Have you ever been in a hurry and after rushing through the supermarket and getting home, you realize the expiration date on what you just bought for dinner passed 3 months ago? At almost any given store now, you can find expired food or food that is long past the best before date still selling on the shelves at full price. Enough is enough, its time for the government to impose regulations that will not only protect the consumer but stop the wasting of food and even help with the hunger problem we have in this country.
The “best before” and “expiration” dates on packaging is a problem that’s been driving consumers crazy for years. Every item you pick up is a new game of “Where’s Waldo”. Location, small font size, lack of contrast with the background, or written in a long code the CIA couldn’t crack are some of the biggest problems. Sometimes the date doesn’t say if it is the best before or the expiration and on top of that, a lot of people still aren’t really sure of the difference (the best before is the date of the item’s optimum freshness, but many items are still perfectly good and safe to eat beyond this date, until they reach their expiration date).
If the government were to start phasing in regulations, everyone would benefit. Heres what I would suggest:
Every grocery item that is required to currently have a best before or expiry date should be required to have both
The best before and expiry date to be located on the front or main side of the item.
The size of the font for the dates should be no less than 0.3 cm high.
The dates should be written in black on a white background or similar contrast to make it easily readable
The dates should all be written in the same format: MMM DD YYYY
This is an example of how the above products would look under the new regulations
So how would the new labeling help?
It would make it easier for supermarkets to keep stock rotated on the shelves and harder for them to try saving money by not rotating.
Supermarkets would also be pressured to sell items that had passed the best before date but still before the expiration dates at a reduced price, making it more affordable to those on a tight budget.
Consumers would have an easier time finding and being more aware of the dates. This would also make it harder for supermarkets to sell expired goods.
Those consumers that could afford it would be more likely to donate to food banks when an item in their cupboard passed the best before date but had not yet expired.
Less food waste.
You may consider it unethical for people that can’t afford it, to eat food that has passed the best before date but not yet expired, but keep in mind, the taste of food is relative to how hungry you are. The best-tasting meal I ever had was not in a restaurant, but on day 3 of a survival course with no food. It consisted of 3 bites of wild game meat, burnt on an open fire, with no seasoning, that had fallen in the dirt.
Over the past few years, video games have become an obsession for more and more people. As gaming systems become more advanced, what will the ultimate system turn out to be? Obviously, it would have to seem as realistic as possible but what if you even believed it was real?
Along with video games, medical science has also made huge advancements, right down to a molecular level. Many complex organs can now be transplanted and amputees can control basic functions in prosthetics through there own nerves. It no longer seems impossible that one day even a brain transplant could be done. As our understanding of how signals transmit through the nervous system also advances, it’s reasonable one day they could be duplicated by a computer. Now imagine combining the two. Our brain could be connected and interacting with a computer that would send all the sensations we would feel in reality. If perfected you would not be able to tell this new virtual reality from reality.
How popular would video games be then, if there was no difference in what you feel between virtual reality and reality? At first, all the video games we play now would be extremely popular at this new enhanced level. Racing cars and fighting aliens. The people we interact with could be real players also in VR or computer created.
After a while though, gamers would realize as good as this was there is still something else missing. The game would be even better if they thought it was real and didn’t know they were in a virtual reality world. If this became possible it would also draw the attention of not just gammers but those who also wanted to be educated beyond what a book can do. Imagine being able to experience life at any point of time in history without knowing it was virtual reality, being able to understand not only how people felt at that time but why. Picking wealthy or famous people with lavish lifestyles and perfect bodies would eventually get boring, just like gamers, you would eventually want to try harder, more difficult roles. Facing the challenges of higher levels while gaining the rewards of a further understanding of life.
Could the year now actually be 2220 and you are playing the ultimate virtual reality game. If so, it would be ironic if you wasted too much of it playing a primitive X-box.
