Sometimes I stop to think about the universe as we know it. What is it and what does it mean? The reality is that no one can possibly claim to know the answer. We can only see what we see, and even then we may not know what we are seeing. Basically, we will never know the truth but we can ponder the possibilities.

The first thing I want to know is how much space does the universe contain? Either it is unlimited or there is a limit (duh). It’s easy to believe that it is unlimited, since it is hard to imagine a limit to space. What would be beyond the end? How can there be nothing? Or maybe the limit is there but constantly changing, so there is virtually no limit.

A recurring thought that I have is that the universe is just part of one layer of infinite layers of realities. Maybe the universe we live in is just a tiny particle of a much larger universe, which is in turn a particle of a larger universe, and so on. If this is the case, then every particle of every atom in this universe is itself an entire universe. In short this is an infinite recursion.

Think about that. Every one of those billion trillion gazillion atoms in your body might contain a bunch of universes. But don’t think too hard about this or your head might explode…

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Why is it that whenever there is a computer in a show or movie, it has to make all kinds of beeping sounds? It seems to be most common in science fiction and action where things are supposed to be “high tech.” So why does high tech have to mean annoying?

It’s not just the sounds that come from the high tech devices, there’s usually a variety of blinking lights and flashy interface to go with it. The strange thing is that none of these things seem to make the device more efficient to use, and actually seem to make them less useful.

The worst example of this trend is the show CSI: Miami, which is a science-based police drama (but it usually ends up with lab technicians engaging in shootouts). They use computers with ridiculously flashy interfaces and transparent screens. For example:

How do they work with those screens all day? Why would you make a screen transparent? Don’t you usually want to see what’s on the screen and not what’s behind it? Weird.

Filed under: Commentary by StevoTVR
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Delicious!

As of January 1st, the use of trans fats by restaurants will be banned in California. That’s right, restaurants are being forced to change their long established ingredients. Most have already made the move to alternative oils, so the only real difference is that it’s official now.

Trans fats are a byproduct of hydrogenation, which is a process used to make oils thicker. Trans fats are unhealthy because they raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and lowering HDL (good) cholesterol. They are also believed to have all kinds of other harmful effects.

I think it’s kind of silly, however, to make a law banning trans fats outright. No one goes to fast food restaurants for their health benefits, but many go because the food tastes good. Most people are well aware of the unhealthiness of good food. It should be left to the restaurants to give the customers what they want. Some can decide to advertise their trans fat-free products for customers that are interested.

I, for one, enjoy a good unhealthy meal every once in a while. I generally eat healthy foods, but I still enjoy the option of eating tastier foods. I’m not sure how much difference the trans fat alternatives make in flavor, but if it makes it worse I don’t want it. I just hope they never ban salt…

Maybe it’s time for people to learn to deep fry their own food and hopefully not set their house or skin on fire…

Filed under: Commentary by StevoTVR
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If you read my post titled Evil Whale Masterminds you know my opinion on “global warming.” Well here’s a video that I think sums up the whole thing pretty well.

John Coleman is a meteorologist, founder of the Weather Channel, and a global warming skeptic. Here’s what he has to say:

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So I saw some news story about medical marijuana or something and it got me thinking. I was curious to see exactly what negative effects are caused by marijuana and compare that to other, legal drugs. What I found is that it really is relatively harmless, and about as potent as caffeine (except caffeine can kill you).

I searched the internet for information from credible sources. I found many sources that I don’t consider reliable, but I think I found some solid information on the subject. If you disagree with something or have better information, please comment with sources.

Negative Effects

First let’s look at the negative effects of different drugs…

Cannabis (Marijuana)

• Short-term memory loss
• Distorted perception
• Loss of coordination
• Increased heart rate and lower blood pressure
• Psychological effects like paranoia

There are additional dangers to the lungs that go with smoking, but that can be avoided by ingesting or alternative means.

