Big Blue Huddle

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on March 25, 2025, 08:49:31 PMThat's great info

Chris...fascinating. Are you a history teacher/professor? History was always my first love, but math came easy and led to better jobs so I spent 2 1/2 years at SUNY Cortland as a sec. ed Math major, with a minor in programming. In my senior year, I was so sick of math that I switched my major to History so that I could work in a field I actually loved. Unfortunately, history is a BA, and math/programming was a BS. So I had to practically start over to get all the courses I didn't get including 4 semesters of advanced language (I took French). But as things go, I fell in love, quit school, got married and got a job so I could support my wife. I then transferred to Binghamton University and got my degree in engineering and also in operations management. Only reason I bring that up, is because I am seriously considering going back to school to get my masters in history. Since I'm 72, and a long time NY resident, everything is free (except the books). But I also know (after taking grad courses at BU and then Syr U) that grad courses are far easier than undergrad. There's really no reason for me to do it, but it would give me a chance to fill in a lot of holes in knowledge of world history...in particular, far eastern as well as ancient. Still kicking it around in my head as I figure out what to do with my life as a retiree. Between being a caretaker of my mother, who's in her 90's and needs a lot of help, I play guitar, follow the Giants, visit my kids and grandkids (even two great grandkids) and take time to go out with my buddies. I'm teaching two of my granddaughters how to play guitar. But if I was back in school, it'd structure my time better and I think it would be rewarding

So the historical aspect - as well as the engineering feat - is very interesting to me. Like you, I climbed the spiral staircase to the crown, but it was back in the 60's. I visited it with my daughter in 2000 and we went to the statue as well as to the top of the World Trade Center. Watching it collapse live on TV gave me even more chills as I remember looking down and wondering what would happen if the building ever went down. It was a terrifying thought. Then it did 

Anyway, thanks for the more in-depth history lesson

Thank you, Ric!

I appreciate the compliments. As I have gotten older (NOTE: I will celebrate birthday number 56 on this coming Saturday), I've come to enjoy learning about history through the studies of architecture, archeology, engineering and the evolution of technology.

When I lived in Central New York State, in the Village of Ilion, I spent my first two years of undergraduate study at the recently closed College of Saint Rose in Albany. I was a Math/Physical Science major and would have transferred, in my Junior year, to either Union College or RPI to finish my Engineering coursework. But plans changed and so I stayed closer to home and transferred to what was SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, now known as the SUNY Polytechnic Institute, to earn my Engineering degree. While completing my Junior and Senior years, I worked CO-OP assignments in local industries which included General Electric Aerospace in Utica. I really enjoyed working as a defense contractor and, after graduating, I joined the Army for four years in the Military Intelligence Corps. After completing my original enlistment, I went to work for the Prime Contractor responsible for our hardware, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (NOTE: which merged into Boeingthe following year and I continue to work for that company going on 29 years next month). I've been blessed to have my Engineering Master of Science degree paid by my company and was used as a catalyst for a promotion and new job role.

So, back to history, I do keep myself busy learning about my company's origins from the day Bill Boeing opened shop to the present as we face litigation for the tragedies caused by the 737-MAX crashes, to the surprising news of winning the NGAD competition earlier this week.

I love Ancient Egyptian history, archeology and the programs on National Geographic channel which feature that subject.

To your question regarding teaching history, no, not quite, anyway. I have done platform instructional training for the Warfighter in the past on new product hardware and software. I have set up instructional systems design teams to develop platform instructional training, as well as web-based trainjng,for both the Warfighter and internal customers.

Ironically enough, I studied French in high school for three years. We'd take field trips into the Province of Quebec, to both Montreal and Quebec City, to practice our French, even though the Quebecois speak a "dirty" type of French!"

I find it more than interesting that our respective life journies, though a couple of decades apart, share considerable overlap.

Thank you, again, for sharing your story. It really is a small world. I'll close up by saying my wife matriculated at SUNY Binghamton as well. She is a Buffalo, NY native.

Have a wonderful evening and I have really enjoyed our exchange here!

Peace!

