Life's a game.
Life's not a game.
Let's begin where most discussions ought, and define what a game is.
Dictionary says:
...oh my! Long, confusing and in places contradictory!
That simply won't do. It's amazing that people even think that they communicate.
Games have rules.
Often the rules themselves have rules, including rules about how to create new rules.
Games can be played simultaneously--rules between simultaneous games can conflict or reinforce each other.
Hmmmm. It looks really messy from here.
As I sit, the children in my neighborhood, who range from 5-15, are playing across the street.
One of them just said, "Let's have a rule like...."
Some rules are assumed, unspoken--and some of those may be secret until someone initiates you into the local game by popping one of these rules on you--and it is often permitted to attempt to foist a 'new' rule upon a noob.
It appears that whatever humans do, they are likely to turn into a game or a competition. "Just to make things interesting."
The question becomes not: "Is life a game?" But; "Which rules and games will I play?"
Without humans, the rules of the game become the rules of physics as translated into matter/energy interfaces. Humans can choose, and in choosing change the universe.
Rules are limits which we set upon ourselves. Nature doesn't care.
Except that the fact that many lifeforms appear to create games. From cat's playing predator-prey to tigers sliding down hillsides in the snow to dogs chasing each other, games exist or are created. Often, they are quite obvious practice for 'grown-up' existence, but many appear to satisfy some itch deep down.
Beneath it all like the real world--a game for high stakes in which luck has a large role.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
This just in....
I have a question….
Nagasaki 1945, after the atomic bomb
Nagasaki 2011, after the Tsunami.
What the (&^$ is that arch made of? And why didn't we build the World Trades Center out of THAT!!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Water
As I write this, it's a sunny & hot afternoon. There is rain in the forecast for tomorrow night and high probability that we'll see a reasonable amount of rain this week.
My neighbors are watering their lawn.
Wasteful.
For several reasons.
1) Watering in bright sunlight wastes water and risks injuring the lawn.
2) Using well-water to water a lawn or garden is using a very valuable limited resource when rainwater is available.
3) Sprinkler systems are incredibly inefficient, much of the water evaporates.
4) Lots of shallow waterings tend to increase root mass near the surface--fewer deep waterings encourage the roots to follow the water deeper--making the plants more resistant to short-term water shortages.
Very short grass (most grasses are recommended to be maintained at 4"-6") does not provide any shade for the ground, increasing evaporation of the water near the surface--drying out everything much faster.
We are very lucky to have the well-water we have in Menomonie--our water is sweet and lacks any strong mineral flavor, nitrates or pesticides--not to mention much worse things some local water contains elsewhere.
Our water isn't unlimited. It has very definite limits to how much may be pulled from the aquifer...limits based upon soil area and permeability as well as precipitation. Expanding roadways, housing, pavement, converting woods to lawns all reduce permeability and increase evaporation.
Good potable water is currently inexpensive in Menomonie, but it is a limited resource, we can use it too rapidly and it can be depleted.
It will be expensive as it becomes scarce; the time to conserve resources is before you begin to run out.
Unless you are anxious to begin using Lake Menomin as a drinking water source....
My neighbors are watering their lawn.
Wasteful.
For several reasons.
1) Watering in bright sunlight wastes water and risks injuring the lawn.
2) Using well-water to water a lawn or garden is using a very valuable limited resource when rainwater is available.
3) Sprinkler systems are incredibly inefficient, much of the water evaporates.
4) Lots of shallow waterings tend to increase root mass near the surface--fewer deep waterings encourage the roots to follow the water deeper--making the plants more resistant to short-term water shortages.
Very short grass (most grasses are recommended to be maintained at 4"-6") does not provide any shade for the ground, increasing evaporation of the water near the surface--drying out everything much faster.
We are very lucky to have the well-water we have in Menomonie--our water is sweet and lacks any strong mineral flavor, nitrates or pesticides--not to mention much worse things some local water contains elsewhere.
Our water isn't unlimited. It has very definite limits to how much may be pulled from the aquifer...limits based upon soil area and permeability as well as precipitation. Expanding roadways, housing, pavement, converting woods to lawns all reduce permeability and increase evaporation.
Good potable water is currently inexpensive in Menomonie, but it is a limited resource, we can use it too rapidly and it can be depleted.
It will be expensive as it becomes scarce; the time to conserve resources is before you begin to run out.
Unless you are anxious to begin using Lake Menomin as a drinking water source....
Thursday, March 31, 2011
America's Unofficial Fool
Just watched Abel Raises Caine on Hulu.
Alan Abel,
master hoaxer has been called many things--many of which are not very polite. He's known for pulling the leg of the American Media and Public until both legs are in his hand.
But the one thing I haven't seen him called is a 'fool.'
But that is precisely his occupation, in the old sense of the word.
His antics defuse tension, irritate, anger and amuse the people--while pointing subtly to the everyday manipulation of their emotions for profit by industry, government and individuals.
The job of Fool, traditionally is a very hard lot. Th job description is to point out errors to people who are extremely powerful, and do not want to hear about any errors of judgment. Using humor allows you to point at serious issues without being attacked for it: "it was only a joke!" But, of course, few jokes are "just a joke."
