad does it? And that's just
the ones drawing their benefits right now. Like I said, what
about the poor (literally) bastards not drawing anything now?!?

And then they (the media talking heads) go on to quote the
latest figures on "new jobs" that have been created... They
don't bother to mention that most of these new jobs are flippin'
burgers at some fast food joint, bagging groceries, or playing greeter
at the newest Wal-Mart for just over minimum wage if they're lucky.

*sarcasm by the gallon*
Oh yeah, real career potential there!

You might be saying, But Shadow, they've got jobs at least.

HAH!

A job is something that you mostly hate but at least make
enough money at not to need to go to a food bank and ask
for a handout! Or worse ask for the whole $10 worth of food
stamps they'll allow you since that $8,999 a year you make is
$10 too much meaning you can supposedly afford food.
Meanwhile you get to stand next to a yuppie soccer mom sucking
down a cup of Starbucks latte yakking on her cell phone while
you try to decide if a can of SPAM is in your budget for the month!

And that's another thing I'm kinda pissed about...

I've seen at least two idjits floppin' their gums grinning like
loons on the tube remarking that SPAM sales are on the rise.
No, really? Ya think it might have something to do with the
general price of food that might make someone start buying it
now?!? or maybe it might be the next generation of head-for-the-hills
survivalists that used to be one of those soccer moms.

SPAM, everything-but-the-oink in a can. Well, I guess it's a step
above rationalizing chowing down on a can of Alpo...

Speaking of these new survivalists, Kids, you're taking it a
step too far. I can understand wanting to make a break from
your old spend, spend, spend lifestyle but going to the opposite
extreme is no better. Going from cell phones, TV, and the
internet to a wood burning stove, and reading by candle light,
and hiding in the woods is silly in the extreme. Survival doesn't
mean living like Grizzly Adams.

And now for the political aspect of my ranting...

To all 2008 presidential candidates and their supporters,
Shut up for a change, please. Most of us are sick and tired
of hearing and reading about your newest scandals and half
baked shit stirring comments. We don't particularly care what
church you go to and we don't really care if you go out and
pretend to be like the "common" people and drink beer and
munch pizza. The only decent candidates are about 200 years
in the grave and none of you currently running can change that.

Ok, I'm done for now.

what, you think there's more?!?

Sheesh.. Give 'em a paragraph and they expect a book...

A fine display of hypocrisy

Early this morning I caught a spot on the local TV news out of
Memphis regarding an ongoing problem with their “adult oriented
businesses” (Read: topless bars).

Here are two links to stories on the subject, I’ll add more later
as they become available.

County Calls For Stricter Laws On Strip Clubs

Norm Brewer Commentary: December 5, 2007

Now my complaint here is the hypocrisy involved in it. They
claim they don’t want the strip clubs and related crime problems.
However, they do want the revenue generated from the sales of
beer in the clubs.

Excuse me?! You want money from people, mostly men, sitting
around slurping beer watching women wearing goofy outfits strip
naked but you aren’t prepared to deal with the problems their
drunken behavior causes?!

WTF?

Memphis has always struck me as a city that is highly confused
as to what it wants to be when it grows up. They claim they want
to keep the small town friendliness attitude and retain their
Christian morals and values. Yet at the same time they want to be
a big city on par with L.A. or New York. I’m sorry but it doesn’t work
that way. Whenever you have a big city’s benefits you are going to
have it’s related problems.

With strip clubs those problems will be, by default, prostitution,
drugs, and horny drunks. Which would rather leave you a choice to
make. Refuse to allow such clubs and look for revenue elsewhere or
get your hands dirty and deal with the problems your greed caused.

New and improved, My butt! (literally)

And now a break from the normally serious tone into the

realms of an Al Bundy-esque rant…

There is one thing that most people in the Western world
are familiar with and use daily, or nearly so. Toilet paper.

Yes, I said toilet paper.

A far cry from the Sears and Roebuck catalog of old and
far less rough than a corn cob of even older times.
(Unless you buy that cheap generic stuff.)

At any rate we had a pack sitting on the top shelf for a while
that kind of got pushed back every month as new TP was
bought to replace used TP. One month I noticed that they
came out with new packaging proclaiming “New and Improved!”
but I noticed a distinct difference once the new was set near the old.

Their improvements appeared to be a change of color on the
packaging and making the text bi-lingual, English and Spanish.
What, no French?!? The Canadians engaged in a TP boycott or
something?!? Did they decide that snow was a better substitute?!?

But(t) I digress…

The other improvements were to make the rolls smaller as
well as shorter. Ok, since when is less merchandise for the
same price an improvement? Oh, that’s right, the improvement
is their cash flow! I guess customer satisfaction got flushed
on this particular business decision.

To the left the “New and Improved and the the right the Old and Unimproved version

And yes, I have the dimensions (as opposed to dementia)
of both the old and new.

Old and Unimproved packs Dimensions:
12 Rolls, 198 2-ply sheets per roll, 297 Sq Ft,
4.5 x 4.0 inches per sheet

New and Improved packs Dimensions:
12 Rolls, 176 2-ply sheets per roll, 250.5 Sq Ft,
4.27 x 4.0 inches per sheet

I could go on but… Aww, just flush it!