This comment by Goblinono originally appeared in response to "What Does Beethovens Ninth Symphony Mean?" published at - http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/09/what-does-beethovens-ninth-symphony-mean/62556/
"The little deaf fella' who pumped out this masterpiece on a piano with no legs had long admired the overtures of Scottish songsters. Beethoven was never comfortable with the resonance of the human voice and wrote this to be presented so near the top of the vocal range that it tends to outwit the performers. His inspiration was from poetry by Friedrich Schiller and he was probably trying to depict scenes of rapturous romance attuned to chaos and arousal. Unfortunately he died whilst working on his tenth symphony, which may have surpassed all his previous works because by now he was determined to overcome the restrictions of popular tonal laws. In considering his musical development he may well have topped himself trying to depict orgasm as his crowning achievement"
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A Mathematical Twist
This is Goblinono's response to an article "A Mathematical twist on the Fermi Paradox" from Discovery News at this address - http://news.discovery.com/space/a-mathematical-twist-on-the-fermi-paradox.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1
"Considering that our existence on this planet is probably the result of a random event that was a legacy of all the evolving forces of the universe, mathematically our existance should not exist in the realm of probability but in the realm of improbability. If we consider the size of the universe, its age and the direction of light travel (that depends of course on whether the universe is expanding or contracting!) and then factor in all the information about the universe that we are not yet privy to because of our young age and limited technology we may find that we are in fact THE ONLY incidence of a chance occurence in this great cosmological melting pot. The odds of this happening are incedibly high - and it seems to me that if the odds are so against this chance event, then we probably are THE ONLY civilization to have occured as a random event.
The essence of probability theory was developed in the 1600's from a partnership between a gambler (de Mere) and 2 mathematicians (Pascal and de Fermat) and it was postulated that if an event had a lesser chance than one in a hundred, then it probably would not happen.
There is also a mathematical problem presented by the 'inspection paradox' - the probability distribution of a quantity that has already started its life is shifted, leading to a larger average than would otherwise be expected. For example : when you wait for a bus, the distribution of bus interarrival times has already started.
In other words - if you were an apple in a bunch of apples inside a spinning bag hung from the ceiling it would be hard to be objective about your position unless you removed yourself from the bag - and then you would no longer be included in the sample you were studying - so the odds have changed yet again!"
"Considering that our existence on this planet is probably the result of a random event that was a legacy of all the evolving forces of the universe, mathematically our existance should not exist in the realm of probability but in the realm of improbability. If we consider the size of the universe, its age and the direction of light travel (that depends of course on whether the universe is expanding or contracting!) and then factor in all the information about the universe that we are not yet privy to because of our young age and limited technology we may find that we are in fact THE ONLY incidence of a chance occurence in this great cosmological melting pot. The odds of this happening are incedibly high - and it seems to me that if the odds are so against this chance event, then we probably are THE ONLY civilization to have occured as a random event.
The essence of probability theory was developed in the 1600's from a partnership between a gambler (de Mere) and 2 mathematicians (Pascal and de Fermat) and it was postulated that if an event had a lesser chance than one in a hundred, then it probably would not happen.
There is also a mathematical problem presented by the 'inspection paradox' - the probability distribution of a quantity that has already started its life is shifted, leading to a larger average than would otherwise be expected. For example : when you wait for a bus, the distribution of bus interarrival times has already started.
In other words - if you were an apple in a bunch of apples inside a spinning bag hung from the ceiling it would be hard to be objective about your position unless you removed yourself from the bag - and then you would no longer be included in the sample you were studying - so the odds have changed yet again!"
Monday, October 11, 2010
Launch their Hearts
This is a comment posted by Goblinono in response to an article "Brain Freezer claims secret of Eternal Life' at -http://news.discovery.com/tech/cryonics-brain-life-death.html#view-comments
"Sure sounds like a high-tech facility - rusting warehouse, a table as steps! If you freeze a body today and then defrost it, all you will have is an unfrozen body - there is not necessarily any signs of life because the body is much like a machine that transports the brain and houses the soul. There are theories that the human body weighs around 20 grams less after death - some say that is the weight of the soul, though I would suggest that is the weight of moisture leaving the body. Does anyone really want to be re-born in the future without a soul or spirit - do you really want to take the chance of living in a man made hell and exhibiting the mindlessness of a clone or a zombie? You can't just "launch their hearts", there is more to human life than just a beating heart!"
"Sure sounds like a high-tech facility - rusting warehouse, a table as steps! If you freeze a body today and then defrost it, all you will have is an unfrozen body - there is not necessarily any signs of life because the body is much like a machine that transports the brain and houses the soul. There are theories that the human body weighs around 20 grams less after death - some say that is the weight of the soul, though I would suggest that is the weight of moisture leaving the body. Does anyone really want to be re-born in the future without a soul or spirit - do you really want to take the chance of living in a man made hell and exhibiting the mindlessness of a clone or a zombie? You can't just "launch their hearts", there is more to human life than just a beating heart!"
