Category Archives: Thought of the Week

Once-weekly posts on whatever nonsense crosses my mind.

Thought of the Week: Dark Universe

Don’t forget – you can claim your free copy of The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation just by emailing satiswrites@icloud.com and telling me which digital format you’d prefer (ePub, Kindle, PDF, etc.)!

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Silesian Planetaruim (not the one we went to).

Silesian Planetaruim (not the one we went to).

I was at a planetarium this weekend with Little Satis and my family, and we watched a wonderful short presentation on dark matter narrated by the smooth-voiced Neil deGrasse Tyson. (Mrs. Satis actually dozed off because of his voice.) I’m pretty partial to anything space related, and although I didn’t learn any astounding, never-knew-that-before statistics, it re-awoke the old fascination in me about the origins of the universe, and space in general.

One of the revelations of the presentation was the fact that all of the matter and energy (stars, planets, heat, light, etc.) that we can observe represents about 5% of the total contents of the universe, calculable by the gravitational effects of dark matter on the rotation of galaxies and the expansion effects of dark energy on the universe as a whole. But things like that make me wonder, because there are a number of far-flung theories out there regarding the nature of the universe as a whole, and as an absolute lay-person I sometimes feel like I can almost piece it all together, if only I was a little brighter.

 

This would mean that every black hole in our universe is in fact a lower-dimension universe in and of itself…

 

Dak matter strings.

Dak matter strings.

String theory (to my limited understanding) essentially postulates that all particles in the known universe are actually space-time representations of ‘strings’ that permeate the entire universe. What this essentially means is that this hydrogen atom that I see spinning away from me is actually part of an infinite string, pulled along by the expansion of the universe itself. If such is the case, then it makes me wonder whether ‘dark energy’ is required to explain the expansion of the universe. After all, energy is required to explain the kinetic movement of objects in a three-dimensional space. However, if the movement of objects on the largest of scales is actually the act of the universe dragging them along, no energy, as I see it, is required.

It does still raise the question of why the universe is expanding at all, but what if that expansion is purely relative? For example, it’s been calculated that as the universe expands, it cools. Therefore, it was hotter in the past than in the present. But if our existence in the universe is dependent on the relative conditions at the moment in time in which we exist, then isn’t it just as likely that earlier in the universe’s life, the relative heat was no greater than it is now? In other words, to an observer ten billion years ago, the universe was no hotter than it is now, although for that observer, the universe was still hotter in the past and cooler in the future.

Does that make any sense? If it does, it means there may be no such thing as ‘dark energy’ at all, since the movement of distant galaxies and the temperature of the universe as a whole is entirely relative to the observer.

Super neat image of a black hole (not real).

Super neat image of a black hole (not real).

Another theory that I quite like the idea of is that the entire universe is actually the interior of a higher-dimension black hole. This is fun, because it explains the big bang as the point of creation of that singularity, and the expansion of the universe as the continued accumulation of matter and energy from that black hole’s event horizon. It could even explain the increasing rate of the universe’s expansion by the black hole going through a period of increased accretion, perhaps because it’s moving through a space of higher-density matter/energy in that higher-dimension universe.

This would also mean that every black hole in our universe is in fact a lower-dimensional universe in and of itself, which is an exciting thought. It aligns the thought that one can’t ask the question “what is outside the universe” because the universe is the entirety of existence with the thought that nothing can escape a black hole once in it in the first place. It makes me wonder what forms of life might exist inside black holes that we would never know of…

So that only leaves dark matter, which…well, I don’t have time or inclination to attack that now. This essay will have to stand as-is for the moment. Still – it’s exciting stuff. What do you think of the origins of the universe and the fate of its continued expansion?

Featured image adapated from http://kipac.stanford.edu/kipac/media.

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Thought of the Week: Cottage (Not Shepherd’s) Pie

Don’t forget – you can claim your free copy of The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation just by emailing satiswrites@icloud.com and telling me which digital format you’d prefer (ePub, Kindle, PDF, etc.)!

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Russett-PotatoesCI had the day off today, and spent most of that time writing. I’m quite proud of myself: 6,385 words on chapter 6 of book 3. Despite that, I couldn’t think of a single thing to write for Thought of the Week tonight, so I thought instead I’d share dinner with you instead. Currently cooking away on the stove is the mixture that will end up being cottage pie.

For those uncultured Americans out there, cottage pie is not the same thing as shepherd’s pie, which is invariably made with lamb. Cottage pie, on the other hand, is usually made with beef, sometimes pieces but more often mince. Our recipe modifies this slightly as we tend to eat turkey mince instead of beef mince, but the principle is the same. Don’t let me catch you calling it shepherd’s pie again!

Anyway, this is how I make our slap-dash knock-off cottage pie.

