A large part of my decision to become a geoscientist and not a physician, accountant or politician was the delicious prospect of not dealing with many people. I’m no misanthrope (ask anyone in my family or at work who has to put up with my incessant babbling thorough commentary), but give me a computer or a book and I’m gone. Hours upon hours go by while I swim through data, words and the mental caverns that spontaneously open and close during the journey.
That which we are capable of is a lot more interesting than this that we are capable of. Art, science, art meeting science are definitely worth meditating on more than the personally unsolvable problems of New Orleans, which new rung of hell, especially formed for him, will Karl Rove descend to or what sweet and merciful god would make the chairman of the Texas State Board of Education utter the words “That little baby born in the manger was the god that created the universe [thousands of years ago].”
So, I gleefully partake of and share the innovations, connections and progress that we humans make in our amazing and flawed capacity. Such a dichotomy of purpose always makes me wonder who we really are.
* Presenting the Star Trek Holodeck 1.0 (well, not really, but check it out, it’s 3D without all that currently comes in the way of visualizing in 3D!)
* Female friends often encourage me to take up knitting. My response is always, “What ever for?” Duh, topology, of course! New Math Tricks: Knitting and Crocheting
The math of handicraft was long dismissed as merely a cute trick or an inconsequential coincidence. Now, however, handicraft has begun to come into its own as a legitimate tool for mathematical research. This is especially true of knitting and crochet, which, thanks to the efforts of a new group of researchers, are now receiving a great deal of attention from the world of theoretical mathematics.
Go, professors, purl through the back loop of that Möbius strip … or something like that.
* The Zac Browser for autistic children. From a CBS News SciTech article:
… it greatly simplifies the experience of using a computer. It seals off most Web sites from view, to block violent, sexual or otherwise adult-themed material. Instead it presents a hand-picked slate of choices from free, public Web sites, with an emphasis on educational games, music, videos and visually entertaining images, like a virtual aquarium … It essentially takes over the computer and reduces the controls available for children like Zackary, who finds too many choices overwhelming.
* Finally, blogging is good for you. Scientific American says so. Actually, it’s good for the ill and recovering in need of a means of self-expression.
… Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.
There is no way in hell blogging improves sleep and boosts immune cell activity in this healthy individual.
The following sentence reminded me of what a blogosphere can be, what it was for many in the months immediately following Katrina and The Flood and how it can comfort, grow wonder and teach or devolve into a cesspool of unlistening, screeching self-righteousness. The choice is always ours.
… Whatever the underlying causes may be, people coping with cancer diagnoses and other serious conditions are increasingly seeking”and finding”solace in the blogosphere.
the holovizio moving gears is cool