SCOTT hamilton

Sad to See Shamu

One of the saddest moments in our trip was seeing Shamu (a stage name shared by many orcas both male and female) at Sea World. 

Killer Whales are one of the most majestic animals in the ocean, and one of the characteristics that add to their mystique is their dorsal fin – sometimes reaching to six feet in height.  

Many killer whales in captivity experience dorsal fin collapse. There are several theories as to why it happens, but nevertheless it’s a sad thing to see. To me it stands as a reminder that the best place for these animals is in the wild, not doing cute parlor tricks for us in captivity. I’m no animal rights extremist (If I ever join PETA please kill me!). Humans are the crowning glory of God’s creation. We have been set apart from the animals. No animal should be set above the life of a human – ever. 

But I don’t think keeping these gallant creatures in captivity for trivial entertainment is what God had in mind when he said,

 

Ge 1:28
"Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."
MSG

 

Like Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, I won’t be returning to Sea World.

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Ah, the Effects of Laughing Gas.

I had my wisdom teeth removed this past Monday.

 

It was a first for:

• Getting a tooth pulled
• Laughing gas
• Being completely knocked out

 

The absolute best part was the laughing gas. I had a miniature respirator placed over my nose that fed me ‘the stuff’. The doll-sized gas mask was there a while when the nurse lifted my headphones and asked if I was feeling the effects yet. “Not yet,” I replied. I think it was delayed because I was extremely nervous and amped up on adrenaline. But then three breathes later it hit me like a giant clown balloon from the Macy’s Parade. Boy, did I start giggling. My nose was tingly, and my eyes were on a delayed focus mode. When I tried to lift my arm it felt like a bag of wet cement, which made me giggle harder. Then for some reason I found it funny that I was laughing, and this started a thermonuclear laughing meltdown. I’m laughing – oh that’s funny I’ll laugh harder – oh I’m laughing harder – oh that’s funnier, etc. The nurse had to lift my headphones again to see if I was freaking out too much.

I’m wondering if they could gas me without actually having to do any teeth pulling . . .

Maybe for my follow-up this Thursday I’ll pose the question.

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Reminiscing

As a kid I was captivated by these books we had. One of my favorites was the one about sight. It contained a lot of these.

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Sharp Words

Can you taste words, see numbers as colors, smell sounds? If you can you might have Synesthesia. 

It’s a condition in which senses are coupled to each other. Certain names might leave a bitter taste in your mouth while others leave a sweet taste. Sometimes people with Synestheia see numbers in different colors while you and I just see black font. 

Researchers are just scratching the surface of this phenomenon. But indications are that most people have some level of it. Take, for example, the shapes below.

A remote tribe calls one of these shapes Booba and the other Kiki. Which shape would you associate with which name? 

Most people associate the sharp tipped shape with the name Kiki and Booba with the shape with roundness. 

It’s amazing that we are still exploring basic elements of the human experience . . .

. . . but not surprising.

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The American Dipper

I came across this amazing bird while doing homework with my 10 yr old. It fascinated me and I wanted to make an equally fascinating illustration about life or faith with it. Alas, after a week of percolating no clever illustration birthed in my mind.

 
So I’ll simply tell you about this implausible bird.

 
It’s rather average in size and color. Often it can be seen half-stepping alongside a Colorado river bobbing or dipping its head in rhythmic synchronization. Without any special adieu it plunges into the rushing water and walks along the bottom. Yes, you heard me right.  It walks along the bottom of a rushing river. To assist its underwater jaunt sometimes it ‘flies’ through the water. It can navigate currents that are over a man’s head and can easily sweep him away. It’s almost dumbfounding.

 
Ooh ooh – it just hit me! A clever illustration about life and faith. Are you ready? This is going to be good . . .

 
Even average “shmoes” like you and me can do incredible things when we are living out the life that God designed us to live.

 
Wow, that was deep.

It’s flowing now.

A flood of creativity.

The metaphors are streaming.

It’s a tidal wave of insight.

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One of My Hopeless Causes

“People only use about 10% of their brain.” (Disclaimer : I  am currently mounting my soap box)

 

Why does this nonsensical statistic exist? It has no basis in scientific evidence. Even the slightest application of critical thinking skills dispels this myth.

 To know what 10% of something is we need to know what the whole is. I can tell you that 10% of a glass of water in my cupboard is about one quarter of a measuring cup. I know this because I am able to know what a full glass of water holds (I just measured it for curiosity and argument’s sake). I know what the whole is and can measure what a tenth of that equals.

 Now look at the typical “10%” claim again. We only use 10% of our brain – meaning we’ve never used the full 100%. People say we haven’t unlocked the full potential (and for three easy payments of just $29.99 they’ll show you how). So how can we know what 100% is if we’ve never attained it. In this incoherent  claim it remains an unknown factor. Remember we need to know what the whole is so we can quantify what 10% of the whole represents. The “10%” claim is simply illogical.

 

We do know what the capacity of the human brain is, and for the most part, we are using its full potential – well most of us are. There are those fractional brain users writing checks for $29.99.

 

Join me in the cause of dispelling this cockeyed claim or make the check payable to . . .

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My top rated supplements

 

I am into weight lifting. It’s great stress relief, feels ‘manly’, and is generally good for ones health. I also love knowing I am getting the most return on my efforts. So, in that spirit I take supplements (which are perfectly legal despite rumors at work to the contrary).

 
Here are my top rated supplements:
 

1. A multi-vitamin.

This simply allows the body to convert food into energy, hormones and tissue.
 

2. Protein. 

These are the ‘LEGOS’ of muscle building. Weight lifting breaks down muscle to which the body responds by trying to build up more muscle, which means it needs more ‘LEGOS’.
 

3. Creatine.

Basically, once the creatine is stored inside the muscle cell, it attracts the water surrounding the cell and enlarging it. This super hydrated state of the cell causes side effects such as the increase of strength and it also gives the appearance of a fuller muscle. It may also trigger protein synthesis and minimize cell breakdown.

In addition, creatine provides for faster recovery in between sets and increased tolerance to high volume work.
 

These are the three basics to supplement your well balanced diet with if you’re a runner, weight lifter, Pilates participant, etc.

It’s a Small, Small World

As a kid I used to laugh when Tiny Tim would appear on TV.  It was funny the sight of a grown man with curly locks playing a miniature guitar (ukulele). His ‘guitar’ seemed so small, but it’s nothing compared to this nano-guitar.  It is 10 microns long.  To get an idea of how small that is, realize that an average human hair is about 80 microns thick.

The guitar was made by Cornell University researchers from crystalline silicon to demonstrate nanotechnology.  This general term covers a variety of pioneering fields – nanobiology, nanobotics, nanofiber. . .

Possibilities include nanobots that a cancer patient would drink that would seek out and destroy cancerous cells – clothes made from nanofiber that could instantly change color or pattern – manufacturing of durable goods one atom at a time.

We are peering into the infinite smallness of God’s universe and following suit with our own endeavors.

Irreducible Complexity

Here’s one of the most controversial science concepts of our day.

The term “irreducible complexity” is defined as

"a single system which is composed of several interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, and where the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning". (Michael Behe, Molecular Machines: Experimental Support for the Design Inference)

I’m not a science whiz so this concept had to be broken down for me . . .