Anyone interested in how the universe works may find this interesting, anyone who is an Astro Physicist or has a Ph.D. in quantum mechanics may find this hilarious. For anyone else, unless you are having trouble sleeping, you might as well just stop reading now.
With my formal education in this field of high school physics and a hobby-level in astronomy, I have still managed to come up with a few theories of how the universe may work. Although most are probably wrong there still may be something here to inspire a more educated mind in this field to come up with new ideas.
Since the big bang, it would seem logical that the universe would be tying to reach a state of uniform equilibrium. Like shaking a can of pop, once the shaking stops, the forces creating bubbles and fizz eventually cancel out and the pop becomes a calm uniform liquid. By figuring out what a calm uniform liquid is in terms of the universe, we can develop the math to predict how and when this will happen. This will not only help us to better understand how the universe works and it’s future, but enable us to reverse the math to figure out and better understand the past.
My theory is the universe’s version of a calm uniform liquid could be to eventually be composed of 100% dark matter and energy, containing no regular matter at all.
Dark matter is thought to be the area of everything we call the universe that is not matter. What we consider empty space or nothing is actually dark matter. Dark matter provides an empty three-dimensional place necessary for matter to exist. If you imagine a drawing of the universe, dark matter would be the blank paper it is drawn on, and the regular matter would be the things we draw.
Current theories estimate the total mass of the universe is composed of 95% dark matter, and it is increasing. In the analogy above, it would be like the paper the universe is drawn on is getting bigger. Because dark matter has mass, albeit a very tiny amount, either the universe’s mass is also increasing or the mass of regular matter is being transformed to dark matter, but how?
Since the big bang, most regular matter has gathered in many tiny areas of the universe that we call galaxies. Like puddles of water after a rainstorm. In the center of each galaxy is thought to be a supermassive black hole. Black holes have a mass and gravity so great even light can not escape. As the matter that makes up the galaxy swirls around this supermassive black hole, it is drawn towards and into it. If you imagine a sink full of water, the black hole is the drain in the middle. But where does the matter go? Is it simply compressed to the density of the singularity, adding to its mass? This would seem to be the most logical explanation but Hawking radiation suggests black holes that do not gain mass eventually shrink and vanish. If this is true, where do they go and what happens to their mass?
My theory is the two are connected and black holes are converting matter to dark matter. The extreme forces that subatomic particles go through as they become part of the black holes accretion disk and cross the event horizon becoming part of the singularity tears them apart further, creating new unknown even smaller particles. The entire singularity itself is made up of these particles. I also think all black holes have wormholes connected, leading to a point/points somewhere outside the black hole, away from its enormous gravitational effects. If these new unknown particles that the singularity is composed of are pushed through the wormhole, once away from the immense forces of the black hole they emerge as dark matter. In other words, every galaxy has a supermassive black hole that is consuming its matter and converting it to dark matter. In the same analogy, black holes are erasing the things in the universe we have drawn on the paper and turning them into more blank paper.
So what causes the matter of the singularity to be pushed through the wormhole? Fighting the centripetal force from the velocity of matter in the black hole’s accretion disk as well as the pull from all the matter in the galaxy surrounding it is what keeps the black hole open and allows the singularity to maintain its mass and keep from being pushed through the wormhole. Therefore the mass of the singularity should be proportional to the gravitational pull from all matter surrounding it. As more matter crossing the event horizon increases the singularity’s mass beyond the force of the surrounding gravity, an equal amount of the singularity’s mass is pushed through the wormhole and becomes dark matter. Once all the matter in that galaxy is consumed by the black hole there is nothing left to keep it open and all of the singularity’s remaining mass is pushed through the wormhole, therefore closing the wormhole and leaving nothing but dark matter. This would also explain Hawking radiation. Eventually, all galaxies will be consumed by their black holes and the entire universe will become nothing but dark matter and energy. At this point, the total mass of the universe would not have changed, but its volume and density would be drastically different. Going back to the analogy, the universe would be a much larger piece of paper then it is now with nothing at all drawn on it. A state of uniform equilibrium.
