2bsirius's Weblog
The Sun and Moon Corrupted
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Philip Ball's First Novel
I’m reading The Sun and Moon Corrupted a novel by Philip Ball. It is a bit intimidating to see the plethora of reviews saying worshipful things about Mr Ball, for example, ” one of the smartest science writers working in Britain.” It’s proving to be an interesting read, but I have to admit that so far, I’m a bit disappointed. Perpetual motion machines? Mad physicists? Castles and alchemy in the mysterious outer reaches of Transylvania? Yes, it’s a very odd book indeed.
I think I’m mildly disappointed with what I’ve read so far. I think I’m unconsciously comparing it to a book I which impressed me so much I’m on my second time through it. It’s called A World Without Time: The Forgotten Legacy of Godel and Einstein by Palle Yourgrau, a non-fiction account of the late friendship of Albert Einstein and Kurt Godel, and I thought that Godel’s attempt to rewrite relativity was both more intellectually engaging and made better sense, at least to me.
No doubt Philip Ball’s book reminded me of the other because both depict the obsessive behavior of a passionate mind in the grip of an obsessive idea. The idea central to both books concerns possible flaws in Einstein’s theory of relativity.
But I think I’m prejudging. I’ll write more after I’ve actually finished reading. It is certainly unfair to judge until then.
The Late, Great Youtube
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YouTube quality is restricted to excellent documentaries like this BBC treatment,
Dangerous Knowledge which originally aired in 2007
I’ve given up on YouTube. It has become a cesspool of racism, hater abuse and pointless tirades by the certifiably mad. After trying the site for eight months I left it completely disillusioned with the low caliber of what is being uploaded there.
It seems you have your choice between adorable pet videos, neo-Nazi racial hatred and stupidity, or the rants of the insane who think they must destroy the world to save it. It would be comical if it weren’t such a ridiculous waste of time.
The truth is accessing YouTube is so toxic it should only be possible to do so after you’ve signed a disclaimer and agreed not to hold YT responsible for any brain damage which you might suffer while you’re there.
At least sixty percent of the “serious” videos on the site consist of childish ad hominem attacks, misguided “logic” from the chronically analytically impaired. I have felt a great sense of exhilaration after finally realizing that the whole thing is a sad waste of time and leaving it.
It is interesting that it so easy to loose perspective when you are actively engaged in an activity. You only realize you’ve just been wasting time after you’ve unfortunately wasted lots and lots of it. I think I was using it as an excuse NOT to work hard enough and NOT to do enough research.
I need to get a grip on my writing schedule again. I’m in the middle of a complex writing assignment…And the combination of the grueling demands of that and my frivolous time wasting on YouTube, I’ve almost completely allowed other parts of my life to fall apart.
I’m reconnecting with the real world and trying to convince friends, family and work acquaintances that the rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated.
My Present Research Foci include:
1. AI, self-reference and Godel’s Incompleteness theorem. It’s for my project…And it’s quite complicated…
2. As a outgrowth of that, I need to also understand possible applications to artificial intelligence. The recent research into this has made some very intriguing advanced.
