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Sky at a Glance | Recent Astronomy News & Night Sky Events – Sky & Telescope
All posts by Nathan Ruffing
Celestial Movement: Know Less Understand More
The following are true and do not change perceptibly over an entire human lifetime.
- The non-sun stars do not move relative to each other. Not now, not over thousands of years, not anytime we will ever know about. The stars remain a fixed spherical image we gaze out at from the inside.
- The north star and southern cross remain in the same positions in the sky and do not move relative to an observer on Earth, even as Earth rotates. They mark the axis of rotation of Earth. Correct, they do not move at all. You could build a structure pointed at the north star one night and if the structure doesn’t move, it points at the north star day and night season after season year after year forever, whether you can see the north star or not, it’s there. (The structure would be called a gnomon, if you care).
- All of the non-sun stars/constellations remain in the exact same latitude and therefore trace the exact same line through the sky each time Earth rotates, every day of our lives, no exceptions. The line a star traces through the sky at your location peaks at 90° – [your latitude] + [latitude of the star] always.
- Earth’s rotational axis is not tilted. Earth’s orbital plane around the sun is tilted! When orienting celestial objects, we are forced to choose what we consider “upright.” Earth’s gravity cannot dictate “upright” for celestial objects. If you imagine Earth’s rotational axis as upright, the north star remains fixed as “north” or “up” and the orbital plane is then tilted 23° meaning Earth “moves north and south” as it orbits, or moves “up and down.”
- The sun. slightly more complicated, but helpful because the sun is bright. What is a line of latitude? What does a line of latitude look like? The blindingly bright sun traces a line of latitude through the sky every day. On equinox days, the sun traces the 0° line of latitude (celestial equator) and on the solstices the sun traces the +/- 23.4° line of latitude. In between, the sun gradually traces lines of latitude from 0° to 23.4° to 0° to -23.4° and back to 0° again throughout the year. Each day the sun traces a slightly different line of latitude as Earth orbits.
- Nobody is good at three-dimensional spherical-angle geometry! Nobody! Astronomers are not good at it. Nobody is! Then why does the current zodiac constellation represent the constellation behind the sun that we cannot see?? Because nobody is good at three dimensional geometry! Astronomers for millennia past and still today use the sun as a “pointer.” Nothing in the sky points like the sun. The sun is such a bright “pointer” that you cannot see what is behind it – but remember that the stars do not move relative to each other so if you have some idea of what the starry sky looks like, and you know the current zodiac constellation, you can reference the rest of the starry sky off of the sun itself. “Pisces is shining bright this month!” True statement – even though Pisces is only up during the day because looking forward the sun means looking toward the current zodiac constellation. We are currently in Pisces. “The sun pointer is moving toward the constellation Aries.” Another true statement. The line the sun traces through the starry background as we orbit is called the “ecliptic.”
Once you have some firm ground to stand on, you can start to remember some more basics and build. If you get confused, re-read the above and remind yourself that many things in the sky do not change!
- Orion, the most widely-recognized constellation, is on the celestial equator. Therefore Orion rises directly east and sets directly west. Orion is “up” ~12 hours and “down” ~12 hours. Orion’s path peaks at 90° – [your latitude] above your horizon (directly overhead the equator). Also, Orion is visible from everywhere on Earth.
- Orion is directly south of the border of Taurus and Gemini. The Taurus Gemini border marks the northern hemisphere summer solstice, so on the summer solstice the sun points near Orion. On the winter solstice, Orion is high in the sky at midnight.
- Polaris, the north star, is located directly north at [your latitude]° above the horizon, always. Most people use the Big Dipper to find Polaris.
- The two stars in the Big Dipper aligned with Polaris point to the ecliptic at Leo near its border with Virgo, so near the sun’s location at the autumnal equinox.
- The Milky Way’s bright galactic center is among Sagittarius, specifically Sagittarius A. It is 29° south of the celestial equator so therefore peaks at 61° – [your latitude] in your sky (more visible in southern hemisphere). Being near the northern hemisphere winter solstice, it is most visible in northern hemisphere during summer.
