Articles written by Robert Williscroft - Page 3

Where Knowledge Rules

What is Helium

About me - Robert Williscroft

I served 23 years in the U.S. Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I commenced my service as an enlisted nuclear Submarine Sonar Technician, was selected for the Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program, and graduated from

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Sciences > Astronomy The size of the universe: 2 of 17
We throw around the term "light year," without really understanding how large a light year is. So, let's ask the question. What is a light year? A light year is the distance light travels in a year (remember, light speed is constant). The numbers get so big that they lose meaning, so let's set up a mental picture we can unde... More..
Computers & Technology > Spam How to fight spam: 3 of 24
You probably are aware of how many websites now use distorted letters that the user must type in order to gain access. These distorted letters are virtually impossible for a bot to read, and so spammers are thwarted in their efforts to gain entry to sites where they can cause malicious damage, steel email addresses, etc. Alt... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Energy Issues How safe are America's nuclear plants?: 2 of 16
THE FULL STORY OF THREE MILE ISLAND On March 26, 1979, at the Three Mile Island nuclear complex near Middletown, Pennsylvania, reactor operators conducted a test of the emergency feedwater system for the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2). This is a routine test to verify that the reactor backup cooling system functions correc... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in Africa The role of conflict diamonds in African politics: 1 of 8
What do Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola have in common? Besides their being in Africa, that is? Each is a renowned source for Conflict Diamonds. Diamonds are known world-wide as symbols of love and affection. Who hasn't heard the phrase coined by De Beers: "A Diamond is Forever." Most ... More..
Travel > Travel Diaries & Adventures (Other) Weird travel stories: 9 of 69
I was the fourth officer on the NOAA Ship Surveyor (S-132), the last of the steam driven behemoths belonging to the ocean-going branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA for short. She was a beautiful old ship with an after-the-fact helo deck over her stern that interrupted her otherwise graceful l... More..
Sciences > Earth Science (Other) Can Science save the planet: 2 of 14
One of the significant predictions from Al Gore and the Global Warming Chicken Littles was that the Amazon rainforest would dry up and shift to a savanna. Gore has traveled the world displaying heart-wrenching photos of how it will be when the rainforest is gone. Over and over again during my dozens of radio interviews about... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Immigration What should be the fate of illegal aliens found in the United States?: 6 of 37
Here is a summary of the illegal alien situation in a nutshell: Currently, between 12 and 20 million illegal aliens live somewhere in the United States. Our borders are virtually open to anyone who wishes to cross, and a million or more do so each year. How this impacts life in America is not the subject of this essay. How t... More..
Sciences > Astronomy Factors to consider in man's desire to explore outer space: 4 of 24
On November 18, 2007, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg issued a scathing critique of NASA's manned spaceflight program while speaking at a dark-energy workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. "The International Space Station is an orbital turkey. No important science has come out of it...I could almost s... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Islam Origins of the Sunni/shia split in Islam: 1 of 6
Islam is based on two writings, the Qur'an, believed by Muslims to have been revealed by Allah to Mohammad during the 7th century, and the Sunnah, which records the Prophet's life. Taken together, the Qur'an and Sunnah form the basis for Islam as a religion and for Islamic jurisprudence, very much like our Constitution forms... More..
Sciences > Physics The scoop on the uncertainty principle: 1 of 6
In all the episodes of the original "Star Trek" series, not once did Captain Kirk actually use the words: "Beam me up, Scotty!" It might be interesting to examine not only why he never said this, but also why he never could have said it. Although it is not completely obvious, when we examine something, we really are interpre... More..