The Fishbowl Earth Project

  In addition to the horrific loss of life and property, human and animal displacement, and obvious impacts to the environment caused by the massive wildfires up and down the West Coast, there are many untold costs that pale in comparison.  One of those inconveniences is being forced to stay inside the house, not just because of COVID-19, but because the air has been rated as hazardous to breathe. In the last several years, this has become an end-of-summer event; dreaded, but expected.  This year, however, was the worst. The Inlander reported that Spokane, WA and the vicinity experienced record hazardous air quality in September, maxing out the top of the AQI (Air Quality Index) range for the better part of a day, which shattered the previous record.  Alaska Airlines suspended all of its flights from Portland and Spokane on September 15, due to the massive amount of smoke from the wildfires, according to USA Today.  Large numbers of schools in Oregon announced...

UFOs have hit the mainstream recently, partly due to the accidental release of UAP activity (the military prefers Unidentified Ariel Phenomenon, according to the article).  Increasing evidence seems to point to something we don't understand, but (as yet) hasn't seemed to have overtly harmed us. Is it a "them" from another world (or worlds)? If there are crafts as large and maneuverable as have been reported, why haven't they attacked? What do they want?? Assume for a moment that Hollywood's doom and gloom of global visitation isn't correct - it's more Steven Spielberg's E.T. , and less Independence Day .  What if the short squashy guys have a stake in our future?  What if they were here to help?  Could we ask them somehow?? This out there as an idea, but if you think that Earth is being visited by aliens, it's reasonable to assume they have the technology to help us with our little CO2 problem.  Is it as simple as putting the sy...

With all the news stories lately about global warming, and damage to infrastructure as a result of the hottest temperatures ever recorded , it's easy to get desensitized.  Right?  The Independent's story reports that parts of Germany's Autobahn were reduced to (the equivalent of) 60 mph, due to deteriorating road surfaces. Ooo, shivers.  One more time. Deteriorating road surfaces. And cue R.E.M. Unless you're a certain Doc Brown and you "don't need roads," this could already hint at a time where moving goods about the country (like oh say, food) may become impossible overnight.  Make that over day . And, as hot as the current heat wave is, scientists are saying it's going to get hotter.  Infrastructure that is already breaking down will break down more, faster.  Fixing it will become almost as important as trying to protect the new (and existing) roads, bridges, and especially, das Autobahn . I say break out the gold foil. ...

As I sit in my climate-controlled home and contemplate the future, while sipping a delicious cup of coffee, the idea of human extinction doesn't seem very real.  I have full protection from the elements, including high winds, torrential downpours, frigid temperatures, and extreme heat.  In fact, if it gets too hot, I can turn my air conditioner. Until the power goes out. According to Wikipedia, scientists estimate that 99% of all the species of life that have existed on Earth have gone extinct.   That's over 5 billion species!  That means a whole lot of life has come and gone before we humans ever made a mark on the planet.  Scientists are concerned, however, about the current high rate of extinction, and some estimate that 50% of the existing plants and animals on the Earth right now may become extinct by the year 2100. Why is this happening?  Why are plants and animals going extinct so quickly?  It's because we humans are cutting down fore...

Un-perma-frost? Frost? Water? It's hard to escape the sudden flurry of articles about the Arctic right now, like this one, in which scientists are "shocked" by permafrost melting 70 years sooner than expected.  I come from a Scientific Family, so I can tell you from personal experience with various family members that scientists don't get shocked very often.  Well, maybe electrical engineers.  Zing. In my experience, the pendulum swung the other way - stoicism, reserve, and calculation would be good adjectives.  Like the Professor on Gilligan's Island. Not shocked. That seems bad.  Maybe the scientists are shocked by How Wrong they were in predicting that the permafrost would melt like this 70 years from now.  I've been seeing a fair amount of that watching the news lately.  The Forecaster will bravely make a forecast about the temperature for the day, only to be proven wrong by the actual high reported by the evening news.  That s...

Hi!  Welcome to Fishbowl Earth.  The idea behind this blog is simple: imagine that instead of people walking around a planet, we're actually fish inside of a fishbowl.  As more and more of us fill it up, our environment works harder and harder to keep up, until it ultimately fails.  What's a poor fishy to do? Well, at the aquarium store they sell stuff for keeping a clean, aerated fish bowl (or tank) that keeps the environment nice and fresh for fish.  Filters, air stones, pumps, nets, sponges, snails, and probably some other environment-fresheners I'm not thinking of to avoid... The Toxic Tank. You know, when the tank gets all green and nasty with algae blooms and the water turns toxic and the fish can't breathe in their own water.  Scientists are tackling these problems for the Earth, and proving (at least at the experimental level) that solutions will work - IF deployed at scale.  And scale takes money. Without funding, these ideas are s...

When I was a kid, my Dad carried around a big, white handkerchief.   It was usually in his pocket, so when he had to sneeze, he would pull it out, and ha-choo!   Sneeze accomplished, the square of cloth would go back in the pocket, until my Mom washed it, and then the cycle repeated itself.   Come to think of it, he had a stack of these hand kerchiefs.   I never got one.   Birthdays came and went, milestones were celebrated, I graduated from high school, but a handy hanky was never bestowed upon me.   Instead, I was relegated to using tissue when I had to sneeze, if I was lucky.   Otherwise… it was my hand or the wind. Ha-CHOO!   Ew, now I have to wash my hand. HA-Choo!   Sorry, huge crowd of people I happen to be standing in. HA-CHOO!   Almost made it to the box of tissues in the kitchen - sneezed on dinner instead. Fast forward to today: Everyone sneezes in their elbow!     What a practical...