Singularities

Singularity
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Singularity may refer to any of a variety of concepts.

Mathematics:
Mathematical singularity, a point at which a given mathematical object is not defined

In complex analysis:
Essential singularity, a singularity near which a function exhibits extreme behavior
Isolated singularity, a mathematical singularity that has no other singularities close to it
Movable singularity, a concept in singularity theory
Removable singularity, a point at which a function is not defined but at which it can be so defined that it is continuous at the singularity

In algebraic geometry:
Singular point of an algebraic variety, a point where an algebraic variety is not locally flat
Rational singularity, a concept in singularity theory
Singularity theory, which deals with these concepts

Science:
Gravitational singularity, a point in spacetime in which gravitational forces cause matter to have an infinite density and zero volume
Mechanical singularity, a position or configuration of a mechanism or a machine where the subsequent behaviour cannot be predicted
Prandtl-Glauert singularity, the point at which a sudden drop in air pressure occurs
Singularity (climate), a weather phenomenon associated with a specific calendar date
Technological singularity, a theoretical point in the development of a technological civilization
Van Hove singularity in the density of states of a material

Singularity is an interesting concept in a universe where things are
generally self-similar and continuous (as part of a continuum).
Singularities also happen in one's life. A birth, a tragic loss, a very
close call with death, a brush with mental illness, something or an event that changes the rules for ever.

Bad News

Intermediate Ends Of The World

When I die it will be the end of the world as far as I'm concerned - and since I don't believe I'm the habitat of something "higher" than me, that'll be that. For most of us and most of our descendants' descendants, it will be the same, a private end of the world.

There is also a probability that the human civilization will exterminate itself, and that catastrophic change might happen so relatively quickly that people will be witness to it. That's another possible intermediate end of the known civilized world.

Then there's the chance an asteroid hits our planet to smithereens, in which case we would all live through an end of the earthly world. And if none of the above occur, the following clip illustrates what's most likely to happen as far as a galactic end of the world.

Then later, something might endanger our local cluster of galaxies either ripping the fabric of the universe, or having it's space filled with neighboring clusters, as the heading picture (educated simulation) of clusters of clusters suggests.

An ultimate End Of The World? of course! One day - a freeze, a crunch, no one is yet certain. But all seems to indicate that fatal entropy will win. Until then let's just forget about the many religious justice scare tactics and expected judgement days, and relax. Let's consider instead and keep busy with our own peremptionality.

A.R.T.

Making or doing art

A fabricated object or behavior loaded with intent.

Intent to share, communicate, intervene, interfere, entertain or otherwise impact fellow humans.

For the artist it is a statement. The object or performance is infused with his intent. The viewer is touched and reacts, feels and interpret its effects and forget, remembers or integrates the experience. Not much need be done for art to be made. In the above picture (taken by somenone else) I just added some tint and texture and an english word. Other artists will put an ordinary object out of context or under a different light. Or highlight a pattern or behave in special ways... Art can be simple or flourish in sophisticated intricacies and technical achievements. And it is something we human animals do to each other to enjoy or enlighten ourselves on our ephemeral condition. And we are now at a point in our evolution where art has become vital.

Basic Cosmological Knowledge

This is the basic knowledge about the universe that should underlie all theological and philosophical speculations and assumptions. Please push the Play button.



And this explains the method by which knowledge such as the above is acquired, verified, built upon.

For more vids on scientific knowledge, try this . Or watch the following clip on what "life" really is.

The Table's End

Where does the table effectively end?

Infinitesimally, atoms of solid wood turn into flowing atoms of air while from my point of view, there is a surface of solid wood. But is there?

We know that however polished that surface is, if you look close enough, it is rough and ragged. And at the atomic level, there are places that are wood and places that are not. There's even a level of uncertainty on what is part of the table and what, is part of the room's air.

We also know that this solid wood surface is constantly being modified by traveling molecules and electromagnetic bombardments and other contacts with solid objects. And that atoms and molecules of the table are constantly let loose from the solid. We also know that some particles can even go through that solid wood table.

What's interesting it that there is no exact frontier between the table and the air, even though from my point of view, there seems to be one. Then my assuming that there is a trustable interface between solid and gaseous would be "close enough for rock and roll".

So for most of us, most of the time, approximate assumptions are more than enough for functional living. If it wasn't for challenges and curiosity.

Justice

There will be justice

Bad people get punished.
You, however, will be forgiven.

From The American Cargo Cult.
Get the rest here

Reading, Evocation and Simulaton

Readers build vivid mental simulations of narrative situations, brain scans suggest

A new brain-imaging study is shedding light on what it means to "get lost" in a good book — suggesting that readers create vivid mental simulations of the sounds, sights, tastes and movements described in a textual narrative while simultaneously activating brain regions used to process similar experiences in real life.

Does that mean that stories use the same brain areas as real-life?

Or that what we conceive to be real-life is really happening in the same brain areas as fiction but with the added benefit or sensorial input? Both seem to operate in the same fashion. A friend who studies lucid dreaming also expects the similar brain areas to fire up when a dreamer acquires lucidity.

Real-life worldviews are of the same substance as more or less educated stories?

That would render myths, legends, fallacies, and other imaginary constructions indistinguishable from evidence-supported hypothesis.

Faith & Consequences

Miss Beatrice, the church organist, was in her eighties and had never been married. She was admired for her sweetness and kindness to all.

One afternoon the pastor came to call on her and she showed him into her quaint sitting room.

