‘The year of living biblically’

‘I see ‘my life as a series of (radical) experiments’   Interesting concept.

By way of research for his articles, or books, this guy (A.J. Jacobs) put into practice some pretty farfetched ideas.   He for instance outsources his entire life to an Indian company for a month.  A team was working around the clock, to perform his duties, like reading bedtime stories to his children, or arguing with his wife.

He also spent a year taking every rule in the bible literally.  This next video is just a teaser.  And not even a great one: it doesn’t give you any idea about the difficulties that he encountered, or the insights that he obtained.

But this video does.  It’s a 17 minute long speech, at a TED convention.  Well worth watching.

It wouldn’t be correct to think of this as an easy way, to be sarcastic or denigrating about religion. 

Sure he (naturally) came to the conclusion that it is impossible (or insane) to live according to the literal rules of the bible, that some of the rules are conflicting, and harmful.  And that religious people always have to ‘pick and choose’, to apply their own interpretation of the book of rules. 

 But he also gained a new respect for religion.   He met fundamentalists (creationists f.i.) which he thought were very intelligent.   He also embraced the idea of a new form of agnosticism: “the reverend agnostic”.   Based on the idea that – whether or not there is a god – rituals can be sacred.   (Blowing out candles on a birthday cake is a ritual, and so is the Sabbath.)

Mathematical problem of understanding the ten dimensions

‘All possibilities are contained within the 10th dimension’   

There’s a well known, and very insightful explanation available on You Tube, about the 10 dimension theory.  Which apparently is the necessary theoretical assumption, to combine the Quantum theory with the theory of relativity.  As I’ve mentioned before. 

Don’t worry, I’m not at all claiming to be one of the few people who actually fully understand those theories.    In fact, I even encounter some difficulties, somewhere around the 8th step of the following explanation:

I do understand up until the 7th dimension.  

The initial conditions in our reality (the big bang and the laws of nature in our universe) and all the possible timelines (possible outcomes), can be considered as one ‘infinity’.   One abstract point. 

Different infinities are conceivable, when you assume different initial conditions and the associated possible timelines.   Creating a second abstract point.  

The theoretical line between those points (in the 7th dimension) – I suppose – would then be a relation.   The extent to which one conceivable infinity relates to (differs from) another.

But then I get stuck on the next step:

“And as boggling as the magnitude of what we’re exploring here might be…  If we were to branch off from that 7th dimensional line to draw a line to yet another infinity. We would then be entering the 8th dimension.”

The problem is that this is too boggling, if my mentioned presumption is correct.   How can you ‘branch off’ from a relation.  If you consider a 3^rd point, then that point would have separate and independent relations to the 1^st and 2^nd points.  (The animation of the three points would then be a triangle, still in the 7^th dimension.  Rather than a Y shape, in the 8^th dimension.) 

But instead, I gather that the 3^rd point is some sort of a variation on the relation. A new possible relation.  Which I don’t understand, when the points themselves do not change.

So I must admit “8. A split”.  Is beyond me.

‘Time is a piece of wax…

that’s falling on the termite, that’s choking on the splinters’  at least to some people.  To others, it’s a resource to carefully structure daily life, and policy planning.

This presentation is really worth watching.  Not just for the animation, which is superb, but for the explanation that inspired the animator to illustrate what was being said by Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo.

It’s about whether or not people tend to plan ahead and are willing to work for future rewards.  Or rather, choose to pursue immediate gratification.  (Kind of like the ants vs the grasshoppers parable.)   The mentality seems to vary according to culture, age, religion, and of course personal characteristics ( & global positioning vs equator ?).    Some basic knowledge, but explained in a crystal clear manner, offering some deeper insights.   F.i., the true function of education is mentioned.  Which isn’t about teaching knowledge, but about creating a mentality change. 

(I try not to rip off stuff from Boing Boing  too much because… well, what would be the point of doing that.  It’s already there and people should go to the source rather than one of the countless minuscule branches.   But then again, referring or quoting gives you some extra freedom to comment the subject.  And as long as you mention the source… there’s no harm in it either.)

Crappy crop circles

Drunk Aliens trying to signal home that they’ll be a little later than expected, no doubt.

