Dragon, a legendary reptilian monster similar in form to a crocodile and usually represented as having wings, huge claws, and a fiery breath. In some folklore of antiquity, the dragon symbolizes destruction and evil. This conception is found, for example, in Enuma Elish, a Mesopotamian creation epic written about 2000 bc. One of the central figures of the legend is the goddess Tiamat, a dragonlike personification of the oceans, who headed the hordes of chaos and whose destruction was prerequisite to an orderly universe. In the sacred writings of the ancient Hebrews, the dragon frequently represents death and evil. Christianity inherited the Hebraic conception of the dragon, which figures in all the important apocalyptic literature of the Bible, notably in Revelation, and appears in later Christian traditions. In Christian art, the dragon is a symbol of sin. It is often represented as crushed under the feet of saints and martyrs, symbolizing the triumph of Christianity over paganism.
In certain mythologies, the dragon is more generally credited with beneficent powers. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that dragons had the ability to understand and to convey to mortals the secrets of the earth. Partially as a result of this conception of the monster as a benign, protective influence, and partially because of its fearsome qualities, it was employed as a military emblem. The Roman legions adopted it in the first century ad , inscribing the figure of a dragon on the standards carried into battle by the cohorts. The folklore of the pagan tribes of northern Europe contained both beneficent and terror-inspiring dragons. In the Nibelungenlied, Siegfried kills a dragon, and one of the principal episodes of Beowulf deals with a similar achievement. The ancient Norsemen adorned the prows of their vessels with carved likenesses of dragons. Among the Celtic conquerors of Britain the dragon was a symbol of sovereignty. The legendary monster was also depicted on the shields of the Teutonic tribes that later invaded Britain, and it appeared on the battle standards of the English kings as late as the 16th century. Beginning in the early 20th century, it was inscribed on the armorial bearings of the Prince of Wales.
The dragon also figures in the mythology of various Asian countries, notably Japan and China. It is deified in the Daoist (Taoist) religion and was the national emblem of the Chinese Empire. Among the Chinese people, the dragon is traditionally regarded as a symbol of good fortune.
Dragons... I've played a game in Platstation that focuses on dragons.. still the same description.. wings, breathes fire and eats soldiers. Hehehe... well the shocking part is that in game it is alter discovered that the dragons are the gods that briong about the salvation of the world. Well thats far out beyond whacky and crazy hehehehe...
Monday, March 26, 2007
Government Warning!!!!
Many of the youths have been using drugs nowadays. Especially teenagers at our age who doesn't still know that this would be a great damage into our life...But maybe, some of us have personal reasons why these things happen.
They may use alcohol and other drugs for many reasons. They may do it because they want to fit in socially, like what their friends are doing. They like the way drugs or alcohol makes them feel, or they want to feel more grown up. Teens tend to be risk-takers sometimes,even me, I also feel like "if only I could take all those risk" and they may take drugs or drink because it seems exciting. Teens who are at the biggest risk for developing serious alcohol or drug problems include those with family members who have problems with alcohol or other drugs. Also, teenagers who feel that they are not connected to or valued by their parents. This is really a common situation. Just imagine? It's like, they got all the freedom...because they think the way that their parents won't care about them anymore. Some used it most especially who have poor self-esteem or emotional or mental health problems (such as depression) are at increased risk. Teens may try a variety of substances, including cigarettes, alcohol, household chemicals (inhalants), prescription and nonprescription medications, and illegal drugs (most commonly marijuana).Substance abuse can increase risk-taking behaviors, which can have serious consequences. Alcohol and drug abuse is a leading cause of teen death or injury related to car accidents, suicides, violence, and drowning.
So...why should we bother used drugs if we know that it will just ruin our life?*Sigh*But still...many can't make up their mind...Some say that it was really hard to quit in it..But what I mostly see now with those teen agers at my age was they were holding a bottle of liquor and was holding a piece of cigarette. It's really miserable!!!! What could be that reason behind them?
If old people say that "they are the hope of our country"..it turns out to be the other way around...