Very traditionally, humor is a way to deal with issues without having anyone lose face while pointing it out. Some rulers have no sense of humor--and the Fool ends up dead.
Despite modern attitudes, a Fool is an intelligent, quick-thinking person--with the courage to joke about things which if talked seriously about, might end in death.
Alan is a grandmaster Fool. A major asset to humanity.
Monday, March 7, 2011
The American Myth
One would think that myths could do little to trouble a society, and one would be wrong.
Myths are memes. Memes are patterns which shape thought and action-ideas.
Memes are the reason the pen is mightier than the sword.
Memes can be infectious:
Fads, political parties, fans, fanatics, etc.
The particular American Myth which is splitting the USA, is the "Self-Sufficient American Frontiersman."
It is a myth all, self-sufficiencies are partial at best. Perhaps that may change in the future, but for all of history humans have survived largely because they live in groups.
A human being with no contact to others is a pathetic creature which is most likely to expire rapidly as humans are ill-equiped to deal with the universe without tools and/or help.
Humans are social. We live and work in groups.
All of our greatest deeds and artifacts are the result of many people cooperating.
So how come it's dangerous?
There are several different ways it causes problems.
For starters, if you believe in the myth, your beliefs will cause you to act in ways which are harmful to yourself and others.
If you are doing well, it encourages you to think that it's because you, yourself have somehow earned what you have...which is often at least part of the truth--but never the entire truth.
The assumption is that the primary reason people do what they do & have what they have is entirely determined by their own actions.
In turn, this infers that those with less favorable situations earned what they have not by their own actions, and thus have 'chosen' to be sick, or poor, or damaged.
The belief in self-sufficiency inhibits the social nature of humans to assist one-another.
It encourages selfish use of resources by the use of the favorite word of infants: mine!
Truth is, none of us could survive without others.
Myths are memes. Memes are patterns which shape thought and action-ideas.
Memes are the reason the pen is mightier than the sword.
Memes can be infectious:
Fads, political parties, fans, fanatics, etc.
The particular American Myth which is splitting the USA, is the "Self-Sufficient American Frontiersman."
It is a myth all, self-sufficiencies are partial at best. Perhaps that may change in the future, but for all of history humans have survived largely because they live in groups.
A human being with no contact to others is a pathetic creature which is most likely to expire rapidly as humans are ill-equiped to deal with the universe without tools and/or help.
Humans are social. We live and work in groups.
All of our greatest deeds and artifacts are the result of many people cooperating.
So how come it's dangerous?
There are several different ways it causes problems.
For starters, if you believe in the myth, your beliefs will cause you to act in ways which are harmful to yourself and others.
If you are doing well, it encourages you to think that it's because you, yourself have somehow earned what you have...which is often at least part of the truth--but never the entire truth.
The assumption is that the primary reason people do what they do & have what they have is entirely determined by their own actions.
In turn, this infers that those with less favorable situations earned what they have not by their own actions, and thus have 'chosen' to be sick, or poor, or damaged.
The belief in self-sufficiency inhibits the social nature of humans to assist one-another.
It encourages selfish use of resources by the use of the favorite word of infants: mine!
Truth is, none of us could survive without others.
Can someone please explain...?
Why it is impossible to go after Somalian pirates, who we know both who and where they are, and whom have no government protecting them; but we can chase 'terrorists' anywhere in the world while barely acknowledging the governments in which they live ?
Somali: No government, little infrastructure, available small arms.
Pirates: Cost the world millions of dollars in cash and millions in delayed or destroyed cargoes and a few lives of innocents along the way.
Costs of Invasion:
Somalia: A division of marines could take the entire country--or round up all pirates. The pirates towns could be destroyed with a few bombing runs.
Why aren't Pirates classed as terrorists? They have terrorized crews and owners for years.
Somali: No government, little infrastructure, available small arms.
Pirates: Cost the world millions of dollars in cash and millions in delayed or destroyed cargoes and a few lives of innocents along the way.
Costs of Invasion:
Somalia: A division of marines could take the entire country--or round up all pirates. The pirates towns could be destroyed with a few bombing runs.
Why aren't Pirates classed as terrorists? They have terrorized crews and owners for years.
Panama Pipe - Geoengineering for profit & possible climate stabilization
Panama Pipe was first proposed by Charles M. Barnard in 2008 as a possible means of moderating climatic change while producing income and energy for the country of Panama. At it's simplest, it consists of an underground pipeline connecting the Western Caribbean with the Eastern Pacific, permitting the flow of cold Pacific water to the East.
Logic behind the proposal:
Currently, the Western Caribbean near the coast of Panama is a dying ecosystem--it's being cooked as water temperatures continue to rise. It is nutrient and oxygen starved.
Before the Isthmus of Panama blocked the currents some 3 million years ago, this would not have been possible, as there was a continuous flow of cold Pacific water upwelling which crossed into the Caribbean. (The Pacific sea level is some 8"/200mm above the Caribbean.)
