Bill Conrad's Blog - Posts Tagged "science"
Are Ghosts Real?
It’s the job of a fiction author to transport the reader from their grounded reality into a world of fantasy. Sometimes this is a simple leap and sometimes it’s vastly complex. For example, we know they’re far-out concepts like vampires, Vulcans, and zombies. Yet, we still love stories about them and want to relate to them. When we read a fantasy work, our minds disable the obvious logic stating that fantasy characters and situations aren’t real. In some ways, this leap makes an even better story.
What about ghosts? Science is 80% sure there is no basis for ghosts, but there remains that 20%. There have been videos of ghostly images and physical proof of mysterious events. In addition, there are hundreds of personal accounts. In college, I had a ghost walk right past me. I clearly remember the experience and I’m still 100% sure it was a real ghost.
Writers utilize this ghostly concept to the extreme. People die, became ghosts and live a full afterlife. One of my favorite books is “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman. This work takes the hypothetical existence of ghosts and transforms them into normal people who are simply dead. They have average lives and go about their daily activities just like the living. Side question. Do ghosts eat ghost food? Do they ghost poop? How does that work?
Is this fair to the reader? Should Neil Gaiman take a more scientific approach? My heart screams no, but my logical mind (very quietly) says yes. Stories like this make us want to believe. My Uncle Al recently passed away. Is he floating around somewhere and yelling at his neighbors to keep their dogs quiet? Is he is subtly helping people with his wisdom and making life better for the living?
I, of course, want to believe Uncle Al is out there, but my logical mind indicates that I shouldn’t. It is fair to taunt myself with this notion? I suppose it’s nice to have hope. I would like to think Uncle Al is there subtly guiding me. I think about his voice often. Is that the real definition of a ghost? The voice in my head? My memories? The pictures I have of him? Should I taunt others by writing about my Uncle Al? Am I taunting you right now with the belief that he is still with us? A good writer should not fear the subjects they choose to write about. With that in mind, I chose to lightly enter the topic of ghosts once. I was sure to include a quasi-logical scientific explanation to let the reader know what was going on in the transformation from person to ghost.
Is it fair to give readers false hope? My logical mind says no, but my heart says that I like to give readers a good story and let them decide what is real. Wow, what a cop out. Does that mean The Graveyard Book isn’t real? Clearly, it’s pure fiction, but nobody can deny that it’s a fantastic story. What about my ghost? I know what I experienced. Therefore, that leaves some middle ground. I suppose I should conclude that ghosts probably aren’t real. However, there is no harm in enjoying a story about them.
Just like a ghost, this blog floated around the issue. Books about ghosts are certainly popular. I think they are real, but I have no proof. Will I become a ghost when I die? Only one way to find out…
What about ghosts? Science is 80% sure there is no basis for ghosts, but there remains that 20%. There have been videos of ghostly images and physical proof of mysterious events. In addition, there are hundreds of personal accounts. In college, I had a ghost walk right past me. I clearly remember the experience and I’m still 100% sure it was a real ghost.
Writers utilize this ghostly concept to the extreme. People die, became ghosts and live a full afterlife. One of my favorite books is “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman. This work takes the hypothetical existence of ghosts and transforms them into normal people who are simply dead. They have average lives and go about their daily activities just like the living. Side question. Do ghosts eat ghost food? Do they ghost poop? How does that work?
Is this fair to the reader? Should Neil Gaiman take a more scientific approach? My heart screams no, but my logical mind (very quietly) says yes. Stories like this make us want to believe. My Uncle Al recently passed away. Is he floating around somewhere and yelling at his neighbors to keep their dogs quiet? Is he is subtly helping people with his wisdom and making life better for the living?
I, of course, want to believe Uncle Al is out there, but my logical mind indicates that I shouldn’t. It is fair to taunt myself with this notion? I suppose it’s nice to have hope. I would like to think Uncle Al is there subtly guiding me. I think about his voice often. Is that the real definition of a ghost? The voice in my head? My memories? The pictures I have of him? Should I taunt others by writing about my Uncle Al? Am I taunting you right now with the belief that he is still with us? A good writer should not fear the subjects they choose to write about. With that in mind, I chose to lightly enter the topic of ghosts once. I was sure to include a quasi-logical scientific explanation to let the reader know what was going on in the transformation from person to ghost.
Is it fair to give readers false hope? My logical mind says no, but my heart says that I like to give readers a good story and let them decide what is real. Wow, what a cop out. Does that mean The Graveyard Book isn’t real? Clearly, it’s pure fiction, but nobody can deny that it’s a fantastic story. What about my ghost? I know what I experienced. Therefore, that leaves some middle ground. I suppose I should conclude that ghosts probably aren’t real. However, there is no harm in enjoying a story about them.