(The  Boing Boing explanation about the reference to Planck’s constant in a crop circle (presumed to be the result of flattening the crop by use of planks), was amuzing.  Even if you don’t go around trying to decypher the mathematical formula behind crop circles, by use of  binary converters and ASCII codes.)

how to carefully plan ahead in case of a catastrophe

Remember that prevention plans containing technical sollutions for possible events, cut into your profit.  Instead, focuss on a well thought out of Public Relations plan around the following arguments

A ‘what catastrophe, this little thing ?’

B ‘yeah yeah, we’re working on it’

C ‘who the hell do you think you are, telling experts like us what to do’

D ‘this is to be expected anyway, it’s all worth it, get your priorities straight’

Eurovision Songfestival, exactly what Steven Hawkin was talking about

I always felt that the organizers and all of the participants  of the Eurovision Songfestival should have been rounded up and executed.  Well, ok, imprisoned.  Alright, at least flogged and forced to perform 1.000 hours of community service each.  Minimum.

But I just realized that these acoustic and visual atrocities are broadcasted across the universe by communication satelites.  And some day, some higher developed alien race, will rightfully take offense to it.  And then global warming will be the least of our problems.  They’re probably on their way now.

I know most European countries habitually send in the band that is least likely to win, just to avoid having to organize this expensive repugnant spectacle the next year.  But that’s no excuse.   Stop the horror or they will.

hair of the dog seems logical, but still disgusting

I sometimes randomly click on ‘new posts’ from other bloggers.  And I came across the post glug glug glug in which someone describes a hangover rather well.

Which reminded me of something I read somewhere.   About the ‘hair of the dog’ technique.  You know, where – when experiencing a hangover – you are supposed to drink a little of what made you sick in the first place, the day before.   I’ve never tried that, because during the nauseous stages of alcohol intoxication, the mere idea of more alcohol, is simply too gruesome to bear. 

But the point is, … there seems to be a scientific base for the ‘hair of the dog that bit you’ approach:  it’s not only one of the main homeopathic principles, that ‘ a little of what made you ill, can make you better’.   But it’s also the fundamental mechanism of medical vaccinations.  

It boils down to the body healing itself, by starting up a defense mechanism, in response to a manageable amount of substances that form a threat or risk to the body’s health.  And the defense mechanism that can counter a small amount, usually also proves potent enough, to counter the effects of larger amounts of unhealthy substances or physical threats.

(It can work, especially when combined with somehow replenishing your drained reserves of water and minerals, due to the dehydration caused by the alcohol.)

It all sounds very plausible.  But you still won’t catch me drinking a beer whilst trying to recover from too much beer and praying to the  porcelain god.

Skydiving from above the ozon layer

Yesterday I came accross this program that refreshed some highschool knowledge.  Couldn’t care less then, but now it’s all mindboggling.

Earth’s Atmosphere consists of 4 layers.  (or rather 6… I read some more about it today, and apparently they forgot to mention 2 yesterday)

I’m just going to copy/paste a random website website I found. 

“1) The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains half of the Earth’s atmosphere. Weather occurs in this layer
2) Many jet aircrafts fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable. Also, the ozone layer absorbs harmful rays from the Sun.
3) Meteors or rock fragments burn up in the mesosphere.
4) The thermosphere is a layer with auroras. It is also where the space shuttle orbits.
5) The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely thin exosphere. This is the upper limit of our atmosphere. “

So I gather the ozon layer would then be the sixth layer.  Or, is actually part of the 2nd.  As it is positioned somewhere in the lower regions of the stratosphere.  

Found a picture too:
In this documentary the highest free fall ever was mentioned: Joe Kittinger  jumped out of a balloon in 1960 at an altitude of 102.800 feet. (more than 31 kilometers).   That’s high up in the stratosphere.  Felix Baumgartner is planning on breaking that record (while being coached by Kittinger), with a an attempt to jump from 120.000 feet (36 kilometers).  Thereby being the first man to break the soundbarrier during a free fall.  Check out Kittinger & Baumgartner

And while you’re at it, maybe also this guy Lawn Chair Larry who managed to get to an altitude of 16.000 feet (over 4 kilometers) by attaching some balloons to his chair.