Winter me 

The original bloggers

While spelunking the Internet tonight, I rediscovered Project Gutenberg. 

 

It occurs to me that Mark Twain and the authors of his time were the bloggers of his time.  The publishing process (i.e. various forms of stain on crushed emulsified dead tree material, bulky manufacturing equipment, physical form and a need for physical distribution) required greater resource investment, and therefore more  attention to ‘correct’ grammar.  The Twain-Blog that I’m currently reading is called FOLLOWING

THE EQUATOR.

 

I’m yet to be convinced that correct grammar necessitates clear concise communication. 

 

Often when programming in C++ and Java, ‘in-correct’ syntax leads to a more effective encoding.

 

Nostradameus

What is Happiness?

What is Happiness?

 

Is it a calm state?  Is it an excited state?

 

I just listened to Science Friday's podcast on Happiness and was struck by the diversity of overlaps in emotional, physiological and chemical states that are partially within both the happiness and the sadness sets in the Venn diagram that was forming in my head.

 

On a physiological level, the chemical messengers associated with happiness come from both the calming (endorphin) and the exciting (adrenaline) chemical messengers. 

 

From a ‘depressant’ stand point there are ties to dopamine and serotonin.  Modern medicince strives to treat ‘unhappiness’ with chemical treatments to counter or try to ‘fix’ or ‘jimmy’ the balance.  However, I believe that the absence of negative emotions doesn’t equate to a positive emotional state, but more like a zero state.

 

Also, what was discussed was our desire for change.  As much as we complain about change, it seems to be a necessary ingredient of happiness.  Our brains are designed to take gratification in ‘mastering’ change. 

 

Two take away thoughts:

 

1)    It is amazing how the chemical, physiologic and psychological systems all follow similar taxonomies and Venn diagram classifications as a function or coincidence in their contribution to how the system works on a macro level.

2)    How we ‘master’ change is a subject worth further neurotransmitter energy investment.

a.     Do we be reasonable and accept change?

b.     Do we be unreasonable and struggle against or to control change?

 

G. B. Shaw would say that progress depends on us being unreasonable.

 

 

Big Brother as a study of life.

Watching Big Brother, I’m struck about how accurate a model of life it presents.

The spoils of life do not go to those at war, but instead the architects of war, that sit quietly aside, pitting side against side, while courting both.

Is thought a force?

It often seems that the will or belief of the many becomes the common reality.

Is it the application of energy, guided by thought through hands or directly that brings about this corelation?

Unified Thought Theory

What if we could take Maslow's hiearchy, Harlow's theories, Pavlov's theories, Skinner's theories and were able to make a set of equations such as Maxwell did for the EM Spectrum.

Would we have the predictive equations based on psychohistory of Asimov's Foundation Sci-Fi series?