tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137814602024-03-08T04:26:40.428-05:00Zachriel's BlogCivilization, Mutagenation and more!Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-36469810092348686452010-08-18T09:41:00.002-05:002010-08-18T09:43:45.137-05:00Teabaggers & Race-baitingNo one can control all the comments on their blog, but when Zachriel pointed out <a href="http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/08/huh-obama-says-his-father-served-in-world-war-ii-video/">race-baiting at Gateway Pundit</a>, they deleted Zachriel's comments, and not the race-baiting. Here's just a small sample on the one thread about Obama. <br />
<blockquote><span style="color: black;"><em>He must be talking about the imaginary father he made up to replace the one who abandoned him and the other one who pimped him out.</em></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="color: black;"><em>Like 85% of the black men in this country….he really doesn’t know; however, my money is on Redd Foxx of Sanford and Son…</em></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="color: black;"><em>Now Bill Ayers will have to write another book about his dad… “Black Skin, Purple Heart”</em></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="color: black;"><em>Isn’t it interesting how BO only seems to acknowledge the white side of his family when it will gain him political points? Oh, except for his “typical white” grandmother.</em></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="color: black;"><em>There are serious rumors that Stanley Dunham fathered Obama with his real mother being a black prostitute in Honolulu</em></span></blockquote>Of course, none of the Gateway Pundits acknowledge the race-baiting, but accuse anyone who points it out of being race-baiters themselves. <br />
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Meanwhile, the thread was about Obama saying his father served in WWII, when he obviously meant his grandfather, Stanley Dunham, who volunteered to serve in WWII, the grandfather who raised him from the time Obama was ten years old. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stanley Armour Dunham</td></tr>
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</div><blockquote><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.naacp.org/news/entry/naacp-delegates-vote-to-repudiate-racist-elements-within-the-tea-pary/"><em>NAACP delegates</em></a><em> passed a resolution to condemn extremist elements within the Tea Party, calling on Tea Party leaders to repudiate those in their ranks who use racist language in their signs and speeches.</em></div></blockquote>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-4528022955748497142007-10-21T08:37:00.003-05:002008-11-13T04:58:57.118-05:00I can’t believe Dembski chose Word Mutagenation!!<a href="http://www.zachriel.com/Mutagenation/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123816831399937474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 5px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RmGGkT55y1s/Rxt0QtHCxcI/AAAAAAAAABE/v2fYP9kQwSc/s320/FlowersPanel.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div align="justify">Take a look at William Dembski’s latest draft manuscript, <strike><a href="http://cayman.globat.com/~trademarksnet.com/T/Hag2.pdf">Active Information in Evolutionary Search</a></strike> <a href="http://web.ecs.baylor.edu/faculty/marks/REPRINTS/short/InformationCost.pdf">The Information Cost of No Free Lunch</a>. </div><blockquote><p align="justify"><span style="color:#006600;"><strong>Dembski</strong>: Proponents of intelligent design have argued that the NFLT shows that Darwinian evolution cannot generate the information required for biological complexity from scratch but instead merely reshuffles existing information.</span></p></blockquote><div align="justify">The NFLT (<a href="http://ic.arc.nasa.gov/people/dhw/papers/78.pdf">No Free Lunch Theorem, Wolpert and Macready 1997</a>) doesn’t suggest that Darwinian Evolution can't generate information in the sense of searching a fitness landscape. Rather, it merely states that it may or may not be the best conceivable algorithm for finding fitness.</div><blockquote><p align="justify"><span style="color:#006600;"><strong>Dembski</strong>: Making such assumptions about underlying search structures is not only common but also vital to the success of optimizing searchers (...).<br /><br />Such assumptions, however, are useless when searching to find a sequence of, say, 7 letters from a 26-letter alphabet to form a word that will pass successfully through a spell checker… With no metric to determine nearness, the search landscape for such searches is binary—either success or failure. There are no sloped hills to climb.</span> </p></blockquote><span style="color:#990000;"><strong>I can’t believe Dembski chose Word Mutagenation!!</strong> He couldn't be more wrong.</span><br /><br /><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.zachriel.com/Mutagenation/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123790743768581490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_RmGGkT55y1s/RxtciNHCxXI/AAAAAAAAAAc/8it6H-A0a6g/s320/WordMutagenation2.gif" border="0" /></a>It’s been three years since I published <a href="http://www.zachriel.com/Mutagenation/">Word Mutagenation</a> on the web, the result of a year-long thread on the newsgroup Talk Origins with Intelligent Design advocate, Sean Pitman. I suppose it’s time to dust off the old Letter Mutator and take another look.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.zachriel.com/mutagenation/Sea.asp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123791770265765250" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 5px 5px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RmGGkT55y1s/Rxtdd9HCxYI/AAAAAAAAAAk/BniM6n7VaME/s320/Obishops.jpg" border="0" /></a>Turns out we don’t have to make any assumptions about the search space of words. For instance, we could start with the single-letter word “O”, a replicating population representing a veritable Pond of O’s flowing down to the <a href="http://www.zachriel.com/mutagenation/Sea.asp">Sea of Beneficence</a>. </div><br /><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><em><span style="color:#330099;">In the beginning was the Word.</span></em><br /><br />We then mutate words in our Sea. We might change a random letter, add a random letter, delete a random letter, or randomly recombine words in the Sea. Something like this:</div><blockquote><p><span style="font-family:courier new;">o<br />i<br />bi<br />be<br />or<br />to</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br />no<br />not</span></p></blockquote><span style="font-family:courier new;"><div align="justify"></span></div><a href="http://www.zachriel.com/mutagenation/Sea.asp"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RmGGkT55y1s/Rxthb9HCxaI/AAAAAAAAAA0/9tygm7B8Bqc/s320/Hamlet.jpg" border="0" /></a>If a mutant sequence is not a valid word, that is, if it fails <span style="color:#006600;"><em>the spell-checker rule that Dembski established abov</em>e</span>, then it is ruthlessly eliminated with no issue. If it is a valid word, it enters the population as a new strain. (We might optionally limit our Pond of Words to just a certain number of the longest words.) So, what do we expect?