theiconoclast.info

Popular culture, even when it comes to what everyone has been taught about Thanksgiving in elementary school, is often dead wrong. Consider the following statements about Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims.

1.       The Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving.

2.       The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.

3.       The Pilgrims were Puritians.

4.       The first Thanksgiving feast included corn, turkey, and cranberries.

None of these statements are true. That is, according to the following two sites:

http://hnn.us/articles/406.html  and http://hnn.us/articles/1126.html .

Still, while none of the statements listed above are true, perhaps the so called “debunkers” are not entirely accurate. Consider this, which claims to “debunk the debunkers”: http://hnn.us/articles/15002.html .

With all these different views on the accuracy of Thanksgiving, who is to say what really happened? Thoughts?

Brad Rybinski

Aliens… The word conjures up images of exotic space craft, advanced beings, and menacing probes.

But what are the odds that an alien civilization actually exists? Moreover, what are the odds that the high tech, communicating alien civilization we all imagine actually exists? Believe it or not, American astronomer  Francis Drake developed an equation(the Drake equation) that allows one to predict the number of advanced alien civilizations in our galaxy. The equation is as follows:

N = N* fp ne fl fi fc fL

N* represents the number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy (most scientists agree that this number is about 100 billion)

fp is the fraction of stars that have planets around them (Experts agree on a range of 20% to 50%)

ne is the number of planets per star that are capable of sustaining life. Though most scientists would estimate this number is between 1 and 5, they have little evidence to base such an estimation on, and out of the roughly 250 planets astronomers have discovered, they suspect they have found only 1 (other than earth) that may be capable of sustaining life.

fl is the fraction of planets in ne where life evolves. Scientists have no way of knowing this, and estimates range from 100% to just over 0.

fi is the fraction of fl where intelligent life evolves. Scientists have no way of knowing this either, and estimates range from 100% to just over 0.

fc is the fraction of fi that communicate. Yet again, scientists have no way of knowing this.

fL is fraction of the planet’s life during which the communicating civilizations live. As you may have guessed by now, scientists have no way of knowing this one either.

Obviously, the Drake equation’s ability to accurately predict the number of alien civilizations out there is limited by the fact that no one knows the precise values of any of its variables. However, the equation works in principle, and it is a fun thought experiment. I tried the equation using my own estimates for each of the variables, and according to my estimates, there should be 33 high tech, communicating alien civilizations in our galaxy. If you would like to try the Drake Equation for yourself, and find out how many alien civilizations you think are in our galaxy, just go to http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/SETI/drake_equation.html .

Brad Rybinski

Hello friends and foes… My name is Brad Rybinski and this, obviously, is my blog: The Iconoclast: Cool Science, Ruthless Skepticism, and Free Thought.

First, a little about myself: I am a 16 year old white male in my sophomore year of high school. I have long hair that I like to style in a mess-like fashion, and this hair along with a well known passion for science has earned me the nickname “Jimmy Neutron” from some of my peers. Though unfortunately my name is not “Jimmy Neutron”, I do indeed like science, and am employed at a lab at the University of Delaware. I also enjoy driving, my girlfriend (because she’s sweet, pretty, and smells good), and running. I love to drink coffee and eat cheesecake, but under no circumstances will I consume green eggs and ham. On a completely unrelated note, my role models are Albert Einstein, for his brilliance and scientific spirit, and the journalist Christopher Hitchens, for his courage, skepticism, and eloquence.

My personality and interests naturally lead to the subject of my blog. The name of this blog is “The Iconoclast: Cool Science, Ruthless Skepticism, and Free Thought”, and quite appropriately it will include cool science, ruthless skepticism, and free thought.

First, the cool science bit: The Iconoclast will cover only the cool science. You won’t find the boring details of science profiled here, such as a description of the 10 steps in glycolysis (or even a description of what glycolysis is). Nor will you find descriptions of research stating the obvious, such as recent research that showed that “certain types of thinking are best suited to solving certain types of problems”.

Instead, you will find only the good stuff. All of the science explained or profiled on “The Iconoclast” is the type of science that will make you stop and think. The science found here is the kind of science that’s always explained in the movies to dramatic music. In fact, the science here is even better than that. Examples include the fact that events do not “happen”, they “exist”, a bacterium that can form a gigantic blob to devour its prey, and a strange and terrible disease that makes its victims curse and punch at those they like while they embrace those they despise.

The next part of the Iconoclast’s description is “Ruthless Skepticism”. This means that I will cover social issues and current events, and I will do my best to do so in an objective and scientific matter. For instance, I may one day choose to write about the idea that vaccines cause autism. If I do so, I will examine a significant proportion of the evidence, and probably conclude (along with the great majority of the reputable scientific community) that such an idea is nonsense.

The final part of the Iconoclast’s description is “Free Thought”, and this  means two things. First, it means that I will not hesitate to speculate on this blog. For instance, though I have no means of proving this, I personally believe that so called “designer babies” will never become a reality. “Free Thought” also means that “The Iconoclast” does not believe there should be such a thing as blasphemy. No questions or ideas should be forbidden.

Above all, this is a blog where I will feel free to speculate, write on any question I feel like, and write about the bits of science that I love.

And please always feel free to leave me comments.

Brad Rybinski