I've decided to make this blog my outlet for complains.
Here is the big one - my children don't like red sauce. WTF!
Here is the big one - my children don't like red sauce. WTF!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sauna Physics
After my run this morning, I went to the fitness center for a sauna and to shave. In the sauna, guy suggested that throwing water on the rocks cooled the sauna because the thermometer decreased. I had to explain the difference between heat and temperature... again.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Ethnic Nationalism
I never understood why this was tolerated in the United States. I am Amercian. Thank goodness that I am not enough of any particular ethinicity to be effected by this.
This article http://www.counterpunch.org/neumann10142009.html
Does a great job explaining what is wrong with it. Take a deep breath before you read it so you don't have an emotional repulsion to the content before you get to the meat of the article.
This article http://www.counterpunch.org/neumann10142009.html
Does a great job explaining what is wrong with it. Take a deep breath before you read it so you don't have an emotional repulsion to the content before you get to the meat of the article.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Game Theory 101: Always Trust a Signal from a God (Gods don't need to bluff.)
Define:
Signal - A signal is a bit of information that could be true or false.
Screen - An Attempt to determine a signal's truth.
Example - In the Princess Bride, Vizzini was attempting to screen in which goblet Wesley hid the poison. Because he was unaware that he was playing a game of incomplete information, Vizzini assumed that if Wesley was willing to drink the wine from a goblet that it must be free from poison, so set up a screen to determine which goblet was poisoned. We know how that turned out.
Moral 1: Always assume that you are playing a game of incomplete information. (You don't know all the potential possibilities.)
Moral 2: It is also best to assume that information in the game is also asymmetric. (Your opponent knows more than you do.)
Pascal's Wager says it is best to believe in the existence of God because you have nothing to lose on the contrary. However, Pascal's Wager is a false dilemma, as it only provides two possibilities:
A benevolent God exists or benevolent God doesn't exist.
To fully consider this question we'd have to somehow have to compare the probabilities of all possible lemmas, the existence of a benevolent God being but one of them.
Naturally, this causes one to speculate on the potential possibilities.
Speculation is suffering. It is a good thing that there is a solution for suffering...
BTW, I finished a 10 mile race at a pace of 8:06, I was pleased.
Signal - A signal is a bit of information that could be true or false.
Screen - An Attempt to determine a signal's truth.
Example - In the Princess Bride, Vizzini was attempting to screen in which goblet Wesley hid the poison. Because he was unaware that he was playing a game of incomplete information, Vizzini assumed that if Wesley was willing to drink the wine from a goblet that it must be free from poison, so set up a screen to determine which goblet was poisoned. We know how that turned out.
Moral 1: Always assume that you are playing a game of incomplete information. (You don't know all the potential possibilities.)
Moral 2: It is also best to assume that information in the game is also asymmetric. (Your opponent knows more than you do.)
Pascal's Wager says it is best to believe in the existence of God because you have nothing to lose on the contrary. However, Pascal's Wager is a false dilemma, as it only provides two possibilities:
A benevolent God exists or benevolent God doesn't exist.
To fully consider this question we'd have to somehow have to compare the probabilities of all possible lemmas, the existence of a benevolent God being but one of them.
Naturally, this causes one to speculate on the potential possibilities.
Speculation is suffering. It is a good thing that there is a solution for suffering...
BTW, I finished a 10 mile race at a pace of 8:06, I was pleased.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Positive Thinking
While I tend to try to maintain a positive attitude, positive thinking is a religion to some. Similar to faith healers, they believe that the universe manifests something out of nothing, rewarding them for their positive attitude.
Is it greedy to ask Universe to manifest and you take what it delivers? You asked for it, right? it must be yours! A similar idea to "Fortune favors the prepared mind." You must imagine possibilites and see them before you take advantage of them. Similar but different because it is rational.
Here is the difference: If you find a wallet with a wad of cash in it, the reasonable person will weigh the amount of cash versus the good feeling they will get by returning it to the owner. I'd bet the positive thinker could delude themself into thinking the universe manifested that cash for them. Maybe? This may be a weak example, but you get the idea.
Is positive thinking just another tool to give moral flexability to those who are otherwise good people?
Is it greedy to ask Universe to manifest and you take what it delivers? You asked for it, right? it must be yours! A similar idea to "Fortune favors the prepared mind." You must imagine possibilites and see them before you take advantage of them. Similar but different because it is rational.
