Sleep Tight Rajang

Very sad news today…

Rajang the orangutan has finally passed away at Colchester Zoo.

He had been struggling with chronic arthritis and other health issues over recent years, and finally after 50 years it was time to say goodbye.

Sleep tight big fella.

Many years ago when I first saw Rajang, he inspired me to create www.cajuzi.com.

It took a while for it to fall into place as I built up my thoughts, but Rajang immediately became my profile image across the likes of Twitter, LinkedIn, desktop wallpapers, that sort of thing.

He’s always been the main image in the banner at the top of this page, in case you were wondering.

In so many ways I could relate to him.

I’ve long been known as ‘being an orangutan’ due to my freakishly long arms and natural love of Rajang. I always felt that his mind was always calmly breaking down what was around and in front of him, with logic, patience, intelligence and of course curiosity.

So sad.

Prison Fire Sparks Crazy Headlines

So there you have it, it’s all in a headline. If the headline doesn’t grab you by the time you’ve read the last word then the chances are you won’t bother to read the news story.

Unless you’re bored of course.

Warm Snow

Now, last month most of Britain woke up to a blanket of snow. Bit of a surprise considering the mild temperatures experienced up to that point. Even Christmas day had reached double figures.

The white stuff didn’t last long though and things are now picking up again. February went from -18 to +18 degrees centigrade which is just crazy!

Is That True? Let Me Check

So as March arrived I was a little shocked to read the news headline of “Snow Blizzards To Hit Britain”.

Along with thoughts of “Oh no not again”, I doubted that it was actually a true story to be honest.

However, out of curiosity I continued on and read the story.

No Need To Panic

Now it did say that snow was possibly likely to fall on an island north of Scotland. Can’t remember which one now but technically it’s in Britain. The article explained the term “blizzard” as a wind speed of 25mph or more.  That surprised me. I thought it would be faster than that?

Anyhow, technically the headline was true. Albeit over dramatic but it had done its job nonetheless. I’d read the article from top to bottom proving it was a good piece of journalism.

A Funny Headline

Over the weekend another great headline popped up.

Let me briefly explain the story first for you. Some masked inmates ran amok in a prison. They set fire to buildings, overpowered the guards and caused around £5m worth of damage.

The headline for this story focused on the punishment of the offenders, the arsonists if you prefer. It said “Inmates Jailed For Prison Riot Damage”.

Don’t Do That! Now Do It Again!

Yes that’s right, the inmates have been punished by… well… locking them back up. Hmm.

That’s like sending your child to their bedroom as punishment for staying in their bedroom, huh?

To be fair, it was a great headline that made me read the story, so once again a good piece of journalism.

One Bean + One Bean = Some Beans

I’ve just read a story about the mathematical ability of adults in the UK.  It was titled “Half of English Adults Have Poor Maths”.

Not overly exciting or dramatic I know but as I quite like being challenged by the odd number crunching question I thought I’d have a read.

Writing About Yourself

It basically said that 56% of UK adults admit to having no understanding of mathematics. “So what?”, I hear you say. “What’s this got to do with my earlier topic of conversation about headlines?”.

Well you see, it would appear the journalist writing this very article falls into the 56% bracket. I know I’m being a bit pedantic but the headline is wrong, even a little misleading. As far as I can recall, I was always taught at school that 56% does not equal half.

Whilst wrong though, I did end up reading the story.

Latest News!

Now, did you know that fuel bills are set to double?

No, I bet you didn’t but that could be my next heading. It may not be true of course but it appears I can say what I like if I word the story as a potential prediction for over the next decade.

Who knows, I might be half right… or maybe 56% wrong. Apparently I can be both.

Conclusion

So you see, headlines can be bang on perfect but they can also be misleading and inaccurate if you stretch things a little.

Oh, and as for the headline at the top of this article?

Well I guess I was wrong, but as it could’ve potentially been the last thing you did on Earth I feel privileged that you read this post right to the very end. Thank you.

Who came up with that bright idea?

Yesterday I read a news article regarding the passing of Joe Frazier. At the age of 67 he lost his journey in life a month after being diagnosed with liver cancer.

Now, this article isn’t entirely about Joe Frazier, it’s more of an example of a situation on something that could well be a very common occurrence amongst us all.

Something that made me curiously raise my eyebrows.

Great Achievements

You see, whilst his name is familiar to me, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you too much about what he actually achieved in life.  I knew he was a boxer, but as for being aware of any further career details I really struggled.

I claim it’s not my fault though, well not entirely anyway.  He started to achieve success before I was born and then his big events occurred whilst I was living in my single digit years. So I can sort of excuse myself there on that one.