Time v3 Clock Links
Read Time v3 with an Accurate Mental Model
- You are the observer in the center of the clock. Everything moves relative to the observer.
- The sun position on the clock represents the actual longitudinal position of the sun.
- Solar noon is noon on the clock. “Solar noon” and “clock noon” are one and the same. When the sun is directly overhead the observer, it is noon, and half of the day has passed.
- Sunrise and sunset are depicted and labeled. Sunrise marks time 0:00 each day and sunset marks the day length. The day length changes gradually throughout the year with the seasons.
- When the sun sets, the “official time” turns negative and begins to count down to sunrise. However, if you mark an event at +12:30 time v3 during an 11 hour day, +12:30 is visible on the clock even though the sun has set, the official time v3 is negative, and your event will be held in the dark. “+12:30” is still 12 hours and 30 minutes after sunrise and still a usable time.
- The moon position on the clock represents the actual longitudinal position of the moon. Moon directly overhead on the clock, the moon is directly overhead the observer, “moon noon.” Moonrise and moonset are off to the side, just like the sun. I am adding small moonrise and moonset lines in the next version.
- The moon phase is represented by the sun’s position relative to the moon and Earth, easily observable on the clock. Project the sun out to “infinity” and the sun points to the moon phase marked on the moon itself. Therefore the moon phase on the clock is determined just how it is in real life.
- The locations marked on the clock’s Earth represent prominent geographical features approximately every 15° longitude. Therefore the sun passes one of the geographical features every hour. If you want to know the approximate time at a different location, just imagine the observer on the clock is at the location with everything else right where it is. Tilt your head if it helps or physically turn the clock on its side.
- The sun pointing to the stars marks the seasons, just like in real life. The constellations on the clock are the constellations (official IAU) the sun points to throughout the year as Earth orbits. They are zodiac constellations on the ecliptic, for telling seasons, not the constellations on the celestial equator. The difference is minor (see below).
- The stars pass overhead on the clock when those stars actually reach their peak to the observer. Star noon on the clock is star noon in real life.
- Of note, the prominent constellation of Orion is on the celestial equator just south of the Taurus/Gemini border Orion borders both Taurus and Gemini. Therefore Orion is an excellent star reference to align the clock to real life.
- The thin white line behind the equinox in Pisces shows 1,000 years of precession of the equinoxes. Yes, one thousand years, one millennium, 500 years in the past and 500 years into the future. The equinoxes do not move very much.
Understand Celestial Movement by Knowing Less
Notes
- three buttons:
- 5040x with pause feature
- 21,600x with pause feature
- “sunrises / sunsets snapshots” time lapse
- useful sounds?
- add moonrise and moonset
- The horizons showing day length are the only indications of latitude. I want to keep it this way. 2D, time is the 3rd dimension.
- unify the new year globally making it the exact equinox. Focus locally, celebrate large events globally.
- clock ticks in background on phones? battery life?
- Digital doesn’t match graphic on some time lapses. Maybe only on past years?
- digital font size correct for computers and phones
- make “copy-able link” for the link generator
- 90° and 270° ecliptic longitude are the solstices, correct?
- astrolabe, Incan Inthuatana,
Fundamental Concept
Every movement of this clock is related to a naturally-occurring phenomenon. The sun, moon, and constellations are actually physically overhead the longitude physically shown on the clock. The only man-made concept is the unit of time: hours/minutes/seconds.
Within the constraints of being two-dimensional and using only concentric circle movement, the clock graphically displays celestial movement as accurately and with as much detail as possible in a way that promotes a practical mental model for the observer.
The horizons move to show the correct day and night length. They move in the correct direction to match the idea that the sun follows a longer path in the sky on longer days and shorter path on shorter days. In post-industrial time, noon is when the sun is directly overhead. This clock shows noon at the various world locations by being directly overhead the longitude. “Solar noon” is an industrial time concept.