Thanks for sharing that, Chris...we do indeed have an overlap of careers. I spent time in Quebec and concluded that I am not as bilingual as I thought I was. I had my wife and small kids in the car, and we were lost trying to find our hotel. I stopped at a gas station with an old man sitting in a chair out front to ask for help. He kept saying, "je ne comprends pas anglais", and I just couldn't explain in French what I needed as I was tired, frustrated, and my kids were exhausted and the baby crying. It was very frustrating. As I walked away, he yelled out, "hey New Yorker", which I replied, "hey English speaker". He laughed and said he saw my NY plates on the car and said, "sorry, I didn't know you were American...I thought you were Canadian, and we won't speak English to Canadians"...anyway, made me laugh and see a different side to Canada

And your education experience is near my backyard, so I can relate to your journey. I, too, lucked out as an employee of a high-tech company that valued education, and they picked up the bill for furthering my education at Binghamton U. and Syracuse U., which was a really nice perk...lol. As an engineer myself, I made several trips to Ilion to study Remington's MIM (metal injection molding) process, which was new to our company back in the late 80's. It's a shame how Ilion is a shell of its once-glorious self since Cuomo drove the town's life support system out of New York, but I digress

As an engineer, I can probably use the term GD&T in our conversations, and you know what I'm talking about, and I don't have to stop and explain. I became the "GD&T guru" at my company and ended up training engineers, suppliers, QC guys, etc., all across New York and beyond, as well as our own engineers and floor personnel. I turned 72 two days ago, and I still get phone calls asking for a clarification in the use of GD&T. I guess my math background made it come easy to me...not to mention, for many years I was fascinated with the subject. I was also heavily involved with early linear motors that I found interesting. I ended up as far away as Japan in getting processes down to manufacture one of the first linear motors. Which reminds me, we used a company in L.I. for linear bearings that we were going to no longer use after designing one of the first linear motors in the country. One of Thompson Bearings VIPs came to Binghamton to pick me up in a helicopter to take me to their company for a meeting. On the way, we flew close enough to the GW Bridge to put a scare in me, but then we flew out to the Statue of Liberty and hovered in front of Miss Liberty's face. It was a great experience and one of the perks of being an engineer and being involved with linear motion at that time in my life, but I digress

I read an article the other day that spoke of new findings about King Tut's tomb, and that the layout and articles within the tomb, suggested the earliest indication of a ritual to Osiris, for which I have studied on my own. I don't think it's possible to understand early Egyptian culture without understanding the origin and practices surrounding Osiris

Anyway, your story is fascinating, and thanks for sharing. I would enjoy having a beer with you at my favorite watering hole (a dive) for swapping stories

Quote from: kartanoman on March 26, 2025, 01:09:59 AMThank you, Ric!

I appreciate the compliments. As I have gotten older (NOTE: I will celebrate birthday number 56 on this coming Saturday), I've come to enjoy learning about history through the studies of architecture, archeology, engineering and the evolution of technology.

When I lived in Central New York State, in the Village of Ilion, I spent my first two years of undergraduate study at the recently closed College of Saint Rose in Albany. I was a Math/Physical Science major and would have transferred, in my Junior year, to either Union College or RPI to finish my Engineering coursework. But plans changed and so I stayed closer to home and transferred to what was SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, now known as the SUNY Polytechnic Institute, to earn my Engineering degree. While completing my Junior and Senior years, I worked CO-OP assignments in local industries which included General Electric Aerospace in Utica. I really enjoyed working as a defense contractor and, after graduating, I joined the Army for four years in the Military Intelligence Corps. After completing my original enlistment, I went to work for the Prime Contractor responsible for our hardware, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (NOTE: which merged into Boeingthe following year and I continue to work for that company going on 29 years next month). I've been blessed to have my Engineering Master of Science degree paid by my company and was used as a catalyst for a promotion and new job role.

So, back to history, I do keep myself busy learning about my company's origins from the day Bill Boeing opened shop to the present as we face litigation for the tragedies caused by the 737-MAX crashes, to the surprising news of winning the NGAD competition earlier this week.

I love Ancient Egyptian history, archeology and the programs on National Geographic channel which feature that subject.

To your question regarding teaching history, no, not quite, anyway. I have done platform instructional training for the Warfighter in the past on new product hardware and software. I have set up instructional systems design teams to develop platform instructional training, as well as web-based trainjng,for both the Warfighter and internal customers.