<br /><blockquote><p><strong>Quick calculation</strong>:<br />10-letter words in dictionary ~10^4<br />10-letter sequences possible ~10^14<br />Ratio of valid 10-letter words to possible sequences ~10^10 </p></blockquote><div align="justify"><a href="http://www.zachriel.com/Mutagenation/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5123798036623050162" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 5px 5px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RmGGkT55y1s/RxtjKtHCxbI/AAAAAAAAAA8/gknkuYfDylc/s320/O-Mutants.jpg" border="0" /></a>A random search would take ~10^10 or several billion mutations. An evolutionary search algorithm takes only ~10^5 mutations or about a hundred thousand times faster—consistently. There is nothing about the structure of words in <a href="http://www.zachriel.com/Mutagenation/">Word Mutagenation</a>. It works in the simplest of fashions; random mutation and spell-check, over and over again.<br /><br />The structure is found in the words themselves. Turns out that language itself has evolved and evidence of that history is found in the words we use.<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,<br />But in ourselves.</span></em> </div></div></div></div>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-20519111142951671752007-02-26T18:25:00.000-05:002008-11-13T04:58:57.305-05:00Blogging Debussy<a href="http://www.moodsinmusic.com/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035540343806409314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RmGGkT55y1s/ReHVQ2S6umI/AAAAAAAAAAM/Ge8Qs5AXF0g/s320/Monet-Garden.jpg" border="0" /></a>This piano piece by Debussy is a delight and reminds us of a day not so long past when life was full of sun and color. <div></div><div><br /><a href="http://www.moodsinmusic.com/mp3/arabesque.mp3">Arabesque</a> </div><div><span style="font-size:78%;">(MP3, right-click then Save As, ~5 MB)</span><br /><br />Claude Debussy, who lived at the turn of the 20th century, innovated many new sounds, including the novel uses of sevenths, ninths and suspended chords. These new sounds opened the door for the emergence of jazz. </div><div></div>Moods in Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02204092905750943280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1164942623198910812006-11-30T22:02:00.000-05:002007-08-11T08:13:53.129-05:00Gasp! Bill O'Reilly lied to Oprah!!<a href="http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200610/tows_past_20061027.jhtml"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px 5px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Oprah's Town Hall with Bill O'Reilly" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/143/513/1600/98736/Oprah.gif" border="0" /></a>Oprah had Bill O'Reilly on to promote his version of the culture war. O'Reilly often makes <em>misstatements of fact</em> on his cable news show. Nothing new about that. But now O'Reilly's lied to Oprah — on her own show. That is going too far!<br /><br />Oprah is presenting a Town Hall style of show. <strong>Man #2</strong> is a member of the audience.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>Man #2</strong>: And, you know, I watched your show where you lumped Bob Woodward in with the anti-Bush media, Woodward who wrote a book that portrayed Bush as a strong leader. Now he writes a book that shows that his view, and the view of the sources he had, which no one has disputed the veracity of his sources, that Bush has lost his way. So now all of a sudden he's anti-Bush. You know, what's...</span><br /><span style="color:#993300;"><strong>Mr. O'REILLY</strong>: I didn't say he was anti--I told--you should read the book.</span><br /><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>Man #2</strong>: You lumped him in with the anti-Bush media, that's what you said.</span><br /><span style="color:#993300;"><strong>Mr. O'REILLY</strong>: Absolutely not.</span><br /><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>Man #2</strong>: The anti-Bush media including Bob Woodward in your interview with the president.</span></blockquote><p>Anyway, from <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,221501,00.html">Foxnews</a>, O'REILLY expounding to the President during the interview: </p><blockquote><span style="color:#993300;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/143/513/1600/352460/O"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/143/513/320/683699/O%27Reilly-Bush.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>Mr. O'REILLY</strong>: There's one other reason they've turned against the war in Iraq. The anti-Bush press pounds day in and day out - in the newspapers, on the network news, in books like Bob Woodward's - that you don't know what you're doing there, that you have no strategy and don't listen to dissent.</span></blockquote>Most of us, given the opportunity to interview the President of the United States, would remember every word, even every stutter of such an encounter. It is hard to believe that O'Reilly would not remember something so specific.<br /><br />An important aspect of the encounter is that <strong>Man #2</strong> has no way within the confines of the forum to rebut O'Reilly's flat denial. It leaves the truthful <strong>Man #2</strong> gasping for air, maybe even wondering if he is the one who <em>misremembered</em>. O'Reilly then proceeds to accuse <strong>Man #2</strong> of "<span style="color:#993300;">hiding behind freedom</span>" and of being a "<span style="color:#993300;">Fox hater</span>". Alas, this happens everyday on the O'Reilly factor.<br /><br />Just for fun, Bill O'Reilly <em>misremembers</em> about his use of personal attacks, from <a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200603130003">Media Matters</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200603130003"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="O'Reilly attacks ... and attacks ... and attacks" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/143/513/320/291884/oreilly.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Update: O'Reilly Fibs about John Edwards<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WNcV1S2H-3Q"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WNcV1S2H-3Q" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />(Thanks to <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/016477.php">Talking Points Memo</a>.)Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1154296498331558342006-07-30T16:47:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:32:42.442-05:00<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815412223/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/HowWeLostTheVietnamWar.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>Informed comment from 1976. Or is it from 2006?<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/1600/HowWeLostTheVietnamWar.jpg"></a>"<span style="color:#006600;">Despite the enthusiasm and goodwill, despite the good intentions, the American advisory program was a lamentable disaster that contributed largely to the eventual debacle in Vietnam. It was worse: it was a gigantic con trick foisted on American public opinion. Not so much by those in the field as by those who never walked the field of battle, but strode the corridors of power in Washington, those to whom the Vietnam war started as a kind of theoretical dream of how to combat the spread of Communism, but gradually twisted and writhed into a hellish nightmare.</span>" — Nguyen Cao Ky, Former Prime Minister of South Vietnam and ardent anti-Communist, from <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815412223/">How We Lost the Vietnam War</a></em>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;color:#663366;">(more quotes in comments)</span>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1151540389770990952006-06-28T19:08:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:33:47.849-05:00Uncommon Dissent<span style="color:#006600;">An interesting event occurred at William Dembski's blog, </span><a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Auncommondescent.com+zachriel"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#3333ff;">Uncommon Descent</span></a><span style="color:#006600;">. I was banned! (Dembski is supposedly one of the leading Intelligent Design "theoreticians".)