30 NOV 2015 by ideonexus
Specialization is for Insects
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. 1 
notes
notes30 JAN 2015 by ideonexus
It is No Accident that We Inhabit a Veritable Paradise
Imagine a spaceship full of sleeping explorers, deep-frozen would-be
colonists of some distant world. Perhaps the ship is on a forlorn mission to save the species before an unstoppable comet, like the one that killed
the dinosaurs, hits the home planet. The voyagers go into the deep-freeze
soberly reckoning the odds against their spaceship's ever chancing upon
a planet friendly to life. If one in a million planets is suitable at best, and
it takes centuries to travel from each star to the nex... 1 notes
notes11 DEC 2014 by ideonexus
Milli-Helen
"I give them fifty milli-Helens," he said.
This went totally missing on everyone.
"A milli-Helen is enough beauty to launch exactly one ship," Zane explained, and the
older Crims all laughed. "Fifty's pretty good."Folksonomies: measurement quantification
Folksonomies: measurement quantification
1 notes
notes21 MAY 2013 by ideonexus
Ship of Theseus Paradox
The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned [from Crete] had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their place, insomuch that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same.Folksonomies: philosophy paradox
Folksonomies: philosophy paradox
1 Is a ship that has every board and nail replaced the same ship?
29 AUG 2011 by ideonexus
What Do We Plant When We Plant the Tree?
What do we plant when we plant the tree?
We plant the ship, which will cross the sea.
We plant the mast to carry the sails;
We plant the planks to withstand the gales—
The keel, the keelson, and beam and knee;
We plant the ship when we plant the tree.
What do we plant when we plant the tree?
We plant the houses for you and me.
We plant the rafters, the shingles, the floors,
We plant the studding, the lath, the doors,
The beams and siding, all parts that be;
We plant the house when we plant...Folksonomies: poetry naturalism
Folksonomies: poetry naturalism
1 We plant all the things we get from trees.
10 AUG 2011 by ideonexus
We Settle into a Comfortable Identity as Adults
She still felt seasick occasionally, especially when the wind got up and the ship plunged heavily over the crests of the graygreen waves, and then it was Pantalaimon’s job to distract her from it by skimming the waves as a stormy petrel; because she could feel his boundless glee in the dash of wind and water, and forget her nausea. From time to time he even tried being a fish, and once joined a school of dolphins, to their surprise and pleasure. Lyra stood shivering in the fo’c’sle and ... 1 notes
notesThe idea of the daemon, which changes shape, trying on different forms as a child, is a great metaphor for the masks and roles we wear growing up until we settle into who we are.
11 APR 2011 by ideonexus
The Fascinating Ability of Humans to Walk Upright
We stand upright-after a little practice-on a ship that rolls because we possess an array of sensory nerve cells buried in our muscles, skin, and joints. The function of these sensors is to provide a constant flow of information to the brain about the movements and location in space of the various parts of our bodies, as well as the environmental forces currently acting on them. We also have a pair of balance organs associated with our ears which work like spirit-levels, each having a bubble ...A wonderful description of everything that goes into the process of walking and standing upright.
03 JAN 2011 by ideonexus
Communism and the scientific viewpoint
I would like to remark, in passing, since the word "atheism" is so closely connected with "communism," that the communist views are the antithesis of the scientific, in the sense that in communism the answers are given to all the questions - political questions as well as moral ones - without discussion and without doubt. The scientific viewpoint is the exact opposite of this; that is, all questions must be doubted and discussed; we must argue everything out - observe things, check them, and... 1 notes
notesCommunism deals with absolutes, which is the opposite of science, science lack a definite direction, which is more aligned with democracy.
