02 MAR 2019 by ideonexus
The Anthropic Principle
As an example of the power of the Anthropic Principle, consider the number of directions in space. It is a matter of common experience that we live in three-dimensional space. That is to say, we can represent the position of a point in space by three numbers. For example, latitude. longitude and height above sea level. But why is space three-dimensional? Why isn't it two, or four, or some other number of dimensions, hke in science fiction? In fact, in M-theory space has ten dimensions (as wel...Folksonomies: anthropic principle
Folksonomies: anthropic principle
29 NOV 2016 by ideonexus
Earthseed 36-40
36. We give our dead We give our deadTo the orchardsAnd the groves.We give our deadTo life. ∞ = Δ 37. Darkness gives shape DarknessGives shape to the lightAs lightShapes the darkness.DeathGives shape to lifeAs lifeShapes death.The universeAnd GodShare this wholeness,EachDefining the other.GodGives shape to the universeAs the universeShapes God. ∞ = Δ 38. Chaos ChaosIs God’s most dangerous face—Amorphous, roiling, hungry.Shape Chaos—Shape God.Act. Alter the speedOr the direction o...Folksonomies: earthseed
Folksonomies: earthseed
29 NOV 2016 by ideonexus
Shape God
God is Power—Infinite,Irresistible,Inexorable,Indifferent.And yet, God is Pliable—Trickster,Teacher,Chaos,Clay.God exists to be shaped.God is Change. Any Change may bear seeds of benefit.Seek them out.Any Change may bear seeds of harm.Beware.God is infinitely malleable.God is Change. God is ChangeAnd hidden within ChangeIs surprise, delight,Confusion, pain,Discovery, loss,Opportunity, and growth.As always,God existsTo shapeAnd to be shaped. A victim of God may,Through learning...17 AUG 2016 by ideonexus
How Political Parties Strive to be Something Greater
Political parties strive to be something greater than the human beings they’re comprised of; they enshrine values and ideologies for the ages. The practical implications of this pursuit are often discussions of tax policy or judicial stances, but these debates are driven by what a certain group believes to be the best, most virtuous way to live life on earth. “The underlying unity of Whig-Republican ideology from Whiggism to Reaganisam,” Gerring writes, “can be found in three interrel...12 MAR 2015 by ideonexus
Spelling is an Invention, and May be Modified
Spelling was invented by man and, like other human inventions, is capable of development and improve- ment by man in the direction of simplicity, economy, and efficiency. Its true function is to represent as accurately as possible by means of simbols (letters) the sounds of the spoken (i. e. the living) language, and thus incidentally to record its history. Its prov- ince is not, as is often mistakenly supposed, to indicate the derivations of words from sources that ar in- accessible...Note the intentional use of simplified spelling in the text.
24 JAN 2015 by ideonexus
Nemisis
Piet Hut, another Dutch astronomer fifty years younger than Jan Oort, decided to take seriously the possibility that comet showers are periodic. If they are periodic, the theory that they are caused by the random passing-by of alien stars cannot be right. If showers are periodic, they must be explained by a different theory. Piet Hut and his friend Rich Muller found an alternative theory to explain the periodicity in case it turns out to be real. The alternative theory is called Nemesis. Neme...Folksonomies: astronomy hypotheses
Folksonomies: astronomy hypotheses
16 JUL 2013 by ideonexus
Directionality in Zero-G
Phrases like “things are looking up” and “look at the upside” once meant something like “consider the good in the situation,” but they went through an ironic shift in the solar system’s early spacecolonial culture, mutating in the microgravity of early tin-can stations to mean a variety of practically sarcastic sentiments, typically something like “be careful” or “let’s be realistic.” The joke (that is, that there is no “upside”) wore off in a hurry, but use it wit...Many of the phrases we use on Earth make no sense in space.
21 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
There is No End to Mechanical Progress
[To] mechanical progress there is apparently no end: for as in the past so in the future, each step in any direction will remove limits and bring in past barriers which have till then blocked the way in other directions; and so what for the time may appear to be a visible or practical limit will turn out to be but a bend in the road.Because each development removes barriers to previous explorations.
12 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Evolution and Entropy are Irreversible
Evolution in the biosphere is therefore a necessarily irreversible process defining a direction in time; a direction which is the same as that enjoined by the law of increasing entropy, that is to say, the second law of thermodynamics. This is far more than a mere comparison: the second law is founded upon considerations identical to those which establish the irreversibility of evolution. Indeed, it is legitimate to view the irreversibility of evolution as an expression of the second law in t...Evolution is irreversible?
11 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Mental Unity of Crowds
Under certain given circumstances, and only under those circumstances, an agglomeration of men presents new characteristics very different from those of the individuals composing it. The sentiments and ideas of all the persons in the gathering take one and the same direction, and their conscious personality vanishes. A collective mind is formed, doubtless transitory, but presenting very clearly defined characteristics. The gathering has thus become what, in the absence of a better expression,...Folksonomies: sociology
Folksonomies: sociology
People behave differently as individuals than when they are working in a group.