How ignorant we are - NOT amateur radio

 As part of my University of the Third Age course in Cambridge I was studying great physicists. The take-away remark is just how little we know! 

For centuries great minds have tried hard to better understand the universe at macro and micro level, without really understanding it.

Quantum mechanics was only put forward a little over one hundred years ago. All we really know is that everything is stranger than we ever imagined.

I don't think our human brains are capable of fully comprehending this.

Next term I am studying "Computers, the Brain and AI".  Perhaps AI could help?

The other course (totally different!) was about the Balkans.

University of the Third Age - NOT amateur radio

The U3A is an organisation to allow older people to enjoy learning just for fun. Unlike years ago, there are no exams and no swatting. Learning is purely for fun. I often choose things that I know little about. It makes so much difference just learning for fun.

Every Thursday, I attend a talk about the Low Countries. Last week it was about Bruges.  The speaker is excellent. We are lucky in Cambridge to have a very wide choice. Often the lectures are by ex University of Cambridge lecturers!

Cosmology - NOT amateur radio

As part of my University of the Third Age lectures , I am attending a course on Cosmology. It is very interesting, but also very hard.

Like last year, I try to take away some aspect of what I have learnt. My overwhelming thought is "this cannot be right".  Yes, the explanations sound plausible, but we know so very little. My overriding thought is "in 100 years people will say, "did you really believe THAT?"".

It is very enjoyable just being able to learn for fun with no worries about exams  etc..

Next term, I am doing something quite different: the history of the Bank of England.

It is also nice being in Cambridge.

UPDATE 1855z:   It has been estimated that there are 60000000000 planets in the Milky Way galaxy alone that could support life.  There are billions of galaxies in the universe that we know of. So, it looks like somewhere out there there should be life. Mind boggling.

University of the 3rd Age - NOT amateur radio

For about 14 years, I have been attending U3A courses. It is great fun learning new things just for fun. Some involve going into Cambridge and some are on Zoom. The Zoom talks are very effective, and far better than I ever expected.

This year I am studying Medieval History and quantum mechanics, the latter was last done in the late 1960s at university! It is hard!!

Quantum mechanics is spooky. One has to forget what we perceive as reality and accept that sometimes things can be quite different. One aspect is wave functions that seem to imply things exist in all space and all time, past and future included. Things are most probable now, but entangled things even at the extremes of the universe, know about each other instantaneously. Forget the speed of light - instantaneously means just that! Some of these things have been proven by experiments.

U3A lecture about basic wage?

Yesterday's University of the Third Age lecture was by a Cambridge professor on the ethical reasons for a basic wage. It was very good. 

Perhaps surprisingly, trials around the world have shown that this increases people willing to work and makes sound economic sense. The professor was Guy Standing, who is well respected across the world.

We are lucky to have a huge selection of courses in Cambridge.

Next week the speaker will be Jonathan Porritt. 

China - NOT amateur radio

Recently, I attended a University of the Third Age lecture on China. There is little doubt that China will once again become a major world power in the 21st century. 

There is always a tendency to judge China by western standards. In many ways we question their records on human rights. At the same time it was the UK that started the opium wars, and gun crime and treatment of ex-slaves in the USA is hardly great! 

We have to be very careful not to judge by our western standards: we have been, and still are, far from perfect. Culturally, China differs from us in many ways. The Chinese are far from perfect, but so are we in the west.

It would be good if we could all strive for a better world, but not preaching as if we are perfect, when we in the west are not.

10m FT8 RX (Monday)

Shortly, I shall turn on my 10m FT8 RX. This allows me to get on with other things. I can check propagation over coffee later. 

The normal routine here on Mondays is some housework followed by a University of the Third Age Zoom lecture with the XYL bringing in coffee.

UPDATE 0955z:  My gear was turned on at 0853z. So far, 14 stations spotted. Furthermost is ZS4JAN (9366km). At the moment I cannot see evidence of Es. Propagation looks like F2, tropo and aircraft reflection.

UPDATE 1224z:   78 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1654z:  82 stations spotted with the furthermost CX7CO (11111km). On the whole this has not been a good day.

UPDATE 1918z:   Doh! My PC was on batteries that went flat! Normally I have the charger on, but I forgot. What may have looked like poor conditions may have been my PC just turning off. Stupid me!

Rainy Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

Most Tuesdays and Wednesdays I travel into Cambridge for my U3A courses. Today it was a typical showery November day. The photo shows Cambridge Market with the university church behind. There are few visitors.

I am studying "Weather and Climate" and "Samuel Pepys". We are lucky in Cambridge having so many things to choose from. Many on my Tuesday course are doctors, not of the medical sort! Usually the questions and discussions are interesting. It is nice to learn for fun too - no exams, no vivers.

The Pepys Library is in Cambridge along with the world expert. We visit this library in a couple of weeks.

See https://www.magd.cam.ac.uk/pepys .

Blackbirds - NOT amateur radio

Every other Tuesday I have been going in to Cambridge on the service bus to my U3A course on Polar Studies at the Scott Polar Institute. As the speaker today was commanded to go to the Economic Forum in Davos, we had a different speaker at short notice: he was very good.

On the way in, I just relax and count the bird species I see. Usually it is between 8 and 12 different species, although in total I have seen many more.

What struck me today was the vast number of blackbirds. They were everywhere. I am not sure why there seem to be so many: are the marking territory or seeking mates?

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/b/blackbird/. The image on the LHS is on the RSPB site.

There are some waxwings in Cambridge. These birds come from Scandinavia and are quite rare most winters. I have yet to see one. They are often seen eating berries in supermarket car parks.

The Search for Life in the Universe - NOT amateur radio

This afternoon I have my U3AC course on the above subject. We have a great variety of courses in Cambridge. We are very lucky having many ex-university people with a wish to share their vast knowledge.