Issue 591 If you can't do anything May 14, 2015

Have you ever felt helpless, then you are not alone.  There are circumstances that are beyond our control, and thus we have to figure out how to deal with them.  Here are some of the ways I try to deal with such circumstances.

Less than desirable situations:  If you are at a bad job, or in a bad situation, the best thing to do is to bring your passion for your work with you.  The idea is that you want your situation to feel the least like work or drudgery as possible so as to not make yourself depressed.  Alternatively, you just surrender to the flow of a situation.  From there, you look to gain the advantage to change your situations outcome.  Basically looking for opportunities to advance.  If there is an opportunity to get out, or there is a situation where you would get into conflict, then you must pick and choose your battles.  Decide if something is winnable, or if it is best to lay low.  There will even be times where you must simply accept a situation and not act at all.  Basically, allow yourself to be yelled at or berated so as to prevent a worse situation.  If you have no control of your situation make the best of it.  All other times when situations arise where you cannot do something of that nature, you simply accept the facts of your situation and thus allows you to approach a problem with a clearer state of mind that is not disturbed by turmoil and distress.  You need a clear head to see opportunities and the best way for an opportunity to come to you is if you keep yourself positive.

Conclusion:  This is not going to be easy.  I learned these methods the hard way.  But, by bringing your passion and keeping your head clear, any situation can become winnable, or improved if you just allow it to happen and then seize the parts in your life that you can actually change.  Basically, this is a way to take control of your situation without actually controlling the uncontrollable aspects of what is going on.  Thus, you will, with time, come out on top of the problem you are dealing with.  Hope this helps anyone of you who read this and that it improves your lives even if by just a little.

Issue 590 Be a guiding light May 13, 2015

We can literally change the world, but that is if we do things in just the right way.  That way is to be an example for others.  Allow me to explain.

How being the example changes things:  Did you know that when you do a good deed for others, it releases positive chemicals in your body that make you healthier and happier.  You know what?  It does the same thing for everyone else around you.  So you can become healthier, just by helping others.  Also, this helping one another becomes a positive influence on those around you.  By doing a good deed, it triggers in other people’s minds to notice when and where they can do good for others as well.

But just doing good deeds is not the sole way to be an example.  It is also how you conduct yourself around others.  Your self-esteem, your confidence, your talents, and even how you simply talk can inspire others to change themselves.  So in addition to being kind and also courteous, if someone is mean to you, attempt to answer in a loving tone, or sympathetic tone as opposed to yelling at them back.   If someone says they can't do something the way you do, offer to teach them how you do a task and show them that they can adapt it so they can do it in a way that makes it work for them rather than simply copying you.  Basically, treating others how you want to be treated, while standing at the moral, and ethical high ground.

Conclusion:  The idea is to create a ripple effect.  If people treat others well, then entire towns will, followed by cities, provinces, and then entire countries.  It basically combines the pay it forward rule, with the treating others the way you want to be treated rule.  So it is designed to perpetuate across entire nations to help change lives and even the way we all think about ourselves and others.  But you still will need to stand on an ethical, and moral pedestal, while maintaining compassion and attempt to empathize and understand those around you.  It is certainly not an easy path, but it can work if we try hard enough.

issue 589 Planes of the future May 12, 2015

I recently did an article on hybrid planes and boats, but it got me thinking, what planes of the future would look like.  Let's begin.

What would Planes look like:  For one, they may be seamless.  Traditional flaps will vanish with the mass production of flexible materials on the edges of the wings which allows for the same maneuvering and turning, but can also be used to increase efficiency of the flight itself. Solar panels and wind turbines can and will be integrated onto the wings of prop driven aircraft to increase fuel efficiency as well.   Other design elements include flying wing designs which will have clear flooring and or skylights.  There is boxed/diamond wing designs which connect the front wings to the tail in a diamond like shape when seen from below, which increases lifts capacity and reduces drag.  

Other unique ideas may be hybrids between blimps and planes essentially having a three story tall cruise ship in the sky.  However, I doubt it will have a pool, but some may have small hot tubs.  Other shapes are all possible and in fact, planes could even lose their landing gear.  There is another idea which has aircraft land on a cradle of sorts to land instead.  Though that idea is likely to be scrapped with tilt rotor and vertical takeoff and landing technology coming out of its infancy.  This also may mean that personal aircraft may get a boost as many new planes will become automated and thus fly themselves.

