tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post7957184391902181924..comments2024-03-19T05:35:07.296-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: A free Brin story for you: "Reality Check"!David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-33057820809948564742016-04-02T12:35:18.673-07:002016-04-02T12:35:18.673-07:00This thread seems to have lost its mortality... I ...This thread seems to have lost its mortality... I hope I didn't kill it, but I will place no bets on that.<br />Well, I wrote most of the essay on immortality, but still have to write the part about the second form of it... That is shorter, but unfortunately, I'm already at over 10,000 characters. Fortunately, it was fun writing it and I will have to finish, but taxes and a funeral first.<br />Like many things I have studied about humans though, in the case of immortality, the interesting part is that the key to a lot of potentials is not the technology that makes it possible, but the strategy that makes it survivable. We have instincts that dominate a lot of our actions. If they are not kept happy, they will not support our survival. No technology can compensate for that. <br />Does anyone want to see it or did this truly die? Miguelitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18118615421420161491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-76526857070211272282016-03-26T17:52:37.148-07:002016-03-26T17:52:37.148-07:00I should make a comment per the previous discussio...I should make a comment per the previous discussion of genetics. One point that must be understood from that is that the rate of genetic deterioration is a constant. It is the rate of Natural Selection that has changed. It is not about rich or poor. It is not even about genetically gifted or not. It is a statistical thing as pitiless and cruel as Nature is known for.<br />Skipping the details of how to effectively and economically husband our genes as Dr. Dagen Wells has demonstrated can be done, there are some interesting political and social ramifications. The first is that our ideals have led to declarations of equality, but that is only in the eyes of the law and not always then. Husbanding our genes is going to lead to a form of genetic equality never imagined. Pretty much everything in Nature from virus to society is about evolution. The nature of that will change. The nature of just about everything will change. <br />A political ramification arises. What is the meaning of the word "freedom"? Freedom of travel, association, belief, dress, preferences, etc.? It is fertile ground for debate, but a new freedom becomes an issue. Who will make the decisions about genes when we wrest that from Nature's dark hands? If you do not control the destiny that is your genes, you do not have freedom? Yes, there will be a balance and parents cannot decide to let their children inherit broken genes that did not come from them, but there will be those that will think they know best the future of humanity out of selfishness, or worse still, good intentions. <br /> <br />I will add a few points about immortality as well. A well lived life removes fear of death, but makes it no less sweet. An immortality of unending aging and frailty is a waste of time, only good for those that have never lived and so fear death. While immortality has been a goal of some since well before the pyramids were built to achieve it, our vision of immortality is of youth, vigor, adventure and love. If there is no room for happiness and even growth, it will be a short immortality. Life can be extended as can health, but only so much and it is that youth and vigor that people crave. <br /><br />Immortality is about you and you are not just what you are now. Using an electrode studded salad bowl to record who you are now does not make you. You are so much more than you are now. Besides, how the brain works is different between individuals. It seems unlikely that the brain could be analyzed. What it comes down to is belief, that ultimate frail arbitrator of human reality. Is it endless life, endless suffering or neither, just an imitation? It is the person that decides, but now it is the person that decides when it ends, not nature.Miguelitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18118615421420161491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-9544846077343056382016-03-24T18:06:01.781-07:002016-03-24T18:06:01.781-07:00Ya know I was nattering on the other day about som...Ya know I was nattering on the other day about some external thing that might effect politics or history faster than most traditional historical events unfold, maybe some technology or other sciency thing. While I'm no master biologist like Mr. Darwin or Mr. Wilson, I do understand that life is about evolution and that natural selection drives that system. You've got to admit, what we've been calling human progress has been the removal of natural selection. You would think that that has got to have an effect. Really, thinking about biology, I have to wonder about the change to much smaller families. Just a short time ago, in terms of biology, everyone tried to have as many children as possible, because a lot of them were going to die very young. Now we seem to have gone from a quantity strategy to quality where we only have a few children. Most survive, but they have to have a lot more education and training for the modern world. Again though, that lowers the rate of natural selection. Ya know, I recall that a major function of natural selection is to remove random mutations that don't work. Only a very few mutations are beneficial. Most are actually bad and break the function of the gene. I seem to recall it is called Genetic Load and you need natural selection to remove those errors. ...Doesn't sound so good, because then natural selection means death, something easy to forget these days. It's not a daily thing like it used to be. If you are mentioning broken genes, I guess something else that is a big change is that parents are far older than they used to be and I know there is research that shows that as they get older, they have more mutations in their