The angle of the horizons does not directly correspond to the azimuth of the sunrise and sunset itself. For example, the sun being overhead a longitude location on Earth 100 degrees from your longitude when it rises does not mean the sun will rise 10 degrees north from east.
Two-dimensional is convenient for hanging on a wall, inexpensive to construct, can be displayed on a screen, and in reality people prefer 2D. 3D TVs never caught on. The outdoors is 3D enough.
Concentric circle movement is practical to construct and control. In addition, almost all the movement of the objects in the sky is due to the rotation of Earth.
Nature presents us with an infinity of detail that the clock could depict. Computers enable us to easily do this and most products show maximum detail. This clock selectively provides the user with just the basis required to comprehend celestial movement in order to inspire the user to abandon the technology for the outdoors and more fully appreciate natural reality.
The Observer
On this clock, all objects are referenced to the observer as though the observer is standing aligned to the rotational axis of Earth. “Aligned to the rotational axis of Earth” sounds like an unnecessary complication, but it means all the objects move (almost) continuously and you can tell time of day, day length, night length, moon phase, moon rise and set, seasons, constellation and star positions, and even approximate world times, all using an intuitive mental model.
The observer is at the center of the post-industrial clock.
Observer’s Imagination
Notice, the gnomon of a sundial is aligned to the rotational axis of Earth. The ancients knew how to think about this. If you want to be familiar with the movement of the Earth and the relative motion of the sky, you must align with the Earth. If you accept the one complication of aligning with Earth, all else naturally falls into place.
You might say gravity is the biggest obstacle to aligning yourself to Earth’s rotational axis. True. To eliminate the gravity problem, just imagine you are on the north pole. If you were sitting on the north pole during an equinox, you would see all the objects on the clock rotating around your horizon just like they do on the clock.
Rotation and Orbit
Notice “rotate” means an individual object rotates, and “orbit” means an object moves in a path around another object. Objects can rotate and orbit in different planes, but because of the way the solar system was formed, rotation is mostly closely aligned with orbit. One notable example of misalignment is the tilt of Earth’s rotation relative to its orbit around the sun.
The Sun, Horizons, and Time
The position of the sun determines all time-related items.
The rotational position of Earth is shown by the sun appearing to move relative to the observer. The position of the sun in relation to the eastern horizon and western horizon tells the time of day.
Day length is determined by the distance the sun must travel through the sky from the eastern horizon to the western horizon. Day length is shown by the position of the two horizons. Night length is the remainder of the 24-hour period as the sun returns to the eastern horizon. The horizons move because of the tilt of Earth and its orbit around the sun.
The sun points to the season on the backdrop of the stars. The 12 Zodiac constellations are used because they are aligned with Earth’s equator and are visible from most positions on Earth. The Zodiac seasonal periods are named based on when the constellation is aligned with the sun. Ironically, it is exactly during a particular Zodiac constellation’s season that the constellation is not visible in the night sky because it is directly behind the sun.
The stars move around the observer because of the rotation of Earth, like the sun. Because of the orbit of Earth around the sun, the stars actually appear to move slightly faster than the sun. In a way, the stars “chase” the sun across the sky. Because of this, the constellation that is low on the western horizon immediately after sunset indicates the next season. The constellation will “chase” the sun down, setting because of Earth’s rotation and then each successive night set four minutes earlier until it sets with the sun.
Moon phase is determined by the position of the moon relative to the sun. The position of the moon relative to the sun is immediately apparent on the clock giving the user an intuitive mental model of moon phase. The moon rises and sets independently of the sun, so there are separate horizons for the moon.
Relative to the Observer
The stars do not move relative to each other, so you can relate your favorite constellations to the Zodiac constellations to quickly know where they are if desired. The position of the Zodiac constellations on the clock are accurate relative to the observer. The observer need only adjust for latitude. If a constellation is directly overhead on the clock, it is directly south in the northern hemisphere or north in the southern hemisphere, or overhead on the equator.