Conclusion:  These are just some of the design ideas being tossed around.  There are other ideas, such as bringing back boat planes, or even scramjet planes that can get people from New York to Tokyo in less than 2 hours.  As to what takes hold and what new niches are formed in the aircraft industry, we will just have to wait and see.

Issue 588 Problems with wind power May 11, 2015

Like solar, wind power has its problems as well.  So let's discuss.

Space issues:  Wind power, like solar, is free energy.  However, to get a large enough amount of electricity from wind, you need a wind farm that covers vast areas of land.  As such, it eats up large areas of land that can be protected for wildlife/forests, or used for farming, or even used for development.  As such, efforts to increase efficiency, or place them out of the way are being made.  One such solution is leasing parts of farmland so that a farm can exist underneath the turbines which makes the land usage more efficient.  Another is to integrate the turbines into the city by putting them on roofs, or have them tethered to blimp like structures.  Other ideas are being looked at, but the one I see that is best is integrating the most efficient wind turbine into someone’s house so that people can generate the electricity they need themselves without the need for some utility company.

Catching the wind:  The other issue is one that is well known.  What if the wind is not blowing?  Well, truth is it is always blowing usually, we just have to reposition the turbine into the direction and altitude of the wind.  So even if there is no wind at ground level, it may be blowing well at two stories up, and could be even stronger at six stories in the air.  So the tethered approach is one way to solve this, or to have a telescoping neck for the turbine to elevate itself as high as possible to catch the strongest winds possible.  There are also turbines being developed that will spin even with the gentlest of breezes which will mitigate the need to go a full six stories in the air just to catch wind.  Thus it is also an issue of efficiency with respect to the rotors on the turbine itself.

Conclusion:  Like solar, wind power generation is still coming along at a slow pace due to the imperfections of this technology.  But given enough time and investment, you too may be attaching a turbine to your home.

Issue 587 Problems with Solar Power May 8, 2015

Solar power is where you get free power from the sun.  In this case we will be talking about the two main obstacles that solar panels have with respect to replacing traditional fossil fuels.  Let's get started.

Absorbing Light:  The first key problem is that solar panels are not 100% efficient yet with respect to absorbing light.  They can to a certain degree absorb one particular spectrum of light very well, but cannot absorb the others, or the panel can absorb a variety, but never come close to even 50% efficiency.  Work is being carried out to fix this problem, but it is a hard process, for apparently, the alignment of the molecules and chemicals that make up the material dictate the level of efficiency.  While research is ongoing and progress is being made, this is a slow process, and thus will take many days, or possibly more years of trial and error to get it right.

Manufacturing:  Our other hurdle is the manufacturing process.  More particularly the chemicals involved.  To make the solar panel work, the manufactures have to use toxic chemicals which in turn leave toxins left over to be disposed of once a chemical is used up.  Thus, despite their use at protecting the environment, they can negate that just by being made.  Work is ongoing for a viable solution, and it also explains why heating and other aspects of solar energy are being explored so as to reduce the need for electrical energy usage and thus the need for large arrays of panels to be used which in turn mitigates the environmental impacts.

Conclusion:  Once these two key problems are worked out with respect to efficiency and manufacture, solar panels will completely surpass most, if not all fossil fuels especially if it is paired with an equally good battery to store the energy it collects.  A greener future is a sure thing if we give scientists enough time.

Issue 586 Concept: mixed weapon martial arts May 7, 2015

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has taken the world by storm.  However, martial arts has never been limited to turning the body into a human weapon.  In fact, martial arts encompasses all skills that also include the use of weaponry.  So I had an idea.  What if there was a division of MMA that brought the weapons back in.  Let's discuss.

The concept:  So the idea is really simple.  Add weapons into an MMA match.  Obviously, these would be of a non-lethal variety to ensure safety, and the combatants would wear a form of armor.  The armor would protect the wearer from the most powerful blows, but still allow the fighter to know and feel that they got hit.  However, if they somehow lose their weapon in the midst of the bout, they could still demonstrate their skills by fighting barehanded as there is a segment of martial arts moves which are designed to defeat armored opponents and also to be used while wearing armor.  This also allows for moves that include disarmament to be integrated into the match.  Basically, this brings in a whole new set of martial techniques into the ring which typically are not seen.

