ACCHS_Physics

Would you support the development of a “bionic” person? I feel very conflicted about this subject. On one hand, I think it is important for people to use their minds and skills to create, and yet on the other hand, this is not just artwork being put on display. We are talking about using bionic "people" to replace humans and do the work that would give people jobs and the ability to learn new skills that will help them create new ideas. With what little I know about the world of bionics, I see the problem in 2 ways: 1. bionic "people" replacing humans in the workforce 2. bionic "people" walking around in the world without our knowing. This really creeps me out for some reason. Will this be something that is experimental and will eventually fizzle out of style or is this technology here to stay and we are expected to integrate it into our lives? Am I expected to accept that when I walk into a store and the clerk that rings me up is a robot? What i...

I learned a lot from both articles, Between Magic and Science , and This concrete is going high-tech . This first article talks about alchemy in terms of the use of technology. It is fascinating and alarming that alchemy of infotech is used in the same sentence. Infotech is scientific, but to some degree it is causing a distrust in science, but also a dependancy. Mark Mullen states it well at the end of the article that, "Our fascination with the irrational, with magic, is undoubtedly always present, but it tends to flare into an alchemical rhetoric as our anxiety deepens concerning a society that appears to be coming overly-complex, technical, rational." The second article mentioned above about the use of concrete being the world's second largest industrial source of carbon dioxide. What struck me as even more of a surprise was that in 2017 it was responsible for about 4 billion pounds of CO2 emission! According to the article it sounds like a solution is in the works....

I think alchemy encompasses all three-science, magic, and art. For instance the gold tree Lawrence Principe discovered after mixing mercury and gold was initially a science experiment. The outcome was magical and beautiful. The structure of the formation was like art. After I read the article about creating cheaper metals it made me think about the magic and energy that certain substances contains. For instance, I own pieces of jewelry from metals such as gold, silver, stainless steal, and copper, but also from cheaply made metals that I don't know of there chemical breakdown. I can't say for sure if the cheaper ones give less beneficial energy, but it would be something interesting to test. One thing I really liked that Principe said was about how scientists and the like state that their "discoveries are completely new," but that, “They don’t just sort of come to someone in a dream, out of nowhere. New scientific ideas tend to develop out of older ones by a slow ...

I know I'm a living system because..... I consume other living things such as plants and animals. I drink water from living sources and my body is largely made of water. In my gut are living micro organisms that inhabit space in my body. When I spend amounts of time surrounded by only nature, I feel more at peace, my mind relaxes, and my breathing slows down.  The quality of air I breath makes a huge difference. If the air is clean versus polluted, I am affected. I know I'm a living system (and apart of a living system) because I notice my physical and energetic impact having an affect on my surrounding and myself. Acupuncture as effective energy medicine: I have so much to learn about the energetics of acupuncture, and the facts behind why it works so effectively. We know that it works, otherwise it would not have lasted this long. We know there are meridian pathways throughout the body connecting to each other through specific points. The body consists of energy and...

We have large vehicles right here in the Bay Area running on zero emissions. Some of the AC Transit busses run on zero emissions. I think it is very possible to get more larger vehicles running on zero emissions. It is a costly process which is why not all of the busses are zero emission yet. I think it's a matter of cost and time. These are important factors. The means need to be affordable and then the use needs to be frequent enough so that it makes sense. In order to have larger vehicles that will travel thousands of miles, fueling locations will need to be built which also cost a lot of money and resources. Also, this kind of change can't just happen overnight. It takes years. State and national funding need to go into these kinds of zero emissions production and that is where wealthy and powerful companies that support fossil fuels will probably not be on board with these progressive plans.

As much as I would like to see an end, or at least a significant drop, in the extraction of fossil fuels, I don't think that will happen completely and not in my lifetime unless we decide to switch to hydrogen and/or electric transportation completely. As of now, too many people are familiar with gasoline vehicles, hydrogen and electric are expensive to make, and switching over from gasoline would be costly and take a long time to integrate so that eventually everyone was on board. I very much like the idea of hydrogen vehicles. I think it is a clean and useful means of creating energy. I would like to see more energy created with hydrogen, electric, solar, and wind. I think using nature to fuel our vehicles, homes, work spaces, etc. would provide jobs and be better for the environment as well as all the living creatures on our planet. This goes to say that as long as creating these more natural forms of energy are not causing harm in creating them. I have read about the destructi...

Since reading the E-Primer article, I have checked myself from time to time noticing how I am wording my opinions and thoughts. Are they matter-of-fact or do I offer room for opinion and interpretation? I have to consciously make the decision to think about my thoughts and then how I will formulate my words. It's not easy. I do like making the effort though because I think it is important to think about what we say as it is coming out of our mouths. I have said stupid things so many times, later wishing I had just been quiet and not said anything at all. I often speak matter-of-fact or with demand especially at my family members. If I were to go around always saying, "I think you just spilled that, I would appreciate you cleaning it up" instead of "You spilled that. Clean it up, please" my kids would probably appreciate that more. I find that it takes more time and effort to word things that way and I am usually in a hurry so I just tell them what needs to be d...