Approximate world time is asking the question, “What time is it to other observers?” or “Where is the sun relative to other observers?” The user can look at the other cities on the clock and see where the sun is relative to them. If the sun is directly over another location on the clock, it is noon in that location. The sun is moving relative to other observers just like it is moving on the clock. If the sun appears directly to the side of another observer, it is near rising or near setting. If directly below, it is midnight to that observer.
Sun/Moon/Stars to Sundial to Pendulum to Quartz to Atomic Vibrations to Smartphones to Sundial to Sun/Moon/Stars
Progress is a cycle.
Pre-history: humans evolved with celestial objects ruling our lives and became familiar with them. The sun and moon are encoded into our genes in our circadian rhythm.
Thousands of years: humans quantified the movement of the sun with sundials, and used charts for the phases of the moon and seasons.
Industrial Revolution: humans used rudimentary machines to club our minds to submit to rigid schedules.
Post-Industrial Clocks: humans use advanced machines to conform technology to nature and re-connect with our natural selves.
Like this clock, the gnomon of a sundial is oriented parallel to the rotational axis of the Earth. If you called this clock an “indoor sundial” you are not too far off. However, “indoor solar, lunar, and celestial fully-automated schedule” would be more accurate. Therefore, is this new? No, but is anything new? Not according to the Bible,
Ecclesiastes 1
9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us.
Life is a cycle and it is time to revisit some of our past. We now have the time and resources to do it.
Knowing what the sky looks like can certainly be done with charts, phone apps, websites, maps, but to develop a useful mental model, you need to periodically and quickly see something that is practically relatable to practical day-to-day events. This is our natural ability that was erased by industrial time. Industrial time is great for rigid old obsolete machines to cheaply give us rigid schedules, but computers enable machines to imitate nature and can enable us to re-connect with nature rather than brutally beating nature out of our minds with the incessant ticking of pendulums and gears. Computers can be better, let’s use them.
history, manufacturing, time, astronomy,
Living History
Draft, working on this post.
The following is a list of historical figures, selected primarily for having been interesting. Most either were extremely successful, crazy, won or lost key battles, or committed or were victims of atrocities.
I want to quickly summarize their lives using geographical features and cities (rather than modern national borders).
BC Years
1810-1750 BC, Hammurabi, 6th Amorite King of the old Babylonian Empire.
~800 BC, Homer
669-631 BC, Ashurbanipal
600-530 BC, Cyrus II of Persia
551-459 BC, Confucius.
450-404 BC, Alcibiades, Greece, Anatolia. Contemporary of Socrates.
430-355 BC, Xenophon, marched through Northern Iraq and noted huge old cities.
381 BC, King Dao of Chu, Early ruler in the warring states period.
356-323 BC, Alexander III of Macedon, tutored by Aristotle. “Alexander the Great”
350,-285 BC, Pytheas of Massalia, “Pytheas the Greek” Explored from Greece to Britain
367-283 BC, Ptolomy 1, “Ancestor to Cleopatra, inherited Egypt from Alexander the Great”
312-63 BC, Seleucid Empire figure?
247-181 BC, Hannibal Barca, Carthage, Defeated by Hublius Cornelius Scitio Africanus
~-161 BC, Maccabean Martyrs
215,-164 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Historical monster
80-46 BC, Vercingetorix: Celtic leader who united the Celtic clans against Julius Ceasar, lost, and was executed in Rome.
5 BC-67AD, Paul of Tarsus, wrote much of the New Testament, “Reading from the Letter of Paul to … ”
69-155, Polycarp
100-165, Justin Martyr
202 Irenaeus
244-311, Diocletian, Ended the 3rd Century “crisis of emperors.”
298-373, Athanasius
437, Gunther, Scandanavia, Hungary?, Killed by Attila the Hun, Norse legend.