</span><br /><br />The moderator of <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Uncommon Descent</span> is DaveScot (who claims a genius IQ). He made a series of misstatements (see comments). He apparently highly resents being corrected. He likes to ridicule people who disagree with him — no matter how valid and reasonable their criticism might be. (I try to abide by <a href="http://zachriel.blogspot.com/2005/10/clogging-commenting-on-blogs.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">these rules</span></a> when commenting on blogs.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.uncommondescent.com/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Dembski.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color:#006600;">I checked the </span><a href="http://www.uncommondescent.com/index.php/comment-policy/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">moderation policy</span></a><span style="color:#006600;">, and yes indeed, "ID-critics" are not welcome. Apparently, Intelligent Design doesn't hold up well under close examination. DaveScot would even inject pointed questions into my comments, then 'neglect' to post the response.</span><br /><br />I found the situation rather amusing, but it wasn't of any major concern because most of the posts on <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Uncommon Descent</span> lack substance and are unlikely to convince any general readers, and because DaveScot's behavior clearly undermined whatever influence he might have had.<br /><br /><span style="color:#006600;">Or in the words of DaveScot, "<em>What’s the matter [church burnin’ ebola] boys, cat got your tongues?</em>" I suppose I didn't measure up to the level of discourse required.<br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.pandasthumb.org/"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="The Panda's Thumb is the virtual pub of the University of Ediacara." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/PandaThumbbanner.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">Addendum: Apparently DaveScot has been banned from </span><a href="http://www.pandasthumb.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Panda's Thumb</span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> for </span><a href="http://www.uncommondescent.com/index.php/archives/26#comment-139"><span style="color:#3333ff;">threatening to hack the site and for using another person's nym</span></a><span style="color:#990000;">. That might explain his bitterness.</span>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1149073558172847612006-05-31T05:59:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:36:59.106-05:00La Nostra Bambina<a href="http://www.zachriel.com/monalisa/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Louvre.fr" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/LaGioconda.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#990000;">But Mona Lisa must have had the highway blues.You can tell by the way she smiles.</span> — Dylan<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/1600/LongMona.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Louvre.fr" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/1600/LongMona.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Mona Lisa, La Gioconda, La Nostra Bambina giocando Nascondere-e-Cercare, in Bits:<br /><a href="http://www.zachriel.com/monalisa/">http://www.zachriel.com/monalisa/</a>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1146426006252667832006-04-30T14:28:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:34:56.111-05:00"The Ol' Auction Block"<a href="http://www.lurayslaveblock.com/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="The Ol' Auction Block in Luray, Virginia, reportedly used for auctioning slaves in the 19th century." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/slaveblock.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Most everyone has heard of that sorry chapter of American history known as slavery. Millions of people, men, women and children, climbed small wooden stairs to stand on stone blocks to be appraised for value by the patrons of auction houses. The physical existence of such an auction block helps one appreciate that actual families were sold apart from upon these blocks.<br /><br />This artifact was recognized by amateur historian, Fred Hinson of Virginia, USA. He led a successful effort to have the stone commemorated.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;">The </span><a href="http://www.lurayslaveblock.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">"Ol' Auction Block"</span></a><span style="color:#000099;"> in Luray, Virginia.</span><br /><br /><em>Update: And yes, Hinson was opposed by those who claimed a historical association with the Confederacy. </em>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1143808672985543552006-03-31T07:37:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:35:27.449-05:00Thank God It's Wife of Wóden Day!!!<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Friday is Fríge's Day, the Wife of Wóden" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/frigga.2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Fríge (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology">Frigga</a>) , "<em>foremost among the goddesses</em>," the wife of Wóden (Odin), queen of the Æsir, and goddess of the sky. Her sons were Balder, the beloved god; Bragi, god of poetry and wisdom; and Thor, god of thunder. She was one of the Aesir, the principal warrior gods who lived in Asgard.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=friday&searchmode=none">Friday</a> was named after her.<br /><br /><div align="right"><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woden"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Wednesday is Wóden's Day" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/odin.jpg" border="0" /></a>Wóden (Odin)</div>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1140884911888414342006-02-25T11:04:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:35:59.145-05:00Come home, little Physarum!<a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/slimemolds.html"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 5px 5px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="My once upon a time best friend" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Fuligo2-tt.jpg" border="0" /></a>I used to have a pet slime mold, but it ran away.<br /><br />I still remember each morning being greeted by my pet slime mold <span style="color:#000066;">(well, not really greeted because it didn't have a mouth)</span>. I can still see its visage <span style="color:#000066;">(well, not really visage, but sometimes if </span><span style="color:#000066;">you squinted you could make out the image of the Madonna, or other times it looked more like a cheese sandwich)</span>. <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/1600/SUNFLO~2.jpg"><span style="color:#000066;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px 5px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Sunflower Garden" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/SUNFLO~2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a>In the evenings, it would be gone, but it would always be there the next morning, playing hide-and-seek among the sunflowers, the dawn light glistening off my slimy friend's velvety skin <span style="color:#000066;">(well, not really skin, but more like congealed ooze)</span>.