Those OnBoard

Those OnBoard Episode #0.2 – Choosing The Best Web Browser

Please excuse the poor audio quality; we are still tweaking our equipment and we promise the audio will get better with subsequent episodes.

ThoseOnBoard Podcast Episode #0.1 – Libertarianism vs. Anarchism

Please excuse the poor audio quality; we are still tweaking our equipment and we promise the audio will get better with subsequent episodes.

The term “Insider Trading” is fairly well known from it’s somewhat ubiquitous presence in film and TV. In brief, Insider Trading is when someone with “inside knowledge” of a company (aka the “Insider”) profits from that knowledge by buying/selling shares in a company.

An example would be a scientist working for a pharmaceutical company that has developed a cure for AIDS. Obviously, the price of the company’s stock is going to go up once their cure is made available to the world. If this scientist knows about the cure but that knowledge has not been made public, the scientist is prohibited by law from buying a lot of shares in the company and thus profiting greatly once the information is released and the stock price soars. This would be an example of illegal insider trading. But in fact it is possible for insiders to trade stocks legally. In fact, it is common. Read on…

Legal Insider Trading

Many employees have stock in the companies that employ them. Those employees are free to trade that stock. This is perfectly legal and fairly common: As you read these words, somewhere in the world shares of some company have been bought or sold by employees of that company. Nothing wrong with that. These employees may be called “Insiders,” depending on who you ask. Typically, the officers and directors of a company are considered insiders.

Illegal Insider Trading

So what makes it illegal for insiders to trade stock in the company they work for? The key is Material Nonpublic Information. What the hell is that? Good question. As of this writing (2010-11-12), Wikipedia does not have an entry for Material Nonpublic Information, so it was necessary to look elsewhere (gasp!). According to LSU Law Center’s Medical and Public Health Law Site, Material Information is any information that would influence an investor’s decision to buy or sell securities. Nonpublic Information is information that is not available to members of the general investing public. Put the two together and what do you got? Any information (not available to the public) that would influence an investor’s decision to buy or sell securities. In this case, “public” essentially means “shareholders.”

So in our example above, the scientist who knows about the new AIDS cure would have to wait until the news was made available to the shareholders or to the public in general via a widely-read publication such as The Wall Street Journal. Only then could he legally trade the stock based on his inside knowledge.

Now you know: And knowing is half the battle. GI Jooooooeee…..

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Humans inhabit almost every corner of our planet.  Since the space age began, we’ve gone beyond our planet, traveled in space, and set foot on the moon.  It seems inevitable that sometime in the future, humans will be colonizing places other than Earth and living in those places. What challenges face those future colonists?

As a guy who studied Economics in college, I’m no expert in Astronomy.  However, I’m a fan of science fiction and of science in general. So my curiosity led me to research the issue and I wanted to share what I learned in hopes that other non-scientists interested in this topic might get something out of it.  I hope you find it as fascinating and exciting as I did.

We will look at whether or not humans could live places other than the Earth, and we’ll review everything that must be considered for humans to live in those locations.

First, we’ll take a look at what an environment needs for it to be habitable by humans.  Then we’ll discuss how humans could possibly solve the challenges that we are sure to face; challenges that arise from a lack of vital environmental properties that we take for granted here on Earth. We’ll focus on two scenarios: living in space in some type of space station / habitat (which I will refer to as a habitat from here on), and living on the planet Mars.  A space habitat and Mars are the two most plausible scenarios. A space habitat is clearly possible because we’ve already created several such as the Mir Space Station and the International Space Station (ISS).  We would simply need to apply our resources and manpower to create a space station that people could inhabit for longer periods of time.  Among planets, Mars is the most likely planet in our solar system for human colonization for several reasons:  Mars is a terrestrial planet, meaning it is made of solid material that we can land on.  By contrast, the gas giant planets are made entirely of gas and there is nothing solid to set foot on.  The other terrestrial planets, Mercury and Venus, are much too hot for humans to survive.  Conversely, Mars has much more hospitable conditions comparable to Earth.  Additionally, there are several moons in our solar system (including Earth’s own moon) that could be potential sites for human habitation.  For simplicity, we will only discuss Mars, although much of what is true about Mars could apply to some of those moons as well.

So what exactly does a human-friendly environment need?

