Lipsticks and other Needs – out of this world

Written by Dr Klaus L E Kaiser on October 16, 2020. Posted in Current News

Have you seen the recent “space” news, for example at www.npr.org the “inmates” of the International Space Station (ISS), finally got a new toilet and some needed or desirable toiletries along with that. At a cost of $21 million ( ex installation! ), that throne surely must be something special.

Of course, everyone needs one or the other when it’s time.

Furthermore, who would want to deny the female ISS-companions (is that still a politically correct term — ??) their accustomed necessities to get gussied up? Although I wonder about the present complement on the ISS; according to NASA, there are currently (as of Oct. 12, 2020) only three male astronauts on board.

In addition to the gifts, the purveyor of such benefits is reaching into her (?) deep pockets, at the tune of $17,500 per hour (hour of what is not clear) to support these vital lipstick-(+) accoutrements.

Clearly, space exploration has never been so exciting. Why would the astronauts even want to return to Earth? There’s just a little fly in the ointment: According to the report above, “Even if the astronauts wanted to record themselves using the product — a la the Get Ready With Me videos that many an influencer has posted to YouTube to show off their beauty routines — they wouldn’t be able to. As government employees, they’re restricted from participating in sponsoring products.”

What a bummer!

Except for the proviso: ”That doesn’t mean they’re strangers to commercial and marketing activities — something NASA has set aside 90 hours of crew time for. In 2019, for example, DoubleTree by Hilton sent their chocolate chip cookies up to the Space Station to be the first food baked in space.”

Back on Earth

Can you imagine, here, on Planet Earth, there are still many folks that think of lipstick as non-essential to their attire and feeling good. Estée et al. are working hard to correct such shortcomings and to keep those good feelings alive here and in space. Just go to a one of the larger drugstores and survey the racks of offerings. Not likely that you will find a greater palette of reddish colors and hues anywhere else.

Speaking of colors and hues, you may want to do some testing of your eye sight and color perception. There is a simple and free “X-Rite Color Challenge and Hue Test” available you might like to try at https://www.xrite.com/hue-test with ten hue graduations each for four major colors; one example shown below.

Hue/color sorting test at www.xrite.com

It’s fun, educational and, perhaps, of help to you. All you need to do is to push the squares into the right sequence of hue. I do recommend using a high-resolution screen to see the nuances. Once finished, you can get the score for yourself and gender/age group.

However, if you prefer to see a real colorful world, now is the right time to visit the hardwood forests in the more northern climes. From soft yellows to deep crimson reds, the birch and maple trees are blossoming in their fall colors. It’s a feast for the eyes of the beholder. But don’t wait too long to view these vistas. Once rain, fall storms and frost set in, nature’s color-extravaganza comes to an abrupt end

Winter is Coming

In any event, it’s fall and winter is coming soon. Of course, for some people the latter has arrived already with snow and ice, even in the southern hemisphere that is going towards summer time. That’s why the world is blessed with abundant carbon/hydrocarbon resources.

As a recent post at www.iceagenow.info states, “Fossil fuels are the greatest gift mankind, and the planet, ever could have hoped for.” Yes, indeed!

After WWII, controlled nuclear fission-power certainly has become a major energy source too. Despite the research advances, nuclear fusion-power is still a dream; perhaps it will never come to be “perfected.”

Until then, carbon, in its various forms will continue to dominate the world’s energy consumption. The newly touted “Hydrogen-Economy,” IMHO, will be a total failure that will, sooner or later, be destroying the basis of the “old world” economy.

Carbon, Energy, Inventions

Mankind simply could not have existed without “fossil fuels!” Even our ancient ancestors, making a meager living in caves, were using wood or peat for preparing food over fire pits and heat in ”Longhouses.” The typical life expectancy then, roughly, was 30 years or less – even without any imported Corona-type virus anywhere to cope with.

There were many obstacles that limited life. Even in the so-called  Middle Ages, a time span of approximately 1000 years between the years 500 and 1500 A.D., virulent diseases, warfare, lack of nourishment (including vitamins and disease-fighting drugs), and readily available heating, entire countries were ravished by one or more of such problems.

It all changed, slowly, with the Renaissance and the myriad of inventions including ways to use carbon fuels for heat and energy for work by the many scholars, explorers, and buccaneers that made a living then. Yes, even pirates had to be “ahead of the game” then to be successful.

Life must go on — and it will – as long as there is sufficient carbon dioxide in the atmosphere!

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