IF A.I. IS SO DAMNED SMART, HOW COME IT CAN’T INCLUDE E.A.?
“EFFECTIVE ALTRUISM,” E.A., for short, is a term coined in 2011 by philosophers Peter Singer, Toby Ord, and William MacAskill. Lately, it has become a buzz word among developers and doomsayers (some, the … Continue reading
TANDEM SOLAR CELLS OPTIMIZE THE SUN’S PHOTONS
A NEW GENERATION OF SOLAR-CELL ELECTRICITY can profit from more of the sun’s energy spectrum, as described in “Tandems Have The Power,” by Stefaan Wolf and Erkan Aydin in AAAS … Continue reading
BABY TALK—DOLPHIN STYLE
WE’VE ALL HAD GENTLE LITTLE CONVERSATIONS with infants, this “baby talk” helping them to learn how to speak. What’s more, Beki Hooper Ph.D. reports in Psychology Today, July 3, 2023, … Continue reading
DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS THEORY, ANOSOV FLOWS, AND ARNOLD’S CAT PART 2
A FINE ARTICLE IN QUANTA MAGAZINE, Jordana Cepelewicz’s “Flow Proof Helps Mathematicians Find Stability in Chaos,” introduces the concept of Anasov flows in dynamical systems. And, following up with some … Continue reading
DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS, ANOSOV FLOWS AND ARNOLD’S CAT PART 1
READERS OF THIS WEBSITE have been exposed occasionally to the mathematical concept of dynamical systems theory, what I have called “differential equations, sorta, without the dirty bits.” My own 15 … Continue reading
PEANUTS FOR YOUR BEER?
IN ARGENTINA, A GLASS OF BEER is served with a small handful of roasted shelled peanuts. A ploy to raise thirst for another beer? A counter to the hops flavor? … Continue reading
ANDERS CELSIUS’S CLEVER IDEA
THE INTERESTING FACTS WEBSITE has the added fun of encouraging further investigation. For instance, a recent topic was “The Celsius Scale was Originally Backward.” Interesting Facts notes, “Instead of 0 … Continue reading
HARVESTING ELECTRICITY FROM THE AIR—BEN FRANKLIN, NICOLA TESLA, THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST PART 2
YESTERDAY IN “HARVESTING ETC. ETC, PART 1”, Franklin fooled with a kite, Telsa fooled with giant arcs. Both preceded recent research about deriving renewable electric power from the air itself. … Continue reading
HARVESTING ELECTRICITY FROM THE AIR—BEN FRANKLIN, NICOLA TESLA, THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST PART 1
RESEARCHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY of Massachusetts, Amherst, and, independently, at the European Commission’s CATCHER project have been transforming atmospheric humidity into renewable power. This is in line with Benjamin Franklin’s … Continue reading
SCIENTIFIC METAPHORS
ADVANCEMENTS IN SCIENCE PROFIT from explanatory metaphors. For instance, hydrogen’s promiscuity explains why its universal abundance doesn’t promote its being the slam-dunk of energy production. There’s lots of hydrogen, but … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 