RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 35, 4 November 1933, Page 6

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights on Current Events LOCAL AND GENERAL

(By

Kickshaws.)

If we understand recent events in Britain, taking home the baeon has now resolved itself into bringing home the Home bacon.

News comes from Bradford that a photo-electric yarn tester has just been invented. Significantly enough it arrives just in time for the opening of one of the most favourable fishing seasons for many years.

A bunker is now described as that part of a depression . . . that is covered with sand. This presumably coincides with the psychological moment selected by financiers to throw dust in our eyes.

“Astrology” writes; "Would you in the near future please devote part of your column to interesting portions of the lives and work of Copernicus, Newton, and Galileo.” An effort to comply with this will be found in the next paragraph.—“Kickshaws.”

It is impossible to give full details of the Ilves of all the men asked for by "Astrology” for lack of .space, but here is a condensed biography. Copernicus may be distinguished from Galileo because he was born in 1473, nearly a hundred years before the latter, and was the man who discovered that the world goes round the sun. Copernicus therefore founded modern astronomy. For a time he was physician to his uncle. But his astronomy was always his chief interest, which is proved by the fact that his uncle only lived six years after Copernicus became bis physician. Galileo may be distinguished from Newton by the fact that ho saw a lamp swinging in church which proved that the sermon was unusually boring. Newton, on the other hand, allowed an apple to drop on him which proved nothing. Galileo gained further fame on account of the fact that he was never once during his life burned at the stake. His real claim to fame was the fact that he had to recite the Psalms once a week to a priest to prove that the world did not go round the sun. Newton will always ba known in New Zealand because he wrote a book about Motu which surprised the Astronomer Royal.

Coming from such a man as Tesla, claims to successful efforts to utilise cosmic energy must be taken seriously. For many years it has been suspected that untold energy’ has been pouring past the world in the form of rays from uttermost space. Indeed the cosmic ray is one manifestation of this energy that has been successfully detected. These rays have enormous penetrating power. The most powerful X-rays ’ are completely stopped by a quarter of an inch of lead. Cosmic rays, on the other hand, can pass through 16 feet of lead. It is known that these rays come from uttermost space because among other things they cannot be detected in deep coal mines. Some experts believe that they are caused by the annihilation of matter. Others believe they are nature’s birth cries when matter is created. Whatever their nature, the energy associated with these cosmic emanations is tremendous. It has been estimated that cosmic energy is 10,000 times greater than that associated' with radio-active processes.

One curious fact about cosmic rays is that they do not appear to come from any of the visible stars aud none at all come from the sun, the nea est star of all. Cosmic rays appear to come from the outermost depths of space—some dark corner of space where light waves travelling at 186,000 miles a second bare not yet penetrated. To a certain extent our atmosphere reduces the intensity of this bombardment from space. Nevertheless, It is now believed that these rays, with the tremendous energy they carry, must hare a great effect on Ijying matter and life. In every second they are breaking up millions of atoms in our bodies. Some scientists believe that it was due to cosmic rays that animals grew larger. For millions of years there was no animal in the world bigger than a dog. Then suddenly It decided to grow up into a horse. There are significant jumps in history of every anima], including man himself. Further back still there was no living thing on the earth. It may be that cosmic energy kindled the first spark of life in our world and in other worlds as well.

s The agreement for an air route via the Arctic between England and Can- , ada has been signed, significantly ? enough, at the very moment that the ' counter proposition of a floating aero- ' drome system has also been decided ' upon between Europe and America. Which of the routes will prove the bet ter ~ can only be determined by trial. There will be difficulties in the winter months along both routes. Bad visibility and , Atlantic gales will be-offset in the Arc- ' tic by temperatures of over 70 degrees below zero aud 80 m.p.h. blizzards. The r Arctic route has the great advantage of ' being the shortest route not only bc- ? tween Britain and Canada but between - the United States of America and Eu--5 rojie. Moreover, a route between Britain and Japan via the Arctic cuts short the distance between those two countries by some thousands of miles. The development of the Arctic airways would seem to be dependent upon progress not only in anti-freezing fuels, but in anti-freezing lubricants, and methods of preventing ice forming on the wings of the machines. There is no doubt that these difficulties are not insuperable. Given time they will be J surmounted. i • • • i If the Arctic air route is developed , tho one sure thing is that Greenland will be put on the map once and for I all. At present visitors are not encouraged to go to Greenland. Indeed they ; are brusquely shown the door if they i appear. This possibly accounts for the fact that only four people have ever • crossed Greenland, coupled of course ' with the decidedly uncomfortable climatic conditions encountered ou such ' a trip. In the summer the interior of Greenland warms up under tempera- ■ tures as hot as 30 degrees below zero. In winter the thermometer falls to 70 1 degrees below. In spite of this cold there are one or two facts about Greenland’s weather that may help aviation. Although the interior of Greenland is a solid lump of ice 8,000 feot above sea level the surface winds always blow from the centre outwards. By altering I its height an aeroplane is therefore always sure of a following wind, as the air at higher altitudes blows in the reverse direction. The chief obstacle to flight is sleet. Under certain atmos pheric conditions sleet will freeze on the leading edge of an aeroplane’s wing, i alter its aero-dynamic properties and bring the machine down. The next difficulty is bad storms during which tlie normal air currents are upset.