Alcohol

• Short-term memory loss
• Loss of coordination
• Increased aggression leading to violence
• Liver, heart, pancreas diseases
• Respiratory failure leading to death

Tylenol

• Liver failure (possible death)

Just thought I’d throw that in…

Positive Effects

Cannabis is used to treat nausea, increase appetite, treat glaucoma, and to relieve pain. There are potentially many more uses for medical cannabis.

There seems to be no recorded deaths caused directly by marijuana alone, unlike everything else I listed.

As an analgesic (painkiller), cannabis is much safer than any prescribed medications. It has an extremely low toxicity and it is not addictive. It is very easy to overdose or become dependent on prescription painkillers.

Conclusion

After all this research, my original opinion has been reinforced. It makes no sense to me why marijuana is illegal while alcohol is not. Alcohol is way more toxic and causes more impairment, not to mention the increased violent behavior. Marijuana is relatively harmless compared to many legal substances.

I don’t think people should use it recreationally, but I could say the same about alcohol, tobacco, and many other legal things. However, I believe that legalizing it would be beneficial overall. It would drastically reduce crime surrounding it, it could be taxed, it could be regulated and made safer, and it would save all the tax dollars spent prosecuting offenders.

Where was I going with this? Whatever, I want nachos…

Sources (some of them)

• Medical cannabis (Wikipedia)
• The Health Effects of Marijuana (About.com)
• Alcohol vs. Marijuana (SAFERchoice.org)
• Ethanol (Wikipedia)
• Paracetamol toxicity (Wikipedia)

Filed under: Commentary by StevoTVR
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You know that expression you use when some kid puts something in his mouth, “You don’t know where that’s been?” Well it might have worked on kids because they’re stupid, but it really is a weak argument if you think about it. How many people can actually identify the origin of much of the food they eat?

Maybe the argument isn’t weak at all, but simply irrelevant in modern society. I know you can’t really compare object laying around to packaged food in a grocery store freezer. The object might be from a parallel universe for all you know, and the last thing you want to do is swallow a transdimensional object. The food actually has to follow regulations and list the ingredients.

Unless you grow your own food in an area you control, you just have to trust that the multiple companies behind the production of your food supply is responsible and follows the rules. Even then mistakes are made sometimes, but at least it’s safe to say that you probably won’t die after eating that next sandwich.

Anyway, maybe this is something to think about over your next meal… or not.

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So I was browsing YouTube when I came across this ad:

Normally I just ignore this stuff, but I actually thought about what the headline is suggesting. Why would anyone want to stop climate change? I know this is supposed to be some kind of charity, but it sounds more like a plot from an evil mastermind in a Bond movie.

Also, what do the whales in the picture have to do with anything? My theory is that the whales are the evil masterminds, and that they somehow developed the ability to use the internet in order to spread their evil propaganda in the form of YouTube ads. Their motive, of course, is to get the climate stuck on hot so the ice caps melt and flood the earth, giving them access to everything. It’s just a theory, though.

Digital composite of what these whale masterminds probably look like

To be serious, I never really bought into the “global warming” idea. It just seems unlikely that our relatively small output of carbon can cause any significant change in the global climate. Besides that, there really is no way to determine if that is the case.

Us humans are simply not in a position to know what is right for the planet. We still have yet to figure out how to peacefully coexist with each other. Do we really think we know what temperature the atmosphere should be right now? Do we really think we can change it if we wanted to?

It’s interesting to see that “global warming” is finally being revealed to be a fraud with the so-called “climategate” scandal. This just goes to show that politics have no place in science. In order for research to be taken seriously it needs to be done by real scientists using real science. This means 0 bias, and bias is pretty much the definition of politics.

I won’t go into any conspiracy theories, but some people might be onto something. There are a lot of people *cough*Gore*cough* that stood to gain a lot from the “global warming” crisis. I has turned into quite an industry. I can’t wait to see what happens if it all turns out to be a hoax. I wonder what the next environmental crisis will be… Maybe something involving goats.

So what is your opinion on the matter?

Filed under: Commentary by StevoTVR
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