At that time, this cold current was associated with a conveyor current running across the bottom of the Caribbean from West to East and a matching surface current running East to West.
We know that world weather was far more stable before this closure--stable for hundreds of thousands of years rather than mere hundreds or thousands since that time.
The Panama Pipe would reattach the Pacific to the Caribbean, bringing large amounts of cold, deep, nutrient rich water into the surface of the Western Caribbean.
Enough cooling has a probability of restarting these conveyor currents, cooling the entire Caribbean.
Even without such a major climatic effect, it would provide a solution to restoring the Western Caribbean ecosystem, thus the fishing industry.
The pipe itself would run below sea level, with the Western end located about 350 meters below the surface, near the edge of the uplift current. The Eastern end would be at or below sea level--dumping into fish farms.
While the amount of head in the system is only 200mm, we're talking about millions of cubic feet--sufficient to extract energy via turbine generator, and a temperature difference of 60C which could provide thermoelectric power.
Panama currently imports nearly all of it's energy. This project could make Panama energy self-sufficient.
Anywhere along the pipeline route, the pipe can be tapped for cooling, greatly reducing costs for indoor climate control.
Project feasibility & costs:
The proposed pipeline would be about 100 miles long, through a seismically active zone.
Luckily, we now have a lot of engineering experience in tunneling in such areas thanks to Japan's undersea train tunnel completed a few years ago at a cost of ~$7 billion.
While the proposed pipeline is almost twice the length of the Japanese tunnel, it is a far less complex structure, as it doesn't require most of the costs associated with a tunnel which has to transport people.
It is expected that the entire project could be completed for a similar amount of money, perhaps in less than the 7 years that the Japanese tunnel required.
Preliminary projections indicate that the combination of fishing and energy would provide sufficient income to provide payback in under 50 years--without any projected larger scale weather change. Indoor climate cost reductions are not included in those calculations.
Risks:
Disruption of the already dying Western Caribbean ecosystem is certain. More study is required to determine exactly what that encompasses.
Disruption of the Eastern Pacific ecosystem could vary from minimal to major depending upon the exact solutions implemented--ranging from a simple screened pipe to a large tidal dam designed to maximize the 190cm tidal difference between East and West. The more ambitious proposal provides more constant flow and a higher average volume.
The actual impacts upon weather can only be roughly approximated using currently available tools, so there may be no non-local weather effects.
Logic behind the proposal:
Currently, the Western Caribbean near the coast of Panama is a dying ecosystem--it's being cooked as water temperatures continue to rise. It is nutrient and oxygen starved.
Before the Isthmus of Panama blocked the currents some 3 million years ago, this would not have been possible, as there was a continuous flow of cold Pacific water upwelling which crossed into the Caribbean. (The Pacific sea level is some 8"/200mm above the Caribbean.)
At that time, this cold current was associated with a conveyor current running across the bottom of the Caribbean from West to East and a matching surface current running East to West.
We know that world weather was far more stable before this closure--stable for hundreds of thousands of years rather than mere hundreds or thousands since that time.
The Panama Pipe would reattach the Pacific to the Caribbean, bringing large amounts of cold, deep, nutrient rich water into the surface of the Western Caribbean.
Enough cooling has a probability of restarting these conveyor currents, cooling the entire Caribbean.
Even without such a major climatic effect, it would provide a solution to restoring the Western Caribbean ecosystem, thus the fishing industry.
The pipe itself would run below sea level, with the Western end located about 350 meters below the surface, near the edge of the uplift current. The Eastern end would be at or below sea level--dumping into fish farms.
While the amount of head in the system is only 200mm, we're talking about millions of cubic feet--sufficient to extract energy via turbine generator, and a temperature difference of 60C which could provide thermoelectric power.
Panama currently imports nearly all of it's energy. This project could make Panama energy self-sufficient.
Anywhere along the pipeline route, the pipe can be tapped for cooling, greatly reducing costs for indoor climate control.
Project feasibility & costs:
The proposed pipeline would be about 100 miles long, through a seismically active zone.
Luckily, we now have a lot of engineering experience in tunneling in such areas thanks to Japan's undersea train tunnel completed a few years ago at a cost of ~$7 billion.
While the proposed pipeline is almost twice the length of the Japanese tunnel, it is a far less complex structure, as it doesn't require most of the costs associated with a tunnel which has to transport people.
It is expected that the entire project could be completed for a similar amount of money, perhaps in less than the 7 years that the Japanese tunnel required.
Preliminary projections indicate that the combination of fishing and energy would provide sufficient income to provide payback in under 50 years--without any projected larger scale weather change. Indoor climate cost reductions are not included in those calculations.
Risks:
Disruption of the already dying Western Caribbean ecosystem is certain. More study is required to determine exactly what that encompasses.
Disruption of the Eastern Pacific ecosystem could vary from minimal to major depending upon the exact solutions implemented--ranging from a simple screened pipe to a large tidal dam designed to maximize the 190cm tidal difference between East and West. The more ambitious proposal provides more constant flow and a higher average volume.
The actual impacts upon weather can only be roughly approximated using currently available tools, so there may be no non-local weather effects.
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