Big Bang Super Quiz

1. According to the Big Bang Theory the universe emerged from a ………
2. This scientist coined the term Big Bang who was he?
3. What is expanding as a result of the Big Bang?
4. What is the best estimate for the Age of the Universe?
5. Which force was the first to separate from the other fundamental forces?
6. With what is Alan Guth most associated?
7. Which Catholic Priest developed an early version of the Big Bang where matter emerges from a primordial ‘atom’?
8. What is meant by the term CBR?
9. What does the inverse of Hubble’s constant give one?
10. How did Edwin Hubble determine that the Universe is expanding?
11. Which observatory was Hubble’s laboratory?
12. What sub-atomic particles joined to form nucleons during the nucleosynthesis era?
13. What role did Cepheid Variables play in the development of the Big Bang Theory?
14. Which of the Three Cosmological Principles was shattered by the Big Bang Theory?
15. Which two Cosmological Principles still remain intact (for now)?
16. This modern day popularizer of science (scourge of the chiropractor society) and author of Fermat’s Last Theorem wrote a book on the History of the Big Bang. Who is he?
17. Which Russian mathematician is associated with the early development of the Big Bang Model from its theoretical foundations in General Relativity?
18. What did Einstein call his greatest mistake?
19. Who was Ralph Alpher’s chief partner in the early theoretical modelling of the Big Bang?
20. What entity seems to be causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate?
21. Whether the universe expands or collapses in a Big Crunch is ultimately dependent on this factor associated with its mass and volume. What is the factor?
22. What is the earliest time from the origin of the universe that the laws of physics can be reasonably applied?
23. What are Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson most noted for?
24. What theory was the leading competitor to the Big Bang at the time of the latter’s introduction?
25.This physicist wrote about the Big Bang in his celebrated work – ‘The First Three Minutes’. Who is he?
26. What is the shape of the universe spatially?
27. The imbalance between matter and anti-matter in the universe is also known as ?
28. What was the name of the spacecraft launched on 30th June 2001 to study radiant heat from the Big Bang?
29. In M-Theory this term is short for a membrane. What is it?
30. An omega cosmological parameter that is less than 1 indicates a …………….. universe.

Big Bang Answers

1. Singularity
2. Fred Hoyle – as a term of derision. Hoyle was a Steady Stater.
3. Space (not matter)
4. 13.7 billion years old
5. Gravity
6. Inflationary Expansion Theory
7. Georges Lemaître
8. Cosmic Background Radiation – The Echo of the Big Bang
9. The Age of the Universe
10. By analyzing the Red Shift on the spectra of Light coming from distant galaxy
11. Mount Wilson
12. Quarks
13. These standard candle stars allow for an accurate estimate of galactic distances
14. The non-changing nature of the Universe
15. Isotropy and Homogeneity
16. Simon Singh
17. Alexander Friedmann
18. The Cosmological Constant (as it turned out it wasn’t a mistake at all)
19. George Gamow (One of the Greatest minds in modern physics)
20. Dark Energy (makes up 73% of the mass of the universe)
21. Critical Density
22. 10E-43sec
23. They both one Nobel Prizes for discovering evidence of the Cosmic Background Radiation
24. Steady State Theory
25. Steven Weinberg
26. It is flat
27. Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe
28. Baryon asymmetry
29. Branes (there is a theory that the universe was born from the collision of two branes)
30. Closed

Looking Inward

I use this blog as a type of escapism so its always great when I can post with a meaningful input. My biggest struggle over the last few weeks is my ongoing attempt to crystallize a better understanding of the world. I have tried to qualify this in purely scientific terms based on the cold steel of reason but the inner tug of spiritualism (and a belief in a higher power) clouds such an approach, at least from a broader philosophical perspective.

Its not that this ultimately bothers me - but I can't help but wonder how this struggle would be simplified, if one of these two variables were more easily reducible. That they are not could be a blessing, in that it forces me to contemplate with greater intensity, and through this mechanism I am forced to grow.