STUDIES TO TEST THE THEORY
First, observations to see if newly formed dark matter only happens around black holes There can be many black holes in a galaxy, not all are supermassive but all are converting matter to dark matter. The effect should be mathematically relative to their size.
There should be a relation between the mass of the singularity and the gravitational force of the matter around it. Because matter on the accretion disk is traveling around the singularity close to the speed of light, its centripetal force in determining the mass of the singularity should be proportionally higher than the gravitational force of the rest of the matter in its galaxy. In fact, the matter in the galaxy may be more of just a fuel source for the accretion disk and not very significant when it comes to determining the mass of the singularity.
The higher the mass of the singularity, the further away the other end of its wormhole and formation of dark matter should be. This location or locations should also be as far away from any regular matter as possible at that distance.
Although the singularity is the only entrance to the wormhole, there may be millions of tiny exits Dark matter may appear to be bubbling in areas all around the black hole.
The higher the amount of mass crossing the event horizon, the greater the amount of new dark matter that should be observed. Math has shown that the density of dark matter should be 0.006 solar masses per cubic parsec. So if our sun was suddenly pulled into a black hole, we should see the creation of 166 cubic parsecs or 5,760 cubic light-years of dark matter. This math is based only if the mass of the matter both in the surrounding galaxy and the accretion disk does not change to alter the mass of the singularity.
OTHER LOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS
Somehow the formation of new dark matter does not displace the existing dark matter but rather creates new space between. If it were to displace, the combined sources would eventually push the galaxies at the outer edges of the universe away faster than the speed of light.
In keeping with Einstein’s theory of relativity and the relationship between time and the speed matter passes through a gravitational field. Its possible dark matter not only provides a place for matter to exist but also through expanding the universe and changing gravitational fields of the matter within, its also the fuel that creates time.
Still awake?
With regards to string theory and quantum physics. The problem of gravity being too weak within the equation of the 4 forces of quantum mechanics may be in the way we calculate it. Because gravity is always present and everywhere, much of its force may be canceled out. The entire universe is pulling at all matter from all directions and may not be factored into our current mathematical explanation for it correctly.
Imagine taking an open empty pop can to the bottom of the ocean. Although the can can be easily crushed by the small amount of force from your bare hand, even at pressures of 1000’s of pounds per square inch the ocean can’t even put a dent in it. Only if you bring a sealed empty pop can to the bottom of the ocean will you see the actual force of water pressure and the can would be crushed flat. If gravity is the ocean, are our calculations of it based on the empty open pop can or estimated incorrectly on the empty sealed pop can? Because gravity is everywhere it is impossible to get a sealed pop can empty of it.
One other thing, the singularity of a black hole may turn out to be just a hole in space and time that mimics gravity. A wormhole entrance created by the extreme density of the mass from the singularity we perceive to still be there. If this is the case everything I have listed above could still be true except the mass of the singularity itself would have already passed through the wormhole and been converted to dark matter.
Still awake?…………I tried my best…….Time to consider a sleeping pill.
In Canada, people have many views and are passionate about many things. If protesters were allowed to shut down our roads and rail service for any cause, Canada along with law and order would cease to exist. Treating one group of people differently because of race is exactly what Canadian society is striving not to do, in order for this to work it should not matter if this treatment is positive or negative.
Every Canadian has there say at the ballot box and the government is merely a reflection of the majority. People who disagree are free to voice their opinions but must respect the implemented views and opinions of the majority.
The expropriation of land in Canada by the government is nothing new. Although often emotional for anyone affected, it’s important and lawful purpose is necessary to allow the government to complete projects in the interest of the nation. Anyone in Canada could have their legally owned land taken by the government at any time. During the construction of highway 407 in Ontario, many people lost homes and farms that had been in the family for generations.