She invited him to have a seat while she prepared tea. As he sat facing her old Hammond organ, the young minister noticed a cut-glass bowl sitting on top of it. The bowl was filled with water, and in the water floated, of all things, a condom! When she returned with tea and scones, they began to chat.

The pastor tried to stifle his curiosity about the bowl of water and its strange floater, but soon it got the better of him and he could no longer resist. 'Miss Beatrice', he said, 'I wonder if you would tell me about this?' pointing to the bowl.

'Oh, yes,' she replied, 'Isn't it wonderful? I was walking through the Park a few months ago and I found this little package on the ground. The directions said to place it on the organ, keep it wet and that it would prevent the spread of disease.

Do you know I haven't had the flu all winter.'

Improbabilities

What happens happened because it was the most probable thing to happen then. Most of the time.

The next now for most average folks is a highly probable, predictable, expected moment, life that continues. Until for some, the unexpectedly improbable outside force strikes directly and life takes a turn. But the surprise doen't always come from beyond.

Errors, mistakes, bad choices and other wrong moves are examples of points where we ourselves are the cause of an unexpected turn of event. Which of course doesn't exclude the improbable - an erroneous assumption leading to real discovery for instance, or a bad turn in an alley... Even the highly improbable can happen - News Of The Weird is full of such demonstrations.

Causality?

My point: In view of the chaotic circumstances of the universe at the time, I'd dare to say that the emergence of life and subsequent self-aware beings resulted from a chain of these highly improbable events. If you consider that reality, at our level, is the gazillion nano-to-mega events required to maintain the consistency of matter, with such numbers improbable things are bound to happen.

But they just rarely do, sitting at the edges of the Bell curve as they are.

FUTURE

"There's no data on the future.
That's what makes it interesting."

Don Derosby of GBN

Discontinuity

Awareness and the sense of self that ensues appear, contrary to expectations, to be very discontinuous. Our consciousness is attention-driven and we know how flickering is attentiveness. Even time flow is actually grasped by tiny blocks of varying size or weight - most certainly related to our short term memory capacity. Emotions ebb and flow, ideas change (hopefully!), wakefulness varies, and dreams, when we can remember them, are the best if exagerated example of that discontinuity of the self. This discontinuity is actually what allows paradoxical behavior/belief systems, lies and hypocrisy, religious scientists, makeover sex and things like that. It also accounts for broken resolutions and promises, forgotten intent and decisions and elastic sincerity. Of course I've been Michel all day today, but I certainly don't feel now like I felt this morning, and that change throughout the day has not been a continuum. Maybe someone with so-called perfect recall can pinpoint the switching that occured in his awareness, I'm not very good with memory but I can remember many points today where I became something else than I was just moments before. Knowledge about this aspect of awareness is useful when making plans.

A Human Being

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -
Robert A. Heinlein

Embryo

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=XcMBjiILTRk
More clips of the event at YouTube.



The Embryo Of War.


This very funny clip of priests of different christian denominations fighting it out in the streets of Jerusalem is probably humorous because of the huge contrast between the (supposedly holy) costumes and the (violent) posturing and attitudes.


But it also underlines how faction wars begin. It could be just an accidental aggravation during one of these street fights that will start ill feelings, needs for retaliation and things like that. And Bam! you have a religious war.


Now that's all we need, Catholic and Orthodox nations at war, Greece and Turkey now united, supported by Russia, at war with Italy, supported by Europe and the USA. There must be something in these people's "books" that tells them how wrong their differences are, at least something to the effect that they are somewhat brothers. Mmmm... don't these two read the same book?


Actually I think they choose to overlook the good advice and let instead their hurt feelings guide their actions, oblivious to the real consequences. Revenge, retaliation, restitution of justice, all suddenly seem more real, important, urgent, than their religious and moral pretense , than those virtues they claim ownership upon.


And war becomes part of the sacred fantasy.

Music

Using the above ZuneCard you can listen to some of the music I like.

Music is Art.

It is one of the things we do to ourselves, as humans, to exercise our imagination and to provoke emotions. For the performers it promotes creativity - an abilty that can be used in other fields as well - and for the enjoyers, it is interpreted immediately and it can mark memories.

I greatly enjoy listening to music, it's a way to control or influence my moods, and to stimulate memories when I listen to older songs. I'm mostly interested in new music however, stuff that reflects our current condition, stuff from all over the world and from all genres.

I'm even interested in religious music, as, beyond its insidious propaganda, it also reflects the big existential puzzle humans have had to deal with as their self-awareness emerged.

Music is important, like litterature and visual arts. It is something that we do to ourselves - so better be aware of what it actually does to you, that we leave for posterity - and mark our collective memories with, that we use to try to understand the world and ourselves.

The Devil

The French poet Beaudelaire said: "The devil’s best trick is to persuade you that he doesn’t exist!".

A) The devil exists and indeed all atheists are his intruments. And there is Good and Evil, while health and madness are just consequences of the actions of these forces. Human society needs to be saved from Evil, protected from the devil's hidden influence. Fighting him in one's individual life - one of the believer's duty - will prove difficult however, because if the poet is right, we might not see him coming.

B) The devil does not exist, all moral issues rest on the shoulder of the beholder, human society adheres to the principles of individual responsibility, and it is mental health that is the real issue behind criminal behavior. Maintaining and enforcing sanity are matters of scientific research and poetry remains in the realm of imagination.

The blame for our collective soggy condition is not to be wasted on imaginary foes but should be focused on our own misundertsanding of the real situation.

As Woody Allen once wrote:

"We stand today at a crossroads:

One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness.

The other leads to total extinction.

Let us hope we have the wisdom to make the right choice."