But I still stare over hills and past valleys, wondering if the ark of truth lies over the horizon. It is both frustrating and motivating...but if I had the answer I doubt whether I would appreciate the apparent nirvana. So maybe I should just let it go, scuttle the inquiry. Yeah right...who am I trying to kid?... I know for myself that this is impossible.

Ingredients for Success

As civilizations progress positively they become more likely to encapsulate these characteristics.

Democratic Institutions
Freedom of Press
Freedom of Action
Freedom of Religion
Appreciation for the Vital role of Science and Technology
Rule of Law
Private Ownership of Property
Personal Responsibility – Recognizable Free Will
Accountability of Political Office
Social Service Institutions
Prison Reform
Necessary Dissent
High Levels of Education
Low levels of bribery and corruption


If a state fails it is normally missing several of these ingredients.

Key Players in US Foreign Politics

The factors influencing US foreign policy are more complicated than any single purely ideological analysis takes into account. These are ten that I have personally identified:

Money Men - Those who see US Foreign policy as a way of extending their individual business interests throughout the globe.

Children of Democracy - Those who feel that that the US has an ideological mission to spread democracy.

Gamers - Those who see US Foreign Politics as a game of good against evil that must be won at all costs by the forces of good.

Stabilizers - Those who feel that US foreign policy should work at all cost to stabilize the world and ensure 'peace'.

Christian Elite - Group that argues that US politics must act to prevent the spread of such anti-Christian ideologies as Islam and Communism.

Single Power Proliferaters - Those who believe that the US has no allies at all and should operate covertly or in any way possible to prevent the emergence of a legitimate competitor to American hegemony.

Single Enemies of Choice - Group that are obsessed in stopping the actions of one power in particular. This power could be: China, Russia, the Moslem World etc.

Namesakers - Individuals who see foreign policy as a stage for making a name for themselves. They are motivated by nothing else.

Cold Warriors - Those who are still nostalgic for the Cold War and wish to recreate the period in some form or another again in the near future.

Competitor groups - opposing factions in the US, who are not necessarily ideologically driven, but see Foreign Policy as a vehicle or stage to ensure their individual group influence and strike a blow against their competitor faction.

Top Ten Charles Dicken's Novels of All Time

Just my Opinion...........

1. David Copperfield
2. Oliver Twist
3. A Tale of Two Cities
4. Great Expectations
5. Pickwick Papers
6. Nicholas Nickelby
7. The Mystery of Edwin Drood
8. A Christmas Carol
9. The Old Curiosity Shop
10. Bleak House

Jordan Peterson

(Originally written March 2017)

Canadian Psychology Professor Jordan Peterson is an unusual superhero. He can’t jump single buildings in a bound, has no special skills that would qualify him for membership in any DC or Marvel collective yet provides a service that may indeed save many a great institution from the rot that it is in. Peterson is warrior number one in the fight for Free Speech on Campus and indeed within the broader academic framework.

Initially that campus was my alma mater, the University of Toronto, but now it appears that the Peterson effect seems to be spreading with the good professor making appearances on several other campuses.

Peterson (who used to be a member of Canada’s social democratic NDP) first came to the fore publicly when he released a series of videos around free speech in the political correct context. His specific objection was Bill C-16 that was introduced in the Canadian Parliament by the Trudeau government. The bill seeks to amend the Criminal Code by adding gender identity or expression to an extended definition of ‘identifiable groups’. This would make it an offence to spread hate propaganda based on these two facets. Peterson objected (not to the LBGT element) but to the Freedom of speech aspects and took aim at Ontario’s Human Rights Code along similar lines. He went further by saying that he would not use ‘non-binary’ pronouns such as zhe and zir ordinarily but would consider it if asked in the right way.

The backlash against Peterson has been severe. Mass protests have targeted his lectures and he has been the focus of an outrage campaign to silence him on campus. While many would be compelled to flee from such actions Peterson has stood his ground. He has taken to the media and appeared on a number of talk shows in Canada and the US. Stefan Molyneux, Joe Rogan, Steve Crowder, Gavin McInnes, Dave Rubin and Dennis Prager have all hosted him on their respective programs. His Twitter account and you tube channel is very active and he has received many endorsements including those of trans woman personality Theryn Mayer. Peterson openly meets with students across the campus to hear them out and regularly engages in the Socratic even with those who will not hesitate to attack him with the thinnest of ad hominems.

