Quasars, Black Holes, Tim Russert and the Universe
I took a class in college called "Quasars, Black Holes and the Universe." It was one of those mind-bending classes that essentially equated to 60 minutes of mental calisthenics three times a week. You would walk out of the class, shake your head clear and grab a beer as fast as you could. (Cheap beer. The only kind you could afford.) You couldn't possibly understand the enormity of the universe and your head throbbed from the impossibility of this all being figured out by mere mortals. The post-class beer always helped. Dr. Harry Shipman was our tour guide to this Universe. A corpulent fuzzy-bearded man with a ridiculous lust for life. Think Ben and Jerry with a PHD in Thermal Physics.
Quasars, we would find out, were super-active galactic nuclei that surrounded the black hole of a specific galaxy. Black holes sucked. And the Universe part, I sort of got, but it seemed too infinite to grasp.
I was thinking about this class recently. Specifically, I struggled to remember what might have possessed me to take such a class nearly 25 years ago. When thinking back, it became clear why I would do this. You see, I am not very smart. I was an English Major with a minor in Economics. I had no reason to be in this class. Why would I subject myself to black holes and super galactic radii and the ever-expanding universe? Well, besides being not very smart, I chose most of my classes by how interesting the title seemed. "Quasars, Black Holes and The Universe?" You really could not pick a better title than that. I knew nothing about the subject. Isn't that why you go to college in the first place? You go to learn about stuff you would know nothing about if you had chosen to pick up a trade or drive a truck for a living (this was pre-"books on tape" - I am sure there on many truck drivers these days that could quote Hubble's Law better than me.) But you also enrolled in classes like this to help figure out the mysteries of life. Some people have religion for this. Sadly, I am not one of those people. I really thought that this class would help to explain some of the things in life that made no sense to me. I am guessing that is the normal thought process of a 19 year-old looking to get life's questions answered.
However, as life goes by, you forget about those questions and you begin to focus on the important questions. Like, how am I going to pay for this apartment? Should I start a career in waste management or Advertising? How can I retire at 50? Do I really want to get married and have kids?
Over time, you simply start living your life. You buy that house. You get married. You have your 2.5 kids. Who has time to contemplate the ever-expanding universe after all that? Okay, besides Al Gore?
So why am I thinking about this now? Well, I am trying like hell to get myself to start thinking like a 19 year old again.
Tim Russert died two weeks ago and it was a real loss. Russert, from all reports, was a guy who thought a lot like a 19 year old. His mind went beyond partisan politics. He questioned Democrats and Republicans alike, even though he had a career working exclusively with New York Democrats like Mario Cuomo and Senator Patrick Moynahan before getting into broadcasting. Tim Russert questioned everything. He wanted his viewers to question why decisions were being made on their behalf in congress as well. I enjoyed watching "Meet the Press" because of this.
Tim Russert will not be with us to ask those probing questions in a VERY important election year. We no longer have that unbiased tour guide to the political landscape. Unfortunately, we are stuck with Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Ann Coulter, John Stewart and Bill O'Reilly. Yacking and Yucking away with partisan politics on a daily basis. Get your daily dose of bullshit on any number of channels. "Tune in tonight for some very special crap at 9 o'clock." You get the idea.
Thinking back, I am sure I would never had taken that class back then if it had been called "Electromagnetic Spectrum and Non-Nuclear Radii." But I am glad I did. I got some questions answered, but had even more when I left.
Thank god for cheap beer.
Quasars, we would find out, were super-active galactic nuclei that surrounded the black hole of a specific galaxy. Black holes sucked. And the Universe part, I sort of got, but it seemed too infinite to grasp.
I was thinking about this class recently. Specifically, I struggled to remember what might have possessed me to take such a class nearly 25 years ago. When thinking back, it became clear why I would do this. You see, I am not very smart. I was an English Major with a minor in Economics. I had no reason to be in this class. Why would I subject myself to black holes and super galactic radii and the ever-expanding universe? Well, besides being not very smart, I chose most of my classes by how interesting the title seemed. "Quasars, Black Holes and The Universe?" You really could not pick a better title than that. I knew nothing about the subject. Isn't that why you go to college in the first place? You go to learn about stuff you would know nothing about if you had chosen to pick up a trade or drive a truck for a living (this was pre-"books on tape" - I am sure there on many truck drivers these days that could quote Hubble's Law better than me.) But you also enrolled in classes like this to help figure out the mysteries of life. Some people have religion for this. Sadly, I am not one of those people. I really thought that this class would help to explain some of the things in life that made no sense to me. I am guessing that is the normal thought process of a 19 year-old looking to get life's questions answered.
However, as life goes by, you forget about those questions and you begin to focus on the important questions. Like, how am I going to pay for this apartment? Should I start a career in waste management or Advertising? How can I retire at 50? Do I really want to get married and have kids?
Over time, you simply start living your life. You buy that house. You get married. You have your 2.5 kids. Who has time to contemplate the ever-expanding universe after all that? Okay, besides Al Gore?
So why am I thinking about this now? Well, I am trying like hell to get myself to start thinking like a 19 year old again.
Tim Russert died two weeks ago and it was a real loss. Russert, from all reports, was a guy who thought a lot like a 19 year old. His mind went beyond partisan politics. He questioned Democrats and Republicans alike, even though he had a career working exclusively with New York Democrats like Mario Cuomo and Senator Patrick Moynahan before getting into broadcasting. Tim Russert questioned everything. He wanted his viewers to question why decisions were being made on their behalf in congress as well. I enjoyed watching "Meet the Press" because of this.
Tim Russert will not be with us to ask those probing questions in a VERY important election year. We no longer have that unbiased tour guide to the political landscape. Unfortunately, we are stuck with Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Ann Coulter, John Stewart and Bill O'Reilly. Yacking and Yucking away with partisan politics on a daily basis. Get your daily dose of bullshit on any number of channels. "Tune in tonight for some very special crap at 9 o'clock." You get the idea.
Thinking back, I am sure I would never had taken that class back then if it had been called "Electromagnetic Spectrum and Non-Nuclear Radii." But I am glad I did. I got some questions answered, but had even more when I left.
Thank god for cheap beer.
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