germ cells. Actually I can think of other things that would probably break the genes as well. I mean genes have to be certain sequences to work. They are an integral thing. If they broke or became non-integral for any reason, I guess they would be defective and would be that genetic load. Wow. Almost as scary as that Zika problem, because even if the non-integral gene didn't effect a person much, their children and theirs would inherit the broken gene. That's how genetics works, good or bad, it adds up and most of those broken genes would be bad. Wow. You could get to a point where a major percentage of children had genetic problems at birth. Well, they can now do inexpensive genetic sequencing, so if that is happening it should be known. I seem to vaguely recall they are seeing what they are calling "de novo" mutations (Latin for fresh) that are not inherited from the parents. They are very commonly (35 to 60%) the cause of problems in at risk groups that have been sequenced, like premature babies or mental retardation (the most expensive disability). Same numbers for autism, but less clear. I guess those could be broken genes. I can't see what else you could call them. I wonder what the rate is in general. I bet someone knows. I bet it is high, but in any case, it is increasing. That's inevitable as gene things are. Now that would qualify as a sciency external effect that could alter politics and history in short order. I mean, it's about the most basic thing in human instinct, survival. Autism was enough to cause a disruption... terror... whatever. What if it looked like there was going to be a constant increase in minor and major birth defects? I bet that would freak out some people, especially the women. It would have a broader effect than Zika ever did. I bet the effects of that would be really far reaching, because even if you could come up with a technical solution (Hmmmm.... CRISPR wouldn't solve it, but with a little thought I bet I could think of something even cheaper that would.) It is still about children and human survival, so inevitably there is a huge moral dimension to the problem that would have to be addressed as well. That might be a big enough thing to even effect history. Whoa! Someone should write a book about it.Miguelitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18118615421420161491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-51654835972500485842016-03-23T19:31:05.231-07:002016-03-23T19:31:05.231-07:00Cool! Aldous Huxley, Immorality, Citizen Kane and ...Cool! Aldous Huxley, Immorality, Citizen Kane and the Chief all in SoCal! How can you go wrong? An acquaintance of the Chief introduced me to John Galt once. I said he didn't look like a "John" and he admitted it was a nom de plume, that his real name was Nicola.<br /><br />Speaking of Immortality, as it seems is the discussion, I got permission to describe in this reality the two main forms of practical immortality that humans on the outside use. I claimed it was a creative writing assignment for a remedial English class taught by a struggling Science Fiction author. They bought it, because I have previously demonstrated I'm sort of a wanna be author, just without any talent for it.<br /><br />Speaking of which. I do have multiple incarnations in this reality (at least one other). I'm not "immediately" sure where they fit in my personal timeline, but I stumbled upon some writing that is so wussy wassy and stiff, that I had to have written it. There is a lot of it at this one website. It sounds like me anyway though it seems to be completely anonymous - another hint it's me. I had no interest in making contact. I know how boring I am. It does seem to be a very nice stuff if you like the ocean. Apparently I was here in non-professional capacity at some point, because it sounds like all I was doing was having a good time. Here's a link to one example - <a href="http://diver.net/seahunt/Shores/ShoresS.htm" rel="nofollow">Lonely Shores. </a> It seems good.<br /><br />In any case, I will write something up about how immortality is commonly and practically accomplished in its two primary forms. No, I'm not talking about melange and we still have never been able to steal the secret of Boosterspice. Besides, both of those methods have well known draw backs. This is about practical, economical and industrial scale immortality that avoids the main practical and moral pitfalls so common to the practice.<br /><br />Lets see if html tags really work...Ahhh.... no images and it was so pretty... looked like the dawn of creation.<br />http://diver.net/seahunt/Shores/IMG_2175Sunset.JPGMiguelitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18118615421420161491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-67557971339343576872016-03-22T17:33:41.184-07:002016-03-22T17:33:41.184-07:00Fazinating. Actual thoughtful political discourse,...Fazinating. Actual thoughtful political discourse, certainly compared to what can be found by that name most places these days. Yet our host, the good Dr. Brin is more known as one of the premier speculative writers of the day. Then what can I do but combine the two? So lets explore future something sciency that makes history and politics. We won't mess around with the boring stuff either. Remember though, you may not always be able to know when I am telling the truth or not.<br /> <br />Historical events tend to unfold over time. Arch Duke Ferdinand's assassination precipitated dramatic events, but the treaties calling for action were developed over generations. I'm not that patient. Sudden developments have rarely made differences to the unfolding of political and social development. ... Until perhaps now. Things just happen faster now and there are new "forces"..... Ohhhh sciency! These are external forces acting on the society. It has happened before like the philosophy of Christianity on the Philosophy of Iron Age Rome or the Black Death. (No, not military events like the Sack of Baghdad. Those are traditional news.) <br /> <br />Well, if we are going to make up some history, we better make it interesting, so lets add a human element like romance or fear. Black plague nicely combined two of those, but it was just too short on the morality play aspect to sell. Must have a morality play. You were supposed to learn that from Star Trek. It wasn't the over the top acting that sold that! Scientists seem just lousy at romance, so lets skip that altogether too. OK, fear it is! Thy name is Zika.