However Peterson is so much more than a crusader for free speech. His Mind Map lectures (posted on you tube) provide a tremendous insight into Nietzsche, Jung, Solzhenitsyn and Piaget and he is by all accounts an extremely informed and rigorous thinker when it comes to understanding the development of personality. I was particularly taken by his understanding of the way mythology is incorporated into our intellectual mega structure. Also worth looking at for those who are interested is his discussion with Sam Harris on the Nature of Truth.

In a way he embodies the Classic liberal idea of open debate. He has his well developed positions and offers much evidence for his stance. Complexity doesn’t overwhelm him and understands that no single theory can explain the intricacies of the human condition. Above all else he stresses the point of listening to the other. This has been a central theme in his mission against campus lunacy all along.

Peterson is a throwback to the type of social scientist that spoke freely for Western values a time before the toxicity of post-modernism and the stain of relativism espoused by the likes of Foucault, Marcuse and Derrida made its presence felt across the university backdrop.

In campuses across North America where speech codes dominate and conservative speakers regularly rely on a security detail (look no further than Charles Murray at Middlebury) Peterson’s effort to challenge this neo-orthodoxy is most welcome. He provides a necessary voice in an era that has succumbed to what Allan Bloom described as the ‘Closing of the American Mind’. Peterson is not a man of either the right or the left but a brave figure fighting a critical battle for the integrity of our academic heritage which once again is being threatened by ideological group think. One can only hope that his example will inspire other academics to act accordingly. The intellectual process certainly needs this infusion of passion that seeks only to further enlightenment values in a way that will benefit us all.

On Teaching...

 I answered this on Quora...Why do teachers become teachers when the pay is so low?

Teacher salaries here in Ontario are pretty decent if you work for the public board. At the highest level you earn about 97 K and this figure can be boosted if you are head of department or choose to teach summer (which I often do) or night school (which I will never do). Vice Principals can earn about 110 K and Principals regularly hit the 120 K+ level. Some private schools match these levels. In addition as others have noted, you have summers off, strong union protection and a great pension plan.

However this is not why I chose to go into teaching. I worked in industry as an engineer for eight years before entering the education field. While I involved myself largely in design (which can be challenging) I personally never found the work to be that satisfying. What I did enjoy was explaining to the new recruits the ins and outs of the telecommunication network (my area of specialty at the time). The human interaction was refreshing and that started me thinking about changing my profession.

When the Dotcom crash occurred in the early 2000s I was laid off like so many others. Fortunately I had a decent severance package and I used this as an opportunity to refocus my career and in the grander scheme of things my life as well. I landed a job at a private high school and taught a smorgasbord of courses that included all the sciences with side orders of history and philosophy (the latter two being passions of mine). I then went back to uni obtained my education degree, was hired by the public board and have been teaching science (largely physics) for the last ten years or so. I also had two kids during the early stages which further impacted the transition, positively of course.

I haven’t as the cliche goes ‘looked back’. Teaching works for me. In Toronto High School teachers have much freedom in their classroom. You have a standard curriculum but there is considerable latitude in interpretation. I have taught at various high schools each with their unique strengths and weaknesses, working with students who have a rudimentary understanding of the key concepts to those that regularly win academic competitions at the highest level.

To be an effective teacher though is not easy. You need to be persistent, creative in applying varying methodologies to reach a broader audience, patient and focused. Even a technique like the Socratic requires much practice and refinement. I never rest and am always contemplating how I can improve on my strategy.

However teaching gives back so much more. I have had wonderful discussions with my students on the nature of spacetime, science and religion, Grand Unified Theories and subjective vs objective knowledge. Not a day goes by without a student asking me a question that really forces me to dig deeper to truly tackle the issues. I value their enthusiasm but what I most seek to cultivate is their love of knowledge.

In short I feel blessed and when students return years later telling me how the time that they spent having me as a teacher really benefited them later on in their studies, that is all the thanks I need. How many other professions can offer that?