Drinking maybe not that bad when we don't abused it. Coz in my part also, I would never say that I never got to drink even once in my whole life. Yes, I did but I know what I was doing.*laugh*...
It's just so sad how people ruin their lives because of it...When we come to think of it, there are still a lot of things we rather have to do than doing those bad stuffs and, we might not know, this things would help us improve as a person, not for the worst but for the better. Being a better person is an instrument of our success..so come to think of it guyz!!!!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
"Love is a Fallacy by Max Schulman"
I was a cool, logical, keen, calculating, perspicacious, acute,astute and this person with lot of things in his mind!And I was just eighteen then.
I had this roommate named Petey in our university. An emotional , unstable and impressionable guy which I saw lying in his bed one afternoon with such distress on his face. I taught he was just suffering from appendicitis but I come to think that he might have been a mental problem when he mumbled that he wanted a raccoon coat. I asked him why he wanted some of it knowing that they smell awful and weigh too much and he answered me that the “Big Mens” in school are wearing them. He must have been jealous with these guys but when he interrupted me quickly, I realized that he really wants a raccoon coat.
This idea came up into my mind then. I remember,my father had one in his undergraduate days; it lay now in a trunk in the attic back home. But it also came up into my mind that it also happened that Petey had something I also wanted and that is Polly Espy, the girl I wanted . Petey didn't own her exactly for Polly wasn't his girlfriend but at least he had first rights on her. So I went home for a weekend then after my conversation with Petey, trying to do better than lending him some money to buy a raccoon coat and at the same time trying to make a deal with him.
I returned to the campus the next Monday morning bringing the raccoon coat of my father. Petey was so happy to see the raccoon coat. So I told him about the deal I'm planning and that is he'll only have it when he allows Polly and me to go on a date and he agreed with it.
I had my first date with Polly the following evening. I wanted to know how much efforts will I do to make up the standard mind I required for my future wife but..She had a lack of information.On our next date, we had a logic talked. But its sad when we have to end our conversation because it was really already late and I have to take her back to the dormitory.
On our next dates, I concluded now that Polly fits to be my wife. She really made me impressed about the last fallacy we discussed. And it does shows that she is really attentive in it.
I decided to tell Polly everything and what I really fell for her. And that right time came. I told her that I fell in love with her even just for five span of nights that we've been together but she answered me that it was all a fallacy. A Hasty Generalization, a false analogy, Ad Misericordiam and all those fallacies we talked about. And she told me that she will not go steady with me but instead to Petey. I was really disappointed and angry. I once again asked her why she chose Petey over me and asked her for a logical reason. She then told me that “Petey had a raccoon coat”.
GuitarS
Acoustic guitars
An acoustic guitar is not dependent on any external device for amplification. The shape and resonance of the guitar itself creates acoustic amplification. However, the unamplified guitar is not a loud instrument. It cannot compete with other instruments commonly found in bands and orchestras, in terms of sheer audible volume. Many acoustic guitars are available today with built-in electronics and power to enable amplification.
There are several subcategories within the acoustic guitar group: steel string guitars, which includes the flat top, or "folk" guitar, the closely related twelve string guitar, and the arch top guitar. A recent arrival in the acoustic guitar group is the acoustic bass guitar, similar in tuning to the electric bass.