For those protesters that believe kidnapping of public roads and rail is necessary to bring awareness and support, they are only half right. I am aware but will oppose any cause that resorts to extortion and the torment of innocent people to get there way.
I just picked up my new car and can’t believe how advanced it is. Even with just the standard options, it tells me if I drift out of a lane, keeps my hands warm, has a camera for backing up, I can even download a meatloaf recipe onto my cell phone with voice commands.
The main reason I am writing is my concern over your research and development department for windshield wipers. I’m guessing it’s hidden somewhere in the basement of your highly advanced facility. If you manage to locate it, amongst the dust and spider webs you will find the 50-year-old skeletons of guys who developed the intermittent wiper. Please send my condolences to their surviving grandchildren, I hope the discovery of their bodies brings them closure.
Since no one has worked on improvements for the windshield wiper system for the past 50 years I would like to help out and offer some suggestions for future models.
In winter driving, the wipers build up so much snow and ice it’s like having two glaciers moving around the windshield. I sometimes find it easier to see if I drive in reverse using the backup camera, but I get strange looks from other people when I’m on the highway and for some reason, a police officer told me I couldn’t do it anymore. A simple design that would apply heat to the wiper blades and keep the snow and ice from building up would make driving forward again much easier. Feel free to overcomplicate the design as you see fit. I know this feature is already available on some luxury cars but I think being able to see where you are going shouldn’t be a luxury just for the rich.
If I may, I would also like to suggest a couple of improvements when it comes to windshield wiper fluid. The first is to increase the capacity of the holding tank from the size of a pregnant women’s bladder (no offense to pregnant women’s bladders) to 8 liters or just over the capacity of 2 store-bought 3.78-liter containers. I have looked under the hood and there are still a couple of places an 8-liter container would fit that would not be in the way. Please don’t make it part of your hilarious design antics by putting in the way of conducting normal engine maintenance and with one bolt that requires two carefully placed mirrors to see and an exact mystery combination of a half dozen ratchet extensions and universal joints to remove. If finding a location is too much of a problem you can always use the trunk, just put it where I normally keep the 2 store-bought containers that I will no longer need to carry around.
While I’m on the subject of windshield wiper fluid, there’s one other thing I think you can also improve on. The low wiper fluid warning system. The current one where it just stops working is not very convenient, it often happens when I am traveling at a high rate of speed and something happens around me that makes it kind of important to be able to see. I suggest a yellow light on the dash that comes on when you are down to half the 8-liter tank proposed above. This would indicate you can add a full store-bought container to the reservoir. A red dash light would indicate you are down to the last couple of squirts before the current warning system would finally take over.
I know simple indicators like a red and green light have no place in technology today so you could add a microprocessor and color display showing: Average ml used per squirt, Squirts per kilometer used, and Driving range, based on average ml used per squirt times the number of squirts per kilometer divided by how many ml left in the tank. If that’s still not enough adding a blue tooth connection to your phone so your car can order more wiper fluid from amazon when it gets low should bring it up to today’s standards. Sorry…I’m just assuming everyone’s car has it’s own amazon prime account.
Oh…., and one other thing. The other morning I was taking the snow off my car while it was warming up. I couldn’t figure out why the snow on the ground was melting around the car and there was a strange electrical burning smell in the air. It wasn’t until scraping the final bit of ice off the windshield and the wipers suddenly became free and move did I realize I had left the wiper switch on from the night before. Of all the digital switches that automatically shut down car accessories when the ignition is shut off for some reason the wiper motor switch still remains the old mechanical type.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I hope you don’t consider my comments too extravagant and will consider them when designing future models. In the meantime, if I go through a stop sign because I can’t see through the windshield and I’m killed in a collision with a transport truck, I can rest assured knowing I did not depart my lane, my hands and butt were toasty warm, and my family will still be able to enjoy that new meatloaf recipe for dinner.
