My 9 year is devouring books faster than we can find for her. She finished the Harry Potter series some months ago as well as the Fable Haven group. My wife suggested The Hobbit to her a few days ago and that is fini and is now half way through The Fellowship of the Ring. I hope she continues to read this much for a while but we will run out of books soon. 

I hope she gets more interested in historical fiction as well as sci-fi. Only time will tell

H.L. Mencken "Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods". How is that possible? Stolen goods? Who is stealing? Politicians vote in a tax and take our money, time and effort. They take it to pay someone who does not work, or to subsidize something that does not have much value. Two examples, ethanol as a fuel is inefficient and only cheap because of subsidies. Likewise, high fructose corn syrup, not so good for our bodies, is cheap because of, you guessed it, government subsidies that came from our pockets. 

I am stoked. I saw today a really cool magnetic "trick". I hadn't thought about it before but all the law of electro-magnetism verify what I saw.

Imagine a foot long aluminum pipe. It is not magnetic, a magnet does not stick to it, right? Well, with a powerful rare-earth magnet you can make it look like it is working. Drop the powerful magnet into the pipe. What will happen? Drop straight through? Suspend itself and not fall? or something in between.

The in betweeners have it. What happens is that the magnet slowly falls through the pipe. 

A moving magnetic field (falling magnet) creates a moving electric field. This in turn creates an opposing magnetic field, pushing up on the falling magnet and slowing the effects of gravity. 

When I saw this I imagined all kinds of things like elevators instead of just a dumby counter weight could use a magnet to either create some electricity as the elevator moves up and down or use it to slow the decent of an elevator. All kinds of idea pooped through the head and now their gone. 

I am a firm believer that there is not much better than seeing physics in action. 

After speaking with many people of various backgrounds and religions (or lack thereof), I think many people misunderstand the Old Testament. This may be from being misinformed and/or from the lack of desire to find out for oneself. I have also heard excuse such as the Old Testament being too long and that it is just too difficult to understand. These sentiments are, from my point of view, wrong. I believe that the Old Testament is a very important set of prophetic scripture for us today. It contains helpful, faith-building stories; important records of God's dealings with ancient people, who are analogous to us and from their experiences we can learn; the covenants of the fathers, (like Adam, Noah and Abraham) with God; prophecies of our future; and, most important, it testifies of Christ and His sacrifice on our behalf. 

Some of my favorite stories are from the Old Testament. The creation and the story of Adam and Eve; Noah; Abraham; Moses; plagues of Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea; fiery serpents in the desert; crossing the River Jordan on dry ground; Gideon; Ruth; Samuel; Daniel; and the list goes on for many, many pages. We learn from the account of the creation that we were formed in the likeness and image of God (Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1,3). From Noah that God loves all people; Noah and others (Jude 1:14-15, Genesis 6:3) preached for many years (at least 130) prior to the flood. If the people had repented they could have been saved. According to Peter, they may yet be able to be saved (1 Peter 3:19-20). Moses is a deliverer and thus performs a role similar or analogous to that of Christ. He saves his people from a captivity from which they can not escape themselves. When the Israelites disobeyed in the desert, fiery serpents were sent upon them (Numbers 21:6-7). All who were bitten died unless they looked upon a brazen serpent that was put up on a pole (Numbers 21:8-9). Just as those that looked were saved, those that look to Christ will be saved too (John 3:14-15). Do you ever wonder why a coiled serpent on a cross is a symbol of health? Take a look at the emblem of Blue Cross & Blue Shield health insurance. Even with the strong symbolism, the Israelites misunderstood and righteous King Hezekiah destroyed it (1 Kings 18:4). When Joshua and the Israelites crossed the River Jordan on dry ground they were commanded to pick up 12 stones from which to build a memorial. Years later when asked by their children about the pile of rocks, they could say, "This is where we crossed on dry ground" (Joshua 3:11-17; 4:1-5,6-7,8-11,20-24) and they would remember the great works of God on their behalf. Do we remember the great works of God? We need the Old Testament to remind us of the great miracles and mercy of God, lest we forget.

There seems to be a strong misconception that "the God of the Old Testament was mean, vindictive and harsh". Many site the "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth", which I must add is somewhat taken out of context, as reason for God being mean. God set up His people under the rule of law, vengeance is His (Deuteronomy 32:35,41; Psalms 94:1) and not for us to perform. Matters were intended to be brought before judges with witnesses to be addressed. Ways are provided in the Law for a guilty party to make recompense or attempt restitution for the injury through other means (ie money, crops or land) not just "eye for and eye". I think Ghandi perpetuated this misconception with his quip "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth makes the whole world blind and toothless". He is right if that were simply the Law, again vengeance is not ours but the Lord's. An example of the justice and wonderful mercy of the Law is that there were a number of cities setup in Israel that were designated as refuges for those running from a mob or vengeful pursuers (Numbers 35:6; Deuteronomy 4:24). Once I understood the Law better, I began to understand the compassion of it. 