Here is the difference: If you find a wallet with a wad of cash in it, the reasonable person will weigh the amount of cash versus the good feeling they will get by returning it to the owner. I'd bet the positive thinker could delude themself into thinking the universe manifested that cash for them. Maybe? This may be a weak example, but you get the idea.
Is positive thinking just another tool to give moral flexability to those who are otherwise good people?
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Roller Coaster
The ride to the top of the roller coaster gives you time to consider the wisdom of the rollar coaster ride. Perhaps it was a bad decision, that the coaster will break down and you will end up maimed. Then you remember that thousands of people have ridden the coaster before you and they are safe.
Compare the coaster to the journey toward death. Similar situaton, you're afraid of the unknown. But when you realize that billions of others have taken the journey you have, then perhaps you don't feel so special or scared. They took the ride, and persumably they made it. All of those lives preceeded you. Whatever happens next happens to everyone.
Worm food? That's my guess. I think I like this idea best because if I can be okay with it, then if anything else does happen, it is pleasant supprise.
Heaven? Do you go to heaven? What does that mean? How much baggage do you bring with? Do you leave your baggage (the emotional drives that make you who you are) here? If you do leave it, are you still you without it? Do those with too much baggage go to Hell? But if you are not you without your baggage, then does it matter who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell? Wouldn't we all be the same? If you bring your baggage with are you in Heaven Is that what you talk about to other spirits when you get there?
Reincarnation has the same problem. What good is reincarnating if your next incarnation doesn't remember who it is. In this case birth and reincarnation mean the same thing... Unless there is a heaven between incarnations, then reincarnation may be useful as a learning tool. If this is the case, I'd wager that you are 'there' right now, but you are looking through 'your' eyes and listening with 'your' ears... Maybe our lives are like movies, and our death the intermission when 'they' change the reals.
Whatever happens, I take some comfort in knowing that others have taken the journey before me and the machinary didn't break down when they took the trip -- or maybe it does from time to time, do we put too much faith in the mechanics of the spiritual universe?
Compare the coaster to the journey toward death. Similar situaton, you're afraid of the unknown. But when you realize that billions of others have taken the journey you have, then perhaps you don't feel so special or scared. They took the ride, and persumably they made it. All of those lives preceeded you. Whatever happens next happens to everyone.
Worm food? That's my guess. I think I like this idea best because if I can be okay with it, then if anything else does happen, it is pleasant supprise.
Heaven? Do you go to heaven? What does that mean? How much baggage do you bring with? Do you leave your baggage (the emotional drives that make you who you are) here? If you do leave it, are you still you without it? Do those with too much baggage go to Hell? But if you are not you without your baggage, then does it matter who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell? Wouldn't we all be the same? If you bring your baggage with are you in Heaven Is that what you talk about to other spirits when you get there?
Reincarnation has the same problem. What good is reincarnating if your next incarnation doesn't remember who it is. In this case birth and reincarnation mean the same thing... Unless there is a heaven between incarnations, then reincarnation may be useful as a learning tool. If this is the case, I'd wager that you are 'there' right now, but you are looking through 'your' eyes and listening with 'your' ears... Maybe our lives are like movies, and our death the intermission when 'they' change the reals.
Whatever happens, I take some comfort in knowing that others have taken the journey before me and the machinary didn't break down when they took the trip -- or maybe it does from time to time, do we put too much faith in the mechanics of the spiritual universe?
Friday, September 4, 2009
Values
What part of your life, what do you do that you value the most? Second Most? Your values are the relative ranking of these items. Values are extremely important as they dictate who you are-- because your behaviors, what you do (and to some degree what you don't do) reflects of your values.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Words I'll Miss Part 1
Lucian : Cubbers = Covers
Warren : Mana = Banana
Lucian : A Na = Banana
Warren : IWAAANDAA! IWAANDAA! = would you fetch that for me please.
Can't think of any more just now, but that's why this is part 1.
Warren : Mana = Banana
Lucian : A Na = Banana
Warren : IWAAANDAA! IWAANDAA! = would you fetch that for me please.
Can't think of any more just now, but that's why this is part 1.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Free Souvenir from Grandma's Marathon!
Free Souvenir!
I couldn't find the other one after it was removed. I took my time removing this one-- it was worth it.
Pain free and ready for an 8 mile tempo run.
I couldn't find the other one after it was removed. I took my time removing this one-- it was worth it.
Pain free and ready for an 8 mile tempo run.
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