Just like a ghost, this blog floated around the issue. Books about ghosts are certainly popular. I think they are real, but I have no proof. Will I become a ghost when I die? Only one way to find out…
The Crazy’s Come Out During a Full Moon
A common saying is that crazy people come out during a full moon, meaning that there are wild times on a night with a visible full moon. Crimes occur, upstanding citizens do stupid things, and people who usually would stay at home venture out.
Years ago, I discussed this connection with my wife, who told me about working in the emergency room. She confirmed that they received more calls and stupid injuries during a full moon. This discussion got me thinking about the science behind the correlation. What is going on in people’s minds? Is there a biological element? Is the media responsible? Has this activity occurred for more than a thousand years? What types of people are most susceptible? Can we stop this trait?
I wanted to learn more about the topic and fired up the search engine. The internet immediately rewarded me with a famous study. There is no correlation. What? That’s strange. I searched for more studies and found another popular paper. There indeed was a strong correlation. What was going on? How can there be two completely different conclusions?
I searched more and found a well-researched paper by a credible university analyzing ten papers. They concluded that there was no correlation. Plus, they showed that the disagreeing papers had apparent flaws. Ahh, that explains it.
Then, I located another paper by a credible university that analyzed 20 papers. There was a direct correlation, and they showed all the flaws in the disagreeing papers.
I learned there are hundreds of studies on the topic and no solid census. This correlation seems straightforward to prove and understand the mental mechanism. What is going on? I guess that humans are complex, and it is difficult to prove an aspect of human behavior, diet, psychosis, stereotype, discrimination, or trait. We see similar conflicting studies answering the question about coffee/eggs/bacon/avocados being good or bad.
Perhaps the full moon’s biggest effect is providing starving college students with grant money for useless studies. A quick search located several full moon studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
https://scienceline.org/2008/03/ask-g...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
The general opinion is the correlation is anecdotal. Meaning the relationship is in people’s minds and not real life. For this article, I spoke to my wife again, who affirmed that crazy people came to the emergency room more often on full moons. In addition, they seemed more spaced out, talked crazy, and were more violent. I trust my wife’s opinion, but I understand the general scientific opinion disagrees.
What should I do? Stand by my wife and turn my back on science? Accept that several studies are right and my wife is wrong? Drink 10 gallons of coffee, eat 100 bacon-avocado omelets, and see what happens? Become a hermit and ignore everything? Life has its mysteries, and this is one of them. That is not a brilliant answer, but it is an answer.
You’re the best -Bill
November 15, 2023
Years ago, I discussed this connection with my wife, who told me about working in the emergency room. She confirmed that they received more calls and stupid injuries during a full moon. This discussion got me thinking about the science behind the correlation. What is going on in people’s minds? Is there a biological element? Is the media responsible? Has this activity occurred for more than a thousand years? What types of people are most susceptible? Can we stop this trait?
I wanted to learn more about the topic and fired up the search engine. The internet immediately rewarded me with a famous study. There is no correlation. What? That’s strange. I searched for more studies and found another popular paper. There indeed was a strong correlation. What was going on? How can there be two completely different conclusions?
I searched more and found a well-researched paper by a credible university analyzing ten papers. They concluded that there was no correlation. Plus, they showed that the disagreeing papers had apparent flaws. Ahh, that explains it.
Then, I located another paper by a credible university that analyzed 20 papers. There was a direct correlation, and they showed all the flaws in the disagreeing papers.
I learned there are hundreds of studies on the topic and no solid census. This correlation seems straightforward to prove and understand the mental mechanism. What is going on? I guess that humans are complex, and it is difficult to prove an aspect of human behavior, diet, psychosis, stereotype, discrimination, or trait. We see similar conflicting studies answering the question about coffee/eggs/bacon/avocados being good or bad.
Perhaps the full moon’s biggest effect is providing starving college students with grant money for useless studies. A quick search located several full moon studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
https://scienceline.org/2008/03/ask-g...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
The general opinion is the correlation is anecdotal. Meaning the relationship is in people’s minds and not real life. For this article, I spoke to my wife again, who affirmed that crazy people came to the emergency room more often on full moons. In addition, they seemed more spaced out, talked crazy, and were more violent. I trust my wife’s opinion, but I understand the general scientific opinion disagrees.
What should I do? Stand by my wife and turn my back on science? Accept that several studies are right and my wife is wrong? Drink 10 gallons of coffee, eat 100 bacon-avocado omelets, and see what happens? Become a hermit and ignore everything? Life has its mysteries, and this is one of them. That is not a brilliant answer, but it is an answer.
You’re the best -Bill
November 15, 2023
The French Paradox
Every day, we humans add to our vast knowledge, experience, and abilities. For example, we can see a single atom with a microscope, use our cell phones to watch the latest music video or plan our day according to a super accurate weather forecast. We even know all about black holes. What are those? They are massive objects in space that scientists cannot see, but we know (somehow???) they have unusual properties.
