Justification

Posted on January 16, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Biology, Chemistry, Environment, Learning, Nature, Physics, rebuttal, Science, science programmes, ThinkingLeave a comment

I’ve got into a bit of a debate on Facebook about whether the exhaust from airplanes is from water vapour (yes) or chemicals (no). I’ve got especially annoyed since they have said they will be getting rid of fact checkers. I think if you see something on line that does not make sense you should not ignore it but at least put in an alternative realistic point of view. I finished one comment with the words Occams Razor.

Following a series of comments when I rebutted each strange argument with an alternative reasonable comment, someone asked where was I getting my information from? I could of course just said Google. But I don’t. I have had a long life and I like learning information. My memory is very retentive. I can remember telephone numbers from more than 40 years ago (0992 37963) my old home number. I learnt the Greek Alphabet for fun… Alpha, beta, Gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta….. Etc…

So I answered the question, how do I know things by stating :

Mainly science programmes on radio and TV. Reading the new scientist magazine, I’m also interested in the environment and am a member of various nature groups. I’m interested in astronomy. I took science classes at school (biology and chemistry) and had to take physics in one of my diploma courses. I’ve always been interested in science and try and keep abrest of up to date information. My favourite authors when I was growing up were Arthur C Clarke, Issac Asimov, Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman. I enjoy reading biographies of scientists such as Mme Marie Curie and about the Leakies who discovered the Australopithicine Ape Lucy. I am interested in what’s going on in the world. Does this answer your question? I just enloy thinking things through and trying to understand. If that is wrong I will stop commenting.

I try and be polite and as accurate as I can be.

Comet

Posted on January 15, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Astronomy, Comet, Life, Memory, Solar system, southern Hemisphere, Sun, ThinkingLeave a comment

There is a Facebook post saying there is a really bright big comet that will appear in the sky tonight. I do get annoyed with these sort of posts because they are so illogical.

I decided to reply: If it was in the sky we would have seen it coming. It wouldn’t just appear. It might be travelling at a few hundreds or thousands of miles an hour but it wouldn’t appear instantaneously. There is a comet called Atlas (not sure of the full name) that is in the southern sky after recently passing the sun. It’s only a low visability comet and is starting to fly out of the solar system. Visible with binoculars just before sunrise. Gradually dimming as it becomes more distant.

Heart

Posted on January 15, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Comfort, Death, Greif, Hearts, Hope, Life, Loss, Short story, Thinking, Very short storyLeave a comment

‘I still keep seeing hearts, and it makes me feel like smiling when I do’, she said.

It was over a year since he’d gone, she realised, and things had been hard. They hadn’t discussed anything, it was so unexpected.

About a week after he had died she found a pink, heart shaped petal on her pillow, she had left the window open for some fresh air and it had just appeared, probably on a gust of wind.

She spoke to her sister again. ‘it seems to happen about once a week, I will spot a heart shape somewhere. Daft things like a bubble in the bread was a little heart, heart shaped crisps, presents with them as decorations, stones on the beach, it just keeps happening’.

She remembered the heart shaped cloud that had floated over the house for an hour, just above his shed. Above where he had worked on his bikes and train sets. She knew he was still with her, keeping an eye on her. Maybe one day they would be back together.

I hate AI

Posted on January 14, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged AI, Annoying, artificial intelligence, fake, Garden of Earthly delights, Heironymous Bosch, Irritating, ThinkingLeave a comment

Something is creeping into the Internet and it really irritates me. I guess hate is too much but it’s annoying.

I just saw a short video where a white meringue turns into tiny polar bears and peaches start wriggling about, then a large lobster changes into something alien and a white and yellow parrot sits happily in a frying pan where an egg is being fried.

The images all look perfectly realistic, and if you didn’t know you could imagine they were real, but I see a grotesque version of reality, like Heironymous Bosch has returned from the past and has created his AI vision of the Garden of Earthly delights.

AI can be very disturbing and it’s getting everywhere. It’s like looking at someones hallucination. A strange trip into a distorted mind. I want it to stop. Human imagination can be simple or warped, but AI? It’s just too fake for me, for some reason I can recognise it and I don’t like being tricked.

Cataracts

Posted on January 12, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged blurred vision, cataracts, Cleaning, Eye, Eyesight, Looking, need treating, Thinking, Views7 Comments

Things are getting blurry

I don’t see so well

Swiftly fading views

Another frustrating change.

Take my glasses off to clean

But polishing doesn’t work

I realised it’s not the lenses

In my specs

It’s the ones in my eyes!

Distracted

Posted on January 5, 2025 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Art, bills, Chair, Darkness, Life, Mug, Painting, Teapot, Thinking, TV remotes, WinterLeave a comment

Things have got in the way and I have hit a block with my painting of a teapot. I mean both physically and mentally.

You can see some of what is obstructing it. I need to move things, it’s just that I am mentally stuck. I think its the low light levels as this seems to get me every year. One day soon I hope have this finished.

It might snow

Posted on January 4, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Freezing, Life, minus 10°C, Snow, Thinking, Time, Weather, weather warning1 Comment

Amber warning of snow and possible snow up to 10 centimetres. Also temperatures down to – 10°C. It makes me worry about people sleeping out on the streets. I see them more and more. I buy the big issue off sellers and try and give a few coins, but it’s not much. When you think about it people are struggling with increasing rents and mortgages, people are barely coping. I can only hope that this government try to do more than the last one? But I worry that the poor are often seen as deserving or undeserving when rich people are always fine. Oh I don’t know, I just want us all to be safe. X

Quiet 1.1.25

Posted on January 1, 2025January 1, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged 1.1.25, Contemplation, Front door., Hiding, Lonely, Poem, Poetry, Relaxing, Rest, Sleep, Thinking, Time, Tired, TVLeave a comment

The front door remained closed

The curtains the same.

No reason to go out,

No wish to speak

Warm enough to sleep

Quiet enough to rest

My heart misses a beat

When a figure passes the door.

Watching TV a while

Reading a book to make me smile

Why bother to move

Just have a coffee, a sandwich

And snooze.

Contemplation or hiding?

You choose.

Political views

Posted on December 28, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged allegencies, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-2166, Family, Life, Memories, Politics, Priorities, ThinkingLeave a comment

How have your political views changed over time?

When I was young I voted one way, the same as the rest of my family. I was very young and influenced by their long term beliefs.

When I left home I moved into shared accommodation, I realised I had been living in a bubble at home, I hadn’t had the responsibility of paying bills before, or other things to deal with, like not having hot water and having to shower at the college. I met different people and they had different political views. Over the years I changed my priorities and my political allegencies.

All I would say is that it’s good to think for yourself, look at how life is and make a decision that is good for you, and the people around you.

Lightshade

Posted on December 28, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Fine Art, Gallery, Lampshade, Life, Memories, Painting, ThinkingLeave a comment

Yes it’s a lampshade. Made up mainly fake bivalve shells. Yet another odd old thing my house is decorated with. I often wonder what will happen to my stuff when I’m gone? Do I specify that all my art (lots of paintings) will be shared out to family, donated to a local museum, my old school? Maybe someone will like it enough to buy it if it were sold in an auction? Is it persuasive enough for people to like? I won’t be there to find out.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Thinking