480-575, Saint Brendan the Navigator, See also Patrick and Brigid of Kildare
500-548, Theodora, “Mabbug, Cyprus, or Paphlagonia, Wife of Justinian, convinced men to stay during Nika riot, insisted on wearing royal purple.
573-634, Abu Bakr, Muhammed’s father-in-law, Sunni leader.
686-741,Charles Martel, Stopped the Muslim advance at Battle of Tours
752-803, Empress Irene, Byzantine Empress. Killed her own son.
885-954,Erik Haroldsson, King of Norway and Northumbria, “Erik Bloodaxe”
-986, Bjarni Herjolfsson, Overshot Greenland and landed on Labrador Coast / Newfoundland
-1014,Samuel of Bulgaria, Lost to Basil II. 99 / 100 of his men were blinded after loss, brutal.
1022-1066, Harold Godwinson, Harold II, Last Anglo-Saxon King of England. Beaten at Hastings, William the Conqueror.
1215-1294, Kublai Khan, Successor to Ghengis
1304-1377, Ibn Battuta, Major traveler. Berber. Never the same path twice.
1336-1405, Tamerlane, Uzbekhyzstan, Murderous.
1371-1433, Ma He / Zheng He, Chinese explorer, huge fleet, did not conquer. He was a eunuch.
1450-1500, Bartolomeu Dias, Cabo de tempestade, Portuguese explorer
1485-1547, Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquess of the Valley of Oaxaca. Burned his ships and defeated the Aztecs.
1519-1589: Catherine de’ Medici – influenced by Il Principe (2nd book printed on press behind The Bible), married to King of France, instigated St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.
1583-1634: Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein – Bohemian military commander influenced by Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
1635-1695, Michael Toussaint. Became Michael of Ruffine. First Ruffing.
Respect Literacy: Blogs are the New Book
Like books, personal blogs seem to have an innate ability built-in to the medium to bring out the best in people.
Do not confuse blogs with social media.
I have been keeping this list of my friends’ websites for several years now. Many are small business sites (pillars of society), none are vanity-driven, and all of the information is thoughtful, meaningful work by people who care. All of it is good. It represents the cream of 100+ years of electronic communication. That’s a strong statement and it’s true.
If you became literate and started reading books 500 years ago after the Gutenberg Press, you got ahead. If you understand the power the internet brings to people by enabling blogs, you get ahead.
Chess News
World Championship from 26 November to 15 December 2021:
Live coverage each day starting at 0730.
Game summaries from agadmator (best chess commentator):
Game 2 summary with some quick tournament explanation from agadmator.
- It is being played alongside the World Expo in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
- They play “kind of” a best-of-15 series. The only difference is a player doesn’t have to reach 8, just 7 ½ because draws are worth ½. They play one game per day (except some free days see schedule at link below), starting 26 Nov.
- The games start at 1630 in Dubai, which is 0730 EST. Watch at the link above with commentary. The games last up to about 6 hours.
- Note: during the analysis the black / white line to the left of the analysis board shows who the computer says is winning.
- Magnus Carlsen from Norway is the Tiger Woods of chess and challenger Ian Nepo___, from Russia, won a tournament in the spring for the opportunity to play against Carlsen.
More details here:
https://www.chess.com/article/view/world-chess-championship-2021
A little WWE-type drama in the background:
Magnus Carlsen to retire after loss to extreme learner Max Deutsch.
Magnus Carlsen
Norwegian Magnus Carlsen is the Tiger Woods of chess. That’s why chess has become a mainstream sport! OK, that’s extreme, neither mainstream nor sport (debate!?), but Magnus Carlsen was the youngest player to top the world FIDE rankings when he reached the top in January 2010 and he has been on top since.
Magnus Carlsen’s Recent Loss
Four days ago, on 24 January, Magnus Carlsen lost to 18-year-old Russian Andrey Esipenko. It was a huge upset. The tournament schedule is here and the final round is played on 31 January.
