Boom's Bardic Blog

A well named movie theatre

2011-11-06T21:20:00.002-07:00

So the other day I went on a date with a cougar Felis concolour. Actually my Mom and I caught a movie. The place was a Mega-Plex. And boy they really lived up to their name. There were actually 1 million screens in the Mega-Plex.

FYI-In Time is a conceptually interesting movie. The acting is a little cheesy, the drama is a little predictable, but overall its worth seeing simply for the ideas expressed.

The Implications of Being Mormon

2011-11-02T09:05:00.002-06:00

So today I was listening to the classic news station and they had a bit about a pro-life bill being passed in Mississippi where life is being defined as starting at conception. [This contrasts quite sharply with Dave Barry's notion that abortions are legal until age 21.] Also mulling about in my thoughts were the implications of the semminal court case on the matter Roe v. Wade. But I think the best answer to when does life begin is offered by the Mormons. Given a pre-mortal existence, life actually begins BEFORE conception! Which of course means that, it is a sin and you are a murderer if you even THINK about not having kids.

What a wonderful World

2011-10-30T21:45:00.002-06:00

One of my bestest friends Sally Nielson just opened a blog/homepage/art business. Without the least bit of hesitation I highly, highly recommend y'all check this chick's art out.

http://www.sallyneilsonart.com/ART/Home.html

2011-10-26T21:49:00.002-06:00

Really? 'Cause nothing says clean and environmentally friendly than BLACK, SOOTY COAL. Mining it ain't clean and burning it ain't much better. Where there is coal there is soot, dust and particulate. Coal creates acid rain and generally mucks up the planet. I am curious then how anyone even an overly-wealthy-agenda-driven advertizing campaign can call coal "clean!"

Overheard...

2011-10-21T21:46:00.003-06:00

Correct:
A cub scout follows Akela
The cub scout helps the pack go.
The pack helps the cub scout grow.
A cub scout gives goodwill

Note: Akela comes from Rudyard Kipling, and refers to a trusted leader in cub scouts.

Not Quite Correct:
A cub scout follows al Qaeda...

How to use math to get out of a parking ticket

2011-10-16T19:41:00.004-06:00

I recently "found" this letter for how "some guy" got out of a parking ticket. I thought this was pretty cool, so I am going to repost it here.

24 August 2011

[Sender Address Info]

Court Referee
City of Colorado Springs Municipal Court
P.O. Box 2169
Colorado Springs, CO 80901-2169

To whom it may concern:

Whereas, I, wish to contest the issuance of an “Overtime Violation 10.15.104(D)” written on this day 24 August 2011 on the grounds that the citation given was in direct opposition to the Constitution of the United States of America--a federally ratified, and legally binding document the Great State of Colorado is beholden to follow. This letter shall show the particulars of my case.

On the 24th of August 2011at 1:25 pm I parked a white Chevrolet Cobalt LT license plate ### ### at a metered parking in front of the Italian eatery Il Vicino. I ordered lasagna and 3 glasses of water. My bill came to $9.16 (I alas discarded my receipt, but a consultation with the vendor will verify the approximate time.) At this time I deposited $1.00 an amount that allowed me to lease the parking space from the city of Colorado Springs for a time equal to 1.00 hr a rate equal to $0.0167/min. According to my estimation the clock should have expired at 2:25 pm. I received a citation for the amount of $20.00 at 2:34pm. I did not notice this citation and at 2:35pm deposited an additional $1.00 into said meter, granting me an additional 1.00 hr parking space rental. I only stayed an additional 15 minutes, leaving the remainder of my $1.00 time unused. Herein is where I object to the constitutionality of said fine. Your Honor I ask you to consider the following examples:

My local library allows a 2 day grace period before issuing a fine for books. Considering the average price of Barnes and Noble’s top five selling books for 2011 came to $29.19 and the fine from my local library for not returning the books on time is $0.50/day this amounts to a fine of $0.000347/min (not including the allowed 2 day grace period). This amounts to a 1.71% fine.

My rental car allows a 29 minute grace period. If I am late I am penalized $3.50/hr or $0.0583/min a fine of 2.65% .

For being late on my $750 apartment rent payment (After a 6 day grace period) I am given a $50 fine, amounting to $0.001138/min and equating to a 6.67% fine.

For being late on a phone payment of 52.99/mo (2 day grace period) I am billed $5/month, which is $0.000114/min, a fine of 18.87%.

For missing a bank payment and bouncing a $100 check (Again with a 1 day grace period), I am charged $25-35, a 25-35% fine.

For missing a credit card payment I am billed upto 45%.

For missing a $0.25 meter payment in downtown Colorado Springs, I am apparently given a 9 minute grace period and fined 4000% interest amounting to a rate 5790 times the rate billed by my library and 88.8 times even the rate of my credit cards.

For the amount I was billed I could have/should have spent half of my vacation parked in said parking spot, let alone 9 minutes. This egregious gouging by city of Colorado Springs clearly and unquestionably goes against the 8th amendment which reads:

“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

When credit card companies joking advertize barbarians with battle axes to reflect exorbitantly high interest payments, what then would they use for a city that bills at almost 90 times the interest rate of even these Mongrel Hordes?! This is an excessive fine, and is therefore unconstitutional. I, therefore, highly object to the payment of said recompense.

In short your Honor, in light of this outrageous affront to my civil liberties protected under the sacred auspices of the U.S. Constitution I will confine my counter suit to the city of Colorado Springs to the amount of $0.50 plus any legal fees accrued. My logic is thus, I paid for an additional hour of time when I left. I used 15 minutes of this time, a value equal to $0.25. The city says I owe 10 minutes worth of parking rent to which I will gladly donate 5 min of the time I paid for to the city of Colorado Springs, an amount totaling an additional $0.25. Time used plus time owed subtracted from time already paid leaves a reimbursement of $0.50 already paid and not used.

Sincerely,

[Signature]

--Case Dismissed--

Dog Do Dilema

2011-10-01T22:16:00.002-06:00

Today, as some of you may have guessed was the LDS general conference. Today one of the talks made the point that so many people can't define a moral dilema. I can.

I like to walk my dog at night. Its cooler and the walk seems more like an adventure. My pretty puppy went potty, but in picking up the poo-poo the situation presented a perfect philosophical problem. I am cold and cannot find the world's worst dolmathe left by my dog. Here is the dilema: Do I continue searching in the dark for puppy's "lost treasure" though I am cold and getting colder or do I consider my own needs and leave "puppy suprize" for some poor soul to find in the morning? The central question is whose needs should trump? Do my needs outweigh another's or should others be a priority in life?

In first aid, and on airplanes they say to treat yourself first and to place your own oxygen mask on before helping another. In business and evolution it often seems to be a me first, self survival ethos. But this isn't the only school of thought. Scouting says to help other people at all times. The Order of the Arrow praises those who thought least of themselves. Christianity says to help your fellow man and to put others first.

Do I think of only myself call it good that I searched for as long as I could, go inside and get warm leaving a mess for someone else to clean up or possibly step in? Or do I think of others bear the cold and keep searching until I find that "hidden landmine?" Is the gesture of offering an action enough, or does an action need to be carried to completion to count?

I think ultimately, in the end, it doesn't matter what I did, but what will you do do?

A gem of wisdom from my mom!

2011-09-19T22:14:00.002-06:00

Alright, I am guilty as charged. I do not often enough compliment my mom. In fact most of my relationship with my mom is under the pretense of an exasperated "MOTHER!...." Today though, she issued a gem of wisdom I thought worth repeating.

American's can't find jobs, but we are watching a Britton and an Italian judge Russians in how well they dance Spanish and Argentine dances.

Jihad and Missionaries

2011-09-18T12:28:00.003-06:00

First of all, with a post title like "Jihad and Missionaries" I am probably going to have a lot of guests reading this post. I suspect I will have such eminent visitors as people from the NSA, Muslim fundamentalists, and maybe even a few Mormons. Welcome one and all. I assure you I mean no harm or ill respect to any of you or your organizations.

Today's post is a relation of some of the thoughts I had today. We'll start with Jihad. Webster gives two definitions of the word: "a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty" and "a crusade for a principle or belief." I think all of us should wage Jihad. BUT, I don't think either of these definitions captures what I mean. I don't think Jihad is the U.S. versus Iraq, Afghanistan and the rest of the world. I certainly don't think Jihad means blowing things up. I think Jihad is a holy war, but not one of Christians versus Muslims. Jihad is a war of good versus evil, and not even good people versus evil people. Jihad is our own good nature waging war against our evil nature. I think we all should wage a war of ourselves against ourselves. Our ultimate goal in life is to become perfect and do to everything we can to eliminate the things that are keeping us from perfection. Does this mean killing? Heavens NO! It means loving. Loving one another. Loving ourselves. It means whole-heartedly doing everything we can to avoid, and not seek out the things that drag us down. Jihad is a triumph of the inner self and not of the outer dynamite.

Jihad has two parts. It is a war against self, AND it is a war of spreading what you know to be true. This is where the missionary aspect comes into play. I think one of the major faults of Jehova's Witnesses, Latter Day Saints, and other missionaries is that all too often the mindset is one of I will replace what you have believed all your life with what I have believed all of my life. This leads to resentment, to loss, it is unconstructive and can be hurtful. I think what Jihad, what being a missionary should be about is an open and healthy dialogue with BOTH of us growing from inherent good of the other. Both religions should grow and learn from that which is good and true in what each of the others believe. Ultimately being a missionary, being a jihadist, is about bringing others to God. It doesn't necessarily mean I will drag you kicking and screaming unto my God. It means opening the way to allow you to find your own personal relationship with the divine nature of the universe, whatever you believe that nature to be. Its not about coming to my God and to my church. Its about coming to God and being closer to where you believe God is, whether that is in a mosque, a church, or out in nature that is up to you. Its about being welcoming and affirming. If your church is not satisfying your spiritual needs then come to mine. If your beliefs are not enough try mine. It is not about forcing mine onto you, but being open waiting for you to come to Universal Truth. Jihad is about taking what is good and adding unto it. It is about growth, understanding and coming closer to the Divine. It shouldn't be about ANYTHING else.

A quiz

2011-09-15T21:52:00.003-06:00

Here are 2 actual problems encountered during my day...

Problem 1. Multiple Choice
I just placed a large creit card order. I therefore do not want to spend money on my credit card. I have $10 in my wallet, but I want to save this for an upcoming book purchase. I also have a B&N gift card and a hungry stomach. How do I get something to eat?

a. Raid the loose change literally floating around inside the car (Yes it is haunted, that's why its floating.).
b. Use the Barnes and Nobel Card on the book and use the money for lunch.
c.Visit Costco and raid the delicious free samples profered.
d. None of the above

Problem 2. Essay
The lady in line behind you is bragging about how well she did on her biology test. What is her major?

Answers and explanations.

Problem 1. D. None of the above. A. is not correct because that would be stealing. I will not steal from own mother just because I am hungry! B. is incorrect because if I buy the book from B&N it will cost me $30 I only have a $5 gift card. If I buy the book at a particular used book store near where I live it costs only $9+tax. Clearly using the book card for a book is not the correct solution. I cannot chose option C because I have left my Costco card at home and have no means of sneaking past the angry Costco gateway centurions (most places call them "greeters", but I know their true insidious nature.) Finally, option D-None of the above. Here's how I got lunch for free... Barnes and Noble has a cafe. I used my Barnes and Noble giftcard to get a free lunch in their cafe. I used my $10 to buy the book and I used my card for a new $200 phone which with a $50 mail in rebate and a previous phone upgrade was also free.

Problem 2. After overhearing the lady in the line behind me discussing the intricacies of biology it is readily apparent that here major is the new mortuarial science degree program offered at SLCC! If you didn't get that last one fear not, the author didn't see it coming either. Mortuary Science one of the few majors that will quite literally kill conversation faster than "Hi I'm a math major."

2011-09-15T12:32:00.002-06:00

A cool quote: "In life you have two choices. 1. To sell your soul to the Devil. Or 2. To freely give it unto Christ."

Random Thoughts of the while.

2011-09-06T12:52:00.005-06:00

In the vein of Descarte lets see what we can build from the ground up. Descartes said "I think therefore I am." He has some flaws in his logic, but in general it is sound, albeit somewhat circular. From this claim to the claim "I am thinking therefore regardless of what form or shape it is in, there is some thinking entity, and I will call that "me". We have now established that we exist. Albeit, we have no idea in what form we exist. There is one of me that is thinking. If I could not think there would be none of me. It is possible there could be others of me. The previous statements are open to debate, but the idea at least establishes the whole numbers and suggests the number line. Given this foundation an interested mathematician could probably develop what we know of mathematics, though the task is made immensely easier if I add a second claim.

Not only am I thinking, and therefore there must be some object that thinks, I also recieve information. Whether this information is true or not and what is its source I cannot say, but I can say there is information to be gathered. Therefore information exists. All available scrutiny has not yet yielded a contradiction to the claim that the information (my sensory perception of the world around us) is subject to the laws of science hereby dubbed "physics" and its associated subsets known as chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology etc.

The system of mathematics developed ex nihil (from nothing i.e. the sensory receptor that can think that I established exists in claim I.) holds consistant with informational observations. It therefore seems that whatever the source of information it too must be subject to the laws of mathematics. Having information available also extends the mathematics I am able to create. I can now venture into the realms of story problems. I also have objects to measure, cogitate, and calculate. Thought plus observation has made the development of shapes and geometries more meaningful. And the concept of an irrational number now has a connection to a measurement and not just an abstraction. Moreover, the laws of physics are cogent with the arguments of mathematics. If the information I am recieving about the world is a deception, it is an artful one that is for the most part self consistent, which at least merits further study. Self consistancy is a necessary but not sufficient condition for reality to be believed. We will come back to this assertion at an earlier date.

Now here's the unusual supposition: God. Within the confines of the information my brain recieves it is easy for me to state that there is a God. The fundamental tennents of science are repeatability and falsifiability. I can do the same experiment over and over and over and I get the same results. Not only that, but ANYONE else can do the same experiments and also get the same results. That is repeatability. Falsifiability is that if the experiment does not come true reinterpret your original claim. In scientific parlance my claim is that my null hypothesis, the hypothesis that plays the "Devil's Advocate", or the hypothesis that states that nothing is happening and that everything we are seeing is purely due to the events of random chance, is exactly that: a horrific mass pile-up of chance events. The alternative hypothesis, the hypothesis that says "Devil--you are crazy! what we are seeing is actually something important, and is actually happening", is that there really is a God and He/She/It actually does answer prayers.

Ah and now to follow the mnemonic learned in my statistics class: "Cool Dudes Have To Pee Constantly." Which of course stands for the steps for making a statistical claim. Step 1. State the Claim. Step 2. Define your terms. Step 3. State your Hypothesis. Step 4. Conduct your statistical Test. Step 5. Interpret the Probabilities. Step 6. Make your Conclusion. "Cool Dudes Have To Pee Constantly." Thank you Mrs. Wilkinson...

Claim: Based on the information given, a Deity of some sort exists and answers prayers with a frequency greater than to be expected based on sheer chance alone.

Defining Terms: Information-The stuff I get telling me about the world around me i.e. my senses--all of them. We will assume for this experiment that at least for now I can trust my senses. They are usually consistant within the world they recieve information from, whatever that world might be. Deity--Whatever aspect of the observed universe is responsible for answering prayers. Prayer--A well stated formalized request from the universe for a specific action or event.

Hypotheses: Stated above in text

Statistical Test: We will be using one of my favorite statistical tests--The binomial distribution. A prayer is either answered, or not answered. We will defined answered as a success with probability p. Not answered will be defined as a failure with probability 1-p. If there is a God He/She/It should be answering your prayers regardless of which number of prayer it is. If there is no God then He/She/It won't be answering your prayers. In both cases the outcome of individual prayers are independant. We will assume this to be the case. It will also be assumed that each prayer is asked correctly as is appropriate for your religion. I could give you hours and hours of annecdotal evidence of why I think there is a God and what prayers of mine have been answered. However, a sample size of 1 is insufficient. So my measure of the veracity of a religion will be the number of practicioners. If someone is turning to God repeatedly and not getting an answer to their prayers it seems that they would very quickly turn away from that religion. If on the other hand their prayers are being answered then it seems that person would stay with said religion. Therefore let us use the number of people who believe in a religion as a measurable proxy for the number of prayers answered.

Data: According to the World Almanac 2009, 5.4 billion people profess to be of one religion or another. Whereas, 930 million are atheist/agnostic/nonaffiliated. If prayers are answered purely by chance then the worst case/best case scenario would be a 50-50 probability. That is 50% likely that a prayer was answered and 50% that it wasn't. Using this model and the formulae that go with it, we would expect to have a mean of np or 50% of 6.33 billion=3.17 billion being either religious or not. We would also expect our distribution to have a standard deviation of +/-40k.

Test: Z=(mean-expected mean)/standard deviation = 56,000. Probability of happening 0%

Conclusion: Given a sample size of 6.33 billion and 85% of those sampled believe in some form of God or other, suggests there is something about the human condition that requires a belief in some form of God. It also seems to imply that a lot of people's prayers are being answered which means: Either there is a God answering prayers which is the safest bet, or we as a species are too afraid to believe there isn't one.

So what have we established...

Things that exist:
I exist. Math exists. Information exists. The information that is being transmitted to me is self consistent and seems to obey the laws of physics. Within this information layden system a God also seems to exist.

Things I am not certain of:
I am not certain what exactly "I" am. I do know that "I" has the ability to think though. I am not certain if the world is real or merely a set of information being relayed to me in what seems like real time--whatever that means. Though because of the inherent self consistencies there is a good probability that the world really does exist as we know it. Surprizingly, I am more certain that I exist than the claim "You" exist. For all I know "You" could just be one of the elements of my program designed to interact with me. Though it does seem like a lot of wasted computer space if all the people I will never meet nor interact with are merely computer programs and do not exist themselves. Besides if "I" exist, why shouldn't "You" exist. Surely "I" am not the only computer program out there. Within the information rich world in which I think I exist there is an axiom posed by Copernicus stating that, "nothing is unique." Therefore why should I think that I am the only existence. I think it is quite possible that "You" think too, therefore "You" too must be existing as well--that's at least what your Facebook page said.

I am the mountain

2011-06-08T16:05:00.003-06:00

So today was one of those classic moment's in a travelers life... First I am the climbing director for Bear Lake Aquatics Base with the Boy Scouts of America. As such I am on the bus reading about mountaineering. An elderly gent, a wizened wizard, or a lost hippie-your choice, occupied the seat behind me. A conversation (mostly a monologue with nodding) ensued. The cosmic spectre, crazy and drunk as he was offered some amazing insight that I will share with you know: First look up this guy.

And now for the wisdom: "Far too many people spend every night of their life looking up at a white ceiling. Every night for the past 20 years I have starred into the stars of God's great creation. If you already have everything, then what you have is ALL that you have. If you have nothing then all the world is yours and you are truly blessed by already having EVERYTHING. When you sit atop of the mountain you become part of the mountain, until that is all you are. You ARE the mountain. We ALL are the mountain. When I die I will see you on the mountain."

To the old man of the mountain, Dude you rock! May I see you on the mountain too.

