Science

Hello again

History is the story of science and invention. Take the rise of the British navy in the late 1700’s for example. This was all down to the discovery that lining the hulls of ships with copper made them faster, so fast in fact that the French navy of the time were completely outclassed, even though they had superior numbers. Britain was the only country of the day (due to its infrastructure and resources) able to do this on a mass scale. That one invention pretty much helped put the Great into Britain and made us a world power. We took control of the seas, and kept control resulting in a quarter of the globe being conquered. By the way, if anyone knows where the Great has gone, please drop me a line.

Science moves ever forward. However, the rate of advance is slowing. If you look at the age of Nobel Prize winners, you will see that they are getting older. So much has been discovered, more needs to be learnt before new discoveries can be made. On a general scale, we are reaching the limits of human discovery.
However, discovery will continue due to the fact that every once in a while the human race throws out a genius who takes science in a completely different direction, down a path never before considered. There have been many in the past. Tesla, Einstein, Faraday, all changed the way we look at the world. And all challenged conventional wisdom. And this is where we discover the point of this newsletter.
The problem with science is that some people think they know everything. We often hear that “the evidence behind X is settled”. Really? Anytime you hear a scientist say that something is proven and that no more research needs to be done, he has ceased to be a scientist. He has instead turned into an evangelist, a cult member who has closed off his thinking to other possibilities.

A classic example is Global Warming. Man Made Global Warming advocates like to tell us the science is settled. Now I’m not arrogant enough to say whether MMGW is fact or fiction. They might be right, they might be wrong, I don’t know. What I do know is that the science is never settled, and their refusal to accept the possibility that another viewpoint might be valid is damaging their own cause. Just look at ClimateGate. That was a problem created by their own arrogance.

But back to science. I know what you are saying. “But Steve, things are so much better now. Computers are getting faster. Cars are getting slicker. We’ll be flying around in jet cars before we know it”. I disagree. Are people happier now than they were 20 years ago? No. If anything, technological advances are sending us in the opposite direction. 30 years ago if my car broke down I would probably have been able to fix it myself. Can’t do that now. No, now if I’m driving along and a light comes onto the dashboard, I have to take it to the garage to get a COMPUTER to analyse it. Things are so complex now that we need other machines to determine what went wrong.

“If I gave you an axe and dumped you in the middle of a forest, how long before you could send me an e-mail?” – Joe Rogan
I’m typing this on a computer. I don’t have a clue how it works. If it breaks down I have to get someone in to fix it, who usually then has to ask other people who draw on knowledge held on huge databases. All that information stored on hard drives across the planet leaves us with a slight problem......... hard drives were not designed for long term storage. A book can last a thousand years, but digital information is a very fragile thing. What if the lights went out?
There is something that we have forgotten, and it is crippling our society. That thing is SIMPLICITY. You remember the way cars used to be? The other day I saw a 1967 Chevy Impala. Absolutely gorgeous car, and over 40 years old. Do you think anyone will be driving around in one of today’s cars in 40 years? No, neither do I. And why? Because they are too complex, too hard to maintain and no way near as durable. I know a guy who still has a working Atari games console. Do you think 30 years from now someone will still be playing on a PSP2? I don’t. Things just aren’t built to last anymore....... which in a planet of dwindling resources is absolute madness. We should go back to simplicity........ and I can see it happening in my lifetime.
We have created a complex throw away society with a “just in time” stock delivery system that keeps the supermarket shelves full............ unless it snows. Then you see how people react. They panic buy, creating a shortage where none actually existed. Do you think a Mormon would panic buy? Of course not, because it’s part of their religion that they plan ahead and have food stored away.
We could learn something from that.

When Katrina happened, there were three types of people. Those who could look after themselves, those who had nothing and who relied on the federal government and FEMA, and then there was the rest of us who watched on in disbelief as everything fell apart. It displayed just how fragile our society actually is. And yet people ignore this “elephant in the room” completely. They pretend it’s not there, which is like looking at your garden shouting “there’s no weeds, there’s no weeds, there’s no weeds”. Yeah, that’s positive thinking, but you’ll have a garden full of weeds.

So what weeds are you ignoring?

In a crisis situation, you can only rely on yourself and those you have gathered around you. Don’t look to the government, because they won’t be there. It’s the same with everything in life. You are responsible for your health, your relationships, your finances and your own safety. Nobody else can do that for you.
If you want to give all your money to a Fund manager, then fine. But if he loses it all, it’s your fault, not his.......... because you gave him the money in the first place. If you want to smoke, eat too much and drink to excess, then that’s fine. But don’t expect the doctors to be able to fix things when it all goes to pot.

At the end of the day, it’s all down to you. Take responsibility, stop blaming other people, and remember........... let’s be careful out there.
Regards
Stephen Hudson BDS, MFGDP, DRDP
Please help support the Sick Dentist Scheme and the BDA Benevolent fund by buying my book atChoose Your Reality. A proportion of the profits from its sale are split equally between these two charities

Disclaimer: S.Hudson or SNH Publications will not be held liable for any actions taken based on the information provided in this newsletters. This information is for entertainment only.