<br /><br />I had sought my little plasmoidal friend's advice on the <a href="http://zachriel.blogspot.com/2005/06/poetry-of-genetic-algorithms_25.html">Phrasenator Project</a>—and it was always willing to listen <span style="color:#000066;">(well, I'm sure it would have listened if it had ears)</span>. I should have given it credit for helping with the software: the code did sort of resemble the amorphous structure of a slime mold.<br /><br />I considered a leash, but thought it would be wrong to chain a wild slime mold <span style="color:#000066;">(plus there was the issue of not having a neck)</span>. In any case, I miss our frolicking in the flowers <span style="color:#000066;">(well, not really frolicking)</span>, and our long leisurely walks <span style="color:#000066;">(well, it didn't really walk because it didn't have legs, but it did move, albeit very very slowly)</span>.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-family:arial;color:#006600;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/1600/MissWren.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 5px 5px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 216px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="A new friend in the garden!" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/MissWren.jpg" border="0" /></a>If you love something, let it go. Set it free. If it comes back, it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was.</span><br /></em><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">Alas! Farewell, my little Myxomycetes.</span>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1137344338263958452006-01-15T11:30:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:36:20.802-05:00Rhett Butler: Cad, Lecher, Pimp<a href="http://www.newline.com/sites/gonewind/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px 10px 10px 5px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Gone with the Wind" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Gone.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Everyone knows the love story of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara from <em>Gone with the Wind</em>, the Pulitzer Prize Winning novel by Margaret Mitchell. But who is that "other woman", Belle Watling?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/8871/bellewatling.html"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Belle Watling" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Belle4.jpg" border="0" /></a>The movie tends to water-down some of the less savory aspects of the story — and <em>Gone with the Wind</em> is certainly not *about* adultery — ; yet “rape, drunkenness, moral dissipation and adultery” (the usual description) are clearly emblematic of a disfuncational relationship and of society generally.<br /><br /><a href="http://polipundit.com/wp-comments-popup.php?p=11408&c=1#comment-1722891">Some</a> have actually asserted that a Rhett Butler would go to a whorehouse after an argument with his wife for the conversation alone. Here are a few such arguments from the original novel by Margaret Mitchell. This conversation indicates that Rhett doesn't consider Scarlett his wife (so it really isn't cheating).<br /><br /><blockquote><p><span style="color:#006600;"><a href="http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/pre2000/i-gwtwind.html"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px 5px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Rhett and Belle together" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/rhett4-r&belle.jpg" border="0" /></a>“And as for you being my wife-you haven’t been much of a wife since Bonnie came, have you? You’ve been a poor investment, Scarlett. Belle’s been a better one.”</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;">“Investment? You mean you gave her-?”</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#006600;">“ ‘Set her up in business’ is the correct term, I believe. Belle’s a smart woman. I wanted to see her get ahead and all she needed was money to start a house of her own. You ought to know what miracles a woman can perform when she has a bit of cash. Look at yourself.”</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;">“You compare me-”</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#006600;">“Well, you are both hard-headed business women and both successful. Belle’s got the edge on you, of course, because she’s a kind-hearted, good-natured soul-”</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;">“Will you get out of this room?”</span> </p></blockquote>So we see that Rhett not only has a relationship with Belle, but actually funds her operations. No wonder she has such a nice whorehouse. As Mitchell narrates,<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="color:#660000;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Belle Watling, Lady of the Night" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/belle150.jpg" border="0" /></a>Belle Watling was the most notorious of the madams... </span><span style="color:#660000;">This house was something that the matrons of Atlanta whispered about furtively and ministers preached against in guarded terms as a cesspool of iniquity, a hissing and a reproach. Everyone knew that a woman of Belle’s type couldn’t have made enough money by herself to set up such a luxurious establishment. She had to have a backer and a rich one at that. And Rhett Butler had never had the decency to conceal his relations with her, so it was obvious that he and no other must be that backer. </span><p></p></blockquote>And the clincher,<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="color:#660000;"><a href="http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/online/gwtw/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Matrons whisper" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Belle.jpg" border="0" /></a>If he went to Belle Watling’s house at all, he went by night and by stealth as did more respectable townsmen, instead of leaving his horse hitched in front of her door in the afternoons as an advertisement of his presence within. </span></blockquote><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gone_With_the_Wind"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="The Dance" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Rhett-Dance.jpg" border="0" /></a>This is the Mitchell's view of Southern culture. The seedy side exists, but everyone pretends it doesn't.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(More in comments.)</span>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1134877286412457012005-12-17T22:22:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:36:40.883-05:00Random Walkers<a href="http://www.pythonline.com/"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Ministry of Silly Walks" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/ministry-of-silly-walks-4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Mr Pudey</em>: Well sir, I have a silly walk and I'd like to obtain a Government grant to help me develop it.</span></span><br /><br />Just another silly bit of Jovian computer code... <a href="http://www.zachriel.com/randomwalker/">RANDOM WALKERS</a> is an iterative search algorithm known as the "drunkard's walk". Not a particularly efficient method, but claimed to be relevant for a <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/talk.origins/browse_frm/thread/deeec9dca1392150/6a2d34b31b36f6f5#6a2d34b31b36f6f5">Talk.Origins discussion</a> concerning biological evolution and neutral drift.