The things that must be considered are:

• Gravity
• Atmospheric pressure
• Temperature
• Radiation
• Breathable atmosphere
• Sunlight
• Water Source
• Food

Gravity

Humans must live in a place that has a significant amount of gravitational pull.  Without enough gravity, the bones in the human body start to lose mass and become brittle.  In space where there is zero gravity, this is a serious health concern that results in crippling and death.  The earth’s gravity has a pull of what is referred to as 1 G.  At the time of this writing, the minimum amount of gravity needed to remain healthy is unknown.  However, the closer you get to 1 G (Earth’s gravity), the less likely the body will lose bone mass.

However, gravity can’t be too strong or it will crush the human body.  It is unknown exactly how much gravitational force a human body can withstand for an extended period of time without negative health effects.  Again, the closer it is to 1 G, the less likely the body will be damaged.

Creating artificial gravity in space is simple in concept.  All one needs is a circular habitat of the right size which spins.  Think of an ant standing on the inside of a bicycle wheel.  By keeping the habitat spinning at the correct speed, you could simulate the force of gravity pulling at 1 G, and thereby eliminate the problems caused by weightlessness.

On Mars, things are not so simple.  Mars is about half the size of Earth and its gravity is less than half the gravity of Earth’s.  There’s not much one can do to change a planet’s gravity.  The only question is: would living in Mars’ gravity cause the same bone deterioration that we know arises from living in zero gravity?  The answer to that will not be known until humans have actually tried living in that low gravity situation for a long duration.

Atmospheric pressure

On Earth, the air that surrounds us presses against our bodies with a force of about 15 pounds per square inch.  We don’t feel this load and it poses no problem for our bodies because we evolved under these conditions and our cells push back against the air with their own force.  We are unaware of any pressure at all.  One can feel a difference in pressure when you dive deep under water; the pressure outside your body is greater than the pressure inside and you feel an overall compression on your lungs, eardrums, and body as a whole.  The opposite of that is when you are at a high altitude on a mountain or in an airplane and you feel your eardrums pop due to the air pressure outside your body being less than the pressure inside.

However, when we leave Earth, we encounter environments of different pressures.  If the pressure outside of our bodies is too low, our internal pressure has nothing to balance it out.  This results in great damage to the body because the pressure in cells and tissue will push to the point of bursting.  Imagine taking a really powerful vacuum cleaner and pushing it against your skin.  It will painfully damage the area and leave a bruise because the blood vessels burst.  In a low pressure environment like outer space, the entire body would be subjected to this but on a much more powerful and more dangerous scale.

If the pressure is too great then the body will be crushed.  An example of this can be seen with water pressure: if a human were to go too deep underwater, they would literally be crushed to death by the huge amount of force exerted on their body.

Like gravity, it is unknown exactly how much or how little pressure humans can endure for extended periods of time.  However common sense dictates that the closer it is to our pressure here on Earth, the less harmful it will be.

In space, there is no atmosphere to exert pressure so the pressure is zero.  On Mars, the pressure is less than 1% the pressure on Earth.  In the case of either space or Mars, the pressure is too low for humans to survive.  In space, a person would have to be in a pressurized enclosure or a pressurized suit.  The same thing is necessary on Mars.  However, it is hypothesized that maybe in the future we will be able to terraform Mars.  Terraforming is a hypothetical process of making a world hospitable to humans by transforming its natural environment.  One proposed method would be to create atmospheric pressure on Mars by adding huge amounts of gas to the atmosphere.  At this time we have no way of accomplishing such a feat.

Temperature

Most people are familiar with the effects of extreme temperatures.  If a human body is too hot for too long of a time, it experiences hyperthermia resulting in eventual death.  Likewise, if a body is too cold for too long of a time, it experiences hypothermia which also eventually results in death.  The human body can only survive in a relatively narrow range of temperatures.  The temperatures that we experience here on Earth vary greatly but are mild when compared with the freezing or burning temperatures found in other parts of the solar system.  Venus, for example, is a scorching  894 °F (480 °C).  Pluto on the other hand is a frigid -380 °F (-229 °C)

In space a person would have to be in an enclosure which could have its temperature regulated by common heating methods such as solar or electric heating. On Mars the temperature ranges from as low as -220 °F (-140 °C) to as high as 68 °F (20 °C).  While this is certainly cold, Mars at its warmest can be relatively close to temperatures that can be found here on Earth.  Assuming all other factors could be ignored, clothing to insulate the human body and keep it warm could be developed without too much complexity.  Humans have plenty of experience protecting themselves from cold temperatures here on Earth.