Electric guitars
Electric guitars can have solid, semi-hollow, or hollow bodies, and produce little sound without amplification. Electromagnetic pickups (single and double coil) convert the vibration of the steel strings into electrical signals which are fed to an amplifier through a cable or radio transmitter. The sound is frequently modified by other electronic devices or the natural distortion of valves (vacuum tubes) in the amplifier. The electric guitar is used extensively in jazz, blues and rock and roll, and was commercialized by Gibson together with Les Paul and independently by Leo Fender of Fender Music. The lower fretboard action (the height of the strings from the fingerboard) and its electrical amplification lend the electric guitar to some techniques which are less frequently used on acoustic guitars. These techniques include tapping, extensive use of legato through pull-offs and hammer-ons (also known as slurs in the traditional Classical genre), pinch harmonics, volume swells and use of a Tremolo arm or effects pedals. Seven-string solid body electric guitars were developed in the 1980s. Throughout the late 80's and 90's the seven string was popularized by the creation of the Ibanez Jem. The Jem was developed by Ibanez with close specifications and a specific feel that Steve Vai helped develop and master. Vai popularized the seven string and the seven string is heard in much of the rock music these days (earlier in jazz) to achieve a much darker sound through extending the lower end of the guitar's range. They are used today by players such as James "Munky" Shaffer, Dave Weiner, John Petrucci, Jeff Loomis, Steve Smyth, and Steve Vai. Meshuggah, Dino Cazares, Rusty Cooley & Charlie Hunter go a step further, using an 8 string guitar with two extra low strings. Although the most commonly found 7 string is the variety in which there is one low B string, Roger McGuinn (Of Byrds/Rickenbacker Fame) has popularized a variety in which an octave G string is paired with the regular G string as on a 12 string guitar, allowing him to incorporate chiming 12 string elements in standard 6 string playing. Ibanez makes many varieties of electric 7 strings.However, the most common method of achieving a darker, deeper sound is to tune the 6th string (E) to a low D, known as a 'drop D tuning'. Many of today's 'Dark Metal' and 'Nu Metal' bands use this tuning to add extra heaviness to their sound. Devin Townsend uses an 'open G' tuning to achieve his particular heavy sound. Edward Van Halen sometimes uses a device known as a 'Drop D Tuner' which is a small lever attached to the tuner of the 6th string which easily allows him to drop down to a D with ease.
Well whatever we use and choose, all that matters is that we can always enjoy ourselves with the soothing sound of the aacoustis guitar or the hard-core tune of the electric guitar. Some people are afraid to try to use the guitar becaude they might break it or whatever, some are really trying their best to learn (maybe for the next schoolyear ^_^) but all I can say is this, practice makes perfect really!! Just practice and practice nad practice.......... hehehe well you get the point.
An acoustic guitar is not dependent on any external device for amplification. The shape and resonance of the guitar itself creates acoustic amplification. However, the unamplified guitar is not a loud instrument. It cannot compete with other instruments commonly found in bands and orchestras, in terms of sheer audible volume. Many acoustic guitars are available today with built-in electronics and power to enable amplification.
There are several subcategories within the acoustic guitar group: steel string guitars, which includes the flat top, or "folk" guitar, the closely related twelve string guitar, and the arch top guitar. A recent arrival in the acoustic guitar group is the acoustic bass guitar, similar in tuning to the electric bass.
Electric guitars
Electric guitars can have solid, semi-hollow, or hollow bodies, and produce little sound without amplification. Electromagnetic pickups (single and double coil) convert the vibration of the steel strings into electrical signals which are fed to an amplifier through a cable or radio transmitter. The sound is frequently modified by other electronic devices or the natural distortion of valves (vacuum tubes) in the amplifier. The electric guitar is used extensively in jazz, blues and rock and roll, and was commercialized by Gibson together with Les Paul and independently by Leo Fender of Fender Music. The lower fretboard action (the height of the strings from the fingerboard) and its electrical amplification lend the electric guitar to some techniques which are less frequently used on acoustic guitars. These techniques include tapping, extensive use of legato through pull-offs and hammer-ons (also known as slurs in the traditional Classical genre), pinch harmonics, volume swells and use of a Tremolo arm or effects pedals. Seven-string solid body electric guitars were developed in the 1980s. Throughout the late 80's and 90's the seven string was popularized by the creation of the Ibanez Jem. The Jem was developed by Ibanez with close specifications and a specific feel that Steve Vai helped develop and master. Vai popularized the seven string and the seven string is heard in much of the rock music these days (earlier in jazz) to achieve a much darker sound through extending the lower end of the guitar's range. They are used today by players such as James "Munky" Shaffer, Dave Weiner, John Petrucci, Jeff Loomis, Steve Smyth, and Steve Vai. Meshuggah, Dino Cazares, Rusty Cooley & Charlie Hunter go a step further, using an 8 string guitar with two extra low strings. Although the most commonly found 7 string is the variety in which there is one low B string, Roger McGuinn (Of Byrds/Rickenbacker Fame) has popularized a variety in which an octave G string is paired with the regular G string as on a 12 string guitar, allowing him to incorporate chiming 12 string elements in standard 6 string playing. Ibanez makes many varieties of electric 7 strings.However, the most common method of achieving a darker, deeper sound is to tune the 6th string (E) to a low D, known as a 'drop D tuning'. Many of today's 'Dark Metal' and 'Nu Metal' bands use this tuning to add extra heaviness to their sound. Devin Townsend uses an 'open G' tuning to achieve his particular heavy sound. Edward Van Halen sometimes uses a device known as a 'Drop D Tuner' which is a small lever attached to the tuner of the 6th string which easily allows him to drop down to a D with ease.