I wanted to explore one aspect of modern life that has been thoroughly studied since the first caveman’s girlfriend said, “You’re fat. I’m going to find a tinner caveman to date.”
Today, we have food pyramids, diet books, calorie counters, phone dieting apps, smart scales, nutrition consultants, diet coaches, diet foods, Paleo diets, dash diets, gluten-free foods, intermittent fasting, vegetarian options, spin classes, w3atches that count how many steps we have taken, and fitness clubs. It is all right there. Follow plan X to have a fit, thin, and healthy life. GUARNTEED or your money back. Yay!
What is plan X? Eat low-fat foods, avoid carbohydrates, add vegetables, thoroughly chew your food, exercise daily, eat lots of vitamins, see your doctor, hire a fitness coach, avoid meat, and stay far away from gluten. Yes, plan X works 100% of the time! No exceptions.
Well, there is one tiny exception. By the known standards of modern medicine, having a French lifestyle and eating French food is a sure plan for a dreadful life and an early grave. What do the French eat? Cheese, wine, butter, sausage, fats, heavy sauces, and gluten-packed bread. Their lifestyle? They exercise, but not to excess.
Yet, the French population has above-average fitness, happiness, and lifespan levels. What is going on? Despite years of study, scientists, nutritionists, fitness experts, and doctors do not know. Well, it must be one of two things. Either our medical knowledge is wrong, or the entire population of France is fooling the medical experts.
Is the problem really that black and white? This exception is not a rounding error, oversight, or optical illusion. The nation of Frace does not follow the accepted medical guidelines, yet paradoxically, they are mentally and physically healthy. As further proof, I have been to France and witnessed their happy attitudes, fit bodies, and eating habits.
Well, what does this mean? Should we throw away our diet books, exclusively eat French food and adopt a French lifestyle to improve our health? That is where things get interesting. In 1991, Serge Renaud, a scientist from Bordeaux University, presented a paper that coined the phrase. Since 1991, many studies have defended traditional medicine while attempting to debunk the French Paradox. It seems that the medical establishment is working hard to come out on top of this debate. They feel the French Paradox is an illusion.
Yet… As I have stated, I have been to France and seen their healthy people. So, what do I think is going on? Of course, my opinion differs from that of professionals, scientists, and diet coaches. I live in California, and we are known for our excellent wine and cheese. I have also purchased French wines and cheeses in California. To me, they taste no different. However, the food in France was vastly different.
Every evening, we made a ritual of going to a liquor store to purchase a bottle of wine (chosen only by the label decorations), to the cheese store to buy a selection, and to the bakery to purchase a baguette. This was a heavenly experience, and the food disappeared quickly. During the day, we went to the local restaurants, and while the portion sizes were small, the food was tasty. Wine with dinner? It was less expensive than soda. We walked around Paris and went to the museums for the rest of the day.
France has a reputation for mean people, but I never encountered one. They were all friendly and had a relaxed lifestyle. Yet there was more to them. It was as if they had figured out something that the rest of the world had missed. Their take on life was more evolved, open-minded, and centered.
Our trip ended with us feeling great and a little thinner. I recommend you go to France and experience their exceptional food and culture. Yet, I have not explained my theory. In engineering, there is what we call an onion problem. The idea is that multiple interacting issues are causing a failure, and the engineer must isolate each one. I think the French Paradox is this exact type of issue.
Why is the wine, cheese, and bread better in France? California law and shopping preference require preservatives to maintain shelf life and save us from something… Preservatives adversely affect flavor and hinder our health. France does not have high preservative levels, so the food tastes better and is healthier.
My theory is that people like good-tasting and healthy food. When our bodies get quality food, they do not have to gorge on junk food. I rarely saw them eating fast/junk food as we traveled.
The second part of my theory is that a positive attitude affects fitness, health, and diet. A nervous person is more likely to eat and have poor health. In France, they let things slide. Plus, a small amount of red wine calms nerves.
Also, the attitude of a nation is not a trait that comes from diet, exercise, psychology, or medical books. Therefore, the pleasant French outlook is big to study, categorize, or appreciate. French paradox is an extensive interconnecting set of parameters that cannot be categorized or replicated outside their borders.
Yet, there is a big problem with my explanation. The French population has low cholesterol levels. Cheese, bread, butter, and heavy sauces contribute to high cholesterol. So, what is going on? Is it the wine? Maybe, but probably not. So, please ignore my entire theory.
And this is my point. Even with all the information available, I do not know what is happening, nor does everybody else. I use the French Paradox to remind myself that I do not know everything. The paradox rattles around in my bonkers mind to keep me grounded, asking questions and acting less arrogant. But… I wish thinking about the French Paradox could help eliminate my gut.
