Day 3780

I've been interested in astronomy for a long time. I'm certainly no expert, but I do know the basics. That's why I've been completely baffled to keep seeing articles on the Internet saying that the Moon, Jupiter, and Venus will form a smiley face in the sky on May 16th. If you Google this event you will literally find dozens of articles, some from seemingly reputable sources, telling you how and when to view this rare celestial show. I've even started seeing Facebook friends telling each other to mark their calendars.

Have any of these people actually gone outside and looked at the sky? Jeez. There isn't going to be a smiley face in the sky. It's not going to happen. On May 16th, Venus shines brightly in the evening sky after sunset, but you won't see Jupiter unless you get up early the next morning and look toward the East a little before sunrise. These two planets are on the opposite sides of the sky. The Moon is a waning crescent at this time, but it isn't even thin enough to look like a smile. The only planet anywhere close to it is Mars.

So how could so many people be completely wrong? Do people actually believe what they see on the Internet more than what they can see with their own eyes? Sadly, the answer is yes. This isn't rocket science, people. Just go outside and look at the sky. I'm kind of amazed that none of the many "fact checker" websites have called out the "smiley face" story as a hoax. They probably believe the story too.

I think the reason this obviously false story persists is that people like a smiley face. A smiley face makes them feel good. They want to believe the story. A smiley face in the sky is an innocent little story but it illustrates perfectly why fake news is so prevalent today. People believe what they want to believe. Nobody questions anything in a clear, dispassionate way anymore. You find something that supports your preconceived opinion and then you tell your friends about it. If enough people agree with you, your opinion goes viral. I doubt that the bogus smiley face story is any sort of conspiracy. It's just laziness. There actually have been conjunctions of the Moon, Jupiter and Venus in the past. I think the last time this happened was in 2008. You can see almost anything in the sky if you wait long enough.

I don't know why the smiley face story bothers me so much. Perhaps it is because it illustrates human nature so well. If you can easily convince people to ignore the laws of physics, you can convince them of anything. Almost everything we see and hear in the media has been designed to influence you in one way or another. Ads try to influence you to buy something you may or may not need. It's pretty easy to do this because people are gullible and they have emotions. I spent my entire career trying to influence you and got pretty good at it. Today, what used to be called "hard news" has just become another form of advertising. These news sources feed you a steady diet of what you already believe so you will continue watching. Pick your poison. It's not that hard to to find something that appeals to you these days. Maybe you like OAN and Fox. Maybe you like CNN and MSNBC. Don't expect that what you are hearing is true however. You are being manipulated.

If you have your heart set on seeing something cool in the sky on May 16, just wait until the next morning. If you get up around 5 AM on May 17 you can see Jupiter and Saturn extremely close together in the Eastern sky. The two planets will only be a few degrees apart. No smiley face though. I have no idea when that will happen again.

Bea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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Day 2121

I think I know what's wrong with Dash now. He appears to have stretched or pulled the ligament covering the kneecap on his right rear leg. At first this would seem to be some sort of odd sports injury, but apparently it is not uncommon for male dogs to pull a ligament when they scratch the ground vigorously after they pee. Dash does this all the time. It was how he tore his paw pad earlier in the year and now he has injured his leg doing the same thing.

The good news is that the damage is not permanent.  If we can keep Dash quiet for a few weeks, the inflammation in the injured ligament should subside and everything should return to normal. Have you ever tried to keep a Dalmatian quiet for a few weeks? It's not an easy task. I'm glad he hasn't torn his cruciate ligament though. ACL injuries typically require surgery. I'm glad he doesn't have hip dysplasia either. Things could be a lot worse.

Our trip to the vet was the most interesting thing that happened all day. The rest of the day was pretty dull. Cleaning up poop during the night and early pre-dawn walks have become the new normal. I've talked to other people with aging dogs and Dot's incontinence is pretty normal. In fact, Dash's vet told me that she was having the same problem with her own dog. Once a dog loses the ability to squat properly, you're going to have problems.

I learned today that Klout has discontinued their Perks program. As the recipient of many of those Perks, I was very disappointed to hear this. I always enjoyed getting random free stuff in the mail. The things you received were seldom very valuable, but Klout did make an effort to learn your interests. I got lots of dog food, dog treats, and dog toys. The best thing I ever got was a voice activated WiFi thermostat which I'm still using. The theory behind the Perks was that by sending free stuff to people Klout considered to be social media influencers, the brands they were pushing would get talked about on Twitter and Facebook and more people would buy them. I think the flaw in their theory was how they defined influential. I'm not influential. I like getting stuff in the mail, but I doubt that I ever influenced anyone to buy anything in my life. Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted.

I've started looking at star charts before we go on our morning walks. These pre-dawn walks are the most sustained amount of time I've spent in the dark for a long time and I might as well learn something. Right now, you can see Jupiter, Mars, and Venus in the morning sky. Pretty soon, these planets will be joined by Mercury. I've only seen Mercury a few times in my life because it is always visable very low on the horizon. It remains to be seen if I'll be able to catch a glimpse of Mercury later this month. There are lots of trees on the Eastern horizon and I have a feeling that by the time Mercury clears the treetops, it will be too close to sunrise to see it.

The peaches and bananas in the kitchen still look pretty fresh and there's a leftover pork chop in the refrigerator for dinner. I think I'm all set for another day.

Cassie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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