I tend to gravitate towards the 5 elements in TCM, and after we studied the Fibonacci sequence, I saw that the 5 elements is generally placed in a star shape that that that shape had its own significance. We need classical physics in our medicine to maintain an understanding of the past and where the medicine originates, how it has changed over time, and why it looks like it does today. Many people draw from the classics in Chinese Medicine. I think this is important to keep history close. We have to learn from the past in order to know how to be in the present and know how we want to shape the future of this medicine.

I was in the breakout group that discussed the article about lemon juice and baking soda together being a remedy for COVID-19. First off, this came from a social media post so we know anyone could have posted it and made it sound matter-of-fact. As of now, there is no known cure or remedy for COVID-19. There is still so little that we know about it and I don't think very much, if anything, that we are certain of about it. So for someone to make a statement of fact that lemon juice and baking soda can create less acid in the body and help cure COVID is absurd. Maybe creating less acid in the body is better and beneficial overall, but not a cure or a single reason to take it based on the little known facts that we already have. It seems that some people are grasping at straws to find a solution and help cure people by suggesting random dietary prescriptions such as this one.

It makes sense that the general population tends to be more acidic in pH if overworked, angry, fearful, jealous, and stressed. Especially these last 4 months those emotions have been challenged and increased. According to the foods listed in the article, a lot of the alkalizing ones tend to be sweeter in nature. Dairy and meats tend to be more acidic. Of course, this is a generalization, but a common theme that I notice. I don't consume food with this knowledge of acid and alkaline in mind. I do notice if I eat too much processed foods and sugar it causes inflammation in my body. I wonder if I did further research if I would find that more acidic foods cause inflammation in the body. In general, I think keeping acidic and alkaline foods in mind is a good idea when using food as medicine.

"Ordered Chaos" It is indeed the thing that fuels the fire and brings resolution after chaos. But chaos does not have order so  how can we understand order within chaos? In fact it is the order that fuels chaos. They mutually accentuate each other. Imagine there is order for one second, but an abrupt change happens and chaos is created. I think this is best described by one of the articles we read, Chaos-a Science of Process : "There are two forces in the universe that govern the creation and dissolution of order and disorder. Autopoiesis is the spontaneous emergence and maintenance of order from a disordered context. Entropy is the spontaneous breakdown of order, or creation of disorder, from an ordered context. These two forces balance each other in an ongoing harmonious dance, much like the Yin and Yang in the traditional Chinese Tai Chi symbol." In this example, we see that we cannot have one without the other. "Consciousness out of Chaos...

I enjoyed reading the article about fasting and its benefits with diabetes. I have done intermittent fasting by eating within a 10-12 hour window. Recently, I did a day of fasting with my neighbors who are Muslim and just finished a month long fasting for Ramadan. They did not eat from sunrise to sunset which was from 5AM to 8PM. Even though there were only 19 participants in the study on fasting and diabetes, they were able to get positive results that showed weight loss and other health benefits. Many doctors and health care providers recommend that people "get more exercise, reduce your calories, try a plant-based diet,” which can be overwhelming and if implemented only lasts for a short time. People are more likely to stick with a lifestyle change if it is simple, manageable, and relatively easy. Having to make too many lifestyle changes at once can be really hard. Instead, simply changing the window of time during any given day that a person eats can be a simple change with...

Currently in my kitchen/fridge there are the following foods listed by color: Yellow : -lemons -ginger -pineapple -corn tortillas -eggs (or white) -butter -ghee -olive oil -macaroni and cheese -mustard Red : -cherries -apples -nectarines -peaches -strawberries -ground beef -rhubarb -tomato paste -grapefruit -pasta sauce White : -potatoes -onions -garlic -milk -yogurt -hummus -almond milk -fish -sliced turkey -pasta noodles -coconut oil -sugar -flour -mayonaise Orange : -turmeric -cheese -carrots Black : -maple syrup -blackberries -balsamic vinegar -tea and coffee Blue : -blueberries -marionberry pie Green : -pickles -broccoli -cucumber -kale -celery -avocados Brown : -bread -mushrooms -honey According to the list, I have mostly white foods and then red and yellow foods. I have only 2  blue foods in my kitchen, one of which is mixed with a white crust. I had fresh black/blue mulberries on Friday, but those got eat...