  • sb10068684ad-001.jpg1 lb turkey mince
  • ½ onion
  • 4-5 large carrots
  • 1 cup peas
  • 1 small can diced tomatoes
  • tomato paste
  • 1 beef and 1 vegetable stock cube
  • potatoes
  • lots of sharp cheddar cheese (the more the better)

Preheat your oven to something like 400°F. Then start by sweating the onions in olive oil (I feel smart – I know what sweating onions means!). Wait until they are translucent. Then add the turkey mince and cook it, mixing it every once in a while, until it’s starting to brown. While the turkey is cooking chop the carrots into pea-sized pieces (it makes them go well with the peas, funnily enough). Sometimes at this point I add soy sauce, just to darken the turkey. Not necessary with beef. Add the carrots and the diced tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and the stock cubes dissolved in ½ cup boiling water. Add the peas, bring to a simmer again, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Ah…the pie is in the oven now!

cooking-ground-turkeyAt this point, the main mixture is done. Pour it into a casserole dish. Now at this point, purists would point out that I should have mashed the potatoes. To hell with them. I’m way too lazy to mash potatoes, so just slide them directly onto the pie mixture in the casserole dish. The thinner the better – that way they take less time to cook. Yes, that’s right – slice the potatoes raw onto the pie!

Cover with aluminum (or aluminium) foil and place in the oven. The foil will help preserve the moisture and cooks the potatoes surprisingly well. Cook for at least 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Finally, take the whole thing out of the oven, set the grill (broiler) to high, and cover it all with as much cheese as you have, the sharper the better. Put it back in under the grill until everything is nice and toasty brown.

Eat.

light-cottage-pie1

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Thought of the Week: On the Staying Power of Dreams

Don’t forget – you can claim your free copy of The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation just by emailing satiswrites@icloud.com and telling me which digital format you’d prefer (ePub, Kindle, PDF, etc.)!

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I dreamt of Harry Potter the other night. I certainly wasn’t expecting to, but I’m hardly surprised: Little Satis and I are two-thirds of the way through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and had to skip a few nights’ reading due to my working late. I guess we’re both getting a little obsessed.

Yes, I understand Snape somehow redeems himself…but I don't know how, so don't spoil it!

Yes, I understand Snape somehow redeems himself…but I don’t know how, so don’t spoil it!

I don’t remember the dream terribly well anymore (you know how dreams tend to get fuzzy after a while), but it involved me being at Hogwarts and chasing after Severus Snape with the sword of Gryffindor. It was entertaining, to say the least. Hogwarts was (in my dream) a glorious old castle hung with red and gold drapes – something straight out of a medieval-set film – and I do recall marching into a great dining hall, the sword at my side, tall and confident and pointing my wand straight at Snape. I don’t remember what happened after that, but I suspect he probably cursed me into oblivion.

Strictly speaking, I understand that humans probably dream every night – multiple dreams each night, too – but we simply don’t remember them. If we’re surprised during our sleep, shocked awake, as it were, we’re more likely to remember them. Even so, the power of our dream images tends to fade rapidly, dwindling into oblivion in only a few minutes.

Every once in a while, though, there are dreams that stay with us for a very long time – sometimes even forever. A year or two ago I had a dream for the plot of a book. I even dreamed the title: The Girl Who Killed Herself in Apartment 615. I wrote down some of the details that I could remember, and I still believe I could turn this into a compelling novella, should I ever be done with The Redemption of Erâth and A Gothic Symphony. I remember a few specific scenes in particular – nothing too graphic, actually, but specifically being in an apartment or flat in a high-rise building and looking up at a glass balcony, which was part of the apartment above yet somehow descended into my own apartment. There were pillows and discarded clothes strewn everywhere, and out of sight amongst the detritus was the dead girl. The entire thing was utterly surreal, and the story would take place in a bizarre, hellish alternate reality. Some of the chapter/section titles are The Dream that Won’t Wake Up, Passing Time in the Four Pits, and The Sculpture that Changed. Weird, huh?

My dream house? Maybe with trees all around…

My dream house? Maybe with trees all around…

By far the most vivid, longest-lasting dream I’ve ever had, though, was over ten years ago. I remember scenes from it today as though I just woke up: it was of a house, lost deep in the woods. My family and I had been walking through a forest, and though the woods were innocuous enough, the entire setting was after a nightmarish apocalypse. We weren’t in the woods for fun, but for survival. We then came across an old, abandoned mansion. The closest thing I can come to describing it is a sort of Munster’s house, complete with a little tower at the top, spiked trimming on the eaves and dusty wooden floors inside. I remember going up to the top of the tower, a little room with windows all around, and looking out at the surrounding trees. I then remember looking back down the stairs, and all of a sudden a great, overwhelming darkness came flooding up the stairs and engulfed me entirely, strangling and drowning me…and then I woke up.

I can still see that house in my mind, sharp as it has ever been. I’ve convinced myself that this house must exist somewhere – it was incredibly eerie to wake up from. I haven’t found it yet, though if you know where it is, let me know – I’ll buy it, for any cost!

What dreams have stayed with you?

Featured image from http://worldaccordingtoshia.blogspot.com/2013/02/i-should-be-dreaming.html.

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