<br /><br />Change happens when there is disruption. Maybe it will be from climate change - I am hearing rumblings that may be disinformation or they may be warning of something we are going to know about shortly. Still, that is not going to unfold fast enough for the ADHD SW crowd. Maybe it will be automation and AI. It's sciency and has good moral dimensions, but I'm not so sure about the fear part. No one seems seriously worried about Terminators. PCs are notoriously slow moving. Zika has so much more to offer. We have a yuge cultural war going on about abortion now with yuge political ramifications and frankly the anti-choice groups are winning. Along comes the Zika virus and it is spreading rapidly. Will that external factor cause a disruption? The Pope has already said that birth control may be moral in that extreme case, but in highly Catholic Brazil, it did not disrupt the issue of abortion... yet. Look forward when Zika is common in the US and the results are known. Pretty bad results. We don't know just how that will play out yet, but think about how the increase in recognized autism has sparked terror and it causes far less damage than the Zika virus. Autism is about children and so hits us in our moral instincts. The first question is could that change the trajectory of the culture war and then history? So instead of the discussion of politics being about current political forces, what if it changes to including a response to a novel, politically non-traditional events. Such are the things that SciFi considers, but we all know how SciFi tends to become Sciency.<br /><br />OK, maybe Zika, maybe not. There may be cures or let people get it young like they did rubella. I want something that will foster such moral terror, coming with such inevitability that it changes everything, forever... but in a warm, good, sciency way.... but only because the solution will be sciency. OH I GOT IT! I know one that scares the heck out of me even. It's sneaking up on us right now and will effect children more than autism, but more randomly and insidiously than Zika. The result is going to hit us like wham, bam, thank you ma'am. History changes over night. Only the purest science can fix it up (screw those dystopian negative vibe endings), but then it leads to a bright egalitarian sciency fiction future for all of humanity <br /><br />Oops, hit 4000 characters, but whaddya think of it? Will it hang?Miguelitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18118615421420161491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-90777020289937916402016-03-22T14:06:15.920-07:002016-03-22T14:06:15.920-07:00While it might not matter whether you have 3 rows ...<br />While it might not matter whether you have 3 rows of 50 items or 50 rows of 3 items to solve the arithmetic problem of 3*50, when it comes to higher maths a 3x50 matrix is different from a 50x3 matrix. It is in the learner's best interest if the depiction of 3*50 objects and a 3x50 array be compatible. <br /><br />David Smelserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08596446730839038592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-37656293851173154292016-03-22T11:42:23.482-07:002016-03-22T11:42:23.482-07:00onward
onwardonward<br /><br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-65107829566147722192016-03-22T09:38:36.061-07:002016-03-22T09:38:36.061-07:00Unfortunately, we didn't have boots on the gro...Unfortunately, we didn't have boots on the ground this time. Which suggests the Democratic method of war needs more thought before starting war - ie, working with partners and getting them to agree to have boots on the ground.<br /><br />Learning opportunities. But costly ones.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-23829627538940583482016-03-22T09:22:12.967-07:002016-03-22T09:22:12.967-07:00Assuming we live in a sane world where Trump is de...Assuming we live in a sane world where Trump is defeated… oh the sci fi worlds that many authors will create for him to star in!<br /><br />The democratic way of war only works when you have partners on the ground who can carry things forward. In Libya I remain perplexed why Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria do nothing. Quagmire fear? That’d be worse than this?<br /><br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-51538084900707129642016-03-22T08:20:33.135-07:002016-03-22T08:20:33.135-07:00Going off on a tangent for a moment, recently my y...Going off on a tangent for a moment, recently my young dog has been vocalizing - making various sounds like he's trying to say words to me - and I'm starting to wonder what he's saying. <br /><br />We teach dogs our language through a combination of hand signals and verbal words. They do have a capacity to learn some language. But now I'm pondering... how much effort do people make to comprehend what our dogs are trying to tell us? And does it differ from dog to dog? Does it differ depending on the language? Or the gender of the dog owner?<br /><br />Just what is going on in those little doggie brains? And could part of my dog's frustration be that this dull idiot just doesn't get it with comprehending what he says... even though he's able to understand me (somewhat)?<br /><br />Of course, part of it could also be a tired young dog fighting off a nap.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6251396637005916862016-03-22T07:55:08.370-07:002016-03-22T07:55:08.370-07:00Okaaaaaaaaay then. https://archive.is/m9B64
I thi...<i>Okaaaaaaaaay then. https://archive.is/m9B64</i><br /><br />I think that would be classified as "one of those stories you shouldn't write." :) A.F. Reynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-68254061139941469722016-03-22T07:30:58.646-07:002016-03-22T07:30:58.646-07:00Shows me to post before sufficient coffee.
