Are Theories, a "Truth," or Just a More Truthful Picture?

Recently I was asked, Is a theory, a "truth," or just a more truthful picture? My response?

Answering this question requires we leave the realm of physics and venture into the realm of the philosopher. You see, the word "truth" is in fact more a philosophical state than a literal physical fact.

So why do most folks see these two things as the same? Or at least as the truth and the proof of truth? I'd guess, because, we ourselves are physical beings whose consciousness is based in light. We literally know things because we see pictures. Thus, we have a hard time believing in the things we cannot picture.

Conversely, we can believe a whole lot of false things just because we can picture them. For instance, believing the world is flat and held up by four turtles. Or by an Arnold Schwarzeneggar type character. Obviously, today, we know these things to be untrue. However, because they could easily be pictured, we once mistook them as true.

This, in fact, is what makes the famous picture of the Earth as seen from one of the early satellites so important to our sense of truth. We finally could see with our own eyes that the Earth is round. And blue.

As for "theory," what might help here would be to know where this word comes from. Years ago, a young doctor taught me that in ancient Greece, medical doctors studied in amphitheaters. Something like the operating theaters in which modern medical students learn.

Similar to what we do now then, in ancient Greece, the doctors "in a teaching hospital" operated on the patient in the center of the amphitheater, down on the ground level. Then the more experienced doctors sat in the seats and observed. In fact, where in the seats these doctors sat was determined by their level of experience. The more their experience, the higher they sat. Which meant the most experienced doctors had the greatest overview, as they sat in the highest seats.

The word "theory" comes from what they called these seats. They called these seats, the "theoria." Which, in Emergence Personality Theory, relates directly to what is contained in Layer 2 of personality; explanations, excuses, and "logical" why's.

Can you now see what theories are? In effect, they are what you see of life as seen from the highest seats, far from the blood and suffering of the world but with the greatest potential for generalized insights. Which is just another way to say, they offer us the greatest potential for developing explanations, excuses, and logical reasons for whatever happens in our world.

By the way, can you now see what makes me so like Jacob Needleman's "theater of the mind" metaphor?

To see what else I had to say on the nature of theories, click here.

Drift - Beginnings of this Wild New Motorsport and Where It's Going

Drifting, a crazy, once underground Japanese motorsport born in the windy Japanese mountain roads or "touge", the Japanese word, as it's affectionately known these days. Drifting is a relatively new motorsport inspired by one 1970's Japanese circuit racer's unique driving technique. His racing technique was to use excessive over steer (rear of the car sliding out) in corners to maintain speed. Now, for any person clued up about circuit racing, you would know that over steer or under steer is not the fastest way around the race track. However, for this Japanese racer, his slippery, ice skater like corner exiting technique became his trademark and a spectacle to inspire the form of racing as we know today as "Drifting".

Drifting's popularity quickly spread through the country of Japan typically amongst the young male "boy racers", from the circuits to the streets. DORIFUTO as it's commonly pronounced in Japanese, soon caught the attention of the boys in blue, the police, for reasons I'm sure you can imagine.....Reckless driving, excessive noise from screeching tires, loud revving engines. Drifters now needed somewhere to practice their drifting technique without disturbance.

The quiet hillside "touge" roads became perfect drift playgrounds for the young drifters to perform their hairy auto acrobatic stunts. Of course, this didn't stay a secret from the police for a very long time and the danger of the blind, dark curvy mountain roads, persuaded drifters to move back to the circuits. Although a day at the circuit costs more than a trip to the mountains, it is still cheaper than lifting scrap that was once your nicely modified drift car from the bottom of a mountain.

The inclusion of hundreds of race circuits built in the last couple of decades in Japan, a fair share especially made just for drifting, has seen a huge increase in the drift community. As of late, it has exploded into the mainstream with movie titles such as "Initial D", starring the infamous Toyota AE86 Trueno Sprinter and third inclusion to the Fast and Furious series with "Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift". Both of which capture the excitement of today's hottest motorsport, Drift.

Chinese Food - Traditional Oriental Delights And How To Prepare Them

The delectable and genuine Chinese recipes have since time immemorial been the benchmark of excellence in the culinary field. These traditional recipes are the product of an imaginative mind, besides mixing the exact combination of ingredients together with the right amount of seasoning.

Traditional Chinese recipes entail the subtle use of various cooking methods and culinary expertise even as one explores his/her unique creativity in rustling up exclusive fare. It requires employing the latest innovations and developments to prepare genuine Chinese food with just the right style.