Ironically enough, I studied French in high school for three years. We'd take field trips into the Province of Quebec, to both Montreal and Quebec City, to practice our French, even though the Quebecois speak a "dirty" type of French!"

I find it more than interesting that our respective life journies, though a couple of decades apart, share considerable overlap.

Thank you, again, for sharing your story. It really is a small world. I'll close up by saying my wife matriculated at SUNY Binghamton as well. She is a Buffalo, NY native.

Have a wonderful evening and I have really enjoyed our exchange here!

Peace!

WOW, Chris, and I thought you only knew how to kick.        

Quote from: LennG on March 26, 2025, 12:08:56 PMWOW, Chris, and I thought you only knew how to kick.        

Lol, Lenn!!! It sometimes surprises me as well! But now that my planting leg no longer functions, I'm grateful to have something to lean on until retirement in about a decade or so. But I still think about those big kicks on my old cow pasture in North Alabama; I miss that place sometimes.

Peace!

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on March 26, 2025, 10:44:12 AMThanks for sharing that, Chris...we do indeed have an overlap of careers. I spent time in Quebec and concluded that I am not as bilingual as I thought I was. I had my wife and small kids in the car, and we were lost trying to find our hotel. I stopped at a gas station with an old man sitting in a chair out front to ask for help. He kept saying, "je ne comprends pas anglais", and I just couldn't explain in French what I needed as I was tired, frustrated, and my kids were exhausted and the baby crying. It was very frustrating. As I walked away, he yelled out, "hey New Yorker", which I replied, "hey English speaker". He laughed and said he saw my NY plates on the car and said, "sorry, I didn't know you were American...I thought you were Canadian, and we won't speak English to Canadians"...anyway, made me laugh and see a different side to Canada

And your education experience is near my backyard, so I can relate to your journey. I, too, lucked out as an employee of a high-tech company that valued education, and they picked up the bill for furthering my education at Binghamton U. and Syracuse U., which was a really nice perk...lol. As an engineer myself, I made several trips to Ilion to study Remington's MIM (metal injection molding) process, which was new to our company back in the late 80's. It's a shame how Ilion is a shell of its once-glorious self since Cuomo drove the town's life support system out of New York, but I digress

As an engineer, I can probably use the term GD&T in our conversations, and you know what I'm talking about, and I don't have to stop and explain. I became the "GD&T guru" at my company and ended up training engineers, suppliers, QC guys, etc., all across New York and beyond, as well as our own engineers and floor personnel. I turned 72 two days ago, and I still get phone calls asking for a clarification in the use of GD&T. I guess my math background made it come easy to me...not to mention, for many years I was fascinated with the subject. I was also heavily involved with early linear motors that I found interesting. I ended up as far away as Japan in getting processes down to manufacture one of the first linear motors. Which reminds me, we used a company in L.I. for linear bearings that we were going to no longer use after designing one of the first linear motors in the country. One of Thompson Bearings VIPs came to Binghamton to pick me up in a helicopter to take me to their company for a meeting. On the way, we flew close enough to the GW Bridge to put a scare in me, but then we flew out to the Statue of Liberty and hovered in front of Miss Liberty's face. It was a great experience and one of the perks of being an engineer and being involved with linear motion at that time in my life, but I digress

I read an article the other day that spoke of new findings about King Tut's tomb, and that the layout and articles within the tomb, suggested the earliest indication of a ritual to Osiris, for which I have studied on my own. I don't think it's possible to understand early Egyptian culture without understanding the origin and practices surrounding Osiris

Anyway, your story is fascinating, and thanks for sharing. I would enjoy having a beer with you at my favorite watering hole (a dive) for swapping stories

