29 JAN 2015 by ideonexus
Loss of Hope Accelerates the Death of Trantor
"The fall of Trantor," said Seldon, "cannot be stopped by any conceivable
effort. It can be hastened easily, however. The tale of my interrupted
trial will spread through the Galaxy. Frustration of my plans to lighten
the disaster will convince people that the future holds no promise to them.
Already they recall the lives of their grandfathers with envy. They will
see that political revolutions and trade stagnations will increase. The
feeling will pervade the Galaxy that onl... 1 
notes
notes24 JAN 2015 by ideonexus
Animal Plants: Life Adapted to a Vacuum
"These remarkable creatures combine the characteristics of animals and plants and so I call them animal-plants. ..."
"All right. Don't get angry. Just explain how your creatures avoid getting dried up like mummies."
"That is simple. Their skin is covered with a glassy layer, thin and flexible but absolutely impermeable to gases and liquids and all kinds of particles, so that the creatures are protected from any loss of material. . . . Their bodies have appendages which look like wings and a...Folksonomies: speculation
Folksonomies: speculation
1 notes
notes06 JAN 2013 by ideonexus
The Comfort of Secular Humanism
The secular philosophies of death that I’ve been writing and reading about and contemplating for years have been a tremendous comfort. For instance: The idea that we didn’t exist for billions of years before we were born—that nonexistence wasn’t painful or bad, and death won’t be either. The idea that our genes and our ideas will live on after we die. The idea that each of us was astronomically lucky to have been born at all. The idea that death is a deadline, something that helps u... 1 notes
notesThe many reasons Humanist philosophy and worldview provide comfort.
21 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Teddy Roosevelt on Nature
A grove of giant redwoods or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great or beautiful cathedral. The extermination of the passenger pigeon meant that mankind was just so much poorer; exactly as in the case of the destruction of the cathedral at Rheims. And to lose the chance to see frigate-birds soaring in circles above the storm, or a file of pelicans winging their way homeward across the crimson afterglow of the sunset, or a myriad terns flashing in the bright light of midday as they ho...Folksonomies: nature spirituality
Folksonomies: nature spirituality
1 Nature is like a cathedral with every living thing a masterpiece.
28 MAR 2012 by ideonexus
Religion has Much to Offer Parents
Religion has much to offer parents: an established community, a predefined set of values, a common lexicon and symbology, rites of passage, a means of engendering wonder, comforting answers to the big questions, and consoling explanations to ease experiences of hardship and loss. But for most secularists, these benefits come at too high a price. Many feel that intellectual integrity is compromised, the word “values” too often turned on its head, an us-versus-them mentality too often reinf... 1 notes
notesBut the community and comfort comes at too high a cost for many secularists.
15 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Heat Makes Solids Fluids and Fluids Gases
The opinion I formed from attentive observation of the facts and phenomena, is as follows. When ice, for example, or any other solid substance, is changing into a fluid by heat, I am of opinion that it receives a much greater quantity of heat than that what is perceptible in it immediately after by the thermometer. A great quantity of heat enters into it, on this occasion, without making it apparently warmer, when tried by that instrument. This heat, however, must be thrown into it, in order ... 1 notes
notesBlack believes there is more heat going into ice that turns to water than is registered on a thermometer.
02 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
The Loss of the "Four Elements"
The disappearance of the traditional world of the ‘four elements’ was revolutionary. It was as radical in the world of chemistry as Copernicus’s proof that the earth was not the centre of the solar system; or (some said) as Robespierre’s claim that the people, not the king, embodied sovereignty. Moreover, it was counter-intuitive: it went against common sense and common appearances. Surely water and air were primary, simple elements? Not at all: chemical experiment and scientific inst... 1 notes
notesWas as big in chemistry as the Earth being the center of the Universe was to Astronomy.
15 DEC 2011 by ideonexus
Fractal Geometry Changes One's Perspective of the World
Fractal geometry will make you see everything differently. There is a danger in reading further. You risk the loss of your childhood vision of clouds, forests, flowers, galaxies, leaves, feathers, rocks, mountains, torrents of water, carpet, bricks, and much else besides. Never again will your interpretation of these things be quite the same. Folksonomies: perspective fractals
Folksonomies: perspective fractals
1 notes
notesYou see fractals in much of the natural world after learning of them.
28 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
Three Characteristics of Stress to Avoid in Pregnancy
Researchers have isolated three toxic types. Their common characteristic: that you feel out of control over the bad stuff coming at you. As stress moves from moderate to severe, and from acute to chronic, this loss of control turns catastrophic and begins to affect baby. Here are the bad types of stress:
• Too frequent. Chronic, unrelenting stress during pregnancy hurts baby brain development. The stress doesn’t necessarily have to be severe. The poison is sustained, long-term exposu... 1 notes
notesFrequency, severity, and individual temperaments determine how much stress a person can experience while pregnant and have it affect the health of their baby.
12 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
The Perpetual Renewal That Comes From the Natural World
Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, ... 1 notes
notesThose who enjoy its endless mysteries are never at a loss of interest in life.