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.zachriel.com/randomwalker/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="RANDOM WALKS" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/HundredWalkers.gif" border="0" /></a>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1134350220617248462005-12-11T20:12:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:37:20.974-05:00Mollie is a CatCat blogging! Mollie in her Sunday best.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dailykitten.com/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Mollie the Cat, played Mother in the movie A Cat's Life, a heartwarming story about adventure and loss." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Mollycat250.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Mollie is a cat.<br />Mollie is not a bat,<br />Nor is she a hat,<br />'Cause Mollie is a cat.</span></strong>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1130887940342814452005-11-01T18:20:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:37:34.606-05:00Humans are animals<a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Leonardo_Master_Draftsman/draftsman_intro_essay.asp"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Dissection of Human Female" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/DaVinci-Dissection.jpg" border="0" /></a>Let's not quibble over details. Humans are clearly animals.<br /><br /><a href="http://tolweb.org/accessory/Amoebae?acc_id=51"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Protists Which Move and Feed Using Pseudopodia" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/amoeba15.jpg" border="0" /></a>Note that humans are members of the Animal Kingdom, that is, like sponges, they ingest food for energy and for protein, the building blocks of their structure. In addition, they have an alimentary canal, where food passes from one end, the mouth, to the other, just like earthworms. They are also vertebrates, that is, like fish, they have a bony spine <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4498049.stm"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Fossils illuminate fish evolution " src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/FossilFish.jpg" border="0" /></a>which protects a nerve cord, and a head at one end which has an array of sense organs. They have four limbs like frogs and iguanas. They are mammals, so like mice, they nurse their young with a proteinous secretion produced by special glands. They are placentals, and bear their young live.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/mammals/explore/evolution.shtml"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="All modern mammals evolved from a group of reptiles that lived more than 200 million years ago. " src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/nursingmother.jpg" border="0" /></a>Indeed, humans ARE animals, specifically mammals. They ingest, digest, defecate, copulate, nurse. They love and they hate. They are prideful and compassionate. They have hair, eyes, three ear-bones and two gonads. They are composed of blood and bones, livers and brains, synapses and cell-membranes. These are all features of life found in many other animals.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-09,GGLD:en&q=da+vinci"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Leonardo Da Vinci" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/davinci_leonardo.jpg" border="0" /></a>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1129987261064192542005-10-22T07:51:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:37:54.255-05:00Clogging (Commenting on Blogs)<div align="justify"><span style="color:#993300;"></span><br /><a href="http://zachriel.blogspot.com/2005/07/liberal-v-conservative.html"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px" alt="Liberal v. Conservative" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/manwig.jpg" border="0" /></a>Several people have asked why I bother to comment on so-called "conservative" blogs, such as <a href="http://polipundit.com/">Polipundit</a>, many of whom make a claim to <a href="http://zachriel.blogspot.com/2005/07/liberal-v-conservative.html">conservatism</a>, but are, instead, decidedly right-wing.<br /><br />Well, when I come across a clearly false assertion that has not been refuted by others, I am often compelled to post a direct reply to that specific assertion. Just because a blog is clearly right-wing; many others, called lurkers, may read the posts without comment. Some may be young, or just unknowing. As such, I believe it is important to respond to false assertions, especially on high-traffic sites that purport to have influence.<br /><br />I have a few personal rules-of-thumb that have served me well. (And when I have ignored my own rules-of-thumb, I have often witnessed the consequences.) </div><blockquote><span style="color:#006600;">The truth always matters.<br />Winning an argument is not the goal.<br /><br />Listen to others.<br />Respect others.<br />Admit error.<br />Admit fallibility.<br />Retract or clarify as required.<br /><br />Find common ground where possible.<br />Be sure of your facts; research *before* posting.<br />Support your assertions with appropriate cites.<br /><br />Stay on-topic.<br /><em><a href="http://www.fallacyfiles.org/adhomine.html">Ad hominem</a></em> is always off-topic.<br />Ignore off-topic comments.<br />Post only when you have something new to add to the discussion.</span> </blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/htmlver/characters/f_socrates.html"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px 5px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Σωκράτης" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/socrates1.jpg" border="0" /></a>I believe it is important to preserve conservative philosophy from right-wing and reactionary movements. Conservatives believe that traditional values and institutions are the bulwark of society, and so they are. But right-wing movements, claiming the mantle of conservatism, will often destroy even long-standing institutions in order to bring back some mythical good-old-days, that never really existed.Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1126548520189893992005-09-12T13:03:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:38:09.645-05:00Pharyngula<a href="http://pharyngula.org/index/science/"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="For anything on the embryonic development of Zebrafish, Danio rerio, Pharyngula is the place to be!" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/larvae.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For more evidence on the Theory of Evolution, check out <a href="http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/deep_homologies_in_the_pharyngeal_arches/">Deep homologies in the pharyngeal arches</a> at <a href="http://pharyngula.org/">Pharyngula</a>.<br /><br /><br /><strong>What the heck is a <a href="http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/about/">pharyngula</a>?</strong> "<span style="color:#660000;">a particular stage in the development of the vertebrate embryo ... <a href="http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/deep_homologies_in_the_pharyngeal_arches/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Specific cells in the pharyngeal arches will form gills or glands, depending on the species of vertebrate." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Embryo.gif" border="0" /></a>an evolutionarily conserved period when vertebrate embryos of all species are most similar to one another, and has a repeated series of pharyngeal arches. These are characteristic chordate tissues that form a 'basket' of cartilage and associated tissues in the throat; they contribute to jaws and facial structures, ear bones, gill arches, etc.