Watch the game analysis of Carlsen’s loss here.
Two days later, On 26 January, Magnus Carlsen bounced back and won his next game. Watch the game analysis here.
On 27 January, Magnus Carlsen, World #1, played World #2, American-Italian Fabiano Caruana.
Watch the game analysis here between the world’s top two players.
How to Watch Chess
Chess games last several hours, and it’s chess at a level we cannot understand. However, agadmator’s Chess Channel makes the games watchable and even exciting. Here is agadmator’s website. Agadmator’s name is Antonio Radić and he is Croatian guy who is a really good amateur chess player and now comments on chess full-time.
The International Chess Federation, FIDE is the most widely-recognized governing body. (but their calendar stinks)
Magnus Carlsen’s own schedule might be the best place to follow. Other options are chess.com calendar, agadmator’s site, FIDE ratings, more … ?
Who’s Who of Chess
Chess has a long history. We’ve heard some of the names without being able to place them. Here are some:
Paul Morphy, 1837-1884: dominated in America, then crossed the ocean and dominated in Europe.
Bobby Fischer, 1943-2008: American who won the most widely publicized chess championship of all time, the 1972 World Chess Championship considered a Cold War US versus USSR chess showdown. I have not yet seen the movie, Searching for Bobby Fischer.
Garry Kasparov, 1963-living: longest reign at top of FIDE ratings.
Computers Playing Chess
The chess computer Deeper Blue beat the reigning world champion in 1997, and computers have not looked back. Modern computers beat all humans at chess.
No Mask Zone
This year, being polite requires being a bit forceful. As I have said from the beginning along with most people I know, there is a no-mask zone around me. Under no circumstances, directly or indirectly, will I be the reason you are required to cover your face. Breathe free, friends.
That said, there are many people who support wearing masks. We have to have a way of dealing with it consistently. My responses all year to even an allusion to mask support have been harsh. I have even been harsh if I perceive a failure to actively resist. After having had time to cool off, my only regret is the herd mentality stampeding to “safety” behind face underwear.
Being a divisive subject, I have decided the best course of action is active listening. Therefore I will directly quote the mask support I have heard and repeat it as best I understand it.
Active Listening 1
Mask supporter: “Masks are polite.”
What I hear: “Cover your face – and I do not consider it impolite to tell someone to cover their face.”
Very well. You will be safe. Do not come within two meters of me.
Active Listening 2
Mask supporter after I suggested that businesses post whether they require masks or not: “Of course businesses can post a requirement for shirt and shoes, ‘no shirt no shoes no service,’ but masks?!? … Obviously the government has to step in and mandate that everybody wear masks in public.”
What I hear: “My fear and belief in masks supersede a business owner’s right to operate with open faces. Cover your face.”
I hear you loud and clear – so now don’t come within two meters of me.
Active Listening 3
Mask supporter during a discussion about the various prevention measures: “Come on man. Masks aren’t political. It’s science. Of course governments have to require masks.”
What I hear: “No discussion. We have all agreed that all security trumps all individual rights. Cover your face.”
Loud and clear. Keep your distance from me.
Active Listening 4
Mask supporter admitting that outdoor masking is probably a waste: “OK yeah, they probably don’t do anything outside, but we need to show we’re all together in this.”
What I hear … ? “Join my cult. We cover our faces everywhere. Cover your face if you are near me. My government will require it.”
I’m a bit confused to be honest, but you said it. Keep your distance.
Active Listening 5
Mask supporter relating mask wearing to health codes in restaurants: “So you believe people should ignore the mask mandate, which is a health code, and not wear masks? Isn’t that a slippery slope of people not following health codes?”
What I hear: “I think I’m clever. Cover your face. My government will require it.”
You are a real threat because people really will buy that line if the TV says it.
Active Listening 6
Mask supporter: “Science says cover your face.”
What I hear: “The TV says cover your face, so I do.”