Well whatever we use and choose, all that matters is that we can always enjoy ourselves with the soothing sound of the aacoustis guitar or the hard-core tune of the electric guitar. Some people are afraid to try to use the guitar becaude they might break it or whatever, some are really trying their best to learn (maybe for the next schoolyear ^_^) but all I can say is this, practice makes perfect really!! Just practice and practice nad practice.......... hehehe well you get the point.
HEROES THAT SHINE
+++ Cloud Strife +++
Cloud Strife (クラウド・ストライフ, Kuraudo Sutoraifu?) is the protagonist of Squaresoft's (now known as Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and several of its sequels and spin-offs. His appearance is marked by spiky blonde hair, vivid blue eyes (a distinguishing feature of SOLDIER members and a sign of having been exposed to mako energy), dark purple or blue clothing, and his Buster Sword (a sword with a distinctive, oversized blade), which originally belonged to his friend Zack. At first, Cloud displays a cold and uncaring demeanor, but he gradually adapts to his role as a leader.
In Final Fantasy VII, Cloud is the central force around which the narrative is constructed. In the beginning, the player is introduced to him as a mercenary and former member of SOLDIER that carries a disinterested air about him. During a mission in which he worked with the anti-Shinra organization AVALANCHE, he encounters a young woman by the name of Aerith Gainsborough, who is wanted by the Turks for being the last member of an ancient tribe known as the Cetra. Later, the player is introduced to Sephiroth, a former SOLDIER 1st Class.
THE RETURN...
In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, it is revealed that in the two years following the conclusion of the game, Cloud lived with Tifa and Barret in the city of Edge, and following Barret's return to his hometown of Corel, he helped Tifa raise two children, Marlene, Barret's adopted daughter, and Denzel, an orphan and new character to the series. Cloud's new occupation is that of a delivery boy for the "Strife Delivery Service" that Tifa set up in her new tavern.Over time, Cloud began suffering symptoms of the disease Geostigma, keeping his left arm cloaked to hide the disfiguration it caused. Since the end of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud grew apart from the others out of the guilt for the deaths of Aerith and Zack, and a result, he moved out of the tavern and took refuge in the old church in which Aerith once raised flowers. Cloud's confusion in Final Fantasy VII has given way to severe grief, in which he cannot forgive himself for failing to save those he cared about.
+++ Kira Yamato +++
Kira Yamato is the first generation coordinator with natural parents. After he graduated from preparatory school on the moon, he enrolled in an industrial college on Heliopolis colony of the neutral nation of Aube to avoid the war. Kira is a little shy but he is a really kind-hearted young man. Kira has a robotic friend named Torii given to him by his best friend, Athrun Zala. Kira also pilots Strike Gundam. Kira it probably the most strongest protagonist. Kira is also really popular with females. He's a Coordinator who finds himself caught in the middle of the conflict where he must fight his best friend Athrun to protect the ones he loves on the side of Naturals. Obviously, he wants to end the conflict as soon as possible. He later becomes engaged to Lacus Clyne, who is the one who gave him the Freedom Gundam.
THE RETURN...