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Nature's Pressure Cooker
I continually maintain that mother nature will keep seeking ways to right the imbalance the human plague of consumption is causing this planet.
It is interesting that this 'silent' event comes at a time of increasing global natural disturbances such as the explosion of Eyjafjallajokull, unusual weather disturbances, increasing seismic activity in unusual places and the blowout and subsequent capping of the oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
This may not be a fortuitous event, but natures way of addressing the damage we are doing to the ecological stability (internally and externally) of this planet - our home.
It seems as though we are now living on a giant pressure cooker that is about to blow off excess forces that we cannot foresee, do not understand and cannot stop.
If this event happens every 300-900 years and the last was supposedly in 1700, we are already within the window of opportunity, or miss-opportunity (if that's the word?). Maybe now is the time to take your long service leave!
*(This is a comment by an enraged goblinono in response to an article titled "Seattle's Ongoing 'Silent Quake' lends Clues to the Big One" at :: -
http://news.discovery.com/earth/seattles-ongoing-silent-quake-lends-clues-to-the-big-one.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1).
It is interesting that this 'silent' event comes at a time of increasing global natural disturbances such as the explosion of Eyjafjallajokull, unusual weather disturbances, increasing seismic activity in unusual places and the blowout and subsequent capping of the oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
This may not be a fortuitous event, but natures way of addressing the damage we are doing to the ecological stability (internally and externally) of this planet - our home.
It seems as though we are now living on a giant pressure cooker that is about to blow off excess forces that we cannot foresee, do not understand and cannot stop.
If this event happens every 300-900 years and the last was supposedly in 1700, we are already within the window of opportunity, or miss-opportunity (if that's the word?). Maybe now is the time to take your long service leave!
*(This is a comment by an enraged goblinono in response to an article titled "Seattle's Ongoing 'Silent Quake' lends Clues to the Big One" at :: -
http://news.discovery.com/earth/seattles-ongoing-silent-quake-lends-clues-to-the-big-one.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1).
Sex in Politics
Oh come on - gimme' a break. Isn't politics all about personality. Since when did you actually believe that you were really voting for agenda change. All that really differentiates a politician from a thief is the method of extracting money from your wallet.
Ambrose Bierce wrote : "A politician is an eel in the fundamental mud upon which the superstructure of organised society is reared. When we (sic) wriggles he mistakes the agitation of his tail for the trembling of the edifice. As compared with the statesman, he suffers the disadvantage of being alive."
But then again; seeing as it's so hard to differentiate between different shades of illusion (ie: crap) maybe it really is now only about who really looks the best. And why not - wouldn't you rather get f....d over by someone who looks really good!
By the way - I have this great pic (widely circulated via email) of Sarah Palin taking it in the way of 'An American tradition since 1776'. - ( use that as a campaign poster and watch her popularity rise) !
*Send me your address if you really wanna see how a politician should be treated and I'll send you the pic.
*(This is a comment by goblinono in reply to an article titled "The Most Sexist Add, well, Ever"
at :: - http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/the-most-sexist-ad-well-ever/61795/).
Ambrose Bierce wrote : "A politician is an eel in the fundamental mud upon which the superstructure of organised society is reared. When we (sic) wriggles he mistakes the agitation of his tail for the trembling of the edifice. As compared with the statesman, he suffers the disadvantage of being alive."
But then again; seeing as it's so hard to differentiate between different shades of illusion (ie: crap) maybe it really is now only about who really looks the best. And why not - wouldn't you rather get f....d over by someone who looks really good!
By the way - I have this great pic (widely circulated via email) of Sarah Palin taking it in the way of 'An American tradition since 1776'. - ( use that as a campaign poster and watch her popularity rise) !
*Send me your address if you really wanna see how a politician should be treated and I'll send you the pic.
*(This is a comment by goblinono in reply to an article titled "The Most Sexist Add, well, Ever"
at :: - http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/08/the-most-sexist-ad-well-ever/61795/).
The Moon is Cheese
Of course it's shrinking you silly person you! The first comprehensive analysis of the moon rocks returned from the first missions likened their physical composition to that of cheese.
It's sorta' like leaving the refridgerator door open for too long - the light stays on (just like the sun) and the cheese that was once fresh and compact, looses its moisture and shrivels, drys and cracks.
Those scarps are evidence of the drying process - and you all know what happens when your cheese shrinks - it dries and cracks apart. Eventually you end up with lots of little cheeses and thats exactly what's going to happen to our moon - we will end up with lots of moons!
You better start re-assessing your impressions of the impact of climate change when you suddenly don't have one orbiting body to regulate our tides and weather patterns but many much smaller orbiting bodies - or just maybe - none at all, because they are all going to be sucked down to earth by the force of gravity - sorta' like a meteorite shower.
As the saying goes - "you can't have your cheese and eat it too".