Still some say that God of the Old Testament seems to them to be cruel versus the God of the New Testament. An example of this that they cite is the wiping out of the people in the land of Canaan so the Israelites could move in. God is no respector of people and wants all His children (all humanity) to have truth and return to Him. We have only the account of His interaction with the Israelites, what about His interactions with other peoples? Were there not other prophets in the area? For example, Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, was "the Priest of Middian" and a righteous man (Exodus 18). Balaam was a prophet who talked with the Lord (Numbers 22:12,20,28,32-25), not a descendent of Jacob and living in the Euphrates area (modern Iraq). Another demonstration of this same idea is Jonah (much later), who went to teach truth to the people of Nineveh (non-Israelites). He told them they must repent or be destroyed. They chose to repent and Jonah misunderstood God's compassion for penitent sinners. The Ninevites were saved from destruction just as those in the land of Canaan would have been saved and just as those at the time of the great flood (see above). But they would not give up their worship of false gods (Deuteronomy 9:4-5).


Aside → God has given us power through the exercise of choice. Our choices effect others, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. Our choices most dramatically effect others through taking away their power to choose. When it comes to bringing life into this world and removing life from this world, our choices are extremely important. If you read the commandments correctly, some of the most severe punishments are for bad choices involving this sacred power of creating or destroying life. Part of the worship of the false gods of those in Canaan was to sacrifice purity and make a mockery of the power we have from God to bring life into this world.
 
From Abraham we learn that when we seek the Lord he will give us great promises. What are the “blessings of Abraham” (Galatians 3:6-9,14). Paul gives part of the answer (Gal 3:16-18,29) and we can also find it through Genesis 17:1-6,7,8-9,16 and 22:15-17,18. A father of many nations and also that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through the seed of Abraham. That means nations previous to, concurrent with and future to both him and us. Following Abraham points us in the right direction: to Christ and perfection (Genesis 17:1). We can partake in the same covenant as Abraham, in faith, and be joint heirs of the world with Christ (Romans 4:13; 8:17, Galatians 3:29).

Another point is that the Apostles taught that we should learn from the scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15-16). But what scriptures did they have? They would have only had a select version of what we now call the Old Testament. Isaiah is so often quoted that they must have had a copy of his prophecies also. Should we not then follow the admonition of Paul and study those things?And what scriptures did Christ open to understanding to Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-24,25-27,28-32)? From Moses, meaning the five books of Moses that are Genesis through Deuteronomy, through the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial, etc) the scriptures speak and testify of Him. 

The Old Testament is also full of prophecies about the second coming of our Lord. Amos 3:7, Malachi chapters 3 and 4 are only a minor part of the many revelations and prophecies about our future. If we understand the prophecies we can be prepared for what may come. By studying and living from all of the word of God we will be prepared spiritually and by being prepared spiritually we will not fear, no matter the ending.

One bit of information that has helped me to understand the Old Testament is that all things testify of Christ (His birth, life, sacrifice, resurrection, second coming, etc). From the beginning, prior to the Law of Moses, Adam offered animal sacrifices , so did Abraham (think of being told to sacrifice Isaac). These sacrifices, the shedding of blood, represents the final and ultimate shedding of blood of Christ on our behalf. The Law of Moses (also know as “the school master”) was given to point the people to Christ, not as an end but as a means to help them focus on Him and get them to the higher law. It was to be an outer expression of their inner commitment to follow the Savior. Many Israelites misunderstood this and thought that it was by the law alone (outer actions and blood lines) that they were saved (Galatians 3:24).

 One of my favorite scriptures is a testimony from Isaiah; his prophecies are full of references and allusions to Christ. In chapter 49, Isaiah prophecies that the people, nearing destruction, would complain saying (vs 14) "But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me." Do we say that we are forgotten now? The Lord's response through Isaiah is touching and beautiful (15-16) "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." This is clearly a reference to Christ and the nails driven through His hands for us. 

 I have addressed only a small number of reasons why we should study from the Old Testament. I do not mean to diminish other scripture, just pass along why we should not disregard important information. As we read and study the Old Testament we will begin to understand some of the context of that world and the love that God does have for each of us. We will come to know that He will not forget nor forsake us. We will learn more about His mission and understand better the reason for it. We will come to know Him and, through faith in action, become more like Him. 

I have thought for a long time that this country is divided into three parts, those that rule and want to have power, those who want self governance and those who are apathetic. 

This article, passed to me by a good friend, really does justice to my thoughts regarding politicians and the heading of our country. It is a long article but very well worth the read.

I am a GNU/Linux fan and have been for about 7 years. My home computers sport Suse 11.3 and Win 7. My work computers, on the other hand, have other things in mind. I use Red Hat 5.5 and XP.

Many things have changed since I became a GNU/Linux fan. Some things have not changed much. Certain operating systems have not changed much in that time. Xp is one of those. Since its release in 2003 many new software and visualization ideas have been pushed around, moved forward and come to be commonly used. However, XP is still used and it feels old and is not sharp like others. In the same mode of thinking Red Hat 5.5 is also old, even though it was released this year. It uses an old kernel and vintage KDE 3.5. Like XP it is functional and does what it was advertised to do. I can't wait to use a newer operating system every day. 