Now 18-years-old. He has had his place in the previous war of Jakin Due. He is now officially taking a break from war and dislikes it himself. He seems to be quiet most of the times and gets to live with Lacus Clyne. Together, they live a peaceful life and takes care of orphan children. He has an extremely cool outfit.He shows great care to everyone he loves and protects them when needed. He has a great spirit and can be described as a pacifist in the sense that he does not want to kill, and also dislikes war.The previous war has given Kira a great deal of experience. He strikes when he is on the defensive and only disarms enemy mobile suits while leaving the cockpit unharmed. He is capable of taking on a great deal of mobile suits and emerge unscathed showing how great he is now.
Two years have passed since the war of Jakin Due, once a member of the Earth Alliance, now officially goes on a path of non-violence with his companion, Lacus Clyne. They both lived in a seaside cabin at first with a daycare as well as Kira's "mother and father", but was later forced to move out so they re-located to a mansion. However, due to an unfortunate situation (Phase 13), he later realized that something had to be done, and later, together with Lacus, Murrue, Andrew, and other members of the Clyne Faction, they relaunched in the Archangel and since then, have been on a path towards stopping conflicts. He plays a key role in ending conflicts in his Freedom Gundam by intervening in conflicts between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT, whom Athrun Zala views it as a disruption. Personality:As a firm promoter of peace, he protects all people who he loves and cares about, especially Lacus Clyne. He is fairly quiet when he was living with Lacus in their seaside cabin and mansion, but once the Archangel re-launced and the Clyne Faction was back up and running, he started to talk more and gives decisive orders. He has a hatred inside for Mia Campbell due to the fact that she is an imposter of Lacus Clyne. His actions are often for the better and he strives to end all conflicts in support for peace.Skills:An extremely large jump in combat experience is shown in Kira Yamato as he pilots his ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam. His fighting skills are so advanced that he has been untouchable, and nothing has been able to stand in his way. As a supporter of peace, he makes sure never to cut through the cockpit of a mobile suit and only disables his enemies by decimating their weapons systems, and sometimes an arm, leg, or a booster pack. His speed is extremely fast as well enabling him to easily dodge attacks from multitudes of enemies and wiping out large squadrons of mobile suits. In addition, he is capable of easily intercepting missiles thanks to his HiMAT system that is able to lock on to all of them. His power is beyond compare and can defeat even the newest of all mobile suits. Where others struggle, he has no stress in handling and is capable of disabling three Gundams (Chaos, Gaia, Abyss) within seconds while emerging victorious without a single scratch. His combat skills are so impressive, that he never uses his shield to block beam and projectile attacks and only uses it to block saber attacks in which he is also capable of avoiding. He can entirely total Athrun's Savior Gundam in a few swift moves. All pilots fail to dodge one of Kira's advances and attacks when they are targeted. The sole pilot that was able to dodge Kira's beam saber, was Shinn Asuka in his Impulse Gundam when he was in Seed Mode. Despite that one time, Kira Yamato is without a doubt, the best pilot in all of Gundam Seed and Destiny.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Time Travel?
The urge to hug a departed loved one again or prevent atrocities are among the compelling reasons that keep the notion of time travel alive in the minds of many.
While the idea makes for great fiction, some scientists now say traveling to the past is impossible.There are a handful of scenarios that theorists have suggested for how one might travel to the past, said Brian Greene, author of the bestseller, “The Elegant Universe” and a physicist at Columbia University.“And almost all of them, if you look at them closely, brush up right at the edge of physics as we understand it. Most of us think that almost all of them can be ruled out.”
The fourth dimension
In physics, time is described as a dimension much like length, width, and height. When you travel from your house to the grocery store, you’re traveling through a direction in space, making headway in all the spatial dimensions—length, width and height. But you’re also traveling forward in time, the fourth dimension. “Space and time are tangled together in a sort of a four-dimensional fabric called space-time,” said Charles Liu, an astrophysicist with the City University of New York, College of Staten Island and co-author of the book “One Universe: At Home In The Cosmos.”Space-time, Liu explains, can be thought of as a piece of spandex with four dimensions. “When something that has mass—you and I, an object, a planet, or any star—sits in that piece of four-dimensional spandex, it causes it to create a dimple,” he said. “That dimple is a manifestation of space-time bending to accommodate this mass.”The bending of space-time causes objects to move on a curved path and that curvature of space is what we know as gravity. Mathematically one can go backwards or forwards in the three spatial dimensions. But time doesn’t share this multi-directional freedom. “In this four-dimensional space-time, you’re only able to move forward in time,” Liu told LiveScience.