COPPER Atomic Symbol: CU Atomic Number: 29 Atomic Weight: 63.55 Melting points: 1084.6 degrees Celsius Believed to be found and mined on the island of Cyprus, copper has been mined for over 5,000 years. Second to silver in electric conductivity, copper is malleable and a good conductor of heat and electricity. It has a reddish metallic luster which makes it attractive to use for jewelry making, coins, and decorative art projects. Because of its ability to hold up so well, it is also used for plumbing. Other elements that are in the same grouping as copper include: gold, silver, lead, and maldonite. If you have ever witnessed a greenish hue forming over copper, this is a natural reaction that protects the copper from further damage. This substance is called patina. Since copper is so widely used, it is found in the air, ground, and water especially around industrial dumping grounds. Some people can develop flu-like symptoms known as metal fever if they are exposed to too much co...

I think overall, green chemistry is a conscientious way of approaching a polluted system.  Wind power is a useful way to generate energy with a natural resource. Instead of finding ways to deal with the trash we use, using less trash is obvious, but it doesn't make money for the companies that produce it, which is one reason it continues to be produced and remains a problem. An example of this is plastic. As we have discussed before, plastic is  polluting  our waters, earth, and all inhabitants. Having alternative or reusable  resources  would be beneficial. Producing and using less harmful chemicals would also be better. There needs to be harsher fines and punishment to companies that dump byproducts and waste in the water and cause pollution. The lack of regulation harms animals, our air, water, and ecosystem. The article about hydrogen operated vehicles in Scotland is a great idea, but as the article says, getting the hydrogen atoms isolated is an energy...

Before I started writing about energy and Qi, I read the article Could Your Mindset Affect How Well a Treatment Works?  It seems like one appropriate way to approach the concept of energy. Our minds can be our greatest enemy or our strongest ally. An outlook on a problem can be completely different from one person to the next. The energy we choose to give to a certain situation can change our perception of the entire experience. Energy is in everything. Energy is moving, alive, and active. In the body, Qi is moving (if it is normal and flowing as it should), alive, and active. Energy can stagnate and cause problems just as Qi can stagnate in the body and cause heat, pain, lack of blood flow, deficiency or excess. Energy and Qi are inseparable. They exist in different matter at different times or at the same time. One person who does not believe Qi exists may not have any positive affects from receiving acupuncture while someone who doesn't believe in Qi may have an amazing treatmen...

From what I've been reading, resonance and vibration are overlapping concepts. Resonance contains vibrations. When the vibrations match or are at a slightly higher energy that affects the structure around it, then this is resonance. That is how I understand it. In my world, resonance is apparent when one of my family members is tuning their instrument. We have a few different ways to tune including a tuning fork, a tuning app on a cell phone, a digital tuner, or the physical ear. Can we say that resonance occurs in acupuncture? If we were to insert a needle and capture an image of the patient's brain, would there be a change in brain wave function? Would the vibrations be similar to or slightly higher and create a kind of natural frequency in line with the body's energy? I think yes. That is one reason acupuncture works so well.

Yes, there are definitely "good" vibrations. I think vibrations that are considered good include ones that can tap into a vibrational frequency that is healing. These kinds of vibrations can be life altering. I am thinking about sound healing in various forms, Reiki, music, voice, reading a story out loud to someone, or sitting in the forest and tuning into all of the vibrations around (it can actually get pretty noisy!). Other kinds of vibrations that may not be considered healthy or scary include the sound of gunshots (which I hear frequently in East Oakland), the silent vibrational waves cell phones and other electronic devices emit, the loud sound my blender makes, children screaming in high pitched tones, and unannounced earthquakes (which usually happen when I'm at home). As I write this, I realize my perception of vibrations are often associated with sound. I have always had sensitive hearing so that's probably why. I also experience vibrations through my int...

I am replying about our break-out group's discussion on the ingestion of plastic particles. I find it disturbing how much plastic is in the world. As much as I try to avoid the stuff, it finds its way into our home in the form of packaging, bags, to-go containers, and toys. We have a whole section under our kitchen sink donated to reused plastic bags, and we reuse plastic bags for kitty litter. We wash used plastic bags (unless they have raw meat then we throw those in the garbage). We reuse bags as much as possible, but they accumulate so fast. We also try to reuse plastic bags as garbage bags. If we order out and plastic containers are used, we wash them and reuse them as well. We try to do a little to make a difference, but I don't know if it does anything because there is so much plastic it seems like we are drowning in it even when we try to make a difference. The thing that disturbs me in addition to humans ingesting plastic is the animals that ingest it and suffer or di...

I read the article titled, Quick Tour of MathMol . I thought it was really interesting that molecular modeling is key in making new drugs, ceramics, and optics. On the other hand, a more unnerving way molecular modeling is moving is in the way of creating artificial photosynthesis. I would like to know more about that topic and what that entails exactly. I also found it very interesting that molecular bonds form symmetry. For example, the ammonia molecule has a 3-fold axis of symmetry. Also, the fullerene molecule has the shape of a  icosohedron. I like knowing that when we break down to the smallest particles of a substance, the same shapes we see in objects around us such as a flower are the same shapes on a molecular level. That just goes to show that symmetry is basic make-up of life.