Tuesday, March 3, 2026
My first science video in 3 years!
Physics Girl, who I used to watch regularly, had long COVID and was bedridden since July 2023. Reportedly, she has been slowly improving.
@john2001plus
0 seconds agoWelcome back!
Monday, March 2, 2026
I wrote this 7 years ago
I see a danger to the future existence of the human race, and it is the kind of thing that people should think about and prepare for now. Sometime in the next 50 years machines will be smarter than people. There are major technical hurdles to overcome, such as the inevitable end of Moore's Law, which probably means that it is not right around the corner or even within the next couple of decades, but it will happen, and easily within this century. And if for some reason it does happen within the next couple of decades then that means the results will be upon us that much sooner.
We can predict what will happen next and follow it to its logical conclusion, which is a future without people.
We can predict what will happen next and follow it to its logical conclusion, which is a future without people.
As machines become smarter, people will become increasingly reliant on technology. We can see that already with smartphones, which have only been with us for barely over a decade. Eventually machines will do all the heavy mental work, which will make our lives easier, but also make us more dependent.
And since we will be so dependent on the machines, we will start incorporating them into us. This will evolve over time until we are no longer purely human, but human machine hybrids. Perhaps when your biological brain dies, the machine part of you will be able to continue with all your memories intact. Maybe it would have an artificial body or maybe it would exist in a virtual world. It is likely that some would prefer to live in a virtual world where they can do more things than they could in the real world. Taken to the eventual extreme, our descendants would no longer bother with biological bodies and prefer to exist as machine intelligences either in the real world or in virtual ones.
The evolutionary pressure will be against purely biological people. Having machines incorporated into you will make you more productive, competitive, and increase your quality of life.
The future I describe might be long distant, but if it is not the future we want for the human race then we should start thinking about it now. Maybe we could have a Pure Human movement that would prohibit the merging of machine intelligence with human intelligence? This could be roughly analogous to the current legal ban on human cloning, because we very likely have the technology right now to clone humans, but countries ban it because they are uneasy about the implications of where that might take us.
However, we might not be able to prevent it. Linking machines with human intelligence is likely to happen in such small steps that we will easily adjust to it. It is sort of happening already with our dependence on computers. It could also start as a series of military applications where having the most effective soldiers determines who wins the wars. And once the genie is out of the bottle, we will never get it back in.
Best wishes,
John Coffey
P.S. Seven years later, I think that energy consumption and cost might become limiting factors in machine intelligence, at least in the short run.
The laws of physics won't allow us to make chips much smaller, and I just saw an article saying that it might be physically impossible to run a processor at 10 GHz. Right now, in theory, the only way to get more computing power is to have more processors, unless we invent a new technology like optical processors. However, upscaling requires more energy consumption and more cooling.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Thursday, February 26, 2026
This is why they say never put your compost piles near your house
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1kSSxxhOvs
Decomposition will produce heat because it uses oxygen. Not sure how much heat.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Friday, February 20, 2026
The Incredible Evolution of Computers
I like the video. Unfortunately, it is just the first part of four.
The first microprocessor, the 4-bit Intel 4004, was created for Japanese companies that wanted to make the first electronic calculators. I have seen 4-bit devices used for cheap electronics, like low cost chess playing computers.
In the first half of the 1980s, 8-bit computers were the norm, with the Apple II costing up to $1,300, and the IBM models costing considerably more. The Atari 800 started at $1,000, and the Commodore 64 started at $595, which adjusted for inflation would cost $1900 today.
Sinclair, along with Timex, were offering budget models that created a dedicated fan base.
In the second half of the 1980s, the industry was moving to 16-bit, so the 8-bit models were being heavily discounted. The C64 sold for $100 or less.
The 1990s saw a slow transition to 32-bit computers, and the 2000s saw a slow transition to 64-bit. There is almost no reason to go to a higher number of bits, except for graphics cards that range from 64-bit to 384-bit.