Tunneling to the past
A handful of proposals exist for time travel. The most developed of these approaches involves a wormhole—a hypothetical tunnel connecting two regions of space-time. The regions bridged could be two completely different universes or two parts of one universe. Matter cantravel through either mouth of the wormhole to reach a destination on the other side.“Wormholes are the future, wormholes are the past,” said Michio Kaku, author of “Hyperspace” and “Parallel Worlds” and a physicist at the City University of New York. “But we have to be very careful. The gasoline necessary to energize a time machine is far beyond anything that we can assemble with today’s technology.” To punch a hole into the fabric of space-time, Kaku explained, would require the energy of a star or negative energy, an exotic entity with an energy of less than nothing. Greene, an expert on string theory—which views matter in a minimum of 10 dimensions and tries to bridge the gap between particle physics and nature's fundamental forces, questioned this scenario.“Many people who study the subject doubt that that approach has any chance of working,” Greene said in an interview . “But the basic idea if you’re very, very optimistic is that if you fiddle with the wormhole openings, you can make it not only a shortcut from a point in space to another point in space, but a shortcut from one moment in time to another moment in time.”
Cosmic strings
Another popular theory for potential time travelers involves something called cosmic strings—narrow tubes of energy stretched across the entire length of the ever-expanding universe. These skinny regions, leftover from the early cosmos, are predicted to contain huge amounts of mass and therefore could warp the space-time around them. Cosmic strings are either infinite or they’re in loops, with no ends, said J. Richard Gott, author of “Time Travel in Einstein's Universe” and an astrophysicist at Princeton University. “So they are either like spaghetti or SpaghettiO’s.”The approach of two such strings parallel to each other, said Gott, will bend space-time so vigorously and in such a particular configuration that might make time travel possible, in theory.“This is a project that a super civilization might attempt,” Gott told LiveScience. “It’s far beyond what we can do. We’re a civilization that’s not even controlling the energy resources of our planet.”
Impossible, for now
Mathematically, you can certainly say something is traveling to the past, Liu said. “But it is not possible for you and me to travel backward in time,” he said.However, some scientists believe that traveling to the past is, in fact, theoretically possible, though impractical. Maybe if there were a theory of everything, one could solve all of Einstein’s equations through a wormhole, and see whether time travel is really possible, Kaku said. “But that would require a technology far more advanced than anything we can muster," he said. "Don’t expect any young inventor to announce tomorrow in a press release that he or she has invented a time machine in their basement.”For now, the only definitive part of travel in the fourth dimension is that we’re stepping further into the future with each passing moment. So for those hoping to see Earth a million years from now, scientists have good news. “If you want to know what the Earth is like one million years from now, I’ll tell you how to do that,” said Greene, a consultant for “Déjà Vu,” a recent movie that dealt with time travel. “Build a spaceship. Go near the speed of light for a length of time—that I could calculate. Come back to Earth, and when you step out of your ship you will have aged perhaps one year while the Earth would have aged one million years. You would have traveled to Earth’s future.”
While the idea makes for great fiction, some scientists now say traveling to the past is impossible.There are a handful of scenarios that theorists have suggested for how one might travel to the past, said Brian Greene, author of the bestseller, “The Elegant Universe” and a physicist at Columbia University.“And almost all of them, if you look at them closely, brush up right at the edge of physics as we understand it. Most of us think that almost all of them can be ruled out.”
