What's going on here?

I've made a commitment: to do one good deed per day. Large or small, it doesn't matter. Self-sacrificing or not, extraordinary or mundane, it doesn't matter. Just one thing every day, that's all.

The more I do good, the better I feel about myself. Truly, to benefit others is to benefit yourself. I hope this journal may inspire others who also yearn to do good. So join me on this journey, if you will, and think about the difference you can make in your own life.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Celestia - explore our universe


Celestia is a program that allows you to explore the universe in gorgeous detail. You can fly anywhere, at any speed and at any time in history. The cosmos is rendered according to highly accurate astronomical theory, and planets appear in high resolution. Imagery from Celestia has been used in movies such as the Day After Tomorrow and the Andromeda Strain. Best of all, it is available for download for your home PC, absolutely free.

Let's take a moment to unpack the historical significance of a program such as this...

There was an age when this sort of information was sacred. Access to it was kept secret. Astronomical numerology shows up in the Vedas, Mesopotamian texts, and the king lists of the Old Testament. These texts functioned in part to transmit the sacred knowledge required to decipher the motions of heavenly bodies. Later philosophers were awestruck by planetary motion, which they called the music of the spheres. Now, in the age of computers and the Internet, you can download it in a few seconds, poke around with your little mouse cursor, and go "huh." You don't even have to pay for it. No previous generation has ever had such an opportunity. What's more, if peak oil theorists are right about the impact of declining energy availability, future generations might not have this opportunity either. The Internet and personal computers may become too expensive for the average person, leaving our children to once again gaze up at the starry sky and wonder what makes it all go round.

ONE GOOD DEED: Raise awareness for Celestia, an educational astronomy program.
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2 comments:

  1. WitchyWomanJune 26, 2009 at 1:31 PM

    I must tell you that you have inspired me to do a good deed a day as well. I just started and the first thing I did was help an old lady who had gotten down on the ground to play with her dog and could not get back up. Here I am with a bad back, but I am trying to pull her up to her feet. It was a good feeling though. Thanks.

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  2. B. T. NewbergJune 26, 2009 at 10:17 PM

    Thanks for reading my blog! Glad to hear you had a positive response.

    I love how doing good is often its own reward (e.g. "It was a good feeling though.")

    P.S. Bad back here too. :-)

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