Radiation

The sun gives off a wide spectrum of radiation: from the visible light that allows us to see, to the infrared radiation that gives us heat, to the ultraviolet radiation responsible for sunburns and skin cancer. Many people are aware of the long-term dangers of exposure to too much sunlight (skin cancer).  The part of the sun’s rays that cause skin cancer is the ultraviolet (UV) radiation.  But here on Earth, we only get a tiny fraction of the total radiation emitted from the sun.  That is because we are protected by the earth’s magnetic field and the atmosphere to a certain extent.  The universe is filled with dangerous radiation that emanates not only from the sun but from everywhere in the cosmos.  The earth has a giant magnetic field that deflects dangerous radiation from the sun and other parts of the universe.  But a human that is not on Earth (e.g. in space) is not protected by Earth’s magnetic field and is therefore exposed to high levels of this radiation, which can cause death from the radiation itself or can lead to long term consequences like cancer.  Minimizing the exposure to this radiation can present a real challenge because it can pass through objects such as the walls of a spacecraft.

Radiation is a difficult problem to deal with because without protection from Earth’s magnetic field, the radiation permeates just about every corner of our solar system.  In space, the habitat would have to be lined with extra thick shielding of the right material which will add substantial mass to the habitat.  This poses a problem because the more massive a spacecraft is, the more energy it takes to launch it, maneuver it, land it, etc.

Unfortunately for humans, Mars has no magnetic field like the Earth’s that deflects harmful radiation.  On Mars however, we could build thick-walled bunkers that shield against radiation.  Similarly, we could burrow into Mars’ surface and build underground habitats.  A thick layer of Mars soil above the habitat would offer sufficient protection.  Sadly, spending too much time outside these structures would result in absorbing dangerous amounts of radiation.

Breathable atmosphere

Humans need to breathe gas that contains a significant quantity of oxygen.   The air we breathe here on Earth contains 20% oxygen; the rest is mostly nitrogen which is an inert, non-reacting, non-toxic gas.  Note that an atmosphere may exert the proper amount of pressure for humans but might consist of gases that are not breathable.  In that case the oxygen must be supplied via other means such as a scuba diving breathing device.

If humans are in an enclosure, it could obviously be filled with the appropriate mixture of gases (e.g. oxygen).  We currently have the technology to turn water into breathable oxygen via a process called electrolysis where electricity is used to split water molecules into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas.  The oxygen can then be used to breathe. .  We also have the technology to remove carbon dioxide from the air.  Both of these examples of technology are currently used in the ISS (the International Space Station).  Outside an enclosure, a simple breathing device could suffice.  For example, if all other factors were hospitable to humans such as a comfortable temperate and pressure, but the atmosphere contained gases that were not breathable, simply using a scuba-like breathing device would allow a person to survive.

Sunlight

The degree to how necessary sunlight is for humans is not as clear cut as the previous factors.  Humans can live without sunlight, but some evidence has emerged showing the detrimental effects of lack of sunlight such as problems with mental health.  Sunlight can also be used to grow food and sunlight provides a source of power by using solar panels.

Again, it is possible for humans to survive without sunlight and in certain instances they might have to such as if they were living underground on Mars.  In a situation such as that, artificial lighting that mimics sunlight could be used in the same way it’s used for conditions such as Seasonal Affective Disorder, a type of depression that is thought to result from a lack of sunlight and is more prevalent in areas that get less sun during part of the year such as Alaska.  Additionally, we have the ability to use artificial lighting to grow crops indoors and we could do so in the absence of sunlight.  Sunlight will usually be available to power solar panels, but in some instances it might be necessary to have a nuclear reactor to provide power in addition to or in place of solar power.  Nuclear reactors are very efficient sources of energy that require only a tiny amount of fuel to provide large amounts of power for a long period of time.  In a space habitat this would add a huge amount of mass since nuclear reactors are heavy.  That would not pose a problem on Mars.

