A nice video. I've read about quantum decoherence and entanglement several times, but seeing it animated helped. At least for me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zD1U1sIPQ4 Confused by how particles can be in two places at once? Wondering how particles can instantly communicate with each other no matter what the distance? Quantum physics is a field of study that … Continue reading Quantum Entanglement Explained
Month: February 2014
Did Neanderthals have religion?
It's been a while since Coolidge and Wynn posted an entry. Now they've done one looking at whether Neanderthals intentionally buried their dead. What did Neandertals do with dead people? And what does this tell us about Neandertal behavior? These questions are perennial favorites for undergraduates and lay persons interested in human evolution. Indeed, one … Continue reading Did Neanderthals have religion?
Are Parallel Universes Unscientific Nonsense?
If you’re a multiverse skeptic, you should know that there are many potential weaknesses in the case for parallel universes, and I hope you’ll find my cataloging of these weaknesses below useful. To identify these weaknesses in the pro-multiverse arguments, we first need to review what the arguments are. via Are Parallel Universes Unscientific Nonsense? … Continue reading Are Parallel Universes Unscientific Nonsense?
Free will and the value of compatibilism
With the essays traded between Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris, free will is back in the web conversation. I wasn't planning on making another free will post myself, having been mostly satisfied with my previous statement on it. But I've had a few conversations lately, both here on the site and in some other mediums, that … Continue reading Free will and the value of compatibilism
What’s the largest number we can really comprehend? It’s smaller than you think
This guy is awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOsXjYKvCZ8 I think I've mentioned before that we don't really understand the very large and very small, we just equate it with metaphors of our "normal" scale existence. Nick Lucid gives one of the reasons why. Without abstract frameworks, we can't really do numbers. BTW, he has a Tumblr site.
Hertling says singularity closer than appears, and a brief comment
Ramez Naam, author of Nexus and Crux (two books I enjoyed and recommend), has recently put together a few guest posts for Charlie Stross (another author I love). The posts are The Singularity Is Further Than It Appears and Why AIs Won't Ascend in the Blink of an Eye. They're both excellent posts, and I'd recommend reading … Continue reading Hertling says singularity closer than appears, and a brief comment
The Singularity Is Further Than It Appears – Charlie’s Diary
Are we headed for a Singularity? Is it imminent? I write relatively near-future science fiction that features neural implants, brain-to-brain communication, and uploaded brains. I also teach at a place called Singularity University. So people naturally assume that I believe in the notion of a Singularity and that one is on the horizon, perhaps in … Continue reading The Singularity Is Further Than It Appears – Charlie’s Diary
My answers to desired talents, ghosts, blogging lessons, desired fictional worlds, and other questions, and award stuff
I don't usually participate in these blog memes, not because I have any objection to them, but from lack of time, energy, or imagination on my part. That said, Michelle Joelle, who I have a high regard for, and whose high quality blog I very much recommend, nominated me for the Liebster Award. It appears … Continue reading My answers to desired talents, ghosts, blogging lessons, desired fictional worlds, and other questions, and award stuff
Aspiring authors need to look at self publishing
It’s no great secret that the world of publishing is changing. What is a secret is how much. Is it changing a lot? Has most of the change already happened? What does the future look like? via The Report – Author Earnings. Wow. I've suspected for a few years now that self publishing was the … Continue reading Aspiring authors need to look at self publishing
The Marionette’s Lament : A Response to Daniel Dennett : : Sam Harris
Dear Dan— I’d like to begin by thanking you for taking the time to review Free Will at such length. Publicly engaging me on this topic is certainly preferable to grumbling in private. Your writing is admirably clear, as always, which worries me in this case, because we appear to disagree about a great many … Continue reading The Marionette’s Lament : A Response to Daniel Dennett : : Sam Harris
SelfAwarePatterns 