In my view the objective of life is to increase one’s awareness, making it as accurate as possible and as wide ranging as possible in both time and space. If this is the goal of life then studying cosmology and astrophysics is the most devout activity possible. The greatest sins are to limit your horizons, […]
I have been preparing some fractal pictures for printing. They will appear in a local exhibition of local artwork. I have been getting hot and bothered by the many, mutually-inconsistent layers of software I have had to deal with. The worst element is the very last bit of the process – the great big print […]
Two things: living bridges and share prices. An interesting item on Deskarati describes people in Northern India who build bridges across mountain streams using living tree roots. It works well in an area where streams run as a trickle for most of the year and as raging torrents in the monsoon season. Such a bridge will […]
Instability is the lifeblood of surprisingly many professions. The bankers and city traders make money out of market movements and have few opportunities for profit when prices are level. Politicians need at least the threat of instability, and preferably real problems, to inspire fear and persuade people that a vote for them will stave off […]
I have a second reason for thinking about Chondritics. I live in a stable society (one of the affluent bits of the Naughty North of England) and I appreciate that stability. I don’t think stability is widespread – it may be taken for granted in England, but in many parts of the world stability has […]