</span>"<br /><br /><a href="http://pharyngula.org/index/weblog/comments/deep_homologies_in_the_pharyngeal_arches/"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 5px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Human gland evolved from gills." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Adult1.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><p></p>These images really tell the story. The embronic cells which become gills in fish, become glands in humans, both depending on the gene Gcm-2.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/vol101/issue51/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, December 2004" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/PNAScover.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/101/51/17716">Okabe and Graham tell all</a> in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.<br /><br />Next: The Jawbone of an Ass....Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1126408187489273312005-09-10T22:09:00.000-05:002007-04-27T10:20:12.494-05:00Novosibirsk — A Symphonic Interlude<div align="justify"><strong><span style="color:#006600;">A Symphonic Interlude<br /></span></strong><br /><a href="http://www.allsiberia.com/novosibirsk/Gallery1.htm"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Novosibirsk, Russia" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Novosibirsk.jpg" border="0" /></a>Novosibirsk is the capital of Siberia and <a href="http://www.e-novosibirsk.com/nsk.php">the geographic center of Russia</a>. This <a href="http://www.allsiberia.com/novosibirsk/Gallery1.htm">beautiful scene</a> of bridges crossing the Ob River inspired this foray into symphonic music.<br /><br />Some very useful music software (called <em>Performance Modeling</em>) is created by my friends at <a href="http://www.ntonyx.com/sos_1999-01-01.htm">Ntonyx</a> located in Novosibirsk, Russia. </div><p></p><br /><div align="left"><strong><a href="http://www.moodsinmusic.com/novosibirsk.mp3">Novosibirsk</a></strong></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:78%;">(MP3, 2 minutes 47 seconds, 2.6 MB)</span></div><p><span style="color:#990000;"><em>Finally, I have a symphony orchestra at my fingertips!</em> </span></p><p> </p>Moods in Musichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02204092905750943280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1125946025125185842005-09-05T13:31:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:38:51.844-05:00Talk.OriginsI have had a number of discussions concerning the creation/evolution controversy — often on blogs. However, most blogs do not offer the bandwidth or the multi-threading necessary for detailed scientific discussions. Due to these limitations, I often refer people to the Usenet newsgroup <a href="news:talk.origins">Talk.Origins</a><span style="color:#006600;"> *</span>.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Talk.Origins Archives" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/talkorigins.jpg" border="0" /></a>"<a href="news:talk.origins">Talk.Origins</a><span style="color:#006600;"> *</span> is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet">Usenet</a> newsgroup devoted to the discussion and debate of biological and physical origins. Most discussions in the newsgroup center on the creation/evolution controversy, but other topics of discussion include the origin of life, geology, biology, catastrophism, cosmology and theology."</span><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/">Talk.Origins Archives</a> offers a variety of articles and essays providing mainstream scientific answers to many frequently asked questions (<a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-qa.html">FAQ</a>). The <a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/">Talk.Origins Archives</a> have won numerous <a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/awards/">awards and mentions</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#006600;">( * <strong>Note</strong>: If you do not have a newsgroup reader, you can access <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/talk.origins/">Talk.Origins through Google Groups</a>. Or, many email programs can be configured for newsgroup.)</span> <p></p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.pandasthumb.org/"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="The Panda's Thumb is the virtual pub of the University of Ediacara." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/PandasThumb.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1125240368849944182005-09-04T09:24:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:39:39.887-05:00Forearmed with knowledge<a href="http://www.csicop.org/si/2002-01/twain.html"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Snaring the Fowler: Mark Twain Debunks Phrenology" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Phrenology-Skeptical.jpg" border="0" /></a>In the 19th Century, a new pseudo-science emerged to join the likes of alchemy and astrology. Called Phrenology, it claimed to be able to judge the aptitudes and characteristics of people by noting the bumps on their head, which presumably would give clues to the structure of the brain within the skull. The most important of these Phrenologists was a man named Fowler.<br /><br />From the <a href="http://www.csicop.org/si/2002-01/twain.html">Skeptical Inquirer</a>:<br /><blockquote><p><a href="http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9059835?query=phrenology&ct="><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Britannica: Phrenology enjoyed great popular appeal well into the 20th century but was wholly discredited by scientific research." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Phrenology1.gif" border="0" /></a>Forearmed with a knowledge both of phrenology and the tricks of con artists, the famous author Mark Twain performed a simple <span style="color:#993300;">single-blind reliability test</span>. In 1872 or 1873, he visited Fowler's London office and paid for a reading <strong>using a pseudonym</strong>. </p><p><span style="color:#006600;">"he found a cavity, in one place; a cavity where a bump would have been in anyone else's skull. That cavity, he said was all alone, all by itself, occupying a solitude, and had no opposing bump, however slight in elevation, to modify and ameliorate its perfect completeness and isolation. He startled me by saying that that cavity represented <strong>the total absence of the sense of humor!</strong>"</span></p><p>Twain returned to Fowler three months later and sat for a second reading, <strong>this time identifying himself</strong>. On this occasion, the reading differed greatly: <span style="color:#006600;">"Once more he made a striking discovery-the cavity was gone, and in its place was a Mount Everest-figuratively speaking-31,000 feet high, <strong>the loftiest bump of humor</strong> he had ever encountered in his life-long experience!"</span></p></blockquote><br /><a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=phrenology+twain&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Google Scholar: Stand on the shoulders of giants." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/GoogleScholar.gif" border="0" /></a>Twain has been <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14633308&dopt=Citation">cited</a> for his <span style="color:#993300;">single-blind reliability test</span> in the scientific literature. Here are a few other <a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=phrenology+twain&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Search">cites</a> to Twain's scientific results from <a href="http://scholar.google.com/">Google Scholar</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14633308&dopt=Citation"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="National Library of Medicine" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/NLM.gif" border="0" /></a>It is the ability to make reliable predictions that is the hallmark of science. I would also note that you don't have to have a PhD to practice the scientific method. Twain was doing science, and his only qualification was his ability to see the con.