Problems, Predicaments, and Technology

  I have mentioned Tom Murphy many times in this blog precisely because facts don't lie. If anyone wants to truly know where we are as a species on this planet, Tom can definitely tell you. Don't get me wrong, I can also tell you; but I'm not a physicist. Tom is one of the few individuals who has written a book about our predicaments and allowed free access to everyone.  Tom has done far more than that, however. He has a website which has been a staple within the energy community for many years. He talks about our situation in this video  and surprisingly thought the same way I did for many years regarding our future. He thought that we would develop various "renewable" technologies and that our future would be shiny and "green" so that BAU could continue unabated. I actually think a very large portion of society thinks the same way, and it is because they simply do not understand the laws of physics, thermodynamics, biology, and chemistry and how they ...

Lake Placid as seen from Whiteface Mountain , New York

Recently, I have received several really awesome comments recently across the different media platforms I use, the subject of one of which is the topic for this article. However, I also wish to thank my readers for the encouragement you give for me to continue writing. That in and of itself is what actually keeps me going. Knowing that I am not wasting my time writing these articles and that others enjoy my musings keeps me active and researching.  I also appreciate the opportunity to (try) to explain the science as I understand it. My understanding is constantly being reshaped and clarified by the science as new science becomes available. Part of the reason I tend to focus on psychology is because of how my own beliefs have changed over the past decade or two. Much of how society operates is based upon our psychology and how our behaviors affect the interactions between ourselves and the rest of the planet. Here is a rather poignant quote in this instance, from Albert Einstein: "...

  Trail's Cabin located along the Blue Ridge Parkway Thank you for visiting this site. To make it easier to navigate, I have made this post specifically for the purpose of explaining some of the posts and helping the reader to establish connections to how to best use the posts to enhance his or her understanding and comprehension of the material contained herein.  One way to navigate this site or to find a particular article is to use the "Pages" links or "Blog Archive" or the "Labels" dropdown menus in the upper far left-hand sidebar next to my picture. There, you can find articles by month of publication and title (by clicking on a particular month) or by topic (under the "Labels" dropdown menu). Underneath the "Labels" dropdown menu is the "Blog Archive" which will also help to find specific articles. Throughout the entire blog, I share my knowledge of problems and predicaments global society faces in the coming years. ...

  Picture taken from Mount Jefferson, North Carolina

  Light at the end of the tunnel? Actually, this is Jacks Creek Covered Bridge  near Woolwine, Virginia

  Backbone Rock in northern Tennessee

Sams Gap at the Tennessee/North Carolina border

  The ongoing construction of US 58 in Virginia near Lovers Leap Overlook  as it looked in May 2025

  From top; Columbia Glacier, Mount Blackburn, Worthington Glacier, Matanuska Glacier

  In my last post , I expressed my concerns regarding methane emissions along with the growing speed which our collective predicaments appear to be gaining. Then I explained precisely why we have thus far not made any real progress on these predicaments based upon our collective denial , which has a considerable amount to do with our basic human psychology. In conclusion, the reality is that very few people are actually paying an ounce of real attention. What they are paying attention to are all the distractions - the hype, advertising, marketing, and propaganda. Today I bring more evidence of the increasing speed of these predicaments as I recall some of my articles which I had privately hoped might be a long way off into the future. I'm not one to try to evade uncomforting news. If I was, I most certainly wouldn't be reading and watching these articles, reports, studies, videos, and other media to try to understand and comprehend fully where we are and where we're heade...

  One of the things most misunderstood is the concept of free will. Most people have the misconception that we all have free will and (more or less) can "do whatever we want." In reality, this is actually false . While we have the ability to make certain choices, those choices are all constrained to certain norms on average, based upon the reward of dopamine. As Dave Pollard writes about a year ago, " Everything we do is dopamine-driven , based on experiences that have, through positive reinforcement or coercion, been dictated by our entirely ‘unconscious’ behavior since we were born. There is no ‘us’ somehow apart from these evolutionarily conditioned animal bodies, to intervene to do things differently." Now, Dave explains why assigning blame is pretty much useless and nothing more than theater here . Nate Hagens adds this to the mix.  Update 3-24-24:   A new article  about Robert Sapolsky's book,  Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will , explains ...