As long as I have been ranting about operating systems, lets take a step deeper into the x86 world of hardware. As I understand it, even the latest Pentium processor chip still must support commands and structure for hardware such as tape drive and 8 inch floppy disk drives while at the same time supporting the latest video and being able to access TeraBytes of RAM. This limits the CPU because it must be backwards compatible. Throw it out and rewrite the machine language. This will allow new, faster architectures to be explored more easily. Just a thought

Aurorae Borealis have fascinated me for a long time. Solar winds, magnetosphere interactions, etc are so cool. I love to read about them. I recently read a short article regarding the history of auroral research by Syun-Ichi Akasofu, professor at University of Alaska in Fairbanks. Fairbanks happens to be the most probable city from which to see the northern lights.

Something that caught my interst in the article was how human scientists really are. It is amazing how some would doggedly stick to their hypothesis, or one they thought was right, until evidence was heaped against that idea. Not only do they object to others doing research they think is fallacious but some may actually try to smear others work. I noted this in an earlier post too. I used to think that scientists would work hard for absolute truth and not let their egos and ideas get in the way. I have found that just the egos get bigger. 

To quote the Dr. Akasufu, "Even a small step in scientific progress, such as those described here, requires much struggle against long-held views." ... "If one observation does not agree with the prevailing ideas of the time, graduate students and established scientists should pursue the issue so long as they are convinced of the validity of their observations. Such diligence has the potential to change the course of science in unexpected ways,...". It pays to think outside the box. If I am working to solve a problem and I think exactly the same way as everyone before me, then I will not find a solution unless it hits me in the face. 

I recently had opportunity to do some work in Soda Springs, ID. I had not previously been there and found it a nice small town. The name comes from the fact that there are many springs in the area that are carbonated, like soda water. The Oregon trail passed through there and many people stopped to drink of the bubbly water. I was able to visit the geyser, Octagon springs, Hooper Springs and Pavillion springs. I was amazed at the number of people that stopped by Hooper Springs to see the water. Some of them even dared to taste it. I drank from the springs and the water reminded me of Güitig, a naturally bubbly beverage from Ecuador. I recommend a visit to anyone who happens to be within a hundred miles or so. 

While there I stayed at the Ender Museum and Hotel. The name is what reminded me of the book Ender's Game and which I subsequently read. The hotel is not named for the book, I think it might be in reverse actually but that is my supposition and Orson Card would be the one in the know. The hotel is a beautiful structure that has been completely restored. The museum, which occupies much of the 2nd floor, is full of items from the history of Soda Springs. I found it fascinating. 

I just finished driving an '04 Ford Excursion over 2000 miles. I think I got to know the big suv in that time.

I will start with the things I do not like about the '04 Excursion, note that these may have changes on future models. Unlike most vehicles I have driven lately, this Excursion did not have an adjustable height shoulder strap for the seat belts. This bothers me as I am tall. In fact after about the first 1000 miles I had a rather large bruise on my left shoulder from the slight pressure of the seat belt. My shoulder is still tender, three weeks later. The second issue I have with the suv is gas mileage. I was pulling a heavy 17 foot trailer and consistently got between 10 and 11 miles per gallon. I don't know what it would get on the open road without the trailer but this made for frequent stops.

That's all I have against the suv. It was otherwise a great vehicle. Often times, I did not notice the trailer behind me even in windy conditions. Now the trailer is a double axle which adds some to stability but the suv pulled it like a champ. It did lug a little on steep hills but if I put my foot into it, it would down shift and go to work.

The radio has buttons in the right places to reach while driving. The temperature control buttons were also easily accessed by the driver and easy to understand. The keyless entry would have worked, had I know the code, when I locked the keys in it once. Fortunately I had a spare in the trailer which had a combination lock for entry. The A/C was cold and kept pumping cold air even while going up hills. I kept a watchful eye on the temperature gauge and it never got above half way to the danger zone. 

The suv is big, I think it is taller and wider than a Chevy Suburban but about the same length. I am accustomed to the size as my first car, a '76 Pontiac Catalina, seemed much longer. If you need a big vehicle to haul a lot of stuff or people, this gets my vote. 

Great scenery in a great vehicle. 

Devil's Gate is a feature along the join Mormon and Oregon trails in Wyoming through which the Sweetwater river flows. It is too narrow for wagons and thus they had to go around. Not too far from Devil's gate was a trading post of sorts. I think it closed down or was forced to be abandoned in the mid-1850's. It was here that late in the year 1856 several groups of weary travelers sought refuge. There being too many for such a small place and not much fire wood at hand, some also sought refuge some few miles from the at what is now called Martin's cove. Some of my wife's ancestors, Maria Jackson Normington and her girls, were among those seeking refuge. That family had suffered much en route but we shall not forget the miracles that did save them and through them our family.