Sorta' proves that we really are just a bunch of rodents infesting the planet !
*(This is a comment posted by goblinono about an article titled "The Moon is Shrinking like a Wrinkled Apple") at :: - http://news.discovery.com/space/the-moon-is-shrinking-like-a-wrinkled-apple.html#view-comments).
It's sorta' like leaving the refridgerator door open for too long - the light stays on (just like the sun) and the cheese that was once fresh and compact, looses its moisture and shrivels, drys and cracks.
Those scarps are evidence of the drying process - and you all know what happens when your cheese shrinks - it dries and cracks apart. Eventually you end up with lots of little cheeses and thats exactly what's going to happen to our moon - we will end up with lots of moons!
You better start re-assessing your impressions of the impact of climate change when you suddenly don't have one orbiting body to regulate our tides and weather patterns but many much smaller orbiting bodies - or just maybe - none at all, because they are all going to be sucked down to earth by the force of gravity - sorta' like a meteorite shower.
As the saying goes - "you can't have your cheese and eat it too".
Sorta' proves that we really are just a bunch of rodents infesting the planet !
*(This is a comment posted by goblinono about an article titled "The Moon is Shrinking like a Wrinkled Apple") at :: - http://news.discovery.com/space/the-moon-is-shrinking-like-a-wrinkled-apple.html#view-comments).
A George Orwell Prophecy
Thanks 1bobcohn (Twitter) for the link to an article about surveillance of prisoners but I suspect there is a lot more to this than meets the eye, or ears, or ankles.
Prisons have become a big business ( I forget the name of the company that is a major stakeholder in airlines, credit cards, security and prisons all over the world - Google knows!) but I don't think that private enterprise controlling convicted criminals is a fair deal.
It is not "mandatory minimums' and 'draconian 3 strike rules' that place people in prisons for the safety of society, but big business interests that are feeding off the paranoia of the 'climate of fear' foisted on the the public since the debacle of 9/11. It seems easier for government to pass their problems onto private enterprise than actually address the factors that are leading to total cultural collapse of our society.
I don't fall for the spin that this process 'cuts crime', 'reduces costs' and aids management of our penal colonies. What is does is fulfill George Orwell's prophecies of "1984" - we are coming under increasing observation and recording of our activities, innocent or not, and we are slowly being indoctrinated to accept this as normal - it is not! It is an infringement of our rights.
Why don't we try doing something useful with our penal colonies if they are so overcrowded and unmanageable - like send them to desolate places on the planet to develop failed communities or wasted resources. Set them to work repairing the damage the vampire corporates do as they suck the resources and life out of this planet.
Why not put them all to sea on floating prison farms that scour the planet as mobile fix-it crews. Better still, why not just pack 'em all off to that 'Great Floating Pacific Garbage Patch' and set them to work for that Dutch group 'WHIM Architecture' to help fulfill that dream of turning all that floating rubbish into a compact artificial island.
Don't send 'em home alone where they can do drugs, don't get 'em behind walls busting up rocks and beating out car license plates - get them out recycling refuse and doing housework around the planet!
*(This is an essay dribbled by goblinono in response to an article titled "Prisons Without Walls" at :: - http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/09/prison-without-walls/8195/)
Prisons have become a big business ( I forget the name of the company that is a major stakeholder in airlines, credit cards, security and prisons all over the world - Google knows!) but I don't think that private enterprise controlling convicted criminals is a fair deal.
It is not "mandatory minimums' and 'draconian 3 strike rules' that place people in prisons for the safety of society, but big business interests that are feeding off the paranoia of the 'climate of fear' foisted on the the public since the debacle of 9/11. It seems easier for government to pass their problems onto private enterprise than actually address the factors that are leading to total cultural collapse of our society.
I don't fall for the spin that this process 'cuts crime', 'reduces costs' and aids management of our penal colonies. What is does is fulfill George Orwell's prophecies of "1984" - we are coming under increasing observation and recording of our activities, innocent or not, and we are slowly being indoctrinated to accept this as normal - it is not! It is an infringement of our rights.
Why don't we try doing something useful with our penal colonies if they are so overcrowded and unmanageable - like send them to desolate places on the planet to develop failed communities or wasted resources. Set them to work repairing the damage the vampire corporates do as they suck the resources and life out of this planet.
Why not put them all to sea on floating prison farms that scour the planet as mobile fix-it crews. Better still, why not just pack 'em all off to that 'Great Floating Pacific Garbage Patch' and set them to work for that Dutch group 'WHIM Architecture' to help fulfill that dream of turning all that floating rubbish into a compact artificial island.
Don't send 'em home alone where they can do drugs, don't get 'em behind walls busting up rocks and beating out car license plates - get them out recycling refuse and doing housework around the planet!
*(This is an essay dribbled by goblinono in response to an article titled "Prisons Without Walls" at :: - http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/09/prison-without-walls/8195/)
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