24 JAN 2015 by ideonexus
Energy Needed to Power Civilization
The numerical results of my calculations show that the quantities of energy required for permanent survival and communication are surprisingly modest. For a society with the same complexity as the present human society on Earth, starting from the present time and continuing forever, the total reserve of energy required is about equal to the energy now radiated by the Sun in eight hours. The total energy reserve contained in the Sun would be sufficient to support forever a society with a compl... 1 
notes
notesThere is an overabundance of energy in the universe.
18 NOV 2013 by ideonexus
Declaration for the Right to Libraries
LIBRARIES CHANGE LIVES
Declaration for the Right to Libraries
In the spirit of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we believe that libraries are essential to a democratic society. Every day, in countless communities across our nation and the world, millions of children, students and adults use libraries to learn, grow and achieve their dreams. In addition to a vast array of books, computers and other resources, library users benefit fro... 1 notes
notesLibraries empower, ennoble, and enlighten.
09 JAN 2013 by ideonexus
Humanism is About Exploration
As humanists who see life and human history as a great adventure, we seek new worlds to explore, new facts to uncover, new avenues for artistic expression, new solutions to old problems, and new feelings to experience. We sometimes feel driven in our quest. and it is participation in this quest that gives our lives meaning and makes beneficial discoveries possible. Our goals as a species are open ended. As a result, we will never be without purpose. 
1 We are always seeking new experiences, new vistas, new ideas...
22 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Attention Makes the Genius
Attention makes the genius; all learning, fancy, and science depend on it. Newton traced back his discoveries to its unwearied employment. It builds bridges, opens new worlds, and heals diseases; without it Taste is useless, and the beauties of literature are unobserved; as the rarest flowers bloom in vain, if the eye be not fixed upon the bed. Everything else depends on being able to pay attention.
21 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
Humans Should be Proud
Evolution is neither moral nor immoral. It just is, and we make
of it what we will. I have tried to show that two things we can make of
it are that it’s simple and it’s marvelous. And far from constricting our
actions, the study of evolution can liberate our minds. Human beings
may be only one small twig on the vast branching tree of evolution,
but we’re a very special animal. As natural selection forged our brains,
it opened up for us whole new worlds. We have learned how to improve
our live...We are the one species of 3.5 billion years of evolution that has figured out how we got here.
06 SEP 2011 by ideonexus
Modern Explorers Must Change Their Methods
Today there remain but a few small areas on the world's map unmarked by explorers' trails. Human courage and endurance have conquered the Poles; the secrets of the tropical jungles have been revealed. The highest mountains of the earth have heard the voice of man. But this does not mean that the youth of the future has no new worlds to vanquish. It means only that the explorer must change his methods.Folksonomies: exploration adventuring
Folksonomies: exploration adventuring
If they want to venture into new realms of knowledge. Andrews may be talking about scientific methods here as a means to seeing previously explored settings with new eyes.
10 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Patience, Attentiveness, and Thoroughness are Naturalist ...
Each branch of natural history
study demands its special abilities: the superior ear of
the birdwatcher, the attention to minute detail of the
entomologist, the courage of the herpetologist wading
into swamps full of poisonous snakes. But some “field
skills” are nearly ubiquitous. Perhaps the most
important are patience, perseverance, thoroughness
and attentiveness. The birdwatcher searching for that
one rare gull on a pond among seven hundred
common ones may have to watch for hours in bitter... 1 notes
notesWithout them the naturalist would miss the rarities in nature.
