SMBC: What if the universe is made of math?

I loved this SMBC.  It echoes something I've observed before, that some physicists have disdain for philosophy, while often engaging in it themselves. Hovertext: "Philosophy is dumb, unless it comes out of the mouth of a physicist." Click through for full sized version and red button caption. via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. I've discussed the question before … Continue reading SMBC: What if the universe is made of math? →

‘The Martian’: Robinson Crusoe meets Apollo 13

I recently read Andy Weir's novel: 'The Martian'.  Weir's book is a self publishing success story.  An admitted life long geek, he enjoyed thoroughly researching how a mission to Mars might work and what might go wrong with it.  He originally published the book, in serialized form, on his web site.  In response to reader … Continue reading ‘The Martian’: Robinson Crusoe meets Apollo 13 →

First Peoples and Neanderthals

This weekend, I finished off the last of the 'First Peoples' PBS miniseries on prehistoric humans.  If  you've watched other documentaries on human prehistory and found them interesting, then you'll want to watch this one to get the latest findings.  It was fascinating.  (A lot of people have mentioned 'Becoming Human' to me, which I've … Continue reading First Peoples and Neanderthals →

Michael Graziano on building a brain

I've written a few times on the Attention Theory schema of consciousness.  It's a theory I like because it's scientific, eschewing any mystical steps, such as assuming that consciousness just magically arises at a certain level of complexity.  It's almost certainly not perfect, but I think it's a major step in the right direction. Michael Graziano, … Continue reading Michael Graziano on building a brain →

Great decisions by the court; now a caution

It's been a good week for liberals.  The Supreme Court once again, in dismissing a ludicrous lawsuit, decided not to tank Obamacare, and in a historic decision, recognized the right of same sex couples to marry.  By any measure, the court has moved the country forward in a progressive way this week. Now a caution. … Continue reading Great decisions by the court; now a caution →

What is the crucial element of a story?

I've been reading a lot of science fiction short stories lately.  As an aspiring author, one of the things I've been trying to pay attention to are what the properties are of the stories I end up enjoying.  And, just as important, what are the properties of the stories I don't enjoy, particularly the ones I end … Continue reading What is the crucial element of a story? →

First Peoples documentary series to air on PBS starting Wednesday

I've posted before on prehistorical societies, and the fact that, for virtually all of human history, including the history of our particular sub-species: Homo sapiens, we lived in nomadic hunter gatherer tribes.  The evidence points to anatomically modern humans first appearing in Africa over 200,000 years ago, and that much of what we consider normal human society: … Continue reading First Peoples documentary series to air on PBS starting Wednesday →

Quantum computing will not rescue Moore’s Law

I found this video on quantum computing educational.  It confirmed some things that I've been pondering about quantum computing for a while, notably its limitations, which are discussed after about the five minute mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_IaVepNDT4 The strength of quantum computing is that it makes use of superpositions, the fact that quantum particles can be in multiple … Continue reading Quantum computing will not rescue Moore’s Law →