The fourth dimension
In physics, time is described as a dimension much like length, width, and height. When you travel from your house to the grocery store, you’re traveling through a direction in space, making headway in all the spatial dimensions—length, width and height. But you’re also traveling forward in time, the fourth dimension. “Space and time are tangled together in a sort of a four-dimensional fabric called space-time,” said Charles Liu, an astrophysicist with the City University of New York, College of Staten Island and co-author of the book “One Universe: At Home In The Cosmos.”Space-time, Liu explains, can be thought of as a piece of spandex with four dimensions. “When something that has mass—you and I, an object, a planet, or any star—sits in that piece of four-dimensional spandex, it causes it to create a dimple,” he said. “That dimple is a manifestation of space-time bending to accommodate this mass.”The bending of space-time causes objects to move on a curved path and that curvature of space is what we know as gravity. Mathematically one can go backwards or forwards in the three spatial dimensions. But time doesn’t share this multi-directional freedom. “In this four-dimensional space-time, you’re only able to move forward in time,” Liu told LiveScience.
Tunneling to the past
A handful of proposals exist for time travel. The most developed of these approaches involves a wormhole—a hypothetical tunnel connecting two regions of space-time. The regions bridged could be two completely different universes or two parts of one universe. Matter cantravel through either mouth of the wormhole to reach a destination on the other side.“Wormholes are the future, wormholes are the past,” said Michio Kaku, author of “Hyperspace” and “Parallel Worlds” and a physicist at the City University of New York. “But we have to be very careful. The gasoline necessary to energize a time machine is far beyond anything that we can assemble with today’s technology.” To punch a hole into the fabric of space-time, Kaku explained, would require the energy of a star or negative energy, an exotic entity with an energy of less than nothing. Greene, an expert on string theory—which views matter in a minimum of 10 dimensions and tries to bridge the gap between particle physics and nature's fundamental forces, questioned this scenario.“Many people who study the subject doubt that that approach has any chance of working,” Greene said in an interview . “But the basic idea if you’re very, very optimistic is that if you fiddle with the wormhole openings, you can make it not only a shortcut from a point in space to another point in space, but a shortcut from one moment in time to another moment in time.”
Cosmic strings
Another popular theory for potential time travelers involves something called cosmic strings—narrow tubes of energy stretched across the entire length of the ever-expanding universe. These skinny regions, leftover from the early cosmos, are predicted to contain huge amounts of mass and therefore could warp the space-time around them. Cosmic strings are either infinite or they’re in loops, with no ends, said J. Richard Gott, author of “Time Travel in Einstein's Universe” and an astrophysicist at Princeton University. “So they are either like spaghetti or SpaghettiO’s.”The approach of two such strings parallel to each other, said Gott, will bend space-time so vigorously and in such a particular configuration that might make time travel possible, in theory.“This is a project that a super civilization might attempt,” Gott told LiveScience. “It’s far beyond what we can do. We’re a civilization that’s not even controlling the energy resources of our planet.”
Impossible, for now
Mathematically, you can certainly say something is traveling to the past, Liu said. “But it is not possible for you and me to travel backward in time,” he said.However, some scientists believe that traveling to the past is, in fact, theoretically possible, though impractical. Maybe if there were a theory of everything, one could solve all of Einstein’s equations through a wormhole, and see whether time travel is really possible, Kaku said. “But that would require a technology far more advanced than anything we can muster," he said. "Don’t expect any young inventor to announce tomorrow in a press release that he or she has invented a time machine in their basement.”For now, the only definitive part of travel in the fourth dimension is that we’re stepping further into the future with each passing moment. So for those hoping to see Earth a million years from now, scientists have good news. “If you want to know what the Earth is like one million years from now, I’ll tell you how to do that,” said Greene, a consultant for “Déjà Vu,” a recent movie that dealt with time travel. “Build a spaceship. Go near the speed of light for a length of time—that I could calculate. Come back to Earth, and when you step out of your ship you will have aged perhaps one year while the Earth would have aged one million years. You would have traveled to Earth’s future.”
