Reality Unseen

Inside the collider

So unless you’ve been under a rock you know about the “success” of the Large Hadron Collider housed in the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN in Geneva.  The objective of this underground behemoth is to smash atoms together and create a mini big bang that will help scientists understand what the universe is made of particularly the ever elusive theoretical dark matter.  Today the collider set a record for high-energy collisions by crashing proton beams into each other at three times more force than ever before.  The proton beams collision was measured  at a combined energy level of 7 trillion electron volts.  So what does this mean for the average person?  I don’t think anyone can say right now.  I suppose it all comes down to what the scientists can discover about dark matter and more but lets backtrack, What is dark matter you ask?  Dark matter is matter that cannot be detected by electromagnetic radiation, hence dark. It is postulated to exist to explain how clusters and superclusters of galaxies formed after the big bang. Data from galaxy rotation curves indicate that around 90% of the mass of a galaxy cannot be seen. It can only be detected by its gravitational effect.  So yes dark matter is theoretical right now since it can’t be seen or quantified yet.  There is hot, warm and cold dark matter.  So again I wonder what does it mean?   Is this what brings about our destruction in 2012 as possibly predicted by the Mayans?  I mean maybe their calendar only goes to 2012 for a different reason than global destruction as seems to the popular theory.  Will it unleash something good, bad or indifferent.  Have I got too much times on my hands to even consider any of this?  Well it beats sitting around thinking about American Idol.

The Hurt Locker

But lets move on to Cowboys.  I found out what a cowboy is in the UK and kids it’s not good.  In the US when you call someone a cowboy you are talking about a macho guy, that rugged individual who doesn’t follow the rules but makes his own.  Think Bruce Willis in any Die Hard movie, John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, and more recently the lead character in The Hurt Locker, Sargent William James.  If you haven’t seen the Hurt Locker you should.  But it can also mean an individual that is reckless and irresponsible.

“Cowboy” is sometimes used today in a derogatory sense to describe someone who is reckless or ignores potential risks, irresponsible or who heedlessly handles a sensitive or dangerous task. TIME Magazine referred to President George W. Bush’s foreign policy as “Cowboy diplomacy,” and Bush has been described in the press, particularly in Europe, as a “cowboy”.

The UK definition of cowboy is different.  In the British Isles, Australia and New Zealand, “cowboy” is used as an adjective when applied to tradesmen whose work is of shoddy and questionable value,”a cowboy plumber”.  As it was explained to me, if you hire a plumber who is a cowboy to fix your shower when you turn it on it will leak.  I say tomato and you say slacker.

Now I come to the latest book that I’m reading, given to me by a guy in my building called Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.  So far it’s been an interesting read.  It’s six intertwined stories that span the 19th century into a post apocalyptic future.  According to the author 5 of the 6 main characters are  reincarnations of the same soul.  I’ve never heard of this author before but it comes highly recommended by my friend so the book found me.  Let’s see where it leads.

Denny Hamlin

Of course I can’t finish without mentioning that Denny Hamlin won Monday’s Martinsville race and Jenson Button won the Australian Grand Prix.  Next stop Phoenix, maybe Carl will have a good race and Malaysia for F1.

Ta Luvs.

I wanted to make a quick comment about the Carl Edwards, Brad Keslowski debacle 2 weeks ago in Atlanta.  As a Carl Edwards fan I admit I didn’t’ want to see Carl fined for wrecking Brad.  Anyone who has watched Sprint cup and Nationwide racing has seen Brad drive very aggressively and collect many people in wrecks.  Who can forget Denny Hamlin’s statements about Brad at the end of last years nationwide season.  I think Carl was the first one at that pay window.  I know what Carl did wasn’t the safest thing but wait a minute neither is driving at almost 200 mph.  I hope that Bradley K. calms down and gives some respect to the cup guys because if he doesn’t this will continue to happen to him.  It probably won’t be Carl.  And it says something when Denny Hamlin of all people say that Brad is there because he’s a talented driver not his aggression and brad should continue doing what got him to the show.  Listen to your peers Brad and understand that as a rookie various of the cup boys are gonna do things to make sure you understand that respect must be paid.  And by the way, who won that race anyway?  Do you remember?  All I remember is Carl and Brad.  I’m just saying.