Politics 2.0 Part I: The Right to Life

2011-06-04T22:20:00.005-06:00

So last time I posted about politics I very badly offended one of my best friends. Sorry about that. Let's see if it happens again...

Its the year before a year divisible by four. That means its not a leap year AND like cicadas all the local wahoos, weirdos, and politicos emerge from their three and three quarters year long hiatus all attempting to take over the poly-sci world. I do not claim to be an economist, a political scientist, a political junky or even much care for politics. I think there is too much politics in politics and too much saying one thing and doing another, or whatever pleases your constituents--sorry pocket books. I think there are too many bloodsucking bureaucrats (That word itself is bureaucratic it has too much ink to sift through to even get at its meaning.), but I do have some of my own hairbrained ideas I would be most honored if any of the hair brains took heed of (Ack!, to use a phrase from the late cartoon Cathy--I have ended a sentence with a preposition, to switch to a phrase from Churchill, "That is something up with which I shall not put." o well.).

So, what are my views on politics? What should our nation be doing? They are as follows:

I believe that as Americans we are entitled to three basic rights: The right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Note, I said basic, not unalienable, they are close, but not quite the same. I don't think anyone should have the power to take these right away from any individual; however, I do believe that an individual can forfeit his/her/gender neutral term for the third possible case for gender possessive rights. If an individual chooses to conduct an action or actions outside of the legally accepted American parameter space then the rights associated with that system of being American may possibly be null and void. I do think we should hold a high standard for our prisons and prisoners. In fact, I think our prisons should hold themselves to the highest standards anywhere in the world. I do think we must adhere to the principle of no and unusual punishment--though letting prisoners themselves choose between life, death, or something cruel and unusual dreamed up by their victims does seem like an interesting justice system. I think one of the things that makes America truly great, head and shoulders above other nations is the respect we show even for the lowest of society for our prisoners. Our prisons are not places of squalor. They should not be places of torture. They are not places of forced confessions and coercions. And even though a person has committed a crime they are still a person and must still be treated with dignity. I think what happened at Guantanamo was wrong the extent of the tortures and embarrassment prisoners were put through. I think it was effective in the short term in that the events transpired probably did lead to a number of confessions and vital information that probably did indeed keep America safe. But I think the events of Abu Gharib and Gitmo ultimately gave a black eye to the sacredness of the American justice system. By resorting to these tactics we are no better, no different, than the prisons of third world, nicer and more electric maybe, but if we must resort to these methods on our prisoners we are no better. I think measures should be taken to insure those kind of abuses of humanity do not happen on American soil.

Moreover, I think since a right to life is so very high on our national priority list I think the death penalty should be frowned upon. I don't necessarily think that it should be eliminated all together. I do not think it is fair that the American people should pay thousand of dollars a year to keep terrorists alive, especially while life is, a future bomb might be. In the case of terrorist who have killed hundreds or thousands and who if left alive could potentially plot even greater destruction I think there can be no choice but death. But even they must be given a fair trial and given dignity even to the end. How can I say that So and So deserves dignity! Why XtyX did YtyY to my little blankety blank and she didn't have dignity why should they?! Because we are better than them and will not meet brutality with brutality but rather it is our charge to fight brutality and oppression with kindness and generosity. Our justice system is based around Judeo-Christian concepts of legality, as such I believe it must also embrace Judeo-Christian morality (that is not to say that the American justice system must necessarily sanction Judeo-Christian theology, just its concepts of morality.). In general I am opposed to the death penalty.

Are people inherently good or evil? I think we are both. We are inherently human. Any given person has the capacity to do either great good, or great evil, or even both in the same lifetime. I am reminded of the biblical accounts of Judas. Jesus Christ, some say he was the son of God, some say he actually WAS God, regardless he probably had a LOT more knowledge and insight into the thoughts and characters of his disciples chose Judas to one of his closest associates. Of course Judas betrays Christ, but is he immediately stricken down? Does God seek justice and revenge on the man who gave his only begotten son into the hands of the ancient Sanhedrin mob? No. Judas' death comes about from his own hand. He kills himself by hanging from a tree. I have long wondered what would have happened if he hadn't killed himself but instead had devoted himself to spreading the word of the error of his ways. How powerful would his, to use an LDS phrase, testimony have been if he had been brave enough to live with the consequence of his actions rather than run and hide from his misdeeds. Similarly, relating this back to more modern times, how powerful would the testimony of a tattoo covered ex-convict gang banger CEO be the younger generation.

"Hey homies, I wuz a first class thug. I did my time. I realized that wuzn't who I really wanned to be yo. I changed my ways. You can too. You don need to be involved wid gangs to be successfu just look at me. When I was involved with the South Side Pink Pony Killaz I was afraid for my life. I was running all the time. Now I am a fortune 500 CEO my net worth is 12 times the entire street I controlled as a street thug. You can do this too it just takes stayin in school, hard work and stayin out o trouble yo.

Yea right like a tat covered punk gangbanger kid has what it takes to run wall street. Why not? They survived the inner city, which I hear is at least as cut throat and investment trading. So, Donald Trump, you want to run for president? You want to make a difference in this world? Find someone on the streets and train them. You did it with the apprentice. You can do it again. You have enough to lose and you might just make the world a better place. But that is not what this massive missive is about. This is an electronic foray into my thoughts on politics, and where I left off I was discussing the American justice system. The ideas espoused in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter bring to mind the high and lofty ideals that anyone can repent from and over come any challenge thrown at them. I think this same mindset should be the one we hold for American prisoners. Anyone can come back from anything. I think our prisons should exert a greater effort on training skills, on teaching coping mechanisms, on providing counseling. I think the nature of prisons must be more than a locked adult babysitting chamber. And more like a center of learning what does it mean to be a successful American. I think if we are paying the food, room and board of hundreds of thousands of individuals for years on end they should be doing something to earn their keep and their should be some spectacular product produced in the end. Crime is often associated with poverty. Education has shown time and again that it is the antithesis of poverty. Why not relate the two. If you are imprisoned you are not getting out until you can complete an education?

Alright you tree huggin' Libral why am I paying my hard earned tax dollars for sendin' some two bit con-man to higher learnin'? Because you are actually paying to keep them out of prison rather than see him again in a few months because Joe Prison amoeba knows no other life.

But won't that ENCOURAGE kids to commit a crime to get an education?
Make the incentives to stay out of crime even stronger. Provide a well advertised nationally funded program where if your household income is below the poverty line and attend school you go 18 years without a criminal record you are eligible for a scholarship to any school in the nation. Bam! Crime rate drops in half.

But what about the kid who already committed a crime?
If you confess your crime, serve your time and go out and somehow make your community a better place. Your crime gets taken off your record.

We have a right to life. This doesn't just refer to our prisoners. You and me, we have a right to life. Life is sustained by having healthy air, clean water, available food that won't make us sick. I think also we have a right to not just life but a high quality life. It is the responsibility of the federal government to insure that there is NO company out there in the business of taking our lives no matter how slowly. This might mean that it should be the responsibility of the U.S. Federal Government to regulate life taking industries such as tobacco and I think criminals should be prohibited from obtaining a firearm. But I also think it should be the responsibility of the government to make sure our food is safe (ah good the USDA is doing this--excellent, but are they also monitoring the preservatives and gooky stuff in our junk food/fast food?), that our air and water are ingestible without intiction of toxic chemicals (the EPA is supposed to be doing this but they have no teeth and rich corporations have all the clout. Case in point consider some statistics I learned in my Utah Master Naturalist class: Water in the Great Salt Lake has 25 times the allowable mercury levels but nothing is done about it. Our air and water is so polluted here in the Salt Lake Valley that 1 oz of fish per year is the recommended safe allowance. Ducks, of which millions use the local lakes as resting spots are contaminated with enough heavy metals as to pose lethal health concerns. The list goes on and on and my toxic city is not the only culprit.). I believe it is the responsibility of the federal government to oversee and insure that the earth, wind, and water for every user of fire is not beleaguered by a plague of noxious elements, no matter how rich or powerful their source.

On the note of staying alive, I think instead of Democratic Obama Care, or the Republican Ha Ha Sucks To Be You Care, what if there was a third alternative. I rather enjoy having the best trained doctors in the world. I think doctors and nurses and other medical industry staff should be well rewarded for their courageous day to day life saving actions AND they have each spent most of their lives training to be in the profession they chose. I have NO problems with a $21,000 medical bill. I think those doctors and nurses earned every penny of it. I do have a problem with PAYING a $21,000 medical bill. The biggest problem I have with paying it, is I can't. Having socialized medicine I don't think works. I have heard, possibly exaggerated stories of how long people have had to wait to get substandard inferior care in places where medicine is government controlled. The feds are great bureaucrats but they aren't physicians. I also think leaving insurance to the individual is not the fairest or best method, it leaves too many people out in the dust who can't afford the world class doctors our country is proud to support. The alternative I suggest is a subsidy. If our federal government can support farmers for not growing food and pay fisherman double market value for over catching food then certainly the government can subsidize an industry devoted to saving people's lives. In my plan people still have insurance if they can afford it and if they want it. If you have it you get help with medicines you get access to the best of the best in the doctoral and life saving world. Basically you got the way cool platinum health pass and the rest of us get economy class, but its not the government saying who you can go to. The doctors still charge their fees but the feds help pay some of their salary so doctors in theory don't have to charge as much making them more affordable to those of us with lower or no-wer insurances.

If life is so very paramount, I do not believe it is enough for doctors merely to treat us when we are functioning below the standard operating parameters. I think it is the role of medical researchers to figure out ways of keeping us alive and healthier longer, long before our symptoms linger. As such if I were president of the United States of America I would increase the budgets of the National Institute of Health and I would boosts the National Science Foundation's budget as well. Those organizations discover the things that keep us alive and make life worth living. I would also boost the budget of NASA after all if life is our first almost unalienable right why not look for alien life. Its a leap, but I think NASA is just too cool of a program for it to dwindle into obscurity just because we hope the private sector can do better. Oh yea NOAA should get some greens to study the blues too 'cause what is life without a planet for us to exercise our right on.

In the essay I am exploring all of the aspect of the U.S. government that are connected to our right to life. To me this also means insuring that life as we know it continues to exist that we are not wiped out by war. I am eternally grateful that we have one of the most technologically advanced well funded armies in the world. I do not mind paying for an army to keep our shores and citizens safe. I do whole heartedly object to being kept in a state of fear and using the big bad "them" as a ploy to keeping American citizenry cowed and in a state of fear authorizing anything the government deems necessary as a protection for my safety. I think the previous presidential administration overused and abused its powers of warfare. I think Darth Cheney is far too much like Orwell's Big Brother for my liking. I think it was disingenuous and down right devious of the government to keep us in constant fear of attack by ever present terrorists that turned out not to have weapons of mass destruction after all. I think the government needs to keep us safe, but also informed, at least as much as they can. I am ok with spending big bucks on the military just don't abuse the trust we place in you with that cash in hand.

For tonight's ramblings I have just two more points. I mentioned quality of life. I think education definitely falls into this realm. In an ideal world teachers and Sports Super Heroes would exchange salaries (even for a day would rock!). The best doctor someone who saves lives by the hour makes at best around 2 million annually. An awesome teacher who changes countless lives over generations teaching possibly hundreds per year. The guardians of our children the caretakers and custodians of knowledge culture and youth over their teaching life time might make a million if they save well and plan ahead. The worst B grade athlete who puts a ball in a hole makes millions of dollars a day and complains about how little he gets paid to PLAY A GAME. Children don't want to work hard in school--why should they they will have a boring low paying job with no glitz and glamour. If a student works hard instead at sports they could be famous, make millions, and be a superstar. (Without thinking of probabilities or consequences) Who wouldn't want that sort of life style. Oh yeah and since kids now have to be superstars they have to start young... and there goes childhood and play time lost to overzealous OCD scheduling mommies. Its no wonders so many kids are screwed up these days.

Alright Mr. Smartie Pants, what do we do about it?
Education has to start in the home and be cheered on by the parents, but the feds can't regulate the parents. What the feds can do is dink around with education a bit. I think it is a laudable goal for us to have the best educated public, but our push for the best is making us loose what makes us unique. I think our uniqueness comes not from our math or our science but from our creativity. I am deeply saddened to think of the loses of art, music, drama, dance and all the other fineries of life laid by the wayside in favor of standardized testing. We are not China. We do not need to be China. We do not need standardized students so why have standardized test. We are leaving no child behind because we are holding all children back. To be the best in the world we need to make school fun. We need teaching methods that don't revolve around talking heads but rather excited pupils. A significant chunk of funding needs to be thrown at the entire United States school system. School needs to be a safe fun place where people want to go. If given the choice of ditching or going school should be an exciting and welcoming enough place students will want to choose school over ditching. Standard tests are hogwash. Evaluate teachers instead on the success of their students a decade later. Grade teachers not how many As Bs Cs Ds and Fs but rather on how many BSs, MDs, PhDs, JDs and they receive. And for that matter why are we penalizing the teachers in the hardest roughest neighborhoods sorry you fail because your are only giving everything you have got pouring your heart and soul into what you do and you fail because it still wasn't enough and maybe never will be. Education needs to be technologically up to date. It needs to be safe. It needs to be fun. School needs to be filled with art and song, musicality and individuality in every way possible. And teachers need to be making about 50k+/year.

Finally, the last of tonight's rantings, and probably the topic that will net me the most hate mail...abortion. I am pro life. I think all life is sacred. In my biology class I set my nematodes free. I nearly cried during a mouse dissection. I can't go fishing because I hate impaling the worm. Me being pro-life does not however make me anti-pro-choice. I think abortion runs smack into the two values held most dear by the American people. Neigh unto unquestionably, we are granted the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So which one wins, life or liberty? I do not think abortion should be taken lightly. I don't think it should be done simply on a whim. I don't even think its the best option. But I certainly don't think it shouldn't be an option. I think abortions will happen whether or not we fund them. Personally, I would rather have the assurance that if an abortion is being done it is done by the most skilled professionals possible. Further, simply because I do not like the idea of an abortion, does not mean that I should take away your right to have that choice. So I would encourage my family not to pursue that route I won't take that liberty from you. And lastly the final two most compelling reasons I support abortions are that a woman whose pregnancy endangers her life should not have to sacrifice herself so that a baby can enter the world unloved and uncared for. I think it is unconscionable to ask a mother to have to die for offspring if she is not willing to. And compelling reason number two, what about in the case of a rape? How horrible it would be for a mother to look at what is supposed to be her pride and joy and remember instead a horrible act forced upon her. How horrible would it be to know as a child that you weren't wanted that your father forced himself upon your mother and you exist simply because it was against that law to prevent your creation. If there is even one case where abortion is legal then it must be available for any who wish to seek it, for I do not think it is the place for a doctor to act as bouncer. Alright miss J. Doe I can only do this abortion if this was the result of a rape, so will you please fill out this form describing in detail the events on the night of the rape. Oh sorry, this is only the result of a spring fling, or oops it was consentual at the time sorry I can now no longer perform this abortion. To me it seems that it is not the doctors place to ask the reasons for the abortion, the doctors role is to simply inform of other options and if the party is committed to perform the act with absolute safety for the mother not to ask her reasons why.

Herein discussed in the first of a three part series on "What is the role of Government?" are my thoughts on abortion, education, the military, health care and a number of other fields. Tune in next time for more errant ramblings pertaining to the size of government, finances, the environment and what ever other topics I get around to complaining/pondering about. Till next time 0.

BuddhaBrot

2011-04-21T16:59:00.003-06:00

I don't know if I have philosophized about 4 dimensional complex fractals yet. But here goes...By now you probably know I like fractals. Well, this guy does too http://miqel.com/fractals_math_patterns/visual-math-natural-fractals.html. (Be sure to check out the fractal teddy bear.) [ On the note of "."s and ")" I invented a new emoticon. .) I call it "Smiley lost an eye in the war." Now back to your regularly scheduled diversion.] To quote the source of the image above, "it can be thought of as how much viscosity a particle passing through a Mendelbrot set would experience." The parts I like about it is that it resembles the Buddha whose infinity exists simultaneously inside of and outside of itself. The Buddha is meditating as are his very cells. In fact, the entire existence of the buddhabrot is in a state of meditation . Its a four dimensional complex object so we wouldn't actually be able to see this--hmm kind of like divinity its self. Being 4D this object is outside of time also metaphoric of divinity. If we wanted to trace the edge of or in other words to place limits and understand the full extent of this creation it could not be done, yet by looking we can see that even this infinite creation has a definite existence and a fixed form. We cannot know every detail of the buddhabrot but we can create it using a relatively simple equation. It is the same everytime it is created but it can be viewed through infinitely many perspectives appearing slightly different each time. The equation is simple yet it contains infinite insights. Totally a great metaphor for spirituality and religion and just to make it better it is also based on math.

An Astrobiology Dichotomy

2011-04-18T13:33:00.005-06:00

For today's post I want to compare two places in our solar system. You dear readers will be asked to guess what and where these places are and to surmise if life could be possible in either of these environments.

The first is place found to be nearly devoid of water. Any possible nutrients are relativly far flung. Each daily cycle can see temperature changes of 100 degrees or more. For days on end the sun beats down this environment with its harsh unrelenting rays. Anything that might reside here, when not buried under intense incoming solar radiation is beset with life threatening storms one after another for months on end. There is a relatively thin atmosphere in the locale described but fully 1 out of every five atoms is a toxic gas known to strip electrons from every tissue in your body. Under laboratory conditions this gas has been known to cause profound chronic wasting age accelerating conditions. It gets better because more than three quarters of this locations "atmosphere" contains elements bound together in a stiffleing combination barely able to be metabolized only by the heartiest of organisms.

That was environment number 1. Now let's compare this with environment number 2.

Imagine a place that never changes. Shelter is not needed because as far as is known, there are never any storms. The temperature has the temperature of a cozy heated bath, all day, all year for years on end. Food is piled upon you in heaps 15 stories high! Water is plentiful and readily abundant. In location #2. The equivalent of the entire volume of the world's ocean flows every few million years. In short it seems like a biotic paradise.

So what and where were these two locations I described? Surprisingly, they were both here on Earth. Location number 1 was the Tiaga of Northern Russia, one of the largest land ecosystems on Earth! But what about all of that horrible stuff you mentioned? Its all true. Russia holds the record for greatest temperature change in one day. -20 F just before dawn +80 F around noon. The Russian winter is famous for wiping out intrepid life forms brave enough to attempt conquering it. Two known species were nearly driven extinct because of it e.g. Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. But what about that toxic gas you mentioned? Is there really a toxic gas leak in Russia? No. The toxic gas I mentioned is Oxygen. We take it for granted that we can breathe it, but one only needs look at what it does to a banana or an apple to realize its toxic effects. Does it really strip electrons from every tissue in your body? Yup. That's how we are able to get energy from food. Oxygen is the final electron acceptor in our electron transport chains. Because of oxygen's greed for electrons we are able to make 18 times more ATP than organisms that don't utilize this toxic substance. And the 78% of the atmosphere we can't utilize...you guessed it--Nitrogen. N triple bonded to N is ridiculously hard to break apart, only a select few bacteria found in peas and other legumes can even tackle the immense task of splitting this titanic bond.

