Les Porter

Gender: Male

Country: USA

Quote: As Venus is, Earth will become.

Age: No Answer

City: America

Occupation: Retired from Federal Science (Mundane, Solid Science) My work is used by thousands everyday.

Hobbies: Astronomy, physics, cosmology, telescopes, welding, writing, salt water fishing and release. Ecology. Too many things, sculpture, art, geography, constitutional law, material science, the ocean, everything in the real extenal world. But also the internal world of literature, of psychology, of emotions and animal logic and feelings. The biosphere. It has only a little over a billion one hundred million years before the Sun begins the inexorable change that ends life on Earth. The Sun warms enough to make Earth a Venus long before the Sun itself becomes the bloated red giant and degenerate white dwarf of the far future. I like knowing those kinds of things, a kind of sad and disappointing hobby. But, bright monkey we are. You learn your whole life.

Fav. Music: Classical, romantic era, some jazz, rock, some contemporary. Just about everything or every kind of music that has evolved. Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos, Grandiose themes. Zarathustra, Wagner. flute, picolo, heart beats, wind. tiny natural sounds, things now I only remember. i.e. I remember hearing the wind whistling through the wings of swifts following rocks I had thrown high into the air. I once could hear the air rushing around the rock as it fell back to earth. the streamlined hiss of a fast bird on the wing. (Hey, they can follow the rock falling or fly around it as it falls, escorting it to a few feet from impact with the earth. But that was a quiet place. Now, my spouse finds me deaf. or nearly so.

Fav. Movies: Too many. Intricate and delicate; ironies, like nabokov, and many others, Action, yes, but thoughtful too, I have ideas about a screen play I'd like to write. But I am running out of time. too many, far from the madding crowd, Vadim did some art there

Fav. Books: Too many. Science, reason, Contact -- Sagan. Astronomy and Astrophysics Science. SF. Any and all science. Taxonomy, the relatedness of things and the reason they are related. Variations on themes. The natural logic of their origins and genesis. etc.

Fav. TV shows: Network Evening News, Free Speech TV, Pacifica, Amy Goodman Democracy Now! Even Lou Dobbs! C-SPAN Washington Journal. Booknotes. SCIENCE CHANNEL -- its fun but can't keep up with the real thing.

Bio: "I am OLD! I have old definite opinions. I also have some insight into life that I can occasionally share. ` ` Some women like my harmlessness; age related, I'm not a threat to your boy friend or girlfriend, or husband. I'm harmless. Of course, some don't believe I'm harmless. (But I am.) `` ` ` And it must be said, there are people on board Xomba a bit older than I, and possibly far, far wiser. My biggest concern and strongest opinions are on such things as the wholesale retreat from science, from knowledge; from the idea of testing hypotheses on the anvil of Reality, and using the scientific method to forge new items of knowledge. A related concern right now, is that of the Abrahamic belief "Islam." ` ` I'm of the opinion the idea as practiced is a scourge that must be eliminated and excised from the face of the Earth in order to prevent it causing the extinction of our species. I see this as a species imperative, a need to use reality as a test of life values, of eliminating bad memes. These bad ideas are likened to brain viruses. And to an intelligent species, absolutely destructive. I also have some very strong ideas about our government, and the Constitution, and the loss of our rights -- things that really ought to be discussed widely rather than simply stolen for the benefit of a few. - -There are things I do not have either opinions about or concern about -- because I do not see them as having major effect on the species survival. (Bad ideas, bad memes do have effect on the species, the latest hottest tune may speak to both our hearts and minds -- but likely does nothing for the species.) ` ` Any one can send me a letter, a PM and I may entertain you. Anytime that you would care to discuss things or non things with with me, feel free to query. I might respond. I am very opinionated; yes I am. I am experienced of many things that could be of interest. I am introspective, and extroverted, I am also spiritual, and in somethings, spirited; I am willing to share many things and ideas and stories. ` ` But, since I am old, realize I probably do not have as much time as you, but if you get to the nub of it, I am always willing to share. Just realize, my time is valuable to me. I like poetry, I like verse. What I call projective verse is my baliwick. - - - - ` ` ` I like Hitch-Hiking on exceptional things, extending a verse, creating one and/or maybe finishing one or taking its idea, its theme, its metal mettle, its core -- on a new life journey, one course only I can put it on. ` ` But I love literary hitch-hikers, I love hitch-hikers in writing. ` ` ` Hitch on! Lets explore some word pictures! Let's flesh out or build or finish an idea or a concept. Two minds better'n one! ` ` ` Now that is rad, ain't it?

Fav. website: http://www.foavc.org