Fortunately the news story filled me in with the details, which I guess is part of what it’s supposed to do.  He defeated Muhammad Ali, wow!  Plus he defended the heavy weight title on more than one occasion.  So in terms of being a boxer that’s a great record of success.

Even if my ignorance meant I really didn’t know about him.

Being Famous

So, this made me ponder for a moment about the whole “famous” thing. There are plenty of people around with a desire to become famous.  Some for the fame, but others I’m guessing is for the money.

For me, it would be because of something I had achieved.  Possibly something to improve the way things are done, to make life simpler for people in life.  Perhaps even a radical step forward in the world of technology.

I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen, well not now anyway, but if it did I wonder if I’d ever be remembered 100 years on from now?

Sorry, What Did You Do?

There are plenty of famous people in the world but whilst we may know their name we may not necessarily know what they did during their life time to award them the famous tag.

I’m not talking about the current “so called” celebrity world. I’m referring to famous people from possibly decades before we were born that truly made a difference to the way we do things.

Force of Gravity Lights the Way

For instance, a vast number of today’s population have heard of Albert Einstein.  As to how many people actually know why may be a slightly different number.  My guess is lower, much lower.

Sir Isaac Newton is probably in the same “famous but no idea why” bracket for some people.  Alexander Fleming may well be another, along with Thomas Edison too.

What these men achieved in their lives has affected us all in our own everyday lives.  Yet how much we really know about them probably varies greatly between us all.

So Back To Me

Take my life for example.  After I’ve finally moved on from living on this planet, at the ripe old age of 150 or whatever it’ll be, I want people to read all about me in the news. I want people to discover how much of a difference I made to something, or how great a particular achievement of mine was.

I want people to say “Hey, I recognise that chap”, or perhaps “Oh my goodness! Have you heard the news about Cajuzi the Curious Orangutan..?”

Conclusion

Just one thought, well a concern really.  Will it be the first time that people actually discover what I achieved during my life time?

I hope not.

Will my great great grandchildren have any idea why they knew my name other than being mentioned in an old scrap book?

I hope so, but I accept there’s a good chance they won’t.

Finally

You see, I haven’t actually achieved anything yet so I’ll just be referred to as an old non-descript family member.  Mind you, maybe I have achieved greatness already and you just haven’t read about it yet. Who knows?

Makes you think though…

Right, I’d better be going. My time machine is ready and waiting for its next journey.  Oh, damn!  You’re not supposed to know about that… well not yet anyway.

Hang On, What's That Doing Here?

If we are accused of doing something that we never did then we will generally protest our innocence. Likewise, if we are accused of doing something that we have actually done, but shouldn’t have, then we may still try to protest our innocence. At the very least we may try to cover it up by generating false evidence.

These are perfectly natural behaviours and responses. You see, if there is no actual witness to you having done something then it opens the door to bend the truth.

The Role Of The Witness

Take for example the breaking of a world record. To be recognised as having achieved such greatness the event needs to be witnessed and verified there and then. For instance I couldn’t just show someone a stopwatch that says 9.30 seconds whilst standing on a running track at the end of the 100m straight. Well I could but no one would believe that I’ve just achieved a miracle.

Instinct And Trust 

Of course this doesn’t apply to everything. Some events are clearly evident after they’ve happened. For instance a natural disaster that destroys homes, forests and even cities. No questions need be asked there.

I can recall watching the first space shuttle launch whilst sitting in a classroom at the age of 11. It was awe inspiring to imagine that the people inside were on their way into space. Wow! Now despite seeing it on television I had no reason to doubt whether it was real or not.

Incredible Achievement

Back in 1969, on July 20th to be precise, the world experienced a very major event. Millions of people around the globe witnessed it, albeit not in person, but none the less it’s a moment that cannot be forgotten. As I wasn’t born at the time I can only imagine how it must have felt.

You may have twigged that it was the day that NASA achieved the incredible, or may be that should be the impossible.

Astronauts actually walked on the surface of the moon and Neil Armstrong spoke those defining words “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”.

Line Up And Take Note

Sounds amazing when you think about it, remember it was in 1969. Given the rapid development of technology over the past few decades the belief is that everything is possible.

Some people however are not so convinced. Since that day occurred the world has been full of people who refuse to believe that NASA achieved this goal. Basically they are accused of faking the whole thing, but when you think about it how could NASA have ever proved that it did actually happen?

They couldn’t have a jury all sitting on the moon ready to take note for example.

You Call That Proof?

Well, finally NASA have released what they deem to be proof. Well they say its proof, but to be honest I’m not so sure that it makes a blind bit of difference.

It’s a collection of images taken from 13 miles above the moon’s surface. Odd that, surely after over 40 years they could’ve moved a little closer, or used a better camera may be?

The Hubble Space Telescope manages to generate hi-definition images of the entire universe in outstanding clarity. So something doesn’t seem to add up here.