These genuine Chinese recipes are greatly noted for their distinctive taste as well as for their tendency to weave a spell with their rich aroma, mesmerizing appearance and the high quality of the prepared dish. These traditional Oriental delights are considered to be very good for health as well as being extremely nutritious according to food aficionados all over the globe.

Poly unsaturated cooking oils are the medium for preparing excellent Chinese dishes, and have a rather favourable effect on a person's health. Additionally, genuine Chinese dishes do not contain milk or ingredients that are full of fat. The secret to cooking genuine Chinese dishes is to strike a balance between the correct consistency, thereby producing the ideal touch.

Quite a few of the very popular Chinese dishes are made by using stir fried kai lan and French beans, carrots, beef laced with ginger, sweet corn chicken soup, green bean soup, spring onions, barley water and lots of others.

The Chinese dishes gives due weightage not only to vegetables, tender meat and fresh seafood, but also takes into account various cooking methods, thus ensuring the food looks extremely appetizing. Enhanced with incredible and lip-smacking flavours, genuine Chinese dishes have acquired a significant reputation amongst lovers of Chinese cuisine in the west.

A person can become an expert in preparing genuine Chinese dishes at home by essentially following the golden rules of using the basic ingredients and employing traditional cooking practices. A number of culinary institutions firmly back the cause of making exceptional traditional fare. It provides a golden chance to explore one's creative talent to the fullest, taking your time in imbibing the cooking procedures and gaining an in depth insight into their distinctive way of life.

Having a thorough comprehension of the Chinese recipes enables food buffs to set quality standards and to have the pleasure of eating with one's family and acquaintances. These genuine Chinese dishes offer a definite encouragement to people eagerly looking forward to hone their culinary talents since they are relatively easy to cook and are wonderful to consume.

Budget Travel Tips

Everyone loves to travel (almost everyone). I certainly do. Believe it or not, doing it right and doing it on a budget takes a little skill, knowledge and practice. But the required skills are not difficult, the knowledge required is easy to obtain, and the fun is in the practice!

This past spring my wife and I were lucky enough to be able to spend 10 days in Italy. We didn't spend a fortune, we scrimped on a few things and spent on others, and the net result was a very pleasing travel experience. Planning, of course, is key. We had agreed to our general itinerary and had a limited amount of time to spend, so the general outline of the trip was pretty clear from the start. We flew to Rome, spent a few days taking care of the biggies like St. Peter's, and the Vatican Museum, and did lots of strolling around the city.

Where did we stay? At a "budget" hotel. How did we find it? The Internet. There are so many choices of reasonably-priced hotels, that the biggest problem is narrowing down the list. If you have even minimal Web-surfing skills, finding your accommodations this way is really pretty easy to do. Many establishments even offer a discount for reservations made online. Oh, by the way, when we paid the bill on the way out, we paid in cash - another discount!

How did we get from the airport in Rome to the hotel? (Hint: not by taxi.) We took the train! Much cheaper, more fun, and in fact, easier. Even if you can't actually read the signs in the airport, finding the station is very easy. How did we really know it was so easy to get to the city from the airport on the train? We cheated. We read a travel guide before we left! I'm not pitching a travel book here, and I honestly don't remember which one it was, but the point is, a little research in advance can save you a lot of money, time, aggravation, fear, uncertainty and all those other negative emotions brought on by arriving in a foreign place and suddenly realizing you have no idea what to do next. And finally, from the train station in the city to our hotel was a short walk because we planned it that way - no taxi fare. The walk to the hotel was made even more pleasant by the fact that we were not over-burdened with luggage, which brings us to the next practical tip - packing.

Ten days in Europe (or anywhere else) doesn't require a mountain of baggage - at least not for two adults. Bags with handles and wheels are essential. Walking to the hotel with our luggage was a breeze. Packing, like the other parts of a trip, requires a little planning. If you're careful, and are clear about your plans for touring and socializing, you can get by with less than you think.

Keeping your travel documents and money secure is always a concern. I learned an important lesson a few years ago during a trip to Europe. Having done a lot of business travel all over the world, I made the mistake of thinking I was immune from pick pockets. I won't mention the city the event took place in, but afterwards I was stunned at the skill demonstrated by the "team" that got my wallet - out of a jacket pocket that was zipped closed! It happened in a revolving door - and thinking back on the episode, I realize that I was expertly sized up for the "hit" beforehand. In short, realize that anyone can be "fooled" even if you think you're an expert. Lesson - I NEVER travel now without a money belt. On our last trip to Italy, all valuables were in the money belt at all times, and there were no incidents. Even the "gypsy kids" at the Coliseum were not a threat (if you go to Rome, be sure to read about the area around the Coliseum - you must see it, but it's prime territory for expert young thieves).