Take your “science,” your science, your TV, and your mask, and shove them all up your ass … and keep your distance from me.
Mask Etiquette
Having considered, the following categories apply for me:
People who actively respect a human being’s right to show their face while interacting, including whatever “risk” is involved: I appreciate your friendship more than ever.
People wearing masks. Depends who, where, and why.
People who fail to actively resist masking: I strive to be stronger. Writing about it is a form of resistance, hope this helps.
Any indirect support for any mask mandate: you are a mild threat. I am actively planning to avoid falling victim to any government you vote for.
Direct support, any enthusiasm for masking, or any in-person social pressure to wear a mask, even out of a perceived sense of duty: I will do my best to maintain two meters from you for the rest of my life.
COVID-19 One-Year Reflection
The Pandemic in Summary
- Fact: SARS-CoV-2 is the third known new coronavirus in 20 years – not disputed.
- The origin of the virus: The virus reservoir and evolutionary origin responsible for the three new coronaviruses since 2002 is humans sharing exhaled breath indoors on the scale enabled by the indoor economy explosion over the last 4-5 decades. SARS-CoV-2 would be more appropriately labeled “EBSRS-CoV-3” for “Exhaled Breath Sewage Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 3.”
- Wet markets, bats, and camels are not the source. We make the animals sick, but we don’t notice sick animals until we get sick, then we blame the animals / markets. While hybridization by dual infection between animals and humans may contribute, it is a distant second-place factor and we are simply refusing to acknowledge the primary factor.
- Lab leak? Like the director of the Wuhan Virology Lab herself, I considered it.
- Bio-weapon? I thought for sure no until I saw how hard governments and media are pushing genetic injections and learned about binary poison, antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) and their capabilities with genetics.
- We will continue to see new coronaviruses periodically unless we fix the conditions that allow coronaviruses to develop. We have barely touched this issue because it would be extremely costly to implement appropriate ventilation standards and by now we may have globally committed beyond the point of no return.
- The spread vector of the virus: The virus overwhelmingly spreads indoors, especially in poor ventilation. There has not been a single confirmed spread event associated with only outdoor activity. There have been countless thousands of super-spread events indoors that can account for the entire pandemic.
- Prevention should focus almost exclusively on being outdoors and ventilating indoors. City-owned governments and media will not promote this simple idea because it points the finger directly at cities.
- The virus spreads by aerosols. Aerosol = micro-droplet. This means the WHO and the CDC had the spread vector wrong, obviously ignoring evidence for almost the entire year. The WHO and the CDC corrected themselves around December. Let that sink in. Wrong on the spread vector all year. They have quietly corrected themselves now on their sites.
- There is a very good chance the virus does not spread by droplets at all. The WHO and the CDC are still claiming droplet spread, even though aerosols by themselves could explain the entire pandemic without droplets. Let that sink in. Very possibly still wrong.
- Aerosols, micro-droplets, and droplets sound like technical terms to you? Too complex? Let that sink in. After a year of continuous coverage on TV, most are still unfamiliar with the simple terms for the possible spread vectors.
- If you have 10 priorities – as lurching governments now do – you have no priority. Classic failure of leadership. Common under stress.
- It is probable and even likely that all outdoor “prevention measures” are completely useless and even cause the spread of the virus by encouraging indoor activity.
- Masks are highly-visible and make people feel like they are doing something.
- The societal response to the virus: COVID-19 and the response have changed everything. It is worth learning about and considering, if for no other reason, because you can make money and avoid losing money.
- The appropriate prevention measure: If there is one specific thing we should avoid to prevent the development and spread of coronaviruses, it is concentrated exhaled breath.
- The “vaccine”: Genetic immune boost is the solution preferred by governments and corporations, which is being frantically promoted in the media. The term “vaccine,” while not outright lying, is much less accurate than “genetic immune boost”.
