P.K. Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Bronowski's "Ascent of Man" is essential reading. I recall seeing the series when it was first broadcast and so read the book asap. I still have my original copy. I also had on my desk some work of Feynman. His famous "Problem Solving Algorithm" in fact: Feynman Problem Solving Algorithm 1) Write down the question 2) Think VERY hard 3) Write down the answer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Mine works better: 1. Write down the question. 2. Think VERY hard. 3. Copy the answer of someone much cleverer than you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted April 9, 2013 Author Share Posted April 9, 2013 There is a reason Feynman couldn't use your method, Lonan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 (edited) More Feynman! Edited June 26, 2013 by Chinahand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinnieK Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 (edited) There is a reason Feynman couldn't use your method, Lonan! Unless, of course, he was dealing with an integration problem that demanded any level of understanding more sophisticated than knowing how to bash numbers into a formula and hope for the best... Edited May 10, 2013 by VinnieK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 The amazing power of life, striving to continue to propagate itself ... even after a 17 year wait! The number 17 is significant - being a large (when it is years and related to the life of a usual insect) prime number. There are also 13 year cicadas. I wonder if a biological clock will go wrong in a sufficient number to create a 19 year Cicada. Ah the amazing nature of natural selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 This is interesting on lots and lots of levels: Toughness is not built on humiliating others ... if you become aware of any individual degrading another then show moral courage and take a stand against it. ... The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.K. Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 So he's advocating taking a stand against all those who degrade and subjugate women. Well, there's a few religions I can think of just for starters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 This is a bit hard work with the simultaneous translation, but is great for showing the effects of freefall on objects with mass and angular momentum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted July 22, 2013 Author Share Posted July 22, 2013 Thought this talk by Eric Li was really interesting.There is a lot of nuance here, but I think I disagree with him over his characterization of the Communist Party of China - though it is true that it has been masterful at changing its political direction. Is the result of a bug or is it a feature? Mr Li sees it as a feature with the party showing great organizational flexibility and a pragmatic meritocratic structure. I feel events frequently get ahead of Party control, sometimes with disastrous consequences - the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution - sometimes with huge success - growing out of the plan, Jiang Zemin opening the party to businessmen.Is the Party really in masterly control? I'm sceptical and feel that it is often one step behind society, with it often responding with violence when society moves too far ahead of it - Tiananmen, 100 Flowers etc.I suspect that as Chinese society becomes more complex the Party's rigidities will become every more a bug and wonder if the praise it is currently receiving in the media is a high water mark and a good sell signal - having a CEO appearing on the front page of Time is a good indicator to sell it. I wonder if the current love-in with the CPC is similar.Sure political grid lock in Europe and especially the US is equally problematic and if people vote for ideologues then ideology is what you will get, but as I've shown before China's performance since 1948 is NOT that exceptional - link. One of the world's most important questions is how will the CPC perform in the next 50 years - and how the balance between the US and China will change. Definitely Mr Li's thoughts are interesting - I wonder if his predictions will come true, and how much violence and oppression will be necessary for the CPC to remain in power. Ah that is the question for the coming century and all the world will feel its consequences! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted August 20, 2013 Author Share Posted August 20, 2013 The Human Centipede is REAL - though only in Shrew-form! Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 It reminds me of that Kevin Bacon/conga EE advert - except with intelligent creatures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 Well, why not: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted October 21, 2013 Author Share Posted October 21, 2013 See the spirals of green and blue and pink. Well the blue and green ones are in fact the same colour - use paint or photoshop to compare them if you don't believe me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc.fixit Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Amazing!! Just shows, what you think you see and know is not always the way it is.................Maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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