Last night we had a real thunder boomer and frog strangler. I turned off the computer and unplugged my Verizon modem. In the past, lightning has several times screwed up the passwords and I had lengthy calls to Verizon straightening it out. They were always very helpful but it was complicated and my passwords kept changing. I found that if I unplug the modem, it kept that from happening. In the past, I have had to purchase a new modem (dialup, that time) that got zapped through the telephone line. The computer itself is inside of two cheap surge protectors so I do not unplug it. Lightning fried one of my old Mac's power supplies (which is still up in my attic). Thought that would work. Worked fine up to last night's storm. After last night's storm, the green light on the computer which shows that it is on, came on on its own without me pushing it. The screen was blank, however, and the light on the screen was orange (standby). I checked all the connections, etc., found nothing wrong. Tried to turn off the computer by pushing in the power button and holding it in. Did not work, even holding it for over a minute. Pushed all the buttons, looked for circuit breakers sprung. I unplugged and replugged a couple of times, rearranged the plugs, etc, the green "on" light came on on its own each time. I figured I must have gotten my power supply fried.

Weeeell, my downstairs airconditioner also has some flatulence. I talked with my brother-in-law who is an AC highly trained professional. He told me to find the fuses on the outside of the house and replace them. I did that, turning off the whole house power with the master switch on the panel. Turned the switch back on. It did not fix the airconditioner, but when I came upstairs, the computer was running! So far, seems to be just fine. I have not dared to try to shut down and restart, am waiting to complete all my computer type chores to try that.

A friend who is a highly trained computer professional told me, “I've found that when power fluctuates and drops below a certain threshold as is the case in a brown out, that the computer's power supply will appear to be on, but it actually will not energize the computer. I think this is a fail safe to keep things from harming the mother board. The power button will not work at all. You have to disconnect the power supply from any power for about 30 seconds and then plug it back in. This is why unplugging and re-plugging it in didn't work. I'm guessing that you didn't wait long enough between unplugs to give the internal capacitors time to discharge. However, when you cut the house mains, I'm guessing that power was cut for more than 30 seconds to the computer plug which allowed the power supply to reset.” Actually, the power was off for about fifteen minutes while I went down to the Ace Hardware to get the fuses. Mystery solved!

Lessons: Disconnect the power and the phone connections to your computer when lightning storms are likely. Always turn off the power when doing electrical stuff. Ground yourself (I fried the keyboard of my IIc down in West-by-Gawd Texas with a spark from my finger after walking across the carpet. But it is a dry heat.) Have some good, nice guy buddies to trade expertise with.

Long ago and far away, I was a science teacher. One of the first things that, at least in the old tried and true texts, we covered was The Scientific Method (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method). It goes back to the sixteen hundreds, Sir Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, et al. In a few words, it outlines the methods of a scientist: experiment, hypothesis, experiment, law, theory. An idea gets proven to the point that it always is useful and becomes a law. Newton's Law of Gravity: force equals The Gravitational Constant times the mass of the first object time the mass of the second divided by distance squared. It always works. Plug in the numbers and get the correct answer. There are a lot of laws, all set up so that they always give the right answer. Laws are vital in the modern world and the result of much thought and spectacular experimentation. They are not the epitome of human brainpower, however. In a sense, your dog establishes a good set of laws. What your dog can not do, however, is theorize, wonder why. Einstein's Theory of Gravity, Dalton's Atomic Theory, Avogadro's Molecular Theory, all give exquisite explanations of how things happen and have added so much to our modern life. Because, like laws, they predict what would happen if.... And, like laws, they always work. Ditto for the Theory of Evolution. It is not a theory in the everyday sense, it is a proven and reliable Theory in the scientific sense. And it has added so much to our everyday life. Start with the food you eat. It is far from what they had in Mesopotamia five thousand years ago. We would all be starving if we did not evolve our food supply. And then there is our kids. I know mine are much better than me. Evolution is a spectacular and exquisite result of human brainpower and a cornerstone of our modern lifestyle. And it always predicts. I would bet that if a “nonbeliever” went to The Golden Gates, Saint Peter would say, “You did not believe in Evolution? Do you know how much work we put into that? Saint Michael, put this one on the down elevator.” Intelligent Design? Evolution is the ultimate proof of Intelligent Design.

This morning, we had cause to go to my dermatologists office to get a skin cancer checked and the stitches removed (wear a hat and sun screen!). While sitting in the doctor's office, near noon, a caterer came through with a large dolly full of food. I thought it nice that the doctor's got food for all of the staff. It turned out that all the food was courtesy of a pharmaceutical salesman. The caterer said they get a lot of business from the pharmaceutical salesmen to all of the doctor's offices. She said it is the only way the salesmen can get in to see the doctor's and that it happens regularly. Why does a fancy dressed saleman need to see a doctor that often? This was a small office, only about a dozen people to be fed. The caterer took food to a number of doctor's offices. Some of the larger offices serviced are up to a hundred and fifty staff members. The expense of this must rival the cost of the television ads telling us to go and ask the doctor for medicine whether we need it or not. I listen to the spin the pharmceutical companies put on the astronomical fees we must pay for their products. The information that comes in on the news and from events such as this so often points to just plain greed. I thought the raison d'etre for an industry is to provide a service. Such a large portion of us middle class folks have to decide between food and medicine. Many can not obtain what they need to thwart off their life threatening illnesses. What is the legal definition of murder?

There are a lot of things I like about all that The United States and our Constitution means to our everyday life. One of the most dear is that each generation need not be stuck in the situation their previous one has dealt them. That means that God is in his Heaven, all is right with the world, evolution is alive and well. Each generation can be better than the one before.

“We bless You for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life.” (From the Great Thanksgiving)

Anyone who does not believe in evolution is insulting their progeny. I know it works because our kids are so much an improvement on us, a living and breathing proof of the beauty of evolution. My wife and I must have done something right.

One of the great prayers that long ago drew my attention is the famous Prayer of Saint Francis. http://www.st-francis.org/prayer.htm At a time when it seemed that all prayers ask something from God, this one demands something from us.

Then there is that old saw about counting to ten or twenty when one becomes angry. How much better a protection than that is Saint Francis' prayer when relationships take a wrong direction or the bastards just plain grind you down. Just take a moment to recite to yourself:

Lord, make us instruments of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is discord, union.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sorrow, joy.

Lord grant that we might not so much need to
be consoled as to consol.
To be understood as to understand.
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.
In pardoning that we are pardoned.
And in dying that we find eternal life.