A Random Thought

I'm happy to say I haven't been sitting away whiling away the hours.  I've been at it from waking to passing out.  The result is that I haven't had much to say, but I thought I'd share a random thought or two.  Is fire alive?

According to my biology class, life is defined as having some things in common
1.  It consumes energy - well, duh!
2.  It reproduces - ask Mrs. O'Leary's cow about that.
3.  It moves - it depends.  Is there a draft around?
4.  It excretes waste - sure!  CO2 and a bunch of other stuff
5.  It dies - yes, it does, especially if you're camping on a wet night

There were a couple more things but from the look of it, yes fire lives!

Not really.  Take away the energy and it goes away.  So does everything.  Don't eat for a month or two and see what happens to you.  Reproduction is something that implies something can't exist unless it is created.  Take a big pile of carbon and hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, iron and phosphorous as well as a few other elements I can't remember and you'll never grow a human being.  Leave a pile of oily rags lying around and you might get fire.  Movement is more than a reaction.  Plants grow toward the sun and fire doesn't seem to care what is going on around it.  If I'm stupid enough to stick my hand in the torch flame again it will burn it the same as it did before.  It won't go out looking for me though.  There are byproducts of many chemical reactions and that doesn't mean they live.  As far as dying goes, in order to die something has to be alive.  No, fire isn't really alive but sometimes it's perverse enough to make me believe it is.

What has this to do with beads, lampworking or anything?  Not much.  Here are some pictures of things I made that are alive.

Good night and God bless.