I dele...Shows me to post before sufficient coffee.<br /><br />I deleted a long rambling post in which I went into further details on my thoughts and on capitalizing on assaults that had happened, and condensed it. Obviously I overdid the editing. My apologies. I'd moved away from the "it's faked" view after seeing more proof it wasn't, and started considering factors which could be behind a widescale number of events all involving refugees.<br /><br />My comments on the Serbian war remain valid. Serbia is a different situation than Syria or Iraq. Thus a method of waging war that worked in Serbia may not work in other regions. And let's face it - if the U.S. (under the elder Bush) had set up two no-fly zones in Iraq, one over the South and one over the North, and had supported the popular uprising in southern Iraq, then we'd have less ill will from Iraqis over what we did over there - and if we'd kept the Iraqi military employed but started instituting controls, it is possible far fewer of them would have gone off to create militias and the resulting chaos when various armed factions resumed their grudges.<br /><br />----------<br /><br />I'm also looking at recent reports of people jumping to conclusions about the bombing in Brussels that just happened... and the knee-jerk belief it's ISIS. Fortunately the news media article I'm reading did say "or other terrorist groups" but I doubt even if it turns out al Qaeda or another non-ISIS group was behind these attacks that Trump, Cruz, and crew would admit to being wrong. <br /><br />It makes me wish we had a Republican with military experience running, as such a candidate would take the wind out of Trump's wings - far better to have someone with experience dealing with these things than some blowhard who panders to the base without thinking things through.<br /><br />This will be a problem for Hillary, however... and for Sanders. But especially Clinton, seeing that Benghazi will become the trumpet call among Republicans. "Benghazi happened under Clinton's watch and she fumbled the ball! We need a President who can keep us safe!" No doubt the anti-Sanders message would be claiming he's a peacenik and we need someone with spine.<br /><br />The irony is that under the Bushes and Reagan, things weren't as safe. But Republicans will just handwave that away and claim it to be lies. Still, maybe that message needs to start being spread now. A few viral videos with red shading of incident after incident that happened under Bush, Bush, and Reagan... and maybe a 9/11 documentary suggesting the Shrug turned our intelligence apparatus onto the outgoing President and ignored signs that al Qaeda was planning something. Well, if such a thing could be put together in six months.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-66235345205133582062016-03-22T06:53:48.087-07:002016-03-22T06:53:48.087-07:00Robert,
Those assaults did take place in Germany ...Robert,<br /><br />Those assaults did take place in Germany and are well-documented. Secondly, I suggest you study in depth the Serbian War and find out what really happened and not just what the mainstream media reported.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-44867642584979899502016-03-22T06:34:30.129-07:002016-03-22T06:34:30.129-07:00I have been wondering about the accusations of rap...I have been wondering about the accusations of rape and sexual assault on New Year's Eve in Germany in which male refugees were blamed. At first I was pondering if it was anti-immigration opponents in Germany faking events... but now I'm wondering if ISIS might have sent agents into Germany (perhaps enroute to France for terror attacks) and encouraged the assaults so to turn Western sentiments against Islamic refugees so to stop the flow of Syrians into Europe and increase the hatred of Muslims and Syrians against Europeans who "refuse to share their wealth."<br /><br />---------------<br /><br />Syria and Libya have been posterchildren as to the flaws of the Democrat method of waging war. Both are wars waged under Obama... and both have been far less effective than Clinton's war in Serbia. <br /><br />Part of the problem is that America has war fatigue. Afghanistan and Iraq left us with a sour taste in our mouths. We don't want to be losing boys and girls in another country that hates us. So we bomb Gaddafi's military when they are stomping out protestors and then wash our hands of things... and this sours things with Russia which sees it as more Bush-style Nation Building. That limits further what we can do in Syria... which ends up a cesspool that breeds terrorists that even al Qaeda looks at and goes "um... no."