In summary, a little thought and some careful planning can make a huge difference in the level of pleasure you derive from your next trip - whether it's a European jaunt or a car trip with your whole family to the mountains. I think letting someone else do it all and spending your days sealed up in a tour bus or following someone else around all day deprives you of half the fun. So plan your next trip carefully and you'll enjoy it a lot more.

Baby Shower Decorating Ideas For a Simple Or Elegant Shower

Baby shower decorating ideas can range from simple to glamorous and everything in between. Decorations are an important part of your baby shower whether you decide to go for the simple or the elegant shower. Depending on your taste and budget shower decorating ideas can vary from one person to the next.

The easiest place to start is the theme. Decide on a theme for your shower to make things more organized and easy. The theme depends on the tastes of the happy parents-to-be. 'Winnie the Pooh', 'pink', 'blue' or a Christmas theme if it's the Christmas season are a few traditional examples. The same theme used for previous children can be economical. However there are no specific rules. Therefore you can let your imagination run wild to your hearts content over the theme.

Balloons are always in. It's cute and cost effective. A medium sized bunch of balloons can be bought for about $10. Helium balloons are available in various shapes at local stores. The helium balloons can be tied to the chair of the mom-to-be.

Another popular shower decorating idea is to hang disposable diapers on a string spelling 'BABY SHOWER' and stringing it across the room. The diapers can spell any other words such as 'IT'S A GIRL' or the baby's name if you've already picked one.

Candles are an excellent shower decorating item if you are going for an elegant and classy look. You can also string Christmas lights and drape tulle over the lights to add to the glamorous look. Little baby booties, bibs, rattles and other baby items can be hung on the tulle for a cuter look.

Confetti is another excellent idea for shower decorations. They even come especially for baby showers with various baby shapes and in cartoon characters. Home made streamers and hand made banners add a personal touch to the shower decorations. Even the table cloth, napkins and napkin holders can be a part of the decoration if they are bought according to the theme.

Baby shower decorating ideas do not have to be traditional. You do not have to stick to any specific decorations. After all it is your baby shower. Use your imagination and creativity in coming up with ideas. Get together with your best friends or your family and brainstorm for baby shower decorating ideas. This can be very fruitful and will also make everyone feel more involved with your baby shower.

Mechanical Design of Biomedical Products Using Plastics

Biomedical products typically have physical requirements that differ in some respects from other products. Those requirements usually center on the need for materials and configurations that are compatible with the human body. Not only are such products regulated by FDA requirements, but they must also be able to withstand multiple sterilization cycles involving high temperatures or the use of solvents, or both.

To design parts in the biomedical industry it is necessary to understand the properties of biomedical safe materials, and to understand the constraints on processing those materials to produce sound and economical parts. Not all injection molding factories have both the capability and experience to mold these materials. As an example, parts have been designed and molded both domestically and abroad using Lexan HP2NR and Lexan HPX4. Both of these are FDA approved biocompatibility tested (FDA USP Class VI/ISO10993) plastics.

Lexan HP2NR is clear Polycarbonate plastic. 121C autoclavable for a handful of cycles. As an example, this material is being utilized in a lens for a product used for skin care treatment. The molding resource has been able to mold this material at almost defect free levels in the past 2 years. Lexan HPX4 is a Siloxane copolymer. It performs better in autoclave at 121C (a few dozen cycles, again depends on in-mold stress, morpholine level in autoclave etc. It has a slight haze in its natural state. An example of a biomedical application of this material is a part being colored with FDA approved dye to a gray Pantone 430C color when molded on an oral device used by sleep apnea patients. After molding, the parts go through a thermal press process that creates 300+ features necessary for the retention of the epoxy applied by the user. Parts are thoroughly cleaned in isopropyl alcohol solution, heat dried then bagged and boxed for shipment.

In addition to understanding the issues relating to the materials employed in designing and producing biomedical products it is also necessary to have a good grasp on ergonomic principles and the ability to apply those principles in design. Ergonomics is defined as the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities. It is always good to consider ergonomics in product design, but in the biomedical arena it is usually critical to the success of the product.

In summary, a successful biomedical product development should be characterized by carefully considered selection of materials and the capability to properly process those materials. Additionally, biomedical product development should also consider a strong dedication to ergonomic principles.