Environment number 2, also here on Earth, is a deep sea vent less than an hours walk from the surface--assuming you could walk a matter of miles straight downward AND resist the 100 atmospheres of pressure crushing you into oblivion. Though we are not able to metabolize the hydrogen sulfide running rampant in these deep sea oases to chemiosynthetic bacteria this IS their food source.

In light of the present argument I am inclined to believe the John Corliss argument. I think if life had to originate in one location it was probably a deep sea vent. It seems a lot more difficult for life to start in a shallow sea with dilute nutrient concentrations than in a place with a 150 foot pile of food replaced continuously. Ladies and gentlemen Beware your land based mammal biases on the world. Did I mention the deep sea vent is home to approximately 1,000 different species-- roughly 120 times that of a rainforest if bluebiome.org is correct in its analysis!

And now to alienate the rest of you!

2011-04-18T08:54:00.003-06:00

Since this is my forum, I can choose to talk about what I would like. Today I would like to wax prosaic about politics. I have a strong scouting background and tend to lean Democratic (Think "lean" as in a motorcycle sport bikist leaning into the turns of a grand prix at 100 miles per hour and not "lean" as in a positively phototropic chlorophyll laden eukaryote producing a little too much auxin.).

Scouting has badges in both personal finance and environmental science scouting is apolitical. Why should scouting suggest the left as opposed to the right or any party in between? Consider the Scout Oath, "On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty, to God and country. To obey the scout law. To help other people at all times to keep myself, physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight." Its that "help other people at all times" clause I really like.

Some would question the logic of helping the impoverished class suggesting that there is a certain percentage that abuses the system, that milks us the tax paying citizenry for all our generosity is worth and still chooses to remain poor. To them I say, this is probably true, but lets give them the chance. I would shudder to think what America would be if the American Dream had an exclusivity clause. Though the impending international debt implosions implore us to introspection, I suspect that even in a recession our country is strong enough and powerful enough that we can pull those stuck in the mire of poverty free without being pulled in by those who relish its murky embrace. Should we cast aside our corrupt capitalism for the chagrined communism? Nay. Capitalism has been given its chance and though its ideas are noble, in practice there will always be greed and thus an inequitable allocation of wealth. People should be able to work hard, work for their entire life and have something to show for it. People should be able to accomplish their dreams and become whatever their heart desires. The altitude of one's ambitions should not be abridged by another's intent.

But there is a temperance to this lofty idealism. In our race for our personal summits I do not believe we should walk on another nor should we destroy our environments. The analects of scouting again offer us a creed:

As an American I will be clean in my outdoor manners, be careful with fire, considerate in the outdoors and conservation minded.

I think art, music, theater and all the trimmings of a well enlightened society are essential to the education and empowerment of the human soul. All of these are completely necessary to the human experience. I think in addition to this we must preserve and protect the breeding ground for such ideas. I believe we need to protect our American environments and uniquely American vistas, else what good is an American Dream if the world we live in isn't worth aspiring too? Whether you are globally thermophilic or thermophobic protecting our planet offers unimaginable dividends. As Dr. Ghistle once said humming fish do not hum if their gills are all gummed. All of America is a crowning gem of beauty. But how can we appreciate our fabled spacious skies and purple mountains of majesty if all we can see is smog? How can we live in a land were the people are free but the water is dammed? What would it be like if our national bird, the majestic bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus )symbol of kings and nations existed only in zoos and aviaries instead of wild and free? America is America and it is up to us to protect what makes us unique, our people and places not just our things.

I have one more thought to add to my stream of consciousness political ramblings. We cannot achieve any of our ends if we are always embattled asses ( Equus democratis) versus mammoths (Elaphus republicansis). How did that ancient proverb go? " A house divided ...is under Republican control?" Sorry. If one side refuses to give a little, refuses to work for the better good and refuses to represent his/her constituents and not his/her pocket book then that man or woman is a Utah State legislator.

2011 Outstanding Tutor of the Year

2011-04-14T21:14:00.006-06:00

So today I was officially dubbed " Outstanding Tutor of the Year 2011!" Its probably because I keep making things like this:

http://www.gliffy.com/gliffy/#d=2596948&t=Chemistry_Flow_Chart_of_Doom

Comedy is Tough.

2011-04-07T07:06:00.003-06:00

And now for a comic that needs no introduction. The winner of "Last Comic Chatting"--Boom

Before I begin, I would just like to give a little shout to my friends and family.

AAAAHHH!

Online comedy is a little different than stand-up. There are just some things you can't do in online comedy. You see stand up comics say things like: "Hey its great to be here in the great city of Los Angeles!" Or "Let me hear it New York!" Well, "Are you excited citizens of server number 010011.508!" You hear things like stand up comics going on tour--for me that's easy: Just last week I visited 15 chat rooms. Doing online stand up is pretty rough. As a comic I never see my wife or kids. Its probably because my wife divorced me and I don't actually have any kids. Sadly though, I don't think my dog appreciates my humor.

On the note of appreciating humor, comics often perform in bars, clubs and other places where they serve alcohol. The idea is that a few drinks will loosen up the crowd and generally the comedian does better. Where comedians should be performing is in hospitals. Who needs liquor to loosen up a crowd when you have Loritab and laughing gas.

Another difference between online comedy and in person stand up is that "in person" you are able to see the person. You have some idea of what to expect. The next comic walks on stage, its a Hispanic transvestite leprechaun--you KNOW what he's going to be making jokes about. Its ok though--he is a Hispanic transvestite leprechaun she can make fun of them like that. the rest of us couldn't but she can. Me, you have no idea who I am, which group I am going to mock and ridicule. I have to introduce myself first. I am a mathematician approaching 26 from the left. I represent the underprivileged inner suburb white protestant middle class male not in politics. Its ok though I can make fun of white middle class males I am one. This economy is so hard I had to pretend I was part of the GOP just to get an interview.

There is an upside to online comedy though--Not as much fruit thrown at you. Though last week someone posted a comment that said tomato.

Thank you and goodnight. Start autosaving.

Thumbs up for Black Irony

2011-03-30T15:30:00.002-06:00

I am taking a martial arts class. A fortnight hence I had my test for my orange belt. This was an experience unlike any I have ever had before. All those testing assembled in an auditorium much akin to a gladiator arena. We, the soon to be pugilists arrayed ourselves by belt. The spectators flanked the edges of the theater. The show commenced with all known white belt blocks. It continued through the orange belts, purple, green, brown, and black belts each participant stopping when they no longer knew anymore blocks. The process was then repeated, for kicks, punches and katas or forms. As you might imagine, being an orange belt [pronounced American Kenpo Noob] I spent much of the night standing at attention.

After passing this ordeal, round two was levied upon us. Sparring. Everyone else is thinking Sweet! Sparring. I am thinking, $#!+ I don't even have a Gi let alone a cup. Yeah I felt like the kid not in scout uniform at the national jamboree. First round of Wednesday Night Fights: Me vs. A Gent from class. Ok cool I can do this. Round 2: Me vs. feisty red-head. BTW she happened to be an entire belt above me. BBTW her sensai was judging the fight and kept offering such sage advice as, "Don't think, just fight" and "Go for the Groin!" Me: $#!+, $#!+, $#!+ I don't have a cup! Needless to say I blocked well that night.

I had two things working for me against the fury known as Burgen. One, I was twice her height. And two, she had a slight twitch that cued me off every time she was about to kick. Kick number three I picked up and put her on hold. Once in my arms I "swept" her off her feet. My gentlemanly nature quickly went out the second story window though (She was in my defense trying to kill me.) for at that point I went on the offensive and backed her into a corner where the sensei called the fight.

Wednesday Night Fights Round 3+: My next fight was much easier, I fought another orange belt--easy fight he was too timid. I also spared my sensei. And the coup de gras of the night was a fight pitting me against a black belt. I did well, I held my own. I even landed a few punches. [Kendell points out that me sparring a black belt and all ending welt is strangely reminiscent of my bout with Amy in High School, but that was just for kicks.] Importantly, the black belt did land one good one right on the lips--a punch not a kiss. Anyway a split lip from a black belt was a battle wound I could be proud of. Here's the irony you have all been patiently waiting for: later that night, I made myself a peanut butter sandwich. I cut my self on the jar. A split lip from a black belt is an injury to be proud of. A cut thumb from a peanut butter jar--that's just stupid. I hurt myself more fighting a jar of peanut butter than I did fighting a black belt.

Morale of the Story: Don't mess with peanut butter--it will take you out.

Random Overheards

2011-03-30T15:24:00.003-06:00

So its been a while since I have posted. Apologies if anyone still follows. I thought its been long enough I should return to posting.

Today for your Wernicke's ogling pleasure I will be posting some of the funnier things I have recently overheard:

Song Lyric: He's not actually a leprechaun--just a leper with his legs gone.

Stated by a Friend: I have to go study really hard for my class on magic.

Quoted by an Acquaintance: I hate my computer class. I am blind, what do I care about pretty fonts.

Quoted by a Stranger: Has anyone seen my ethics book? I think someone stole my ethics book.

n^2+1 Scholarly Puns

2010-12-18T21:42:00.002-07:00

1. What do academics wear around their necks?
A s-collar

2. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a boat called NOAA's arc.

3. What do you call a crescent shaped jail for scholars?
Sickle cell academia

4. What do scientists keep to record their public thoughts?
A scientific journal

5. Was the work on Barlett's Pear Reviewed?

6. Where do you house falsehoods?
In a Lie-brary

7. Where can you find stores of calcium hydroxide?
In A Lie-brary

8. Where do you read about thorns?
In a Li-briar

9. Are the works of urologists peer reviewed?

10. I like to buy my moduli in bulk.

11. Newton said to Young don't stress. (A Newton is a unit of force and another name for how easily a beam will bend is the bulk or Young's modulus ergo they are talking about strain).

There a brief dose of puns as per Tim's suggestion of just doing 10.1 puns ten times. The problem with this is the law of large numbers doesn't set in. Oh well enjoy.

Its no wonder the machines used us as batteries!

2010-08-20T19:14:00.002-06:00

Hello world.

To use a phrase from a favored professor at Weber State. I am taking a thermal physics/statistical mechanics class for fun, along with an electronics class too. One of the problems I just finished was to use the Stefan-Boltzmann law (Power is proportional to area times temperature raised to the fourth power) to find the power output of a person. But to do this I need an area formula for said person. Never fear according to Mosteller (1987) he provides the following commonly accepted formula for the surface area of an average human. (height[cm]*weight[kg]/3600)^1/2. (Or you can use the physicist's assumption of a spherical human which in the limit of Wisconsin is approximately true.) Anyway, plugging in the canonical astronomer multiplying by the number of seconds in a sidereal day and timesing by the population of the planet leaves us with about fifty five gadjillion Joules/day (5.54*10^17 J/day) in unspent energy! Its no freaking wonder the zombies want our brains and the machines want our ATP pumps!

Resurrection/ Reincarnation

2010-08-18T21:27:00.004-06:00

Do I believe in resurrection?
Yes.
Do I believe in reincarnation?
Yes. But neither of the above answers are as simple as they may seem.

I live and I die, and when all is said and done my cosmic makings will return to the cosmos from whence they came. I am part soil, part plant. I am part earthworm and sea jelly. I am a part of all things. I am even a part of you, as you are of me. My atoms will never die they can only cycle. My atoms are or will be in all things and a part of all things. My atoms came from the supernovae of stars and if given time enough will recompose planets, other suns, galaxies, and even the Universe itself. This is reincarnation, not even the most strident atheist can deny. As spectacular and profound as this is? Is this all? Amid all of these pieces is there nothing that is me? Am I merely the sum of my hundred trillion parts, or is there something more? There is evidence of a chemical memory, but is all that I have seen and done nothing more than the bond energies between electrons? How very depressing to think that all that I am is nothing more than atoms arranged and glued together purely by chance by the designs of the Universe.

Even if it is only hubris and self preserving pride. I would like to think that I am something. I would like to think that what I do matters. Previously, preforming the pre-frontal logic of Pascal I posited the presence of a God. Given then that there is a God even though I am but an unimaginable speck in the great scheme of things and surely a speck as small as I am can't matter right? Though taking out pieces of any size from any well working machine never did seem like a good idea. And plus if what my religion tells me is true, then all of us just happen to be specks personally favored by the creator of the universe him self hand crafted to resemble the Divine somehow.

So admitting the bias that it is in my own interest to be a firm believer (FYI probably a note about the mathematics of believing and believing coming soon.) in an immortal soul, I do believe I have a soul. I do not believe that anyone can take my soul. I believe myself and my soul can learn else why are we here on Earth? In some respects it can change in others it is soully my own. Albeit I like the idea of my soul being tangent to a great many other souls touching and shaping who they are and who they will become. Ideas like that give me purpose in life. Ah but was my soul ever a slug. I do not think so. The soul is my own. The slug had its chance. I don't think my soul will diverge backward either. I believe that I am me and as I have said my soul is my own. I also believe that it always will be. If not who then really is me. I claim there is a me. But who I am doesn't matter what I look like or what happens to me. I suspect that a person's soul plays a large part of who they are. Case in point, ask a mother of identical newborn twins if they have different personalities. Chances are the new mother will say that even at birth they are two different people. How can this be? Twins from the same mother have had the same environment, if the twins are identical they have the same genetics and yet there are differences. This must mean that there is something other than nature or nurture determining who and what they are and will be. To me this is the soul.

So is my soul reborn? I doubt it. If souls are recycled how does this work if the population is growing. Sure the total number of people through out history is a thousand times greater than it is now, but at any given time we have a larger population than before. It seems to me that souls are brought into this planet anew and not reused. So does this mean I believe in the Hindu/Buddhist idea of Samsara? It does. But wait, I thought you said you didn't believe one's soul could be recycled. If you don't believe in recycling, how can you believe in Samsara?

I think Samsara is the day to day battle of us against our addictions. Our goal is not so much to get out of mortal life, but to get ourselves out of the addictions and holds of mortality but also to get not out of but as much out of mortality as we can. This is I think the purpose of Samsara--to perfect ourselves--a purpose coincident with religions the world over. Samsara is Jihad. These are the struggles and wars we wage, not with others but with ourselves. As the Buddhist says this is the path to enlightenment, the path to perfection. Hold on! How can Samsara be Jihad? Samsara involves continual life, death and rebirth? The close of each day marks the death of all days that have gone before. Once gone a day cannot return it cannot come back again. It is dead. But on the morrow the day begins afresh (stay tuned posts about the arbitrarity of days also coming soon). Each morning a day is reborn and we are given another chance to apply what we have learned to fight hard, to struggle, and to make progress on our path or to lose the way and backtrack as we and our conscience see fit. Each day the old days die, the new days are reborn, and the battle us against our self begins again. Reincarnation.

But what of resurrection? I am only a very weak scholar of the Quaran but as I understand it there is an exceedingly beautiful passage about Allah reviving the dry Earth after a rain storm and if He (salutations be upon him) can do this than raising of the flesh of the dead is mere trifle. I do believe there will be a raising of the dead a true 9th level cleric casting the great resurrection. The Way of nature is a way of cycles, a Way of recycling. I believe in the resurrection, because I have a hard time believing the operating principles inherent in Nature could allow so much of what is gained in life to go to waste. And now for the thrilling conclusion. Imagine how profound it would be if it wasn't just our bodies that were reanimated and given life again, but what if every atom that ever was, ever has, or ever will make up You could be restored unto You!? What if it wasn't just restored, but what if you could understand the journeys of every atom that made you?

If you really could comprehend the paths of the atoms and voyages of the finery that made you then inherent in you is the understanding of a God. The Resurrection.

Twinky Quality Control Manager

2010-08-09T15:33:00.003-06:00

So I love my job. But just to be safe I have been applying for backup jobs just in case. Here's one of the jobs I found:

http://jobview.monster.com/Quality-Assurance-Manager-Job-OGDEN-UT-89866004.aspx

Yes that's right quality control for the people who make twinkies! Gain 100 lbs in a day. Dream job woot! I think I'll keep the one I already have.

Close Encounters

2010-08-02T14:59:00.003-06:00

Almost Overheard:
...
Parapsychologist: Fine! How do you define a close encounter?

Mathematician: When object UFO comes within dr of the parameter space of the orthonormal projection of object YOU that is a close encounter.

Parapsychologist: ...

The Economic Argument

2010-07-23T20:16:00.002-06:00

Hello all. I have just finished Aldo Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac." Its great I would recommend it to all. It is this work that leads me to post today. My thoughts have been brewing for some time. I think they are about ripe. I will however start with a brief excursion due to potential lack of time.

Wildlife bridges

Above major roadways we have human bridges. This prevents human roadkill. No kids found squashed in the middle of the road. Bridges are good. They connect us to the places we need to be. But consider this, if instead of wearing a backpack you wear an all organic fur coat, instead of getting a bridge, you will get a sign that says your name followed by crossing. This does nothing to actually help you get across the road it merely paints a target on you and lets the motorized hunters know what is in season. We need bridges. Both the human kind and a lot more of the animal kind. Animals need to get from their homes to their stores, from work, to food, to water, and to rest. Why are their no bridges for them? Oh yeah, the economic argument.

As I said, that just was the diversion (tee hee tee hee, yes I meant that kind of diversion too.). The real "overarching" goal of this post was to compare ideas of ecology to those of economics. Alas my stop draws near my thoughts shall have to wait.

Post sortings and the value of math

2010-07-09T00:28:00.008-06:00

So I haven't posted in a while. No kidding Sherloxx I hadn't noticed, is probably what you are thinking. I would just like to gloat about some of the spam I rejected today--some of it is pretty funny. I got an invitation to premier in Bollywood, India and also to premier as a Jewish comic in a New York Comedian brokerage. Other fun comments that got the boom official stamp of rejection of course the regular male enhancers, and "Thank you. You speak as well words you helped me on my college assignment." Then of course the investment blowhard who was trying to smoothly tie in his website with phrases like let me just follow-up on that with a brief discourse about high yield portfolios yeah like that's the stuff I talk about on my blog. My favorite was the random spam about gooey ducks (a variant of this spelling is a type of clam known as the phallus worm--And with a word like phallus in my posts I'll be curious to see what type of search bots I attract now--not.) Other random spam bots include a 2012 world's going to end so bury your hummers now and join the Hare Krishnas nut. Someone wanted me to sell 210 pounds of shoes. My 101 Cheese jokes got a blue cheese wholesaler. And I received an ad for an electronic environmentally friendly cigarette. Oh then there's the Scandinavian boat auction or how about physics replica rolex professors and archimedes sh"replica Rolexes!" Nor can I forget the black hat illegal online marketing either or the professional do it yourself psychiatric help bookseller. I don't get any of it. But none of this was actually the reason I actually posted tonight. The real reason is I wanted to brag about my latest mathematical escapades.

I got paid $65 to do an integral--9 of them actually. The aquarium was conducting a summer camp and wanted to know the bite pressure of a macaw and therefore needed to know rather precisely the surface area of a collection of nuts. It got awkward rather awkward when people asked what I was doing measuring my nuts--sorry. Take math it pays and apologies again about the last line. Enjoy.

