Memories of a fun job

Got one more book to finish along the lines of theology before shifting genres a bit. I have given up on only a couple of books in my life, well, other than text books. Many text books I never planned to read all the way through, just enough to pass the tests. And speaking of tests and schools, I had an intense dream last night about a building and a campus I worked in and on many years ago. The building is White Hall and it is located on the southern most edge of the WVU campus in Morgantown, WV.It was at the time home to the College of Mineral and Energy Resources which awarded Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees in Mining Engineering and Petroleum Engineering. The building also housed the departments of Geology and Geography which belonged to the College of Arts and Sciences.

White hall was one of the grandest old ladies on the campus, and just this past couple of years under went a complete rebuild on the interior. I wrote to the project manager at WVU a while ago after seeing an article about the renovation. He invited me down to see the building. They saved all of the Travertine stone work and brass, lots of brass, and marble on the interior. I worked in White Hall on the ground floor for just over 7 years. The entire time I was based in Room 13. Under the ground floor was a full basement with a large room at basement level on each end of the building. The rooms were the entire depth of the building front to back, and rose to about the second floor of the building, which was 4 floors up. The building was 6 floors in total labeled Basement, Ground and 1 through 4. I don't remember if there was enclosed space above the 4^th floor or not.

In the basement I was in charge of a room about 10 feet by 10 feet with a notch cut into one corner which enclosed a light trap. In this little room was a seismograph machine which recorded the earth's motion on 3 seismographs using photo sensitive paper. Three graphs because all seismographs record movement as North and South, East and West and Up and Down. Because the paper was light sensitive, changing the records had to be done partly in the red glow of a darkroom light. I maintain that machine for perhaps 4 or 5 years, changing the paper every morning of the year, for 6 years, and developing the prints every few days in a darkroom on the 2^nd floor, 4 floors up.

At some point along the way we changed out the photo sensitive paper for plain paper and ink pens for the records. That simplified my life because it did away with working under the glow of a darkroom light twice in the process, and took out the development process altogether. Once the records were changed each day all I had to do was go through them and record my findings to be reported to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Fort Collins, Colorado. Most days there were no anomalies to be recorded. The machines were so sensitive the majority of the records were filled with the constant frequency and amplitude compression waves which were the effects of the waves hitting the eastern US seacoast on the Atlantic.

I studied those waveforms for an entire semester before bringing in a geophysics professor and he recognized them immediately and encouraged me to prove him wrong. I couldn't, of course, and had to laugh at all of the time I tried to relate the waves to weather patterns. One of the reasons I was on the weather pattern was because of a geography professor who suggested it might be related to air pressure.

Now if you are wondering about the sensitivity of these instruments, the waves hit the shore at the nearest point to Morgantown WV at something short of 400 miles. Think about how gentle those waves feel on your feet as you relax at the waters edge. That energy travels nearly 400 miles through the rock below our feet, beneath the Piedmont of Virginia, the Blue ridge and Allegheny mountains of Virginia and West Virginia.

To be more honest, it isn't the surface waves that get transmitted, as I explain in a bit, because sand can't transmit motion. It is the wave action deep off the Continental Shelf of the Atlantic where rock transmits the energy back across the land mass.

The sensitivity of those graphs was such that if a truck, or very heavy vehicle of some kind went by on the street outside with a rock in it's tire tread the machine would pick it up. I learned to recognize those quickly.

The absolute coolest thing I ever found on the records was the destruction of the old iron bridge over the Monongahela River between Morgantown and a suburb called Star City. The bridge was replaced by a long span concrete bridge after the iron bridge was found to be nearing it's life span, no pun intended. Because the river was, and is, a main route for coal barges and coal was king in the area the Corp of Engineers and the overseers of river traffic determined the river traffic could only be shut down for part of a day. The old iron bridge had to be cut down and removed between daylight and dusk on a single day.