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
This might be my hottest take
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlThPXIVE8Y
@john2001plus
3 years ago
I would also kill all the mosquitoes.
3 years ago
I would also kill all the mosquitoes.
Monday, February 9, 2026
Monday, February 2, 2026
Friday, January 30, 2026
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Monday, January 26, 2026
Saturday, January 24, 2026
The Night Texas Hit 140°F (60°C) During a Thunderstorm
The atmosphere is inherently turbulent, so it doesn't surprise me that weird weather can happen.
I don't think that humans can survive 140 degrees for four hours. Reportedly, people took shelter in storm cellars and basements and used wet cloths to cool off.
I'm not sure how many people had air conditioning in 1960, although it became more common in the 60s and 70s.
This is a rare meteorological event. If it happened today, we would probably survive because of AC, although we might be pretty hot for a while.
It goes without saying that unnatural events can produce deadly heat. I'm thinking of nuclear weapons. In the (unlikely) event of a nuclear blast, you should stay indoors, preferably in a basement for about 3 days. Reportedly, radiation from fallout will drop by 99% in 49 hours. However, being indoors doesn't guarantee your safety, and reportedly you have about 45 minutes after the blast to evacuate the affected area, which in theory could spread over a large area. Since nuclear weapons produce an EMP, it is possible that nothing electrical will work.
Just as a precaution, I keep a supply of bottled water, enough to last a few days.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
How long would you survive with no DNA?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3oLIDaElaE
Our cells need RNA to perform their functions, and they make RNA by transcribing DNA. The RNAs are used up very quickly because they act like instructions from the cell's nucleus to the cell's machinery.
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Friday, January 16, 2026
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Monday, January 12, 2026
Large-scale Vitamin D study on Telomeres, an important Marker of Aging
0 seconds ago
I'm concerned that the study doesn't control for the Omega-3 intake, although taking both sounds like a good idea. I'm already taking Vitamin D. However, I'm not a doctor nor a medical expert.
I'm also concerned that he doesn't provide a link to the study. I found the article on the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition website: https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(25)00255-2/abstract
I believe in, "Trust, but verify". I would like to see more studies.
According to Google AI...
"Yes, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) is a highly reputable, peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing primary research, considered a top source in nutrition and dietetics, though it's published by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), which receives funding from food/beverage industry partners, a point some critics raise regarding potential influence. Its high impact factor and publication of rigorous studies on topics like obesity, metabolism, and vitamins underscore its scientific standing. "
Sunday, January 11, 2026
94% of the Universe is Gone Forever
It seems pointless to talk about 2 trillion years from now. Fifty thousand years ago, at the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic, humans appeared to get smarter, inventing new tools and the first permanent structures. A million years ago our ancestors were Homo Erectus.
A million years from now, and maybe much sooner, humans will look different and most likely be adapted for a new kind of existence, such as space travel. A million years is enough time to evolve into a new species.
There is no guarantee that we will survive that long, but I have faith that people will find a way. The Earth will only be able to support life for about a billion years.
Friday, January 9, 2026
Thursday, January 8, 2026
Re: Evolution Tells Us We Might Be The Only Intelligent Life in the Universe
I agree.
Given the conditions for life to develop it did so. Those conditions might be rare, but the galaxy is a very big place and the universe is for all practical purposes infinite.
On Wed, Jan 7, 2026 at 11:55 PM Grant wrote:
I believe the universe is teaming with life. However, who's to say that intelligent life elsewhere, even worries about radio transmissions?On Wed, Jan 7, 2026 at 9:33 PM John Coffey <john2001plus@gmail.com> wrote:I only watched the first 2.5 minutes. He said that we have no evidence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, as if this were an important part of his argument. Although that statement is technically correct, the distances involved are so vast that it is unlikely we could detect their radio signals—or that they could detect ours.If we look at the evolution of life on Earth, we see incredible resilience. Once life starts, it finds a way; it adapts.