You know, Ric, I'm old enough to have been educated in Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerances (GD&T), but either too young, or in the wrong business, to implement it. By the time I started working at GE Aerospace and Defense in 1990, AutoCAD V7 was the standard and GE used their own standard drawing template with their own GD&T symbols/expressions. Same with MDA and, now in BA, everything is three-dimensional with the Systems Engineering & Integration connecting the interrelationships of functional and physical requirements at the system to sub-system to component level and, in reverse order, their verification steps back up to the system level through a functional and physical configuration audit. When you're in the business of providing complex products with a "System of Systems" architecture, which includes the management of an even more complex supply chain, where "Make or Buy" decisions must be carefully balanced against program risk, the integration aspect becomes critical for success and, since obtaining my Masters in Systems Engineering, I have worked as an Engineering Integration focal between organizations on a program and, over the last 12 years, at both a business unit and, for four years, an Enterprise level, for our supply chain to address systematic issues which impact our commercial and defense platforms, as well as our global services business. It's a long way from design and development of a critical part; however, if we own the design, and leverage our supply chain to "Build to Print," I come into play after Procurement completes the contractual phase and support the supplier with technical, cost, schedule related customer help needed. I reside at one of our biggest Tier One suppliers who provides products and services to multiple platforms across our entire Enterprise and am the go-to guy, for the entire company when this supplier is not performing in accordance with the T's and C's of the contract. So, in addition to my general technical prowess, I provide overall supplier program management support to no less than 100 contracts with the supplier I reside at, and thousands at multiple suppliers in the PHX metro area, as well as New Mexico, to ensure our development, production and sustainment programs meet their contractual obligations. It's challenging yet most rewarding when you achieve success.

Your professional story is second to none! But I can appreciate you being "the man" when they need you, they'll go out of their way to hunt you down and get you (NOTE: the helicopter story is priceless!). You have some fantastic memories to share from your career and have so much to offer that I'm shocked you haven't been pulled more often to be a consultant. If you looked outside of New York State, and wanted to explore the "lower 48," the manufacturing is all down here so your consulting career would skyrocket instantly.

I might have remained in Central NY if not for the state of manufacturing in the early 90s. That is one of the reasons I joined the military so I could buy time, get to see the world and what's out there. I probably received far more out of the enlistment than the Army did; however, they received a good, dedicated soldier who is now an advocate for veterans and better treatment and care of our women and men who return from battle and need our help and support. The four years showed me that returning to the northeast was no longer an option, and I began my new career in Southern California in the mid 90s and have moved for the company roughly seven times in the 29 years to tackle new opportunities and move up. It's far better than having to start from scratch at a new company, in my opinion.

The Howard Carter story of his discovering Tutankhamun's tomb has captured my wonder since early childhood. I believe there was a Tut Exhibit in New York in the late 1970s which drew a buzz. As much as I would have loved to go, I had to settle for three Tut/Ancient Egypt books for Christmas that year which excited me just the same. I kept them for many years until I literally wore out the binding on them.

In 2007, the next opportunity to view actual Tut treasure in the USA presented itself, and I refused to pass up the opportunity. So, living in Alabama at the time, I took vacation and traveled to visit my family and, on the day I reserved tickets, went to the Franklin Museum in Philadelphia to experience the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" tour which, despite not having the best of Tut's treasures on display, was still an experience of a lifetime I will never forget as long as I live. It literally felt like going back in time over 3,000 years and imagining the Boy King still alive and using the artifacts presented before us. Truly, for me, one of the missions I had to accomplish before I die was accomplished that day.

Your mentioning the arrangements of Tut's goods in his tomb arranged in a manner so as to suggest a ritual of Osiris, the God of the Afterlife and Ruler of the Underworld. I presume you have spent time reading "The Book of the Dead" which, amazingly enough, I have a copy of and have read it, on and off, and mostly use it as a reference to validate research articles and documentaries I've read/watched over the years on the journey through the Underworld. It  is a fascinating journey with a "suspenseful" end based on how the king's heart measured up to the "Feather of Truth" on the "Scale of Ma'at."

A couple of years ago, an artistic event, "loosely" based on King Tut's journey through the Underworld and into the Afterlife, was featured in the big cities nationwide which had a "Lighthouse Artspace" Entertainment facility. The event, "Immersive King Tut - Magic Journey to the Light," was an artistic impression of a journey through the Underworld using projected images and videos on the walls of the Lighthouse Artspace walls. You're encouraged to move around and follow the scenes, as if you are moving around in an art gallery, except you are viewing the moving scenes on the walls with a deep-voiced narrator describing each phase of the journey and challenging you to imagine yourself traveling next to the king while on his journey. Folks who have a reasonably good grasp on the concepts of Ancient Egypt will understand what's going on and be able to follow easily. The more casual viewer, who might be trying out this event because they enjoyed the Immersive Disney production which featured previously, or the Van Gogh presentation to the tune of "Starry, Starry Night," might get lost because the production doesn't focus so much on Tutankhamun as it does the Book of the Dead. Let's face it, the Book of the Dead doesn't sell tickets, but King Tut certainly will! Below is a promotion of the event, from a few years ago, on a local Phoenix channel so you get an idea:


The last Tutankhamun program on NatGeo that I watched involved the study of the Burial Chamber's walls, using NDT tools such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR), to identify the presence of hidden rooms off the chamber. Subsequent scans proved inconclusive, and the process is currently on hold pending more definitive technology to confirm or deny the preliminary information obtained from the original GPR scans roughly a decade ago. The ultimate objective, of course, is to turn over every stone possible in the hunt for Nefertiti.

You are, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the only person I have ever discussed Ancient Egypt with, who has actually opened the Book of the Dead, much less actually read it! You've earned beaucoup cool points with me! I will close by validating your experience in Quebec with my own, in attempting to order a pizza to go, when the waiter asked if we were American. We said yes, that we were on a field trip from New York State to practice our French, and he took pity on us and, in English, admitted French Quebec is slightly different than Parisian French they're teaching us in your classes. But keep practicing! He took our order and handed us the best pizza we ever ate that was not from the US of A!

Amazing what you learn when you open yourself up to the locals!

Peace!

To be clear, I'm no expert on Egyptology, but rather a curious student of the culture and origin of practices. I know the religious practice starts with Ra. And I know Osiris was killed by his jealous brother Seth who then cut him up and spread his body parts around the world, followed by his sister Isis recovering the parts and putting Osiris back together and magically bringing him back to life, at least long enough for him to impregnate her; thus, bearing a son whose descendants led to the creation of the Pharaoh system. The Book of the Dead is a little creepy and brings Isis into play as guiding pharaoh's path to the underworld

In reality, I started by having a curiosity of Biblical characters, starting with Nephilim. Which was brought about by reading a conspiracy theory that Goliath was actually a descendant of a union between a Nephilim with the wife of one of Noah's sons, Ham, who was secretly pregnant while aboard the ark. This led me to read the Book of Enoch, followed by researching the dispersion of Noah's sons as the known world was propagated. Studied Nimrod (great-grandson of Noah, grandson of Ham, son of Cush, the brother of Egypt's "original" settler, Mizraim). It is speculated that Ham's wife was pregnant by a Nephilim (unbeknownst to Ham), and thus carried on the gene that produced Goliath through the line of Nimrod. Through the leadership of Mizraim heading up Egypt, the pagan religion (not unlike Greek's gods) produced the deification of Ra, Osiris, Isis, etc., that became fortified as the foundation of Egyptian culture from top to bottom.

So without going into even greater detail, my research was based on curiosity on names in the Bible, and the Book of Enoch. Which then led to studying the Book of the Dead, and practices used by pharaohs and general population of Egypt. Like I said, no expert, just a guy with too much curiosity and more questions than answers. It's quite fascinating to see the extent of this thinking led to so much of early Egyptian history, including their architectural wonders

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on March 27, 2025, 10:39:23 AMTo be clear, I'm no expert on Egyptology, but rather a curious student of the culture and origin of practices. I know the religious practice starts with Ra. And I know Osiris was killed by his jealous brother Seth who then cut him up and spread his body parts around the world, followed by his sister Isis recovering the parts and putting Osiris back together and magically bringing him back to life, at least long enough for him to impregnate her; thus, bearing a son whose descendants led to the creation of the Pharaoh system. The Book of the Dead is a little creepy and brings Isis into play as guiding pharaoh's path to the underworld

In reality, I started by having a curiosity of Biblical characters, starting with Nephilim. Which was brought about by reading a conspiracy theory that Goliath was actually a descendant of a union between a Nephilim with the wife of one of Noah's sons, Ham, who was secretly pregnant while aboard the ark. This led me to read the Book of Enoch, followed by researching the dispersion of Noah's sons as the known world was propagated. Studied Nimrod (great-grandson of Noah, grandson of Ham, son of Cush, the brother of Egypt's "original" settler, Mizraim). It is speculated that Ham's wife was pregnant by a Nephilim (unbeknownst to Ham), and thus carried on the gene that produced Goliath through the line of Nimrod. Through the leadership of Mizraim heading up Egypt, the pagan religion (not unlike Greek's gods) produced the deification of Ra, Osiris, Isis, etc., that became fortified as the foundation of Egyptian culture from top to bottom.