A crew came in and built enormous wooden boxes around the bridge deck and the supporting iron arch on both ends of the bridge. They filled the boxes with explosives and blew the bridge down in a matter of perhaps 5 to 8 seconds.

Then a tug boat pushing a large barge with a crane came alongside the bridge resting on the bottom of the fairly shallow river, picked it up, turned it 90 degrees so it was aligned with the river, and set the bridge on another barge. And the bridge took leave of Morgantown where it had served very faithfully for many decades.

This was after the seismograph lab had been converted to pin recorders, so I pulled the records an hour or so after the blast so I could find the event on the graphs.

Well, I was stumped a bit. In fact, my mentor, a petroleum professor who had recruited me for the job and trained me in all things seismic was stumped. I can remember Mr. Laird scratching his head and asking me if I had calculated the time correctly. I showed him my calculations based on time and he peered at the seismographs a while. Then a big smile came across his face and he looked at me with this twinkle in his eyes and wouldn't say anything for a long while. Well, a minute maybe.

He sat down beside me and locked his eyes on mine and said, “Let's think for a moment about what happened.”

What had happened and what the seismographs had recorded won me a live spot on the local radio station in the next hour. It was so cool I remember it like it was yesterday.

The bridge structure was cut by 4 large blasts of an explosive of some kind packed in sand. Explosives always give off high compression energy. Which is why I, we, were looking for a large compression wave at the exact moment of blast. Remember these instruments could record a rock in a tire of a truck going by. But the boxes didn't contain just explosives. The also contained SAND. Sand is the worlds best natural energy absorber. If you want to earthquake proof a structure, float it in sand. The world famous Tokyo Hotel suffered several earthquakes and finally burned down after surviving World War II because of an earthquake. The owners rebuilt the hotel even grander than before but floated the entire building in a bed of sand. The hotel never again suffered any damage from an earthquake. Sand can not transmit motion. It is impossible.

So when the explosives produced thousands of tons of force shearing the roadbed and the iron arch braces, the force was absorbed in the sand and the little bit of compressive force left over was quickly dissipated into the air. Air can transfer force more faithfully than sand, but not much more.

So the result was no compression wave was pushed into the earth, no major compression wave recorded. What a let down. But wait, the story isn't over.

The piers upon which the bridge rested had for decades been pushing on the earth in which they were resting. When the bridge weight was instantaneously removed from the piers the piers rebounded. The pressure holding them down was suddenly released and they moved up, opposite of the the decades load, and produced not a compression wave, but a dilatation wave. And we DID see that at precisely the moment of blast. In fact it was the dilatation wave that had us so confused. Why was the geology beneath the seismograph pier moving away? It was because the piers were able to relax, for only part of a second, but definitely relax from the weight it had withstood for decades.

And that was the coolest day in my short 6 years of running the seismograph lab.

Just thought I'd share. Hope you enjoyed a short lesson in geophysics.

So many books, so little time

I am sure anyone who has read this blog very long knows I am an avid reader. My genre of reading choice has shifted over the years as my interest has changed. In my Junior High School days I was read pretty much all of the Hardy Boys books, sometimes many times over. In High School I moved into the Doc Savage paperbacks and got into automotive magazines pretty heavily. I had many years of Road & Track magazines that I literally read from cover to cover. I also read Motor Trend and other periodicals about cars present, past and future. My dad had a multiple decade collection of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics that I also would read for hours at a time.

While in the military I took upon myself some of the then current and recent past best sellers on the market like the novels of James Michener. As I began my own career and began to learn about technology I began reading articles and magazine written about my field of employment. While I had taken a couple of college classes in the military I didn't really get into going to college until I had two children in the home. I spent 7 years taking classes part time while I worked full time. During my days in college I read what I needed to read for class. When I left the classroom I began to dig deeper into scientific and theological articles, studies and books. My interest was piqued towards the finding common and divergent ground between theology and science.