Blogdor! Blogginating the Country Side!

2010-06-22T21:27:00.006-06:00

For your viewing pleasure. Today I created this:

God Bless America and the Rest of the World Too!

2010-06-21T23:15:00.002-06:00

Today my post is on the blog of my wonderful wife: charlathegreat.blogspot.com

Pet Incumbos

2010-06-14T11:01:00.002-06:00

I have decided that the world needs a word for the opposite of a pet peeve. I submit that even the greatest of us have their pet peeves. Alright, maybe not the greatest of us, "Man you should see the look in Christ's eye in when you lick his shoe lachet the wrong way!" Yeah that seems a little absurb. But for the rest of us everyday there could be hundreds of little things that just rub us the wrong way. But dwelling upon these, that just makes for a negative experience. We need to as that ol' song says "Eliminate the negative we got to accentuate the positive sides of life."

I propose a pet incumbo. Incumbo is the Latin word for favor and so a pet incumbo is a little thing that makes your day go well. Examples include turning right on a busy street when a bus goes straight--yeah I know I am safe if any cars come through they smash into a bus and not me woot! An other example is finding enough cash in the couch to buy lunch, or even better finding that 20 you stashed in your coat pocket a few years ago and totally forgot about. Or your work has a 20 digit door code that some just walked out of so you don't have to enter a thing! Though my favorite pet incumbo is the speeding ticket insta-karma. The jerk with the babies on board bumper sticker that cuts you off whizzes at break-neck speed endangering everyone on the road who gets pulled over at the ext hill. Pet incumbos. Speaking of pets I have one. I also apparently also have my own personal angel. I'll tell you this story in just a bit, but first let me set the stage with the background material.

My church has lots of meetings. Their not my favorite pet incumbos but usually they are pretty good. I went to one such meeting last night. The speaker waxed maudlin about his trip to the sacred grove and about how wonderful it was. Generic platitudes about abstract blessings followed and a really funny bit about how he took a leaf from 200 year old beech tree. This leaf was there it saw the first vision it holds the light that fell from the father and the son! Meanwhile I am thinking that leaf is less than a year old and the SUN holds the light from then too and you can see that anywhere. I mock but he had a very personal deeply moving experience and other than some small details it was a good talk. The main thrust of it was that we need to slow down, stop and experience/enjoy the universe amen. Immediately following this everyone gets in their cars and whizzes off one kid even got on a motorbike and drove off 100mph. I decided to follow the advice and pause to meditate a bit. This is where it gets good.

I was rather in my own reverie pondering the universe when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I look up and see a lady dressed in white back-lit by the sun. I am thinking "wow is this an angel?" My next thought is alright ask for her hand and depending what the outcome will tell me the nature of this person. As I am thinking this she offers her hand of course its solid we introduce and she walks back across the street to her abode.

A Pet Incumbo

I'm Not Dead Yet!

2010-06-10T23:27:00.002-06:00

So today's latest rant. 1. You should all now that I am doing marine biology in a landlocked state. Neiner neiner. And 2. that really had nothing to do with today's post. 3. My Charla love is at Kitt Peak AZ doing world class astronomy which is pretty cool. And now for the long awaited post.
(yeah like that's a good thing), water, This bottle looked at real 100% juice, grape juice, orange juice, weird unregulated nonFDA approved herbal supplements, contains retina rotting alcohol, preservatives, pickling agents, dyes, liver and kidney disinfectants and trace quantities of antifreeze. Sadly though no mango or melon, not even natural flavors or extracts and the saddest part I am not even joking today all of that was in my sobe. The even sadder part is that after a year without posting my first post is about the horrors of the soda bottling industry.

Random musings

2009-05-27T09:42:00.003-06:00

So I was thinking about baptism from the LDS perspective. It starts usually with a wait on dry ground staring into the water. From our initial perspective, because of the index of refraction of water it is difficult for us to see its depths. However, our time to take the plunge comes. We enter into the water and again because of the index of refraction we are unable to see the surface, though we are able to quite effectively see the details of the watery world we are currently in. After all is said and done we re-emerge back were we started in the light of day on dry land. When we are first on land we are in what my religion has termed the "pre-mortal" life. We are unable to see mortality because of the reflection and refraction of Snell's law--the veil. Our time in the water is short as is our time in mortality. Every moment underwater is a struggle for breath, a struggle for air. Mortality is a struggle to keep our selves righteous. And yet the veil functions both ways. In the water it is difficult to see the surface the veil precludes it. On land once again we know have the memories of our life in the water. Land is again familiar. And breathing easy is taken for granted and not appreachiated as it was when we were under. Our bodies are only appreciated because of their eventual loss. More thoughts to come on the nature of spiritual refraction indices, but for now I leave this to raticionate upon.

Why you should not commit a crime!

2009-04-29T10:29:00.002-06:00

While doing research for my molecular genetics class, I came across the following paper:
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0074-02762006000900021&script=sci_arttext

Or in more scientific terms

Do Vale Gomes, A., F.L. Melo, R.P. Werkhauser, and F.G.C. Abath. 2006. Development of a real time polymerase chain reaction for quantitation of Schistosoma mansoni DNA. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Crus (101).

Anyway, the point of the paper was that they were able to isolate a sample of 10fg! Yes, that's 10 femto-grams, 10^-15 g, or 0.0000000000000010 g of DNA, or about 2% of the DNA from a single cell! Yeah so it was from a parasite--Humans have way more DNA than a parasite and if they can sequence a worm they can certainly sequence a crook.

Excellent genetics review site

2009-04-29T09:44:00.001-06:00

http://science.kennesaw.edu/~tmcelro/DNA%20Forensics/Genetics%20review/Review%20of%20Genetics.htm

This site contains an excellent selection of genetics figures and a brief overview of the procedures involved.

This guy is a quack, but his stuff is interesting!

2009-04-22T15:05:00.001-06:00

So the guy is most probably a quack, but the sheer volume of "evidence" is a bit surprizing.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Simultaneous-Discoveries&id=573362

Quantum Mechanics and Free Will

2009-04-17T11:35:00.002-06:00

A common postulate of quantum mechanics is that by confining a particle its energy is quantized. It is the confining of waves to a space that allows resonances to set up and standing waves to form. We see this with stings of fixed lengths. One may vibrate with a single node, or a node and an anti-node, or it may vibrate with integers of n multiples of nodes and anti-nodes. In 1924 Louis De Broglie proposed matter behaves in an analogous fashion. This astounding proposition has been since been experimentally verified by blasting crystals with electrons and a wave pattern results. The point of all of this is the assertion that objects when contained can exist in only a finite number of states and for a given ammount of energy there are only a few possibilities. When there are only a few possibilities a prediction can be made. If I flip a coin I know it must land on either heads or tails, it cannot come up apples, or aliens but only heads or tails can be the result. Consider this, we are born. We also die. Thus in at least a mortal sense we have a begining and an end. Thus we too must also be quantized, there is only a finite number of things we can do. Therefore our actions have at least some degree of predictability. We may be able to choose our energy state, but there is only a finite number of states we can exist in. If our actions are predictable then there is a devine will, but because we get to choose we also have free will, but the amazing corrallary of this entire train of logic is that if as many religions believe there is no begining and no end, or if we allow the supposition that we do exist after we die and before we are born (pre-mortal and post mortal lives) then we are no longer a confined particle ergo our energy states are no longer confined and we are allowed to do ANYTHING! I'll leave it to you to fill in the further implications of these assertions.

For Quantum References see Taylor, Zafiratos and Dubson. Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers 2004

I love you Charla!

2009-02-20T11:46:00.002-07:00

I gotta say, I my experience in college has been really great! I met the love of my life--Ochem. J/K just kidneying. Seriously though, ochem is weird. There is almost a social status with how many times you fail that class. Hey man, it took me THREE times to pass ochem. Woah! Ah, that's nothing--5. 12. What up, who's the man now huh? Me--I feel like a freakin idiot I only got a C the FIRST time I took it--and that was in the summer & I got married! Personally, I would recomend that to EVERYONE!! Even you. Not the married part--the ochem, especially in the summer (kidding, I Love you Charla!). Personally, I think they should teach ochem in high school. I mean seriously--The ONLY way to pass that class is if you are young, single, out of a job, no TV, no chance of a date and don't have many friends--high school. The last person I know who passed ochem, won a Nobel prize that same year. And the worst part, no ever, ever, EVER gets an A in that class. Not even the guy who sits second row, not the first because he wants to maintain constant eye-contact with the professor the whole time. You know the one--Oxidative carboxylation YES! YES! OH YES! Anerobic deamination O! YES!! Yeah, he got a B. Even the professor, the one who teaches ochem even he didn't gett an A in the class--in fact even he hates it. The only reason he's teaching it is he is one of three people on staff who actually passed let alone took ochem. Yeah C- at best--he's teaching because it pays the bills and he failed out of med-school. But me, I'm different--I love ochem--HA HA HA HA! Sorry that was hard to say with a straight face. Actually I love ______ (insert name here) HA HA HA HA! Sorry that was hard to say with a straight face.

Time has Mass!

2009-02-18T11:05:00.002-07:00

Precept 1. Things diffuse from a small volume into a larger one.
Precept the second. Time is diffusing. The big-bang says that time has a begining. From the begining until now is a fixed amount of of time, and also of space. From now until the end of time is a much larger volume i.e. neigh unto infinite.

1st Hypothesis. We observe time going only one direction because it is diffusing from a finite box into an infinite box. Time doesn't go backwards for the same reason gas doesn't diffuse back into the box. The probability is gas-ly small, infact if the outer box is really infinite the probability of diffusing back in is zero.

If you will allow the assumption that time is diffusing, then we can model the average path of time with the root mean square velocity, or the average speed with which a molecule of time will travel. V=(3kT/m)^(1/2) where V is the velocity, which in our case is C, the speed of light. Einstein and others have suggested that if you travel faster than the speed of light you will have traveled in time. Therefore, time travels at the speed of light or about 299792458 m/s. The symbol k is the Boltzman's constant which is equal to 1.3806504 x 10^-23 J/K and T is the temperature, or in our case the average temperature of the universe which is between 2.7280 and 2.7282 K plugging in and rearranging we see that m, the mass of time = 3kT/C^2 or 1.25726*10^-39 kg but surprizingly this unit of time does not have a "time" associated with it, so is time quantized? Is it discrete? Or is this the "rest mass of time" I don't know. However, time having a mass could account for the mysterious dark matter in the universe, if time has a mass according to DeBroglie it could have a wavelength and it might be that time itself is vibrating rather than say light or matter, perhaps it is time that gives things their duality? Oh and on a more religious note, if something is beyond time is it no longer a dichotomy? Is this what gives God his constancy? Ponder away, and I wish you luck.

Really Cool Cell Images

2009-01-20T17:03:00.004-07:00

Behold various parts of a mouse brain stained with various fluorescent molecules that release light after being excited. The technical information as to what exactly is going on can be found by clicking here.

Step 1: Change the World

2009-01-20T16:56:00.002-07:00

Here be Obama's amazing transcript of his speech today (Jan 20, 2009)

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the
trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our
ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as
well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this
transition.
Inauguration Day
Local stories

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words
have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still
waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst
gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has
carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high
office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals
of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation
is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our
economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility
on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard
choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost;
jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our
schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the
ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.
Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across
our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and
that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are
serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short
span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of
purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and
false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far
too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has
come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our
enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that
precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to
generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free,
and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that
greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never
been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path
for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or
seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the
risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but
more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us
up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled
across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the
lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg;
Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked
till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They
saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions;
greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous,
powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than
when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods
and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or
last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of
standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off
unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today,
we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the
work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the
economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only
to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will
build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that
feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to
its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health
care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the
winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we
will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the
demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who
suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their
memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has
already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is
joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted
beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed
us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not
whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -
whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can
afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we
intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.
And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to
account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in
the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust
between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good
or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched,
but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the
market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long
when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has
always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product,
but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend
opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because
it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our
safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can
scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the
rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those
ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for
expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who
are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village
where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each
nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and
dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not
just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring
convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us,
nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that
our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from
the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering
qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once
more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -
even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will
begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned
peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work
tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of
a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will
we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims
by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that
our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us,
and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and
non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn
from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter
swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter
stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old
hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon
dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall
reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a
new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual
interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who
seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know
that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you
destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit
and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of
history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench
your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make
your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved
bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that
enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to
suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's
resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we
must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with
humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol
far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us
today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through
the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our
liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness
to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at
this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely
this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the
faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation
relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees
break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours
than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest
hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled
with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that
finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them
may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard
work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity,
loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true.
They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.
What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required
of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part
of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and
the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize
gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to
the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a
difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on
us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women
and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration
across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than
sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can
now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we
have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of
months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the
shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was
advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the
outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation
ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter,
when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the
country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our
hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue,
let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may
come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were
tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back
nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace
upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it
safely to future generations.

Great speech in my humble opinion. Oh and for the record Apple-Shift-4 is the copy function on a mac.

Skydiving & Religion

2009-01-12T08:08:00.002-07:00

In case you missed it, once upon a summer I went skydiving (If you click here it links to my skydiving video). I mention it now because last night I watched the movie "The Bucket List" its a good movie, I'd recommend it, but it has a sequence where the two protagonists leap from a plane. This got me to reminiscing about the time I too purposefully leap from a perfectly good plane. And since it was a Sunday while watching said movie, I was also thinking a bit about religion. It turns out that skydiving is a very apt metaphor for Christianity, but also religion in general.

The adventure starts with a choice. Choose to go skydiving, choose to be a righteous person. The next step is to learn as much as possible about said event. Talk with people who have been, read the literature get the training on exactly what is skydiving and what you will be doing. Read the Bible, read the Book of Mormon, read what ever great book you are pursuing. Participate in the missionary discussions. Next comes the dreaded waiver of doom (seriously the thing is two whole pages outlining in detail ALL of the ways you can die). This is your contract, this is what you agree to. This is your covenants. Do you agree to live well, to read daily, to become an active member and to not sue if anything happens. Taking an enormous gulp realizing your life will never again be the same after you make this commitment, you tell yourself its not really that much you are promising, ok it really is, but its not that bad and you are willing to accept the liabilities and responsibilities. Oh yeah there are those few parts you still don't agree with, "wait what I have to pay for the plane if it breaks?!" Wait what I have to be a good person?! Ok I have faith I can handle that clause, I can get over this, I can do this. In fact, I am going to do this! Step one complete, you have decided to make the journey.

You board the plane. The plane climbs. Whether you stay aboard or jump the choice is yours, but you are responsible for your choice. The time comes near. Altitude is reached. Your ears are swimming, you are clad in your special robes. Your mentor is there. It is time to take the plunge. With a "gentle" laying on of hands and a confirmation you are imersed. A former ground-based life safe and secure just died. A new life having tasted of flight is born. You have faith that if you listen to the little voice in your ear and do what it says you will land well and have a great flight. You have faith that if you pull your cord your chute will open and that you will be uplifted and saved when your time draws near. As you fall, you are witnessing a miracle. You a land based terra-firm organism are flying. You are gazing eye-level with the heavens and their majestic vistas are opened before you. All creation is laid bare before you. You can see the sky, the clouds, the Earth all ov it floats before you. The miracle happens but before it can you must have faith. You must make the leap before God reveals his hand. Time stops. But eventually it must resume. There is a plan for when you will pull the chute, but ultimately it is up to you when the chord is pulled. A parayer is said, "Please, O please, O please let this work!" And Lo! God does not disappoint. Gossamer wings unfurl above you, you are rise from your falling state. No longer fallin, you rise above your previous estate. Finally the time has come, Earth returns anew, and it is a promised land. A beautiful loving land, but there are yet trials to come. That voice that has guided you safely thus far whispers again in your ear, "pull up your feet." Obey, and follow what you have been taught and you will be saved. But that ground is calling. It looks so soft. How you long to just stretch out your feet. You know you shouldn't but it is just so tempting to touch down your feet and to embrace callings of the world. Reader beware! If you do reach out to the world below you, it will destroy you. The entire weight of the world smashes into you faster than you can react, you will suffer much if you let the world break you. You may eventually be able to walk, to regain use of your legs repentance is always possible, but if you follow the prompting of the unseen guide behind you all the way and let the world slide beneth you. You will come out safely. The choice is yours. May all of your days be lofty. May your ambitions be high. And always follow the voice of the one who leads you through your jump. May you one day help others too to jump. May god be with.

One What? and one Whoa!

2008-12-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here be two links for today:

The What?

http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=42#comic

and the Whoa!

http://www.peterrussell.com/Odds/WorldClock.php

And another

2008-12-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

So, if you've ever wanted to see an origami x-wing, tie fighter, Millennial Falcon, Klingon bird of Prey, Starship Enterprise, Dragon, praying mantis, dragon fly, scorpion or anything fantastic made of money, click here!

Way cool website

2008-12-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.yetiarts.com/aaron/comics/fiske.shtml

Very Funny! I recommend to all.

Pictures of the Universe

2008-11-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

Behold! An image of the Universe, to go with my equations. The above image I took using this telescope. The colors are visible red and infrared. The thing you are looking at is New Galactic Catalog Object number 7596 or NGC 7596 for short. Beautiful isn't it.

More equations of the universe

2008-10-30T09:28:00.001-06:00

Hidey ho! Its your resident quack here again. First a bit of laity. Click here. And don't forget to vote. Second, About them equation thinglies, if you're wonding which ones just click the tab for "Fundamentals of the Universe", there's a lot of them. Anyway, I've had some new thoughts on the matter. So let's recap. W=F*d, F=ma, it also is the derivative of momentum, I'll pursue that later. m=E/c^2 according to Einstein. Minkowski, Lorenz, and Einstein told us that space and time are related, d=t. a=dv/dt or as I am thinking of it, the change in course over time, dk/dt. Thus W=(E/c^2)(dk/dt)(t), Salvation is a product of works and faith or S=W*Fg*Fc. Combining it all S=FgFc(E/c^2)(dk/dt)(t) moving dt/t to the other side and dividing both sides by S we are left with dt/t=FgFc(E/c^2)(dk/S). However for this to work Salvation must not be 0. However the only ones for whom salvation is zero are the sons of perdition. For them time is eternal, yet nothing of Faith or God or things over come is with them. The other things of interest are that when we integrate the thing, we end up with Ln[[t]]=Integral(FgFc(E/c^2)(dk/S)). Taking the antilog of both sides we get the absolute value of time equaling some function. Wait, the absolute value of time--time only being positive--no time travel--no negative time. Yes this too is apparent in my equation. I am this time not going to assume Faith or energy are independent of the kourse of our lives. But 1/C^2 is. But is salvation? This is one of the fundamental points of questions of faith. is Salvation guaranteed for all, is it the same for all? Or, does salvation depend upon the life you live?

A comment

2008-10-30T09:22:00.000-06:00

So earlier, I posted here. I thought the material was too good to stay hidden as reply. But also, the last and most powerful link got cut off.

http://www.barackobama.com/2006/06/28/call_to_renewal_keynote_address.php

Whether you are Democrat, Republican, or alien this is a powerful speech. It is worth your time to read.

