Entries from February 2008 ↓
February 22nd, 2008 — Other
National Geographic Featured Article
If you were to dig a hole 300 feet straight down from the center of the charming French village of Crozet, you’d pop into a setting that calls to mind the subterranean lair of one of those James Bond villains. A garishly lit tunnel ten feet in diameter curves away into the distance, interrupted every few miles by lofty chambers crammed with heavy steel structures, cables, pipes, wires, magnets, tubes, shafts, catwalks, and enigmatic gizmos.
This technological netherworld is one very big scientific instrument, specifically, a particle accelerator-an atomic peashooter more powerful than any ever built. It’s called the Large Hadron Collider, and its purpose is simple but ambitious: to crack the code of the physical world; to figure out what the universe is made of; in other words, to get to the very bottom of things.
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February 22nd, 2008 — Links, Research
National Geographic News
February 18, 2008
More than half of the sunlike stars in the galaxy could have terrestrial planets with the potential to harbor life, a new study suggests.
The research, announced yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston, Massachusetts, is just one of a set of recent findings that suggest the roster of potential life-harboring worlds is huge—even in our own solar system.
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February 11th, 2008 — Comparisons, Responses
A friend of mine recently converted to Buddhism or at least embraced Zen teachings and asked for my opinion on some of the issues. I am nowhere near being an expert but I have had a decent amount of exposure living among Cambodians for two years, getting an Asian Studies minor, and eating a lot of Chinese food. So I speak primarily from my personal experiences. My response over multiple exchanges:
I have a lot of respect for Buddhism. There is something quite beautiful about the mediation, concentration, and unity with the natural world found in Zen Buddhism. The traditional teachings of Buddhism are quite simple and beautiful, i.e. the 8 fold path, and when practiced are conducive to a harmonious society.
The Cambodians I worked with were Theravada Buddhists and for the lay people it was more a matter of culture than religion. A lay practitioner likely didn’t know the Continue reading →
February 10th, 2008 — Nature, Temple
Somebody loved me and gave me the Planet Earth series for Christmas. I am completely mesmerized every time I watch it. The beauty, diversity, and richness of this world as captured in this film is completely staggering. 
What does this have to do with the Mormon Endowment ceremony as presented in LDS temples? The presentation includes a portrayal of the creation of this earth. In the temples of the pioneers the setting was set with murals paints on the walls of the creation room. Since the inception of the video presentation of the endowment the creation story presentation has been augmented by beautiful cinematography highlighting the beauties of this earth. Considering the endowment has been streamlined into a two-hour presentation compared to the all-day experience as Joseph Smith originally shared it, I think it could be completely appropriate to consider mentally inserting this Planet Earth series right in the middle of the story of the creation of the earth and celebrating the glory and beauty of the creation. Continue reading →
February 7th, 2008 — Links