Now, at 62, having read most of my life almost with no breaks, I am shifting genres again. Of the last four books I have been reading, 3 of them are classics. And before I reveal what they are, although in this blog I have talked a little about all of them I think, I want to talk about classic. About the word, classic.

Classic doesn't mean old or antique. But new things are rarely classified as classic. They may be like or appear like a classic, but normally classic refers to something that has been around long enough to have a reputation as being the best. Or at least at the top of a group or genre. Classic cars are mostly thought of as cars from a generation or so earlier. Now a classic home seems to have a broader range of meaning. Many new homes can be defined as being classic. Classic Victorian, classic New England, classic southern, etc. When it comes to books, classic I believe mostly means books that have emerged through the years as being the best of their day and the best of their particular kind.

For “classic” examples, “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque is said to be the classic World War I novel. It is normally cited as the best from that war. Very close to it is Ernest Hemingway’s “Farewell to Arms.” Many books of a number of authors are considered classics simply because the authors were the best of the best in their day. Most of us can name many “classic” authors. Most of those that read have read many classics. We are drawn to them because they are so skillfully written and touch us in so many ways.

The 3 books of the last 4 I have been reading are classic stories. All of them have been required reading in schools from middle through college. The first one I happened upon quite by fate. My daughter gave me a Nook for Christmas this past December. Already installed on the Nook was an unabridged copy of Bram Stoker's “Dracula.” Stoker published this novel in 1897 and it quickly became a classic. I knew about the book from a young age but it never seemed interesting to me. Since I had it pretty much thrust into my hands I began reading it.

I was amazed. The book not only interested me I could hardly stand to put it down. Now a lot of books have had that power over me, so I knew the draw. But it is a great book and wonderful reading. I finished “Dracula” and immediately began another classic, "Night Comes to the Cumberland" by Harry Caudell (published 1962) which led to another classic, "Little Shepherd from Kingdom Come" by John Fox, Jr (published 1903) which I finished just today.

I have read maybe a hundred or more books that are classic in the English language. I have a knowledge of and have read books by nearly every American author up through the mid 1900s. I am also deep into three current authors, but with all of the classics still out there, I may never catch up to more current works.

I have two threads running through my books of choice for the foreseeable future. One is to completely catch up with the books of Dan Brown, James Rollins and Tom Clancy. The other thread is to try and fill in my gaps in the classics of the 18^th, 19^th and early 20^th centuries. On the side I have two more certifications I would like to obtain. One in a field of interest, the other in my career field.

So reading I am. What have you read recently?

Who I am

For many years I have been digging into the inconsistencies of what most Christian groups and fellowships call ordained or Holy Scripture. As long as I can remember which is about 55 or so years the most popular or most regarded version of scripture has been the King James Version. I have to speak only of what I know and so I can only speak mostly of the United States. I know many other countries and parts of countries also hold the King James Version in high esteem. And I am well aware of many groups within the United States that prefer other versions. But even other versions that are popular have close ties to or derive a lot from the King James Version.

My long quest to find out the validity and accuracy of the King James Version and associated translations did not begin because I saw contradictions within the writings themselves, but rather contradictions between how each of the translations were interpreted and what could be observed in nature around us.

As I began to learn more about the earth and our solar system I began to question the stories presented in the Bible as valid. Having looked into scientific data concerning geomorphology, astronomy, tectonics, light travel, atmospheric stabilization within our environment, aging processes in all living things, differences in species and within species, adaptability of living organisms to environmental influences and a host of other topics that piqued my interest I found many of them to be held hostage and inconsistent with current age theology.

In simple terms, I was being told of events and processes in my spiritual environment that were in stark opposition of what I was being told in my educational environment. On the spiritual side I was offered no supporting evidence or proofs and told I just needed to believe them because that is the way they had been written of in a single collection of stories.

In the educational environment I actually learned about events and processes as a result of the supporting evidence and scientific proofs presented. I was not encouraged to believe or disbelieve because proven events and processes are fact. They can not be dismissed as invalid. If they can be invalidated then they are not proven. But once proof is made, it can’t because of its very nature be invalid.