You’re the best -Bill
April 04, 2024
I wanted to explore one aspect of modern life that has been thoroughly studied since the first caveman’s girlfriend said, “You’re fat. I’m going to find a tinner caveman to date.”
Today, we have food pyramids, diet books, calorie counters, phone dieting apps, smart scales, nutrition consultants, diet coaches, diet foods, Paleo diets, dash diets, gluten-free foods, intermittent fasting, vegetarian options, spin classes, w3atches that count how many steps we have taken, and fitness clubs. It is all right there. Follow plan X to have a fit, thin, and healthy life. GUARNTEED or your money back. Yay!
What is plan X? Eat low-fat foods, avoid carbohydrates, add vegetables, thoroughly chew your food, exercise daily, eat lots of vitamins, see your doctor, hire a fitness coach, avoid meat, and stay far away from gluten. Yes, plan X works 100% of the time! No exceptions.
Well, there is one tiny exception. By the known standards of modern medicine, having a French lifestyle and eating French food is a sure plan for a dreadful life and an early grave. What do the French eat? Cheese, wine, butter, sausage, fats, heavy sauces, and gluten-packed bread. Their lifestyle? They exercise, but not to excess.
Yet, the French population has above-average fitness, happiness, and lifespan levels. What is going on? Despite years of study, scientists, nutritionists, fitness experts, and doctors do not know. Well, it must be one of two things. Either our medical knowledge is wrong, or the entire population of France is fooling the medical experts.
Is the problem really that black and white? This exception is not a rounding error, oversight, or optical illusion. The nation of Frace does not follow the accepted medical guidelines, yet paradoxically, they are mentally and physically healthy. As further proof, I have been to France and witnessed their happy attitudes, fit bodies, and eating habits.
Well, what does this mean? Should we throw away our diet books, exclusively eat French food and adopt a French lifestyle to improve our health? That is where things get interesting. In 1991, Serge Renaud, a scientist from Bordeaux University, presented a paper that coined the phrase. Since 1991, many studies have defended traditional medicine while attempting to debunk the French Paradox. It seems that the medical establishment is working hard to come out on top of this debate. They feel the French Paradox is an illusion.
Yet… As I have stated, I have been to France and seen their healthy people. So, what do I think is going on? Of course, my opinion differs from that of professionals, scientists, and diet coaches. I live in California, and we are known for our excellent wine and cheese. I have also purchased French wines and cheeses in California. To me, they taste no different. However, the food in France was vastly different.
Every evening, we made a ritual of going to a liquor store to purchase a bottle of wine (chosen only by the label decorations), to the cheese store to buy a selection, and to the bakery to purchase a baguette. This was a heavenly experience, and the food disappeared quickly. During the day, we went to the local restaurants, and while the portion sizes were small, the food was tasty. Wine with dinner? It was less expensive than soda. We walked around Paris and went to the museums for the rest of the day.
France has a reputation for mean people, but I never encountered one. They were all friendly and had a relaxed lifestyle. Yet there was more to them. It was as if they had figured out something that the rest of the world had missed. Their take on life was more evolved, open-minded, and centered.
Our trip ended with us feeling great and a little thinner. I recommend you go to France and experience their exceptional food and culture. Yet, I have not explained my theory. In engineering, there is what we call an onion problem. The idea is that multiple interacting issues are causing a failure, and the engineer must isolate each one. I think the French Paradox is this exact type of issue.
Why is the wine, cheese, and bread better in France? California law and shopping preference require preservatives to maintain shelf life and save us from something… Preservatives adversely affect flavor and hinder our health. France does not have high preservative levels, so the food tastes better and is healthier.
My theory is that people like good-tasting and healthy food. When our bodies get quality food, they do not have to gorge on junk food. I rarely saw them eating fast/junk food as we traveled.
The second part of my theory is that a positive attitude affects fitness, health, and diet. A nervous person is more likely to eat and have poor health. In France, they let things slide. Plus, a small amount of red wine calms nerves.
Also, the attitude of a nation is not a trait that comes from diet, exercise, psychology, or medical books. Therefore, the pleasant French outlook is big to study, categorize, or appreciate. French paradox is an extensive interconnecting set of parameters that cannot be categorized or replicated outside their borders.
Yet, there is a big problem with my explanation. The French population has low cholesterol levels. Cheese, bread, butter, and heavy sauces contribute to high cholesterol. So, what is going on? Is it the wine? Maybe, but probably not. So, please ignore my entire theory.
And this is my point. Even with all the information available, I do not know what is happening, nor does everybody else. I use the French Paradox to remind myself that I do not know everything. The paradox rattles around in my bonkers mind to keep me grounded, asking questions and acting less arrogant. But… I wish thinking about the French Paradox could help eliminate my gut.
You’re the best -Bill
April 04, 2024