Acceptable weapons and win conditions:  Foam staff and club weapons seem to be the most appropriate.  These weapons are easily seen and felt.  So this could also include nunchuks, three section staffs, tonfas/police baton, and escrima sticks.  Large polyurethane knife like weapons would work such as knives with blades over 5 inches in length, or short swords like machetes, and of course long swords like the Katana, and hand-and-a-half sword.  Points will then be awarded as normal with judges looking at the number of landed blows which will be one point, and glancing blows being a half point.  If the weapon such as a spear is used and the spear point (a cushioned bulb in this case) would strike a vital area on the body, then a point and a half would be awarded.  Take downs with or without a weapon will be given two full points, and strikes without a weapon would be given a 1/2 point. Or you can win by submission in which points become irrelevant. 

Rope, and whip like weapons would be banned due to the potential problems with chokes, and entanglement and weapons under 5 inches would not work because they are not very visible but there are exceptions like knuckle dusters, and gauntlets which are weapons combined with the fist and the strikes can be seen.  Fantasy weapons like combining a tonfa with a knife would be allowable once tested for safety.  Shields are also an allowable weapon/defense tool as they too have a martial application on attack like a spike shield or hooked shield being used to punch, parry a blow or grapple.  Projectile weapons will never work because they defeat the purpose of integrating the other martial arts weapons, for they were designed as an equalizer on the battlefield for troops as opposed to professionally trained sword fighters.  And there you have it, these foam/hard plastic weapons would work perfectly for our purposes.

 Forbidden strike zones:  In this case hitting to the groin is never acceptable, and head shots to the back of the head, neck and thrusts to the face (unless barehanded to the face) are also off limits despite protective gear due to the possible severe damage that can be caused. Weapon hits with hard plastic to an unprotected head, or other parts of the body that cannot endure such punishment will not be allowed, foam weapons will be allowed as they are safer.  Beyond that, everything is protected and thus seems to me a legal target.

Conclusion:  This is a concept that would be cool.  MMA got its start by asking who would win if a karate fighter took on a kung Fu fighter.  And from there it evolved.  This weapon variety now integrates unused moves and looks to also see if a European Rapier can take on a Katana in a match.  Obviously more must be put in to ensure safety as different varieties of armor modeled on various historical types would all have to be tested to allow for variety and add to the flavor of the match, suitably modifying them for the ring of course.  So what do you all think?  Is this a potentially good idea, or just a pipe dream?  I'll let you, my readers, decide.

Issue 585 Pulling the Plug May 6, 2015

I recently watched an interview between Glenn Beck and the author of the book "Ghost Boy” Martin Pistorius.  In the book he chronicled his time while trapped in his own body.  Read on to find out what I mean.

The Ghost Boy:  Pistorius was in a vegetative state for 12 years.  Yes, the kind of vegetative state that many people pull the plug so to speak to take them off life support.  His vegetative state was caused by a disease, so as you can imagine, it was hard on his family.  So much so, that he heard his mother whisper in his ear that she hoped he would die (she said this while he was in the vegetative state).  However, in his vegetative state, he could see, hear, feel, everything that went on around him, he was simply trapped in his own body.  Unfortunately, his mother's whisper was not the only sad thing to happen to him while in his condition.  He was sexually abused by a nurse during his stay at the hospital.  Pistorius would chronicle that and more in his book "Ghost Boy".

Impact:  From this interview, we can surmise there is hope for men and women trapped in such a state can come out of it.  In Fact, according to the interview, there are others who have come out of this vegetative state, though it is not common, it is not an uncommon occurrence either.  But there are no tell tail signs to determine if they are actually still in there or if and when they will awaken or not.  Basically, we do not know, and thus people will continue the pain and suffering of waiting, hoping that their family member will wake up.

Conclusion:  What this interview did was give me hope.  It gave me hope that people's suffering could end and that these people can go about their lives, or start new ones after an accident or disease causes them to be trapped in their own bodies.  It is torture to both the victim and the families, but keeping the person you care about alive may just pay off.  They may come back to us.  So, it is then up to us to determine what to do at this point.  Do we pull the plug and end their trapped existence, or keep them alive and hope to one day talk to the person trapped within.  I know what I would do.  I would cling to hope, and keep the person I love alive.