- Genetic immune boost represents an attempt to artificially boost our immune systems against a disease instead of hygienically cleaning the conditions responsible. Realistically, we are nearly ignoring ventilation. This is the first time we have ever openly declined to fix the conditions that cause a disease. I expect genetic immune boost to be unsuccessful long-term against an unrelenting onslaught of virus evolution in the indoor economy.
- A dream solution: Fusion energy would solve the virus by making it possible to continue climate control indoors and bring in enough fresh air (AKA “make-up air”). Will we make it to fusion?
Reflection After a Year
I rarely do self-reflections, strike 1.
People are tired of COVID, strike 2.
But this is my outlet, so I’m swinging away.
Reaching the year point reminds me that at the beginning of all this I had not payed attention to any news for several years prior. I need to put this to rest so I can move on and go back to mostly ignoring the “news.” This has to be the last virus post.
With respect to prevention, all year I have done my best to stay outside when possible, ventilate when possible, do my part to slow the spread by not getting sick. Duh. The fresh air has been nice anyway. (I also jumped through the government hoops as required). I still got the virus – I think, I got a cough, fever, and lost my smell for 5 days. I’m obviously not alone. I knew I was taking chances. I predicted I would get it when I did, which is some form of success. I continued to avoid most indoor situations while I knew I was sick. Success. I didn’t clog up the hospital by requiring treatment. Success.
We all remember how we first heard of COVID-19. I received a text message from a friend on 25 January 2020 that referenced a virus in China. I responded more or less, “huh?” A few days later I remembered that a friend had returned to China (4 January) to take care of her sick father. Could it be related? I texted her. Her father had died from a lung infection in Hubei Province.
For better or worse, the pandemic consumed me. From disease history to modern disease prevention to haywire governments in 2020, I researched to the best of my ability and came to the conclusions above. While I cannot rule out most of the various conflicting explanations, the conclusions seem so common sense and the counter-arguments so outlandish that I feel irresponsible if I did not publish.
President Biden’s First 100 Days
Trump’s First 100 Days
https://nathanruffing.com/president-trumps-first-100-days/
I tried to follow Trump’s first 100 days. I made an effort but alas I let it slide. Now when I read again what he actually said, I am reminded of how much the media distorts what he actually wrote.
My Post on Trump’s First 100 Days
I notice at the end of my post I said the same things four years ago that I’m saying now: turn off the TV and be local. Four years later I believe I can truly say I know a few people who have completely eliminated TV from their lives. That’s some success.
Biden’s First 100 Days
(Build Back Better? Tripling down on the slogans with not-so-hidden negative implication I guess: MAGA, BLM, … now BBB)
To Biden’s pledges. I guess two things stand out.
First, masking. I will continue to use masking as an indicator of mental illness and an indicator of people and places to avoid. Biden has declared himself the leader of the mentally ill.
Second, what little I saw from the media about Biden’s first 100 days looked like open provocation. I have to admit, this contrasts with what Biden has actually written, less dramatic, so once again the media is distorting and provoking.
Media quoting Biden: “I’m coming for you! Retaliation!”
Biden himself: “Washington DC plans to return to the usual half-truth thievery at the pace Americans are used to (plus masking attempt round two since a surprising majority of Americans seem to not value showing their faces).”
Solution to Immigration, Not a Wall
Marco Rubio nails it in 56 seconds, starting at 0:43 in the video:
https://youtu.be/6aq8OnyDeAw?t=43
- Prevent visa overstays.
- Reform immigration process to more merit-based less family-based.
- Process the current illegal immigrants with the normal process.
Solution to COVID, Not Masks
This paper remains the best of 2020 on COVID:
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa939/5867798
Focus on fresh air and ventilation.
Solution to Washington DC
Defund DC. Repeal the 16th Amendment to the Constitution.
30 April 2021
I’ll give myself a little more realistic task this time around since I failed to follow the details on Trump. It will be interesting to see how long Biden lasts.
Will Biden still be president on 30 April 2021? (100 days)
Probably.
Will Biden go the whole four years?
Probably not.