Category: gravity

Flying in a picnic basket

Ian Hunter2 Comments

I had often seen hot air balloons floating in the sky

This was going to be my first ride in one

I had to get up at dark othirty and drive to a remote field

The balloon was already unloaded and laying flat on the ground

Like a giant brightly colored bed sheet

The wicker basket was on its side

Is it really safe to fly in an oversize picnic basket

The ballon fabric was gossamer thin

More apprehension crept in

Helpers held open the hole in the canopy

The pilot fired up the burner with a huge roar

The dragon breath spewed horizontal flames inside the balloon

I had visions of the entire canopy being burned to a crisp

Within a few minutes a large cavity formed inside

It was big enough to contain a small house

Eventually the balloon rose up and pulled the basket up off its side

It was as if the beast had taken on a life of its own

Helpers grabbed ropes as we clambered inside

The fading darkness was still hiding my fears as we took off

The pilot was pulling on a control to put more fire into the belly of the beast

We floated up and along with ease as the sun crept up

Fields below resembled a painted quilt

Power lines criss crossed the landscape

I was fearful that we might eventually land on one

I did not want to die in a high voltage spark induced inferno

My fate lay in the hands of the young pilot

Who seemed worryingly even younger in full daylight

Vehicles snaked along the winding roads below

Resembling radio controlled toy cars

The rising sun played hide and seek with the clouds

As we silently drifted through the air

Even the wind was quiet up there

I prised my white knuckles off the edge of the basket

To take hold of a champagne bottle

I popped the cork and poured celebratory glasses for all

The bubbles tasted so special at a high elevation

Surprisingly I was now relaxed and enjoying the ride

The view was more intoxicating than the champagne

Time seemed to slow down up in the sky

The pilot announced the ride would be ending soon

I watched the fields below grow in size as we slowly came down

We descended with grace and gently bumped the ground

I watched the pilot frantically pulling on ropes to deflate the canopy

The basket tipped over sideways and we all started to laugh

The giant beast gave up its hot breakfast

It was expertly slain and slowly died on its side

We climbed out and hugged each other

It was good to feel solid ground under my feet again

Universal string theory and black holes

Ian Hunter2 Comments

scientists look for theories to explain everything

from the creation of stars and planets

right down to sub atomic particle interactions

the theory of relativity was developed by Einstein

it mathematically explains how stars and planets behave

but his theory breaks down at the sub atomic level

quantum mechanics theory works well for electrons and smaller particles

but when applied to the universe it gives the wrong answers

predicting that we should all have been swallowed up by black holes by now

there is however one unifying theory that seems to work at every level

string theory assumes that a sub atomic particle behaves like a vibrating string

when broken up into smaller particles using a high energy atom smasher

smaller vibrating strings appear with different frequencies

apparently string theory also works for planets and stars

I have my own theory about vibrating strings

whether you like the sound of violins or electric guitars

they all stem from a vibrating string producing notes at different frequencies

your favorite tunes create a resonance in your heart that feels ever so good

just imagine all the little atoms that make up your heart

they are literally all dancing around in unison to your favorite music

and of course when two people fall in love their heart strings are vibrating in pure harmony

string theory is the universal theory that answers every question about the universe

here is a string theory experiment you can perform at home

take a ball of string and put in the back of your kitchen junk drawer

wait a week then confirm you cannot find the string at all

that proves there is a black hole in your junk drawer

you may wonder what happened to your string

it has appeared in a parallel universe in another kitchen junk drawer

somebody is now pulling your string out of their drawer and saying

I don’t remember putting this in here

string theory answers everything

Gravity and love

Ian Hunter4 Comments

we take gravity for granted

gravity makes objects fall towards earth

gravity keeps your feet on the ground

gravity maintains the earth in an orbit around the sun

but how does gravity work

what makes two distant objects attract each other

science defines gravity as a force

I want to know what generates that force

love is an invisible force that brings two people together

love makes you feel attracted to another person

the closer you get the stronger you feel it

love keeps many couples together for a lifetime

everybody has an infinite supply of love to share

children thrive on love

it feels good to give it out

and you feel ever so happy when you receive it

so now I understand it all

gravity is love

love is gravity