Good luck all, please try not to kill each other over politics.

Obama and his birth certificate

2008-10-29T18:06:00.000-06:00

So this site refutes an absurd claim that Barrack Obama forged his birth certificate. But let's consider what this would mean if he had. 1. He has connections to lots of people with varying backgrounds and skills. He produces a quality work able to satisfy most people. He is able to get the things he wants to done, done even if he has to do/make them himself.

Wait... aren't these the attributes of a leader we want in office? Moreover, if, and only if he really were forging it, that would be he wants so badly to be an American he is willing to go to great extents to get that--that would mean he is probably going to lead us well.

But this is a moot point, because his certificate is REAL! Make a difference. Vote Barrack!

Electronics isn't real!

2008-10-24T11:45:00.000-06:00

So more and more of my beloved subject matters are falling by the waysides as being not real!
The latest subject to be voted off the reality island is sadly, electronics-- which means since modern society is based on electronics its not real either. Alright, here's my argument. Most of Electronics is based on circuits being either on or off. Math and English are intimately related. The entire field of physics is based on story problems--problems based on the English language. So if I say that a circuit is on. That is the same as saying that the circuit is ON! One simply a little more startling and energetic than the other, but the meanings conveyed are the same. The circuit is on. Similarly if the circuit is "off." or "OFF!" this too conveys the same meaning. Either way the circuit is on or off, we are just a little more excited about one than the other. The values for each are the same. Horse beaten, point made. Sure there are nuances, but the circuit is either on or off, even if we punctuated it with a question? Check. on=on!, off!=off. On is usually depicted in binary as 1, off is usually 0. Since on!=on 1!=1 and off!=0!=1 thus:

1=on=on!=1!=1=0!=0ff!=off=0.

Clearly a contradiction, thus because electronics is based on a contradiction, electronics must therefore be false. Q.E.D.

P.S. My wife wants to disown me for this proof. :)

Truck of the day

2008-09-19T11:52:00.000-06:00

So if yesterday was the quote of the day, day should be the truck of the day.

Found on the side of a truck:

Merlin's Heating, Plumbing, Astrology, and Hypnotism.

Quote of THE day!

2008-09-17T17:20:00.001-06:00

For what follows, I am not even jesting in the least. Today's quote comes to you all directly from my mathematical modeling class. The assignment is to calculate how a flamingo's leg length will change with an increase in mass.

And now for the quote of the day, brought to you directly from my homework problem:

"Perhaps the best method would be to solve the problem of letting 20 lbs=∫ρ(Flamingo) dFlamingo Evaluated from 0 to flamingo. Where rho(flamingo) is the density function of the flamingo. Having found this function, and another similar one evaluated at 100 lbs it should be no trouble finding a limb generating function by comparing the ratio of the two."

And for your viewing pleasure here's the sequel, also from my assignment:
"...assume a spherical flamingo..."

The Latest

2008-09-10T20:04:00.000-06:00

So it has been a while since I have posted. Time = 0. We'll start with some errata. Once upon a time I misspoke I stated that Work is force "Cross" distance. Its not, its force "DOT" distance. This is good though, it means I don't need to figure out faith vectors o.O (for those not versed in computer speak o.O is an emoticon--icon denoting emotions, for massive headache/confusion.) Anyrate because faith is a dot product rather than a cross product it means to be truly universal all that is required is addition of other terms phew that's easy "and add unto your faith ... and unto this add... and this... and this..." ITs a quote in one of them gospelly things somewheres. Also we have concluded that faith probably is a function and its evaluation is likely to involve n dimmensions, but more of that eventually...

But, now for the fun stuff. It is true. I did get married! It was wonderful!! On 08/08/08 in the salt lake temple I wed myself to one Charla Rose Mosier (now Boom). For our reception she was in a vibrant flaming red dress, myself full scout dress uniform. The main course 1.1 whopping butload of delicious heaven sent pizza, the guest book=quilt squares. THE party favor, magic 8 balls--hey what else did you expect we got married on 8-8-8 so we got 3 8 balls (we have since come to realize 1 is good 1 evil and 1 neutral and sometimes they secretly switch roles!) After this we went to Switzerland (Zermatt,UT) florence (OR), Paris& Moscow(ID), and George-Washington. Those were all places we saw, but the really cool places were Bowman Lake Montana--Beautiful, seculded and ripe with bald eagles, well, at least one. Oh and did we mention an hour by winding gravel dirt roads. I forgot to mention 1 thing, my wife and=/= sissies. We spent most of our 10 day honeymoon camping, and our wedding day--raining. It was awesome! More happened, but I have a romantic dinner to get to. Chiao!

New Gems from Ochem

2008-06-26T11:30:00.000-06:00

Chemistry isn't real and I can prove it!

Ask any sufficiently knowledgeable chemistry professor (note: there is no actual guarantee of finding said professor) what are the fundamental concepts key to understanding all of organic chemistry, he/she will probably tell you transition states and resonance forms. If you can understand these you've got the rest made. But here's the problem, transition states are theoretical structures necessary to explain chemical reactions. These theoretical structures exist for 0 time, meaning they exist but are instantly converted into the next stage along the path to chemical nirvana. Similarly resonance forms are all possible other configurations of electrons that could give the same structure. The thing about resonance structures is that any given resonance structure doesn't exist. What we see is only a composite of all possible hypothetical other possibilities (this has interesting implications for the universe as a whole, but we'll get to that in a bit.), each possibility in an of itself does not exist. A scientist by the name of John Robert's likened resonance structures to a rhinoceros. If you were to describe a rhino to someone from fantasy land ( no- not chemistry, fairy tail fantasy land) you might describe a rhino as a cross between a dragon and a unicorn, it has the tough hide of a dragon, the bulk and temper of a dragon, but the horn and hooves of a unicorn. Neither the dragon nor the unicorn exist, but the composite, the ugly looking magical mule made by hybridizing the two does. The rhino is real, but the dragon and the unicorn aren't. (We spent 3 hours in class today discussing how we are all made out of dragons and unicorns.)

We now have all of necessary pieces, lets now construct our argument shall we. Organic Chemistry is founded upon the ideas of transition states and resonance forms. Yet, neither transition states, nor resonance forms are real. Both exist for 0 time! Oh yeah, and you can't see them either. So if I were to tell you the world runs because of really tiny things you can't see powered and explained by things that don't really exist, would you believe me or lock me up in a loony bin? Chemistry is no better than a treatise on gnome physics. (and while you're looking up that you can also check out http://gijoe.wikia.com/wiki/Joepedia_-_The_G.I._Joe_Wiki)

So we've established that chemistry isn't real, but its seems to work. Maybe we can extrapolate something useful from this information after all. For kicks, lets see where our thought processes take us if we apply the ideas of chemistry to religion. Physics says that there could be infinitely many possible universes, chemistry says there could be infinitely many resonance structures. In chemistry we learn that the actual structure of a compound is roughly the average of all possible resonance states. Maybe there really only is one universe, but it is an average of all possible other universes, maybe that is why our universe is the best of all possible universes. This could explain the curvature of the universe and why it is so precisely tuned--because it is an average, an average of universes that theoretically could have worked, some that didn't these being akin to the minor resonance structures, representing a smaller contribution. And the result is just one with some aspects of many, potentially infinitely many others. If our universe is a resonance structure of other universes maybe we can somehow use Fourier analysis to see how many components are universe is comprised of?

That's the first thing I pondered today while the teacher told us of unicorns and dragons. The second thing came about when he suggested that our drawings of resonance structures are purely a human construction, an artefact of the human mind if you will. This got me thinking about a form of microscopy called atomic force microscopy. A common artefact of this form of microscopy is imaging of the tip. The cantilever that creates the images will occasionally run into something that will produce and image of the thing supposed to be producing the image. Its like taking a picture of the camera, but on accident, and on the atomic scale. Regardless, of how its done occasionally an image of the imager is captured within the image itself. And here's where the spiritual side comes in. The Bible says that man is made in God's image. The LDS scriptures extend this in the Book of Moses 6:63 citing that all things bear testimony of God. If this is true, this then is the becomes THE purpose for science--To learn all we can of this universe, and by doing so study the very face of God himself! So why do we study astronomy? Because "darkness moved upon the face of the deep!" God is watching us, and if we are watching, we are in turn watching him.

Peace. The Ultimate Big Brother is watching!

Ochem's Razor

2008-06-25T13:36:00.000-06:00

The semester is half over (or only half started :( ) so in celebration, here are some of the things I have learned in Ochem. In case you don't know, ochem is the science of spilling smelly things. Organic compounds come in two varieties; white powdery cancer causing compounds, and clear colorless cancer causing liquid compounds. Compounds may be further divided into: things you boil, and things you mix before boiling.

While taking organic chemistry it is important to be safe, and to understand the substances you are working with. As such, MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets, or more aptly, Magnificently Stupid Danger Signs) have become my life. Here are some gems of wisdom I have found while reading real live MSDS's (Yes, they were alive at the time I read them.)

Spearmint can be quite toxic in quantities greater than 1650 mg/kg. This is not that funny until you realize that in order to die of a spearmint over dose you will need to consume more than 1.6 times your own body weight! Poor rat. Oh and standard clean up methods may be inadequate to deal with spilling an industrial vat of spearmint. IF you do, however spill an industrial vat it is advised that a full body chemical suit be worn while cleaning. Incidently, this is also the same precaution necesary for large water spills as well!

Along the lines of things you can overdose on, Orange oil is also one of them. However, this may prove difficult as 160 grams of orange yield 0.017 g of "Orange Oil" a yield of 0.01%

And the best one:
I found this under potatssium permanganate.

Early symptoms include sluggishness, sleepiness, and weakness in the legs. Advanced cases have shown symptoms of fixed facial expression, emotional disturbances, spastic gait, and falling. Wait! I thought ALL of chemistry caused this, especially 20 hours a day of it!

But enough about safety, ochem surprisingly has has some really interesting parts. Such as borazine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borazine) its an organic ring without any carbons! so cool. And then there's hexahelicene it rotates light 3700 degrees! (that's rotation not temperature. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexahelicene)

Cool stuff-good luck gotta go.

Light

2008-06-05T14:27:00.000-06:00

Contrary to popular opinion, I am not dead. It is true I have not posted in ages, but I blame that on 20 hours a day of ochem. But my thought of the while is this: Heaven is supposed to be a higher state that we are in currently. God, Christ, angels, etc will on occasion drop from this higher state to visit us mere mortals. When they do, they are often described as being wreathed in a halo of brilliant light. Now consider this, an electron will also emit light as it drops from a higher to lower state. Different states have different colors. My religion says that there are different levels within heaven. If descending from heaven is akin to electron de-excitation then visitors from the different planes might have different colors. Energy evaluations using Planck's constant, C, and the Rydeberg equation to follow.

Square Root of Seventeen

2008-04-17T17:31:00.000-06:00

Me: ...And what does that equal?
Tutee: Some weird crazy number
Me: Good! And is that a rational function?
Tutee: No, crazy numbers cannot be rational!

And now for the big news...

2008-04-07T10:40:00.000-06:00

Figure 1--The Ring
Figure 2--The Knight
Figure 3--Dinner+Knight+Ring=Fiance'

As you might have guessed from the figures1-3, I am engaged!! I asked my lovely now fiance' Charla Rose to marry me on April 4th 2008. We met in a planetarium, so I took her to the planetarium. We saw the show I produced. This one.
We danced under the stars. I then took her to a romantic restaurant.
I did all of this in a tuxedo. Dinner was excellent! And after we had finished before the ticket was fully covered I excused myself to use the restroom, and after 14 of the world's longest minutes according to my date, I emerged in a full suit of armor. Ala
Figures 2 and 3. Where on Earth did you get the suit of armor you might be asking? Well, first I tried EVERY costume store in Utah. Nothing. I tried my armored friends, (Yes I actually have friends with armor). Still nothing. I tried ordering/renting one online 5 grand! So I decided to make it. For those of you who are interested in a recipe for baking 1 suit of armor here's how:
many yards of several varieties of silver colored fabric. (about 2.5 of each in my case) $30
1 pair of silver painted plumbers boots (Oh yeah when I dropped the hint that I would be asking to marry her in plumber's boots you should have seen the look on my girl friend's face) $13.95
1 pair of bike kneepads of awesome knightness $7
1.1 pile of home depot accessories $20
Shake, spray paint, sew, sharpie, velcro, chain, forge, weld etc and after about a week of work you have a totally awesome suit of armor and a priceless look on your girlfriends face.
So I clanked out to meet her. Knelt, asked her if she would let me be her knight in shinning armor. Presented her with a ring (figure 1--Its actually a ruby, not some weird black thing) tied to a bouquet of flowers (Calil Lillies with orchids). She said Yes! I Hugged her and whisked her off after almost locking the keys in the car. So I am now no longer single. So far its been great!

Oh and you should also know there where some really ironic parts about the story too. go back to figure 3--The one where I am kneeling. Do you see the guy in the corner to the right of us, the one in black. Yeah, that's Charla's brother, coincidently on a business luncheon at the same restaurant at the same time I proposed to her! It gets better. I mentioned I tied the ring to the bouquet. I didn't mention that my scout skills served me a little to well and it was in a knot the both of us had trouble undoing. But the best part was later that night. She wanted to show me off and share the good news with some of her friends. I am still in my suit of armor at this point. Into the apartment of her neighbors we strode. On the back of the door is a sign. It reads: Put on the full armor of God! In all good times.

The picture of the while...

2008-04-07T10:30:00.000-06:00

And in case you're wondering, the sign says: Stop! Be careful! Do not enter, wild predators are running loose. And for the bilingual predators, it also has it in Spanish.

Go Go Mario Go

2008-03-22T11:57:00.001-06:00

And then to make it even cooler he also does this one!

A bit of an elaboration...

2008-03-19T23:26:00.000-06:00

So I have been asked to elaborate upon my previous post. If you look carefully in the background is a romantic duck pond. If closer you looked you might actually see that the wonderous thing I am wrapped around, is in fact a girl! Now this is no ordinary girl, this is a girl to put all other girls to shame! Now a claim so adacious needs backing. The following is what I like to call, THE LIST. I have known her less than 1 month and we have more than 158 things in common! Behold! THE LIST!

number Charla John
1 skydiving on 21st birthday skydiving on 22 birthday
2 recreation store scout camp
3 hiking hiking
4 summer birthday summer birthday
5 want to do scuba has done scuba
6 bagpipes bagpipes
7 classical 89 classical 89
8 lds lds
9 democrat democrat
10 npr npr
11 opera opera
12 classical classical
13 musical experience musical experience
14 taugh self piano taught self clarinet
15 Screwdriver in eye Shout in eye
16 Likes Astronomy Likes Astronomy
17 Works a the Ott Works a the Ott
18 In favor of GLBT rights In favor of GLBT rights
19 sings sorta sings
20 Likes Math LIKES Math
21 Tells jokes Tells jokes
22 Lotsa random knowledge Lotsa random knowledge
23 Off the beaten path Off the beaten path
24 wears glasses needs glasses
25 reason for favorite color reason for favorite color
26 Brown hair Brown hair
27 Green eyes Green eyes
28 Tall Tall
29 Loves to read Loves to read
30 Curiosity about the world Curiosity about the world
31 Wants to get into scouts Big scouter
32 Life is Precious Life is Precious
33 Spirit of the Law Spirit of the Law
34 Italian food Italian food
35 Second row pew Second row pew
36 Enjoys learning Enjoys learning
37 Actually learns stuff in church Actually learns stuff in church
38 Avoided drivers license as long as possible Still doesn't have drivers license
39 depression history depression history
40 Money is evil but necessary Money is evil but necessary
41 Been to Atlantic and Pacific Been to Atlantic and Pacific
42 Swam with dolphins nearby Swam with dolphins nearby
43 Love for animals Love for animals
44 Dog person Dog person
45 Foot-in-Mouth Disease Foot-in-Mouth Disease
46 Global Warming Global Warming
47 Science majors Science majors
48 Math minor Math major
49 Math Factor Member Math Factor VP
50 Works hard for everything she has Works hard for everything he has
51 Feelings on close-mindedness Feelings on close-mindedness
52 Has actually written senators Has actually written senators
53 Swing Swing
54 Jazz Jazz
55 Able to notice the Hand of God in life Able to notice the Hand of God in life
56 Likes MST3K Likes MST3K
57 Princess Bride movie Princess Bride movie
58 Black scriptures Black scriptures
59 gold writing gold writing
60 two books two books
61 Montessori schools Montessori schools
62 Likes definitions and origins of words Likes definitions and origins of words
63 Symbolism Symbolism
64 Hairy knuckles Hairy knuckles
65 Soft Skin on hands Soft Skin on hands
66 Cookie Dough Ice Cream! Cookie Dough Ice Cream!
67 Doesn't like pickles Doesn't like pickles
68 Like Chess Like Chess
69 Enoys a good ballet Enoys a good ballet
70 Thoughts on Silence Thoughts on Silence
71 Doesn't really like tv Doesn't really like tv
72 gouda cheese gouda cheese
73 Wants someone to do the dishes Wants to do the dishes.
74 Loves John favorite cheese is Charla
75 Likes Winter Likes Winter
76 Previous Boyfriend Bipolar Previous Girl Friend Bipolar
77 Wants to have fun while working Wants to work for fun.
78 Sugar Bagel Cream cheese beagle
79 Likes fresh veggies Likes fresh veggies
80 Some martial arts Some martial arts
81 minimal jewelry minimal jewelry
82 Mothers similar in stature Mothers similar in stature
83 Wants to travel Wants to travel
84 Credit cards are evil Credit cards are evil
85 Help others Help others
86 competitive competitive
87 stratego stratego
88 drinks lots of water drinks lots of water
89 Life List Life List
90 Hawaii Hawaii
91 Trembling Trembling
92 favorite eye (right) favorite eye (right)
93 One set of deceased grandparents One set of deceased grandparents
94 Dead Poet's Society Dead Poet's Society
95 Not a cat person Not a cat person
96 homestarrunner homestarrunner
97 dontopedologists dontopedologists
98 former warts former warts
99 Death to chick flicks Death to chick flicks
100 Not so much horror films Not so much horror films
101 Feel good movies cool when not trying too hard to provoke emotions Feel good movies cool when not trying too hard to provoke emotions
102 Science freaking rules Science freaking rules
103 Strives for potential Strives for potential
104 Rollerfreaking Coasters!! Amen!
105 Loves the Ocean not nearly as much as John, but still a lot! Loves the Ocean
106 Loves animals Loves animals
107 Loves plants Loves plants
108 Like a small reception Like a small reception
109 know too many people know too many people
110 it's okay because we want cool gifts it's okay because we want cool gifts
111 To feel better does physics To feel better does math
112 Cedar Point Cedar Point
113 RUFUS RUFUS
114 Likes the smell of funny Smells funny
115 Goof Ball Goof Ball^2
116 Princess Bride book Princess Bride book
117 Lists for everything Occaisional List fix
118 Lists for Companion Lists for Companion
119 Better Golfer than Bowler Better Golfer than Bowler
120 Grapefuit sucks Grapefuit sucks
121 Pizza freaking rules Pizza freaking rules
122 Floggin Molly Floggin Molly
123 Love Love
124 Simplicity Simplicity
125 Born in Month of Parents anniversary both 26 years Born in Month of Parents anniversary both 26 years
126 Forgetful Forgetful
127 Environmentalist Environmentalist
128 Hates driving Hates driving
129 We love cereal We love cereal
130 Neither of us wear a ton of jewelery Neither of us wear a ton of jewelery
131 Neither of us are girly Neither of us are girly
132 Stingy (in a good way) Stingy (in a good way)
133 Willing to change if there's a problem Willing to change if there's a problem
134 Neither of us want the other to change Neither of us want the other to change
135 Carry on a conversation coherently about everything Carry on a conversation coherently about everything
136 Not-so-much bird pets Not-so-much bird pets
137 Loves just sitting in nature and watching Loves just sitting in nature and watching
138 Was present when animals were scared away with unusual means (hamburger, aflack) Was present when animals were scared away with unusual means (hamburger, aflack)
139 Likes watching birds take off and land Likes watching birds take off and land
140 Easily entertained Easily entertained
141 Astro-Acapella! Astro-Acapella!
142 Has been the tagalong goose Has been the tagalong goose
143 Likes Tagalongs Likes Tagalongs
144 Likes Samoas Likes Samoas
145 Loves education Loves education
146 Plans on lots of grad school Plans on lots of grad school
147 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
148 Legos Legos
149 Noses fit Noses fit
150 Played Power Rangers Played Power Rangers
151 Integration Bee Integration Bee
152 Finds John extremely attractive Finds Charla extremely attractive
153 Very Smart Very Smart
154 Lived in a yellow house Lived in a yellow house
155 Love watching the clouds move Love watching the clouds move
156 Love watching each other Love watching each other
157 Loves fresh herbs Loves fresh herbs
158 Likes gardening Likes gardening with limited zeal

There are a couple I would like to especially point out:21, 22,127 and 151! Heaven. She tells jokes. She has as much random knowledge as I do! She's a total environmental nut :) AND she competes in calculus competitions with me!
Math, puns, trivia, environementalist, I am the luckiest guy in the world! Clearly you should all stayed tuned, a word with gianormous capital "M" should be in the works soon!