<br /><p></p>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1125751562681177642005-09-03T07:30:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:41:49.233-05:00Mr. Bill for head of FEMA<a href="http://crawfordslist.blogspot.com/2005/09/oh-no-mr-bill-knew-so-why-didnt.html"><span style="color:#990000;"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Ohh Nooo!!!" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/mrbill.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#990000;">"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."</span> — <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/">George Bush</a>.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">"Ohh Nooo!!!"</span> — <a href="http://www.mrbill.com/">Mr. Bill</a>.<br /><br />Please watch the <a href="http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=politicalhumor&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ifilm.com%2Fifilmdetail%2F2678951">Video</a> of Mr. Bill's public service announcement. I say, Mr. Bill for <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/01/katrina.fema.brown/">director of FEMA</a>. He has the foresight, and the experience with disaster, that is requisite for the job.<br /><br /><p><em><strong><a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/379445830"><span style="color:#cc33cc;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 5px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="You can make a difference! Sign the Mr. Bill petition" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/QuillPen.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#cc33cc;">UPDATE</span></strong></em></p><p>Someone started a <a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/379445830">petition</a> to put Mr. Bill in charge of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). With your help, we can make this a reality! Please sign this petition. </p><p><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Mr. Bill for director of FEMA.</span></strong> <em>He can't be any worse.</em> </p><p></p>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1125402389440722582005-08-30T06:40:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:42:34.855-05:00Project Steve<a href="http://www.ncseweb.org/article.asp?category=18"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="National Center for Science Education" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/NCSELogo.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.ncseweb.org/article.asp?category=18" rel="nofollow"><strong>Project Steve</strong></a> "is a tongue-in-cheek parody of a long-standing creationist tradition of amassing lists of 'scientists who doubt evolution' or 'scientists who dissent from Darwinism'… Project Steve mocks this practice with a bit of humor, and because 'Steves' are only about 1% of scientists, it incidentally makes the point that tens of thousands of scientists support evolution. And it honors the late <a href="http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/gould/">Stephen Jay Gould</a>, <a href="http://www.natcenscied.org/">NCSE</a> supporter and friend."<br /><br /><strong>Testimonials</strong>:<br /><span style="color:#006600;"><em><a href="http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/8860_the_steve_song__3_15_2005.asp"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Not only Steves, but also Stephens, Stevens, Stephanies, Stefans, Etiennes and Estebans!" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Steves2.gif" border="0" /></a>I must have had the worst love life in the whole field of leech systematics, but now that I'm an NCSE Steve my social life has really taken off!</em> </span>— Steve<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#330099;">Before I became an NCSE Steve, opportunities just never seemed to come my way. But now my department chair holds the door open for me, and brings me coffee!</span></em> — Stephanie<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#660000;">Steve here. I have been waiting my entire scientific career for just such an opportunity...a chance to STAND OUT...a chance to SHINE...a chance to SHAMELESSLY CAPITALIZE WORDS THROUGHOUT MY SENTENCES!!!...AND TO USE EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!...WITHOUT REASON!!!!</span></em> — Steve<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/news/2003/ZZ/751_hawking_is_steve_300_4_21_2003.asp"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="The Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, Stephen W. Hawking" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/hawking2.gif" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.hawking.org.uk/home/hindex.html">Stephen Hawking</a> is #300 on the <a href="http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/3697_the_list_2_16_2003.asp">Steve list</a>. I'm waiting for the list of Zachriels who support science education. I'll definitely sign up for that one!<br /><br /><p></p>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1125364163850762312005-08-29T19:58:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:42:49.555-05:00Martian Dust Devils<a href="http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20050708a.html"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="Martian dust devils" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/MartianDustDevils2.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><p><a href="http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Spirit and Opportunity on Mars" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/Rover.gif" border="0" /></a></p>You can find more images of <a href="http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20050708a.html">Martian dust devils</a> on <a href="http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA's Rover Mission website</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/"></a></p><span style="color:#990000;">"</span><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/14jul_dustdevils.htm"><span style="color:#990000;">Ah, Martian summer!</span></a><span style="color:#990000;"> Finally, the days are long, just like on dear old Earth. And daytime highs rocket all the way up to a balmy 20°C (68°F) from the summer nighttime low of -90°C (-130°F), meaning you and your fellow astronauts can warm up your machinery earlier to get a good start on mining operations."<br /></span><br />— from Science@NASA<br /><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/nasalogo.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p></p>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1123030040135988602005-08-20T19:46:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:43:11.305-05:00Evolution Defined<a href="http://tolweb.org/tree/"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="The Tree of Life, a.k.a. the nested hierarchy of common descent" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/toloverview.jpg" border="0" /></a> "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution." — <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0231054750/103-1158917-1747037">Theodosius Dobzhansky</a><br /><br /><a href="http://pages.britishlibrary.net/charles.darwin/texts/origin1859/origin_fm.html">Darwin's original Theory of Evolution</a> has been constantly refined in the light of new knowledge. That's <a href="http://zachriel.blogspot.com/2005/08/scientific-method.html">how science works</a>! However, the basic concepts of variation, natural selection and common descent are very strongly explanative concerning the millions of data points across multiple fields of study, including biology, paleontology, chemistry, and even geology.