Ta Luvs.

I’m back from a short trip home.   It was a bit weird at first to step off the plane then out of the airport to sunny states.  So much sun, it was glorious.  Sleeping in my own bed and seeing all my loved ones was great.  I miss everyone.  Whilst there someone asked me what is the biggest difference between being in England and being in America.  I don’t remember anymore what I told her at that moment but I did tell her I’d have to think about it more.   I considered the immediate differences, driving on the left side of the road, pressing down to turn on a light switch, getting on an escalator on the left side , talking elevators the list goes on and on and on.  After being back for some time now I realize what I believe to be the biggest difference, the one that affects everything is the difference of personal space.

Personal space is directly related to the distance at which others can control you.  Far enough for 2 people to touch hands is the limit of where someone can dominate you.  Beyond that a person cannot easily get his hands on another person.   Edward T. Hall, author of The Hidden Dimension, wrote that personal space ranges from 2.5 feet to 4 feet with Americans on the 4 foot end of the scale.  Hall also stated that the personal space for Americans and Europeans is about the same.  I disagree with him on that.  Very seldom has any American, who is a casual acquaintance, ever gotten as close to me as any English person.

As I told one of my English friends when you see a group of Americans standing together talking they are not physically close at all.  We are usually spread out in a circle, the 4 foot space in action.  Take the same size group of English/European people and you will find that they are standing much closer together and probably touching one another more often.  Of course geography and population dictate the amount of personal space each culture is comfortable with.  America is a much bigger country and we expect space and give space whereas our cousins across the pond don’t have that much space and will try to fit into the smallest space possible to get what they need or to get where they are going.   Perfect example, when I got back I had to go to market to get some food so I went to ASDA, which is owned by Wal-Mart.  I had been to Wal-Mart while I was at home the previous week and had a really lovely time shopping.  I had time to look around and get what I needed without anyone stepping in my path or brushing up against me.  Go forward a week and I’m in England, in ASDA,  shopping and about to choke someone because person after person is walking too close, brushing against me and trying to walk in the same path that I am walking regardless of the fact that I’m there.  It’s always crowded and given an area with open space I’ve seen English people still  head toward the one spot where other people are instead of  walking in the open, empty space.  It’s different.  I had forgotten that fact  while I was at home but onceI got back and realized why  was so aggravated I thought, ” get back into your English shopping mode now.”  Aggravation over, I was fine.  I would love to know what the personal space is for Australians.  They live on a continent as large as America but they don’t occupy all of the land as we do, only the outer parts, no one inhabits what they call the dead heart of Australia, the middle of the country.

And since I am on the subject of personal space I will mention the book that I am currently reading which is The Golden City by John Twelvehawks.  It is the third in the Fourth Realm trilogy of books concerning the electronic/technological breach of personal space and information by governments and the centuries old battle for freedom from the powers that be by a small group of people.  A highly entertaining and thought provoking set of books to read.

If you are interested further in the study of personal space or proximics you should check out this book:

The Hidden Dimension Edward T. Hall

which will lead you to issues of personal space and technology which opens up an entirely different can of worms.  You can check out these books:

Hertzian Tales by Anthony Dunne, this book covers the space between humans and electronics, cell phones, televisions, computers.  Particularly the physical interactivity between device and person into an architecture the author calls the hertzian space which not only encompasses the form and function of a device but how people use, react and relate to it.

Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard, one of my favorite books, a discussion of signs and symbols in modern society.

The Fourth Realm Trilogy – The Traveler, The Dark River, and The Golden City,all by John Twelvehawks.