Oh and before I go, I should also point out as exhibited by the previous post, she's also gorgeous too! Well I hope this was enough of an elaboration. Till next time, take luck.

Totally the sweetest girl!

2008-03-18T11:15:00.000-06:00

Yea!!

Sweet!

2008-03-17T17:55:00.000-06:00

center; padding: 0 0 10px 0;">

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

I have a free spirited blog, not beholden unto anyone! My thoughts are my own, and no one owes me a cent! Totally the best way to be!

Qoute of the days

2008-03-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

"Congratulations, your having a baby! Do you know what its name will be yet?"
" No we're not going to worry about little details like that!"

Once Upon a Post

2008-02-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Once upon a post, I questioned a statement, and stated a question. Finding no answer the thought was left to drift upon the wind. But now, a bout with geologic thermodynamics has brought it back.

Life is

There is is again, that unpunctuated mystery of the grand cosmic scheme of things. We will make our round to it once again, but first, we will start with the geology.

Earth is alive. This idea is called the Gaia Hypothesis. It was developed in 1978 and the argument is as follows. Life is a property that makes possible growth, cycling of nutrients, adaptation to surroundings, and enables reproduction. Growth-a process of development. Ok let's see. Earth started as a cloud of dust. It developed into a molten solid. From this water and land developed. Life. Air, oxygen, plants, etc soon followed (give or take a few billion). Though it may not have necessarily gotten bigger Earth has grown. Earth is not the same as it was when it first started, it has developed significantly since. Ergo, growth.

Ah but what about the cycling of nutrients--Carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle, sulfur, nitrogen, water cycle, rock cycle--Earth recycles (so remind me again why aren't we?)!

Ok, but is Earth adapting? Yes. During the period nearly 2 billion years ago life developed a taste for a highly toxic substance known as oxygen. So much of it was released, so quickly it actually rusted the entirety of our planet.

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/mich03.gif

Exhibit A. A chunk of alternating rusted and non-rusted Iron. The only explaination for this is oxygen and lots of it, which killed of the creatures who made it leaving a period where there wasn't as much leading to another period of developement where we as life forms produced it again making it red again then having it build up and kill us repeating for a few million years until Earth finally adapted reached a suitable mixture of both and has never looked back. Oxygen now consists of 21% of the composition of Earth's air. Yet Earth has not shut down, it has not ceased functioning even though a major component of its composition Carbon dioxide is now a trace compound. Nor did it shut off when a formerlly trace element such as oxygen now dominates the scene. No. Earth has adapted, and continues to exist in its new role as an oxygen rich carbon poor planet. It exists just as life still exists despite the cataclysmic changes.
Growth, Check! Nutrient Cycling, Check!, Adaptation, Check! So far so good, but what about reproduction? Check! The moon. Earth's moon is composed of the same materials as Earth. It is a weird way of thinking about it, but our moon is a budding of the mother planet Earth. I will freely admit, Earth is not a life form as we are used to thinking of them, but she is alive nonetheless. By definition she meets every criterion for life. She is a single cell of enormous proportions and we are the mitochondria and organelles that make her go.

[ If instead you would prefer a somewhat more religious argument, then consider this, How many cultures have personafied her? She is "Mother Earth" and "Gaia" to name just two. For those of you who are of the LDS persuasion peruse the Book of Moses chapter 7 or so. Admittedly, these claims do not prove that Earth is alive, but it does show that it is at least a very old idea that has been pased around before.]

If you will but permit me, I am going to take the claim that, Earth really is a form of life, as an axiom, and for kicks and giggles, let us see what develops if we do. We have developed axiom 1, Earth can be thought of as something living. Something living composed of smaller individual units who are themselves living, whose interactions make up the whole. There is another example that also follows this pattern. Us. We too are large organisms existing because of the contributions of literally trillions of smaller living wholes. Ahh!! My brain hurts tiny wholes making up the big wholes filling in the holes. This post is getting as bad THIS one. I need to go get something to eat. You should too.

Munch ...munch...munch.

Ah good! You're back! Consider what just happened there. You decided that you would uncork yourself from your formerly seated position. Stroll over to your designated food source. Reach out, open it or buy it. Make it. Eat it. And now you are enjoying your contented post consumption bliss. I must say, a very well planned action. But you must admit, it was pretty spontaneous too, just getting up like that and eating spur of the moment. There aren't too many laws of the US government that at precisely X:03 must grab something to eat. It was your own free will that compelled you to do that. But, and this one is the kicker, let's go a step further. What were your cells doing? One cell gets a signal from another, its just a faint signal an increase in this ion triggering a release of that compound. That's no big deal says that cell I make this every day. Another day, another compound. I don't know why I do this. I don't know where it goes. I just secrete this. I just do what I'm told. That substance made by Stan over in cubical 127365 is sent to the muscles. Joe down the lane got a letter from some cell named Stan it says flex. Ok says Joe, I'll flex. Martha, Billy, Roberta all got similar messages. Some from Stan, some from all of the others over in the neuron division. They go about doing their thing and the leg muscles flex and extend. But there are a few trouble makers. Those clowns over in adductor longus had a late night last night and just aren't up to contracting. That's cool. They can choose to do that. They have just as much free will as you or I, but what happens if they do? Your leg cramps up, your ability to complete your plan is hindered--you have a cramp. Now at this juncture you have several options. You can go on painfully, you still get food, it hurt, but you have forced you will upon the leg. Food comes and happiness resumes. You could try to work with the fellas in adductor longus cell block B reach a compromise after some rubbing and continue when they choose to cooperate. You could change your plans and not go get food. You could have someone else help you and have them go get food. The food was attained. Happiness achieved, but how did it happen?

What would happen if we took this analogy and instead applied it to religion? The body is God. The freewill of God is our small subtle command the ion that told stan to secrete an extra potassium. Stan's part was but a small one. Individually Stan may not have been needed. He probably could have done something else. But what if every cell acted this way? Could anything get done? Billions of cells a day die. Some die horrible deaths, some die after their energy stores wear out quitely in passing, but everyone of them had a purpose, played a part. The actions of one affect the actions of another. Yet, if we will choose to follow the plan, great food, new stores of glycogen, and glucogone await us all. Because of one cramp no one is willing to amputate the leg, but what about continous pain?

Hmm, our example holds on so many levels. We are the cells of God, his conscience is a will that will lead us to great rewards. But why must the analogy stop? Could not Earth be the single cell of the universe as a whole? Are not the atoms the cells held sway by the organelles.

Hamlet once said that he could hold himself the master of a nutshell and consider himself content. I am of the LDS faith. My faith says that when we die we too will become Gods. Perhaps in death the realization comes that in a way we already are. Why must we be good, do good? Because if we are not concerned for the health of our cells, the health of our subjects we too may die! If we are but the cells of a great and grand God, how very inspiring to note that perhaps if we do not follow his will we are the cancers of God, If my hairbrained ideas hold true sin may literally be the death of God! In a way it was. Christ died for our sins! Maybe instead, he died BECAUSE of them! Sobering thoughts, but we are not done, not yet. What is this property of life, this property that allows us to grow, develop, change, adapt, reproduce and seek happiness? What if this property is an aspect of the Holy Ghost? We showed earlier that the Holy Ghost stems from an integral taken over our entire lives--That would count all of our cells that we have ever had, what if his power comes from the power of life even the tiniest life smaller than a cell, and yet everywhere at once. If the power of the Holy Ghost is intimately tied in with life, it would explain why the Holy Ghost has so many aspects of a heavenly mother. Not because it IS the heavenly mother, but because it is the force of life, a force strongly in tune in mothers.

Good ideas, the lot of them, but how do I test it? And where did that bit about thermodynamics come in how does that relate? Well the ideas for this post stemmed from the conservation of energy, but before I tackle that, I am going to need to do a bit more reading. More posts to come. I hope you enjoy. Good luck! Good night.

More Equations of the Universe

2008-02-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

First an addendum. I have said in the past that God is light. This cannot wholey be true, for God said "let there be light, and there was!" If God IS light it is somewhat pathological for God to say "let there be me, and I was!" But, because God is able to command light he must be greater than or equal to light. This is good news for us because this means our faith need not be canceled out, our faith may very well be infinite.

But enough of that. Today's post is a graph. First we shall define our axes. Let one axis be God's choices, his optimal plan for us. We will let the other axis be our choices, our response to His plan. Ah but which will be the orthogonal and which will be the absyssa (Y, and X respectively)? The answer is simple. God is no respector of persons, for He is God. God's choice is independant of ours. However, our choice depends on what God wants for us. And since Y depends upon X, we are dependent upon God, our responses will the Y values, God will be the X values.

Now consider that God cannot make a choice that would go against God. It would violate all trust in him, the Universe would no longer obey him. He would cease to be God. Therefore, in the freightening parlance of math, God's choices may be expressed as a semistable invariant line through Y=0 with a critical point at X=0. What!?

In simple terms, it means God's choices will always lead toward what is good. They will always increase. How can they not? He is God. Or, another way of looking at it is if God is running the Universe, wouldn't his choices be what we observe as time?" Ah! I see! So it must always be increasing.
But what about our choices? We have the option of following God, or of not following him. If we did not have this option, then we would have no freewill, there would be no sin--because we would be forced to commit it and therefore unable to stop it and therefore not a sin. Moreover, and more importantly if we did not have a choice to go against what God has willed for us there could be no dK term, no term of changes we have made in our lives. If dK=0 our salvation too goes to 0. Thus, we are allowed to either follow the will of God, or to go against it. We will denote a following of God's will as an increasing ammount, and a divergence of God's will will be denoted by a negative sign. I also propose that at the instant that we are born we have not yet had the ability to make a choice our graph must be at zero. No choices means that we cannot have yet chosen to follow ours, or God's will. If we put all of these things together and connect the paths that our resultant vectors must follow, we will quickly come up with a graph that looks a bit like this.

How do we know it looks like this? We'll start with Christ. Did Christ ever choose a path that was not in accordance with his father's will? No. He resisted the Devil, he resisted temptation, he resisted the world. This means that every choice that Christ made was what his father wanted. Christ thus chose the optimal path. His slope is 1-1. Y=X. Careful examination shows that nowhere else can we have as steep a graph as that of Christ's. Eventually even the paths of the angels will approximate that of Christ's.

At this juncture, contrast the path of Christ with that of the Devil. If the Devil would but follow the path laidout for him, it is possible that even he could return to God, the father. Since he does not, this must mean that the devil is opposing God at every step. At every point in life the Devil does that which will lead away from God. Thus his slope is -1. His line is Y=-X, the perpendicular line to that of Christ's. Thus the Devil is the opposite and reciprocal of Christ. e.g. the Antichrist. The Devil's path will take you farthest from God fastest. Our Graph seems to tell us what has already been said. There are but two churches, the one that will lead you toward God. And the one that will lead you away from Him.

Ah, but what happens at the point where Y=X=0? It also happens to be the point where Y=-X=0. Wait what? There is somepoint where the Devil was an equal to Christ? That point is at the origin. The Begining. Time = 0. God has not yet created us, and at that point Christ=Devil=God. They are together. They have not yet diverged. Satan has not yet offered up his plan, before then they were one. After, the path of one leads to light, the path of the other leads into darkness.

So we have seen what happens after time =0. We are offered two choices--Follow God and Christ, or follow the Devil away from God and Christ. But hold on, if we consider only what happens where X is positive we are not getting the full picture. Where X is positive represents only quadrants I and IV. We missing fully half of the graph! But time =0 is the earliest we can possibly exist. Once my mind is developed I can then make choices. Once this happens we start our clock and begin at time = 0. But as we have said, God is independant of our actions (Though that statement itself is interesting. Is God's plan really independant of our plan? Is it even possible to ask how would God's plan change if we weren't here? We have the choice of commiting suicide. We have shown previously that if one does commit suicide TL is cut short, and the ultimate goal of S-Salvation is reduced. Thus even though suicide is an option we are probably safe in assuming that it is not an option encouraged by God, and thus probably not a part of his plan. But, because we do have the power to commit such an act, and because the universe has not appeared to stop when people do commit suicide this suggests that even though God has a plan for us, if we choose not to follow it it is not grossly dissarrayed. Since his plan still comes to completion with or without us, it must be independant of us even though we may have an enormous part in it. We may even be able to shape it ala prayer. However for now we will assume independence even if a sort of strange non-linear self intwined parallel independence whatever that means. I think what I mean by that is that God has a back up plan. We are a part of his plan, but if we choose not to follow it it is a simple matter of going to plan B. I think the number of plans God has is proportional to our faith in him. The greater our faith in Him the fewer the number of backup plans and the greater his faith in us. Hence, Christ whom God had infinite faith required no back up plans. However, in science we often see numerous inventions developed simultaneously. Myriads of discoveries independently corroborated and often each with a great deal of "accident" leading up to it. Hundreds of miles apart similar ideas emerge in almost perfect unison. From supernovas, to calculus, Discovery of Mendell's paper on genetics, development of the telephone, Bronsed and Lowry, Arrhenius, and Lewis all coming up with similar definitions of acids and bases weeks apart. It happens quite alot. My interpretation of these events are that they are evidence of God having a backup plan. Thus God is able to know a result long before, if maybe not an individual. Even though he knows quite intimately the individuals involved. Thus God's plan IS independent of our actions, albeit only sort of.) Returning to the original thread of our argument. If God's plan is truly indepent of our actions, and we will assume that it is, he created much of the world without us, we will therefore assume that he can function without us. This means that God is still making choices long before we enter the scene. This means that quadrants II and III exist! This strongly implies that there is a premortal existance. If we take this to be the case it would explain where the Angels written of in the Bible came from. they are simply those who were created before we were living on a higher plane whose paths take them ito our neighborhood of existence. Moreover, observe the bottom half of our graph from the point on the X axis (-1,0) traveling anticlockwise until arriving at the line Y=-X one quickly notices that this represents one third of a heavenly host lost to the darkness with their leader being the one who opposed God at every step. We also note that every trajectory of our premortal existances will converge eventually with the path that Christ set out for us, or with that of the Devil!

Ah, but can I relate any of this to the equations I have thus demonstrated? Well, consider this. Let's see what would happen if I suggested that Salvation (S) was really our slope. S=dY/dX where dY we said was our choices. The terms that we have control over in my previous equations are the F,E, dK, & Tl terms. We have control over our faith, the energy we devote to others, the things we overcome, and the life we lead. God has control over C^2Te. Light and by it the universe and his plan for us and what is expected of us. S=(FETldK)/(C^2Te)=dY/dX and sure enough we have chosen our choices to represent the Y axis, with God's choice to be the X. Since God has a plan for us, if he did not, why then should Christ have to die? If there is no plan why is there order? Why do things happen the way they do? If there is no plan, then why are we here? If there is no plan, nothing to come later, why is there pain, especially emotional pain? Shouldn't that have evolved out by now? Yet if there is something to come is not pain but a training ground for what is yet to come? I claim there IS a plan. If there is a plan Te =/= 0 which implies that dx =/= 0 which implies that on our graphs there should never be a point where there is a vertical tangent line. And indeed there isn't. There are places where we refuse to change and are equal to zero. The maximum change comes with infine E and dK or infinite love and helping ourselves and others change. At this stage we have become exactly what Christ has taught us, at this point we do become Christ like as our expression tells us. The other bit of speculation comes if one ponders what happens on the otherside of the asymtote? Is this really a phase diagram? Does it really repeat? Maybe it just so happens to be that our after life is really just another pre-mortal existance's begining? Perhaps there really are three kingdoms of heaven. This one is the heaven from the last one, the next one is the pre-life for the one following and on and on the cycle continues. This last bit is admitedly a bit of errant speculation and will require much more testing. But the ideas are interesting. On that note, for tonight I leave you. Good night! Good luck! Stay enlightened!

I hope you noticed....

2008-02-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Off to the right, in the little linky section--There is a link that says "Venture Crew." This is the link to the Steiner Venture Crew Homepage! You should all check it out. I am posting it as a place for past, present and future steiner staffers, or anyone else who is interested in venturing. Please feel free to post and visit frequently to keep track of what activities are going on. To check it out click here.

Hooray for the English Department!

2008-02-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Quantum Pants

2008-01-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Matt, I could not help but posting this link. Oh yeah! Quantum Pants! Both formal and casual duality!