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/archaeopteryx/archae.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Archaeopteryx retained many dinosaurian characters which are not found in modern birds, whilst having certain characters found in birds but not in dinosaurs." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/1600/archae225.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />---<br />Evolution is the observed change in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allele_frequency">allele frequencies</a> in populations over time. The Theory of Evolution explains the mechanisms of evolution, including mutation, variation, natural selection, sexual selection, genetic drift, speciation, hybridization, contingency, common descent, etc. The primary areas of evidence are as follows:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p>* The nested hierarchy of <a href="http://tolweb.org/tree/">extant life</a>.<br />* The nested hierarchy in time of <a href="http://zachriel.blogspot.com/2005/08/principle-of-superposition.html">extinct life</a>.<br />* The nested hierarchy of <a href="http://zachriel.blogspot.com/2005/09/pharyngula.html">embryonic development</a>.<br />* The nested hierarchy of biochemistry.<br />* The nested hierarchy of biogeography.<br />* The discovery that heredity is chemistry (<a href="http://www.nature.com/genomics/human/watson-crick/index.html">Watson & Crick, 1953</a>).<br />* Observation of <a href="http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIC1bLederberg.shtml">genetic mutation</a>.<br />* Observation of <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780679733379">natural</a> and artificial selection and their effects.<br />* Observation of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardy-Weinberg_principle">genetic drift and fixation</a>.<br />* Observation of <a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-speciation.html">speciation</a> in the wild and in the lab.<br />* Observation of hybridization in the wild and in the lab.<br />* The recently discovered nested hierarchy of <a href="http://www.genome.gov/">genomes</a> (including endogenous retroviruses and pseudo-genes).<br />* <a href="http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml">Direct manipulation</a> of the genomes.<br /><br /></p></blockquote><br /><a href="http://books.nap.edu/html/creationism/"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is an honorific society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific research." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/NAS-Trees.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://books.nap.edu/html/creationism/">NATIONAL ACADEMY of SCIENCES</a>: "The theory of evolution has become the central unifying concept of biology and is a critical component of many related scientific disciplines. In contrast, the claims of creation science lack empirical support and cannot be meaningfully tested."<br /><p></p>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1124330906821169862005-08-16T20:58:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:43:23.970-05:00Rope-a-Dope<a href="http://www.usoc.org/26_603.htm"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Mohammad Ali: The Greatest" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/ali_foreman200.jpg" border="0" /></a>In the <a href="http://espn.go.com/boxing/s/1999/1028/138392.html">Rumble in the Jungle</a>, one of the greatest moments in all of sports history, held under a pale African moon, Mohammad Ali boxed George Foreman using a tactic Ali termed "<em>Rope-a-Dope</em>". Ali's plan was to lay on the ropes and provoke his younger and stronger opponent into depleting all his punches. It's a punishing strategy, and can leave the defending boxer permanently injured.<br /><br />In Iraq, the American strategy appears to one of outlasting the enemy in a war of attrition, in the hopes that the enemy gives up or runs out of ammunition.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,1316529,00.html"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 254px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 166px" height="179" alt="One month in Iraq" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/iraqcarbomb.jpg" width="275" border="0" /></a>George Bush has apparently embarked on a policy of "<em>Rope-a-Dope</em>" with car bombers.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.iraqbodycount.net/press/pr12.php"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="A Dossier of Civilian Casualties in Iraq" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/iraqwoman.gif" border="0" /></a>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13781460.post-1123030447601521852005-08-15T19:53:00.000-05:002007-02-25T14:43:37.211-05:00Principle of Superposition<a href="http://www.unh.edu/esci/mapexplan.html"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 100px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 130px" height="183" alt="Geological Map of England and Wales and Part of Scotland" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/smithmap.jpg" border="0" /></a> From geology, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology#Important_principles_of_geology">Principle of Superposition</a>, briefly, that a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratum">stratum</a> (a sedimentary rock layer in a tectonically undisturbed sequence) is younger than the one beneath it and older than the one above it. This allows the relative ordering by time of fossils found in the strata.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p></p><ul><li><a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/lucy.html"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Lucy is a fossil specimen of Australopithecus afarensis." src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/lucy150.jpg" border="0" /></a>New biological forms appear at different times in the fossil record. </li><li>New forms are preceded by similar forms. </li><li>New features are modifications of features existing in a preceding form. </li></ul></blockquote>This creates a nested hierarchy, a diversification of forms from common ancestors.<br /><br />From this, we can make predictions about intermediate forms. For instance, Darwin predicted that there would be found fossils of organisms that had shared features of both humans and other apes. Many species and examples of such intermediate forms have been found, and have been found in the appropriate strata, e.g. <a href="http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/lucy.html">Australopithecus afarensis</a> has been found in strata dated at about 3¼ million years.<br /><br /><a href="http://anthro.palomar.edu/evolve/evolve_3.htm"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="Geological strata containing an evolutionary sequence of fossils" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/143/513/320/strata.gif" border="0" /></a>But, even then, the fossil evidence is not the best evidence in support of the <a href="http://zachriel.blogspot.com/2005/08/evolution-defined.html">Theory of Evolution</a>. The best evidence is in recently discovered genetic data.<br /><p></p>Zachrielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11268229653808829377noreply@blogger.com0