So without going into even greater detail, my research was based on curiosity on names in the Bible, and the Book of Enoch. Which then led to studying the Book of the Dead, and practices used by pharaohs and general population of Egypt. Like I said, no expert, just a guy with too much curiosity and more questions than answers. It's quite fascinating to see the extent of this thinking led to so much of early Egyptian history, including their architectural wonders

Your research project is a fascinating endeavor and to use the Ancient Egyptian texts, the Jerusalem Bible / Old Testament and others to "connect the dots" has to be an enlightening exercise.

With all we have shared, in only scraping the surface of this incredible history, imagine tying it all together with their interest in the Cosmos and Astrology of the day. We already know of the implications of designing engineering masterpieces, involving the stars, as well as the rise and setting of the sun. We know of Ramses II Temple at Abu Simbel, that twice a year (February 22 and October 22), the morning sun stretches through the temple and lights up the inner sanctuary, where the statues of the deified king Ramses II, known as "Ra-Horakhty," and the Gods Amun, Ra and Ptah (NOTE: the light shines on all except Ptah, who is the god associated with the underworld). We also know of the theories being posed of the https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/pyramid-air-shafts/ of the Great Pyramid, and the debate as to whether they represented a passage way for the king to rise out of the pyramid, and to the stars, an air duct or, some kind of stellar clock or map. These debates continue to today with nobody closer to the answer than when the researchers from Leeds University developed their special mobile camera to investigate the shafts in 2010.

This big question of the history of the world can take on many different facets by virtue of the knowledge disciplines we research. Ancient texts, our earliest "bibles," archaeology, history, even astronomy, are all pieces to an interwoven puzzle that bring us relatively close to telling the story as it actually played out. There are still missing pieces but what I appreciate are the archaeological finds which help capture the essence of that time, long ago, as well as the texts which offer some context.

I appreciate your exchange and wish you the enjoyment and fulfillment I've experienced in learning about these civilizations from thousands of years ago.

Peace!

Quote from: kartanoman on March 29, 2025, 08:04:08 PMYour research project is a fascinating endeavor and to use the Ancient Egyptian texts, the Jerusalem Bible / Old Testament and others to "connect the dots" has to be an enlightening exercise.

With all we have shared, in only scraping the surface of this incredible history, imagine tying it all together with their interest in the Cosmos and Astrology of the day. We already know of the implications of designing engineering masterpieces, involving the stars, as well as the rise and setting of the sun. We know of Ramses II Temple at Abu Simbel, that twice a year (February 22 and October 22), the morning sun stretches through the temple and lights up the inner sanctuary, where the statues of the deified king Ramses II, known as "Ra-Horakhty," and the Gods Amun, Ra and Ptah (NOTE: the light shines on all except Ptah, who is the god associated with the underworld). We also know of the theories being posed of the https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/pyramid-air-shafts/ of the Great Pyramid, and the debate as to whether they represented a passage way for the king to rise out of the pyramid, and to the stars, an air duct or, some kind of stellar clock or map. These debates continue to today with nobody closer to the answer than when the researchers from Leeds University developed their special mobile camera to investigate the shafts in 2010.

This big question of the history of the world can take on many different facets by virtue of the knowledge disciplines we research. Ancient texts, our earliest "bibles," archaeology, history, even astronomy, are all pieces to an interwoven puzzle that bring us relatively close to telling the story as it actually played out. There are still missing pieces but what I appreciate are the archaeological finds which help capture the essence of that time, long ago, as well as the texts which offer some context.

I appreciate your exchange and wish you the enjoyment and fulfillment I've experienced in learning about these civilizations from thousands of years ago.

Peace!

Since you mentioned archaeology, I am a fan of biblical archaeology to help determine what parts of the Bible are history and what parts are narratives or exaggerated history.

Have you read the books of William Dever? He is the foremost authority on biblical archaeology? He has some interesting stuff. He also has some lectures on YouTube that may raise eyebrows.