My Stand Up Comedy Debut

2008-01-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

So Yesterday, January 18th 2008, I successfully performed in my stand up comedy debut. I pulled of my routine flawlessly, except the one time in my life where I publicly NEED to lick my elbow, I couldn't do it. I also could not remember the word Alzheimers. I didn't win. I did get 4th place though. ANd the one who won needed a new transmission so life worked out well. I am still an excellent practicioner of dontopedology--The science of opening my mouth and sticking my foot in it. I said some really stupid things afterward that probably cost me, but as far as the performance itself, I got at least one laugh on every joke and had no complaints afterward. It went really well. And for viewing pleasure, just in case you missed my performance, here's a transcript (Sadly No YouTube links :(

"So I just applied for a job. In the interview they asked what special skills I had. I told them I can lick my nose, I can lick my elbow [It took me two tries] and I can poke my head through a hole the size of a quarter [pokes head]. Yea, sadly, I didn't get the job. It got outsourced to India. So I decided I would go to college and get me some more skills. My trip started with a visit to the councilors. They said I might even consider studying abroad. I said, "Broad Based Education, does that mean I can study GIRLS!?! And if I get to study a broad do I get to pick wich one?" I decided I would start with the place where all the action was. I went to Institute. Great classes there. Contrary to popular opinion Utah is actually a really diverse state. We have Mormons in red shirts, Mormons in blue shirts, and even Mormons in green shirts. When I first came here we had a choice of Four churches I could have gone to. The first ward, the second ward, or the singles ward. In those institute classes, We talked about morals--Roman Emporers have the most morals they are on the straight and Nero. We talked about drugs--Hiding opiates in your bicycle is considered drug pedalling. We even mentioned why people go to the gym--its to get their demons excercised. ya gotta be careful though if you don't pay your excorcist you may get repossessed. But the big thing they talked about in institute is Dating and Marriage. So, I got me a girl friend. She's a real looker. SHe's a girl with one eye, named Wanda, her other eye is named Fred. She was a pre-med major. She said she wanted to stay up all night studying anatomy with me. I got really excited about that, until I found out she really meant the book. I think she had OCD though. Everytime I told here she had obsessive compulsive dissorder she told me No she didn't she had CDO it is in alphabetical order that way. She also had a wooden leg, but sadly we broke it off. Too much drama--It was her minor. Her specialty was pantomime {I actually forgot to say that last line so the upcoming punchline died, but strangely enough people still laughed.} she just couldn't think outside of the box [mimed a glass box]. But her rendition of a chicken crossing the road---shear poultry in motion. Speaking of Poetry My English class was really great. Except the first day of class she was late she said she had to stop and change a satire. Later she told us that while reading romantic poetry we had to be very Thoreau. We read some really great books in that class though. Phone Book: the musical, the how to guide for Do it yourself Colonoscopies, Effective Parenting, by B. Spears with a foreward on how to entertain young boys by Michael Jackson. We even read a really good one "101 pranks you can play on the mob". But my favorite book was one that had action adventure, drama, excitment, mystery, intrigue, suspense and antidisestablismentarianism. The dictionary. It was reading the dictionary that got me my latest hobby, coming up with alternative definitions to well known words. One I came up with was an alternative definition for acupressure. Its means how to deal with pressing demands. The academy Awards is praising people for not being themselves. A bra is a fallout shelter, a topless beach is a place with no strings attached. I even found a recipe for baked Alaska while reading the dictionary. It told me to look under Global Warming. But the best definition was Absolute Zero. I had a hard time understanding what exactly absolute zero was, until I remembered that it was the grade I got in my math class. Speaking of math. Math was a good class. It was a little scary though. The first day someone passed out. We couldn't find a doctor, but fortunately the professor knew a parametric. After that he taught us about binary. I get it, I finally get binary. Bi means two so clearly a binary is two canaries duh! After that he taught us multivariable Roman Numeral calculus. Finding maximums were a little tricky. He liked giving us story problems. He gave us one about New York where we had to find the constant. I know whats constant in New York. Death and Taxis. Then he gave us one about a dog's eyesight. Everyone knows houndsight is 20/20 then we had to find how much the dog weighed 16 ounces per hound. But our professor was a little nerdy. He presented at a Star Trek convention. His speech was entitled finding Nemoy. He talked about fixing a car using spock plugs. Then he got off into the differences in various Star Wars Fighters, you know the X wings, the Y wings, he even had Chebacca's Wookie card. After math came physics. We talked about the opposite of pulleys pusheys. We even threw small metal musical instruments into water to discuss dampened harmonica motion. After physics came zoology. I learned that there is a special scientific name for a lazy kangaroo they call them pouch potatoes. The opposite of a bacteria is a fronteria. I learned what came after the tape worm, the Cdworm. And from my pre-med friends I learned about some various injuries people have survived from. The guy who fell into an upholstery machine is now fully re-covered. And the guy who backed into a meat processing plant got a little behind in his work. We also learned about aging. Did you know that uhm er what was that word oh yeah Alzheimer's is a lot like amnesia vu? You know you have forgot this before. And speaking of aging, if babies nurse, then what the heck is going on in a nursing home and how do I get me some!? Thank you Good night, I am going to practice a little comic relief and stop talking now."

Thunderous applause. And I was in the finals 4th place for that comedy routine. There you have it. I hope you enjoyed it and I also hope it was too crude or offensive for you tastes. Good night, good luck, may you be enlightened.

May I just say...

2008-01-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

COMPUTERS ARE STUPID!!! Now that that is out I feel much better. So for 4 days now I have been trying to solve a problem. I finally gave up and went to the professor. Whereas it failed for 4 days consecutively, the second that I get the teacher it decides to work. Yay for Irony!

Sorry!

2008-01-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

First an apology to my faithful readers. Last week's post about Afghanistan, Tasers, Ikea (coolest store ever) and bagpipes may have confused a few. Humorous yes, but the actual links you were looking for can be found here:

Afghanistan:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7174294.stm

Taser:
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=82876&in_page_id=2

Plastic Lenin Statue:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4344635a10.html

And clicking the last two posts leads to why bagpipes are bad on the enviornment and the chap who spent a week at Ikea.

Remember: Fe-y is the Symbol for Irony!

2008-01-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

So let me get this straight...Things are now so bad in Pakistan they are fleeing to Afghanistan for safety! Oy Vey! Click here.

Today's Three "What the?s" and a Zap Brought to you by....

2008-01-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

This Guy!

That's right folks, by clicking this easy breezy simple little link, you too can own your very own IPOD? Taser combo!

The Fluffosophizer Returns: Equations of the Universe V

2008-01-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

Honor thy mother and father (Exodus 20:12). But how does this fit
with what we know about S=FEdKTL/(C^2TE)? The Energy we devote to
others is a form of Love, and how can we love another if it does not
start at home? Moreover how can you have a high F(G) if you do not
honor your own parents? How can you change your life without
involving others? And how do you live life if you are not created?
Parents are inherent in every term in the numerator. They are a
fundamental part of the equation of salvation.

Thou shall not kill (20:13). If you loved something, why would
you kill it? The image of God is in all things(Paraphrasing Alma
30:40). God created all things, ergo killing something for no other
purpose than to kill--that is a serious slap in the face of God. If
you are doing that you are not showing love and admiration of His
creations, you are not honoring your father, you are requiring him to
create anew the life you have taken diminishing E the energy devoted
to others. You are playing with a sacred TL/TE ratio. Thou shall not
kill.

Thou shalt not commit adultery. If you do you are taking away energy
you should have been devoting to your spouse. You run the risk of
creating a child that will not be able to honor its parents. To have
an affair also involves lying to cover it up thereby increasing your
dK term. And lowering your F term because by having an affair,
commiting adultary, you, whether you admit it or not are saying that
you have no faith that your currect relationship will workout so I
should persue another.

Thou shalt not steal (20:15). Again this one goes back to the F term.
If you need something so bad as to steal it, you are really saying
that you don't trust God enough that if you really did need it he
would provide a means of achieving it. By stealing you are not
showing love and respect for your neighbor. And you are creating
negative energy terms within the E term.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors stuff (20:17). How can you love
your God, if you are wallowing in pity over the things you don't have?
By coveting you are spending your talents to no avail. If it were
meant to be that you needed such things then God will provide a way
for you to acquire them. Covetings are things dK is made of, the
wants and desires to be overcome in this life. Finally, if you are
coveting the things of your neighbor, how is it that you can love him,
and serve him? You will instead be swallowed by the envy of his
stuff. How can you love God with your heart, soul and mind, if part of
these are devoted to your neighbor's big screen TV?

Q.E.D though not at all aparent, nor obvious, the things God has
commanded us are indeed hidden within the equation of faith. But
there is a second part of the challenge I too must prove. In Matthew
Christ says that the teachings of the profits hang upon love as well.
But can they too be found in my equations?

We will start with the LDS Articles of Faith. 1. We believe in God
the Eternal Father and in his son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost.
Check F(G), F(S), and the Holy Ghost being separate from the three
comes about though calculus. The Holy Ghost if you recall is hidden
by the dK upon integrating a constant companion drops out of the
equation. If you look back at your life as a whole hidden beside you
at all times, often far too small for him to be see were the pices of
a higher dimensional constant companion. He is there, but he can only
be seen when your life as a whole is viewed in retrospect. Even
though his is small, he is there, and he can be felt.

2.We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for
Adam's transgressions. Ah but adam had to sin for there to be
transgressions, thus there is a plan T(E), but we are allowed to chose
how we live our lives T(L). Thus there is also free will. For it is
our choice upon which we are graded.

3. By obedience to Christ all mankind may be saved, by obedience to
the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. A reaffirmation of the
importance of F(G) and of F(S).

4. Most important are First faith in Lord Jesus Christ (There's that
F(S) term again), second repentance (dK), third baptism by imersion
(carefully note the position of where God's plan T(E) is in the
equation, it is below the horizon of life and death. Baptism is the
journey across the divisor from the region of life we control into the
realm of God. If is not enough to catch but a glimpse of the world of
God, you must be fully immersed into it.), fourth the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. The last one is tricky, but it
to is hidden in there. Where it mentions the Holy ghost, we should
probably suspect that we will need to again consider the integral
notation or are previous equation. once again incase you are lost,
the definition that we have been playing with stems from the idea that
the impact of our actions depends upon the quality and quantity of our
actions. We measured the quantity of our faith with the F
multipliers. We measured the quality by our works where our works
were defined F*d which though the postulates of Einstein morphed into
EdK*T/(C^2dT) without egregious loss of generality we have been
calling dT, the change in time, simply the time that we are expected
to live. If we solve for time, by rearranging we are left with dt/t=(FE/C^2*S)dK Integrating both sides we end up with Log T = (FE/C^2*S)K+H => T=e^H*e^(FE/C^2*S)K. The constant companion term, the one we have called H when our life is viewed in retrospect from a vantage of a higher dimension (i.e. after we have integrated and added together the infinite number of important moments in our lives) The constant companion is raised to a power and applied to our lives e^H is literally the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy ghost!

We believe that man must be called of God, by prophecy. Prophecy comes by way of the TE term (the integration and approximation of dt). However, man is constrained by the speed of light term. A triffly difficult matter to overcome without the aid of God and his associates.

We believe in the same organization as the primitive church. Math is the language of the Universe, and though there is a time component in the equations upon which the church is founded, I do not believe that the equations will change over time. It is possible, and if it does my equation will enter into the realm known as dynamic systems, but as of yet equations such as that are somewhat beyond my current mathematical abilities and along with and analysis of the full generality cross product form of my equations shall have to be saved for a future date.

Ah, but what about all of the gifts, tongues, prophecies, revelations, visions, healings, interpretations and so forth, will my equations bring them forth? Yes, but the terms dealing with gifts are the products of the Holy Ghost. To bring them into play I need to use the Integral version once again. T The fullness of God's plan equals (is) the natural base e empowered with the constant companion (It seems as though the power of the Holy Ghost is throughout nature.) Applied to our nature raised to the power of faith and energy. It seems that e^F is the power of faith throughout all of nature--prophecy! So what then is the e^E term? Natural base empowered with energy--Healing! Continuing, e^(1/(C^2*S)) the natural base raised to the power of 1/all encompassing light and salvation--Revelation. And what about e^K? How is nature a part of the course of our lives? What does nature have to do with the extent of all difficulties we have over come? Perhaps the e^K term is for us to overcome our animal selves or an imploring for us to again become our perfect selves? One should also note, revelations can come to anyone, but they are strongest for those with a high degree of faith.

We believe the Bible and the book of Mormon are, as far as they are translated correctly the word of God. How does faith come about, but by knowledge I suspect those terms are tied up somehow within the all encompassing F term.

We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet revel many great and important things. We have seen there is a term of revelation. This term is independent of time, thus even as time goes to 0 or infinity there is still revelation. Though we will need to know more about the fine structure constant, a property possibly inherent in the universe, that will tell us if light has always been constant and always will be. That aside, consider this though, if you believe that God ever did speak to us, why would you believe that he has now gone on hiatus and is simply leaving us to his voice mail? "You're prayers are important to us, but God is not in right now. Please leave you message and God will get back to you shortly. Beep!" Sorry, no, I think I'll pass. I would much rather have a religion where God is at least as involved as I am. Thus if god is still listening, why would he also not still be revealing his infinite secrets?

Ok. How about the 10 tribes of Israel bit, and the literal gathering of Zion? Alright on that one I am stumped. I suspect it may be another one of the intricate folds inherent within F. It may even be one of those cool terms that falls out of the cross product version of this equation. Or something cool that comes out of the fact that we have an alternative composition of the speed of light. We know that c= 1/(The electric permitivity of free space times the magnetic permeability of space)^(1/2). Does this imply cool things about religion and the universe as a whole? This too I don't know I haven't perused it yet, but give me time and I will. It does mean though that space itself is on our side of the divisor bar. It also means that God is a rational term, a real term, and that there is nothing imaginary about Him, even if he is unseen. And the other cool part hidden by yet another alternative characterization, is that pi is a fundamental part of God and religion. I mentioned that there are other ways of describing the speed of light. I mentioned two constants--One of them Mu naught is the permeability of free space and is defined as 1/4Pix10^7 N/Amperes^2. But as for the tribes of Israel still no clue.

Can I show obedience to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates. Well obedience to them tends to improve your TL score, and Faith is exercised first, on a small scale in our rulers then on a larger scale for our God. And there is the E term, energy devoted to helping others, it seems a bit difficult to me to serve others if you yourself are locked up, though I do not think that Gandhi, or Martin Luther King Jr. were in the wrong for disobeying the laws of society. I think this Article is a general guideline. It seems to me that the most important thing is the spirit of the matter and not the specific requirements. These are after all based on the idea of love. If a law, or magistrate of any sort is not based on love then it should by all means not be followed.

So can I prove the final article? Being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and doing good to all? F, E and dK all speak volumes about all of those terms. Is every single one of these based on Love--Certainly. Can they all be tied back to the equations of faith, absolutely. Good night! Good Luck! Enjoy! More post to come as I think of them!

Return of the Mad-ematician Philosophizer

2008-01-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

Equations of the Universe Part IV

When we left I had issued myself a challenge, to explore what unique mysteries could be unearthed in my equations. As a refresger, the equation we came up with last time was that S=F(G)F(S)*E*dK*T(L)/(C^2*T(E)). Where S is salvation. F(G)F(S) is a term representing our total faith, faith in God and Faith in the Son. There are some questions as to the exact nature of this term, but for now we shall leave it as either two separate terms F(S)F(G) or simply write it as one term F. E is the energy we devote to others in our thoughts, and deeds. The term dK is a measure of the things that we have overcome in life. T(L)/T(E) is the ratio of how long we live over how long we could have lived if we had followed God's plan. C^2 is the speed of light squared--a constant, albeit a very large one. Terms in hand, let us now continue our explorations of the subject at hand. We will start with a quote. A quote from the Bible itself.

"Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thous shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandmaents hang all the law and the prophets"(Matthew 22:36-40). Step one Love God with all you've got. In other words maximize F(G) and ergo you cannot love the Father and not love the son. They share the same purpose. Thus F(S)is also maximized. Regardless if F(G) and F(S) are two separate terms or one intwined term, loving God with all of your heart mind and soul is fairly well going to maximize the term. Step two, love thy neighbor as thyself e.g. you must a. love yourself, and b. love your neighbor. If you are doing this you will maximize E and dk. For the energy you devote to others is a sign of how much you love them. The energy you devote to yourself in overcoming obstacles and making your life better (dK) is evidence of a love for self. Moreover, if you love God, and yourself, it seems unlikely you will prematurely cut your life short, thus if we assume T(L)=T(E) salvation is maximized.

But there is another caveat, "on this the other commandments and profits hang". This implies that the other commandments are but special cases of this equation and should derive from it. We'll start with Exodus 20:2-7 "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. No Graven images, and no using my name in vain either" It would appear that God doesn't want us to have a suboptimal F(G)F(S) term. Continuing in Exodus we read, "Six Days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath..." If all of our time were devoted to God, and none to anyone else our Faith term will be maximized, but the energy term devoted to others will be 0. 0 times anything profits us nothing because didn't serve anyone else. By the same argument, if we do not have time for ourselves we cannot change dK and we end up with the same result. So, the way to have the greatest T(L), the time we have lived is to Keep god in our mind's, but to keep 6 days for ourselves and others and to devote 1 day solely to God. This means that 6Edk=F(G) and since we earlier postulated that F(G) might =C. IF this were true we could then solve for how much energy we must devote to our selves and others. But at this point an important distinction must be made F(G) is only our faith in God, and if our faith is at least equal in magnitude to that of light then we can attain salvation, but there is nothing that says it must only be equal to light. I was wrong earlier. God is not light, but created light. God is more than light. And our faith in God is not the same thing as the power of God for God is infinite, though his manifestations of his powers may be tied in to our faith in Him. If faith were allowed to be infinite instead of a fixed constant as I suspected earlier and if we also postulate backed by our equations that God's plan for us is inversely proportionate to our faith, this would explain why so many scientific discoveries quite often happen so close to each other. It would also explain why there could be only one Christ. If Christ had infinite faith this means God can assign to him infinite responsibility and have no need for a back up plan, because the probability of failure limits to zero. Whereas, us mortals have a certain faith and therefore a certain probability of following God therefore necessitating a backup plan should we choose not to follow God's will hence why so many stories sound similar, why so many inventions come about at the same time, and why so often multiple people will make the same revolutionary scientific discoveries around the same time. So we cannot say that 6EdK=C or even C^2 because F(G) and F(S) are not bounded as I had thought earlier. At the point where our actions and energies do = C^2 it implies that salvation will be light in all directions, we will be surrounded by light and yet aparently are works and energies can achieve a greatness even higher than that!

(A brief diversion if you will but allow, Why is it that we should pay tithing? Let us consider the metaphor that our talents are as the ancient parable suggests rather like money. God gave us an initial set of talents this initial investment was his principle. Now we may as we choose spend our principle. We may spend it on our selves, or we may spend our talents for the betterment of others. If we do nothing with what we are given that is when bad things happen. However, even the greatest savings account, the one of us with all of the talent in the world, if none is reinvested, it will eventually be spent. It has been said by many that paying a tithe has yielded them great benefits, if this were true this would be our means of reinvestment, and if done constantly it would be continuously compounding interest the rate of growth that is fastest. So why then should we study, go to church and possibly even serve on a mission? Because God is not only interested in increasing our pocketbooks he is interested in expanding our lives. Daily prayer, and readings of the sacred books are a daily tithe of our time and talents, Church is the weekly tithe we pay, and a mission should it so be chosen is a tithe of the premium portion of our lives. All of which will require thought not of your self, opting not to spend now in favor of more later. All are a choice, but all will yield bounteous returns.)

