"Man on the moon" syndrome that is. Ever heard of it? It's when you base your expectations on the accomplishments of placing a man on the moon exceed reality.
"How is it we can put a man on the moon but we can't make a cleaner to keep our toilet bowls sparkling white!"
Before we bask in the glorious rays of human achievement and celebrate ourselves as the pinnacle of creation, having dominion over the earth and all it's animals, I'd like to make a few points.
The first successful flight took place on December 17, 1903, within 66 years, on July 21, 1969 we put a man on the moon. Think about this for a moment. Just 66 years elapsed and BOOM, man on the moon. This is an unparalleled event in world history. According to scientists, it took thousands of years to even develop the concept of a wheel. What-in-the-hell!
On January 29, 1886, Karl Benz patented the first practical, gas-driven, three-wheeled automobile. The first four-wheeled vehicle was made in 1891. Thus the car is a little older than the airplane. Ponder this; it took just about 12 years to go from a car to an airplane. Again, I'm thinking: What-in-the-hell!
Now we have all seen bas-reliefs of Ancient Egyptians cavorting around in chariots, peasants pulling ox-drawn carts and it took THOUSANDS of years to even dream of the concept of a self-powered car! Now do you get it? Something is wrong. Great technological feats, but still we can't solve the simplest problems.
I believe built-in cup holders didn't exist in cars before the 1970's, but it took an incredible 84 years to do it. Cups existed before the 70's right? I remember my Mom's old car had a glove-compartment, once opened, that had a place to set, no shit, a TV dinner. Talk about luxury! Now how in the hell would this be warranted over a fucking cup-holder? We put a man on the moon before a cup-holder was placed in a car. So we have cup-holders now in huge SUV's, with air bags, GPS navigation systems for direction, DVD players for the kids, but gas mileage at 15 mpg?
"Ford's Model T, which went 25 miles on a gallon of gasoline, was more fuel efficient than the current Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicle -- which manages just 16 miles per gallon."
-- from Detroit News, 6/4/03 (Published at detnews.com from a Sierra Club Study.
Sidenote:From the Model T collectors site:
How many miles to the gallon does a Model T get?
Model T engines are not terribly efficient compared to modern ones. While our measurements are perhaps less than completely scientific, experience indicates that our T's get about 12-14 miles per US gallon, depending on the country side.Your mileage may vary.
Oracle says: Not much of an improvement is it? How many years has it been?
We can put a man on the moon, but we still can't make cars get better gas mileage? We are apparently fighting 2 undeclared wars for oil in the middle-east (Oh yeah, and democracy too) but still rely on a non-renewable form of energy. This ranks the auto industry as the stupidest people on the planet as well as politicians for supporting this industry. Is necessity the mother of invention? I'm seriously starting to doubt it. I think profit is. The car manufacturers excuse is, "The is a consumer driven industry, they determine the market. We build them what they want. If we don't, our competitor will. It would cost too much to improve mileage, this cost would be handed down to the consumer." Blah, Blah, Blah...
Apparently "necessity" is the mother of invasion in some camps.
Stonehenge is a master piece of human engineering in the ancient world (or so it is said). Incredibly huge stones carried vast distances and carefully aligned to the stars. Some scientists say this functioned as a calendar . Is their a simpler way to build a calendar? Apparently the thought didn't occur to them. Another example of our stupidity. The Mayans were a little smarter, they carved a calendar on stone. Cheers to them, good work. Sure, other ancient civilizations didn't resort to dragging huge stones around for a calendar, but the Mayan calendar was pretty accurate. Of course it took "modern" technology a while to figure this out. I'm sure the Spaniards regarded it as heretical pagan art. Modern science is resting our laurels they don't even have at this point.
Science has no problems publishing the results of studies that say "Sodium Saccharin causes cancer in rats." A few months later eggs "are bad, high in cholesterol" and "saccharin found not to cause cancer." The media loves this, but what is the meaning of this? I would like to see this headline, "Science discovers the difference between shit and shinola." then maybe I can place some faith in science and the media.
Media Excuses - "We just report the facts" (as they change)
Science excuses - "further study has shown..." (So, you didn't finish the first one?)
Science is quick to see the short term benefits of technology, but like the endearing Gomer Pyle, REALITY comes back to say "Surprise, Surprise." You're begging for an example right? Well, rather than use returnable glass bottles, companies make the excuse "it reduces profits to shareholders." Some jackass scientist figures out a way to make plastic bottles from a wad of petroleum by-products and then we hear "Houston, we have a problem." Plastic never degrades! It's laying in landfills forever! Of course it's the publics responsibility to recycle. In some areas you have to pay to recycle waste products. Jerks! So what do they do, try to develop biodegradable plastic bags and bottles. Wow, the sheer excitement of it all.
