2017 Summer August 20 Sunday

2017 Summer August 20 Sunday

75 degrees this morning.  Walk 35:52 minutes

Humidity 78% this morning. During walk, actually felt higher than that, although I can kind of tell the difference now.  

Pace was 25 seconds slower than my goal.  Obviously I won’t  be lowering my goal anytime soon because I am always beating it!  Distance was .18 and my average heartbeat was 94 BPM.  More than anyone, including me, really wants to know I expect, although it is kind of interesting.  

Listening again  to the Great Course on the Industrial Revolution.  

Surprised to learn the first steam engine was started in 1708.  It was used to pump water out of the coal mines.  Some of the early steam engines actually had a life span of over 100 years in actual use.  

I’m not really mechanical or mind-oriented  tot eh point that I will ever understand how a steam engine works (or electricity, a gas engine etc.!).  I am amazed at how people invented such items, realized that  coal will burn or similar inventions.  

I have tried numerous times to understand such processes and soon give up, either in frustration or boredom,  i’m not sure which.  “Boredom” meaning not that it is boring, but that it takes more time for me to learn it than i am willing to take!

Not to take away from any of today’s inventions, it had to take a lot of creatively to invest some of the early inventions or ways of making steel etc.  

I think that is what is  called a Paradigm shift to make such a radical creative invention.  

I still remember reading “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” for the first time after I got out of the Air Force and started graduate school.  It was a complete revelation to me and I was especially impressed by the Paradigms and Paradigm shifting.

My youngest granddaughters birthday is today.  15 years old.  I can actually remember when I was 15 years old and I don’t really think I would want to have to go through it again, unless I knew what I know now!  

Not being specific to any person, just a general generational observation,  but I expect it is even more difficult growing up now, with all of the opportunities for bad choices, or at least misguided choices and not having he experience of knowledge to make reasonably good choices. 

The ellipse kind of caught me by surprise.  While the media coverage has been overwhelming, I just kind of thought it was only a narrow band of coverage for some reason, but it will actually be an 85% ellipse here, which surprised me.  Have to avoid looking at the sun.  

Years ago, I actually experienced a total ellipse (or close) of the sun and it was eerie to say the least.  I was in a wooded area, and all sounds stopped as it got dark.  Don’t really plan on observing it tomorrow, actually will be on a “field day” at the time and will need to not look at the sun.

Heard a cricket when first came out on patio, don’t hear it now.  Maybe by friend, the possum, is  at work on tacking care of pest control!

That’s it for now, Sunday, August 20, 2017.