Oh Look, There’s A Buggy

As the images aren’t exactly clear it’s handy that they’ve pointed out the moon buggy tracks, the mission debris and even footprints left by Buzz and co. 

It’s all a little puzzling though… if it never happened then why try and prove it all now with images that are worse than I could produce in Photoshop, or take with my mobile. 

Similarly if they really did step foot on the moon then why release these images at all.

Is it all just a cover up?

The President: “Be The First!”

President Kennedy gave the directive to NASA to put a man on the moon before the end of the 1960’s. They achieved this with less than 6 months remaining. Some theorists say the claim was made to ensure that America went down in history as being the first to do so.

Japan Has Landed

OK, so let’s be honest. The only way it will ever be proven is if someone else goes to the moon. Other than America of course, and this is where Japan come in.

It is believed that Japan is aiming to head to the moon during the next decade, with a plan to start building a moon base in 2030. A “Moon Base”… that sounds so cool.

So I guess we won’t have to wait long to find out. Unless they do a deal and claim they’ve landed elsewhere on the surface. I mean, who could prove otherwise?

Conclusion

So was NASA just trying to win over the Earth’s population in the short term? I doubt that very much. Were they claiming to have done it just to be credited as the first? I doubt that too.

One thing, they did bring a sample of moon rock back to Earth, so that’s proof isn’t it?

No you’re right, I guess it isn’t, and to be fair I’m not sure what else NASA could’ve brought back. It’s just a shame it’s only rock. After all, we have rock.

Something more mind blowing or convincing would have been good. For instance, a state of the art as yet unreleased Sony 4D television, or perhaps a flying automobile with a traffic avoidance system that isn’t due out for another 20 years.

Oh hang on a minute… sorry, Japan haven’t landed yet have they? Or have they?

Ok, well how about an alien… they’re much better than rock after all. But then for all we know they may well have done just that… spook!

And he could be in Area 51 right now… whatever that is.

Speed of Darkness

During my time at school and college I loved Mathematics.  It was definitely my best subject and I clearly had a logical mind that fitted in well.

Another subject that I was pretty good at during college was Physics.  In fact, I received my highest grade in it, and that’s something that still amazes me to this very day.

Don’t get me wrong, I worked extremely hard for it.  Physics had a lot of logic in it too so in theory most of it just followed a typical logical path for me I guess.

That is, until now…

Oh, Should We Panic?

Last week whilst reading the news I noticed a headline that puzzled me for a moment.  You know the type, the ones you have to read half a dozen times to understand it.  Well this one confused me.  It said, “Earthquake in Physics!”

Er… really?  Don’t you mean Geography, and not Physics?  Well, apparently not. 

WHOOSH!

I’m sure you may have heard about this.  A group of scientists in Switzerland have announced an amazing discovery.  They claim to have clocked particles called Neutrinos travelling faster than the speed of light.

Impossible!  No!  Never!

Surely this can’t be true (stay with me), because in 1905 Albert Einstein said it could never happen, and we know he was a genius.  Well, for decades that’s how he’d been portrayed in Physics lessons around the world.

A Quick Technical Bit…

The speed of light is 186,282 miles per second, or 299,792 km per second if you prefer.  Einstein’s theory of relativity focused on the formula of E=mc².  Out of this he said anything other than light is a physical object and therefore it has a mass, meaning it will travel slower than light. 

The experiment on the other hand showed the neutrinos arriving 60 nanoseconds before the light arrived.  Hardly a huge difference but it is faster, and a difference none the less.

Right, that’s the technical bit over with.

Time To Prove It

Scientists from all over the world are now trying to prove whether the findings are flawed, and if the experts at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) have simply made a big embarrassing mistake.

If proven to be correct then Physics can never be taught the same ever again.  It just wouldn’t work. A teacher can’t say to their class “because of… Einstein’s theory is… well except for”.

What Would It Mean?

The exciting and interesting, but possibly worrying part of these findings, is that if it’s proved to be correct then it could open the door for time travel as ultimately it’s all to do with speed and time. 

Back to the Future… No, the Other Way

So, I’ve been thinking this through.  Let’s say it is true and Einstein was wrong.  I have a question.

Why didn’t someone from the future travel back in time to 1905 and tell Einstein his discovery simply wasn’t true?

Conclusion

So I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.  As no one can be bothered to go back, I’ll do it!

Right, so I’m off then.  I’ll be back shortly.  In fact, as far you know I could’ve been already. 

Oh, hang on a minute!  If it is true then you’ll be wondering who this chap Einstein is.

Hmm.  Well that solves it then.  By the very fact that I’m writing about it now means it can’t be true.  So by simple logic I’ve solved it. 

I always knew Physics was easy…