Stuff about Antarctica- becaue its cold and it feels like its Antarctic

Antarctica is the 5th largest continent, larger than Australia and Europe.

It is smaller geographically than Russia.

Antarctica vs USA

Antarctica vs Europe

It is  obviously covered by ice, but there is very little actual land in comparison.

via Wikipedia, CIA Factbook

Book Report-- Debunking 9/11 Myths

Debunking 9/11 Myths L, G
by David Dunbar and Brad Regan from Popular Mechanics

Non-Fiction

Information Spiral

from In the Beginning was Information by Dr. Werner Gitt

3-D Babies

Pretty nifty technology, rendering unborn babies in 3-d from ultrasound.

Legitmately bad science

Sweet Optical Illusion

Check it out.
See both the curveball and the reversal. I'm still scratching my head.

Scientific Laws and Absolute Truth

Though it was merely an introductory explanation, Mr. Gitt makes clear the limits of science. Even scientific and natural "laws" exist on the knife-edge of falsifiability. The best efforts of men to understand the world around them are limited and can never be qualified as "absolute." The only thing that we can know absolutely is truth from God.

Book Report-- In The Beginning Was Information

In the Beginning Was Information M
by Dr Werner Gitt

Non-fiction

Despite the deep, super-technical content, I was able to learn a few things.

Mr. Gitt outlines his many theorems of information and in the process makes a great case for intelligent design. I was struck by the simple truth that the simple existence of information points to a Creator. The basic argument (I hope I summarize well) is that the universe consists of matter, energy, and information. Information determines how matter and energy operate. Matter and energy cannot generate information.

He then applies these theorems to the Bible. Not to the areas of intelligent design necessarily, but to the Scriptures as a source of information. Quite interesting.

Perhaps my favorite reading though, were the appendices. He includes a lot of real life natural examples for his complex equations and theorems.

Before Computers...

I still would have used it.

Movie Review-- The Privileged Planet

The Privileged Planet

Genre: Documentary

Summary: Scientist discuss the design of earth that indicates privileged existence and opportunity for discovery

My Grade: %98


Pros:

• Visually stunning
• As far as I understand the scientific topics, it is unchallengable in fact
• Amazing collection of science- the existence of a moon, the size of the sun, the thickness of the earth's crust- all by design
• Eclipses- amazing, and amazing proof
• The realization that earth is the optimal position for astronomical discovery- new to me.
  

Cons:

• There is something soul-aching about seeing all this design, noting it, challenging Darwin, and not clearly concluding that God created it
  

Terrestrial Humility

What is man, than you are mindful of him?

The Sound of Neurons Firing

And this is going on inside me?

Natural vs. Man-made

Is it better to trust in natural remedies or manufactured medicines? Is medicine better than chiropractic care? Has technology really helped mankind?

Behind these questions seems to be a question about the goodness of creation- Is nature good enough to tak ecare of us? And conversely, is man capable of improving on nature?

What God created was certainly good (Gen. 1:31). Let us not forget, though, that the earth has been corrupted. Since Genesis 3, this good creation has been ravaged by disease, death, disorder, mutation, and general chaos. What was good may now be a peril to us.

Man was given a command to subdue the earth and have dominion over it (Gen. 1:28). This is the basis for pursuits is exploration, medicine, technology, and science in general. Man has a basic drive to have this dominion over earth, though it has been compromised by the same fall that has corrupted nature.

Can we accurately say, then, that that which nature offers or that which man creates is any better? Is either less affected by the fall?

Big Bang Re-creation- Hadron Collider

As true science is that which is observable and repeatable, this expiriement goes a long way further that previous evolutionary assertions that have lacked observation (by virtue of a separation of millions of years) and repeatability ( ). It does not attain true science, however, in that that which it is attempting to repeat and abserve is in fact unkown. Observing and repeating the theory of speciation in canines is different than attempting to "recreate the conditions that existed a millionth of a millionth of a second after the Big Bang," which cannot be known, even by one who believes it happened.


It's crazy sad that the largest, most intricate, most expensive machine on the earth was created to explain life apart from God. Oh, the lengths that man will go to be his own god.

Technological Lifestyle

I've noticed every once in a while that computers are having effects on my thinking.

• I've caught myself thinking of hitting the "undo" button when I would like to reverse an action or review an event totally unrelated to a computer.
• I've attempted to rotate a 2-d picture like I can rotate around my 3-d designs in Google SketchUp.
• When needing to find my place or remember a quote in a book, I've been tempted to "ctrl"+"f" to search for a keyword.