There are many examples of convergent evolution, where unrelated species independently evolve similar traits. For example, complex eyes evolved multiple times in different lineages, and several unrelated species independently evolved crab-like body plans.
What evolution shows us is that it adapts to incentives. Creatures become faster because they need to. Animals that benefit from greater intelligence evolve it. Only a few species are intelligent, while most are not, for the simple reason that they do not need to be. Intelligence is energetically expensive, and it is often more efficient not to have it.
Once life begins, I think it has the potential to produce intelligence. If we could travel to another world with life, we would likely see an enormous variety of organisms. Some of them would look familiar, because the patterns that work here could also work elsewhere.
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Evolution Tells Us We Might Be The Only Intelligent Life in the Universe
I only watched the first 2.5 minutes. He said that we have no evidence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, as if this were an important part of his argument. Although that statement is technically correct, the distances involved are so vast that it is unlikely we could detect their radio signals—or that they could detect ours.
If we look at the evolution of life on Earth, we see incredible resilience. Once life starts, it finds a way; it adapts.
There are many examples of convergent evolution, where unrelated species independently evolve similar traits. For example, complex eyes evolved multiple times in different lineages, and several unrelated species independently evolved crab-like body plans.
What evolution shows us is that it adapts to incentives. Creatures become faster because they need to. Animals that benefit from greater intelligence evolve it. Only a few species are intelligent, while most are not, for the simple reason that they do not need to be. Intelligence is energetically expensive, and it is often more efficient not to have it.
Once life begins, I think it has the potential to produce intelligence. If we could travel to another world with life, we would likely see an enormous variety of organisms. Some of them would look familiar, because the patterns that work here could also work elsewhere.
The $200M Machine that Prints Microchips: The EUV Photolithography System
The first 12 minutes cover the basics. The next ten minutes get into how the light is generated.
The degree of precision of these machines seems almost impossible. It shows that if there is a financial incentive, the free market will find a way.
There are not many companies that have these capabilities, and a manufacturing plant costs billions of dollars to build.
I saw a headline today about the first 2 nanometer chip being manufactured. From what I understand, we are approaching the limits of what physics will allow.
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Monday, January 5, 2026
Thursday, January 1, 2026
Sunday, December 28, 2025
Windfall
When I hear the word "windfall", I think of a big pile of cash. However, that wasn't its original meaning. If a storm were to knock down a tree, the wood would be easier to harvest, so it is called a windfall. Likewise, fruit that falls from a tree is easier to harvest, so it is called a windfall.
What's BETWEEN the Atoms? Feynman's Answer Will Break Your Brain
I knew all this but I like the way he explains it.
In 420 BC Democritus argued for the existence of atoms.
"Democritus's argument for the existence of atoms hinged on the idea that it is impossible to keep dividing matter infinitely - and that matter must therefore be made up of extremely tiny particles"
Democritus thought that the universe consisted of atoms and the voids between them.
Until relatively recently, people thought that atoms were invisible. J.J. Thompson, Marie Curie, and Earnest Rutherford showed that atoms could be divided. It took a while to discover protons and neutrons, and people thought that these were also indivisible. It was later discovered that protons and neutrons were made of up and down quarks.
One could argue that quarks and electrons are the smallest (fundamental) units of baryonic (quark) matter, but this is misleading. Every type of subatomic particle has a field associated with it. A field is something that has a value at every point in space. That value represents that amount of excitation of the field at a particular point. There is likely some energy everywhere, because the fields have been shown to be like tiny ripples on a vast ocean, but if the energy is low at any point in space then not much happens. However, if the energy reaches a certain threshold, then a particle exists at that point.
The Standard Model of Particle Physics has 17 fundamental fields. (There is recent new evidence that Dark Matter may be an unknown type of particle. If so, it might require a new type of field.) Some of these fields interact with each other like the way the electric and magnetic fields can make particles move. These interactions between the fields create the laws of physics, although there is currently no quantum theory of gravity.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)