Since I have been on this quest to sort fact from fiction which began for me in the eighth grade at age 13, 49 years ago, I have questioned literally hundreds of men and women who are skilled and work in scientific, educational and or Christian ministry roles. I’ve been blessed by having known some very scholarly theologians as well as had some rich conversations with national leaders in the scientific community who are also devout Christians. The most trusted alliance I have made in my journey is a dear friend about a decade older than me who has exchanged information, conversation and study with me for many years. But trusted alliances seem to be few.

As a result of my ever increasing research, both in depth and volume, these nearly 50 years has brought me to a conclusion that I want to make public. You may ask, so who cares. Well, I know a very few who actually care, I also know of some who will be able to put a label on what they have seen as a very strange activity for a person for so long. And I also would love to share some of the things I have learned and to share some of the sources of the things I have learned.

I have come to the convinced position that the Bible in all of it’s translations in use in the Christian community today is flawed. Flawed and so much in error it presents a danger to seekers of truth. It presents invalid concepts, precepts and processes to minds that are not already informed enough to distinguish possibility, actuality and divine from fabrication, invention and man made concepts and reasoning.

While many parts of the Bible can be used for great good and sound guidance, believing the Bible in whole as written in current translations leads one on divergent paths to fact about natural phenomenon surrounding us. And in taking a position consistent with the Bible concerning natural phenomenon will continue to destroy and corrupt the planet and the environment beyond the natural ability for recovery.

Gas milege and New Years wishes

Just a short blog to update my results in stretching my gas mileage. When I was driving to work and back on I81 I was driving between 70 and 75 MPH to stay with traffic. I was getting about 17.5 miles per gallon of gas. My truck has a 15.8 gallon tank. That means I have at most a range of 276.5 miles. I pretty much verified that with several fill ups. I began driving back roads, or more specifically A back road that parallels I81 always within a couple of miles and even crossing over the interstate once on my route. Using the back road for my trip to work allowed me to set the cruise on 50PMH. I would then return on I81 at 55MPH because there is pretty much no traffic during the 11PM hour. My gas mileage jumped to a solid 22.66mpg. That raises my maximum range to 358 miles.

My mileage to work is 47.5 miles, allowing me to make 7 and ½ trips between my home and work. Unfortunately gas increases in price as I travel north. The further I get, the more it costs, until there is normally about 15 to 18 cents difference per gallon. Considering I am using approximately 21 gallons of gas a week, my cost differential between buying gas close to home or close to work is between $3.15 and $3.78 per week.

Since I have the time to drive slower (time differential is around 8 to 10 minutes) I only need to weigh the benefits of driving slower.

Here are my personal feelings about driving slower after a couple of weeks. Taking the back road to work is certainly less stressful and more scenic. Coming home I’m in the dark. Since there isn’t much to see, and since the traffic is lighter, it makes sense for me to set the cruise, stay between the white lines in the right lane and not have to worry about overtaking or having to pass anyone. I get on the interstate at exit 279, set the cruise, almost never pass anyone, and cancel the cruise as I exit at 235, 44 miles and 48 minutes later. I am relaxed, sane and safe. Never mind the little bit of money I’ve saved and the wear and tear on my truck I’ve spared.

As it is already 2012 I wish everyone a very happy New Year. I trust you will make this year the most productive learning year of your life. I hope you will get up from the table more quickly, quit watching TV or surfing the Internet earlier, double your book reading at least every 2 months, walk twice as far every 2 months as you did the 2 months before, smile more, encourage more, help more, and look for opportunities to make a difference. The older we get, the more we should be capable of doing, not less. Don’t let your body rust out, WEAR it out. Push your mind to the limit EVERY day, challenge what you know every day, increase your vocabulary every day, and pack your brain with more information that you thought possible.