Hopefully I won't start speaking in "text" or something.

The Oft Unobserved Amazingness of the Automobile

Even aside from all the new technology (GPS, cellphone, mp3 players, DVD players,etc) that they are cramming into our cars these days, the automobiles we've been driving are marvels of ingenuity.

When I drive:

I am inside a contraption composed of metal, plastic, and other compounds weighing over 3000 pounds, more than 16 times my own weight. It travels (somewhat) regularly at 70mph, or 6160 feet/minute, or 102' 8" per second, though it is often not under my direct control. This mobile is auto propelled by a very rapid series of small explosions, which I cannot hear. The direction of the vehicle can be determined by as little as the force of two fingers on my left hand, though the knees and occasionally the chin are sufficient replacements. I am impervious to whatever weather I may be driving through and instead enjoy a temperature of my own choosing. Instead of explosions of gasoline or even the wind, I am able to hear the sound of a band performing on another continent in separate decade. Now add the ability to tell ask this contraption where to drive or command it to contact my wife's cell phone. Simply amazing.

.

On Location: The Creation Museum

By Answers in Genesis

Petersburg, KY

Where to begin? There were so many things for which applause is due. Nothing was done half-way. Nothing was cheap, cheesy or, regrettable. That said, allow me to specify:

• The grounds are spectacular. Not extensive, but enjoyable outdoor landscaping adorns the approach to the building. After paying for admission (waiting in line for 15min- suprising, since they've been open for a year), we went straight outside so we could enjoy it before it got hot. Waterfalls, lush vegetation, bridges and walkways, even a petting zoo (which we did not view, having just visited a zoo).



• The museum is centered around the 7 C's Walkthrough. This exhibit takes up half of the museum and takes at least 2 hrs (booking it). The "7 C's" is the AIG timeline history: Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consumation. Obviously, the first four are found in Genesis and make up the bulk of the exhibit. Spectacular detail, an abundance of information, and a solid foundation on God's Word overwhelms one with the truth of Genesis and its implications for our world today. Even though #5 Christ and #6 Cross aren't specifically in Genesis, they are the emphasis of the whole exhibit through the presentation "The Last Adam".



• Of the other supplementary exhibits, the planetarium deserves primary note. The program we viewed focuse on astronomy, shockingly enough. It explored the size of the (known) universe and made me feel small and insignificant, like David in Psalm 8. It was amazingly created and very interesting.



• Other features included the unignorable dinosaur statues that adorned the foyer and exhibits. I did want to explore further some of the specifics of what they believe about Dinos, but that shall be dealt with in a future post. There were also many exquisite fossils strewn throughout the museum. The special effects theater was an entertaining hiatus from the deep information dripping from the rest of the walls.



• We had the pleasure of an on the spot lecture by Dr. David Menton, discussing comparative anatomy between "Lucy" and primates. Very cool to hear and to be able to mingle w/ the staff.



• We saw Ken Ham.

Movie Review-- Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Expelled: No Intelliegence Allowed

Genre: Documentary

Summary: Ben Stein explores the censoring of intelligent design in our society.

My Grade: 90%

Pros:

-Ben Stein approaches the issue from the Intelligent Design perspective (see cons below). This gives much credence to the science behind ID and Creationism, as it proves that one does not have to have a religious agenda to deny Darwin/Evolution.

-Ben reveals that the war between Evolution and ID is not the informed vs. the uniformed or facts vs. faith. The issue is the worldview with which one approaches the facts. He demonstrates, very well, that evolution is based on an humanistic, anti-supernaturalist worldview. He gets Richard Dawkins, a leading evolutionist, to admit this and other embarrassing-for-an-evolutionist things. See it just for that.

-Though disparaged by many, I enjoyed the lighthearted approach sometimes displayed throughout. The random clips of old movies added to the message and simultaneously avoided typical documentary format of long shots and boring monologues.

-He interviews a really interesting guy named David Berlinski. He's ridiculously intelligent and -has a bunch of sweet books I want to read.

-He interviews a guy from Iowa.

-Though not thouroughly academic, Ben publicly addresses an issue that has been repressed and one-sided. The minority (or majority?) is being heard.

Cons:

-The film only discusses the issue from an ID perspective. It misses the fact that science validates what "religious radicals" have been saying all along. Coversely, it gives a somewhat poor representation of Creationists. Surprising, because, though I know Ben Stein is not a Christian, he is a Jew and should be a Creationist himself.