Honor thy Mother and Father. Is that why God Himself took the Sabath? To honor his own parents? Did an omnipotent God really need a Sabath? An infinitely powerful God, is different than an all powerful God, yet both are still Devine. Did God need the rest or was it for our benefit? These are the things I wonder. Unfortunately even my equations offer no advice upon the matter. However, they do yield insight into why we must honor our mother's and fathers. It is there I will start next time.

Yup!

2007-12-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

You Are Fozzie Bear

"Wocka! Wocka!"
You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up.
If only your routine didn't always bomb!
You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

quirky!

2007-12-08T23:52:00.001-07:00

Your Quirk Factor: 78%

You're so quirky, it's hard for you to tell the difference between quirky and normal.
No doubt about it, there's little about you that's "normal" or "average."

How Quirky Are You?

Silly Idealist, Librals are for kids!

2007-12-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 40% Conservative, 60% Liberal

Social Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

So True. I like it, though I don't think it fully encompasses my diversity because my oppinions are actually somewhat different than either choice.

They said it, not me!

2007-12-08T22:57:00.001-07:00

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read.
Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

Blue=

2007-12-08T22:05:00.001-07:00

What Your Favorite Color Blue Says About You:

Emotional --- Affected --- Sensitive
Peaceful --- Tranquil --- Connected
Spiritual --- Experimental --- Deep

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

Love is blind...

2007-12-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

But friendship closes its eyes.

And I shall Call Him Cream Cheese!

2007-12-08T21:44:00.001-07:00

You Should Own a Beagle

Low maintenance, very friendly, and sturdy.

What Kind of Dog Should You Have?

um ok I'll keep that in mind.

2007-12-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

Your Anti Climactic Fortune

Deep into your future, I forsee: A bad case of food poisoning

The Anti Climactic Fortune Teller

;|

2007-12-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

You Are 52% Weirdo

You're definitely quite strange, but you can act like a normal person when you have to.
(But just because you can act normally, it certainly doesn't mean you want to!)
You have normal aspects to your personality... but you usually don't choose to emphasize them.

Are You A Weirdo?

I love It!

2007-12-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

You Are an Alien

You're so strange, people occasionally wonder if you're from another world.
You don't try to be different, but you see most things from a very unique, very offbeat perspective.
Brilliant to the point of genius, you definitely have some advanced intelligence going on.
No matter what circles you travel in, you always feel like a stranger. And it's a feeling you've learned to like.

Your greatest power: Your superhuman brain

Your greatest weakness: Your lack of empathy - you just don't get humans

You play well with: Zombies

What Kind of Monster Are You?

They need a question about Warshing Machines

2007-12-07T09:51:00.001-07:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

70% General American English

20% Upper Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Dixie

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

And this too...

2007-12-07T09:46:00.001-07:00

You Have Good Karma

In general, you like to do the right thing when it comes to others.
Your caring personality really shines through.
Sure, you have your moments of weakness - and occasionally act out.
But, all in all, you're karma is good... even with those few dark spots.

How's Your Karma?

And this one

2007-12-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

You Are the Super Ego

While some people may think first and act later... you often don't act at all.
You rather be safe than sorry, and you take ethics pretty seriously.
Like everyone, you have some pretty crazy desires. But unlike everyone, you restrain yourself.
You have high standards for your own behavior. And you happily exceed them.

Are You Id, Ego, or Superego?

And The Winner Is...

2007-12-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around.

You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy.

You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you.

How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

I suspect...

2007-12-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

I suspect that this is an urban legend, but it funny nonetheless. Almost as funny as the electric wheel chair with hydraulics I saw in Indianapolis.

Ah vegetables to my ears.

2007-12-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

And now for your daily dose of music done in the key of celery flat.

And here's a car to go with it!!

2007-12-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

Now that's a 0-60 3.4 sec. 6.5 L 211 mph car!

Now That's a Car Crash!!

2007-12-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

O.O

Part the Fifth

2007-11-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Now we have seen that much can be gleaned from the equation of faith. We have shown that faith itself has a term in this equation (actually more correctly we have shown that the relationship of our faith to the supreme deity's faith and the faith in His son has a term), but can we show all faith comes from this same source? The next few posts will be my attempts at just that.

To start we'll explore my own faith, the LDS faith. What does it mean to be a member of the LDS church? Here we will take a brief detour and I will give the answer I gave in church:

"What does it mean to be LDS. This is an enormously broad topic to discuss.
How does one even start to approach this. Well fortunately we are
given guidance in this matter, published on October 6th 1890 is the
document that outlines what it means to be a member of the LDS church.
It begins with "we." We is the the first person plural pronoun.
What this implies is that each one of us has come to this church for
our own reasons. We have all had our own experiences. Our our trials
and tribulations, but WE have all come to the same conclusion
together. What does it mean to be a member, a member of a club, a
member of a gang, a member of a family, and finally a member of the
church? It means to belong to, to be accepted. It means to be loved
and welcomed, which brings me to my next point. We Believe, belief is
knowing without seeing, knowing God the eternal father. THE eternal
father, there is only one. He is our father and like any good parent
in his eyes we ARE accepted, loved appreaciated and welcomed now and
for all time, for he is eternal without begining and without end. We
believe in God, the eternal father, and in his son Jesus Christ. We
believe that he died for us, that he is the pathway back to salvation,
the guiding light should we err. We believe that men shall be judged
for their own sins and not the transgressions of Adam. What does this
mean? It means that we have the best of both worlds. Adam had to
take the bite of the apple for man to know what sin was--this suggests
a plan, devine guidance. But, we are "graded" on our own sins
suggesting that we have free will. We are allowed to choose, to make
our own sins upon which we are to be judged. We are not merely the
pawns of some all powerful controlling being's game, we are children
of god, guided by our maker but allowed to choose our path. We
believe in the atonement of Christ. One man divided by zero sin, an
infinite sacrifice, an infinite sacrifice given freely for us. Christ
is not the well for our sins, for any reservoir, no matter how large,
if only filled and never emptied will one day overflow, Christ did not
store our sines, but rather he destroyed them. In his death because
he was untainted by sin he has freed us from our bonds. Whatsmore,
this ultimate gift would not be nearly so powerful if Christ were
naught but a God, for it would be easy for a God to overcome anything
that was thrown at him, but Christ was a mortal, feeble like us.
Suffering like we have, it was this property that made his sacrifice
so great. But what does all of it mean if we do not believe in him
our redeemer? If we do not believe then his death was without
purpose. Second only to faith in Christ is repentance, verily he
spoke unto us saying "Repent and sin no more!" For repentance is as
Elder Russel Nielson said in his Spring 2007 General Conference address,
"when Christ uttered these words they were recorded as the Greek
phrase Metanoeos coming from the root words of meta meaning a change,
pneuma meaning breathe, gnosis, knowledge, Neuma spirit, Taken
together this was an imperative for us, when we repent to experience a
change in our mind, body, knowldege, breath and spirit." This is no
light charge, and indeed none would be expected from the man who died
for our sins.
The Articles of Faith continue by saying that they believe in men
being ordained by profesey by the laying on of hands and by the
complete baptism by immersion. Indeed, baptism comes from the Greek
word of the same name meaning to dip or imerse. In the bible
dictionary it says that baptism by any other means is not a baptism.
Indeed if we claim to be followers of Christ then we must do as he has
done. In the book of John Chapters 1-3 the story of Christ's
immersion is told. If prophesy is of no consequence, why then does
the entirety of the Old testament set the stage for Christ to come?
If the laying on of hands are of no import why then does Christ
himself lay his hands upon the heads of each of his apostles in his
last moments during the last supper? If personal revelation and
responsibility are not an important part of this church why did Christ
and the father themselves descend upon Joseph Smith? Nay I say these
things are of the utmost importance. Now there are many more things I
could go into on what it means to be a member of the LDS church, but
alas, my time draws short. There are still 7 Articles yet to be
discussed, but sadly these shall have to be the venues of yet another
discussion, though there is one last thing I would like to leave you
with today. I would like you all to note the name at the very end of
the passage. Joseph Smith. I believe him to be a prophet and
enlighted seeer of the world the way it is. Let us, for the sake of
argument, assume that he is wrong. Tell me even in error, how many
1000+ page books printed in over 100 languages and countries around
the world have you published? How many 13 million member religions,
have you with high school and college educations started recently?
How many Harvard, Standford, and Yale graduates have you convinced,
how many papers have you published that can withstand 200 years of
scientific scrutiny the world over? I dare say, that even if he is
wrong, this man is one of the most influential people in history. And
if it were all a lie, why should he standby this lie even unto death?
Truly he has the marks of an enlightened man. I believe these things
are true, I cannot doubt their veracity. These things I say in
Jesus's name. Amen!"

So, can any of these things be found within my equations? And what about those other 7 articles, they are clearly part of the creed of what it means to be a Latter Day Saint, but what are my opinions of them? Stay tuned we'll see.

Part IV

2007-11-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

When we last left this mortal solenoid, we had solved for everything except faith. Let us now explore the ramifications of solving for F(G)and F(S). F(g)=(S*C^2TE)/(F(S)EdkTL), F(S)=(S*C^2TE)/(F(G)EdkTL). Wait what? How can this be a stronger faith in Christ reduces our faith in God. The more things we overcome, and the more energy we devote to others all suggest a diminished faith in the divine. Even if we take into account the fact that Faith in Christ is related to faith in God and treating faith as one term F(G)F(S)=S*C^2/EdkTL we are still left with a paradox. Why should an increase of the energy invested on our part represent a decrease in our total faith. At first glimpse our equation clearly shows an inconsistency, yet given the staggering, awe inspiring predictions I am loath to cast it aside as of yet. Further study reveals that the paradox is resolved by realizing faith has crossed the barrier of the equals sign. Our faith is being viewed from a cosmic perspective. From the vantage of God and Christ all of our actions all of our trials amount to what appears to be very little. This is simply a reaffirmation that faith cannot be gained through energy works but must be gained independent of our energies and trials. However, this is still only marginally satisfying. If works do not increase faith, why then do so many religions insist on service in a mission? Why then have so many who have served testify to the opposite of this claim. Perhaps, our equation has a glitch. What if the terms F(G) and F(S) are not faith in God and Christ as I have thought, but what if it is instead the ratio of our faith, to the faith in God and the Son. My faith is F(M). Yet how many times greater is the faith of God and Christ? Faith enough to die for the entire world and never call unto him the powers of heaven to prevent it. 1/A great expanse of faith that is God and Christ neither separated from the other F(M)/F(G)F(S)=TLdkE/(S*C^2TE) And now the light is upon us for the greatest way of increasing the ratio of our faith to the faith of God and Christ is through an energy of devotion, love, endeavoring to change and to live our fullest life.

There is one other powerful point to be made. When derived, this equation was based on the idea that work is equal to force times distance, this is true, but it is not the most general form. In its broadest form work is defined as Force Cross Distance. Our cross is a product of the net force and total distance traveled in ALL directions and all dimensions. What wonders will we derive if instead of using the classic particulate force, but instead the electroweak, The nuclear strong, Coulomb's law and the many other functions of compulsion.

Just as a fork if seen from one vantage appears as but three separate dots, from another it is a single line segment, from a third it is a highly filigreed, ornate handle. Each of these views contradicts the others for clearly something that is three separate tines cannot be a single line, but viewed from an all seeing higher realm it is something more proving all three all three sights to be a true part of the whole. So too do I view religions. Perhaps with a better understanding of not only the cross product of our forces and their distances but work when viewed from every direction, perhaps then truth and understanding among religions will ensue.

Equations of the Universe Part III

2007-11-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

If you recall, when we last met, I had derived for you a relation that went something like this. Salvation is equal to the product of Faith in God, Faith in the Son, Energy devoted to others, Obstacles overcome, and Time lived. All divided by the product of C^2 times the expected amount of time that you should live, or in math speak S=(F(G)F(S)*E*TL dK)/(C2*TE). The true sign that I am either off my rocker on really on to something is that it has generated a lot of
very concerned messages. Some interesting points that have been brought up are: "How do you know that your terms are really constants and not functions?", "Yes, your numbers are nice, but how do you know that's what the universe is really doing?", "There are other definitions for force, mass, time, etc how do you know you have substituted in the right ones?" and the list goes on. The answer to all of these is that I don't know. But an interesting test of any good mathematical equation is to see what it predicts. Here now are some of the predictions of the equation I have coined.

It has been said, that the greatest of the commandments is love. Love thy God with thy heart mind and soul. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Any equation propounding to be one of faith should have an expression for this. Does mine? Yes. The S term comes from a derivation of the
impact of something. This particular impact is the impact of love. For Faith is synonymous with love thus F(G)F(S) (Faith in God and Faith in the Son) show up as love. Energy devoted to others = love for them. dkTL the change in course times the time lived represents a
respect of self and a desire to overcome and to endure. A desire to live to the end. Love.

Now suppose instead of Salvation being the solution, what would happen if we solved instead for the energy spent. E=S*C^2*TE/F(G)*F(S)*TL*dk In other words, The Energy of helping other people is a form of salvation, it provides great light. And if TE the time we are
expected here on this Earth might be substituted as a divine plan then helping someone else is part of this plan. But as this equation points out Helping someone else will take time. The less time you know someone the more energy it will take to help them. Energy devoted to others will cause change, though interestingly the smaller the change the greater the energy it will take. Large changes can be done easily, but small ones become progressively harder. And if there
is nothing that needs to be changed, then an infinite amount of energy is released. Consider this, God is perfect, there is nothing about him that is in need of change and thus according to our relation, his energy must be infinite. Moreover, helping others not only is a part of God's plan, a part of his being, but also an act of faith. And the greater your faith in both God and Christ the less energy it will take to help another. If your faith is low, then helping others becomes very difficult and much energy must be invested. There is one other important feature of this particular rendition. The astute reader should note that all things that are controlled by God are on one side of the dividing line, while all things that are under our control are under God's watchful eye and are separated by a thin dividing line. A line has no width God is infinitely close to us 0 distance away 0 thickness is the line of the boundary that separates us from Him. Yet, This line, this veil if you will is still quite difficult for us to cross of our own. Moreover the energy we devote to others is on the same level as God himself! Hmm. Fascinating.

What can we learn if instead we solve for our change in course? dk=S*C^2*TE/(F(G)F(S)*E*TL) The things we overcome are essential to salvation. They will provide us will light. They are part of TE--the great plan. Failure to change is why Satan's plan failed. There is no room to change and to grow. The greater our faith the smaller our choices will be, the easier they will become. The more we help others, the smaller our choices become. And as our life progresses on so do do our choices become clearer. If what the LDS church, the
church I have so recently joined, if what they say is true, and I believe it is, this would suggest that Salvation is probably one of several constants. My faith tells me that there are 3 levels of
heaven, yet heaven for you, will be just as rewarding as heaven for me. This suggests the possibility that heaven is quantized. Somewhat particulate, yet also continous revealing both a wave and particle like nature. It is constant and existing as a distinct value. Goodness and Light, light squared too is a constant. TE I suspect is also a constant, though the idea
that it is a function is intriguing as well, but all of this means that change is not constant as the old adage goes, but it is nearly so. Change depends upon our faith, our energy , and our choices,
change is almost entirely in our hands!

TE and TL are too inseparable terms. Why are we here if we are not a part of God's plan? So too why should so many cultures have a God if something of the sort were not supposed to be in our life? TL The life we live is S, Salvation, C^2, light, light in all we can see, TE, a part of God's plan/Faiths Energies and changes (dk) So too is our life. If we are separated from God's plan, then we will be divided by differing faiths, energy and change. Life it appears is a very interesting function. Salvation as suggested earlier, I believe to be on. C^2 is a constant. Faith and Energy are in my hands. Change is tricky. I have control, but probably not all. And thus, taken as a whole, my life is not entirely in my hands, but it is for the most part under my control. Life is a symbiosis, a symbiosis of free will. I am a stake holder in
the changes of it and in my faith. I may choose the amount of energy to devote, but it is also a product of a divine plan. But remember TL and TE are coupled. TE=F(G)F(S)E*dK*TL/(C^2*S). How long we live, our expected life span and how it fits into the cosmic scheme cannot decrease except by our choising TL. The Greater our faith and the more we devote to others from an eternal perspective the longer our lives will be. So how should we maximize the ratio of how long we are expected to live to how long we actually live? Our fullest life TE/TL=F(G)F(S)*E*dk/S*C^2. Thus the key to not only salvation, but to living our longest possible life is to life one full of Faith and Love. To strive to overcome that which is thrown at us and to always mindful of that which is good and and light and to keep our own salvation underfoot--Hmm Calvinism has reared its head. While we are on the topic of the course of our lives unbeknownst to us our equation has hidden another expression for the length of our lives. To see the full beauty of this equation let us again examine it in its original form. S=F(G)F(S)*E*TL*dk/C^2 TE but if you will remember TE came from the acceleration term in work. Acceleration was defined as dk/dt where we proposed that dt was the change in time and therefore equal to time, though this generalization is correct, let us see what happens if we did this equation its full justice and integrated it properly. Separating like terms we are now left with dt/TL = (F(G)F(S)*E/S*C^2)dk, you will recognize this as a fancier version of the equation we had before. Here we will converse with God in his native tongue, mathematics. Now one should note, that it was pointed out earlier our faith in God and Christ is probably more accurately described by a function of k; however, I have not yet been granted privy to this precise function I will deal only in the simplest case--F(G)and F(S) as constants. If this is true we are able to antidifferentiate with respect to time, a neutral time outside of our life or God's. Doing so, the veil is lifted slightly and we are left with The natural logarithm of Time=(F*E/S*C^2)K + a constant. Hmm, time has a natural rhythm, there is an algorithm, a plan for our life. Our total faith, and our total energies divided among a constant of all encompassing light and salvation times all of the things we have over come K. It takes an entire lifetime to overcome all that we can, thus K=TL. Notice K has no limits. We may never be able to completely overcome all things, but we are a source of infinite potential (Proof of this forthcoming.) The other thing that is amazing is now that we are on the other side, in a higher dimension, our life is summed totaled and complete we realize that hidden this entire time has been a constant. What is this higher dimensional constant companion you ask? There is but one thing it can be--the Holy Ghost. Ah good, and now our Trinity is complete. This leaves only three things to solve for. The speed of light squared is a fundamental part of our equations. This means that we can solve for goodness and light a supposed constant in terms of functions, functions not of God's control, but of ours! Our choices can affect the entirety of the rest of the universe! Michaelson and Morely have shown quite conclusively that the speed of light is indeed constant for all points and observers. Something has to change, but what? Einstein has fortunately provided us with the answer to this one. Space distances and time itself will change to preserve the sanctity of goodness and light. This means that every Joule of of energy we devote to someone else brings time to a stop distances mean nothing god is among us, and because time has stopped we have gained an eternity all dependent on us overcoming our sins, helping others, and keeping a strong faith in God and Christ!

And the homerun for weirdness, goes to...

2007-11-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

Her.

Strike Three and the Irony is Out!

2007-11-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Read this one carefully. Its the name of the store that makes the heist so great.

And the Irony Strikes Again

2007-11-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

So on one paper I was both marked down for doing too little, and too much? Can anyone say "Law of Averages" not holding?