And then we move on to everybody's favorite subject: depleted uranium! Nuclear energy was heralded to be the promise of the future. Abundant energy for all! Until they found it took thousands of years to decay. BUMMER! Science, always eager to solve the ills of humanity, came up with the elaborate plan to use robotic facilities to put waste in drums, bury them miles below the earths surface and fence the area off with warning signs. An 18th century problem of "sweeping it under the rug" solved in the 20th century. A problem develops, people don't want the shit in their backyard, period. I'm sure some brilliant government contracted scientist said, "We can use depleted uranium to build warheads that can penetrate armor. I mean, we want to kill them anyway right." In Iraq, the problem of depleted uranium causes cancer, people give birth to deformed babies and Americans soldiers die of a "mysterious" malady, coined "Gulf War Syndrome." The government does nothing. Iraq is rapidly becoming more polluted than Chernobyl.
When politics and science merge you can count on problems. Benito Mussolini said,
"Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism as it is a merge of state and corporate power."
For every one problem solved ten more are created. Take the brilliant idea of land-mines, extremely explosive devices buried in the ground, unmarked, to defeat the enemy. Of course they remain there well after a conflict, to blow apart the unsuspecting child or impoverished farmer. The military and powerful government considers this "an unfortunate consequence of war."
In the authors humble opinion, science today is no different than the 18th century snake oil salesmen wandering the western frontier looking for short term gain.
"Today my fair citizens of INSERT TOWN HERE I have brought the Elixir of the ages! A tonic to cure fainting spells, to grow hair where hair was lost, cure the devilish sin on onanism in small children. Why this Elixir has restored my very own health! I was once plagued by leprosy, leprosy I say and restored within a weeks time the healthy specimen you see before you now. It is with a fond and loving heart, filled with generosity, that I bring this to INSERT TOWN HERE for the nominal fee of 5 dollars! Five dollars you say! Why yes, surely your heart can see your loved ones restored and whole for this meager amount!"
People always looked at them with a suspicious eye and no doubt hunted them down when it was discovered to be a poison. People don't question much anymore because marketing is a science far ahead of any other discipline. Case in point, remember the spray advertised on TV for balding men? It worked on thousands of balding men.
I went to the dentist a few days ago and the assistant offered me the option for a fluoride rinse. "No thanks" I replied. The hygienist, I'm sure well educated in the dental sciences, of which a simpleton like me would never understand said, "Adults have the option, but we always insist on it for children to strengthen their teeth." So why is fluoride banned in West Germany, The Netherlands, France, Belgium, Finland, Japan, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Scotland? Hell, the mayor of Johnstown, NY banned fluoride from the towns water supply. Fluoride, the chemical that is considered a waste product in the aluminum and agriculture (fertilizer) industry. Is there a toothpaste made that doesn't have fluoride in it? What don't they just make it ala carte at Chili's so you have a choice. So where is that toothpaste? In order to get the coveted "recommended by the American dental Association" seal, toothpaste must contain fluoride or you ain't in the market. I think most people are aware of mercury being a poison, but dentist still use it to fill teeth. You must wonder why dentists must follow "waste management procedures " when removing mercury amalgam fillings. Does logic exist in the field of dental sciences?
The "man on the moon" has to be a myth or we are being lied to. I want progress that reflects this accomplishment.
And the worst is that we are paying for all this through government taxes. I'd love to see a commercial like this:
"I blew of the legs of a child in Afghanistan."
"I paid for a soldier to die of cancer."
"I helped the automobile industry build gas guzzling cars."
"I support the fluoridation of our water supply."
"I bailed out ENRON."
"I just payed my taxes, everyone does it"
"It's the American way."
Science, government and industry making the world a more polluted place, for you. Be a part of it, pay your taxes or we'll audit you, subject you to a maze of bureaucracy even we don't understand and throw you in jail."
Remember, science will prove that your spiritual faith in a divine being is merely a cultural superstition to help you understand a complex world. The entire known universe is a complete accident, you are a descendant of a monkey. Proof lies in the fossil record (We shelve the stuff that doesn't fit our general theory). Only science can solve the ills of humanity. Don't question anything, you are an uneducated layman. Science is exacting, subject to observation, in a controlled laboratory environment. Blah, blah, blah...
So we can put a man on the moon, but NASA can't account for 565 billion dollars.
Your perceived reality is fiction.
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