Karina M.’s Post

Headed to DC for the #afcsummit and our annual inter-agency meeting. The timing this year is particularly interesting which has given our team and members a reason to do some deeper thinking on the changing landscape. Stephen Jay Gould, a Harvard paleontologist, helped develop the “punctuated equilibrium” theory of evolution. While most Darwinist viewed evolution as a slow linear process, Dr. Gould and others argued that sporadic period of dramatic change were the primary driver. We are entering uncharted waters, for good and bad, in a sector that craves certainty. Healthcare and Financial Services, also have the most dramatic near term impact on the lives of consumers. Unlike healthcare, the banking industry has an extended reach because of the trickle down effect through businesses. We have some thoughts about the right approach. More after a week of meetings.

Interesting discussion on the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the importance of X-ray astronomy and how talent/progress will be lost without continued sufficient funding. We waste a ton of money on unnecessary and avoidable wars. Space is a dangerous place. The better we understand it the longer our species will survive. #xrayastronomy #chandra #nasa https://lnkd.in/eT6_zsXT

Can the Hypergeometrical Universe Theory explain Celestial Dynamics without the Nine Planet? Well. HU can tell you with certainty if Planet Nine is needed and where it is. https://lnkd.in/ejd3-RMH

https://lnkd.in/eYryN9ym Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known. - Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994 Copyright © 1994 by Carl Sagan

The following excerpt from Carl Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot was inspired by an image taken, at Sagan's suggestion, by Voyager 1 on 14 February 1990. As the spacecraft was departing our planetary neighborhood for the fringes of the solar system, it turned it around for one last look at its home planet. Voyager 1 was about 6.4 billion kilometers (4 billion miles) away, and approximately 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane, when it captured this portrait of our world. Caught in the center of scattered light rays (a result of taking the picture so close to the Sun), Earth appears as a tiny point of light, a crescent only 0.12 pixel in size. This perspective has always given me comfort in times of uncertainty and reminded me of my work in the here and now and the life I want to lead. Here is the text: Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known. — Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994 https://lnkd.in/gFJ8SSYD

This is why Artificial Intelligence is horrible- misinformation and disinformation drive the output. "What makes you think human beings are sentient and aware? There's no evidence for it. Human beings never think for themselves, they find it too uncomfortable. For the most part, members of our species simply repeat what they are told-and become upset if they are exposed to any different view. The characteristic human trait is not awareness but conformity, and the characteristic result is religious warfare. Other animals fight for territory or food; but, uniquely in the animal kingdom, human beings fight for their 'beliefs.' The reason is that beliefs guide behavior which has evolutionary importance among human beings. But at a time when our behavior may well lead us to extinction, I see no reason to assume we have any awareness at all. We are stubborn, self-destructive conformists. Any other view of our species is just a self-congratulatory delusion. Next question." ~Michael Crichton Book: The Lost World

The 9 Books that inspired my thinking and ideas in 2024: 1) Meaning in Technology by Arnold Pacey 2) The Buddha in the Machine: Art, Technology, and the Meeting of East and West by R. John Williams 3) The History Of Magic by Chris Gosden 4) Why Dinosaurs Matter by Kenneth Lacovara 5) Natural-Born Cyborgs by Andy Clark 6) Full-time director, part time loser by Thanachart Siripatrachai 7) Solvable: How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It Again by Susan Solomon 8) Save The Cat By Blake Snyder 9) The Media Equation: How People Treat Computers, Television, and New Media Like Real People and Places by Byron Reeves and Clifford Nass

Unveiling the Mysteries of Planet 9: Insights from Astrophysicist Konstantin Batygin Renowned astrophysicist Konstantin Batygin presents groundbreaking insights in his latest study on the existence of the ninth planet. Here's what I noted from his interview https://lnkd.in/dVsMxYiM and research https://lnkd.in/dbiS8Vxi: ◾ Complex Early Dynamics: If Planet 9 exists, it suggests a dynamic past for our solar system. Its likely formation closer to the Sun and subsequent migration to its distant orbit hint at a turbulent history, challenging conventional notions of stability. ◾Extended Planet Formation: The presence of Planet 9 challenges existing models of planet formation, suggesting that planetary birth may occur far beyond the traditional boundaries of a star's influence. This expands our understanding of how planetary systems like ours come into being. ◾Stabilizing Orbital Dynamics: Planet 9's hypothetical role in stabilizing the orbits of trans-Neptunian objects offers insights into the long-term dynamics of our solar system. Its gravitational influence could act as a cosmic anchor, preventing the ejection of distant celestial bodies and maintaining the architectural integrity of our neighborhood. ◾ Implications for Exploration: Understanding the dynamics of our solar system, influenced by the potential presence of Planet 9, not only fuels scientific curiosity but also shapes our approach to space exploration. It prompts us to develop new technologies and observational techniques to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos. The pursuit of Planet 9 challenges us to rethink what we know about our cosmic home, pushing the boundaries of our understanding and inspiring future generations of explorers. Each planet in our solar system emits its own magnetic and gravitational radiation, contributing to the vast tapestry of cosmic forces that shape our existence. It underscores the importance of continuous exploration and discovery, not just to satisfy our curiosity but to deepen our comprehension of the universe we inhabit.

https://lnkd.in/gSSzSxWh Episode 19 delves into the mysterious Skinwalker Ranch in Utah, exploring its fascinating history, cultural significance, and the strange phenomena that have been reported there. Drawing from the document "Unveiling-Skinwalker-Ranch-Print.pdf," we examine historical accounts, early settler experiences, and investigations conducted by the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDSci) and Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS). The episode covers everything from UFO sightings and cryptids to poltergeist activity and temporal anomalies, while also taking a closer look at indigenous beliefs and legends tied to the land. We discuss both scientific theories and potential technological explanations for these bizarre occurrences, stressing the importance of interdisciplinary research, ethical reporting, and responsible inquiry into such extraordinary claims. Join us for a deep dive into one of the most mysterious places on Earth, where the line between reality and the unexplained is often blurred.

Why do we have such big brains? The size of an animal's brain and body are closely related. The brains of huge animals, like whales, are larger than those of small ones, like mice. However, in comparison to our body size, humans have extraordinarily enormous brains. What makes our brains so large, then? The anthropologist Robin Dunbar asserted in the 1990s that humans evolved such huge brains—especially the neocortex, or outermost region of the brain—in order to cope with the complexity and expansion of social networks and interactions . The largest predictor of an animal's neocortex size, he demonstrated, was the size of the species' group. The brain grows with the size of the group. We had to grow larger brains to handle the cognitive demands of navigating multiple social interactions, relationships, and networks since it was both rewarding and taxing. In essence, we developed large brains to communicate.