<br /><br />So the Democrat method of waging war may in fact be no matter or worse than the Republican version (with the exception that the Shrug used the nation's credit card to pay for his adventurism while giving his buddies who put him in power big tax breaks and first dibs in Iraq after that nut was cracked). The reason Clinton's war in Serbia was so successful... may be the area where the war was fought. <br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-18538007254723122262016-03-22T06:05:37.495-07:002016-03-22T06:05:37.495-07:00And in Europe we have different problems.And in Europe we have different problems.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-76280542761024926452016-03-22T01:48:52.694-07:002016-03-22T01:48:52.694-07:00@Laurent, Paul451 - "Why are Democrats so sca...@Laurent, Paul451 - <i>"Why are Democrats so scared of, embarrassed by, their own beliefs...why are the Democrats so pathetic at taking advantage of that collapse, those economic-policy failures, that anger of the grass-roots..."</i><br /><br />Bill Bradley put his finger on the problem in 2005 with this piece: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/30/opinion/a-party-inverted.html<br /><br />Republicans operate through a pyramid, held together by money. Trump doesn't have as much of it as other Republican players toward the top, but the players on that side who actually have the most money dilute it's effect, spreading it about to attack a large number of "enemies" and fix the loyalty of their "followers." <br /><br />Democrats operate through an inverted pyramid, held together by the charisma of a presidential candidate, but it's a deceptively shaky foundation, with most power wielded by numerous factions - ethnic constituencies (Jewish, African-American, congealing Latino groups), labor unions, women, youth, wealthy (who champion specific causes rather than the party) - each of which presses down upon the leader, each of which must be separately appeased to remain motivated to participate, each of which grows quickly disillusioned when its pet projects are deferred. <br /><br />Hillary may or may not be a good woman, but she has never cut the charismatic figure Obama did in 2008 - she offers general progressivism and competence, to Obama's offer of 'hope.' donzelionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991849781932619746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-39098598141417432032016-03-22T01:37:49.077-07:002016-03-22T01:37:49.077-07:00"Okaaaaaaaaay then. https://archive.is/m9B64&...<i>"Okaaaaaaaaay then. https://archive.is/m9B64"</i><br /><br />Give a whole new meaning to "the Internet of Things", don't it? ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11903687674146271189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21820276843897315572016-03-22T01:11:02.378-07:002016-03-22T01:11:02.378-07:00* "the question is why are the Democrats so p...<b>*</b> "<i>the question is why are the Democrats so pathetic at taking advantage of that collapse, those economic-policy failures, that anger of the grass-roots.</i>"<br /><br />Because Democrats are reformists, whereas grass-root rage fuels revanchism, and the two don't mix well: a bully who promises to <b>hurt</b> someone else will always have more appeal.<br /><br />Which is why, I think, the GOP establishment is so repulsed by Trump: he's reminding people of a template that could be reused in a campaign <b>against them</b>: Instead of "<i>The Mexicans are rapists, the Muslims hate Us and Violence against the Undeserving is Good</i>", you could get a demagogue shouting "<i>The Rich are fucking parasites who regard Us as moronic monkeys just good enough to do menial works and be used as fucktoys from time to time and we'll be free only when <b>they</b> have been thoroughly exterminated</i>" and attract the same audience than Trump, especially after a few years with Trump in power because<br />1. People would know from <i>personal</i> experience that kowtowing to the oligarch who promise preferential access to the scraps doesn't provide any improvement to one's material comforts<br />2. The Trump regime would likely have mimicked other authoritarians regimes like Putin's or Assad's and focused their repression on the peaceful idealists thinking that if the bloodthirsty extremists are the only opponents remaining, the Regime will preserve its popular support by virtue of being the moderately less shitty alternative, thus creating a vacuum that a revanchist bully could easily fill.Laurent Weppenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87723002842543903622016-03-21T23:56:42.348-07:002016-03-21T23:56:42.348-07:00Smurphs,