Water

Water is crucial.  It is needed for human consumption, bathing, watering any crops that might be present, consumption by any animals that might be present, and it is used to cool nuclear reactors.  Water is also needed to create breathable oxygen.  But water is heavy and therefore requires a lot of fuel to transport it in space, so it is crucial to carefully utilize every drop.

Water reclamation and purification technology currently in use aboard the ISS allows most water to be reused.  However, the tiny amount of water lost adds up over time and a space habitat would have to eventually be resupplied with water from an external source.  This poses a problem if the habitat is far away.  On Mars, that resupply could come from mining the frozen water ice and melting it to create liquid water.

Food

An obvious but important requirement is food.  Humans in space or on Mars will need enough food to eat to be able to survive for a long time.  Animal and plant sources of food would have to be obtained in new and innovative ways.

The primary method for providing food would have to be growing crops.  This could be accomplished via direct sunlight or with artificial growing lights.  The environment would need to be set up to allow plants to grow, including the proper pressure, temperature, and nutrient requirements.  In addition, low maintenance animals such as fish could be cultivated for food.

Conclusion

Humans are relatively fragile creatures that can only survive in a narrow range of conditions.  Conversely, humans are remarkably adaptable and our technology grows at a phenomenal rate.  The challenges of living in places other than Earth are significant but there are some current solutions to these hurdles and other solutions that will become more viable in the future.  At this point, humankind has the ability to live in space and on other worlds such as Mars, albeit in a rather enclosed space. Whether we currently have the resources to implement these ideas is another question.  However, none of these obstacles seem completely insurmountable and it’s only a matter of time before humans can call another world “home.”

I was asked to describe what it’s like to be in chronic pain.  It’s difficult to put into words but you can get an idea of it by doing as follows:

Think back to a day where you woke up and had to go to work/school/etc., but on this particular day you feel terrible; maybe you’re sick, maybe you’re hungover, maybe it’s something else, but for whatever reason your body feels like shit.  However, staying home on this day isn’t an option (perhaps you have an exam or just can’t afford to miss work/class/etc.).  So you drag yourself to your obligations and go through the motions of your duties, and as you interact with people out of necessity, you strain with all your effort to put on a normal face and just get through it.  But inside you, every molecule of your body is screaming at you, and all you want to do is crawl into a dark room and curl up into a ball.  Some people don’t notice anything wrong with you, maybe some do, maybe some even ask you if you’re alright.  You wave off their concern and say something like “Oh, I’m just a little tired.”  You really hope they don’t probe further because you don’t have the energy to explain it to them.  Finally you get home and you lay down, exhausted.  Your friend calls you and asks if you want to hang out.  You really want to, but you just can’t.  All you can do is try and go to sleep.

Ok, have you been able to recall a day like that?  If you can’t, congratulations: you have an exceptionally good life.  To the rest of you, I have a question: how many days in a row like that could you endure before realizing that you’re debilitated?  For me it took several years, but my condition seems to be degenerative (i.e. gets worse over time) and didn’t get this bad until relatively recently.

About the series: Not Being Miserable is my ultimate goal, and I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it. All other goals are pursued solely for the purpose of serving the needs of this ultimate goal. This series catalogs various insights I have in this area. Please excuse the mind-diarrhea.

Part 3: When work isn’t work.

“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” In other words, if you find something that you like doing (it engages and challenges you) and you manage to earn a living doing it, you’ll be very fortunate indeed. Of course, it’s easier said than done. Nevertheless, that is my goal. I want to be able to say what this guy said in an article:

A couple of days ago, as I sat in a park in New Orleans with a friend and her son, I was checking my email only to have my friend, who is also an academic, turn to me and say, “Do you ever stop thinking about work?” As I thought about how to answer that question seriously, I realized that it was based on a flawed premise: that I perceive what I do as “work.” That’s not the way it feels. I answered, “In some sense, no, I don’t ever stop thinking about ‘work.’ But what I do does not feel like work. It’s a calling.

–Steven Horwitz

Good luck.

I took a break from reading The God Delusion, flipped on the radio, and heard a familiar voice; Richard Dawkins was talking to conservative radio talk show host Dennis Prager about his latest book that just came out The Greatest Show On Earth.  Soldier on, Dawkins.  Soldier on.