DEATH
Ideas about what constitutes death vary with different cultures and in different epochs. In Western societies, death has traditionally been seen as the departure of the soul from the body. In this tradition, the essence of being human is independent of physical properties. Because the soul has no corporeal manifestation, its departure cannot be seen or otherwise objectively determined; hence, in this tradition, the cessation of breathing has been taken as the sign of death.
In modern times, death has been thought to occur when the vital functions cease—breathing and circulation (as evidenced by the beating of the heart). This view has been challenged, however, as medical advances have made it possible to sustain respiration and cardiac functioning through mechanical means. Thus, more recently, the concept of brain death has gained acceptance. In this view, the irreversible loss of brain activity is the sign that death has occurred. A majority of the states in the United States had accepted brain death as an essential sign of death by the late 1980s.
Even the concept of brain death has been challenged in recent years, because a person can lose all capacity for higher mental functioning while lower-brain functions, such as spontaneous respiration, continue. For this reason, some authorities now argue that death should be considered the loss of the capacity for consciousness or social interaction. The sign of death, according to this view, is the absence of activity in the higher centers of the brain, principally the neocortex.
Society's conception of death is of more than academic interest. Rapidly advancing medical technology has raised moral questions and introduced new problems in defining death legally. Among the issues being debated are the following: Who shall decide the criteria for death—physicians, legislatures, or each person for him- or herself? Is advancement of the moment of death by cutting off artificial support morally and legally permissible? Do people have the right to demand that extraordinary measures be stopped so that they may die in peace? Can the next of kin or a legal guardian act for the comatose dying person under such circumstances? All these questions have acquired new urgency with the advent of human tissue transplantation. The need for organs must be weighed against the rights of the dying donor.
As a result of such questions, a number of groups have sought to establish an individual's “right to die,” particularly through the legal means of “living wills” in which an individual confers the right to withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment upon family members or legal figures. By 1991, 40 states in the United States had recognized the validity of some form of living-will arrangement, although complex questions remain to be settled in all these instances
I always wonder what's really like when I die..... will I see her again? What will the world look like when I die? What will be the reaction of the people when they know that I passed away?? But I dont want to find it out now!! Life's too good to waste it, I can't leave her alone... hehehe PROMISE I WONT LEAVE YOU!!
In modern times, death has been thought to occur when the vital functions cease—breathing and circulation (as evidenced by the beating of the heart). This view has been challenged, however, as medical advances have made it possible to sustain respiration and cardiac functioning through mechanical means. Thus, more recently, the concept of brain death has gained acceptance. In this view, the irreversible loss of brain activity is the sign that death has occurred. A majority of the states in the United States had accepted brain death as an essential sign of death by the late 1980s.
Even the concept of brain death has been challenged in recent years, because a person can lose all capacity for higher mental functioning while lower-brain functions, such as spontaneous respiration, continue. For this reason, some authorities now argue that death should be considered the loss of the capacity for consciousness or social interaction. The sign of death, according to this view, is the absence of activity in the higher centers of the brain, principally the neocortex.
Society's conception of death is of more than academic interest. Rapidly advancing medical technology has raised moral questions and introduced new problems in defining death legally. Among the issues being debated are the following: Who shall decide the criteria for death—physicians, legislatures, or each person for him- or herself? Is advancement of the moment of death by cutting off artificial support morally and legally permissible? Do people have the right to demand that extraordinary measures be stopped so that they may die in peace? Can the next of kin or a legal guardian act for the comatose dying person under such circumstances? All these questions have acquired new urgency with the advent of human tissue transplantation. The need for organs must be weighed against the rights of the dying donor.
As a result of such questions, a number of groups have sought to establish an individual's “right to die,” particularly through the legal means of “living wills” in which an individual confers the right to withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment upon family members or legal figures. By 1991, 40 states in the United States had recognized the validity of some form of living-will arrangement, although complex questions remain to be settled in all these instances
I always wonder what's really like when I die..... will I see her again? What will the world look like when I die? What will be the reaction of the people when they know that I passed away?? But I dont want to find it out now!! Life's too good to waste it, I can't leave her alone... hehehe PROMISE I WONT LEAVE YOU!!
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