"I, too, live in a state (PA) where ...Smurphs,<br /><i>"I, too, live in a state (PA) where "It. Doesn't. Matter. Who. I. Vote. For." "</i><br /><br />If you are in a state that's actually Blue (judging by the Presidential results) but gerrymandered Red at other levels, then Your. Vote. Matters. more than most. Every county elections supervisor, every judge, etc etc. Every race matters. And especially, if you aren't up to your eyeballs in down-ticket primaries, actively campaigning in every close primary contest, you're abdicating your responsibilities.<br /><br />(Robert's actually also in the same situation, where he can play amongst the Dem primaries, swing the close races, promote a reformist agenda. But he's already too hooked on the self-satisfaction of his own helplessness. You, otoh, may still be convinced of the benefit of "hacking the system".)<br /><br />Mike,<br />Re: Liberal vs Progressive<br /><br />The terms are largely synonymous, politically. But if you take the names literally, then a liberal would favour policies of freedom. Making more people, more "free". A progressive would favour policies of progress, making things better for more people. Mostly those policies would overlap, but presumably if we "win", there will become a point where they tug in different directions.<br /><br />Both are distinct from "left", which has another ideal they are trying to move towards (or back to.)<br /><br />Alfred,<br /><i>"When a kid is taught that multiplication is multiple addition and tries to simplify 3 * 50 by adding fifty copies of three together, they don't get the language even if they get the answer."</i><br /><br />Interesting example. Apparently if the same kid added three copies of 50, for a question that requested the additive expansion, under Common Core he'd be failed because "we haven't taught them commutation yet".<br /><br />(Had a similar example a few years back when I updated a bookkeeping qual. Answered a question from the first chapter using ordinary double-entry rules and had the answers failed, "because we haven't learnt that yet". Didn't even occur to me to treat the question as single-entry. The difference is that my examiner got to the third or fourth "wrong" answer in that batch of questions, then apparently clicked to what I was doing, and went back and corrected my grading back to a pass; just adding a note to explain what the chapter was trying to ask. Human in the loop. "Prove you are not a robot.")<br /><br /><i>"9^9^9<br />9! ^9! ^ 9!<br />9! ^9! ^ 9! !"</i><br /><br />((9!^9!)!^9!)!<br /><br />9!↑⁹!9! which is 9!^9!^9!^9!^9!^... 362880 times.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-25898719500520097902016-03-21T23:49:35.943-07:002016-03-21T23:49:35.943-07:00Robert,
"A violent uprising against the Democ...Robert,<br /><i>"A violent uprising against the Democrats would fail if the Liberals end up armed and able to fight back, after all."</i><br /><br />{sigh} Again with the myth that a few handguns and cheap AR-15 copies can stop a group being taken down by a hostile government.<br /><br /><i>"We are seeing some significant signs that the Republican Party is falling apart. They keep power through widescale gerrymandering. Their economic policies are being shown over and over again to be smoke and mirrors. Their base has grown angry and is turning against them. The question isn't "can Republicans maintain their hold" but "how many years left does the Republican Party have?" "</i><br /><br />No, the question is why are the Democrats so pathetic at taking advantage of that collapse, those economic-policy failures, that anger of the grass-roots.<br /><br />Why are Democrats so scared of, embarrassed by, their own beliefs.<br /><br />Re: Semi-immortality, compressing the collapse<br /><i>"If they could even get it to the FINAL year of our life then it would be fantastic."</i><br /><br />Hmmm, interesting culture could develop if we were able to do that. Knowing, with absolute certainty, the approximate date of your death, knowing the pattern of your inevitable decline once the doctor says, "This is it".<br /><br />Would we focus on palliative care, or would we develop a culture of going out with a bang? Would we have special "terminal"-cards that absolve businesses of liability if they let you do something stupid-dangerous? Would dying creatively become an art-form?Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-69946823123238998622016-03-21T23:16:24.261-07:002016-03-21T23:16:24.261-07:00@RobH - catching up on a cadence of interesting th...@RobH - catching up on a cadence of interesting thoughts - first and foremost - <br /><i>"Of course, what isn't talked about is this: what if the zombie virus is multi-species? What if it infects... rats. Or worse: squirrels."</i><br /><br />- nah, this is the worst of all:<br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombeavers<br />Just think, Zombies that eat wood, and make you not only undead, but a beaver. Wipe out your life, and dam up your water too. Evil! (And just think of a zombeaver with a plush toy in its mouth...) ;-)<br /><br />Still, the difference between endorsing a political party which admittedly errs quite often but not as much as its chief rival, and refraining from endorsing anyone at all is the Plato v. Aristotle debate. For a Platonist, the highest order goes to the philosopher who withdraws from politics, and criticizes from a place of remote disinterest (not 'uninterest' or boredom - just total detachment). For an Aristotlian, better a lousy party that can be guided to be less lousy, through one's own contribution, than a lousy party that cannot be redeemed due to an inherent design flaw.<br /><br /><i>"My situation is far different than Dr. Brin's and thus I can vote whoever I want."</i><br />You always can. But isn't a better question not "what can one do, but what <b>should</b> one do? (And all that said, Mitt Romney brought a great deal to America with the vast expansion of health care in Mass which he led - even if Bain may be vulture capital - and Scott Brown was significantly less partisan than most Republicans, hardly a 'moderate' - but also, no Ted Cruz/Rubio).<br /><br /><i>"What I see is history, a saner Republican Party, and the ouster of Blue Dog after Blue Dog Democrat because negotiation is bad..."</i><br /><br />What I see is that no political party can be trusted to be its best, without the best participating in their system, and without such participating extending beyond voting and donating. A watchful dog - whether it be a blue dog, a red dog, yellow dog, or purple polkadotted - is better than a sleeping dog. The key cannot be "vote thus or such" - so much as "awaken."donzelionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991849781932619746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1425022930604084742016-03-21T21:50:27.658-07:002016-03-21T21:50:27.658-07:00Actually, Larry, that is spot on.
In fact, I have...Actually, Larry, that is spot on.<br /><br />In fact, I have stated I feel Clinton is as bad as any Republican.<br /><br />I also stated "but the Supreme Court and having a pro-abortion Supreme Justice is vital." <br /><br />The whole women's rights thing.<br /><br />Thus while I detest Clinton and do not want her as President, and while I feel she is as bad as any of the Republicans... her pro-abortion stance is more important to me than me personal feelings about her.<br /><br />That and it doesn't matter who I vote for. This state is going for Hillary.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-71577573061827344962016-03-21T21:21:35.839-07:002016-03-21T21:21:35.839-07:00MB see 1930s San fernando depicted in Huxley's...MB see 1930s San fernando depicted in Huxley's AFTER MANY A SUMMER DIES THE SWAN... which becoms a sci fi novel on the last page.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86400440157279905622016-03-21T21:10:45.965-07:002016-03-21T21:10:45.965-07:00Alfred Differ:
9^9^9
9! ^9! ^ 9!
9! ^9! ^ 9! !
...Alfred Differ:<br /><i><br />9^9^9<br />9! ^9! ^ 9!<br />9! ^9! ^ 9! !<br /></i><br /><br />Now, you sound like Herman Cain. <br /><br />:)LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87796592433078686792016-03-21T21:09:04.249-07:002016-03-21T21:09:04.249-07:00Robert:
When you speak, I hear this: Vote Democra...Robert:<br /><i><br />When you speak, I hear this: Vote Democrat no matter what because we need to drive out the Republicans. At any cost. Any Democrat is better than a Republican.<br /></i><br /><br />Fair enough, and since I also suspect we're more friends than foes, I'll just say I see why you hear that.<br /><br />What I'm actually saying is more like "Anyone other than a Republican is better than any Republican". And that's only given the political realities in place at the moment. I'm not saying it will always be thus. I'm saying I'd like to get to the point where it is no longer thus.<br /><br />And when you talk, I hear "Clinton is as bad as a Republican, maybe worse." Which might actually be the case if we were just talking about the one office by itself. Whereas I feel the president him/herself is limited in the damage he/she can do personally, and the real damage is done by a Republican Congress having someone who won't veto their bills, and the damage they can do together by appointing activist judges to the Supreme Court. I'm less worried about the harm a president (even Trump) can do on his/her own than I am about the harm a party can do in the other two branches without the presidency as a check.<br /><br />Many assumptions lead into what we hear when someone else says a one-liner.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.com